A Villain Gets A Second Chance

Chapters

1: A Gift You Can't Return
2: A strange encounter
3: First fight? (Partially Re-written 11-4-23)
4: A surprising day
5: An exhausting day
6: Surprising Discoveries
7: A hard push
8: The Gala: Part 1
9: The Gala: Part 2
11: Making Preparations
12: The Gifts
13: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 1
14: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 2
15: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 3
16: Discord's Return
17: Castle Hospitality
18: A new day dawns
19: Secret Plots
20: Celestia's Scheme
21: The Invasion
22: A new arrival
23: The return of an empire
24: The aftermath
25: The Rescue Mission: Part 1
26: The Rescue Mission: Part 2
27: A Reunion
10: When stubbornness meets an immovable obstacle

1: A Gift You Can't Return

As you float in the air, hearing voices speaking about the remains of someone having a scarred spirit with very little left behind after being consumed by a jailer's forges. Unable to comprehend their meaning, you feel very confused as to why you sense such sadness from most of them. Hearing a new voice vaguely familiar to you speaking up about there not being a crown, a throne, or even a soul to judge, you are confused as you hear them say how much they despised you and hunted you. Sensing regret coming from them, you focus more on what they say, hearing, "Yet...with each selfish act committed...I...became you...but that, is a burden I must bear. However, your legacy...is at its end. So begone then, Arthas Menethil. Let the last whisper of your name fade away, and be forgotten."

Finally understanding that they are talking about you, the memories come rushing back at hearing your name. Feeling such intense sorrow at how miserably you failed, you are unable to cry or even call out as you are but a floating orb of residue. Understanding that there is no hope for new life, you succumb to your sorrow and stop fighting to survive. Slowly, you feel yourself exist less and less each passing moment, and then finally slip away into nothing.

Moments ago, in a void at the center of the universe

An alicorn having a pure white coat with light pink eyes and an ethereal, flowing mane and tail with swirling black, purple, red, yellow, and blue hues with white specks traveling throughout her mane, lies on a very light pink couch thinking just one thing after sensing one soul about to let itself be destroyed, 'Poor fool.' and starts concentrating her magic to draw it here, having to pour more of her magic into bringing it back from the verge of destruction due to how little remains of it. Thinking quickly, she searches the denizens of the world it came from for tiny fragments of its soul that it had unintentionally imparted upon them.

It ends up taking her a half-hour to piece his shattered soul back together, then begins work on restoring his memory to him. She finds it mildly annoying to have to go through a being called the Arbiter of his world to get his full memory restored, but continues on regardless of the irritating task and begins to reconstruct his body. Debating whether or not to make him a pony like the inhabitants of her other world, she recalls what he did in the other world and chooses to keep him human.

After building his body with a little essence from the universe, she nods at the accurate job she did at matching his appearance, shape, and structure from the other world. While looking him over from his blonde hair and sea-green eyes to his feet, almost debating whether or not she should give him the armor he wore when he used to be a paladin. She then pulls some darkness from the mortals inhabiting various worlds and sculpts it into a suit of armor matching that which he wore before being defeated, deciding to stick with the dark reminders of his failure and draws upon the essence of a dying star's energy to craft a sword identical to Frostmourne. Calling it Spellmourne, she gives the sword the ability to drain magic from any source with the limit that it can only hold enough to amount to the two alicorn rulers' magic. Looking the sword over and seeing the runes, she gives them a new purpose to display the level of magic through how brightly each one glows. Seeing the skull on both sides of the crossguard, she has their eyes and noses glow to show how much remains before it is fully depleted. Turning the finished sword in her magical hold, she nods and then moves it into its sheath on Arthas's sword belt. With most of everything in place, she provides a tiny spark to bring life back into the mortal.

When you wake up, you let out a groan at feeling tired and open your eyes to find yourself lying on a black floor inside of a black space. When you spot a strange, pure white creature lying on a couch, you curiously wonder out loud, "What manner of horse is that?"

She narrows her eyes at being classified as a horse and says in a warning tone, "I am to be considered a pony, do not make that mistake again. To get the other annoying questions out of the way, I am an alicorn, my name is unpronounceable in your tongue so you may call me Versa. You are presently in my personal void at the center of the universe, and I have taken pity on you by granting you a second chance at life. The reason for my pity is that I sensed you briefly wish to redeem yourself before you gave in to your sorrow and attempted to let yourself disappear from existence. If you endure hardship and suffer through the various and numerous big and tiny tasks that this new life will throw at you, perhaps one day you will find what you seek. But remember this, the light that you once served is not too pleased with you, so you will have to earn its forgiveness and blessing to be allowed to access the abilities given to you by it. I have granted you the ability to learn magic a little faster than the average pony, which is the same speed at which a particular studious unicorn I have been observing lately is able to learn. The amount of magic your body can naturally hold is slightly over 3/4 of what the Solar Princess is able to hold."

You look down at your hands to see the same gauntlets you wore just before you died, causing you to fearfully think, 'No...' then look down at your legs to see much of the same armor, saying softly, "No...no. Please, no!" then take off the helmet you are wearing and drop it to the floor at the sight of it, shouting, "NO!!" Hearing a clank beside you, you feel for what made the noise, and your hand lands on the sheath of a sword. Feeling for the hilt, you grasp it with your right hand and draw it. When you see that it is Frostmourne in your hand, you scream, "NO!!" and hastily throw it away from you, seeing it skitter across the floor and look up at the alicorn, shouting, "WHY AM I IN THE FORM OF THIS MONSTER? PLEASE JUST LET ME DISAPPEAR, I BEG YOU!"

Versa chuckles and shakes her head side to side ever so slightly, clicking her tongue saying, "That I cannot do, for it would forever alter the balance of life in the entire universe, and besides, you have no choice but to accept my gift." then looks directly at you saying, "I have chosen that form for you as a constant reminder of your biggest failures in life as you have many, your helm and sword are just identical replicas of the originals and do not have the same powers as they did." She picks up the helm in her magic and moves it towards you, holding it up before you with her magic, saying, "This helm has the ability to enhance your eyesight, meaning if you choose to, you could make it so you can see perfectly at night, see hot or cold images, notice details that could prove helpful in some way, find traps, see things that have been obscured or rendered invisible with magic. The possibilities are nearly endless, but it won't let you see through walls, or mountains. It also can store magic equal to twice what the most gifted unicorn can naturally hold with the exception of the studious pony I mentioned. Just so you know, when you store magic in it, the gem will glow blue as it normally would before, and if you use it to alter your vision, your eyes will emit blue smoke and also glow blue while the effect is active. You may call it the Helm of Failure as it is the reminder of your final failure that resulted in you becoming that very monster you resemble now." then sets the helm down before you and picks up the sword and moves it back to you with the skull and runes facing toward you saying, "This sword is called Spellmourne, having the ability to drain any creature or object of magic and can store magic equivalent to what the two ruling pony sisters wield, if you really concentrate...you could even absorb the ambient magic in the air or soil. You can use it to cast offensive or defensive spells, choosing the strength of the spells by using the magic all at once or in small amounts. The runes, the eyes, and nose of the skulls will glow blue variably depending on how much magic is stored, when the sword is full, the blade will appear to glow and be engulfed in blue flames but is only a harmless illusion. When it is empty, the skull's eyes and nose will lose all their glow and can only be refilled by focusing and channeling enough magic into it to activate it. Spellmourne is your reminder of your first major failure that happened due to you being too stubborn to listen to your mentor's warning about finding Frostmourne in the ice and took it, then murdered your own father with that wicked blade." then lays the tip on the ground and says, "Take the sword and try to channel some of your magic into the sword. You do remember what magic feels like don't you?"

You nod nervously, still scared about touching the sword again, and pull your hand back saying, "I...I can't touch that, I could do too much harm with it."

She rolls her eyes at you and says, "Stop acting like a girl scared of a sewing needle! Frostmourne was shattered and has already been reforged into different weapons, besides, I wouldn't let you have a sword as sinister and barbaric as that one's purpose was, in the world that I intend to send you to. The worst harm you could do to a pony is to drain most of their mana, but you will never put their lives at risk because they will only ever feel tired and will regain it when they sleep at night. No permanent damage done." With an annoyed sigh at your hesitation, she thrusts the hilt into the palm of your right hand, saying, "Now focus, we don't have a lot of time before I must send you off!"

Startled by her short outburst, you lift Spellmourne with the skull and runes facing you. Closing your eyes, you focus on the sensation of magic within your body, which is slightly different than feeling the holy light suffusing you. Feeling your magic, you try to channel it up through your right hand and into the sword. You feel it working as it travels out of your body and into the sword through your right hand, stopping after feeling slightly tired and look to see how full the sword is. When you see that only the skull and two of the first eight runes are glowing and emitting a light smoke, you concentrate again to try to pull some of the magic back into you. When you feel more energized, you stop and see that only the skull is glowing and emitting blue smoke, feeling reassured and say, "This is definitely not the same sword I had before, thank you."

Versa chuckles at how you figured out how to pull magic back into you, saying, "You discovered the sword's second ability quickly, now there is the matter regarding the abilities you had as the monster. I have granted you abilities similar to what you had, the information on each one, as well as how to cast them, however, you will not be allowed to raise any creature with its flesh rotting away and organs showing, as that will forever traumatize the peaceful ponies. I will warn you about using them now, as they use dark magic which is very seductive and addictive if you are unpracticed in it. To use one of those abilities, you will need to channel fear and hatred in order to use it. So when you decide to use them...be cautious. I warded the helm against using dark magic, but if you channel it into the sword...it will replace the magic you have stored in it. Should you ever try to destroy the helm or your sword, I will make them indestructible and enchant them to return to you from where you have abandoned them. Am. I. clear?"

You nervously gulp and return the sword to its sheath, forgetting about what plans you had to discard them at first convenience and nod your head saying, "Y-Yes miss, perfectly clear." then reach for the helm and return it to your head.

She looks you over, wondering if she forgot anything and says, "Right, you will need a spell to help you blend in when you decide to spend time with ponies without having them see your actual form." and closes her eyes and uses one of her godly abilities to gift you that ability saying, "There, you will be able to make yourself appear as a Unicorn, an Earth Pony, or a Pegasus. However, you will need to learn how to fly...the slow way. There is one form that you will have to prove yourself worthy of to acquire, which is the alicorn form." and grins saying, "You will also need a name to go by when in pony form, so I will name you Blistering Blizzard. When you are in pony form though, you will not feel the weight of your armor or see it as it will be magically dismissed. When you are not in pony form, you are stuck with having to deal with it." Acting as if her time with you is nearly at an end, she looks at you and calls forth a portal saying, "Now go into the portal and survive in this new world, you never know when you might encounter a test. So keep your wish in your mind for redemption and be aware of what is happening around you. There is a pony that watches over ponies' dreams at night, but she is currently far away and unable to do her job. When she returns, I will run interference for you until the time is right."

You sigh and make your way to the portal and feel her add something to your armor, then look down to see what it was and see a leather belt around your waist with a leather knapsack behind you, and look up at her asking, "What's this for miss?"

Versa then looks at you and says, "It's a small spacial bag that can carry various items, and is my final gift to you. Make sure you do not mention anything about our meeting to anypony, be it a godly being, a king, queen, princess, or prince as I outrank them all."

With nothing left for you to do but comply, you start walking towards the portal as she tells you to enjoy your time in this war-free world, saying, "Fare well, milady."

As you are almost at the portal, she says a few final words to you, "Show me how you fare in the Frozen North, I wonder how it will measure up to the climate in Icecrown..." pausing for a moment before adding, "Take some time to get used to your skills and practice improving your magic channeling skills, then make your way south to the more hospitable climate of Equestria after 2 years."

She then narrows her eyes at you as you look at her curiously for a moment, saying, "One final word of warning...you better not just give up on living and attempt to die or there will be dire consequences you do not want to discover...to get redemption, you must suffer to earn it."

Something about hearing those threatening words come from her mouth sends a shiver down your body, making you nervously nod and say, "Y-Yes miss." then pass through the portal. The moment you reach the other side, you feel bitter cold beneath your helm's opening. Only able to see snow on the ground around you while hearing a blizzard raging on around you, a brief break in the wind and snow grant you a brief glimpse of a dark peak in the distance and make your way there.

As you trudge your way through the blinding snow, the cold reminds you of the frigid temperatures of Icecrown. However, this blizzard and temperature are nothing compared to the deathly cold of Icecrown that bites right down to your bones within a couple minutes. Hearing nothing but your cloak flapping wildly in the howling wind that blows your long blonde hair into the breeze and seeing only a few feet in front of you, unable to smell anything but the harsh, frozen and untainted air blowing by you. You find a strange comfort being in this blizzard and continue into the blizzard with a smile on your face, but it doesn't last when you see flashes of the crimes you committed back in Azeroth and how terribly you failed your people. As you think back to how you murdered your own father and what your sister might think of you, a tear wells up in the corner of your eye and makes its way down to your chin. The tear drips off and hits the inside of the lower part of your helm, then continues its journey down to the end when it is blown off your chin.

Blown away and into the breeze, the tear hits the top of the frozen snow and slowly seeps through until it hits the frozen dirt. Filled with intense sadness, a curious spirit of nature invisible to the naked eye gets the bright idea to try to put it to good use and imbues it with a little magic. The spirit watches the tear containing the deepest sorrow absorb the cold and snow around it, watching with delight as the tear transforms itself into a snow-white seed that sprouts and pushes a white root down through the frozen ground.

Seeing the seed's root effortlessly penetrate the frozen-solid ground shocks the nature spirit as it watches the root get gradually thicker and split the shell in half, revealing a tiny bud yet to mature. The spirit starts to back up as the snow around it starts to get pulled into it, fueling its growth as it slowly turns into a tiny sapling. Eager to see what kind of tree it will become, the spirit debates whether or not to help it along a bit more. Shaking its head at realizing that nature can't rushed in some cases, it decides to let the tree be and watch over it to the best of her abilities.

Unable to tell what time it is due to the storm blocking your view of the sky, you keep walking for a while until you freeze in your tracks at hearing the rowl of some creature and call out, "Come forth and speak to me or be treated as an enemy!"

You watch as the growling continues, seeing a cat-like creature prowl around you. Trying to keep an eye on the beast, you draw your sword and prepare to fight when you wonder why this creature is after you, making you try to reason with it, "If you are searching to feed your young, I am not worth risking your life over. If you wish to feed yourself only, have at me...for I need to eat to survive too, and you look tasty."

A fearful shiver runs up the feline's back, making it rethink attacking it, and turns around to find other food for her cubs.

With a sigh of relief, you return your sword to its sheath and return on your way toward the peak. As it begins to grow dark out, you stop and try to channel your magic into your helm. Attempting to somehow enable yourself to see better at night, you eventually succeed after your twentieth or thirtieth attempt and find yourself able to see a little bit further than you could before.

By the time you arrive at the mountain peak you saw in the distance, night has fully fallen when you find a cave at the base of the mountain, thanking luck for it being there as you need a place to warm up after spending the majority of the day out in the blizzard. As you prepare to head inside, you draw Spellmourne and cautiously enter the cave.

A few minutes later you hear something rustle further ahead and hold your ground, waiting to find out what is just around the bend. Curiosity gets the best of you as you hear sniffing and grunting, taking a few steps forward to reveal a massive, bear with pure, white fur. With a chuckle, you say, "Just my luck, the first shelter I come across happens to have a massive, strange bear inside."

The massive bear looks down at the creature, bigger than a pony, griffin, or some other creatures he knows of, and blinks wearily, rubbing his crimson eyes with his paw, asking in a deep voice, "Why do you disturb my peaceful slumber, puny one?" and growls menacingly when he sees his drawn sword and asks, "Do you wish to fight for this cave!?"

Caught off guard that the creature can speak, you flinch ever so slightly and lower your weapon into a less-threatening position saying, "Apologies, I am only looking for a place to keep out of the raging storm outside. Is it possible for us to come to a non-violent agreement?"

The bear looks down at the creature curiously and grumbles about being woken up so early, saying, "A pitiful creature like you stands no chance of surviving in the Frozen North, return from where you came."

You chuckle and say, "I would if I was welcome there or even liked, but unfortunately...I haven't the slightest idea how I got here. If you consider the temperatures here in this...' Frozen North' cold, hmph I find it comfortable compared to where I came from."

The bear looks at the creature in astonishment and asks, "The temperature is...to your liking?! What a strange creature you are, fleshling..." then sniffs the air again and identifies the strange scent of death which comes from the creature and asks, "Where did you call home?"

Getting a feeling that you won't have to fight this creature, you set the point of your sword on the ground and rest your forearms on the guards saying, "I came from a world called Azeroth, and every living being there...either feared me, or hated me. Yet, every single one of them...wanted me dead."

Shocked at hearing such a thing, the bear cocks his head to the side and asks, "Why in the world, would they all want you dead?"

Unable to keep yourself from laughing, you chuckle and say, "With everything that I've done to them, how could they not want to end my life...I...am a monster of monsters."

The bear gets an uneasy feeling in his gut, but can't stop himself from wanting to know and asks, "Well, what was it that you did to them to make them so angry?"

You look up at the massive bear, with your enchanted vision and sigh saying, "That list is far too long to tell you in one night, but perhaps I might consider sharing some of it in the morning if you would be so kind as to let me stay here for the night. Have you been in many fights?"

The bear nods his head saying, "I have been in a few during my younger years, mostly for territory, food, or for a partner."

With a sigh, you say, "You would have trouble getting a good night's sleep with the nightmares you would have after hearing some of what I have done."

The bear gulps nervously as his curiosity withers away to nothing and says, "On second thought, I am rather enjoying hibernation, so keep your horror tales." then looks over to see what is left of his food and says, "You may stay until morning and have some of my food, I have enough food to last me for a couple months before I need to get more, but try not to eat all the leftover meat as I am a hungry bear and you would take its place if it is all gone." pausing a moment to say, "Do you understand me?"

Nodding your head, you then say, "Crystal clear. What might your name be, mister bear?"

Making himself comfortable on the ground saying, "My name's Gruule, what's yours, two-leg?"

Looking at Gruule, you introduce yourself saying, "Arthas Menethil, it's a pleasure to meet you." and then make your way further into the cave, stopping by him and saying, "Thank you for your kindness."

Gruule then huffs saying, "Mhm, try not to make too much noise alright?" then takes a deep breath and lets it out to return to sleep.

With a nod, you say, "I'll do my best to do that." and make your way further into the cave, unable to help the noise your armor makes when you spot a large, furry carcass inside and then turn back to look at Gruule asking, "Do you mind if I make a blanket out of the carcass back here?"

The big white bear huffs in amusement and asks, "Didn't you say you found the cold...comfortable?" with a smirk on his muzzle.

Wanting to distract yourself a bit, you shrug your shoulders and mess with the bear a bit and say, "I do, and the night temperatures are pretty close to what they were where I came from. If you have a problem with that, I could always make a blanket out of your hide..."

Gruule chuckles at hearing that and asks, "OH, do you wanna put your skills to the test?"

You kneel down by the carcass and remark, "I would, but then I would have to clean the blood out of my armor afterward."

The bear laughs at that and says, "Then make do with what is there." then returns to his slumber.

Drawing Spellmourne from its sheath, you look the carcass over and skin away a portion large enough to function as a blanket, then make a piece big enough to function as a pillow. Making your way over to the wall with your makeshift blanket and pillow, you roll the pillow up so that the fur is on the outside and set it down by the wall when your stomach grumbles lightly.

As you look around at what is available to eat, you find the meat a bit risky to eat as there are dried bits on it and choose to make do with just the strange berries. Eating enough to satisfy your hunger, you head back to where you left the pillow and blanket and lay down with your back against the wall, pulling the blanket over you with the fur side on your armor.

Finding yourself standing outside a city you recognize as Stratholme, you hear coughing coming from a few citizens that are near the front gate and hear another voice identical to yours sigh saying, "No..." and turn to see your younger self with your former mentor Uther and former lover Jaina. You walk towards her with tears in your eyes as the conversation continues, "We're too late, these citizens have all been infected and may look fine now, but it's only a matter of time until they become the undead." and then reach for her saying in a sorrowful tone, "I was...am...such a fool Jaina."

A few hours later, Gruule is woken by the screeching of Arthas' armor and the sounds of him suffering from a troubled sleep and sighs thinking, 'I hope he doesn't keep me awake all night, for I must get back to my slumber.' when he sees him reaching out for something while mumbling 'Jaina' and huffs quietly then tries to get back to sleep.

When you wake from a restless sleep, you rub your eyes and yawn when you hear a menacing growl come from Gruule and reach for your sword asking, "What is the problem?"

Gruule's fur is ruffled as he growls again saying in an agitated tone, "The problem is that you kept me up all night with your tossing and turning, along with talking and mumbling in your sleep. That caused me to get very little sleep at all, so I need you to leave and find another location. Please pack up that blanket you made and take your leave."

With a nod, you head over and pick the blanket up before going out of the cave and into the cold. As your eyes readjust to the brightness, you swiftly learn that the blizzard has moved on and see the sun over the eastern horizon and head west.

A few hours pass by as you forage more of the strange berries you tasted last night from a thicket of bushes, and decide to attempt to draw magic into Spellmourne from the area around you. Looking around for any threats, you see nothing and then channel your magic into your helm to strengthen your eyesight and then double-check for any threats. Still seeing nothing around, you dismiss the enchantment and draw your sword with both of the skull's eye sockets and noses still glowing. Gripping the sword hilt in your right hand, you raise it up and hold it on its side so the large skull is facing up and your hand is on its side. Instantly reminded of how you raised Sindragosa into your service, you clear your thoughts and then continue with a sad sigh of how you forced her to serve as your mount. As your anger rises to the surface, your self-loathing is renewed as you try to continue concentrating on drawing magic from around you.

Sensing the emotional distress of a creature, a pack of Wendigos are drawn towards the source. Seeing nothing more to interest them, two of them take off while one of them stays behind. The other two stop and look back to see that they are sticking around for some reason, making one of them ask, "There's nothing for us to do here if the creature is angry with itself, so come on Gale."

The windigo cocks her head as she looks at the swirling emotional storm raging within the bipedal creature and looks to her friend saying, "I know, but I'd like to know why there is such a storm raging inside them like that. Can't you see how bad the storm is?"

The windigo that spoke earlier sighs and shakes her head saying, "Chilly Gale, you're the only one of us that is able to see emotions to that degree. Are you going to come with us or are you planning on hanging around the creature?"

Chilly Gale smiles and cocks her head saying in a voice similar to the melodic sound of chiming crystals, "I plan to find out why their emotions are so dark towards themself, so I'm going mind-diving for a bit. Wanna come with me, you two?"

She gasps and says, "You intend to possess them while they're awake?! What's wrong with you!? You know that is dangerous to do while they are awake, it's too easy to get stuck inside their mind!"

The curious windigo rolls her transparent, glowing eyes and says, "Yeah, I know, but we can always escape during the night. Come on Shrill, don't you want to know why they hate themself so much? Surely, you have to admit that you are just as curious as I am..."

Denying it with a huff, Shrill then says, "Not in the slightest, now come on. Let's go back before our parent's wonder where we've gotten off to."

With a snide smirk, Chilly shakes her head and says, "Nope! I'm gonna find out the reason for their anger, so SEE YA!" and darts off towards the creature as they continue to hold the weapon in the air outstretched from their body. As she gets closer, she starts to see particles of mana get pulled in from the air around her, thinking, 'Huh, that's neat. I wonder what they plan to do with it once they're done collecting mana particles...'

A sharp gasp leaves her mouth as she watches her sister possess the creature saying, "OH you little..." and then turns to her friend saying, "I'm gonna go after her, could you let our parent's know what's going on and that I'll get her back home after her curiosity is sated?"

The friend groans and nods her head saying, "Ugh...not again...Chilly always gets us into trouble." then rolls her eyes and gives in saying, "Alright, I'll do it, but make sure you two are careful. Something tells me that whatever that creature is, it's dangerous." and then watches Shrill head towards the creature before turning around and making her way towards her parent's first to inform them of the situation and calls over her shoulder, "I will be back to watch over you two troublemakers after visiting our parent's homes."

A shiver washes over your body as a slightly itchy sensation brushes over your skin, when you suddenly hear a giggle come from somewhere around you and spin around, moving your sword down into a position ready to defend yourself and shout, "Who did that!" and hear another giggle from somewhere nearby.

Shrill phases right through the creepy armor and slips right into the creature's body, causing a shiver to travel through them. Getting herself acquainted with her new host, she quickly learns that it is a male and groans with disgust thinking, 'Oh how lovely, the first creature I possess just happens to be male.' Moving on, she then slips into his mind and is greeted by floating above the ground amidst a howling blizzard and hears her younger sister giggle and calls out, "Chilly, will you stop making this dreadful blizzard?!"

Hearing a voice seeming to come from behind you, you spin around and hit the space with the flat side of your sword saying, "Who's there!?" but hit nothing but air and continue to look around, turning your head and body around to search for who spoke.

Chilly giggles again and hovers beside her saying, "I didn't make this blizzard, but isn't it awesome! I actually feel the cold from this blizzard, can't you?!"

She cocks her head and says, "We can't feel cold during winter because we're windigos." but then realizes that she actually can feel the cold coming from the blizzard raging around them inside the creature's mind. Her eyes go wide as she then says, "Wait...why can we feel the cold from THIS blizzard?!"

The wild windigo smiles and circles around her sister to stand in front of her saying, "I know, I wondered the same thing after I got here, but I figured it out shortly after. We can feel it because the creature hates himself so much that a desire to disappear from all existence sprung up. I learned that the creature is a human after I dug around a little bit. There's a small cave where we can keep out of the weather for a bit before we go dig around some more."

Shrill sighs exasperatedly and says, "Sister, do you have any sense for boundaries?"

2: A strange encounter

Shrill then cocks her head and asks her sister, "Wait...what's a human?"

As you hear another voice speak up behind you, you spin around and lash out with your gauntleted left fist and punch nothing but empty air, saying, "Who are you and just what in the light do you want from me!"

Chilly giggles and then says, "Calm down already will you? We are just after some answers."

Feeling a little calmer, you settle down a bit and continue looking around for whoever is speaking and then close your eyes to enhance your sight to enable you to see ghost-like beings. Seeing nothing around you at all, you then ask, "Why do you hide from me, show yourselves!"

The younger windigo says, "We aren't hiding from you, we are just possessing your mind for a little while."

Panicking a little, you try to force them out of your mind saying, "Get out and let me see you!"

The two sisters are then forced up against a barrier as the human tries to force them out of his mind when the older sister speaks up, "We can't, we're stuck inside while the host, you, is awake. So will you just hold your horses for a moment and stop treating us like bugs? We mean you no harm, really!"

You sigh and stop fighting for a moment, saying, "Great...more voices in my head. Fine, so what answers do you want from me?"

Chilly then smiles and says, "Why do you hate yourself so much?"

Thinking back on everything you did in the past, you snarkily say, "With how much I've hurt and betrayed everyone I ever knew, how can I not?"

Shrill looks around at the landscape around them for a bit and says, "You don't seem so evil to me now, because you seem to be more remorseful for whatever it was you did."

The young windigo then asks, "OH, what were you doing with your sword earlier? It looked so neat!"

You then smile slightly and say, "Well, I was trying to draw mana into my sword until a certain creature interrupted me. What are you two anyways, some new elemental or just really crafty ghosts?"

Chilly then smiles sheepishly, saying, "Sorry, I was so curious to learn more about why you were so angry." and giggles saying, "No, we aren't ghosts, we are a hybrid between Air and water elementals, we are called windigos."

Moving your left hand up to your chin curiously, you stroke it with the forefinger saying, "I've never heard of that kind of creature before, the ones I know of aren't anything like you two because they have been cursed to have an animalistic body after eating human flesh as humans."

The older sister then shivers with disgust saying, "Eww...that's disgusting."

With your finger still on your chin, you ask, "So you aren't ghosts, but how did you two possess me?"

Shrill then says, "We Windigos can manipulate the elements with our inherent magic to create snowstorms as a way to try to warn ponies that letting anger control them is a very bad idea. We can possess the minds of other beings through a second ability we were given during our creation by Grogar."

The younger sister then says, "Yeah, sometimes, we even freeze them solid so they learn the lesson!"

She rolls her eyes at her and says, "That hasn't happened since our grandparent's days, which was over a thousand years ago."

A dark chuckle escapes your mouth as you remark, "Yeah, so did I...but only a few survived being frozen by me."

Chilly then cocks her head and asks, "Why would you do such a thing to others?"

Making a fist as your hatred flares up again, you say, "Because I was the monster that all others feared or hated because of how evil I was. I still see myself as that same monster, even though I have a desire to redeem myself."

As the two go quiet, you then sigh and relax your fist and try to calm yourself down saying, "If you two don't mind, I'm going to go back to my exercise."

Time Passage...

A few days pass as the windigos Chilly Gale and Shrill Gust return home to their parents, who ground them both for a few weeks for their careless behavior. However, the two were warned not to do it again, but ignored their warning and kept visiting their new friend, whose name they learned was Arthas. Weeks turned into months as the two aided him in finding a lasting shelter in a town that was once known as Univille.

With nothing to do really, you made yourself at home in the roomy library where there are shelves upon shelves of books while other books lay on chairs and small stands, all of which are encased in ice. It took you a few days of searching for a tool to aid in clearing the majority of the ice from the fireplace just so you could remember what warmth was. After spending several more days carefully freeing the books from their places on the shelves and drying them off so that they remain legible, you managed to save several of the books in the library.

Spending your time foraging for crystal berries and mostly reading the books containing spells in them (which isn't that many, to be honest) while taking some breaks to charge your sword and helm with magic, you explore more of the Frozen North and discover two other towns. Although you were only able to visit one due to it being in the air and made of clouds, you still didn't find much in the frozen ruins.

Left with no other options, you head back to Univille and fill your days by practicing with your sword or further charging your sword and helm. Without realizing it, two years pass by when you suddenly hear a new voice speak up in your head, saying, "It is time to head south, Blistering Blizzard. Continue on your path to the redemption you seek."

Time Passage Ends

With a sigh, you look around at the library you called home for a time and walk out the door, saying, "Well girls, I will be heading south now. Will you be going with me, or will you stay behind?"

Shrill looks at him with a sad smile on her face and says, "I would love to see a new place for a while, but the atmosphere is not exactly good for us windigos."

You shake your head and say, "Right...you said something about how friendship harms you."

She nods her head and says, "Yeah it's actually the fire of friendship that appears over a group of friends that harms us, friendship itself is a repellant for us."

With an understanding nod, you say, "That explains why you don't come around during the winter holiday." Curious, you then ask, "So how do you two tolerate being around me if we're friends?"

Chilly then giggles and brushes against him saying, "Don't know, even our parents can't understand it. Just think of it as us being misfits of the next generation of windigos. Mark it up as being how opposites attract, and leave it at that."

The older sister then looks to her sister and nods to her saying, "We can accompany you until we reach the border of the banished Crystal Empire's Lands though, but after that...we shall have to remain here."

With a brief smile, you continue heading south and say, "I appreciate that, could you show me the best way to get through the mountains?"

The younger sister hears her sister mention a narrow valley to the west near Yakyakistan as her heart feels a bit heavy at having to part ways with Arthas and recalls something she heard the teacher mention briefly in class. Thinking on it for a moment, she then waits for her sister to finish and says, "I am going to go figure something out back home, I will catch up to you two when I finish."

Shrill watches her sister take off and says, "Don't take too long or you won't be able to say goodbye in a week!"

A few days pass as you trudge your way through the waist-deep snow under a clear, blue sky when you wonder when Chilly will come back and hear a particularly high-pitched howl. The sound brings a smile to your face for a few moments before you see the image of slaying your own father with Frostmourne in the throne room, causing it to fade away in an instant as the blizzard of self-loathing and hatred rages on inside your heart and mind.

Happy at having figured out how she was going to travel south with Arthas, she lets out another cheerful wail when she spots the two standing in the distance.

The older sister chuckles at how her sister made it back with one day to spare and says, "Good timing, sis, we just reached the valley. Which means that we will reach the border a little past noon tomorrow."

Chilly smiles and says, "Sorry, had a few errands to run before going on this journey."

Making camp with a light canvas tent, you settle down in it as the two windigos float above the ground beside you. Although their company doesn't keep you warm at all, they keep you from losing your sanity. In a brief moment of loneliness, you wrap your arms around Chilly Gale and pull her against your armor.

Feeling herself pulled against Arthas's armor draws a snicker from her lips as she says through another snicker, "And you say you don't cuddle."

Letting out a snicker of amusement, you then say, "I'm as surprised as you are, it seems that even evil bastards like me can get lonely at times." and let yourself drift off into another night of nightmares.

When Shrill Wind wakes, she finds the tent already taken down and the fire snuffed out as she watches her sister wrap her tail idly around Arthas' arm and chuckles saying, "Sorry to break up an intimate moment, you two, but if she isn't careful...she will incinerate herself unintentionally with the fire of love, for it burns far hotter than the fire of friendship. Which would be an ironic way for a windigo to go if you ask me."

Chilly huffs at her sister as her coat takes on a greenish hue and says, "Oh don't be so jealous, you don't look good with that greenish hue." earning a blush of embarrassment from her as she regains control over herself. Seeing an opportunity to make her speechless, she then says, "If I were to fall, at least I would leave this world feeling warm"

Rolling her eyes at her light pink sister, she then says, "Don't come crying to me when you can't stop yourself from melting away to nothing." and then starts heading into the valley.

You follow after her, not paying any attention to their previous conversation due to you being preoccupied with figuring out how exactly you are going to change yourself into an earth pony. Becoming so lost in your thoughts, you don't notice that Shrill has stopped moving until you bump into something and hear, "OW! Hey, I'm not that kind of windigo Arthas. So get off my tail please."

Looking down, you notice that you are stepping on her tail and then lift your armored boot saying, "Sorry, was thinking about something."

Shrill huffs and floats off to the side saying, "Well, here we are, at the southern border to Equestria." then looks to her sister and says in a sad tone, "It's time to say goodbye, sis."

The younger sister looks back at her and smiles sadly, saying, "For you..."

Confused, she looks at her and says, "What do you mean? We both have to say goodbye here because of the friendship fire."

Chilly looks at her sister with the same sad smile and says, "I don't. I'm not going to say goodbye because I found a way to go to Equestria with him."

Concerned and worried for her little sister, she looks at her with a worried expression and rushes toward her sister saying, "What does that mean!? What do you plan to do?!"

Going up to her sister and holding her with her hooves, a couple of tears slip down her cheeks as she says, "It means that I will be going to Equestria...with Arthas and leave the Frozen North behind for a while." Pulling her sister closer, she lowers her voice and says, "I found a way to bind myself to Arthas, which will connect my soul to his."

Shrill grips her sister back as tears slip down her face and says, "Please don't do this to our friends and family, Chill! Everyone will be so miserable at your loss!"

Chilly then giggles and says, "I'm not dying you silly windigo, I will still be alive. Don't worry, I have already told Mother and Father everything and said my goodbyes, you and Arthas are the only ones that don't know." and looks over at him and chuckles saying, "However, he has been lost in his thoughts for a while now so he has likely not heard any of this. Besides, I feel like he is going to need someone to help him out once in a while."

Seeing the determined look in her sister's eyes, she realizes with a sad sigh that she won't change her mind and then says, "Alright...I don't like this one bit, but I know that look in your eyes."

With a happy shriek at her sister letting her do this, she kisses her sister on the cheek saying, "Oh thank you so much sis, I will miss you!" then hugs her adding, "I'm not too sure about what will happen after I bind myself to him, but I do know that I will feel lots of pain during the binding. Don't be alarmed when you hear me start to wail in pain, it's just part of the binding."

Raising your finger to your chin, you close your eyes and search yourself for answers. Finding a weak trace of an ability you have not yet used, you follow the trail which leads further and further into your body's core. Eventually, you start to close in on it when you finally grasp onto the feeling and begin to channel it through your body. As you slowly begin to understand how the ability works, you think of a form you can adapt to and choose it as your new form.

Chilly then notices a shimmering from the corner of her eye and turns to see Arthas's body shimmering with ripples of light emanating from all over his body, and watches with astonishment as his armor erodes while his body starts to hunch over. As the change continues, Arthas is now on all fours as the last of his armor and sword disappear.

Shrill is speechless at how Arthas is changing his body from being human into that of a very tall adult pony, when the changes proceed further, she watches as he gains a golden blonde mane and tail, a horn with a coat as white as fresh fallen snow, black hooves and a pair of beautiful Sea Green eyes wearing a pair of leather saddlebags on his flanks. Shaking her head to keep herself from drooling at his new appearance, she looks at her sister whose coat is slowly becoming hot pink. Seeing steam rising from her body, she quickly jabs her in the side with her elbow and says, "Get yourself under control, you're steaming."

In a slightly dazed state, she giggles lightly and says, "Thanks sissy, you have just saved me from becoming a puddle due to Arthas turning out to be one serious hunk of a stallion..." then shakes her own head to regain control and says, "Well, I'm going to do the simple act to bind myself to him before I lose control again, wish me luck!" then starts floating towards him and bites her tongue hard enough to draw blood, then places her lips onto his and forces her tongue into his mouth and entangles them together until she gets him to swallow some of her blood.

Feeling very dizzy due to your body changing forms, you feel someone kissing you and kiss back in confusion. Something tangy gathers into your mouth, making you swallow it down curiously and ask, "W-What whas that...?"

Chilly pulls back after hearing him swallow and then says, "Through blood, I bind myself unto you. I shall maintain my sense of self but will become an extension to you, willingly choosing to let my form be altered by your acceptance of this pact. By your side or within you, I call home and assist you when you need it most." as she feels herself turning into a mist, she breathes out as pain starts to make itself known all over her body and says, "Now...I am yours."

Still feeling quite dizzy, you take a breath of air. Not realizing you inhaled the mist, you cough lightly before taking another deep breath and closing your eyes. Opening them a couple of moments later, you breathe out saying, "You are mine...we are now...one." as you continue to let your deep breath out slowly, the mist seeps out of your mouth and starts to float into the air. When a shrill scream of pain breaks you out of your daze, you look around and see Shrill looking at something with concern on her face and look around for Chilly Gale, asking, "What's wrong?! Where's your sister at?"

Shrill looks at her sister's misty form, hearing her continue to scream out in pain and says, "My sister connected her entire being to you, so her form is changing as we speak."

You look at her like she grew a second head and ask, "Why in the light would she do such a thing like that? Both of you know that I am an evil monster, though I refused to share my memories with you."

She looks at him and smiles sadly, saying, "Well...my sister delved into your past, but refused to tell me anything because of how awful it was. She kept saying that I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully if I knew what you did."

Shaking your head, you let out a sad sigh at having another being bound to you and say, "That foolish little troublemaker always was too curious for her own good...I will do my best to keep her safe." then add a few moments later, "I just hope that she maintains her free will and can't be controlled by me..."

Shrill looks at him sternly and says warningly, "You better, for if you die...so does she. If you ever let that happen, I will search all over the world for a way to make your soul get stuck here just so my family, my friends, and I can torment you so you never find peace."

For the first time in a while, you gulp nervously and then nod your head, wordlessly acknowledging her threat when you notice a flash of light blue light nearby. Turning to see what it was, you spot the mist cloud starting to fluctuate and start to take form.

Watching her sister's cloud float towards the ground with bated breath, she wonders what her sister's new form will be. Moments pass as it begins to take shape as a four-legged creature with wings, further refining her sister's new look to turn out to be a transparent ice-blue pegasus with a snow-white, floating mane and tail, having faintly glowing pale light blue eyes. Shocked to see her sister take on the form of a pony, she floats around her and touches her with her hoof asking, "Um...how do you feel, sis?"

Trying to blink her blurry vision away, she succeeds after a few moments and says, "Like I am waking up with a bad hangover." then starts to look herself over and sees that she now has four hooves and a pair of wings instead of two legs and a tail, saying, "Wow, I have four legs and wings now! How neat, I wonder if I can still float and move around like I used to..." and then tries to use her innate magic to float, succeeding after a few tries saying, "Nice! Now let's try flying like I used to."

Shrill watches her sister float around like she normally would and says, "I...can't believe it. Can you still do other things like you could?"

You watch with curiosity as Chilly and Shrill experiment with her new form, proving to be a bit stronger than she was before, and then shake your head saying, "Oh what a strange day this is turning out to be, but I should get on my way girls."

Chilly and her sister giggle and apologize as she trots up to Arthas's side and bumps her flank against his saying, "Correction...we should get on our way." then approaches her sister to give her a tight hug saying, "I love you sis, I will keep you informed of what I discover about my new form."

You watch the two hug each other tenderly and ask, "Uh...we?"

Giving her sister a firm hug with her forelegs, she nuzzles her as tears fall from her cheeks saying, "I look forward to hearing about your discoveries, when and where shall we meet?"

With a smile, she says, "Same time next month, and right here sounds good, doesn't it?" then looks at Arthas and says cheerfully, "Yep, we will both be going to Equestria. I will possibly be inhabiting your body for a while until I get an understanding of this new form I am in." and then floats up to him and kisses his cheek saying, "I look forward to our future adventure ahead."

Shrill watches Arthas struggle with the news and then hugs him affectionately saying, "Take good care of my sister, baby brother or you'll regret it."

You hug her back with a sigh saying, "Even through death, I must suffer..." and then turn around and head south after Shrill kisses me on the cheek.

Chilly trots behind him happily and says, "To get to Equestria, we need to go south to the coastline and follow it to Van Hoover. That is the only city I know how to get to, so you are on your own after that." A yawn escapes her mouth as she says, "I'm rather tired after the binding, so I'm just going to rest in that mind of horrors you have." then transforms into a mist and re-enters his body, then moves up and into the first place in his mind she came to when she first possessed Arthas.

After feeling her re-enter your mind, you sigh at knowing that you have a new responsibility. With no choice but to keep on living your life, you head south and find the coast a couple of hours later.

The sun is reaching for the horizon when you finally arrive at the outskirts of the bustling city of Van Hoover, able to hear the low sound of hooves clopping on paved streets and the din of civilians speaking to each other. Stopping a little ways from view by a tall bush, you hesitate for a minute to approach any further from your deep fear of hearing the terrified screams of the civilians all around who recognize you for the monster you are.

Gathering your courage, you step out from behind the bush and slowly make your way towards a road. A few passing ponies give you curious looks, some with strange optics on their faces even click their tongues saying, "Ever hear of bathing, backwater hick?"

Letting out a relieved breath you didn't know you were holding, you continue on and ignore the comments. Feeling relieved at not hearing any terrified screams so far, you keep walking further into town until you hear a scream and freeze in place while a nervous bead of sweat appears on your forehead.

A fashion-conscious pony with a black skirt and large lavender glasses trots up to the snow-white unicorn with green eyes and a golden blonde mane and tail saying, "Who be you to have such garish attire!? SPEAK!"

Cocking your head in confusion, you say, "I'm Blistering Blizzard, and what is wrong with my attire?"

She looks at the stallion in momentary shock at his reply and then shakes her head shouting, "So bold...WE GO!"

As a few other ponies come up behind you and escort you towards a new destination, you wonder what is going on as you arrive at an empty room with a few stage decorations and a podium to stand on, finally asking, "What is going on? What is this place and why am I here?"

The mare looks at him, seeing the state of his coat and mane, and says, "CLEAN!" and watches as her assistants swarm over him with brushes and other cleaning tools.

A few minutes pass as you feel a little violated as well as a little frisky after being handled like that and hear her call out, "Stage!" Quickly brought towards the platform and ushered onto it, you ask, "Okay, now what?"

She looks at the stallion and says, "TAKE POSE, I SHOOT!"

You let out a resigned sigh, expecting her to execute you, and then stand tall and look at her with a gaze showing what's left of your pride.

Seeing such a magnificent pose from an attractive stallion lights a fire inside her as her assistant finishes setting up the camera, taking charge herself, and snaps the picture when he opens his eyes.

You wince, expecting to feel pain, but am shocked when you feel nothing and get a better look at her. Moments later, you see the camera on a stand and chuckle saying, "So it's that kind of a shoot...interesting."

She then moves the camera again, saying, "BRILLIANT! LESS TALK, BRAVE POSE!"

Shifting your body to the right slightly and look at the camera with a slight frown and an uncaring look, showing you couldn't care less about their thoughts.

Snapping another picture, she shouts, "YES! NOW FIERCE!" and fights her desire to back away from the intense gaze shot at her from his new pose and snaps the picture.

After spending a couple of hours getting photos taken, you stand on the street outside in the dark a hundred bits richer and a whole lot better looking. Continuing to wander through the town looking for an inn, you find one named, 'Slumbering Goat Inn' and head inside to see a dark grey earth-pony and say, "How much for a room?"

The dark grey earth-pony looks at the white stallion and answers, 5 bits a night. With breakfast, it's 10."

Thinking it over, you nod and say, "Sounds good, I'll take a room." then dig the bag of bits out to pay and add, "Uhm...I have trouble sleeping at night and wake up several times, are there any other guests here that I will disturb?"

The pony shakes his head and says, "Nope, you've arrived a few days before the Summer Sun Festival, which every town hosts their own celebration, and hopes that Princess Celestia will attend. Luckily, Ponyville was picked this year by the princess for her attendance, but we got picked last year and it was really something I assure you. If you can afford a train ticket, you should visit it in three days. It is a chance in a lifetime to get to see the princess raise the sun for yourself on the longest day of the year."

Hearing that piques your curiosity as you ask, "Interesting, how much is a ticket to this event, good sir?"

They look at him with a smile and say, "Why a ticket to Ponyville is just 5 bits for an adult and 2 for a foal under 11."

Counting out ten bits, you set them on the counter clumsily with your hoof saying, "Thank you for your kindness, and the room."

He pulls down a key with room number 1 on it and sets it on the counter saying, "You are welcome, and thank you for choosing my inn. Your room is just down the hall to your right, the first door on the left. My wife will be serving breakfast shortly after sunrise, so I will have her knock on your door to ask you what you would like. Oh and if you need anything, just ring the bell on the counter here and I will come out."

You take the key with your horn and then make your way down the hall to the room he mentioned to you. Once arriving at the room, you use the key into the door handle and push the door inward to find a nice room painted blue with a large bed covered with white and grey satin sheets. Seeing a comfortable bed brings a brief smile to your face, which quickly fades away as you know that you won't be getting a good night's rest due to your memories terrorizing you at night.

When morning comes, you are already awake by the time a knock is heard at the door and say, "You may enter, ma'am."

The mare opens the door with her master key and says, "Good morning sir, are you feeling okay this morning? My husband and I couldn't help but hear your struggle in the night."

Sighing, you look at her with a sad smile and say, "I do feel a little bit better rested than I have been lately, thank you for your concern. This isn't the first time I've had nightmares and it won't be the last, but I am used to not sleeping well. So there is no need to concern yourself with my troubles."

Looking at him with concern still on her face, she nods and says, "If you say so, sir. What can I get you for your breakfast?"

You think for a moment and then say, "How about whatever the house special is?"

She brightens up at hearing that and smiles saying, "Yes sir!" and then hustles out of the room to begin cooking a large breakfast.

By the time she returns to the room pushing a cart loaded with a few plates of food, you chuckle and say, "Wow, is that delicious-looking food all for me?"

The mare giggles and nods saying, "It is indeed as my husband and I have already had breakfast. The house special is Sunrise Eggs Benedict with haybacon, freshly baked biscuits, vegetable gravy, and French toast.

After eating the delicious meal, your stomach gurgles happily as you say to the returning mare, "That was a scrumptious breakfast, ma'am. My stomach thanks you."

Her tail hikes up a bit at the praise, causing her to smile and stand a bit prouder saying, "I am so grateful that my food is to your liking, sir, I hope that you come to stay here again."

You then look at her and say, "If your food is always this delicious here, you can certainly count on seeing me back here one day."

Feeling giddy at having an overly satisfied customer, she prances out of the room in a good mood with the cart ahead of her while her tail bobs from side to side.

Getting up off the bed, you make your way out of the room and set the key on the counter, preparing to head out the door saying, "I bid you a good day, sir."

The owner looks at the stallion and then asks, "OH, can I get your name for the registry?"

You shrug your shoulders and say, "Of course, my name is Blistering Blizzard."

Writing the name down in his book, he marks down the rest of the information before looking back up to thank him once again for staying here, only to see him gone already.

Making your way back to the main thoroughfare of Van Hoover, you look at a passing pony and ask, "Excuse me, where might I find the library?"

The mare looks at the tall stallion, seeing that he is rather handsome, and smiles saying, "Um...the public library is a white, brick building with tall columns of marble underneath the roof, it is on the left side at the end of this street. It is a large building, so you can't miss it."

Nodding your head to the mare, you say, "Thank you for your assistance miss." then turn and continue on your way.

Three Days Later, in Ponyville

A light gray unicorn mare with a moderate indigo mane and tail is sitting at the table in her boutique with her spectacles on, sipping her tea as she flips the page in the Equestrian Gazette to see a photo of a stallion with a snow-white coat, a long, golden blonde mane and tail with beautiful, sea green eyes that she could almost drown in. When she sees the brown saddlebag on his flanks, she doesn't look a second time until she reads the article's title reading 'Is leather becoming a daring new fashion trend for ponykind?" and screams in fright before intently reading the article saying, "I MOST CERTAINLY HOPE LEATHER ISN'T MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE FASHION INDUSTRY!! OH THE GALL OF THIS STALLION! I MUST LEARN HIS NAME AND GIVE HIM SOME FASHION TIPS, WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT!" then proceeds to study the article for any mention of the pony's name.

Back in Van Hoover...

After spending a few days in the Library studying the few spells you could find, you make your way to the train station to purchase a ticket to Ponyville. A little frustrated at not finding as many spells as you were hoping to find, you hand your ticket to a pony asking for tickets and tears the stub off. After the stub is returned, you head to the rear and settle in the rearmost train car to make yourself comfortable on one of the small mattresses spread out on either side of the cars. Reaching inside the left bag of your saddlebags which has the books you didn't bother to read due to them not being related to magic, you pull out one of the books and look at the title, cocking your head at the odd title reading 'Who done it?" and flip to the first page of the old book.

By the time you finish the book, you roll your eyes at how the mare forgot she moved the kettle she assumed was stolen by one of the pony tribes and put it back into your bag saying, "Such a foolish mare..." then wonder, 'I should consider selling these books that I've studied already, if they aren't worth anything, I could just give them to someone."

You hear the screeching of the wheels as your body is pushed forward from the sudden decrease in speed and quickly discern that the train is stopping, making you stand up and steady yourself to wait for the train to fully stop and open its doors. When the train finally stops and opens its doors, you make your way out of the car and onto a wooden platform. Taking a first look around, you see that it is much smaller and on the more, rustic side compared to Van Hoover.

Taking your first steps into town, you spot a golden chariot head toward the center of town, and make your way there out of curiosity to see who just arrived. After walking for a bit, you see a pony with a pale, light grayish mulberry coat, a dark sapphire blue mane and tail with purple and raspberry streaks in them. Getting a bit closer, you notice that they have violet eyes and spot another pony approach having a pale, light grayish raspberry coat with an extremely curly, raspberry mane and tail with cerulean eyes. Moments later after the one with the mulberry coat says something which causes the other one to gasp, jump up briefly, and zips off in the direction she was heading.

You approach the pony as you spot a small creature with green spines, green-slitted eyes, and light purple scales beside them as you hear them speak with a voice that sounds feminine and walk by saying, "Don't let it bother you, because I am used to far worse reactions from less-peaceful places far unlike this town."

Twilight then looks back at the strange stallion and cocks her head saying, "Now that, was far more interesting..." before looking back to Spike saying, "Alright Spike, let's go."

You wander around the town for a little while until the sun starts to sink towards the horizon and hear something similar to paper crinkle and then look down while lifting your hoof to see that you stepped on a letter. Curious, you look around to see if anyone dropped it, you see no one around and pick the letter up to see who it belongs to and read the lettering reading 'To the mysterious snow-white stallion with the golden blonde mane and sea green eyes wearing a dark brown pair of saddlebags'

Cocking your head in confusion, you open the letter and are startled when confetti shoots out of the letter and then ignore the strangeness of it and begin to read it. Finding out in short order that the raspberry pony from earlier saw you and had to take off to make preparations, and says that the town library is a large oak tree with a sign by the door reading 'Golden Oak Library'. Finding it strange how they heard you were looking for the library, you choose to question her later about it and walk back through the town to find the tree library.

When you find the library, you are shocked to find out that the tree is actually serving as a building, taking a few moments to decide to knock on the door. a half-second later the door opens suddenly and you get yanked inside a dark room by a raspberry-colored leg and hear a hyper, clearly feminine voice say, "I'm so super-happy that you could make it, now please hide and be quiet as we wait for two final guest." then are led towards a corner of the room while thinking, 'Okay...did I just become part of a surprise attack?'

Your thoughts are answered when you hear the same voice speak up, saying, "SHHH! They're coming!" and all quiet conversation dies. Seconds later you see the door suddenly open followed by a brief conversation before quickly being shut.

The new guest then sighs and hears her assistant complain about her rude behavior and says, "Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time. I just need to be alone for a little bit so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time." and looks around adding, "Now, where's the light at?"

The lights are suddenly turned back on a second later as you hear small pops going off and see confetti flying into the air while everyone else around you shouts surprise. Quickly looking around for any weapons, you see none and notice the decorations around the room which makes you realize that this is just a party. With a sigh, you shake your head as you find yourself in a new kind of battlefield.

You manage to avoid talking to many of the ponies, saying only a small handful of things to the ones that speak to you while noticing that the guest looks a bit uncomfortable around a crowd. When you spot the new guest pouring something into her drink, you see a flame on the red bottle and grin when she jumps into the air with steam blowing out of her ears and her mane and tail turning into fire briefly. The sight of her hurrying up the stairs toward a separate room draws a chuckle from you as you think, 'Nice escape, but I could have done better...' Seeing several books on shelves built into the walls around you, you approach one and pull a book off the shelf and notice that it is a guide about magic. Situating yourself against the wall, you settle on the floor and open up the book to read it.

Surprisingly, none of the partying ponies bothers you as lively music begins to play. Tapping your hooves subconsciously to the beat as you lose yourself into the book, you manage to reach the end of it for a third time when you feel a pony tapping you on the shoulder and look up to see a light orange pony nearby with a slight frown on her face and ask, "May I help you miss?"

Applejack then looks down at the stallion who kept to himself the entire time and just read a book over and over, saying, "Pardon the interruption mister, but the party is movin' to City Hall in the center of town so everyone can watch Princess Celestia raise the sun. Ya comin'?"

You look around to see that everyone is heading outside the music has stopped playing and chuckle saying, "Of course, I heard that this was the experience of a lifetime to get to watch the princess raise the sun." Getting up off the floor, you stretch out your limbs a bit, earning a few pops in protest at the movement. Putting the book back onto the shelf from where you took it from, you then start to head towards the door.

The farm pony then looks the snow-white stallion over, having a golden blonde mane and tail with sea-green eyes and cocks her head asking, "Yer new in town aint'cha?" and follows after him, closing the library door behind her.

Making your way to City Hall, you nod your head and say, "I am miss, though I am merely passing through. I decided to not pass up the chance to see something unique."

Nodding her head, she smiles and says, "Gettin' to watch this myself is indeed special, where ya from?"

Seeing City Hall ahead, you then say, "Oh, I came here from a place pretty far away."

Not wanting to be rude, she leaves her next question alone and asks instead, "What's yer name mister?"

Pausing for a moment, you look into the mare's eyes and debate whether to tell her or not, then make up your mind, saying, "It's Blistering Blizzard miss, and what might yours be?"

She reaches up with her hoof at making a new friend and says, "Mah name's Applejack, and it's mighty fine meetin' ya. Let's get goin', it'll be startin' soon."

Touching your hoof to hers, she quickly grasps it with her other hoof and rapidly shakes it for a couple of moments before letting go. You then follow after her as she makes her way toward the doors leading into City Hall.

3: First fight? (Partially Re-written 11-4-23)

You walk in through the doors to hear birds singing together in perfect harmony as a choir when an older mare on stage begins giving a speech a few seconds later. As you listen to her speech that lasts for just over a half-minute, you hear the birds sing again and watch as a pair of curtains get pulled open on a balcony with a spotlight illuminating the empty space. Your senses tell you that something is obviously wrong as the mulberry mare states the obvious when the mayor tells everyone in the room to remain calm and think, 'Kind of ironic when you know something clearly isn't right.'

Moments pass as the raspberry mare says something silly when you hear another pony on the balcony say that she is gone, drawing gasps from the others in the room and roll your eyes when the hyper mare says something else silly. As you notice a cloud of purple mist start to appear up on the balcony, you hear more gasps as the mist takes the form of a strange, tall, dark blue pony with wings and a horn. Taking a good look at them, you see that they have vertical-slitted cyan eyes with a moderate sapphire blue mane and tail that blow in a non-existent breeze.

Nightmare Moon looks around at the crowd and greets them all saying, "Oh, my beloved subjects... It has been far too long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."

Ignoring the conversation and looking at the mare, you think she would look better without the strange helmet and odd regalia. As you continue to observe her, you admit that she does have the air of a ruler with how she addresses others and mumble to yourself, "That weak evil laugh needs work." When you see some guards charge it at the command of the mayor, you watch as lightning hits the guards. Watching her turn into mist causes you to raise your eyebrow curiously and say, "Very nice exit, stylish." Noticing the guards still alive with one too weak to stand, you head over to them and offer your hoof saying, "You did your best against a stronger opponent, soldier. Be proud of having been brave enough to take action even though the chance of winning was slim at best."

The royal guard takes the stallion's hoof and is pulled back onto his hooves letting a grunt escape his mouth as a small jolt of pain travels up his back leg saying with a small hiss, "Thank you, sir, what is your name?"

You aid in steadying the soldier for a moment before saying, "It's Blistering Blizzard." then return your hoof to the ground.

The guard nods his head and says, "I will remember it, thank you again for the aid." and then makes his way over to the other guards, who are also recovering from the attack.

Hearing a set of hooves gallop out of the building a moment later, you see the mulberry mare heading somewhere with some urgency and cock your head, wondering what she is up to when you hear some cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail call out, "Hey, the know-it-all's running away for some reason, let's go find out why!" and hurries off after the running mulberry mare.

Curious yourself, you see five other ponies quickly trotting out the door and decide to follow after them to find out what is going on. Trotting behind them a bit, you discover that they're heading back to the library and follow them through the door to hear one of them accuse her of being a spy. Seeing Applejack pull the rainbow-maned pegasus back from the mulberry mare, you softly close the door behind you and pay closer attention to what information you can learn.

Applejack looks at her expectantly and continues saying, "She sure knows what's goin' on. Don't you, Twilight?"

Staying back from the group gathering around the mulberry mare whose name you just learned was Twilight, you hear how she read of a prediction concerning Nightmare Moon and that the only thing that could beat her are called the Elements of Harmony. Hearing that she knows nothing else about them, you glance around at the bookshelves to see the raspberry mare read a title regarding the Elements of Harmony.

After watching Twilight rush over and bump the mare aside, she then pulls the book out and starts reading from it. You hear her talk about how there are six Elements of Harmony but only 5 are known, being: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty with a sixth being a mystery. Considering the names for a moment, you remark how those sound really similar to major personality traits and think to yourself with a smirk, 'It's a good thing that I have none of those traits. I already have a few burdens to deal with, and I don't need any more.'

Twilight continues to read from the book and says, "The last-known location of the five elements was said to be in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters, and is now located in what is...the Everfree Forest." then starts heading for the door.

You hear them all gulp and exclaim, "The Everfree Forest!?" moments later, the raspberry mare starts turning for the door saying, "Whee! Let's go!"

She stops and turns around to look at the others saying, "Not so fast." then sighs and looks down briefly adding, "Look, I appreciate the offer but I'd rather do this on my own.

Hearing them all voice their decisions to go and head out the door, you follow them out while quite shocked they didn't notice you yet as you notice Twilight still standing inside the library and chuckle, saying, "It seems that no matter where you go, others always seem to love an adventure..." and head out the door after them saying, "Come on, oh wise one, your adventuring party needs a guide."

As you all make your way through the forest, you stand behind the others as you hear the rainbow-maned cyan pegasus starting to tell a scary story. Learning that her name is Rainbow, you chuckle quietly at how the story reminds you of your time as a Death Knight going through the dark tunnels of Azjol-Nerub with Anub'arak to beat the forces led by Illidan wishing to slay the Lich King.

When the ground suddenly breaks away, you back away from the edge, only for the chunk you stand on to break off and start sliding down the hill. The chunk of dirt quickly is ground away as your back legs hit a root and are knocked out from under you, sending you careening down the cliffside on your stomach.

Seeing a sharp drop-off point up ahead a fair distance, you try to get back up onto your hooves. Having to fight to get your back legs under you, a rock robs you of all progress as it causes you to flip onto your side.

After safely getting Twilight down, Applejack hears some sliding and looks back up the cliff and gasps at seeing the stallion from before on his side, unable to regain his footing saying, "WOAH NELLY!" Looking down towards the two pegasi, she calls out, "Rainbow, Fluttershy! Get back up here now, there's a stallion sliding down on his side!"

Using your front hooves to try to regain control, you paw at rocks big enough to touch with your hooves, which are very few. Seeing a thicker root sticking out of the dirt, you see an opportunity to arrest your slide and attempt to hook your front legs on the root.

The farm pony sees the root the stallion is trying to catch himself on and shouts, "DON'T GO FOR THAT, IT'S ROTTEN AND WEAK!"

Unable to hear her due to the blood pounding in your ears, you manage to hook your front legs onto the root and feel your rear end slide downward as your saddlebags slip off your hips and continue their path. Time slows down as you feel your body apply more and more force onto the root, slowly hearing a sickening, cracking sound coming from the base of the root. Looking down in slow motion, you realize that the root has quite a bit of rot around the base and manage to say just one thing before disaster strikes, "NO!"

Applejack sees and hears the branch snap off and sees the saddlebags racing down the cliff, quickly looking down to shout, "HEADS UP BELOW! WATCH OUT FOR A FALLING SADDLEBAG!"

Rarity looks up asking, "Huh?" when she sees a dark pair of specks heading towards her and screams, "WAHH!" for a moment while darting to the side. When she hears something hit the ground hard, she looks over at what landed and sees a pair of leather saddlebags, shouting, "NO! Has the trend caught on already!?!"

Hearing wings flapping nearby, you look up to see Rainbow and a pony you haven't met yet reaching out to grab you. As they work to get a good grip on your front hooves, the two manage to slow you down enough so that you can regain your footing. When your momentum stops, you sigh and look at the two with a grateful smile saying, "Thank you two so much for keeping me from ending up as a pancake below."

Rainbow beams at the thanks while Fluttershy smiles and merely says he's welcome, then says, "Wow that was really close! Me and Fluttershy almost didn't get a good hold of you, you're pretty big for a stallion. Where do ya work out?"

Standing back up on your hooves again, you say, "I don't work out anywhere, really. I just have some exercises that I do on my own to keep in shape."

Fluttershy looks at the stallion with concern, seeing him standing with his back left hoof slightly raised, she asks, "Are you alright? Will you need any help getting the rest of the way down?"

With a small smile, you say, "I'm fine, and I will be able to find a way down in a few moments, so there's no need to worry, miss."

Applejack looks at the stallion suspiciously as the two girls head down to the others and asks with her right eyebrow raised questioningly, "That really was a close one, mister. Are ya sure yer alright? Yer favoring yer back left leg a bit."

I chuckle and say, "Yes miss, I'm fine, it's only a small bruise from when my back legs got knocked out from under me twice."

Not really believing him, she nods and then shrugs, saying, "Shall we make our way down to the others then? There are a few flat outcroppings that we can safely land on. Follow me." and then hops down towards the first ledge.

You look over the ledge she jumped from and spot her on a rock just a few feet down when she jumps over to another spot just out of view. With the spot open for you to jump, you put your hurt hoof down and ignore the slight pain, then jump for the spot. When you land, it isn't graceful or gentle, but a little hard as your front hooves skid a little bit. You then turn around to look down to where Applejack jumped next and prepare yourself to make the jump, then leap down to the next spot as she moves to the next spot.

It takes you a little bit to get down to the ground, but you make it safe and sound when you look around for where your saddlebags went, saying, "Now where did my saddlebag get to...ah, there it is." and head toward it where a light grey mare with a well-styled moderate indigo mane and tail with azure eyes.

Rarity gawks at the stallion, utterly shocked that it is the very same one from the newspaper, and finally reacts, exclaiming, "YOU'RE THAT STALLION FROM THE EQUESTRIAN GAZETTE!"

Blinking in brief confusion, you tilt your head asking, "I was in a news article?"

She then nods curtly and says, "You most certainly were darling, your choice of material for the saddlebags you wear is pretty garish for an herbivorous pony to wear. Perhaps I could interest you in a more...suitable one?"

You then grin lightly and look back at your bags and say, "I appreciate the offer, milady, but these bags were made and enchanted by a person I met many years ago. These have sentimental value to me, it's unfortunate that our paths might never cross again."

Applejack watches Rarity look down at the ground, feeling a bit guilty as she then apologizes for what she said and approaches her, soothing her a little by saying, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Rares, there's no way you could've known." then pats her lightly on the back.

After you all return to your journey through the forest, the group suddenly comes across a creature you have not seen before and ask them, "What is that creature, is it hostile?" When you hear one of them cry out the name, the manticore rears up and growls loudly at everyone. You instinctively take a step back and almost use your ability to return to your human form but force yourself to do nothing until it acts first.

When you watch the others take action first, you hear a quiet voice ask everyone to wait and continue to do nothing to see what she has planned. As they all continue to weakly attack the creature, hearing the quiet pony telling them to wait until the group begins to charge the creature. Surprised at seeing the quiet mare fly in front of the others to stop them shouting 'wait', you grin at how bold she can act.

You watch her walk up to the creature as it raises a paw to claw her and quickly close your eyes to change forms back to being a human so you can save the mare's life, but are interrupted by her soft voice as she sympathizes with the creature and calling it a poor little baby. Opening your eyes again, you see her reach for a large thorn in its paw with her mouth and eventually pulls it out.

Almost charging in as a pony when the manticore picks her up and roars in her face, you then let yourself relax as the creature starts licking her mane and purring. A moment later, the group walks right passed the manticore without issue and follow behind them saying to the quiet mare, "That was quite the impressive feat, young miss."

As you hear the light grey mare complain about the environment, you chuckle and say, "Compared to some places I have been, this isn't too bad, really."

Rarity gasps and stares at him in disbelief asking, "This dark, icky, and creepy forest doesn't bother you?!? There's nothing worse than being in this icky forest filled with muck and all kinds of nasty creatures!"

You look at her and are reminded of Icecrown and the creatures you once commanded and sigh saying, "I know how you must feel about unpleasant environments, I feel the same way about snow."

As the entire group stops to stare at you with wide eyes, they all start to speak at once. They talk about how snow is super fun, romantic, and beautiful. When you get a moment to speak, you look up at them all saying, "Snow...brings back many bad memories for me."

Fluttershy feels concerned for the stallion and asks, "If it's okay, would you mind talking about it sometime?"

Looking to the quiet mare with a sad smile, you say, "Perhaps one day when I am ready...but it won't be any time soon, I assure you. Let us keep going, we have no idea how long it will take to locate these Elements of Harmony."

A little while later, you walk further into a treeline and hear someone say they stepped in something and step into something wet, cold and slippery. Praying you didn't just step into dung, you raise your left hoof up to your nose and take a light sniff. Hearing someone scream, you let out a sigh, saying, "It's just mud, so there's no need to scream about it."

You then hear others start screaming and are able to see just enough to see some creepy faces on some dark shape, taking another look to identify the danger when you finally figure out that is just a tree with a weird face on it and prepare to switch forms if they start to attack.

Hearing laughter, the screaming suddenly stops as you turn to see where it is coming from and spot the raspberry mare from earlier laughing at it as Twilight asks what she is doing. As you hear her stop laughing and start to sing, you sigh heavily and ask, "Are you messing with me right now?"

As you hear her sing, you think, 'You are correct about some of that about facing your fear, but laughing in its face is a good way for it to kill you. Which is one thing I am never going to do...'

While the singing continues, you get an idea and approach one of the trees with a particularly angry face on it and grin, saying, "Heh, you think you can scare me? Hmph! I could tell you things from my past that would make you never want to sleep again..."

Rainbow returns to her hooves to see the stallion giving the tree a dark, sinister look and watches the face disappear hastily, saying, "Woah! You sure showed that face who's boss, what's your secret?"

You return your face to normal and smirk at Rainbow saying, "Oh, well I just told the face that there are things much scarier, so it better leave me alone or else."

She then stares for a moment and says, "That's like, super cool dude."

As the girls recover from their silly behavior, you follow them down the path a distance to a raging river with a sobbing serpent and think, 'What's his deal?' and watch as Twilight asks why. Hearing how a cloud of purple smoke raced by and taking half his mustache with it, you roll your eyes and sarcastically, "Ehh, big deal."

Rarity hears the others being insensitive to the creature's plight and chastises them saying, "Oh, would you just look at him. With such lovely, luminescent scales and your expertly coiffed mane..."

Rolling your eyes as she goes on about his looks, you blink in surprise at how she rips off a loose scale from his body and uses it to slice her tail off extremely short. In fact, she cut it off so short that you get a glance at what the tail was hiding and smirk thinking, 'Well that was the first time I've seen one of those here...'

After tying and blending her cut-off tail portion into his ruined mustache, she glances back as she hears Twilight talk about her tail sadly. The stallion in the corner of her eye catches her attention and looks at him, finding a smirk on his face as he stares at her flank rather rudely. Turning around quickly with a light blush, she then says, "Oh don't worry about it my dear, short tails are in this season. Besides...it will grow back."

When the girls start crossing the river, you watch the serpent raise portions of his body above the water in humps and watch the girls thank him before hopping across. Making your own way across, you pass through some bushes to hear the others racing toward a rope bridge. Seeing the ropes missing from the other side, you call out, "Careful, the bridge broke!"

You finally catch up to the others and spot Rainbow start tying the ropes to the support stones when some figures approach her and start talking to her. When Twilight calls out to her, a cloud bank moves in and blocks your view of the other side and think, 'I hope that she gets those last two ropes tied...'

A few seconds pass as you watch Rainbow return, saying that she would never leave friends hanging. Hearing her say that sparks a painful memory to surface, causing your head to hang slightly at remembering that one day at Stratholme. As you look down, lost in your own memory of Stratholme, you bump into the flank of someone and look up to see Twilight looking at you curiously and say, "Sorry, was lost in my thoughts." then make your way around her and look up to see a ruined castle and see the destruction saying, "Wow, this is impressive."

Rarity then looks back at the stallion and smiles saying, "It really is, isn't it? I bet it was even more impressive before it fell to ruin."

You head inside and wander around a little bit when you notice Twilight studying five spheres intently that Rainbow and the other mare are bringing down, then hear her tell them to stand back and return to looking at some of the architecture.

Distracted by the craftsmanship of one of the columns, you nod and think, 'Nice craftsmanship indeed, even my father would have liked this.' then sigh as you get pulled into another memory. As the memory plays out, you hold back a tear at hearing yourself drive Frostmourne through his heart and murdering him. The last thing you hear is your father's crown hit the floor with a clang, bouncing a few more times before coming to rest on the blood-stained floor before you are brought back to reality by the sound of a whirlwind.

Looking around, you see Twilight racing toward the purple tornado and race toward it yourself, not wanting to let the elements get damaged. Leaping toward the cloud first, you feel yourself being pulled into another direction when suddenly, you see a bright flash.

When you open your eyes, you find yourself in a winding stairwell in pony form, and hear the same evil laugh from City Hall. Making your way up and into the large room, you spot Twilight lowering her head at Nightmare Moon and wonder, 'What spell is she going to use to attack her?' You then hear the older mare ask if she is kidding and watch as Twilight starts running towards her with her horn charging a spell and wonder what she is planning to do with a spell.

A few moments pass as the two mares get closer to each other, but are surprised to watch Twilight vanish with a flash right in front of Nightmare Moon. Looking around, you spot another flash from behind her and move to the side to discover Twilight behind her with the elements as she rubs her head briefly with a groan before trying to cast a spell to awaken them. When you see the elements zap her and send her flying backward, you can't help but chuckle at that and think to yourself, 'Yeah, I had a feeling that wouldn't work. Now what will you do, young one?'

When the elements start to glow brighter due to the magical charge, you watch curiously as shocks jump from element to element. Wondering if it actually will work, you hear Nightmare Moon start to worry slightly and see the charge fizzle out.

Listening to the short conversation, you watch as she laughs maniacally and rise up on her rear hooves, then slams her front hooves on the ground, causing the elements to shatter, saying, "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me?! Now you'll never see your princess...or your sun...THE NIGHT...WILL LAST...FOREVER!" Wondering if you should lend a hand, your unspoken question is answered as you hear indistinct shouting coming up the stairwell and think, 'Well, here come reinforcements, let's see what happens now.'

As the others draw closer, you see Twilight look behind her and turn around. She then freezes with a gasp, and you notice a spark of realization in her eyes that wasn't there before.

A smirk crosses her face as she glances behind her other shoulder at Nightmare Moon and turns to face her saying, "You really think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony that easily? Well you are wrong, because..." and waits for the perfect moment, then says, "Because the Elements of Harmony are right here!"

You see stone shards float up into the air around Nightmare Moon, making you smirk and listen as Twilight begins to explain things. Watching as shards fly toward each of the ponies Twilight mentions, you wonder about the sixth.

Nightmare Moon looks on in confusion and says, "You still don't have the sixth element, the spark didn't work!"

Watching Twilight curiously, you hear her say how happy she is to hear and see her friends, and how much she cares about them. A few seconds later, you see a new stone appear and trail off while asking, "Is that...?" but are forced to look away due to the brightness of the light shining from it, then see other flashes briefly illuminate the wall. When the flashes stop, you turn back to see that the others you came here with are glowing and floating in the air, wearing new jewelry when twin rainbows spiral up from above them which combine and start angling down toward Nightmare Moon saying, "This is what arrogance gets you..." and silently watch the rainbow hit Nightmare Moon.

The rainbow surrounds her, causing her to shout, "NOOO-OOOO-OOOO!" while feeling the element's effects starting to overtake her.

A blast from the spell causes you to go blind for a moment, forcing you to try to blink away the purple hue while your ears ring loudly.

After a few minutes pass, your hearing begins to return as you hear a voice matching Applejack's say, "Ah thought you were spoutin' a lot of hooey, but ah reckon that we really do represent the Elements of Friendship."

You suddenly hear a new voice say, "Indeed you do." and then look around to locate the new arrival, but don't see anyone. After the room brightens a bit, you see an orb of light float in through the window and transform into a tall pony with a horn and wings. You look at their color and wonder if her coat is as white as yours, but notice a faint pinkish-gray hue to it at an angle. Gasps from the others around distract you from getting further details, making you turn to look at them instead and see them all prostrate themselves before her as peasants would when in the presence of royalty. Not wanting to stand out, you decide it would be best if you show some respect and think back to how you used to bow before royalty. Realizing that you have four legs instead of two, you lean your body back a bit while raising your right hoof and angling it just underneath your chest with the underside of your hoof facing you.

You keep your left hoof straight and tilt your head forward until your horn is pointed at the ground and hold that pose, hearing Twilight call out the new pony's name. Still holding the pose, you learn that Twilight is apparently Princess Celestia's student and listen to their conversation, smirking at how the older pony understood what was going on and that she needed her to make friends to be able to save the day without too many details. While holding the pose still, you hear the older mare call out another pony's name and begin to address them as if they were in the room. Not wanting to break royal etiquette to look around for the other new pony, you listen for any details you can get.

Princess Luna hears her sister call her name and wakes with a gasp, her eyes tremble at seeing her sister walking towards her with her wings outstretched.

Listening to their conversation, you learn that Princess Luna is a thousand years old and that she had some sort of problem with her, and that she is apparently Princess Celestia's little sister.

Running toward her sister and looks up at her saying, "I'm so sorry!" then lays her head against her sister's neck and nuzzles her adding, "I missed you so much, big sister."

As Pinkie Pie sobs wildly at their touching reunion for a few seconds before calming down instantly and asking, "Hey! Do you know what this calls for?" then exclaims, "A PARTY!"

Princess Celestia smiles and nods her head saying, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Pinkie Pie. How about having it when we return from Canterlot?"

The party pony beams a wide smile and exclaims, "YAY! I GET TO THROW A WELCOME BACK PARTY!"

As the older sister chuckles at Pinkie Pie's unusual behavior, she feels her little sister poke her shoulder and looks down at her, asking, "What is it, sister?"

Princess Luna then says, "There's one still waiting." and motions to them by looking in their direction.

Curious, Princess Celestia follows her sister's gaze and sees that there is one pony in the room still bowing and says, "It has been so long since I have seen the old royal etiquette. I thought that nopony used it anymore." then stands up regally and addresses the pony, saying, "Please rise, my subject." then apologizes saying, "I apologize for not noticing you until now."

Ignoring the discomfort at holding the pose for so long, you straighten your posture and stand tall, saying, "I understand, Your Majesty, as you have been reunited with your sister, who has been absent for quite some time."

Taken aback by how handsome and tall he is for a stallion, she admires his snow-white coat and golden-blonde mane and tail with Sea-Green eyes and then turns to her sister and says, "Shall we get to Canterlot and freshen up for the celebration?"

The younger princess then nods and says, "Yes sister, I look forward to getting to spend time with you once again."

You watch as the two then spread their wings and fly away together through a broken window and turn to Twilight asking, "Well that was an interesting adventure. Should we start heading back to prepare for the party?"

Twilight then smiles and says, "We should, for there are a few things that need to get done to properly welcome Princess Luna."

You feel happy for a moment and nod, but then your smile fades as you think back to the grand welcome you received at safely returning to Lordaeron at your father's request, which leads to recalling how you murdered him that very same day.

Following the others out of the castle and head back toward Ponyville, you think, 'I don't deserve to get close to these ponies, so I will just learn what spells I can in town and then move on to the next one. No one will ever be my friend after what I've done, and I certainly don't deserve any friends.'

After making a long journey back to Ponyville, having kept at the back of the group and keeping an eye on the forest, you make yourself comfortable on a nearby bench and pull out a book about the various uses for levitation magic that you have already memorized.

Without realizing it, time flies by when you hear the sound of galloping hooves, and flapping wings then close the book and put it away to look around for the source of the sound. Spotting the chariot with the two sisters heading in your direction, a crowd of ponies gathers in the streets then make your way there, deciding to stand a little ways from the crowd.

You watch as the two princesses depart and walk toward the group when a pair of young ponies carrying a necklace made of red and white roses, fly it up to Princess Luna and place it around her neck. As you continue to observe the gathering, you see Princess Celestia approach Twilight when you catch Princess Luna heading toward you.

Princess Luna stops near the pony she saw before at the ruined castle and asks, "Are thee not one who favors groups?"

You genuflect like before and hold your right hoof just below your chest like before, lowering your head in a respectful bow saying, "I am not, Your Majesty." and then ask, "May I assume that you share my uneasiness about being surrounded by others?"

She smiles a little and says, "Please rise, as there is no need to stand on ceremony here, for as my sister says...this is a social call, whatever that means. Forgive our rudeness in not asking for thy name, sir. Our name is Princess Luna, what might thine be?"

Returning to a standing posture, you begin saying, "A..." and catch yourself and shake your head for a moment, correcting yourself then try again, saying, "My name is Blistering Blizzard, Your Highness. Since you rule alongside your sister, Princess Celestia, might I be allowed to offer you some advice?"

Luna nods her head and says, "Thee may, but I am not yet ready to resume my royal duties just yet." Then looks at him with her full attention.

Now that you have a good look at the returned princess, you see that she has a dark blue coat, an ethereal moderate sapphire blue man with other hues of blue mixed in, and a pair of moderate cyan eyes, which you find to be quite pretty. You hear her clear her voice, breaking your concentration on looking her over and say, "Apologies for my brash behavior, Your Majesty."

A nervous blush rises to her cheeks as the stallion had checked her out and says, "Now what was the advice thee wanted to offer?"

You then pick your words carefully and say, "If you ever worry about losing sight of what's important to you, find a way to ensure that you never forget or lose sight of that."

Princess Luna thinks over his words for a bit, then says, "Hmm, I will keep thy words in mind, thank thee."

Your ear catches Twilight sounding sad as she speaks about how wonderful friends are and would have to leave them, you turn your head as the princess near you does the same and hear Princess Celestia raise her voice slightly and say, "Spike, take a note, please. I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship, and must also report her findings from her new home in Ponyville." then watch as the young unicorn smiles and is quickly surrounded by her friends. Hearing her say she'll study harder than before draws a chuckle from you as you have done the same with spellbooks, saying with amusement, "So she obviously loves to study."

A few hours pass as the Summer Sun Celebration proves to be quite interesting with fireworks of better quality going off at dusk, then watch the two princesses fly back to Canterlot in a golden chariot. Seeing Twilight walking towards the edge of town, you approach her and force a smile saying, "Congratulations on saving the day, oh studious one."

A light blush appears on her face as Twilight turns to see the stallion from earlier beside him and says, "Oh, hi! I'm so sorry that I was rude earlier. My name is Twilight Sparkle, what is your name?"

Walking beside her, you turn to look at her and say, "My name is Blistering Blizzard, it is nice to meet another pony willing to put in the time to learn something new."

She smiles and gets a little excited saying, "I know! Isn't that feeling amazing when you successfully cast a spell that has taken you a few days to study! That feeling never gets old!"

Seeing an opportunity to find some new study materials, you ask, "I would like to study some new spells while I'm in Ponyville, do you know who runs the tree library?"

Twilight giggles and says, "That would me as of a few hours ago. The library is my new home! So come over to my new home and we can study new spells together, this is going to be so much fun!"

You nod your head appreciatively and say, "Alright, just let me know if you start to get sleepy and I will be on my way, but will come back tomorrow morning sometime."

She then smiles and says apologetically, "Oh, well I plan on helping Applejack tomorrow with the apple harvest, sorry."

With a shrug, you say, "It's alright, perhaps if you are okay with it, I could borrow a couple of spellbooks to study for a little while?"

Twilight nods her head and says, "I have no problem with that. In fact, why don't you swing by tomorrow and we can introduce you to her and then help her out."

Knowing that you have nothing better to do with your time but study, you nod and say, "Alright then, what time do you plan to go over to help her?"

As they head toward her new home, she says, "About an hour and a half after sunrise."

When you both reach the library, you open the door and stand aside with your head tilted forward and your hoof before your chest saying, "Ladies first."

Twilight smiles and says, "Thank you." as a blush creeps across her cheeks.

Heading inside and closing the door behind you, you remember that you have a bunch of books which are of no further use to you and say, "Since this is a library, would you accept a few books that I have no further need for?"

She looks at him and nods her head saying, "Of course, though I am new to running a library, which means I won't be able to pay you right away if you do not intend to donate them. Are you alright with that?"

You think it over and then shrug saying, "I have no issues with being paid later as I plan on sticking around until I learn what spells I can here. Shall I start setting them out?"

Twilight nods hastily and says, "Please do, I wanna see what books you have with you!"

Opening your left saddlebag, you search for a book with your magic and then say, "Okay, the books I have in my left bag are ones I didn't bother to read due to them not containing anything about magic spells and are fairly old."

She watches him start to pull out books and picks one up, then reads the title, saying, "A Forbidden Romance by Bright Bauble." then gasps saying, "This book isn't just fairly old, it's ancient! How in Equestria did you manage to find something this old?!" while holding the book close to her as if it was precious.

You then think of what to say without saying anything too specific and say, "Well, I found myself wandering a snowy area and happened to find a building inside a large chunk of ice. So after I chipped away the ice and entered the structure, I saw lots of bookshelves encased in ice that were filled with books. Tried to save as many as I could, but a few were illegible or too brittle to handle." and pull out another book.

Twilight's eyes widen as she sees him set out ancient book after ancient book, setting them all close to her as she pulls out a quill and inkwell, followed by a paper to make a list of the names of the books she intends to send to her mentor to look over.

After setting out every book in your saddlebags, saying, "And that is the last of the magic-related books." and turn to see Twilight hyperventilating into a paper bag and ask, "Is something wro..." and find yourself suddenly assaulted by Twilight as she topples you over backward and presses her lips to yours. Too stunned by her action to react, you feel her jerk back and place her hooves on your shoulders while panting.

She looks into his eyes as her face is a few inches away from his and asks in a heated tone, "Just how in Tartarus can you fit over a thousand ancient books in your saddlebag when mine can only hold forty!?!"

You then chuckle and say, "That is because of an acquaintance of mine, who I shall not speak any further on, gave this saddlebag to me as a gift."

Twilight gets a manic look in her eye and leans closer, causing their lips to brush against each other, asking, "WHY NOT!?! Is it somepony super secretive or famous!"

Too distracted to notice that the closeness of her body to yours is causing your body to react, you say, "Because I was sworn to secrecy."

With a sigh, her shoulders relax a bit, causing her to go rigid when she feels something pressing between her teats and against her stomach. Blinking her eyes back to normal, she realizes the position she's in and scampers away while her face turns beet red from embarrassment. Recalling what she did earlier causes her to freak out and scream, then look over her shoulder saying, "OH CELESTIA, I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!! I'M SO SORRY, GOODNIGHT!" and races towards her room, mumbling to herself rather loudly about being so foolish and carried away to give a stallion her first kiss.

You spot a trail of fire blaze up the stairs to her room and shake your head at the situation saying, "It was my first kiss too..." and silently mutter to yourself, "As a pony..." then make your way toward the door and close it behind you to find a place to sleep for the night.

4: A surprising day

You make your way out of the library, forgetting about learning new spells for now as your feeling of guilt intensifies at how you let her kiss you. Walking absentmindedly through town, you come to an inn on the edge of town named the 'Night Mare Inn' with a red lantern hanging from a hook in the top, right corner of an alcove window with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed mare wearing clothing which is fairly scandalous if a noblewoman would be caught in it. Heading inside, you see several mares lounging on couches beside stallions, some of the ones without a stallion by them gasp at seeing you come in seeing that two are focusing their attention on another pony with a light gray coat, light amber mane and tail with light arctic blue eyes. Seeing mares of all ages, and body types, you smile at them all, saying, "Afternoon, ladies. I saw that this establishment said Inn and assumed rooms were available to sleep in, might my assumption be wrong?"

An older mare with a black, high-class fluffy scarf and glittering earrings approaches the newcomer with a warm smile saying, "Of course we do, you are not wrong, dear. The girls are just excited to see a handsome new face around here, is it just a room you are seeking, or might I interest you in the company or services of some of my girls?"

Looking at the madam, you smile slightly and politely shake your head saying, "I find many of your girls quite attractive, but unfortunately, I only wish for a place to lay my head this night."

With a small smile, the mare nods her head and says, "It will be five bits then sir."

You reach in and dig out five bits then hand them to her with your magic and ask, "Might you have any way of keeping sound within the room? I ask because I am not a sound, or quiet sleeper if you understand my meaning."

She nods understandably and says, "I do understand, my nephew suffers from that same issue. There is one of my girls who knows a sound barrier for when she entertains customers." then looks to one of her girls and says, "Star Finder, come here please."

You spot a unicorn mare with a light aqua coat, beautiful, bright amber eyes, and an auburn mane and tail with a black line around the edges of her eyelids. Entranced by her exotic beauty, you stare at her in wonder.

Star Finder smiles at how the snow-white stallion eyes her body and looks to the madam and asks, "Yes, ma'am?"

The madam looks at her saying, "Be a dear and escort our guest here to a separate room, then cast a spell to keep the sounds within the room."

You then look at her and recall that you haven't introduced yourself and sigh saying, "Oh by the light, I have been so rude towards you. Allow me to introduce myself to you, I am Blistering Blizzard."

She then nods and smiles, saying, "I am Madame Glitter, it is certainly a pleasure to meet a pony who behaves properly." and glances over at Prince Blueblood with a brief glare before returning to her cheerful self saying, "Have a good night's sleep, Sir Blizzard." then watches as Star Finder starts leading him to a room reserved for guests just wanting a place to rest their weary heads.

Looking at Madame Glitter, you nod your head saying, "Thank you, I hope you have a good night as well." before following Star Finder toward the room. When you arrive at the room, you head toward the opened door and thank her, saying, "Goodnight Miss Finder."

She prepares to cast her spell and asks, "Are you certain that you won't be needing company tonight, sir?"

Giving her a sad smile, you sigh and say, "I appreciate the offer, miss, and I find you extraordinarily beautiful but I would only keep you awake with my troubles sleeping at night."

Star nods her head, feeling sad for the handsome stallion and says, "Very well, Sir Blizzard. Should you ever change your mind, my room is down the hall on the other side of this door. It is the one with a white star on it, so you won't miss it." She then casts the spell on the room and starts making her way towards her own, looking over her left shoulder at him while in front of the open door saying, "Goodnight, I wish that you have at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight."

You watch her go through the door and close it behind her and sigh thinking, 'So do I, but villains like me are never allowed to sleep peacefully...especially when I remember everything that I've done.' Making your way to the bed in the room, you set your saddlebags off to the side before pulling one corner of the bedsheets back. You then climb onto the bed and pull the covers back over you saying, "Let the restless night begin..."

Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle's throne room...

Celestia looks at her sister with concern as she asks, "Are you sure you're ready to return to your nightly duties, sister?"

Luna looks at her sister and smiles saying, "We appreciate thy concern sister, but we need to tend to our citizens as they dream and keep them safe from nightmares."

Still looking at her sister with worry, she asks, "What made you change your mind, was it that handsome stallion I saw you speaking with earlier?"

A blush creeps across her cheeks as she shakes her head saying, "Wha? N-No, we just realized what is more important to us and do not want to fail our citizens again."

Celestia then smiles at her sister and hugs her affectionately, saying, "Make our subjects happy to have someone guarding their dreams from nightmares as they rest their weary heads at night. Goodnight, dear sister."

Luna hugs her back for a few moments before letting go and watching her leave, wondering how best to start her duties. She then remembers how she used to put up lavender bundles throughout the castle after sunset and heads toward the doors saying in the royal voice, "Guard, Please bring enough lavender bundles for me to place throughout the castle!" then hears the guard outside acknowledge her order and gallop off.

Once she gets the bundles placed around the castle, she returns to the throne room and orders the guards to inform her of any arrivals as she will be patrolling the Dream Realm shortly. Making her way to the throne, she casts her spell to appear in the Dream Realm and sees numerous floating bubbles. She notices several are tinged with a red aura as they experience nightmares, then heads towards the first one and begins to deal with it.

As Luna deals with the numerous nightmares for what feels like several hours already, she walks towards another bubble with a red aura when she senses a strong sense of despair coming from somepony's dream. She makes her way from nightmare to nightmare over and over, noticing that the pony suffering from despair keeps waking up and falling back to sleep, just to suffer another nightmare which makes them return to wakefulness.

The cycle of waking and sleeping continues for the pony when she sees one final bubble tinged with red, and enters the dream to deal with the nightmare. Looking around with tired eyes, she smiles at seeing numerous bubbles free from the red tinge. Feeling the sense of despair returning, she begins to follow it to its source.

Luna continues walking for what feels like forever as the despair is nearly too overwhelming for her, but still, she continues on. Determined to save every subject from their nightmare, she starts to see snowflakes blow past her and watches it as it passes before her eyes, saying, "Huh, snow? How is there snow in the Dream Realm? Where is it coming from?" A few more flakes drift by her, making her turn to look at the direction they came from when one lands on her coat, causing a light, but noticeable shiver to run through her body at how cold the snowflake was and thinks, 'How could one snowflake make me shiver? I must find out what is going on...' and starts to walk in the direction as more breeze past her.

As she continues on, the snowflakes get heavier when she hears a voice whisper into her mind, 'Turn back...'

Luna stops as her mane blows in the breeze and calls out in the royal voice, "SHOW THYSELF, FOR WE ARE THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT, PRINCESS LUNA!"

The voice does not respond to her command, making her think she scared it off and continues in the direction of the drifting snowflakes. Feeling like she's walking for miles as the snowfall slowly gets heavier, her breath appears before her as she weathers the snowflakes now blowing by in a strong breeze and hears the voice whisper, 'You are not ready, Princess Luna.'.

She stops and then calls out again in the royal voice, "WHO ARE THEE AND WHAT ARE THEE DOING TO OUR SUBJECTS?!" When the voice refuses to respond, she huffs in annoyance and continues on. The temperature begins to plummet even further as her body begins to shiver, but does nothing except make Luna want to know what's happening even more. The snowfall turns into a blinding blizzard as ice starts to build up on her wings and mane, making her briefly consider turning back before shaking her head as she remembers what is important to her and trudges on through the blizzard.

Standing before the gates to Arthas's (Blistering Blizzard's) dream, Versa watches curiously as the newly returned Princess Luna reaches the outermost snowbanks and keeps pushing on while her mane and tail flow sluggishly in the blowing snow.

Thinking she sees somepony far ahead of her, she trudges through snowdrift after snowdrift. The snowdrifts soon get even higher as Luna looks up at a snowdrift six times her size and uses her magic to blast a hole through it, calling out in the royal voice once again, "WHO ARE THEE AND WHAT ARE THY INTENTIONS WITH OUR SUBJECTS?"

Shifting her body into that of an alicorn shape with no definable features, Versa finally replies in a deep, sonorous voice, "WHO I AM IS IRRELEVANT. MY INTENTIONS DO NOT DIRECTLY INCLUDE YOUR SUBJECTS, BUT YOU AND ONE OTHER WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS."

Luna looks at the pony several yards ahead of her with wide eyes as she sees an alicorn shape but no features yet and keeps blasting her way through snowdrift after snowdrift calling out, "WHAT DO THEE WANT WITH US!?"

Versa smirks and replies, "TO PROTECT YOU FROM KNOWLEDGE THAT LIES BEHIND ME, WHICH YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE...YET"

As she blasts away the last snowdrift, she looks up a hill to see an unidentifiable Alicorn standing on a cobblestone road splattered with blood, but what really gets her attention are the massive, black gates that make the two of them seem like ants before a mountain. In a shaking tone, Luna calls out, "WE DO NOT SEEK KNOWLEDGE, BUT WE MUST PROTECT OUR SUBJECTS FROM NIGHTMARES, LET US PASS!"

Versa shakes her head and says in a tone loud enough for her to hear, "I know who you are and what your duty is, but you are woefully unprepared for what awaits beyond those gates...so keep getting stronger and try again." and raises her hoof to return her to the waking world, saying as she brings it down hard, "Awaken now, sunrise approaches."

Luna gasps and finds herself back in the throne room, and looks around in surprise for a moment before hearing the doors open. Hastily turning her head to look, she sees her sister and gallops toward her saying, "SISTER! I HAVE MADE AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY!"

Celestia cocks her head and asks curiously, "What would that be, sister?"

Casting a sound barrier to keep their conversation quiet, she then says, "I met another alicorn in the Dream Realm!"

Her eyes bug out of her head as she asks, "REALLY?! WHO WAS IT, WHERE ARE THEY, AND WHY HAVEN'T WE SEEN THEM UNTIL NOW?!"

The younger sister sighs and shakes her head saying, "Sadly, I could not learn much about them, but from the sound of their voice...I think it might be female."

Celestia then blinks a couple times as she then says, "At least we aren't the only three alicorns in existence, keep trying to learn more about them. So how did you come to meet this alicorn?"

The next morning

You wake up with a sigh, able to catch at most 3 hours of sleep and get up off the bed. Heading towards the door, you hesitate to open it as the guilt of all you have done to those on Azeroth threatens to crush your desire to continue on living. The only reason you finally do open the door is because of your slowly waning hope to find redemption for yourself. Making your way out of the brothel, feeling like there are millstones around your hooves, you spot a few mares awake cleaning the place up for the next night.

After making it outside, your mind is occupied by what happened the night before as you eventually find yourself outside the tree library. Something about it reminds you of the great tree Nordrassil you heard about from several others before you turned evil when you hear the door open, and hear a frightened gasp from somepony in front of you.

Twilight looks at the snow-white stallion and says, "You startled me. What are you doing here this early in the morning, Blistering Blizzard?"

From the corner of your eye, you notice that the sky is barely starting to lighten and think of an answer quickly when you remember the offer she made last night and say, "Well, you did ask me to meet you here in the morning to introduce me to your friend and then help her out with something. Since it's still before sunrise, would you be alright with letting me study a few magic books?"

She looks up at the horizon and sees that the sun hasn't even risen yet and smiles sheepishly, then laughs briefly in embarrassment saying, "Oh, how silly of me to forget mentioning that, it's not even sunrise yet!" Remembering how she kissed him brings a slight blush to her cheeks as she lightly taps her right forehoof's tip on the ground, averting her eyes before adding, "S-Sure, come on in." then turns around and starts heading inside. Leaving the door open behind her, she then quickly turns around and pokes her head out the door and narrows her eyes, hastily adding, "But NO KISSING!" then yanks her head back inside and trots towards a chair in the far corner and pulls a book from the top shelf and begins reading it.

Tapping your hooves on the outside of the tree to remove the dirt and debris, trying to keep her home clean, you then make your way into the home saying, "I never plan on kissing anypony, but it was you who kissed me." then head toward the shelves on the left side and search for a book to start reading.

Unable to stop herself from frequently looking up and looking the stallion over, she stares at him while thinking, 'What is wrong with me? It was an accident that I kissed him, I didn't even mean it...but why can't I stop myself from looking at him?'

When Spike wakes up with a belch of flame, he sees a scroll from Princess Celestia and grabs it before hurrying out of bed and racing through the door, then downstairs saying, "Twilight, Twilight, there's a message from Princess Cele...WHOA!" then trips over his own feet and tumbles the rest of the way down the stairs as the scroll is bent up.

Happy for a distraction from her thoughts, she picks him up and brings him toward her saying, "Are you okay, Spike? You really should be more careful, and watch your step when you're going down the stairs." then takes the letter as Spike tells her that he is fine and opens it, saying, "Okay, let's see what this letter says..." and reads it to herself. After reading the letter, her eyebrows rise up in surprise as she shouts, "WHAT! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT PRINCESS CELESTIA WANTS TO GIVE YOU A REWARD FOR FINDING THOSE EXTREMELY RARE BOOKS!"

Looking up from the magic book and over at Twilight, you raise an eyebrow curiously and ask, "Those old tomes were worth something after all? That's good to hear, what's the reward?"

Her eyes still wide from the amount, she looks down at the reward again to double-check she isn't seeing things and says, "S-She wants to give you a reward of...T-Two thousand and five hundred bits!"

Hearing the amount surprises you as you rethink back to how many books you had in your saddlebags and then say, "I guess that would make sense as I had one-thousand and two-hundred and fifty books with me, which means that each book would be worth 2 bits per book. Was there a bag with the scroll, or does she need some time to collect it?"

Looking back to the letter at hearing Spike tell her there wasn't a bag that he knows of, Twilight then says, "It says here that Princess Celestia will need a little time to collect it, but will include it with a scroll when it is ready to be sent."

You return to the book with a shrug saying, "That is just fine with me, I won't be going anywhere for a little while. Would you mind if I borrow a few of these books later to study?"

Twilight then nods and puts the scroll away saying, "I don't mind at all, go right ahead." then notices the sun is up and says, "Oh, look, the sun is finally up. Let's head over to my friend's farm and lend a hoof."

You nod and put the book you were reading away as she puts her own saddlebags on and head out the door hearing, "Hop on Spike, let's go!" then watch as the small dragon climbs onto her back.

Staying quiet for most of the journey to the farm, you trail after Twilight as she stops near the orange pony you met before and notice how many apple trees are on this farm and think, 'Big farm.'

Applejack looks at Twilight with a smile saying, "Well howdy Twilight, what can ah do ya for?"

Twilight smiles and stands by Applejack saying, "Hi Applejack, I was just heading out here to hang out when I bumped into the stallion last night that we met the day before, let me introduce you to him." She then steps aside and looks at her friend while gesturing with her right hoof, saying, "Applejack, this is Blistering Blizzard." then looks from her to the stallion while gesturing with her left hoof, saying, "Blistering Blizzard, this is my friend Applejack."

The country mare looks at the stallion and smiles while holding out her right hoof saying, "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, it's nice to meet ya again, pardner."

You press your hoof against hers as she takes hold of it and gives it a firm shake, then shake it back, saying, "It's nice to be able to put a name to a pretty mare such as yourself."

A blush quickly appears on Applejack's cheeks as she then releases her hold on his hoof and looks down at the ground slightly, stammering, "Oh-uh-uh-th-thanks." then quickly changes the subject and says, "Since yer here, why don't we go pick some apples! Come with me yall!" as she leads them into the east orchard.

Never having picked an apple before as a pony, you then ask, "Miss Applejack, how do pick apples?"

Happy to have a question about apple farming, she smiles and then trots up to a tree and places her rear toward it, saying, "Well, ah've been doing this since ah was a filly, and what ya do is get your back hooves close enough to the apple tree and then buck the tree, using enough force to shake the tree, which causes the apples to fall off and into buckets below. Watch." then quickly lifts her back hooves up and hits the tree hard with her back hooves while shifting her tail aside, shaking the tree as her legs return to the ground and causing every apple to fall into the buckets around her. With a smile, she then faces him and says, "Then all ya do is pick up the ones that drop onto the ground and put them into the bucket, which we will then fill our saddlebags and carry them back to the barn." She then sees that he has a horn and smiles adding, "Since yer a unicorn, ya can just use magic to simply pluck 'em off and put 'em into yer saddlebag directly."

With a nod, you make your way to a tree and move your back hooves towards the tree, you test your reach by extending your rear right leg towards the tree and find that you are too close. When you make adjustments and find the proper spot to get full use from your kick, you test your aim by pushing your hips up off the ground and kicking your legs out behind you. When your legs hit the bark, you use your muscles to keep yourself there and look back to check your placement. Finding them too far apart from the center, you remember it and try again, finding your second placement much better. Deciding to give it a try, you then lift up your hips and strike the tree hard and hear a bunch of apples fall towards the ground, being caught in a lavender aura of magic and watching them being lowered into buckets nearby the tree.

After watching his first attempt, Applejack smiles and moves to another tree saying, "Ya did well on yer first try, now let's see if we can finish this orchard up before lunch!"

It takes most of the morning when your saddlebags are mostly full as you follow Applejack and Twilight towards the barn to put the apples away with the girls each carrying a set of apple baskets that are completely full, feeling the weight of how much you are carrying. Watching as Spike sits atop Twilight's back, looking for a snack and tossing out apples he doesn't like. You walk behind the girls, catching the apples and placing them into your bags before they hit the ground and bruise.

Ignoring most of their conversation, your own stomach growls when you spot Spike suddenly chomp down on an apple and chew the whole thing up. As you watch his cheeks suddenly puff out, you smirk when he lets out an enormous, fiery green belch that sends him up into the air and off of her back. When a scroll appears from the green flame and smoke, you wonder if it is in regard to the reward and watch it float down as Spike picks it up when Twilight mentions that it's a letter from the princess. Standing beside Spike, you watch him undo the seal and unroll it before starting to read it.

Spike looks at the letter and clears his voice, reading aloud, "Hear ye, hear ye. Her grand, royal highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot on the twenty-first day of October." then mumbles the part explaining the event and resumes, "...which Her Majesty cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest."

Cocking your head as the other girl's eyes go wide and smile happily, you ask, "The Grand Galloping Gala?"

After dancing with joy with her friend, she then looks at Blistering Blizzard and Spike saying, "I've never gone to the Gala, have you or Spike?"

When Spike says no dismissively, you shake your head and say, "I certainly have not, though it has been a long time since I have been invited to a formal event of any kind. As you hear Applejack start to talk about how much she would love to go, you then start walking off and say, "I'll take these to the barn then." and lift their baskets off of their hips and set them onto your own back before walking off down the path towards the barn.

As you approach the barn, you see a big red stallion with an orange mane and tail that stops moving barrels to look at you and say to him, "Applejack and Twilight are busy talking, so I escaped being pulled into it and took it upon myself to bring you their loaded baskets. Where would you like me to set them?"

Big Mac blinks at the tall stallion then walks forward towards the center of the barn and taps his hoof in the open spot, saying, "Here." then goes towards an empty barrel to set it nearby so he can fill it with the apples.

Using your magic to lift one of the basket sets off your back, you sigh at the lessened burden and set it before the barrel. As you watch him pick up each basket, sort through them, and dump them into the barrel, you then move the next set into the empty spot where the last set of baskets was and say, "I've got more in my saddlebags...a lot more."

As he checks the apples and empties the baskets into the now full barrel, he puts a lid on it and then pushes it against the wall. Heading back over to where the other barrels are set, he then moves two empty barrels into the center and waits for the stallion to dump the apples in, saying, "Okay."

It takes you a little effort to lift the heavy saddlebags off your back, setting it down for a moment before lifting up the flap of one side and start letting a small pile tumble gently onto the floor.

Big Mac sorts out the bad apples from the pile while putting the good ones into the barrel as the other stallion dumps another pile out onto the floor. Once sorting them out, he finds yet another pile coming out of the saddlebag and sorts them. As he sorts out pile after pile, he looks at the saddlebag curiously with a cocked head, asking, "Strange...how can something that small, carry so much?"

You smirk briefly and say, "It's a gift that's been enchanted by an acquaintance long ago." and dump yet another large pile onto the floor.

He then smiles slightly and says, "Nice gift." then sorts through the apples and puts lids onto the barrels before moving them to the side of the barn and retrieving two more.

It takes an hour to finish emptying your saddlebags as you look at all the barrels of apples in the barn and ask, "Any more apples you need to harvest?"

Big Mac then shoves the last barrel towards the others and walks towards the other stallion saying, "Nnope, thanks." then extends a hoof saying, "Big Mac."

Raising your own hoof to his and shaking it firmly, you say, "You're welcome, I'm Blistering Blizzard."

He then looks the stallion over, and feels a little more friendly towards him and asks, "Hungry? My treat for hard work."

Thinking it over, you accept his offer saying, "I accept your kind offer, thank you."

Big Mac then heads for the door saying, "Let's go." and then waits by the barn doors to close them

After following Big Mac to town and ordering a Thai rice noodle salad with a rose petal sandwich slice and strawberry-flavored water, you look up to see pegasi covering the sky above Ponyville with clouds and say, "Might they be planning a storm today?"

He looks up and then nods his head saying, "Eeyup." and grabs his food and drink before heading inside.

Picking up your own food and drink, you follow him in and see him at a table by a window, and join him. As you eat your food, you spot Twilight sitting outside when the waiter sets two menus at the table you and Big Mac just left. You continue to eat the salad first and watch Twilight lost in thought while pulling the petals off a flower one by one and think, 'Looks like she's still deciding who to take.' Watching as she shouts something before making an order, you finish your salad and then pick up your sandwich slice and take a bite of it. Chewing your food, you go back to watching Twilight as a hole of sunlight shines down over her while rain falls all around her, seeing that Rainbow Dash kept a hole open to keep her dry. You can't help but smirk as she says something to make Rainbow close the cloud, which results in the hole being closed and causing her to get wet and her food to become soggy.

Turning back to your sandwich, you move to take another bite when you watch a single rose petal fall out of the sandwich and tumble through the air, causing you to be pulled into reliving a memory. Feeling the warmth of the sun on your cloak during the last days of Autumn while the citizens throw rose petals into the air along your path, watching one of those red petals fall into your hand as you smell the scent of fresh roses amid the smell of the trees while dry leaves prepare to fall from their branches. You then rub the petal between your forefinger and thumb, moving your thumb aside and see it begin to turn green with rot while the sound of ringing bells along with thousands of voices cheering for the safe return of their prince hound your ears. Tossing the petal to the ground, you then resume walking through the streets and towards the large, heavy doors leading to the throne room.

Big Mac finishes eating when he starts to hear ponies wonder aloud, saying, "What's wrong with him? Is everything okay with the food? Why is he shedding tears? Is the food that bad?" then looks up to see Blistering Blizzard holding up a tumbling rose petal in his light blue magic aura while solely focusing on it, having a faraway look in his eyes as he clears his voice asking, "Feel okay?"

Jarred from your memory after forcing the doors open roughly, you realize you're holding a petal in the air with your magic and say, "Apologies, got pulled into a memory from the past." then look around and force a smile saying, "The food here really is quite exceptional." then put the petal into your mouth and pick up your drink before forcing yourself to finish eating though your appetite has gone."

As you finish your food, you pull out your bag of bits and set down fifteen bits with a brief smile, saying, "I'll handle the tip, thank you a lot for lunch, Big Mac." then get up and make your way out of the restaurant.

He watches the white stallion walk out the door, saying, "EE...yup." while hearing ponies talking about his strange behavior in low tones.

Meanwhile, in Celestia's room at Canterlot Castle...

Celestia giggles at the letter from Twilight and then is about to send another ticket to Spike when she remembers the reward she needs to send to Blistering Blizzard for finding such ancient books, thinking for a moment before smirking and creating another golden ticket. Dipping her quill into the inkwell, she writes, 'And here's one for you as well, Spike...' and continues to write.

Spike then suddenly belches out rather loudly, leaving him to land on his rear to hear a bag of bits land on the ground before him as a letter floats down to him. Returning to his feet, he picks it up and then opens it up, reading aloud, "And here's one for you as well, Spike." Noticing there's more at the bottom, he continues, "P.S. There's a second ticket inside of the bit bag for Blistering Blizzard if you can find some way to get it to him." and sees a ticket stuck to the bottom of the letter and grabs it happily, then picks up the bag while leaving the letter behind on the floor with a happy giggle as he runs out the door.

Hearing Spike giggling happily while holding a ticket along with a large bag that jingles with bits, she stands there with a smirk as he stops in his tracks and then complains about having to go, claiming how gross that is. Knowing that he secretly is looking forward to it, she chuckles and asks, "What's that big bag of bits for Spike?"

He then smiles and says, "Oh, this is a reward for Blistering Blizzard, Princess Celestia put a ticket to the Gala into the bag for him so that he can go to it as well. She then asked me to try to find and deliver it to him."

Applejack then cocks her head and starts walking towards the others as they head towards the restaurant asking, "What's the reward for?"

Twilight then stops and looks at Applejack saying, "Oh he had found a whole bunch of really ancient books and I sent them all to Princess Celestia, which she looked through them and wanted to reward him for giving them over to me."

Fluttershy then smiles and says, "Well that was nice of him, but how are you going to find him Spike?"

Spike then smiles nervously and says, "Uhm...good question, heh heh. Does anypony know where he might be right now?"

Twilight then says, "He should be around town somewhere because he said he would stick around to learn more about magic, so your best bet would be to ask around if anypony has seen him around lately."

Versa watches as the tiniest fracture appears in Arthas's soul, causing her left eyebrow to rise slightly in concern as she says, "Push on and endure these encounters, Arthas...endure."

You sit near the bridge into Ponyville, looking toward the western horizon while thinking over the day's events. You sigh heavily as you begin to wonder if redemption is worth all this trouble when you hear someone hurrying along the path towards you, and look over to see that it is Twilight's assistant Spike carrying a large, jingling bag.

Spike stops beside the white stallion, panting and saying, "I...hah...have...hoh...been...heh...running...huh...around town...hah..looking for...you." then pauses to catch his breath while waiting for his heart to stop hammering so hard and takes a big breath saying, "I received a letter from Princess Celestia including your reward, she also put an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala into it. She requested that I deliver them both to you, so, here you go." and holds the bag out to him.

Taking the bag from the dragon's hand, you nod at him saying, "Thank you so much for getting this to me, Spike."

The baby dragon then looks at him with a smile and says, "No problem!" then turns and runs back the way he came towards the restaurant the girls were heading to.

You watch the dragon rush away and open the bag to see the golden ticket inside, and use your magic to pull it out before putting the large sack of bits away first as you look at how the ticket shimmers. Strong feelings of regret make their way up from the depths of your soul, causing you to start to head back towards town while sensing a strange sort of magic start to float through the area around you. As you stare at the ticket, you start to hear a slow, beautiful but sad song being played.

When you finally put the ticket away while heading into the town at a slow walk, you feel yourself washed away amidst a torrent of magic that takes a strange hold over you. As you feel the urge to open your mouth and sing out your feelings, you fight for control against the strange magic

Video is not mine and is all instrumental with no lyrics or singing. NOTE: for best immersion, the words start 8 seconds into the video

As the desire to sing overwhelms you, you open your mouth and sing, "If only I had listened to them before, would things have changed? I do not know, for it is past. Things I regret, are beyond count and measure. Brought to life, and not allowed to end it. Night comes which means war. Losing sleep for years, yet I still struggle on."

On her way home, taking a shortcut to get there, Fluttershy is frozen in place after hearing someone singing a sorrowful tone as tears slip down her cheeks.

Taking a brief pause to collect yourself before continuing on while making your way to the Night Mare Inn, you blink your tears back and continue, "My past mistakes, keep haunting me, it's only fair. Of my dark deeds, there are none I wish to share. I really should, avoid them all, but I cannot. For I desire, to be redeemed of my sins. There's too much that I must still answer for, there is one thing I know...I'll be old and grey before my quest is...complete but that's okay. My only friends, from long ago, left me behind. My stubborn pride, led me to the worst choices." You then freeze when you hear a sniffle followed by somepony approaching you.

Unable to take it anymore, Fluttershy walks into view while tears trickle down her face as she begins singing, "Don't be so sad, my newest friend, I'm here for you. Give me a chance, real friends won't ever leave you. If you need help, I can help you, if you let me."

When you notice it is Fluttershy heading towards you, you sigh and look up at the darkening sky, singing, "You do not know, the evils that I have done." Then turn your gaze back upon her and start walking past her to the inn to pay for another night in the back rooms then continue singing with your head looking toward the ground, "If I did share, some of my past, it would break you. You are too kind, and lacking an inner strength."

Seeing his hesitation, she cautiously takes the opportunity to help him and sings ever so slowly while making her way closer, "All...I ask...is just...one chance......please?"

Almost to the front door of the inn, you hear the song finish in a pleading tone. Something about the tone causes you to stop a few steps from the door and look behind you to see her a hoof step away, giving you puppy-dog eyes that makes you sigh and give in a little saying, "Okay, I guess there's no harm in sharing a few things that aren't so bad." and then turn around to face her.

Fluttershy looks at the unhappy stallion, then at the place he was going and blushes lightly, asking, "Uhm...what is your name?"

You look at her and say, "My name is Blistering Blizzard, how much of my singing did you overhear?"

Her blush deepens as she then thinks a moment and says, "I heard enough to know you have had a difficult life, done bad things which you regret, and have made several mistakes due to your pride, and your life was so bad that you suffer frequent nightmares. What I don't understand is why your friends abandoned you. What did you mean about being brought back to life?"

With a sigh, you then say, "You have a fair grasp of how my life used to be. The reason my friends abandoned me was because of a decision I made when I was blinded by my emotions, even my former lover turned her back to me for it." You then move your lips near her ear and whisper, "It is exactly what it sounded like, I died in another world and strangely returned to life here. Before I head inside and get a room for the night, I would really appreciate it if you keep what I say of my past a secret from other ponies."

Fluttershy gasps at hearing that and says, "Oh my, how awful. I am so sorry to hear that. I Pinkie Promise you that I won't tell anypony." then makes a Pinkie Promise to him and goes through the movements saying, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Cocking your head at the odd motions, you say, "That is a really strange way to make a promise to someone."

She giggles and says, "My friend Pinkie Pie came up with it, and nopony dares to break a Pinkie Promise because she has a way of knowing things." Then looks over at the Night Mare Inn sign and asks, "Why are you going to rent a room...here?"

You then sigh and say, "Well, it is because that I have no place of my own and have to rent a place to sleep every night."

Fluttershy gasps again at hearing he is homeless and says, "Oh that is very unfortunate," then smiles and says, "I would like you stay with me until you can find a place to call home, okay?"

Unsure about it, you then ask, "I really wouldn't like to trouble you, but are you certain you are okay with it?"

She gives a shy nod and a slight smile saying, "Mhm, I really would like to help you, if you would let me."

You then sigh and say, "Very well, lead the way Fluttershy. If you ever get uncomfortable with me being around, just let me know."

Fluttershy then nods and starts guiding him to her home saying, "My house is this just this way, on the edge of town." After walking for a little while, she crosses the bridge thinking of a question and asks, "So uhm, would you be okay if I asked where you came from?"

You follow the mare down the road and say, "I came from a war-torn world called Azeroth where it is common to fight to survive."

Her ears sag a little bit lower as she says, "I'm sorry if I asked a painful question, I'll be quiet now."

Shaking your head at how shy she is, you say, "It wasn't painful at all, really. One thing that you should know is that I'm not a sound sleeper at night."

With a smile, she looks back and says, "Oh, ok. I used to suffer from scary nightmares when I was a filly, so my older brother shown me how to keep them at bay." She turns back to the road and sees her home coming up saying, "We are almost there."

You look up to see a house built on a hill surrounded by many tiny houses and nests, giving you the idea that she likes birds and nature saying, "From how your house looks, I would guess that you like nature and birds."

She slowly flies to her door and opens it saying, "Oh I do like nature and birds, though I am quite fond of all animals. I am friends with many different kinds, such as a bear named Harry, a hummingbird named Hummingway, a songbird named Constance..." and continues to name them off.

You pause outside the home to see a small, light grey bunny hop out the door and sits up with its arms crossed and eyes narrowed while tapping his feet irritably.

Fluttershy giggles and says, "Of course, how could I forget my closest animal friend of all, Angel Bunny." She then feels him thump his foot against her hoof and looks down at him to see the bunny pointing his front right paw at the pony with her, making her look up at him and then back down to Angel with a smile saying, "Oh this is Blistering Blizzard and he will be staying with us for a little while until finding a place of his own."

As Angel Bunny cocks his head and crosses his arms, he looks between the two of them and mimes sleeping, wordlessly asking her, 'Where is he going to sleep? With you?'

She blushes fiercely and then lowers her head saying with a nervous giggle, "Oh no, of course not. He will be sleeping on the couch."

With an eye roll, he huffs and shrugs, wordlessly saying, 'Whatever.' then hops back inside to go back to sleep. Stopping a few hops later, he looks back at the stallion and uses a paw to point at his eye then at him back and forth meaning, 'I'm watching you.'

You huff in amusement and look at Fluttershy saying with a little sarcasm, "He's quite friendly."

Fluttershy then smiles as the blush fades away and heads inside saying, "Come on in and please make yourself at home. Are you hungry?"

You shake your head and then say, "I am not, but thank you for offering. I would like to know where your couch is, as I am tired."

She then nods and heads over to the couch against the wall by the window saying, "The couch is right here for you, let me just go and get some blankets and a pillow for you."

5: An exhausting day

Author's Note

Holy Crap I'm sorry for how chunky this chapter is guys and girls, but I tried to get a few laughs with it and realized how large it was when I was done writing.

5: An exhausting day

Once Fluttershy comes back with a warm blanket and a fluffy pillow, you look at her and say, "Thank you for this kindness, I bid you a good night."

With a smile she nods and says, "Mhm, I hope you sleep better tonight as well." then makes her way upstairs as Angel makes himself comfortable on his bed at the foot of the stairs around the corner.

Heading outside to clean out your hooves, you wipe your hooves on the grass outside and head back in after double-checking their cleanliness and then gently close the door behind you. As the bunny eyes you with suspicious eyes, you roll your eyes saying, "I hope that you are a heavy sleeper because I wake up frequently throughout the night." You climb onto the couch, using your magic to lift up the blanket and settle into a comfortable position with your back toward the door, doubting that anything will change to allow you to have a good night's sleep anytime soon.

Angel drifts off into a peaceful dream where he is surrounded by elaborate carrot dishes and begins to enjoy one of them when a rustling noise wakes him from his slumber. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a paw, he sits up with a frown and sees the stallion sleeping restlessly as he rolls over to face him mumbling, "No...don't turn away..." then huffs in annoyance and faces away from him and tries to go back to sleep.

As you dream about the day you went to Stratholme, you hear Jaina say, "I'm sorry Arthas, but I cannot watch you do this." then walk away from you. You wake but don't open your eyes and turn over on the couch, drifting back to sleep when the dream continues as you head into the city with your weapon at the ready and spot Mal'Ganis standing a short distance away from you.

The bunny is about to bite into a new dish when he hears rustling once more and grumbles while sitting up again to hear, "Don't do it...they're your own subjects..." Annoyed at being woken again, he kicks off the covers in irritation and hops away up the stairs agitated. When he reaches Fluttershy's room, he climbs his way onto her bed and thumps his foot against the mattress at the foot of the bed to get her attention.

Fluttershy is dreaming of having tea with all her friends, including her animal friends when she is woken by a gentle prodding. Opening her eyes tiredly, she turns over to see that Angel is beside her with an annoyed look and pointing downstairs and asks, "What's wrong Angel, can't sleep?" Watching his motions, she then says, "Oh, you had a nightmare? How terrible, do you want to sleep on the bed with me?"

Angel facepalms himself with both paws and drags his paws downward and shakes his head, then tries to get the message across that the stallion downstairs is having a nightmare that is keeping him awake.

After watching him gesturing to her for several minutes, she gasps and finally says, "The pony on the couch is suffering from nightmares?! Oh dear, I better go check on him and try to keep his nightmares at bay." she then gets up and hops off the bed, kissing Angel on the cheek before saying, "Thank you for letting me know, Angel."

The bunny follows her down the steps and sits beside his bed, waiting to know when the stallion will stop waking him up, blinking in annoyance as he turns over once more with the blanket fallen onto the floor and taps his foot thinking, 'Would you just shut up and go to sleep already!?'

Fluttershy wonders what she should do to help him sleep, thinking of putting on some soft, soothing music to lull him into sleep. She then turns on her stereo and keeps the volume low enough to be heard, but not to disturb others and watches to see if it works.

A few moments pass by as the stallion continues to have trouble sleeping, hearing him talk in his sleep saying, "No...don't...that blade isn't the solution..." She stands there in curiosity as he starts mumbling, "Stop reaching for it...it...will lead...everything...to ruin..." She is about to try to light some soothing incense when he reaches out for something and gasps, saying, "No...you fool...don't you...see what...you did...by taking...that sword...help...Muradin." When she spots a tear trail down his cheek, she feels so sorry for him to be suffering and decides to try what her brother used to do when she was a filly.

With Blistering Blizzard facing the door, Fluttershy lays the blanket back over the couch and worms her way between his forehooves with her back towards his front and pulls the blanket down over the two of them while humming a lullaby, singing, "Now quiet down and don't you cry, I'm going to sing you a lullaby. If that lullaby doesn't soothe, I'm going to give you a kiss or two. And if those kisses won't do, I'm going to cuddle you. If my cuddle can't calm you, I will sleep by your side til morning's light." Smiling at how he quiets down and breathes steadily, she lays her head down on the pillow beside him and joins him in peaceful slumber.

You are surprised for once at how you are having a dreamless sleep for the first time since you got here, when you begin to reminisce about the happy times you have had with Jaina when you were younger. Finding yourself pulled into one of those memories where the warm sun shines upon the two of you on a cliff having a romantic picnic with her underneath a large red oak tree, lifting a finger up under her chin as you move to kiss her.

Fluttershy's dream shifts around her and finds herself in a meadow with a special somepony lifting her lips up towards his, feeling his tongue flick against her upper lip and parts her lips in response. When she feels his soft, wet tongue slip into her mouth, she is unsure how to kiss back and tries to use her tongue like he is. Kissing back rather clumsily, the sensation continues on as the dream fades away. Confused, she feels a slight discomfort in her neck as she starts to open her eyes, seeing a fuzzy image before her that slowly comes into focus. As the kiss keeps going, her eyes shoot wide open as she realizes she and Blistering Blizzard are French kissing, sending her into a panic as she screams in an extremely high pitch that causes her windows to rattle and a glass vase holding some flowers to shatter then uses her wings to zip up the stairs faster than she had ever flown before. Plowing into her own bed, she curls up under the sheets as she curls up on herself wrapping her wings over her head while her head and neck blush crimson in embarrassment, saying, "Oh no...oh nonononono! That was my first kiss! What am I supposed to do now, oh I don't know. Should I go talk to my mother about it? No, because she would think that he is my special somepony. Oh heavens, what should I do?!?" An idea then pops into her head as she says, "Oh, I know, I'll go ask Twilight about it!" then hurries down the steps silently so she doesn't disturb Blistering Blizzard's peaceful sleep.

As Twilight prepares to eat breakfast, she hears a frantic knocking at the door and says, "Spike, could you get that please?"

Spike nods and says, "Sure thing!" then hurries towards the door and starts to open it when it is suddenly slammed into his face, saying, "Oww...what just happened?"

Fluttershy frantically flaps her wings and hovers in the air above Twilight and says, "Twilight! I'm so glad you're awake! Something happened and I need your help!"

Twilight grabs her saddlebags and pulls Spike out from behind the door and says, "Alright Fluttershy, lead the way and you can fill me in on the way to our destination!"

She cocks her head and asks, "Wait, where am I taking you?"

The unicorn then looks at her friend and says with a confused look on her face, "To wherever this emergency is, of course."

Fluttershy then shakes her head and calms down, saying, "Oh, there is no emergency..." then lowers her voice and says quietly, " Not really..." She then sits down on the ground and taps her forehooves together shyly and asks in the same soft tone, "Uhm...what do you know about..." then lowers her voice to almost a bare whisper and continues, "Kissing?"

Twilight bolts upright and blushes fiercely saying, "KISSING!" then starts to fidget nervously and says, "Wha...wha...why do you want to know what I know about that?"

Spike feels a little grossed out by what he heard and heads for the door, saying, "Ick, so gross! I'm gonna go help Rarity." then leaves and closes it behind him.

The shy pony then blushes a bit and says, "Well...uhh...umm..." when her blush deepens, causing her to clam up.

Now that they are alone together, she looks at her shy friend and walks up to her, then places a hoof upon her shoulder when she hears a knocking on her door, turning her head toward it as it opens, and sees Applejack walk through it and closes it behind her and asks, "Good timing Applejack, what do you know about kissing?"

Blushing at being put on the spot like that, she then takes a breath and says, "Did your parents have the 'birds and the bees talk' with you about that yet?"

Twilight then relaxes and facehooves herself and nods saying, "Yes, I know all about what adult ponies do when they have a special somepony they are serious about and where foals come from."

Applejack then looks to Fluttershy as she quickly nods and confirms she knows about that too and wipes her right forehoof across her forehead and sighs with relief saying, "Well ah'm glad that ah won't have to explain that to either of ya." She then takes a seat beside the other two and says, "There are a few things to know when it comes to kissing. When it comes to a kiss between family, it can be on the forehead, cheeks, or even on the lips with some families. With a pony that ya are interested in, it can be done in several ways, such as a peck on the lips, or as a really intimate kiss using tongue." She then blushes as she admits, "Ah've never had my first kiss with a special somepony, what about yall?" and sees Fluttershy and Twilight both blush at hearing her ask with Fluttershy blushing a bit harder.

Pulling her tail against her flank, Twilight sighs and says, "I...kinda was hoping to talk to you yesterday about it, but a couple nights ago, Blistering Blizzard asked to learn more spells..."

Meanwhile, at Fluttershy's home

You awaken feeling lighter than you ever have felt before and look around to see that Angel is tapping his foot and rubbing his belly indicating he is hungry and ask, "Do you know if Fluttershy is up yet?"

Angel nods his head and then points to the door to indicate that she left.

With a nod, you say, "So she left then, in that case, I will go find her and thank her for letting me stay as well that you are hungry." and see the bunny nod and hop away, then make your way toward the door to go search for the shy pony.

Back at Twilight's

Applejack looks at her friend with awe as she says, "Ya kissed him on the lips...just for donating a bunch of old books?"

Twilight then says, "They weren't just old books, they were ancient books. They had to be at least 500 years old and some of which were even about magic, I even sent them to Princess Celestia for her to look over and she offered him a huge reward for handing them in."

The farm pony then thinks about her kiss and says, "From my point of view, I think that your kiss could be considered an accident because you did it on impulse. It would be up to you to decide if ya want to think of it as your first kiss or not."

Fluttershy then looks at them and says, "Well, mine may have been an accident too."

Applejack and Twilight both turn to the quiet pony as she says, "Tell us all about it, sugarcube so we know the whole story."

She then takes a breath and then says, "Well, it all started last night when I came across Blistering Blizzard as he was about to get a room at the Night Mare Inn and offered to let him sleep on my couch for a little while."

They both look at her with wide eyes and exclaim, "WHAT!" as Twilight says, "Please explain every little detail!"

Fluttershy then smiles softly and says, "I promised that I wouldn't share what he told me about his past, but he told me that he has no place of his own so he has to rent somewhere to sleep each night."

Twilight then cocks her head and asks, "Why does he not have a place of his own?"

She then shakes her head saying, "I'm sorry, I can't answer that."

Applejack nods and says, "Okay sugarcube, continue your story."

Fluttershy then says, "Well, he hesitantly accepted my offer and I led him back to my place where I introduced him to Angel Bunny who came to the door, after that I led him inside and shown him where the couch was. I then brought him a warm blanket and a pillow, then said goodnight and went to my bed. However, during the night, Angel Bunny came to me because he was having troubles sleeping due to his restlessness. So I went down to try to help him sleep peacefully..." and continues the story.

As you walk into town, you see the library and decide to go discuss what happened the other day with Twilight. Stopping at the door, you raise your hoof to knock and then hear a voice matching Fluttershy's say, "Then I started dreaming about a special somepony in front of me when he used his hoof to gently pull me towards him and started to kiss me...using his tongue." Unsure of what you should do, you hesitate outside the door.

Applejack and Twilight both lean towards Fluttershy with wide eyes and shout, "His tongue!/He kissed you with tongue!? What was it like?!"

Fluttershy blushes cherry red as she remembers the kiss and says, "Well, it started with a kiss on the lips, then he flicked my upper lip with his tongue, so I opened my mouth and felt his tongue slip into my mouth and lightly brush against my teeth. I didn't know what I was supposed to do at first and felt how his tongue moved around the inside of my mouth and started to caress my tongue, when I did try to use my tongue, I was rather clumsy." Wanting to finish her story, she then says, "When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was kissing him and that he was still asleep. My first reaction was to jump off the couch and scream in panic, I might have screamed so high that I heard the window rattle and a vase shatter. Immediately after, I raced up the stairs with my wings and curled up under the covers and tried to figure out what to do, which led me to come to ask for your help."

The farm pony then gulps and stammers a little saying, "W-Wow, tha-that must have felt strange to you, didn't it?"

She then thinks it over a little and nods saying, "It did a little, but then it felt...sort of...I don't know...uhmm...nice...I guess?"

The guilt becomes too much, which forces you to take action and raise your hoof. Knocking on the door, you say, "Hello, Twilight? Mind if I come in to talk? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, really."

Twilight watches as Fluttershy hides behind her and sighs, saying, "Okay, come on in before somepony gets suspicious of you loitering outside the library door."

You then open the door with your magic and close it behind you saying, "I just thought that I should let you know that I was shocked and surprised by your sudden kiss on the lips, Twilight, and it was my first time ever kissing anypony, especially on the lips." You then see a long, light pink mane and tail behind Twilight and sigh audibly saying, "And Fluttershy, could you come out please?" and hear a cute, little eep from behind Twilight."

When Fluttershy doesn't come out, Twilight gets up and moves aside, saying, "Be soft and gentle with her, okay?"

You nod and approach as the shy pony trembles while her face is cherry red with embarrasment, stopping a short distance in front of her and use your hoof to gently lift her head up to look each other in the eyes. When your gaze meets hers, you then softly say, "I deeply apologize for taking your precious first kiss from you since we are not romantically involved, though it was not smooth, I do think it was very nice for a first kiss. When I dream, my body acts on its own depending on the dream. Last night, I started to think back to my time with my former lover, but when I started to kiss her, the dream and sensation wasn't the same like it was with her. It wasn't neither bad or good, it was just...different. I understand if you are upset with me because of it." then release your hold on her chin and look away as guilt eats away at you.

When Fluttershy looks out from underneath her mane covering her right eye, she sees how he seems to look unhappy and slowly gets up to walk over to him. She then softly says, "Uhm...neither one of us should feel upset about what happened, I know that you didn't mean to kiss me. I will treasure it though because of how tenderly you kissed me, so thank you."

Turning back toward her, you look at her and nod saying, "You are welcome, Fluttershy, I have been meaning to thank you for letting me stay for a little while. I just now noticed that I feel lighter and more refreshed than I normally do in the mornings when I wake, thanks to you, I didn't suffer from any nightmares after you slept beside me." Remembering what Angel wanted, you then say, "I do think that Angel is getting rather hungry."

A heavy blush turns her face orange at hearing that and realizes that she hasn't fed her animals yet, making her gasp, saying, "Oh heavens, I completely forgot to feed them in my panic!" then hurries towards the door saying, "I hope you come back tonight, bye!"

After she leaves, you then turn to Twilight as she seems to be thinking about something and jokingly ask, "Are you debating whether or not you want me to kiss you?"

Twilight blushes as he guessed right and stammers saying, "Wha? Uh...uh no!" then clears her slightly squeaky voice saying, "Ahem, No, I was just wondering if you wanted to continue trying to learn new spells?"

Applejack then looks at him and says, "My brother Big Mac was impressed with how ya were able to bring in the apples, our baskets must have been quite the burden for ya to handle. He wanted me to see if ya were okay after that and what happened to ya at the restaurant. Ya doing alright?"

Concerned, Twilight looks at him and asks, "The restaurant? When were you at the restaurant, what happened?"

You look at the farm pony briefly and say, "I assure you I'm okay, I've handled a far heavier burden than several bushels of apples." then look to Twilight and shift your gaze between the two saying, "Big Mac treated me to dinner as thanks for the help, and we got there a little bit before you did. What happened was that when I went to take a bite of my rose petal sandwich, I was pulled away by a distant memory of mine. It started out slightly uplifting, but then turned sad towards the end."

The unicorn cocks her head a little and asks, "Oh, would you mind telling us about what happened?"

Shaking your head, you say, "Unfortunately not, because there is too much pain and misery involved in my past that I am not prepared to share with you all." then change the subject and ask, "Would you mind if I borrowed a few spellbooks to study?"

Sighing a little, Twilight then smiles and nods saying, "Well, if you ever do find yourself wanting to talk, you can always come talk with us. Go ahead and take a few books that interest you, then bring them back when you're finished with them."

You spend two months learning and perfecting the spells from the books in Twilight's library, finding yourself dragged along on several escapades of theirs. The only escapade you think remotely favorable is when you was able to see this world's version of dragons, managing to crack several scales along the dragon's side and neck before it hit you hard with its tail, knocking you unconscious. However, when you awoke, the dragon was gone and were immediately scolded for your actions by Fluttershy.

You are walking back into town after learning the last spell from the newest bunch of books you borrowed from Twilight, passing by Sugar Cube Corner when you spot a creature with strange markings on their coat wearing a tan cloak. You are reminded of a creature you once heard of on Azeroth and then turn to head over to talk to them when you are suddenly jerked backwards and pulled into the sweets shop saying, "What the heck was that for?"

Pinkie then says, "To save you from the evil pony, of course!"

Hearing them call the creature evil makes you laugh darkly and say, "I know evil creatures very well, but I am sure that is not one of them."

Rarity then trembles and backs away saying with a quivering voice, "H-h-h-how is it you know evil creatures?"

Deciding to be vague but truthful about your experiences, you look at their eager faces and say, "Well, what I am willing to tell you is that I once used to chase evil creatures as a soldier, after a number of years I picked up a faint way to sense if one is a threat or not."

After Pinkie spots Twilight and Spike walking through town, calling them both into the shop from the 'dangerous' creature, you tune out most of their conversation by looking through one of the spell books that have nothing further to teach you and hear her name is Zecora. As Pinkie begins singing, you groan in annoyance while they state a few things she has been seen doing around town once a month. When you spot Applebloom sneak outside, you put the book away and head after her to keep an eye on the troublesome filly.

As you follow the filly near the forest, you briefly lose sight of her but then find her standing in a clearing just inside of the Everfree Forest and make your way towards her. You hear galloping hooves behind you and stop in a patch of blue flowers, then turn to see the girls heading towards you.

When the girls catch up to Blistering Blizzard, they too stand beside him in the blue flowers when Applejack shouts, "APPLEBLOOM!? You get back here right this instant!"

You then hear the little filly gasp and turn around as you hear the zebra speak in a slightly deep, feminine voice, warning you in a rhyme against blue leaves being serious. You look at where you are standing and groan audibly, thinking, 'Great...I've just been poisoned. Looks like I need to start studying plants and potion-making as well as figuring out what poison I have, then develop a cure for it.' then turn and make your way towards Twilight's and look at Twilight saying, "Twilight, I'm going to head to your place and return these books, then grab a few more, alright?"

Twilight looks behind her at Blistering Blizzard and nods saying, "Oh okay, I'm fine with that."

As you return to town and enter the library, you search the shelves for any books regarding plants or potion-making. Able to find a few books on plants related to potions and potion-making, you spend several hours trying to learn what you can while trying to find out what poisoned you.

When Twilight returns to her home with Spike asleep on her back, it is nearing dusk and she is feeling quite tired after today's events. After closing the door to her home, she finds Blistering Blizzard reading up about plants and potions saying, "I'm going to head to sleep, try not to stay up all night studying, okay?"

You nod your head and say, "You should take your own advice."

Rolling her eyes, she continues heading up the stairs into her room saying, "I do, which is why I take the weekend off...unlike a certain stallion I know who shall remain nameless."

With a smirk, you resume studying and say, "Point made, goodnight Twilight."

Twilight then yawns and heads towards her door saying, "Goodnight, Blister."

Lying down on the floor, you hear the upstairs door close and keep reading through the books to learn what you can about making potions. However, a few hours into your studying, your eyes start to feel heavy as sleep swiftly overtakes you. Pushing the book away, you cross your forearms underneath your head and drift off into the first night of lost sleep in a couple of months.

When you wake up feeling groggy, you slowly struggle to get your hooves under you and look around to see nothing but a massive blur. You slowly start to wobble your way towards a strange blue wall that is a bit taller than you and attempt to climb to the top of it to get a better look around, taking you a good half-hour before you finally succeed and look around you when everything comes into focus.

Finding yourself still inside Twilight's home, you recall falling asleep on the floor by a book and look around to notice how huge everything looks. When you look ahead of you, noticing the wall is actually a platform of some kind which causes you to look down and realize that it is not a platform you are standing on at all. Realizing that you are actually standing on a book that is far larger and heavier than you, you start to wonder what happened to you when the door opens as Spike comes down the stairs and call out to him saying, "Spike!"

Spike stops halfway down the stairs and looks around while rubbing his eyes saying, "Huh?"

When you see Spike continue heading down the stairs, you try again and shout, "HEY SPIKE, I NEED YOUR HELP OVER HERE!"

He looks around and spots a small creature on top of a book and heads towards it saying, "Huh, how did a small creature like you get here?"

Groaning at how he doesn't recognize you, you facehoof yourself and say, "It's me Spike, I'm Blistering Blizzard and I need your help."

Spike then wakes up fully and says with wide eyes, "WOAH! H-How'd you get so small...and...what exactly are you?"

You roll your eyes at Spike and say, "That is a question I need help finding the answer to, I think the answer to the problem involves that plant from yesterday. Let's look through the books I haven't found anything in yet, those were stacked just to the right of this book here I'm standing on but wasn't able to finish."

The baby dragon then spends a few hours going through the descriptions in the books when Twilight races down the steps and starts pulling a book off the shelf and searches through it for answers, saying, "Good Morning Twiligh-woah! What is wrong with your horn?!"

Twilight tosses the book aside and pulls out another saying, "I think Zecora cursed my horn! Start searching for magical curses and cures!"

You watch the book warily as it sails in your direction, but lands a good distance away with a heavy thud and see Spike start to move towards a shelf when you say, "Hold on Spike, it might be similar to what is affecting me. We'll find the answer by finding what that plant is."

As you warily watch Twilight start tossing books into the air frantically while looking for a cure, a book comes right towards you, forcing you to run out of its path. When the book lands a couple feet behind you with a thunderous boom, it sends out a rush of air that sends you tumbling through the air. Somehow managing to land on your hooves, you then see another book heading your way and start running toward a clear spot on the floor shouting, "STOP THROWING BOOKS AT ME!"

Thinking that Spike said that, she turns to him and says, "I'm not throwing books at you Spike, I'm searching for answers, GEESH! Dramatic much?"

Spike continues looking through the rest of the blue book and puts it down saying, "I know that." then picks up another book from the pile and starts looking through it.

You run for your life as Twilight tosses book after book, slowly creating a deadly maze you have to navigate just to survive when another book slams down right in front of you with a thunderous boom. Blown back by the rush of air, you land outside of the maze and injure your hoof. With your movement lessened and without your magic, you run out from the path of another book sailing your way shouting, "SPIKE! GET HER TO STOP THROWING BOOKS!"

The dragon puts the book down and sees a book land right beside Blister and turns to Twilight as she chucks another one shouting, "Twilight, stop throwing books around!"

Not hearing anything due to being driven on by worry and panic, she skims through another book before chucking behind her and grabbing a much thicker one saying, "None of these have a cure, but there's got to be an actual reason for this. Is it an illness, or an allergy?" then chucks the book behind her and pulls out a light green one.

Spike watches the heavy book land and fall open right in front of Blister and shouts, "Twilight, stop panicking!" as she chucks the light green one behind her.

You see the book head right for you and look for an escape path out, but see nothing viable with your injured hoof and shout, "CATCH IT SPIKE, I'M TRAPPED!"

The young dragon races towards where Blistering Blizzard is surrounded by a mountain of books with nowhere to go and leaps forward to catch the book.

The book starts to fall in slow motion as your life here flashes before your eyes as you think, 'Great, I'm going to be killed by a knowledge, I'm sure that Tirion, Jaina, Muradin, and Varian would get a good laugh out of this irony.' Then imagines Tirion's voice laughing heartily, saying, "To kill the evil Lich King, all you need to do is squash him with a book!"

Spike gets there just in time and grabs the book by the spine shouting triumphantly, "I CAUGHT IT!" then turns to Twilight saying, "STOP THROWING BOOKS OR YOU'RE GOING TO HURT BLISTERING BLIZZARD!"

You then shout, "GOOD JOB, NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE BEFORE SHE THROWS ANOTHER!"

Spike then puts the book having a drawing of a plant with two fronds on its cover under one arm and starts looking around for where he last saw him, saying, "Okay, I'm coming buddy."

Freezing instantly, she then looks around saying, "What!? He's still here, where?!"

When Spike puts his claw down for you to climb onto, you sigh and lay down to rest your aching hoof saying, "Thank you Spike, from the bottom of my heart. You just saved my life."

The baby dragon then stands up straight holding his friend carefully in his hand and turns around to face Twilight saying, "Right here." and holds his clawed hand out towards her.

You lie down on his claw as Spike walks towards Twilight and stops before her, then stand up to look up at her as she looks upon you with curious eyes. Gazing at her with a slight scowl, you then begin to scold her saying, "Come closer so I can have a word with you, little filly!"

Twilight then gets much closer and watches her friend stand on Spike's clawed hand, sitting down instinctively as her ears lower and says, "How did you become so small, did Zecora curse you too?"

You then huff and narrow your eyes saying irritably, "I'll get to that later, now listen! You can't always let yourself panic when something unexpected happens, it leads to carelessness which then leads to injuries. In my current state, you could have easily killed me with how you were tossing books around frantically! If Spike hadn't gotten there when he did, you would have crushed me. If that were to have happened, all you girls would have been heartbroken about it and you could have even lost a few friends. So do us a favor and think before you panic...please!"

She hangs her head as sadness takes hold of her and sighs heavily saying, "Oh...I am so sorry for how I acted. I wish I had noticed you on the floor earlier. How are we going to fix this?"

With her lesson learned, you nod and then say, "With research, of course. So let's keep looking." and look to Spike saying, "Set me on one of those books upon the table over there so nopony steps on me. I don't like feeling so helpless."

Spike then takes him over to the table and sets him down, then starts looking at the book. When he lands on a page matching the description of the flower, he closes the book and holds it out for Twilight to look at, saying, "What about this one, it looks promising."

Twilight glances at the cover and says, "Supernaturals, huh?" then sighs and says, "Spike, the word supernatural means things such as ghosts, spirits, and zombies which are as fake as curses. That book is a whole lot of hooey."

He then looks pleadingly up at her saying, "But Twilight, what if you're wrong? It could be a..."

You then look to Pinkie Pie as she says something you can't understand, which Spike asks how it could be a purse. When Twilight asks her what happened, you see a lot of spit rain heading toward you and run to safety behind, shouting, "Thanks a lot for the offer, but I'm not looking for a bath!" The next second you hear something smack into the window and shout, "Use the door, why don't you!" Only to see her smack into it again while trying to talk, then backs up and slams into the wall before finally flying through the door, knocking it off its hinges, and accusing Zecora of being responsible. As she zips over your head, you fight to hold onto a book shouting, "Watch it!"

As you watch Rainbow lay on the ground for a few moments saying curse, you then hear Rarity speak up and turn to look at her. Trying hard to keep from snickering, you say, "Look at what the cat dragged in." then shout, "Looking fabulous, Rarity, but I'm afraid dreadlocks are out of style this time of year!"

Rarity scoffs and unsuccessfully tries to blow her locks out of her view, turning her nose up under her mountain of dreadlocks and saying, "HMPH! Says the stallion wearing leather saddlebags!"

Applebloom enters the library with her sister standing upon her flanks as hears her say, "Ah hate tell ya ah told ya so, Twilight but ah told ya so!"

Hearing a high-pitched voice, you turn to look at Applejack and say, "Welcome to the small pony's club Applejack!"

Applejack looks at where the voice came from and sees a snow-white creature with a golden blonde mane and tail standing on the table, then turns to her sister asking, "Take me over there, would ya, Applebloom?"

She then heads over to the table and stops beside the table, watching as her sister hops up onto it saying, "It's a curse, ah tells ya!" then makes her way over to the creature and asks, "Howdy, who and what are ya?"

Cocking your head and looking up at Applejack, who's now twice your size, you ask, "Do you really need to ask that? Just look at me, I'm small enough to sit upon your back like Spike does with Twilight!"

Applejack then looks them over thoroughly and says, "I can't believe that your curse turned you into a cute, little breezie, but it is even weirder that you were also changed into a mare!"

You look at her with a deadpanned expression, saying, "Of all the things you could have noticed...YOU NOTICE THAT!?" then huff and look away and notice that the girls are trying to talk to Fluttershy and look at her asking, "Okay, what is your affliction Fluttershy?"

Blushing at the rebuke, she then gets annoyed with the others' attempts to get Fluttershy to talk and gallops towards her and stomps a hoof saying, "Good gravy, girl! Would ya tell us what's wrong already!?"

Fluttershy silently sighs and then turns her head towards the wall in humiliation, saying in a deep voice, "I really don't feel like talking about it."

When you hear Spike sputter and start laughing, you hear him talk about how funny it is as he says, "Look, we have Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Appletini, Flutterguy, Breezie Blizzard, and...uh..." and look at him with an unamused expression as he fails to come up with anything for Twilight's flabby horn.

As Rainbow fights to get free, the girls begin to argue about it being Zecora's fault, making you roll your eyes when Rainbow starts zooming around the room recklessly, upside down and shout, "Would you get back on the ground before you put someone's eye out!"

Rainbow tilts her head back to look at Blister, saying, "I would if I could control my own wings...OW!" as she smacks into the bookshelf carved into the wall.

You see Applebloom hang her head slightly and walk to the edge of the table and look at her, asking, "What's wrong, little filly?"

Applebloom then sighs and looks at Blistering Blizzard, saying, "Well, I feel like this is all my fault."

You shake your head and say, "Well it isn't your fault kid, it's ours for not paying attention to what's going on."

She then sighs and says, "I just feel that none of this would of happened if I hadn't followed Zecora into the forest." then gets an idea and lifts her head saying, "I just have to set things right." and starts to walk towards the door.

As she starts heading away, you say, "Hold on, let me go with you. I have an idea as to where we can hopefully find some answers, so come closer so I can sit on your head by your bow."

Applebloom then stops, saying, "Okay." and moves beside the table, lowering her head a bit saying, "Is this good?"

You climb onto the bow and make your way down to the spot in front of her bow saying, "I'm ready, let's get going little filly."

Applejack spots her sister walking towards the door with Blistering Blizzard sitting on her head in front of her bow and eyes her suspiciously, saying softly to herself, "Now where does that little filly think she's going this time?" then makes her way from book stack to book stack on the table, and jumps into her sister's tail thinking, 'Thank goodness that she didn't have any beans last night for supper...' but then gulps when she recalls what all she ate and sweats nervously, thinking, 'Oh no...she had...CABBAGE!'

As the little filly races towards the Everfree Forest, having the same idea of seeking Zecora out, you watch something crawl through Applebloom's mane saying, "What the..." when Applejack suddenly pops up out of her mane.

She climbs up out of her sister's hair saying, "Now hold it right there, ya two." she then looks down at her younger sister's face adding, "Turn around right this instant and head back to town, missy!"

Feeling stubborn today, she smirks and says, "No."

Applejack is surprised at hearing her sister tell her no and says, "NO!?" then uses a hoof to repeatedly tap her head adding, "I'm your big sister and ya can't ignore a direct order from me!"

As you see her head lower, you make your way back against the bow and hold on tight when she quickly lifts her head and tilts it back, tossing her older sister into the air and quickly catching her in her teeth. When you see her trot towards a branch and set her upon it, you chuckle, saying, "That's one way to get rid of an unwanted hitchhiker."

She then laughs and smiles while looking at her older sister saying, "I'm sorry Applejack, but it seems I'm the big sister now." then walks away.

You watch Applebloom start trotting along the path to Zecora's again thinking, 'I wonder what her place looks like if she lives in the forest.' When the place comes into view you say, "I would guess that this is where she might live, go knock on the door and find out."

Applebloom then heads up to the door and knocks on it saying, "Hello? Miss Zecora are you here?"

Zecora then answers the door and looks down at the little filly saying, "Hello to you little filly, would you want to come in before it gets chilly?"

You then climb up out of the filly's hair and look at the mare with a medium-height black and white striped mohawk and say, "Madam Zecora, it is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Blistering Blizzard and this here is Applebloom, we were hoping to find you and ask for aid with our friend's maladies after we all stood in a field of those blue flowers you warned us about. Might you know how to deal with these strange afflictions?

She heads into her home and Applebloom follows after her, then stops and looks at the tiny breezie on Applebloom's hair, saying, "Why hello to you, Blistering Blizzard. The cure for that affliction is known to me, rest assured. There is a book that we must locate, if your friends' afflictions are to abate. The book in question is green in color, having a two-frond plant and Supernaturals on its cover."

You then look around her place for the book and see it up on a high shelf saying, "Its on the top shelf on the left wall, I would help retrieve it but I am far too small."

Zecora chuckles at the rhyme and says, "Thank you for finding it so quickly, now let us look inside and find a remedy."

Once she locates the ingredients, she gives Applebloom a small list of things to gather saying, "Careful should you be whenever you enter the Everfree. I will gather the ingredients located farther in, return here when you have them all so we can begin."

As you and Applebloom head into the forest, you start looking for the ingredients and spot a large cobweb straight ahead that she doesn't notice with a hungry spider hiding in a dark hole on a tree and shout, "Freeze! There's a spiderweb with a hungry spider lurking in a tree in front of you!"

Applebloom stops just before running into it and sees the large spider, then chuckles nervously saying, "Thanks for warning me about that."

With a sigh, you say, "You're welcome, but I was a little more concerned about becoming that spider's dinner."

When you two finish gathering the ingredients, you then say, "I think it would be wise to gather extra ingredients in case the others show up worried about you."

She then giggles and says, "Yeah, I think you're right because the others are being irrational."

After grabbing the extra ingredients, you return to Zecora's as Applebloom trots towards the door saying, "Hey Zecora, I think we found all those things you asked for."

When you see the mess inside, you sigh at how you had a feeling this might happen and grumble, "At least we were wise enough to gather extra." as Applejack sighs and expresses her relief that Applebloom is okay.

As Twilight then hops in front of Applebloom protectively, her tail swishes side to side in aggravation saying, "Because she is an evil enchantress that cursed us and plans on turning you into a soup!"

THE FOLLOWING SECTION IS A SLIGHT CLOP AND MIGHT BE UNSAFE FOR WORK, SO READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION OR FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE CONTINUATION OF THE CHAPTER!

You are taken by surprise when Applebloom suddenly lowers her head, causing you to slide forward on her mane. As she throws her head back, laughing hard, you hold onto a bundle of hairs for dear life, flying in the direction of the door when she quickly doubles over and throws her head forward and down toward the ground. Losing your grip on her mane, you are hurled towards the air end over end, slowly realizing that you are heading towards Twilight's tail and shout, "Twilight, your tail, your tail!"

Hearing Blister mention her tail, Twilight stops her tail from swinging, accidentally leaving it off to the side as she turns her head to look back saying, "Better?"

Still tumbling end over end, you see her tail off to the side and shout, NO! OTHER WAY, OTHER WAY!" when she moves it to the other side hastily and realize that you are inches away from the point of no return and shout, "CENTER! CENTER QUICKLY!" only to realize it is too late and hastily fold your hooves in against your belly while taking a deep breath as you continue heading towards her nethers.

Twilight groans and says, "Make up your mind alrea-" when she suddenly feels something enter her special place and tightens up exclaiming, "DYYY!" which causes her tail to jerk back to the center and the dock of her tail to hike up while her eyes shrink down to pinpricks as she loses the ability to think for several moments.

Seeing everything, Fluttershy gulps and asks, "Uhm...Twilight? Did...he just land where I think?"

She nods and answers in an unusually high-pitched voice, "Uh...huh..." when she starts to feel stimulation back there and snaps her head back saying with a light blush, "Don't do that!"

Applebloom then looks on with wide eyes at seeing it all, blinking slowly and saying, "Well......what just happened to Blistering Blizzard?"

Gasping at how her younger sister saw it, she shouts, "APPLEBLOOM, GET OVER HER RIGHT THIS INSTANT YA HEAR OR AH'LL TELL BIG MAC WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FAVORITE TAIL COMB!"

The little filly jumps up in fright and squeaks, then sprints over to her sister's side, saying, "I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK IT! I WAS TRYING TO GET A KNOT OUT OF MY MANE!"

It is completely dark and slightly moist inside of Twilight's tunnel, unable to open your eyes at the risk of your eyes being damaged as you keep holding your breath and pawing frantically with your front and back hooves. Your progress occasionally grinds to a halt as you feel Twilight's inner muscles squeeze down upon you, drawing you further in and think, 'Damn it Twilight, each time I get closer to escaping this place, you draw me in further!'

Twilight's legs tremble as she fights against the strange tension within her, saying, "Please, don't go any...hah...deeper..."

Rainbow then looks around the room and says, "Does anypony have any idea how to save Blister?"

Zecora looks on, completely dumbfounded at what is happening and stammers, saying, "Ah...uh...Unfortunately for you, I have no clue! This situation is to me as new as it is with you, I know not what to do."

Twilight's whole body shudders lightly as her legs start to tremble even more, pleading, "Please...somepony, anypony...get him out..."

As you start using your teeth to pull yourself through Twilight's dark depths, you start feeling the need for air when you release your hold to get a new one. Caught by surprise by a sudden squeezing, you feel yourself sucked even deeper in and slam against a soft barrier.

She gasps as she feels him hit her hymen, her legs nearly giving out as her whole body shakes violently when something inside her snaps. Her muscles clench down instinctively as every nerve goes haywire when she feels a surge of ecstasy rush through her, feeling her inner thighs becoming very wet and looks behind her with hazy vision and asks, "Blister? Can you hear me at all? Please tell me you can." She prays that he answers her, but her hopes are dashed when she feels him start moving again which causes her legs to give out from underneath her as she pants saying, "Applejack...he is right there...where it is...please help me."

Applejack gasps and asks, "What do ya want me to do, sugarcube?"

Twilight looks at her and blushes even deeper, saying, "I need you to go in...after him. I...hah...don't know...hah...how long...he can keep...hah...holding his breath."

She gulps nervously and says, "Uhm...I'm not sure how long ah'm gonna be able to hold my breath for...but...ah'll do my best. Anypony have any small rope to tie around my barrel to pull me out with?"

Pinkie Pie waves her hoof frantically and tries to talk, saying, "PAH POO, PAH POO! PIH PAH PAETH!" then digs out her thick party string and sets in on the ground, saying, "PEEH PAH PO!"

Applejack then leaps off of Zecora's head toward the overturned cauldron, landing on it with a loud plunk and springing off of it and onto the floor. Running over to the string and pulling her hat off, saying, "Pick up my hat Applebloom, ah have a stallion to rescue!" She then ties it around her barrel and says, "Rainbow, get behind Twilight and feed me rope as I search for where the stallion is before anything worse can happen." Without a moment to lose, she gallops toward Twilight's rear saying, "When ah'm ready to be pulled back, I will jerk the rope three times!"

Rainbow picks up the spool as it starts to walk and skitter across the floor, then hurries towards where Applejack took off to and sees Twilight move her tail aside as her body shudders again. When she stands behind her, she sees Applejack trying to climb up to where her nethers are and extends a hoof saying, "Here, let me give you a boost."

She stands on her friend's hoof as she raises her up to the entrance and places her front hooves close to the middle of the opening and says, "Okay Rainbow, I'm locking my legs out, so count to three and then tilt your hoof down a little while pushing me in."

She nods and gulps, saying, "Alright...One... Two..."

Applejack takes a deep breath as her friend raises her hoof and tilts it while pushing her inside, feeling her front legs slide past her outer folds and leans her head forward. Soon, her nose slips past them followed by the rest of her body, then feels herself no longer being pushed in and thinks, 'Okay, ah'm in...time to go fishin' for a stallion, heheh.' As she starts crawling her way into Twilight's marehood, she feels her friend's inner muscles clamp down around her as her whole body becomes soaking wet. Feeling herself pulled deeper, she continues crawling along until she squeezes down again as a small gush of fluid washes over her and pushes her back a little bit.

You push against the soft cushiony barrier and finally manage to get a good hold to start pulling yourself out, determined to continue trying to escape her tight confines. Managing to crawl for a little distance, you open your mouth and taste a slightly salty, citrusy-tasting liquid enter your mouth. Unwilling to lose your expiring breath, you swallow it down and bite another piece of flesh to pull yourself further along. You make steady progress for a few seconds until Twilight's muscles clamp down even harder on you, trying their hardest to push you even deeper inside her and clench your jaw as tight as you can without biting through the flesh. Disaster strikes as a much stronger clench rips the flesh out of your mouth and slams you into the barrier hard, causing a hoof to slip through a tiny hole in it. When the squeezing subsides, you manage to get another hold and work your way back out.

She crawls her way through her friend's tunnel when she suddenly hits something solid with her right front hoof, then feels it bite the tip of said hoof and mentally sighs, saying, 'Ah've finally found you...' When the bite is released, she feels around again when she feels a sudden quivering, thinking, 'Uh-oh, ah know what that means, she's going over the peak again.' and plants her hooves on either side of her and bites down to maintain her position.

Twilight gasps and cries out loudly as something inside her explodes, setting her nerves ablaze as a massive orgasm hits her, unable to stop herself from shouting, "BUCK YESSS!"

Rainbow is about to look up when she is suddenly sprayed in the face and exclaims, 'WAHH! TWILIGHT, DON'T SPRAY ME!'

You feel yourself being sucked back even harder when you slam into the unyielding barrier, but tear right through it as you think, 'Oh shit...did I really just tear through her hymen? I doubt things will be the same between us ever again after this...'

She convulses and hisses in agony as a white-hot pain rips through her nethers while her muscles rapidly contract and relax, taking her a few minutes to get over as she then starts shedding tears and sobs, "No..."

The pegasus then starts noticing a trail of blood starting to ooze out from her asking worriedly, "TWILIGHT, ARE YOU OKAY?"

Twilight sobs a bit longer before saying, "I'm not hurt, not really...but it is gone, he tore through it." when she feels a slight pressure from deep within and places a hoof by her abdomen saying broken-heartedly, "He's so deep now...please hurry Applejack, before he gets pulled any further."

You find yourself up against an even firmer barrier, thinking, 'Oh crap, this is the entrance to her uterus...I seriously hope whatever I bit finds me before it opens up and I get pulled inside.'

Applejack hurries along as best she can while thinking, 'How come ah haven't found her hymen yet? Wait...don't tell me he got pulled through it!? If that's true, my heart goes out to Twilight.' She then feels herself pulled along as her muscles contract yet again, feeling more fluid rush past her as she mentally huffs in annoyance, thinking, "Good gravy girl! You're a right hair-trigger ain't ya!"

As you hold on with your teeth, you feel her muscles shift around you strangely when the opening starts to get wider, causing one of your hooves to slip through as your teeth lose their hold. When your crotch hits a hard lip, it sends a reflexive shudder through your body. Accidentally letting out a small bit of the expired breath in your lungs, your lungs burn with the desperate need for air. As you slowly find yourself losing strength, feeling yourself start to gradually relax.

Twilight continues to slowly sob and caress her abdomen, feeling it moving when she suddenly feels something slide further into her and disappear altogether, causing her to start sobbing anew saying, "There's nowhere else for him to go now...he's inside the room. Come on Applejack, he's getting so weak I can barely feel him moving at all!"

Fighting her way to the end of her friend's tunnel, she feels a hard surface in front of her and uses her hooves to figure out what it is. When she finds an opening, she gasps mentally and says, 'I can't believe that he got pulled into her foaling chamber! Things are never gonna be the same between us all, especially between him and Twilight...' Using the strength she has, she manages to squeeze her way through and slips inside of her friend's deepest place. Sliding down the side, she nears the bottom and bumps into something soft. When she starts using her hooves to find out if it is the stallion, she discovers that it is his cursed form but notices that he isn't reacting to her touch. Dreading the worst, she hastily wraps her legs around his back and holds onto him as tight as she can, and yanks on the rope rapidly in fear.

When you open up your eyes to find yourself in the empty black space you first showed up in, you hear loud moaning coming from somewhere around you and look around and see the alicorn Versa lying on the couch with her front towards you. Seeing two, hot pink nipples just in front of her wide, splayed open back legs as she holds her right front hoof between her back legs. Assuming that she is pleasuring herself, you then hear her let out a sharp scream of pleasure as a fountain of liquid shoots out from behind her. Not wanting to startle her and risk her wrath, you remain silent and try to pretend you didn't enjoy seeing that.

As she slowly comes down from her high, she collects herself and huffs in annoyance at knowing she was observed pleasuring herself and reaching her climax. Taking a deep, contented, yet irritated breath, she opens her eyes and gazes upon Arthas's unarmored human form and lets out a long breath, while dangling her right hoof over the edge of the couch to at least hide her teats from view and asks, "Did you enjoy the show, Arthas?"

Clearing your throat nervously, you then ask diplomatically, "Uhm...sorry, was I not supposed to, ma'am?"

Versa then huffs and smiles faintly saying, "It bothers me not, but good job for taking the diplomatic approach. I found your recent...experience to be quite interesting. Continue to intrigue me with your adventures and experiences, and I might be inclined to grant you a small taste..."

You then look at her and say, "I care not for physical, spiritual, or mental pleasures...but I do appreciate your kind, generous, and benevolent offer. The only desires that I try to cling to are my redemption and to keep my friends from knowing too much about me or my past..."

Cocking her head, she gets up off the couch and saunters over to him with a sultry look on her face, stopping to stand just before him and pulling his face closer to hers with her magic, saying, "Oh how cute, you thought that you had a choice in that...you will get that reward whenever I decide to grace you with my presence in Equestria. You should be more wary of your actions and try not to be so negative whenever certain things happen to you that you can't control because your soul now has a couple of small fractures in it, though I am doing what I can to repair it. You should be getting back now, I do think one of your friends is worried about you." then sends him back towards Equestria to his own body.

When Rainbow feels the rope being rapidly yanked, she exclaims through clenched teeth, "WOAH, I THINK SHE'S GOT HIM!" and starts to pull on the surprisingly heavy string.

As she feels a sudden urge to push, she takes a breath and tries to push whatever it is out of her and feels a shudder of pleasure rush through her as Applejack and Blistering Blizzard are pulled through her vaginal canal. A moan slips through her lips as she goes through one final shudder when her tightened spring finally snaps, hearing a very wet plop from behind her while her vision starts to darken, saying, "Heh..." before passing out and leaving her head to fall onto the floor.

Applejack quickly puts Blistering's unmoving body on her back and gallops out of the puddle they landed in and lays him down in a dry spot, shaking him a bit and slapping his face gently before shouting, "AH NEED HELP RIGHT FLIPPIN NOW! BLISTER AIN'T MOVING!"

Everypony gasps as they see the two covered in blood and hurry toward where they are as Fluttershy shouts in a deep male voice, "EVERYPONY STAY BACK! SHE NEEDS SPACE!"

Fluttershy stops a short distance away and says loudly, "APPLEJACK, FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY, I AM GOING TO TELL YOU HOW TO PERFORM CPR OR CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION."

They all watch with worried looks as Applejack listens to Fluttershy, taking it step by step to try to get his heart beating once again. With bated breath, they wait with hope burning in their hearts that she can bring him back.

Forgetting how long she has been doing this, she presses on his chest harder a few times before breathing fresh air into his mouth saying, "COME ON, COME ON! DON'T YA DARE CONK OUT ON ME PARDNER! DON'T EVEN TRY IT!" then begins doing more compressions. As she begins to feel tears well up and spill from her eyes, she breathes into his mouth once more then goes back to doing compressions and pleads, "Come on, please come back to us..." She switches back and forth between breathing and compressions when she accidentally presses too hard and hears a few loud cracks, causing her to gasp and back away thinking that she killed him.

They all are startled when they see clear fluid come out of his mouth followed shortly after by a cough, they wait to see if he gets up at all as Applebloom prances in place happily crying out, "Ya did it, sis, ya did it! Ya brought him back to us!"

You take a long, much-needed breath of air and then struggle to get from your right onto your stomach as one foreleg hurts a lot and doesn't work properly. Figuring it is broken, you then say, "Applejack, help me roll onto my stomach will you, my foreleg's broke." You then let out a few deep, raspy coughs before being able to speak again, saying, "I never knew fresh air could smell so good." You then look down at yourself and then feel Applejack pull you into a hug, saying, "Watch it, that hurts."

Applejack eases up a little on her hug as tears of joy run in rivers down her and everypony else's face as they prance and hop around happily, cheering loudly, and says to him, "Ah'm mighty sorry about hurting ya, ah might have broken a few ribs trying to bring ya back."

When she finally sets you down onto your three good hooves, you then look her over and say, "Why are you covered in blood too?"

She then lightly smiles and says, "Well, after a few minutes passed, Twilight turned to me and asked if ah could go in after ya, and unfortunately, ah was the smallest and best choice for the job."

Turning your gaze to Twilight, you see her slowly lift her head up off the floor and look around in a daze and say, "Hello Twilight, let's talk about this mess later, okay?" We have a much bigger issue to deal with at the moment..."

With a gasp, Twilight swiftly nods and stands up a bit too quickly and wobbles a little, saying, "Right! The curse!"

THIS IS THE END OF THE UNSAFE SECTION, ENJOY THE CONTINUATION OF THE STORY!

Applebloom laughs and says, "Oh Twilight, have you let those silly fillies get into your head? You know that there's no such thing as a curse!"

You look around the place and ignore the conversation between them until you hear Applejack ask for someone to speak plainly and groan, saying, "Those blue flowers from yesterday are the cause of this all."

Once the girls all learn a lesson, you turn to Applejack and say, "I strongly suggest we not get seen in public like this or it might cause a panic, we look like we just came from murdering someone."

Applejack then takes another look at herself and sighs saying, "Ponyfeathers, ya have a good point." She then turns to the girls and asks, "Can one of yall hide us in yer manes or tails until we have a chance to clean up?"

Rarity then steps forward, saying, "I have been planning on visiting the spa after this anyway, so you can hide in the dreadlocks on my coat hair...oof! This hair is soo unseemly..." and stumbles over her hair as she heads towards the two ponies.

Thinking fast because she cannot see, you call out, "A spa visit sounds so good right now... Thank you, but wait right there, we will come to you! I have been on many battlefields in the past, but this is just ridiculous. Contrary to popular belief, when you're this small...even knowledge could kill you!" and start to make your way toward Rarity.

Twilight groans and watches him and Applejack walk toward Rarity, saying, "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

With a smirk you shake your head and say, "Nope, not as long as I draw breath, anyway." and hear a few of the ponies snicker at that and say, "You better lay down Rarity, somepony's gonna need to set me into your thick hair because of my leg."

Fluttershy smiles and says in her deep voice, "I can help with that." then walks over as Twilight apologizes to Zecora and asks her to make more of the cure, stopping beside him and turning her right hoof over so that he can step onto the underside. When he thanks her and steps into her hoof, she uses her right wing to move aside some of Rarity's hair and sets him inside it before pulling her wing back to let the hair fall back into place.

Once the girls head into town for the herb that Zecora needs, they talk to one of the panicked ponies and talk some sense into her. When they get what they need, they then head over to the Ponyville Spa and ask Aloe and Lotus for washing tubs.

When you are taken out of Rarity's hair and set on the rim of a tub big enough for Applejack to swim in comfortably, you then turn to her and say, "Applejack make sure that you don't lie on your back when you get big again, am I clear?"

Applejack rolls her eyes and says, "Yeah ah hear ya." then jumps into the tub while doing a cannonball.

Zecora then walks over to the two filthy ponies and rubs her chin in thought saying, Unfortunately for the two of you, I will first need to make another brew. That which cakes your whole body will alter the brew, for I shall first gather what I need for two cleansing brews."

As the others talk amongst themselves, you do what you can to get the stuff out of your mane, coat, and tail, Zecora returns and begins pouring in a small vial of liquid which causes it to bubble up around you. You look around as you start to feel a tingling sensation and say, "What in the world is this doing to me? It feels so weird."

Once she watches the potions do their work, she picks them up and sets the two on a ledge saying, "Wait right there, the two of you, I will replace this water for the second brew."

After you watch her set the two tubs down, half-full of water as Zecora dumps in some ingredients. When she sets Applejack on the rim, you say, "Remember what I told you!"

Not listening to him, she jumps in doing a cannonball on her back with her rear towards the second tub shouting, "Geronimo!" and hits the water with a splash.

You shake your head and shout, "You're going to regret doing that Applejack!" Then feel Zecora pick you up gently and carry you towards the tub and set you into the water, having a few moments to get into a good position before you start to feel tingles all over your body. Knowing how big you once were, and having a broken front leg as well as a few broken ribs, you are left sitting on your flank.

As Applejack is doing a backstroke, she feels her head hit the side of the tub, saying, "Did the tub just get smaller or is it me?" Realizing what is happening, she says, "Uh-oh..." as her body continues to get larger.

When you start to slowly grow larger, your eyes finally rise over the edge of the tub as you hold your front legs up saying, "I tried to warn you about being on your back, Applejack." and see her two light brown teats, including her marehood as her tail hangs over the edge. As your back hooves reach the other side, you quickly put your front forelegs down and use your strength to shift your position so you can raise your back hooves up so they don't cramp.

Unable to cover herself, she blushes fiercely and stammers saying, "D-Don't look at me, turn away!" and moves her legs closer together, then tries to cover herself with her front hooves unsuccessfully.

With your front hooves blocking her view of your sheath, you sigh and use your magic to lift her tail, saying, "Here you go, grab it and cover yourself with it."

With the heavy blush still on her cheeks, she says with a stammer, "T-Thank ya, sorry ah didn't listen." then grabs her tail quickly and pulls it between her legs.

You look around the room and catch Twilight staring at your sheath, but then blushes when her eyes meet yours and dives down under the water and huff saying, "Well, I can see that some ponies have been sheltered from many things."

Twilight lifts her head up and then looks up at her horn and sighs happily when she feels that it is back to normal, then notices Pinkie before her and giggles along with her.

When Lotus asks Zecora for the recipe, you hear Applebloom ask where Applejack is. As you hear everypony start to panic, you look over to Applejack in front of you with a deadpan expression on your face, thinking, 'You girls are way too silly at times...'

Applejack then huffs and looks over at her sister saying, "Ah'm right here, little sis, but ah ain't little no more!" Then looks around and asks, "Speaking of which, can somepony get me out of this thing?"

You chuckle briefly and say, "Let me help you with that." then use your magic to lift her out and turn her over before setting her back down on her hooves. Wincing each time you breath, you then look to Applejack and say, "Since I helped you, could you help get me out of this and over to a healer?"

She then nods her head and walks over to him saying, "Sure thing, pardner." Offering him a hoof, she helps him climb out of the tub and guides him towards the door.

Hopping along on three legs with one leg held in the air, you call to Twilight behind you saying, "When I have a chance, I will bring your books back to you and grab some more."

Twilight watches him go, forgetting all about the issue they needed to talk about, and says, "Alright, though I think you won't be going anywhere for a little while with a broken leg, so I will stop by to check on you and bring a fresh batch with me."

6: Surprising Discoveries

As you wait for the doctor to come back with an x-ray, you see him enter and ask, "So, what's gonna happen? I really hope that I don't lose a leg..."

Doctor Hooves chuckles as he is reminded of saying break a leg on stage to mean good luck, then sighs and says, "Fear not, amputation won't be necessary as we can use healing potion and magic to treat your broken leg. If you broke a leg five years ago, that would be a different story." He then hangs up the x-ray and looks it over, saying, "Well, it looks like you broke your right front cannon bone, though the splint bone appears to be fine. On top of that though, you have sprained your right front hoof at the pastern joint, and have 4 broken ribs and 3 fractured ones." With nothing else to look at, he turns to his paper and says, "With medicine, potions, treatment, and magic to aid your recovery, you'll be up and running around in about two months."

Applejack then smiles, and turns to him, saying, "Which means you'll be able to go to the Gala!"

With a huff, you look at her and go to ask what's so great about the gala when you change your mind and turn to the doctor instead, asking, "What are we waiting for, let's get started."

The doctor then nods and says, "Alright then, please follow me to the treatment room please." He then looks at Applejack and says, "If you wish to wait for him, the waiting room is just down the hall to the left, though it will take us a bit to get him taken care of and moved to a room."

She nods her head and follows them out of the room, saying, "No problem, thank you for being so swift with seeing my friend."

An hour passes as you find yourself lying on your back in a soft hospital bed with your leg in a magical splint and a plaster cast, as half your barrel is wrapped up tightly in a bandage to ensure your ribs heal properly, you recall how shocked the doctor and nurses were to see that you have no cutie mark on your flanks and groan in annoyance, saying, "Oh this is going to spread through town like wildfire through a pine forest, and I just know that the troublesome trio will try to get me to join their club..."

Applejack chuckles as she walks in saying, "Are you complaining about the Crusaders again?"

You then look over to her, saying, "Yes I am because it is only a matter of time until they start pestering me with lots of annoying questions."

She takes a seat and then asks with a smile, "Oh? What about?"

With a huff, you blink and say, "About the fact that I don't have a cutie mark like nearly all adult ponies do."

Applejack is speechless for a moment as her jaw hangs open, taking her a few seconds to recover as she finally responds and says, "WHAT?! HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE A CUTIE MARK!?"

You shrug your shoulders and say, "I just was never really that concerned about getting one, I didn't even know what one was until I came to Ponyville. Are they really that important?"

With a facepalm, she then says, "Ah'm gonna go get Twilight, she's going to go nuts over this." and heads out of the room without another word.

Five minutes pass by as Twilight runs into the room and lifts up the sheets to look at his flank, shouting, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE A CUTIE MARK! WERE YOU NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL AS A FOAL!?"

You then sigh and say, "I was allowed to go outside and do most of what I wanted to, I just thought it was normal to not have a tattoo on my butt. What good is a Cutie Mark anyway, why is it so important for you ponies to have one?"

Applejack sits down in the chair and settles in for a very long explanation with a grin on her face, knowing that Twilight will not go easy on him not having a cutie mark.

By the time Twilight finishes her explanation, you look at her with annoyance and say, "I have no interest in getting my cutie mark."

Twilight gasps at hearing that while Applejack wakes up with a snort and says to him, "How can you not want to earn a cutie mark, it symbolizes your special talent!?"

Versa observes his soul from her dimension as a much larger fracture forms in it, forcing her to try to stabilize it with her magic thinking, 'Why is his soul breaking down like this?'

You ignore Applejack's chuckling and say, "I don't want one because of the good chance that it might remind me of how badly I failed my life!"

Applejack stops laughing at hearing that as Twilight just stares at him, completely at a loss for words. Turning her gaze to Blistering Blizzard, she asks in Twilight's place, "Wh-what do you mean by that, how could you have failed your life?"

You look at the two darkly for a moment, but then frustration gives way to grief as you look out the window saying, "Hmph, I wonder... Maybe it is because of the bad choices I made." You then turn your gaze to the two girls and ask, "Do either of you know what it is like to be praised as someone would a loved one or to be treated like royalty, only for you to make mistakes and swiftly fall from grace, then being viewed and treated like the worst evil imaginable?" Taking their gobsmacked expressions as evidence, you then snort and say, "I thought not, the only one that would even remotely have a tiny inkling as to how that feels is Princess Luna, though I will not trouble her with my issues because she has enough to deal with, like getting reacquainted to her subjects and ruling over them."

Twilight sees her friend in a new, sad light as he turns away with a crestfallen look and hears him say, "If you two would please excuse me, I am feeling rather exhausted after the day's tiresome events."

The farm pony watches a tear slide down Twilight's cheek as her eyes start to become glassier and makes her way over to her, placing a hoof on her right shoulder and saying, "Come on Twilight, let's come back to visit him in a couple of days, alright?"

Guided out of the room by Applejack, Twilight's head hangs near the floor, saying in a soft, defeated tone, "Okay..."

When Arthas's soul settles down, she slumps down onto her couch with an annoyed huff saying, "I just don't get why this is happening to you, what is causing your soul to be so brittle?" then looks at his soul, having not one, but two new cracks in it. Minutes tick by as she observes him carefully when the answer comes to her, making her facehoof herself at forgetting what happened much earlier and says, "It's all because of that foolish windigo! Her choice to merge with Arthas fused their souls, and that caused his soul to change its makeup. Ugh...this stallion is starting to be such a pain in my flank, I hate that he has to be so stunningly attractive.." and begins to search for a way to solve the problem.

Two days later in Canterlot, near sunset

Celestia heads to the royal study to take care of a few personal matters when she gets a sudden letter from Twilight, making her giggle and say, "It's a bit early in the week for a friendship report, let's find out what she has to report this time..." then unrolls it and begins to read the report, which reads: 'Dear Princess Celestia, I was brought to my friend Blistering Blizzard when he was admitted to a room in Ponyville General due to injuries he sustained during our adventure I mentioned in my last report two days ago. Applejack told me that he did not have a cutie mark and didn't know anything about them before coming to Ponyville. When I got there, I lifted the sheets to see if Applejack was messing with me and saw that he actually did not have a cutie mark. I then asked if he wasn't allowed to do anything as a foal, but he said that he was. I still find it hard to believe that he thought it was normal to not have one, he even went so far as to consider it a 'butt tattoo'...' She suddenly bursts out laughing at the cutie mark called a butt tattoo, then gets back to reading the report and sits down in a lounge chair with a smile on her face that slowly turns curious. 'I was so shocked that he had no idea of their worth. So, when I explained to him all about cutie marks and what they mean in a very long speech, he said he had no interest in getting one. When I heard that, Applejack just woke up as I asked him why he didn't want something that symbolizes his special talent. His reply had me at a loss for words, saying that he didn't want something that reminded him of how he failed in life. Applejack then spoke up due to my prolonged silence and asked what he meant by that, which he then huffed and told us slightly sarcastically that maybe it was because of the bad choices he made. He then looked at both of us in the eyes with a serious look and asked if either of us knew what it is like to be praised like a loved one or to be treated like royalty, only for you to make mistakes and fall from grace, then being viewed and treated like the worst evil imaginable. We were both completely stunned into silence as we tried to wrap our brains around what he said, which he claimed as proof and said that he thought not. He then said two things that struck me as odd, saying that the only one that would even remotely have a tiny inkling as to how that feels would be your sister, Princess Luna. The second is that he refuses to trouble her with his issues because she has enough to deal with, like getting reacquainted with her subjects and ruling over them. I understand why he doesn't want to bother your sister, but the way he said it is strange and sticks out to me. What he said, really upset me and I would like to know if it would be at all possible for you to look into what happened to him? I only ask this out of my concern for a friend, when not sleeping beside Fluttershy, suffers frequent nightmares and has trouble sleeping peacefully throughout the night. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.'

Swiftly rolling up the letter, she heads to her sister's room to get her thoughts on the matter and share hers as well. Stopping at her door, she firmly knocks on the heavy doors, saying, "Sister, it's me. I need to talk to you about something that was just brought to my attention." and closes them behind her.

Luna rolls over and rubs her tired eyes, then stretches saying, "Yes? What is the matter, Cece?" She then sits up and sees her sister holding a scroll in her hand and asks, "Is Twilight okay?"

Celestia sets the letter beside her sister on her bed and then turns on one of the soft blue magic lamps she has in her room, saying, "She is just fine, a little upset by what one of her newest friends said to her, but she will cheer up. Please read through the report and share your thoughts on it with me."

Using her magic to put on reading glasses, she says, "Alright, let's see what happened." Then takes the letter in her magic, unrolls it and reads it herself in the light blue light of her lanterns. Moments later, she then says, "He doesn't have a cutie mark?! Impossible!" She finds herself fighting back a sniggering snort at the words 'butt tattoo' and continues reading the letter before saying, "Hmm...strange how he mentioned like royalty as he did, it has no relevance on the matter." When she finishes the letter, she holds it open and looks up to her sister, saying, "It's upsetting to me that I haven't known or sensed him suffering from frequent nightmares. The lack of details about his past strikes me as odd, it makes me curious as to what he actually did that makes what I did long ago seem so...small. What he said about my troubles with getting reacquainted with our subjects and ruling makes what he said earlier stand out even more, why does it feel like he is no stranger to the burdens of leadership?"

She nods with a smirk at how her sister picked up on the same things she did and says, "I'm proud at how you noticed the same things that I did, the only place that I can think of where it is normal to not have a cutie mark is Saddle Arabia. I even have a strong idea that he was royalty at one time, but there is only so much that can make what you went through appear so insignificant." She then frowns deeply and huffs while narrowing her eyes and then glaring out the window, saying, "I am not pleased with how he upset Twilight, I am not pleased with him at all for that."

Princess Luna then thinks back to the day she first noticed him and their meeting later, clearing her voice and saying in a nervous tone, "It is also possible that he is in hiding, though I can think of one thing that would cause one to fall from such high regard."

Princess Celestia then looks at her sister curiously and cocks her head, asking, "What would that be, sister?"

She then looks at her, saying, "Well, the day that I came back, I brought it to your attention that he was awaiting permission to rise and used the old royal etiquette of greeting higher officials. Then later, when we went to Ponyville to celebrate my return, I saw him keep away from the crowd of ponies that gathered around you and went to speak with him. Thinking that he might not like crowds, I asked him if he does not like groups...which he confirmed my suspicion. He then asked the same of me while still using the old etiquette, which I told him to rise due to it being a social visit, and was too embarrassed to provide an answer. One thing that stands out to me now is that when I asked for his name and he rose from his bow, he started saying something that started with an ah sound, but quickly corrected himself and introduced himself as Blistering Blizzard. He then asked my permission to offer me advice since I ruled alongside-" Realizing at once what he did, she scowls and bangs her hoof on the bed with a huff, saying irritably, "Ohhhh...that stallion distracted me with good advice! I can't believe he had the nerve to openly check me out in public!"

She giggles at her sister and says with a smile, "OOH someone finds you attractive..." and gets a pillow thrown in her face for the comment and laughs harder at her sister's blush asking, "What was the advice he gave Lulu?"

Princess Luna huffs as she forces the blush away and says, "He said that if I find myself worrying about losing sight of what's important to me, find a way to ensure I never forget or lose sight of it."

Celestia then smiles and says, "That is good advice though, he must have been fairly high-ranking if he was able to distract so skillfully with advice as good as that. I wonder what his real name even is...but what were you saying about the one thing that would cause him to fall?"

She thinks for a moment, then says, "Ahh, yes. Thank you for reminding me. The one thing that would make too much sense is..." trailing off for an extra serious impact, adding, "is that he has...in fact...killed in the past. As for his name, we could compile a possible list."

She then nods her head solemnly and says, "I have to admit, going back over that letter's contents in my head now, taking the life of another does make too much sense and would explain the nightmares if it was bad enough. At the same time though, it doesn't make sense because there hasn't been a killing in Equestria for five centuries at least!" When she remembers the last thing her sister said, she grins as a plan starts to take form and says, "Great suggestion Lulu! We can come up with a list of names and I can send them to Twilight as a fun, little task which she can notify me which one he reacts the most to! He won't be able to keep his name a secret for too long with us on his trail." and remembers the ticket to the gala she sent to Spike to give to him saying, "I even invited him to the Grand Galloping Gala that is coming up in a couple of months."

Luna then looks at her sister and grins, saying, "I know we will win in the end, we simply must ensure that he comes to the Gala!" then asks, "We are going to start investigating him right?"

Celestia then nods her head and says, "Not to worry, I do have faith that Rarity will take care of that for us without either of us ever lifting a hoof. We most certainly are, sister. In fact...I am going to do that now before it is time for us to change the day to night.

She smiles at her sister and says, "While I patrol the dream realm, I will be on the hunt for his dream bubble." and nods her head in return at a good plan as her sister hugs her goodnight, returning the hug and saying, "Goodnight Cece."

Stopping at the door, she turns back to her sister and says with a sweet smile, "By the way Lulu, I just love your butt tattoo..." and is rewarded instantly by hearing her sister burst out laughing in snort-laughs and giggles herself.

When Luna gets her snorting laugh under control, she then looks at her sister with tears of laughter in her eyes and says, "And you have such a big, bright and beautiful butt tattoo yourself!" and is rewarded back by the sight of her sister laughing so hard she falls backward onto her back and paws at the air wildly.

A maid makes her way through the hall, checking it and nearby rooms for cleanliness and orderliness when she passes by Princess Luna's room and hears loud laughter coming from within, hearing a voice matching Princess Celestia's say, "BUTT TATTOO, HAHAHAHA! THAT'S THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD IN A THOUSAND YEARS!!" Fighting back her sniggers somewhat successfully, she continues down the hall trying to keep from doubling over in laughter at hearing it, thinking, 'Oh I can't wait to tell my friends this.'

Two months later, a couple of weeks away from the Grand Galloping Gala

Twilight watches the ponies finish clearing the stumps from the path through the apple orchard when she hears Applejack whistle the signal to Rainbow Dash, who then signals the buffalo tribe to head on through. As she watches a distant cloud rise up in the distance from the herd of buffalo, a smile crosses her face at another successful adventure that provides her with another friendship lesson letter to write to the princess.

While the buffalo pass by the ponies, some random stallion loudly cries out, "BUTT TATTOO!!" which draws a chorus of laughter from everyone around.

The lavender unicorn lays on the dirt with her hooves pulling her hair and ears down as the laughter drowns out the sound of running buffalo and groans shouting in annoyance, "I WISH I KNEW WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR STARTING THAT!"

A few hours later, as the girls are on the train back from Appleloosa, Pinkie Pie says, "BUTT TATTOO!" which causes most of them to laugh.

Twilight then groans and bangs her head into the soft mattress, saying, "UHH! I regret telling the princess he called them that now..."

Rarity sniggers accidentally, but fights it back due to it being 'uncouth' for a lady like her to say and then clears her voice and says, "Don't worry, darling. The derogatory term will fade away after a few more months."

Rainbow pounds the floor of the train car with her front hooves, crying tears of laughter while trying to say, "HAHAHA!...(gasps)...A FEW MONTHS?!?...(gasps)...TRY A COUPLE YEARS HAHAHA!" and devolves into rolling across the floor laughing.

As you lie on the hospital bed unable to continue studying or practicing your recently learned spells due to your eagerness to try the spells you learned that the staff wouldn't permit you to cast, you think back on how the girls visited you throughout the week and told you about their adventures that occurred. Thinking back on how it took a couple of weeks to cheer up and visit you, she also began sharing facts she knew or learned which it took you a month and a half to think it strange how her friends started to ask or tell you things. You then put your saddlebags on your flanks to hide your blank flanks as well as hold the books you plan to return to Twilight today sometime as it gets close to check-out time when you see Rarity come to your room and say, "How are you doing today, Lady Rarity?"

Rarity smiles at his way of addressing her and says, "Oh my day is just marvelous, the girls and I have returned yesterday from solving an issue at Appleloosa between Applejack's family and a tribe of buffalo."

You then nod and say, "I'm sure that was an interesting adventure for you to go on."

She then nods her head and says, "Oh it most definitely was, but I shall tell you once we get you checked out of this hospital. You must have found it very boring to be stuck here day after day for two months with nothing to do but study and unable to cast any spells!"

A grin makes its way onto your face but fades away as you sigh saying, "Yeah it was boring once the staff had to repair a wall I turned into rabbits, they were so furious with me for a couple weeks after that and kept a close eye on me." You then look up at the wall clock and say, "They say I can check out at 9:30, but I wish I could check out earlier so I can practice the spells I've learned. I am just glad that the cutie mark troublemakers don't hound me to join their club anymore, could you just imagine how awkward that would be for me?"

Rarity then nods, saying, "It is only a few more minutes away, and it will be time to check out before you know it." Remembering that the Gala is coming up in a few weeks, she then gasps and says, "Oh good heavens, I need to prepare for the Grand Galloping Gala by next week!" She then turns to him and asks, "Speaking of which, you are planning to go, right?"

You then shrug and say, "Apologies, but not really. It has been a rather long time since I went to any sort of formal event."

She stares at him in disbelief and then gasps saying, "WHAT!? You simply must go, nay! I will not let you stay behind and miss the Gala, therefore, I shall make you an outfit to wear to the Gala."

Against the idea, you open your mouth to protest when Rarity puts her hoof on his mouth saying, "NAH AH! Your protest falls on deaf ears as I won't let you miss out on an event that might help you gain your cutie mark or even the possibility of changing your life for the better! You're going, and that's final." then looks up at the clock saying, "Oh look, it's time to check out already. So grab your saddlebags and come with me to my boutique."

7: A hard push

After being practically dragged to Rarity's boutique, you stand still with a frown at her instruction and watch her sketch your body's outline until she finishes it, then grab her tape.

She loops the tape around the base of his neck first saying, "Now just keep your body and neck still while I measure you, I need to get these measurements right."

When she gets the measurements she needs, she writes them down on the paper and then turns her gaze upon him and moves around him, observing him from several angles with her designer's intuition. She then hears a thump followed by a crash as something shatters when a fan starts running at top speed, she turns her head to see Opalescence walking away from a fan that was knocked off the shelf. Noticing two large piles of blue and silver glitter being sucked into the fan and blown high into the air, she frowns at her pet and chastises her, saying, "Opal, how many times must I tell you not to get into mischief when I am in the zone?!" With a huff she turns off the fan and turns back around to apologize to her friend about Opal's behavior, when her eyes watch blue and silver glitter flutter down slowly through the air.

You watch the glitter fall and are sucked into a memory of your last encounter with Illidan, and relive the harrowing experience yet again. Watching each snowflake blow by as you calmly get off Invincible, refusing Illidan's sound reasoning to destroy the throne with Frostmourne in your hand, saying, "Never..."

Not paying attention to what he said, the way the glitter falls like snow sparks a vision to play out before her mind's eyes. Finding herself outside by a lake, she watches as snow falls lazily around her. When she thinks of her friend's personality, her eyes move to the water as she watches it crystalize and turn to ice ever so slowly while the land around her is covered with a thick blanket of snow as light glints off of it. The sight causes her eyes to go wide as inspiration hits her hard and returns to reality with a big smile on her face, dramatically saying, "An idea!" as she races over to her planning table to search for the perfect colors for his outfit.

Moments later, there is a hard knocking at the door when Applejack suddenly pushes it open, loudly saying, "Howdy Rarity! when Twilight enters and then shushes her.

Twilight looks at Applejack and whispers, "Can't you see that she is trying to concentrate?"

As Rarity attempts to get a piece set into place on you, you notice Rarity pause whenever they talk, eventually frowning, then growls under her breath before forcing herself to smile and turn to look at her friends to ask if they need something.

When Twilight asks her to fix a button for the dress she decides to wear to the Gala, Rarity then offers to make her a new dress and thanks her for her generosity as her gaze then turns to Applejack.

Unable to hear anything around you due to reliving a memory, you slide underneath his swing as the glaive almost slices off a lock of hair and grab one of the claws on his wings. Yanking yourself up onto your feet, you spin and swing Frostmourne, cutting him across the forearm and causing him to let go of the glaive.

As she looks over to her friend Blistering Blizzard, she notices that his head is hanging low and off to the side, causing her eyebrow to rise curiously when she hears Rainbow crash through the room and watches him closely.

Applejack glances at Twilight and notices she's looking at their friend Blister, she then asks curiously, "What's goin' on that has you so interested in Blizzard, Twi?"

Averting her eyes for a moment, she briefly looks at Applejack and says, "Oh, it is just that I noticed how he occasionally zones out with his head hung low, once in a while, he becomes unresponsive to any sudden noises. For instance, he didn't react at all, not even so much as twitch an ear the moment Rainbow crashed through the ceiling."

Rainbow then looks at him and stands up off the floor, saying, "Yeah, I've noticed he does that too now and then, so what's the big deal?"

Twilight looks at Rainbow and says, "The big deal is that I think that he somehow gets pulled into his own memories and loses track of time."

As the fight concludes with you being the victor, you walk away and leave Illidan lying on the ground with a deep cut on his chest and approach the doors to the frozen throne as grief wells up within you.

After getting the opportunity to put on a fashion show, she chuckles and tells Applejack with a laugh, "Oh Applejack, you make it seem like it is going to be hard."

Finding yourself watching yourself walking up to the top of the steps where the frozen throne sits, hearing the voices of those you betrayed up to then, your grief reaches a breaking point and causes you to let out a solemn sigh.

Twilight then looks at Rarity and says, "Alright then, I guess we should just leave you to it then, come on girls, let's give her a little bit of space to work."

Together, they all start to make their way out of her boutique when a half sigh, half sob comes from the stallion, freezing them in their tracks as he then takes a breath and lets out an audible sigh, saying, "Oh Illidan...I was such a fool to deny you in your quest."

Rainbow cocks her head in confusion, and looks at the others saying, "Who the heck is this Illi pony?"

Harshly shushing her friend, she says, "He must be thinking about his past mistakes, and whoever this Illidan pony is, is part of it. He never ever gives out clear details." then pulls out a quill, paper, and inkwell and writes down information.

Rarity looks at her friend and says, "Twilight! I am offended that you would stoop so low as to take advantage of our friend like this!"

Twilight then sighs and says, "I'm sorry Rarity, but the princesses have come up with absolutely no leads about who he might be or what his real name even is, let alone at finding absolutely zilch about his past. The information he gives up now in his state might be the key to helping him get past his grief and rid him of his frequent nightmares that Luna can't seem to locate in the dream realm. Trying to speak to him directly and asking him those important questions is like trying to get answers from a wall, though you would get more out of a wall than him."

She groans for a bit and then relents saying, "Oh....fine then, but make sure that nothing gets out such as that last faux pas!"

As you see yourself approach the top step and sigh saying, "I should have let you destroy it and end the threat, but instead...we fought, which led to me nearly killing you. I then walked towards the entrance and left you to die outside." Letting out a dark chuckle, you then slowly say, "So I continued on and claimed my...prize." while adding more venom to the last word as you watch yourself don the armor left behind by the former Lich King, adding, "and became the world's worst villain. Such a fool I was..." then shake your head as your other self puts the helm on and open your eyes to see blue and silver glitter all over the floor and lift your head to look at Rarity and ask, "Why is there blue and silver glitter all over the floor?"

Rarity sees Twilight quickly hide her notes, quill and inkwell, saying, "Oh, that was Opal getting into a little mischief, I'm terribly sorry about that."

Just now noticing Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack there as well, you ask, "Hey girls, when did you get here?" and then chuckle saying, "That cat of yours is almost as much of a troublemaker as those crusaders." causing the cat in question to angrily growl and hiss at you and say, "Well it is true, but I guess you are a big help to Rarity when she is working on outfits."

Rainbow then leans forward a little and begins to ask, "So who's-" when she is quickly silenced by a rubber ball stuffed in her mouth by Rarity's magic and Twilight using her magic to hold her mouth around the ball.

Twilight then giggles and says, "In her own way, she wanted to know who's your favorite author."

Knowing that is false, you recall Fluttershy telling you how you tend to talk in your sleep and ask, "So how much have you heard?"

She then starts to say, "Oh not much, really."

Rainbow then spits out the ball and asks, "Yeah, so who's Illidan?"

Applejack then frowns at Rainbow and sighs saying, "We heard you call yourself a fool a couple of times, you spoke about letting him destroy something but you decided to fight him for it instead."

Twilight then cocks her head and asks, "Why did the fight lead to you nearly killing him and how come you left him behind like that? What was the prize you wanted so badly to do such a thing to another pony, and how did claiming that prize lead you to become a villain?"

Something within you gives a little as the guilt, regret, and sorrow become too much to bear anymore and say, "Well...at the time I was so blinded by my pride and arrogance, that my hunger for power drove me to claim it for myself. I then came face to face with a foe I had encountered once before, Illidan was a worthy opponent. When I defeated him, I took a dagger from him as a trophy because he was the closest one to ever come close to actually killing me." Not quite ready to share more, you say, "That is all I'm willing to share for now, as my past still haunts me."

Too stunned to write anything down, she looks to her friends and says, "Come on Rainbow and Applejack, let's give them some space."

When they leave, you then sigh and look at Rarity, saying with a slight smile, "I will let you return to torturing me with your fashion sense."

Rarity huffs at hearing him say that and says, "It's good that you've accepted your fate, now hold still as I pick up where I left off."

After a week goes by, you make your way over to Rarity's boutique and knock on the door asking, "Lady Rarity, are you there?" and see the door open saying, "I got word from Spike that you finished my outfit." then see a few other dresses against the far wall looking quite strange and then see Rarity come out from behind a curtain.

Rarity stops beside him and says with a nervous tone, "Oh yes I have indeed finally finished it just in time, darling. Come forward and I will unveil your outfit!"

Curious, you step forward and stand in front of the U-shaped curtain, watching as Rarity yanks it back dramatically, and tosses it aside with her magic, hearing her say, "TADA!" You stare at the fancy suit she made for you, seeing a three-piece suit. You take in its look with an appraising eye, seeing an arctic blue undershirt with an ice blue vest with gold buttons, and a long, wide, light grey coattail that hangs over the flank of a wireframe pony-shaped stand, having a dull, light green bow tie just above it under the collar of the undershirt. What really strikes you is the double-breasted top coat, seeing gold buttons with string loops to hook around the buttons, a gold chain is connected to a tiny button between the shoulder and the line of buttons and loops. The chain then hangs a little as the end of it is tucked into a small pocket, though what really draws your eye is that the top coat is snow-white with something else that glints in the light as well as blue and silver snowflake designs all around the coat.

She waits nervously as her eye twitches and asks, "Well, what do you think of it?"

As you get much closer, you spot tiny pieces scattered all along the surface that catch and reflect the light. When you gaze upon the snowflakes, you notice that it isn't snowflakes at all, but two intricate, intermingling patterns of frost that appears on windows during winter. As you look closer, you see the lines of silver merge together to form a few lazy, waving lines as some streaks of light and a slightly deeper grey run through the stark white material. Taking a few steps back, you look at the back and realize that it looks exactly like a snowbank and chuckle briefly before swallowing your feelings, saying, "It is an outstanding outfit, Lady Rarity. It reminds me of winter so much, it most certainly will turn a lot of heads when I wear it to the Gala."

Rarity beams a wide, hopeful smile, and asks, "Oh would you do me the smallest, teeniest favor darling?"

Cocking your head, you say, "Uhm...I guess I could, what do you need?"

She then gets down on her knees and puts her forehooves together in a begging manner and desperately pleads, "Will you PLEASE take part in the fashion show tonight!?! All of Ponyville will be there and you are my only hope at not becoming a laughing stock! Oh woe is me-e-e!" and starts crying tears of despair.

You think about it for a moment and decide to give it a chance as it is just an unremarkable, small-town fashion show and say, "As long as it will only be attended by the town's people."

Rarity throws her hooves around his neck and cries joyfully while hanging on his neck, saying, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

As she sobs joyfully, you sigh and wrap your right foreleg around the crying mare to soothe her, saying, "Everything will be alright, Lady Rarity."

When Rarity helps you into your suit, you move onto the stage behind the curtain. Standing off to the side and out of view, you hear Spike give a small speech to excite the audience when the spotlight illuminates the group of five mares. You look at the mares with a surprised look and think, 'Those dresses were theirs? Something isn't right here, Rarity wouldn't dare make something so unusual.' You then try to think of what would have caused this, you facehoof yourself and groan softly, thinking, 'Of course, it's so painfully obvious...' then look at the girls and shake your head thinking, 'They did this' Knowing the options you could pick, you choose the proper one and start heading towards the back to get out of the outfit when you see Rarity standing before you.

Rarity stands there with concern all over her face as she asks, "W-what are you doing? Aren't you going to join them?"

You then sigh and shake your head briefly, saying, "I'm sorry, Lady Rarity, but I cannot go through with this."

Tears start to well up in her eyes as she stammers, asking, "B-but wh-why? Did I do something wrong to upset or anger you?"

Lifting your right hoof up and turning it upside down, you lightly wipe away a tear before it ruins her makeup saying, "Not at all, this outfit is truly one of a kind. The reason I am not going out there is because it would do more harm than good to you and your friends, I know that from experience." You watch as a tear threatens to fall from her other eye and wipe it away quickly, saying, "Don't let your tears ruin your makeup in front of every citizen of Ponyville, you need to look your best."

Rarity's heart sinks as she feels him caress her left cheek with the side of his polished hoof, then kiss her just behind the left corner of her mouth. The tender moment causes her heart to flutter lightly and rise a little, feeling herself stop wanting to cry, saying, "It would be uncouth of me to go out there not looking my best in any situation." then smiles a little and dabs the moisture away with her hoofkerchief and puts it away, making her way toward the waiting audience as Spike calls her to walk on out with her head hanging low but with dry eyes.

You take great care in removing your outfit and putting it back on the wireframe stand it came off of, then cover it up with the sheet Rarity used before walking away from the show and head out of town to try to perfect a spell that has been giving you trouble.

When you come back a few days later, you are stopped in your tracks by Rarities friends who all have scowls on their faces and ask, "Hello girls, is something wrong?"

Applejack then shouts, "Ah'd say something was wrong!"

Rainbow then hovers in the air with her hooves crossed, saying, "Yeah! You chickened out on Rarity!"

Pinkie Pie then speaks up and says, "That was a super mean thing to do after she went through all the trouble to make an outfit for you to wear to the gala out of generosity."

Twilight then asks, "How could you let us go out there alone and embarrass Rarity like that?"

Fluttershy frowns at him and says, "That wasn't very nice of you."

You then say, "No, it wasn't something to be proud of, but it is a lot better than me going out there and making you all look bad with my outfit. The very last thing I need is to fall to one of my vices and repeat my crimes from the past, I deserve to remain in the shadows."

Applejack then looks to the others and grins asking, "Are yall thinking what ah'm thinking?"

Getting the idea, they all rush you as Twilight puts a metallic ring on your horn saying, "This is temporary, I'll remove it later!"

Hours later, you are in the boutique against your will as Rarity uses her magic to put on a light show to match the girls' dresses as they hold an impromptu fashion show. As punishment for walking out on them, you have to put on your own introduction. While the others start going first, you smirk as an idea comes to mind when it is your turn to come to the stage and cast an illusion spell you learned from one of those ancient spell books from Univille.

As they all get drawn into the illusion, they find themselves in a grassy field with low grass and trees all around them during springtime when a voice matching Blistering Blizzard's speaks up, saying, "The four seasons of nature are wondrous, aren't they? They symbolize many things in life, which every living being can enjoy. Springtime is a time for nature to start anew, giving all a chance to grow in many different ways."

Applejack watches with amazement as the cool temperature around them all goes up to an uncomfortable degree as the vision around them smoothly changes into summer, hearing, "Summer is the time of making an effort to improve growth as much as possible, for the time of harvest is nearing."

Fluttershy sighs as the temperature cools down around them as all the tree's leaves change colors, hearing, "Fall, or Autumn is the time of reaping the rewards of the hard work one has put forth during the year, giving them the chance to prepare for the last season to come."

Twilight watches as the leaves slowly fall off the trees, striking her as odd, but then gets a chill up her spine as a large snowflake lands on her nose. Shaking her head with a giggle, she realizes he must have got this from one of the ancient spell tomes and holds out her tongue curiously. When a snowflake lands on it, she is surprised to find out it is real and looks up to see a cloud above them, spotting a pony-shaped shadow hidden within and wonders, 'Is that a windigo?' but loses sight of it as it disappears in the blink of an eye. Turning her gaze back down, she watches the leaves falling more quickly and waits for the show to finish.

Hoity Toity watches in amazement as the area around them turns brown as snow starts falling, hearing the same voice from before say, "Winter is beautiful and sad at the same time because it is when many things must rest until the cycle renews, many things don't endure the cold and depart from this world. When winter fully comes, have you ever watched frost appear on the window or the transition that water makes when the temperature is low enough? Here's your chance, so look now."

Everpony's eyes look outside a massive window at the lake, finding themselves on a table inside with a massive, warm, crackling fireplace behind them as the temperature outside continues to plummet until a light wind picks up and sends continuous, small ripples across the water's surface, watching curiously as small patterns of frost form in the center of the large window, then shooting outward to cover the whole window.

They watch as Pinkie touches the frosted window, causing it to blow away in the wind as they are now beside the now massive lake when they notice spots of unaffected water appear and gradually join together as a thin sheet of ice. They gasp as a change in the temperature causes a large crack to appear in the thick ice, running from one side of the lake to the other when a gentle snowstorm kicks up and starts to cover the lake in a light dusting of snow.

The famous fashion celebrity is awed again as he watches intricate designs pass before his eyes when a gust of snow blows before him, revealing something standing amidst snowbanks on the lake.

You walk your way through the banks of snow and jump through one of them into the middle of the disguised stage, bursting the fake snowdrift towards them which fades away before hitting them and dispel the illusion saying, "Winter is a beautiful, but solemn time of year...for where there is life, there must also be death..." and gaze towards the fashion celebrity with an unyielding, sorrowful, ice-cold expression on your face.

Hoity Toity is completely thrilled by the show and claps his hooves together saying, "Absolutely marvelous! This is what I call a fashion show! Oh, these outfits are just stunningly magnificent! Who is responsible for this? I must meet them, so step forward and show yourself!"

You stand behind the second curtain as Twilight nudges you on the foreleg when Rarity makes her grand appearance, asking, "Like my little show?"

Twilight blinks and then glances to him quickly, whispering in a barely restrained tone, "You call that LITTLE!? You had used at least three spells that burn through mana like Pinkie burns calories! Then there are those other highly taxing localized area spells that even I don't know how to cast yet, just where did you learn those?"

With a grin you whisper, "Oh, two of the three are just spells I learned from those ancient spellbooks I turned in a while ago, and I know every spell that was contained in them. If you want to learn them, you will have to ask your mentor if you can borrow the books to learn them."

She growls lightly as the light above turns on, whispering, "Those have been classified as national treasures by Celestia herself, there's no way she would permit them to leave the restricted section!"

When the curtain starts to slide back, you look toward where Rarity is and whisper out the side of your mouth, "We'll talk later."

Half an hour later, at the castle in Canterlot

Celestia receives a letter from Twilight and reads through it, reaching the end as it reads: 'P.S. I have just found out that Blistering Blizzard learned every spell contained in those ancient books I turned over to you. Uhm, would it be too much to ask for a chance to learn them too?' Surprised by what she just found out, she can't help but laugh lightly saying, "It seems that stallion has some rather interesting secrets he's guarding..." then summons one of the ancient spell texts and pulls out a quill, inkwell, and paper to write back.

Back in Ponyville

Rarity beams happily at him asking her to allow him to feature her designs in his best-of-the-best boutique in Canterlot and gasps excitedly, but remembers what Blistering told her about the outfit she made for him and clears her throat, saying, "I would be ecstatic at the honor, but I can only allow the dresses worn by us mares to be featured as I desire the suit I made for the stallion to not be recreated."

Hoity Toity nods with a smile and says, "That'll be fine with me, now, I shall need a dozen of each dress made for me by next Tuesday."

As you watch Rarity's eyes go wide and start twitching, you hear Twilight gasp and squeal softly in delight. Turning your head to her, you see her hugging one of the ancient books in her hooves and say with a chuckle, "Wow, someone's spoiled."

A few days pass by as you head into town, politely declining the invitation to a party when you spot two guards wearing golden armor standing outside of Sugar Cube Corner who stand like statues, causing you to wonder how well they're trained and make your way toward them.

The two guards observe the stallion from their peripheral vision as he walks their way.

As you get closer to the guards, you smirk darkly and say, "Hello there, I was admiring your shiny armor and couldn't help myself but wonder how well your training holds up to mine... Care to entertain me for a bit?"

The guards then look directly at him as he says, "Oh good, you do notice something of importance. At first, I thought you were just mindless statues."

When they both frown at your remark, you grin and then charge forward without your magic saying, "Let's dance."

As she hears a commotion outside, one of her four guards approaches her and whispers something into her ear, causing her to stand up and say, "I'm sorry everypony, I'm afraid I have to cut this party short as the mayor has requested an audience with me." and sighs mentally saying, "My royal duty calls, thank you all for a wonderful time. It has been a joy getting to know each of you better." When she and the two guards standing inside get outside, she is greeted by the sight of Blistering Blizzard...fighting her two royal guards and sighs, ordering the two guards with her to do nothing but observe.

Not noticing the alicorn watching from outside the sweets shop, you jump back as one of the pegasi dives down at you and chuckle saying, "The problem with foes that can fly..." and flips up a small stone with a front hoof, then uses his nose to send it higher and towards his flanks while watching the one pegasus guard building up speed again. You notice the other one attempting to tackle you and take him by surprise as he closes in, jumping into the air while drawing your left hoof back and spinning around to face him while throwing a punch with that hoof. Your punch catches him right in the throat, causing him to go wide-eyed.

The guard brings his wings in closer and bares his teeth in anger, intending to knock this stallion unconscious.

Waiting for this chance, you raise your back hooves off the ground and kick the stone as hard as you can at the speeding guard, nailing him on his right wing, saying, "They need to mind their wings!" Turning around while pushing your upper body into the air, thrusting you hoof upward in a wild right hook. Your wild swing catches the stallion by the throat and cast a spell to render the pegasus guard's wings useless, saying with a chuckle, "Your training is not half bad, but it could be better."

Celestia then stands up tall and stares down at the stallion who just defeated two of her guards with an irritated glare, asking, "Greetings, Blistering Blizzard. Why is it you are fighting my royal guards? Did they do something to offend you?"

Just now noticing the Princess watching you, you genuflect and bow toward her, saying, "Apologies, Your Highness. They did nothing at all to offend me, I was merely picking a fight to spar and test their training against mine."

She cocks her head and then looks at the guard with a wing bent backwards, pinned under his spine as he lies on his back and narrows her eyes saying, "Rise. For your sake, that spell better not be permanent or there will be consequences."

Straightening your posture and unfazed by her threat, you shake your head and say, "Not to worry, Your Highness, the rubbery effect will wear off in fifteen minutes."

Celestia then smirks as her suspicion grows stronger and says, "Take a walk with me, I wish to speak with you about a few things."

With a sigh, you ask, "Do I have any choice in the matter?"

She then giggles with slight menace in her voice, saying, "Not unless you fancy a night in the dungeon while being interrogated or tormented by my sister..."

You then turn and sigh saying, "Very well, lead the way, Your Highness."

Twilight and the other ponies watch the stallion walk away with Princess Celestia and two guards as she hears a few ponies curiously talk about how much trouble he is in and she nips the troublesome gossip short and says, "He isn't in that much trouble everypony, the reason is because he wasn't trying to cause any serious injuries to the guards, he only used one spell at the end that just temporarily rendered a guard unable to fly for a few moments. Blistering Blizzard is very troubled by his past, that is why he keeps to himself."

The other ponies nod and then go out to help out the incapacitated guards as the princess makes her way to the mayor's tent.

After waiting outside the building while Celestia speaks with the mayor, you hear the doors close behind you and turn to see Princess Celestia making her way out and ask, "Where to now, Your Majesty?"

Celestia starts to make her way through town towards the outer limits saying, "We will head outside of town first before we start our talk." She then sees a guard head her way and whispers up to her ear that her pet has gone missing, and says, "Search the whole town and find her, look everywhere she could have gotten to."

You watch the soldier salute and hurry off to start searching, and look back to Princess Celestia saying, "It seems that a crisis has sprung up, Your Majesty. Perhaps now is not a good time for a chat?"

She narrows her eyes at him and says, "Not so fast, Blistering Blizzard, we are going to be having this talk because I am not leaving Ponyville until my friend Philomena is found and returned to me. So don't try to weasel out of this talk, I won't let you. Now come on, I have much to discuss with you..." and quickens her pace through town.

As you make your way through town at a quick walk with Celestia, who looks very eager to discuss a sensitive matter with you, the two of you cross the bridge by Fluttershy's cottage and turn left asking sarcastically, "By any chance did we come out here just so you can kiss me or confess an attraction toward me?"

Celestia stops in her tracks and turns around, narrowing her eyes at him warningly, saying, "Of course I didn't come out here for that, and besides, although you are handsome...you are not my type. You and Luna would be a better match because of whatever common experiences you have with each other." She then turns back around and continues on, heading further into the field outside of town.

You then trot after her and ask in mild annoyance, "Then why are you bringing me out here, did I do something to incur your wrath? Do you mean to kill me for whatever I have done? If so, then make me suffer to the bitter end."

Irritation gets the better of her as she turns around, saying with a frown and adding a little volume to her voice, "YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! I WOULD NEVER, EVER CALL FOR THE LIFE OF ONE OF MY SUBJECTS! I ONLY BROUGHT YOU OUT HERE BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW YOUR NAME, WHAT WAS YOUR POSITION IN THE ROYAL HIERARCHY OF LEADERSHIP, AND WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

With a sigh, you look away at how she figured out so much so far and say, "Please don't make me tell you any of that, as it will bring nothing but pain, guilt, sadness, and misery..."

Celestia sighs and hangs her head, then sighs and gets her emotions under control and uses the tip of her left wing to lightly guide his face back toward her and says, "I apologize for my rudeness, my little pony. I am just so concerned about you because of how sad you appear to be to my student, she and the others worry about you because you suffer nightmares every night unless you sleep beside Fluttershy. If you would only give others a chance to hear what is causing you so much torment, I know that friendship can help you recover from it."

You turn your head the other way and feel your complex emotions welling up from deep down, saying, "I know you are concerned, Your Highness, you all are worried about me. Why do any of you care about my suffering so much?"

While Versa watches events around Equestria, she hears a crack appear in Arthas's soul and hastily begins to cast her magic once she feels it starting to destabilize, saying, "Not this again..."

Returning her wing to her side, she moves to stand directly in front of him, sitting down on the grass and using her other wing tip to touch the other side of his face and turns his face toward hers, saying, "We care because you can't start to heal until you open up to others about what happened to you. Why does your past make you suffer so much? What exactly happened to make you so afraid of friendship? How come do you not want us to know more about you?"

You jerk your head out of her hold as tension grows within you to a breaking point and say, "None of you could possibly maintain your sanity after hearing a fraction of what I've done, you are all too soft-hearted to deal."

Celestia then returns her other wing to her side and then sighs, having been forced to push even harder, saying in a loud, demanding tone, "JUST WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR PAST THAT AFFECTS YOU SO HORRIBLY?! WHY DO YOU HATE YOURSELF SO MUCH THAT YOU KEEP EVERYPONY AT A WING'S DISTANCE?!?" Then softly shouts in the royal voice, "Tell me!!"

Sweat drips down Versa's forehead as small fractures run throughout Arthas's soul when a massive crack appears in the center, barely having enough time to keep it from completely breaking apart as she groans with the effort it is taking to hold him together, saying, "Come...OOONNNN!!! Give a mare some rest, you petulant child!"

Something snaps as you suddenly get up into her face and stare directly into her eyes shouting, "BECAUSE I'M A MONSTER OF A PRINCE THAT MADE THE WORST POSSIBLE CHOICES DUE TO MY OWN PRIDE, ARROGANCE, AND IGNORANCE! MY FOOLISH AND STUPID CHOICES LED ME TO BETRAY MY OWN PEOPLE AS I THOUGHT KILLING THEM WOULD BE A MERCY! THAT HAPPENED BEFORE I TURNED EVIL AND SUBSEQUENTLY LOST WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY HUMANITY! AFTER BETRAYING MY OWN PEOPLE, I GREW DESPERATE FOR ANY POSSIBLE WAY TO SAVE THE REST OF THEM BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE. ONCE I FOUND IT AND BECAME EVIL, I EVEN TURNED ON MY OWN FATHER...AND MURDERED HIM BEFORE DESTROYING THE REST OF THE KINGDOM HE RULED OVER!"

She feels her heart hurt at hearing what he went through, too stunned to speak, she finds herself scooting backward across the ground as he slowly walks forward with tears starting to spill out of his eyes and fall to the ground.

Ignoring the tears falling from your eyes, you then shake your head and say, "I forget my manners, Your Highness. Allow me to properly introduce myself to you..." You then look around to see absolutely no ponies around as well as being out of sight from Fluttershy's and take a few steps away from her before using your ability to return to your real form. You feel yourself return to normal and then remove your helmet, holding it under your right arm as you bend your left arm at the elbow and hold it in front of you. You then bend at the waist and bow graciously to her before straightening back up and saying, "I am Arthas Menethil, the former Crown Prince of Lordaeron and the former Lich King of Icecrown Citadel in Northrend."

Celestia trips backward over a rock and lands on her back, looking over the frightfully imposing bipedal form as her breathing quickens, asking fearfully, "H-Huh? W-Wha? W-Where a-are you f-from? Ho-how d-did you g-g-get here?"

You walk up to her and stop, looking her body over for a few moments before taking a knee beside her and then lean over her saying, "I am from a world far different, and much less peaceful than this one called Azeroth. When I was at the peak of my evil state, I was brought down and slain by the world's strongest heroes, I wanted a chance to redeem myself for all I'd done and was brought back to life here, then restored to how I was before I made those wrong choices in the first place. I was also given the ability to take on the shape of the different types of ponies, such as Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasi. The sword, helm, and the rest of my armor are all replicas of the original to remind me of my failures. There is no mistaking that I am not evil anymore, because if I were...there would be a lot of death and corpses by now." Wanting to get rid of her so you can be alone, you then swiftly reach out and grab her behind her head and pull her against your lips.

She blushes furiously as she tries to squirm out of his grasp while his tongue pushes into her mouth, kissing her furiously and sorrowfully. Thinking quickly, she smacks him across the cheek hard enough to leave a bruise and then wrenches her head out of his grip, rolling back onto her hooves, and starts to gallop back toward the town.

Switching back to your unicorn form, you watch her gallop away and chuckle, saying, "Wow, look at that big butt jiggle..." then shake your head as tears continue to fall and let yourself collapse onto the ground, sobbing silently as you let your emotions free.

Versa sighs in relief that she managed to stop the worst from happening, and collapses onto her couch exhausted, breathing hard and saying, "UGH! WHAT AN ANNOYING STALLION!" then shouts at his image, though unable to hear her, "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND MOVE ON?!"

A few hours later, after letting yourself cry it it out, you go to get up when your hoof bumps into something metallic. When you lift up the metallic object, you discover that it is a crown and put it into your saddlebag before getting up and making your way to return it to its rightful owner.

After searching around town, you spot your friends standing near a fountain, looking up at something with a great deal of interest. When you look up to see that there is a strange bird up there, the last feathers fall off it and cause it to wobble and leap off the statue's head. Once you see it burst into flames and turn to ash, you roll your eyes at recognizing a phoenix's rebirth and slowly make your way toward the girls.

Celestia looks down at her pet Philomena with an amused smile, saying, "Oh, stop playing around, Philomena, you're frightening everypony."

Strangely feeling better than you have in years, you take your sweet time to approach the group from behind after they finish talking. They start laughing when Rainbow gets the phoenix to tickle the guards' noses with the tips of her feathers and say, "Phoenixes are rare and majestic creatures, though they can be troublesome and most certainly are capable of holding a grudge if you gain their ire." As everypony turns to look at you with a gasp, you pull the crown out of your saddlebags and set it onto Princess Celestia's head, messing with her by saying, "Oh, you forgot your crown in the field, Your Majesty."

Everypony's jaws fall open at hearing that as their gazes turn to Princess Celestia, who is blushing a deep red and looking at the stallion with wide eyes when Twilight cocks her head and asks, "Uhm, did you two really..."

The princess turns to Twilight and giggles in embarrassment saying, "Oh of course not, I would never do such a thing out in the open..." turning to him with a glare and continuing angrily, "and certainly not with him." She then huffs and narrows her eyes a little, saying, "You should really be careful how you word things, my little pony..."

You smirk and then say, "Where would the fun be in doing that when I can watch you squirm as payment?"

Twilight watches in amazement as she sees how annoyed her mentor is with him as Celestia huffs again, hearing her say, "That kiss wasn't enough payback?!"

As you watch the group watch with enraptured eyes, you chuckle and say, "I did that so I could have a moment alone with my thoughts."

Celestia then breaths out harshly in annoyance and turns away, saying, "Oh you are in dire need of refinement, my little pony."

With a smirk, you mumble softly, but just loud enough to hear, "That flank needs refinement."

She whips her head around and scowls harshly at him and asks menacingly, "What did you just say?"

You then sigh and say, "I said, I think that your kissing needs refinement." when a grin crosses your face.

Celestia's face gets red with embarrassment as she says, "Why you...OH!" then huffs and forces herself to calm down, saying, "I will consider your advice, thank you for returning my crown to me. I half-expected you to keep it for yourself."

Shaking your head, you say, "I would never do that...besides, it's not my style and is too big on one end."

Fighting to keep her cool, she then says, "I would love to stay and chat more, but I have royal duties to attend to as I'm sure you can understand."

Twilight watches her mentor take her leave with the guards following just behind her, then turns to him and says, "Are you crazy!?!"

Rarity then frowns and says, "She should have tossed you into the dungeon for the uncouth things you said straight to her very face!"

Fluttershy then steps forth and says, "Yes, it wasn't very nice of you to embarrass her like that."

Applejack then cocks her head and asks, "Why did you do that pardner?"

As Rainbow sniggers away, Pinkie Pie asks, "Yeah! Why did you do that mean Mister Meanerton?!"

With a sigh, you then look to the girls and say, "Well, it is because after she met with the mayor, we went outside and she wanted to know things about me. I kept refusing to tell her, but then she was persistent and tried various approaches. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and I cracked and yelled at her, telling her the vague, yet specific version about my past. I was upset at how she got me to give up information, so I rushed in and kissed her deeply just to get her to leave me alone for a while. This is the first time in a few years that I haven't felt quite so bad about my past, but it will be a while longer until I am ready to share more."

8: The Gala: Part 1

Days go by as you look over Twilight's shoulder at the book while Pinkie Pie jumps for joy on a trampoline, knowing that the gala is tonight, and softly say, "Hmm, this is an interesting polymorph spell."

Twilight gasps and turns to look behind her from the corner of her left eye, blushing while saying, "YAH! How many times do I have to tell you not to creep up behind me and read over my shoulder?!"

You chuckle as she squirms a little at how close you are and say, "I lost count, but this is the only book remaining that I have yet to study and master, so I am willing to read a book with you," then whispers to her ear, "or to you as you go to sleep."

Her blush deepens as she gets up to walk away, feeling her flank bump into his chest, which sends a strange tremble through her body. Sitting a short distance away, she feels a slight warmth coming from the rear of her body and continues looking over the spell thinking, 'What the heck is going on with my body today, jeez. I know I am not in my cycle, but why am I feeling warmer than usual back...there?' Getting back to studying, she huffs and says, "I don't need you to go to such lengths for this book, besides, I will be finished double-checking this spell before I even attempt to cast it. You can have it when I am ready to try this spell, okay?"

You nod and watch as she finishes looking it over and makes her way over to an apple that Spike puts down for her, watching closely as she uses her magic to transform it into a carriage. She then moves on to some mice that Fluttershy brought over and casts the spell on them, changing them into strange, horse-like creatures as you cock your head saying, "Very interesting spell indeed, I look forward to learning it." You spot something white behind a bush and turn your head to see that Opal is looking at the strange creatures, getting a sinister look on her face and call out to her, "Opal, don't you dare or Fluttershy is going to be upset!"

Disregarding the warning, she leaps up and digs her claws into the flank of one of the creatures, causing it to rear and buck her off. Soon after that, she finds herself picked up by the scruff of the neck, which doesn't hurt her any as she is brought face-to-face with an annoyed stallion, hearing, "I warned you not to do that, you little troublemaker. Now you have to face the consequences."

Rarity frowns at Opal as she is held by the scruff with Blister's magic and is then moved toward her, taking Opal in her own magic, she huffs and looks her cat in the eye saying, "That was not very nice, Opal. I'm sorry, but you are going to spend tonight in the cage." and makes her way into the house to put her into it.

Hearing her owner say that makes her curl up on her as best she can and meows sadly, looking at her with big, pleading eyes.

She looks at the look her cat is giving her and shakes her head, saying, "I'm sorry Opal, but you are not getting out of it this time. Those mice-turned-horses were friends of Fluttershy, and you tried to harm them." then reaches the large cage and uses her magic to curl her up and slide her through the door, then closes it behind her and locks it.

You then head over to where the book is and begin reading it from the beginning, making it through to the next chapter when Rarity asks two stallions to pull the chariot to the gala this evening.

Spike then walks over beside Blister and asks him, "Say, you've traveled a lot, right?"

Looking up from the book and at the small dragon, you nod saying, "I have done my fair share over the years. Why, what is on your mind, young drake?"

He then smiles and asks, "Would you happen to know much about dragons?"

Cocking your head a bit, you nod and say, "I know a fair bit about dragons, yes. What is it you wish to know?"

Spike's eyes go wide with wonder as he asks, "Anything you wish to share!"

You then think back on what you know and say, "Well, the majority of the dragons from where I am from are intelligent creatures, and a great number of them are kind, noble-hearted, wise, and strong. There are also others, who are not and act out of greed or selfish desires." You see that the baby dragon hangs on every word and say, "The one thing that is important for a dragon of any size to have, is a care for the world around them and others. The only thing that really matters..." raising your right hoof and motioning to the young dragon before you, finishing, "is what kind of dragon you want to be, which is a decision that you will need to make for yourself."

He smiles broadly and runs up to the stallion, saying, "Thank you so much!" and gives him a big hug.

You follow Spike to the door of Rarity's boutique when he knocks on it and asks for the girls to let him in, and hear Rainbow agree to it, thinking to yourself, 'I don't think it is proper for two males to be in the same room with girls who are changing...' When you hear Rarity object against it, her words mirror the thought you literally just had. You then hear Applejack comment about how they normally don't wear clothes, causing Rarity to groan and open the door to Apologize. As you follow Spike in, you then chuckle and say, "I can understand your reasoning for some propriety, Lady Rarity, I had the very same thought you did."

Rarity looks at him with a smile, saying, "At least somepony has a bit of class." She then looks at his appearance and exclaims in fright saying, "GOOD HEAVENS, PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE NOT GOING TO THE GALA LIKE THAT!?"

You look at your slightly dirty appearance, with your mane and tail all tangled up in literal knots, and look back to her saying, "I guess that I could freshen up a little bit..."

Her eyelid twitches uncontrollably as she looks over the condition of the stallion's mane and tail, then looks at Twilight pleadingly, asking with an urgent tone, "Twilight, I desperately need your help in a bit!" She then snaps her attention back to the stallion and says, "YOU, FOLLOW ME! We must wash every speck of filth from your body so that you are presentable when you stand in front of Princess Celestia to be greeted!"

Twilight then sees her practically drag the tall stallion upstairs, chuckling at how picky Rarity is about everypony looking their best, saying, "Sure thing Rarity, just let me know when you need my help." when the two disappear around a corner of the stairs leading to the second floor.

Once Rarity leads you into a room and fills a tub with hot water and a cleansing solution, you get into the tub asking, "Is there a brush that I should use to remove the layers of filth from my coat and mane?" as she hastily leaves and returns with a long-handled brush and look at the white wood handle and ask, "Are you sure you want me to use a brush this nice?"

Rarity groans and dunks the head in the water saying, "We have no time for questions, so close your eyes and let me work a miracle here!" and begins to scrub him vigorously from horn to hoof.

After she painfully wrings every drop from your mane and tail, Rarity then roughly dabs a towel around your body while the water drains. When you feel her stop, you open your eyes to see her toss the towel into a basket and ask, "Now what, Lady Rarity?"

She then starts heading toward the stairs to the lower level and says, "Now, we need to do something about that rat's nest of a mane and tail."

Fluttershy sees something bright coming down the stairs and turns to see that it is Blistering Blizzard with a spotless, snow-white coat, saying, "Oh my, you are looking really nice now, Blizzard."

You feel sore all over from the scrubbing and ask, "Can you see any bare spots anywhere? I feel like Rarity tried to scrub the hair off my skin."

Applejack chuckles at hearing that and says, "Not that ah can see, pardner, but that is just how Rarity is with looking one's best."

Rarity guides him to a chair saying, "Now lie down on your stomach." and looks over at Twilight saying, "Twilight darling, I will need your help to untangle the mess of his mane and tail. Which end do you want to start on?"

Twilight nods and heads over to her saying, "Alright then, I guess I will work on his tail."

They all giggle as the stallion grunts in discomfort and winces in mild pain while Rarity and Twilight use several mane picks to undo the tangled mess of hair.

As she works on a massive knot, she giggles at finding this enjoying saying, "This is kind of fun, you know? It is just like trying to solve a puzzle but with your hair." She then laughs and says, "It's a really hairy puzzle, isn't it Rarity?"

Rarity quickly gets another one out and tosses a stick in the trash can, saying, "I can't say that this is fun as I find this to be more of my worst nightmare." She then scoffs at seeing the endless split ends and says reproachfully to the stallion, "Seriously, have you never heard of trimming your Coiffure!? Just look at how many split ends your poor mane has!"

You roll your eyes and sigh saying, "I can't say that I have really had a chance to do that for three years as I was trying to survive in a hostile environment."

When the girls get the last knots out of his mane and tail, Rarity looks at how long it is and blinks in disbelief saying, "Good gracious darling, your mane and tail are even longer than Fluttershy's and mine combined!"

As you think of what to do, you think back to how Muradin trained you to fight and say, "Chop some off and then put my bangs into small braids, using gold bands to hold them together. As for the remainder of my mane, just make it a little past shoulder length."

Rarity looks at him with a gleam in her eye, happy to learn that he does have something of a fashion sense within him and asks cheerfully, "Okay, what about your tail?"

You then sigh and say, "Just cut it off slightly above ground level and make a large, fat braid, then use a much thicker gold band to keep it together." Remembering a little-known secret that Muradin told you about the bands, you chuckle and say, "There needs to be a small hole running from one side of the band to the other, a metal pin is then put through the holes which keep the band on and the tight braid keeps the pin in place."

She gasps and says, "That's ingenious! Where did you learn such a thing?!"

With a sad look on your face, you look away and say, "It's something that my old mentor said to me once...many years ago."

After Rarity cuts the obscenely long mane and tail down to the requested length, she then gets a view of a weighty set of testicles and shakes her head to get rid of the blush on her cheeks. As she braids his tail, she can't help but keep glancing at them and puts a thick gold band with a pinhole through it over the end of the braid, then shoves a pin into one hole. It takes a few moments for her to find the other hole, but eventually gets it and begins working on his mane finally, then whispers into his ear, "Now we are even for you catching a glimpse of me when I hacked off my tail."

Once your mane is finished, Rarity coats it with a light oil that smells of mint before letting you get dressed. Making your way to the dressing room, you put the suit on and put your sack of coins into a pocket. Surprised at how the pocket doesn't bulge out, you assume that the ponies know a weaker form of the enchanted storage spell and head out once slipping your golden ticket into a separate pocket, wondering, 'I can't believe that I'm actually going to this gala...I didn't care much for attending them at all because of how droll they were.'

When the girls finally finish up, you climb into the carriage with them and shut the door. The carriage starts to roll down the road, going a fair distance when you hear Spike desire to show Rarity the crown jewels, Applejack the princess' golden apple tree, and take Pinkie to his favorite doughnut shop. Noticing that the girls aren't really paying attention, you chuckle silently and look out the window while shaking your head. A few moments later, the carriage stops and you hear one of the stallions speak to Spike a little unhappily, thinking, 'Oh young dragon, you have so much to learn...'

Once the carriage comes to a stop, you see the door open as Spike stands aside like a gentleman and lets the girls out first saying, "Ladies first."

Spike looks at the girls while balancing on the tip of his tail for a moment, holding his clawed hands up, saying in astonishment, "Woah, you all look...so amazing!"

You are the last one out of the carriage and see the girls all looking around at everything, hearing a song starting to play and say, "See you girls inside, I'm not much for singing." and walk down the graveled path leading to a drawbridge

Making your way across the drawbridge, you see a red carpet ahead and tap your hooves clean off to the side of the path to ensure you don't track in dirt. When you walk inside, you look around to see a few high arches that a large dragon from Azeroth could walk through without their wings touching either side, several tapestries hang on each wall with an elaborate chandelier hanging high up in the air on a sturdy chain with glowing crystals providing light. As you look ahead of you, you see Princess Celestia standing at the top of the first set of stairs, in between two stained glass windows with one having orange and yellow colors looking similar to the sun while the other has colors of blue and white to match the night sky. Seeing a few other ponies on their way to greet the princess, you follow after them.

Princess Celestia spots Arthas making his way up the stairs to greet her and forces herself to keep smiling, continuing to greet the ponies walking up to her until he stands before her. She forces the smile to get a little wider, saying, "It is such a pleasure that you could make it to the gala, sir Blizzard, I hope you have a wonderful evening."

Wanting to make the best impression on the others around the room, you bow graciously, saying, "I wouldn't miss a chance to have a good time and perhaps learn more about how things are in Equestria." You then take a chance to mess with her a bit and straighten up, gently taking her hoof in yours and saying, "The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness, as I have the chance to gaze upon a stunning beauty of a mare." You then kiss the end of her golden hoofshoe and release it, saying, "I do hope you enjoy yourself as well." before turning right and heading up the stairs.

She blushes crimson at how he just openly flirted with her and growls in her throat thinking, 'Oh...don't you dare try to play games with me...I don't always play fair.' Knowing others are approaching her, she shakes her blush away and turns to them with a genuine smile, saying, "Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala, I'm glad you could make it."

As you wander around for a bit, you find yourself back where you started and see Spike sitting on the floor looking a little left out and approach him saying, "What is the trouble, Spike? Did the girls all take off and leave you on your own?"

Spike stands up and crosses his arms with a huff, saying, "Yes. I was looking forward to showing them around, the least they could have done is let me tag along..."

You then smirk, saying, "Don't let it get to you too much, Spike, they are girls after all. Why don't you and I hang out for a bit, how about you give me a tour of this castle since I have never been to Canterlot before."

He then beams a wide smile and jumps up to his feet, saying, "Super! I know just where to start the tour, follow me!"

As you follow Spike around the castle, you are shown where the kitchen and dining room are, the various guest quarters as well as the royal sleeping wing where Princess Celestia's, Princess Luna's, and Prince Blueblood's quarters are located.

Spike guides him around, showing him the crown jewels, and the golden apple tree, saying, "Princess Celestia told Twilight and me that the apples on this tree are very special because they only ever drop if somepony has a special destiny, and can grant a wish if it considers it to be a good, fair, and honest wish. However, if the wish is a dark one...the apple disappears in an instant and the pony won't be allowed to eat it."

You then chuckle at the story and shake your head, saying, "That is quite the tale Spike, though I doubt that it is true."

He then puts his hands on his hips and says, "It is true! I know it is because one apple dropped before Twilight and me when we were here studying magic books. She then picked up the apple and looked at it a moment, then took a bite before splitting it with me." He then rubs his stomach as it grumbles hungrily and chuckles, "I'm going to go find something to snack on because I'm starved, do you want anything?"

Shaking your head, you say, "No thank you, Spike, I think I will sit here and continue studying the book that Twilight was reading today."

Spike then nods and hurries off, saying, "Make sure to enjoy the gala, it's an event only held once a year!"

Making your way to the tree, you sit down and pull the book out from within your vest. Opening it to the page you left off, you then resume reading it as a slight wind picks up. You feel a chill on the breeze and sigh saying, "Seems like that winter isn't too far from beginning."

The breeze ruffles the leaves on the golden apple tree, causing it to bend ever so slightly as the tree feels a bit mischievous and lets one of the apples drop from one of its branches. The apple falls towards the ground, landing heavily upon the head of the stallion underneath it.

You rub your head, hissing painfully after feeling something heavy strike your head, and look at the ground around you. Moments later, your eyes fall upon a gold apple with a strange, glittering aura on it. Thinking about what Spike told you about it, you pick it up with your magic and then sigh, thinking, 'Before I get my hopes up, perhaps I should find out if there is any truth to what Spike says. Princess Celestia is too busy shaking hands and welcoming guests, so I wonder where Princess Luna might be.'

You wander around through the castle that Spike hasn't yet shown you when you notice multiple guards looking identical to each other and chuckle thinking, 'Interesting but clever use of an enchantment.' Later, you come across a set of double doors with two more guards on either side of it and head towards the door when their wings shoot out and block the doors as one of them says halt.

They both look up at the stallion sternly as the guard that spoke, asks, "Who goes there?"

You stand there unfazed by their routine, saying, "Blistering Blizzard, what room do those doors open to behind you?"

The other guard speaks up, saying, "The throne room. Her Highness, Princess Luna is currently holding court."

The previous guard then asks, "Do you have an issue to discuss with Her Highness?"

A smile crosses your face for a moment as you nod, saying, "As a matter of fact, I do have a question to ask her. Might I be permitted to pass and discuss it with her?"

They uncross their wings as the other guard says, "You may pass, but be respectful."

You walk toward the doors as they push them open with their back hooves, and pass between the large doorway to see Princess Luna sitting on a throne upon the dais with her eyes closed. You walk toward the dais as quietly as you can, wanting to see how long it takes until she wakes up or notices you.

Luna is patrolling the dream realm, making her way through searching for nightmares to banish, when she wonders if Blistering Blizzard or former prince, Arthas Menethil after what her sister told her, is at the gala tonight. She chuckles to herself at how he was messing with her a week or two ago, saying, "I sure hope that he is at the gala, that way there will be a possibility that he could help liven things up for my sister."

Managing to make it all the way to the dais without her noticing your presence and chuckle softly before casting your gaze around the throne room, seeing no guards in the room to protect her and shake your head thinking, 'This might be quite entertaining...' You quietly step onto the bottom step and start to make your way up to the throne, then quietly place your front hooves onto the armrests and look closely at the sleeping princess's face. With a grin, you move in and place your lips upon hers, then pull back. Seeing no reaction from her, you cock your head and place your lips upon hers again, but gently work her lower jaw open and slip your tongue into her mouth. You kiss her for a few seconds before pulling back to see no reaction still and chuckle, thinking, 'Time to teach you a lesson, princess...'

Backing up from the throne, you then shift back into your human form and pull off your helm, setting it on the ground beside you as you then take a few steps forward. You raise your left hand up and move it towards her neck, placing your fingertips in the center of her neck and running them up towards her head lightly before running them towards the base of her head and lightly gripping her neck. You then start to gently pull her towards you as your right-hand heads toward the base of her neck, feeling your lips touch and cock your head to deepen the kiss. When your tongue slips into her mouth, you pull her closer with your other hand, then swiftly spin to your left and cradle her underneath you as her hooves move around your neck.

She senses something amiss as her breathing gets a little heavier and decides to check to see what is going on in the throne room, switching her consciousness back to her body and opens her eyes to find herself being deeply kissed by somepony with long blond hair and a light tan coat. Screaming through her nose in surprise, she hears them chuckle through their nose before opening their eyes and returning her to her hooves on the throne. When the pony backs away and releases their hold on her head, she jerks back and is about to use her royal voice to scold the pony when she notices that it isn't a pony at all, but the bipedal creature her sister told her about. At a loss for words, the princess looks up and down at the being known to her as former Crown Prince and former Lich King, Arthas Menethil.

You stand there for a moment, noticing a deep blush on her cheeks before bowing and bending your arm in front of your chest, saying, "It is great to see you finally have woken up, Your Majesty. I do hope you can find it within your capability to forgive me for stealing your royal lips, but I just couldn't resist the opportunity to rouse you slowly."

Princess Luna then dismisses her royal voice and clears her throat, narrowing her eyes at him, saying, "We do not appreciate how thee stole mine first kiss. Did thou know that it is a serious crime to steal the lips of a royal princess, Prince Arthas Menethil? Thou may rise."

You stand straight and return your arm to your side and smirk as the blush is still on her cheeks, saying, "I know it is not polite, but I found it quite pleasurable."

She then huffs and takes a breath, smelling a minty scent coming from him and inhales deeply after finding the scent to her liking. Catching herself taking an interest, she shakes her head clear and then asks, "For what reason did thou come before mine eyes this night? Was it solely just to annoy us like thee do mine sister, or was that thine attempt at courtship? If it was the latter, unfortunately, we are not ready to get involved with anypony just yet."

You shake your head and bend down to pick up your helm, then return it to your head before shifting back into the unicorn form saying, "It was not my intention to attempt to court such a beauty as yourself, though I find you far more attractive than your sister. You really should watch how she jiggles when she gallops away with a blush, she needs to be careful of her hoof placement."

Princess Luna feels a snort wanting to get out and quickly raises a hoof to cover her mouth as she snickers into her hoof, recovering after a few seconds, smiling and asking, "Thou did not answer mine question. We wish to know the reason thou hast come before us?" and looks down to see him wearing a really nice suit.

Getting serious, you then say, "The reason I came before you, Princess Luna is to ask whether there is truth to what I heard about the golden apple tree. Is it true that the apples only drop if one has a special destiny, and that one of the apples can grant a wish if it considers it to be a good wish?"

She smiles and nods her head saying, "It is indeed true, for me and mine sister first found it when we were little fillies, and two apples fell off before us. When that happened, we thought back to what we were told about a legend involving a tree that grew golden apples, so we took a chance and made a wish that we would be together forever when we discovered our cutie marks. From what we heard from mine sister, is that a previous student of hers had an apple fall before her but disappeared after she made a wish. Shortly after that, she went missing." Wanting to get off the sad subject, she then asks curiously, "Why did thee ask about the golden apple tree?"

You then pull the golden apple out from where you put it and say, "Well, because I started to read a book that I haven't learned the spells from yet when this fell off and left a rather nasty bump on the back of my head, but I wanted to verify if the story was true about the tree's apples. So you are saying that the whole story is real, just like you and your sister are?"

Princess Luna gasps with pleasant surprise at seeing another apple, observing how the apple still has a sparkling aura about it and says, "We see that thou hast not made thy wish, what is it that keeps thee from doing so?"

With a sigh, you lift the apple higher and say, "I hesitate out of worry and fear of letting myself get my hopes up, only to have them dashed at seeing the apple vanish before my very eyes..."

She gets down from her throne and sits on the ground before him saying sweetly, "If thou never taketh a chance, thee will not progress. We beg thee to not be afraid of progress and take a chance, for thou will never be hopeless with friends around to aid thee."

Feeling rather silly, you then sigh and close your eyes, wondering what you should wish for when the obvious answer comes to you and think, 'I only wish to have the chance to live long enough to redeem myself for the foul deeds of my past...'

Princess Luna watches with delight as a sparkle races out from the glittering aura around the apple, leaving it with a dull shine, saying "Take a look for thyself, the results are clear to see."

You open your eyes to find the glittering around the apple is gone and ask curiously, "Where did the sparkling aura go?"

She looks at him and chuckles saying, "It appears that the wish thee hath made was considered worthy. Now, thou may enjoy the sweet taste of the apple, for it has no equal, even when compared to a zap apple."

As an idea crosses your mind, you then use your magic to split it in half, tucking one half into a pocket after wrapping it in your silk, snow-white handkerchief Rarity made for you and split it into half again. You then smile at another idea and say, "For your help, why don't you take a piece, and relish getting the chance to taste it again?"

Princess Luna cocks her head in confusion and asks, "Thou would share such a precious gift with us? Art thou sure?"

You then smile genuinely with a smirk hidden deep behind it and say, "I am, for I cannot think of a better reward for the help a breathtaking woman like yourself has given to me. Now if you would please close your eyes and open your mouth, I will give it to you."

She suspects something is up deep down, but her willingness to give him the benefit of doubt and says, "Very well, but thou best not try anything." and then does as he asked.

As you put one piece partially into a pocket, you set the other into your mouth fully and move towards her. Hooking your left forehoof behind her head, you pull your heads together at an angle and cover her mouth with your own while slipping your tongue into her mouth with the super sweet, tangy flavor of the golden apple slice going with it.

Princess Luna's tongue wraps around the warm, wet, and slippery slice but quickly realizes that he took advantage and kissed her with the apple on his tongue. Enjoying this deep down, she kisses him back while pushing the slice to one side of her mouth, thinking, 'Oh he is such a good kisser...'

While you both slide the apple slice back and forth between your mouths, you feel her moan into your mouth and slip the apple slice back into her mouth. Pulling your own tongue back into your mouth as she does the same, you hear her bite down on the apple and chew it up when you feel her wings wrap around the back of your head and hold you there. When you open your eyes and look into hers, you see a glimmer of amusement in them when they close and she spits some of the chewed-up apple back into your mouth.

She chuckles through her nose as she opens her mouth and slips her tongue into his mouth, pushing the chewed-up apple into the back of his mouth to hear him swallow her saliva and the apple. Once he swallows it all, she slips her tongue around his a couple of times before pulling it back into her own mouth and folding her wings back up. Pulling out of his embrace, she chuckles saying, "Now we are even for that sneak attack on royalty." then takes the slice sticking up out of his pocket, saying, "Thank thee for the gift."

You grin with amusement as she puts the piece you were saving for yourself into her mouth and chews on it happily and bow your head to her saying, "You are most welcome, Your Highness."

Princess Luna then says, "Thou best return to the gala before the guards see thee up here where thou shouldn't be, as I must return to my patrol for nightmares."

With a bow of your head, you say, "As you wish, Your Majesty, may you have a wonderful night." then turn around and head back down the dais quickly.

She watches him leave with a delighted smile on her face as she sighs blissfully, thinking, 'Best night ever...' before returning to the throne and going back to her patrol for nightmares.

You make your way to the doors and pull them open, then go through and close them behind you as you decide to head back to the gala. As you find yourself at a top landing, you look down to see Celestia with her wings raised in a regal manner greeting an endless line of guests. Making your way down the stairs to the next landing, you stand close to the next set of stairs leading down and wait for the recent pony to be greeted and step slightly closer, clearing your voice before saying, "Do forgive me for interrupting your royal duties, Your Majesty, but I have brought a small appetizer that you have requested." You then begin pulling out the wrapped quarters of the now seedless golden apple, removing one of them before re-wrapping the last slice and tucking it into your pocket while offering it up to the princess while bowing to her respectfully.

Celestia smiles at Blistering Blizzard, secretly grateful for a brief distraction and takes the apple slice from his magic and goes to take a bite of it when she sees the dull, golden color of its skin. She fights back a gasp at realizing it is a golden apple and says, "Why thank you very kindly for being so expedient with my request, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night at the gala, Sir Blizzard." She then turns back to the line of guests and says, "While I enjoy a brief snack, why don't you all take a moment to greet my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." As she slips the slice into her mouth, she chews it politely, but eagerly as she watches ponies approach her and shake her hoof while saying hi.

Backing away, you then head to the stairs to the second floor to the left of Twilight and pass behind Twilight when a particularly strong earth pony stallion shakes her whole body up and down, accidentally granting you a peak of her nethers before you quickly turn and head up the stairs before anypony realizes what you just saw.

You wander the halls some more until you spot Rarity standing beside a light grey stallion with a light amber mane and tail and hooves painted silver, with both of them nodding their heads at the door, wanting the other to get it for them. Eventually, the stallion lifts his nose up in the air, making Rarity get the door for him and causing you to dislike the stallion a bit. When you walk through the door after it closes, you see Rarity lying on the floor glaring after the stallion and offer a hoof to her saying, "Allow me to help you up, Lady Rarity. It does not befit a beauty such as yourself to be lying on the floor in such a marvelous dress."

Rarity takes the offered hoof gladly, looking up to see that Blistering Blizzard had helped her up and smiles, saying, "Thank you so kindly, darling. It seems that my night has not gone according to plan so far, how has your night been?"

You then smirk and say, "It has gone okay so far, though I still think this gala is a bore. If things don't pick up before long, I might find a quiet little spot and sleep for the remainder of the gala."

She then gasps and says, "Oh you cannot do that, the night's still young!" Thinking of something quick, she says, "I know Applejack has an apple stand somewhere out here, why don't you head over and catch up with her for a little bit?"

As your stomach grumbles, you then nod and say, "You make an excellent suggestion, Lady Rarity." Looking up to see the stallion she was with getting further away, you say, "Your date is getting farther away, perhaps you should catch up with them."

Rarity sighs inwardly and forces a smile saying, "Oh dear, how silly of me. I will talk to you more later." then turns and makes her way toward Prince Blueblood with irritation all over her face.

You wander around the area, and finally spot the apple stand that Applejack is running and make your way over when you spot Rarity and the stallion from before stop at the stand as Rarity orders two fritters for the two of them. Watching as Applejack cheers up instantly and set out two fritters, you notice how the stallion silently refuses to pay for them and makes Rarity pay instead when Applejack covers for her. As you dislike the stallion even more, you dislike him a little more after he spits out the apple fritters that Applejack made herself. When he makes a fuss about how common fare touched his royal lips, you scowl at him giving royals a bad name and make your way over as he slowly trots off with his nose in the air.

Applejack sighs saying, "Ah was wondering why no pony wanted my food." and continues to rant about how they are preferring fancy food instead.

As you get to Applejack's cart, she pushes it away while talking about dressing them up a bit. With a huff, you make your way back to the main room where the other ponies are dancing, when you get there, you see that no one is dancing except for Pinkie Pie as she sings on stage. You look around the room to see a light pink alicorn standing amidst a group of mares, who seem to be talking to each other and leaving the alicorn out. Curious at not knowing anything about her, you make your way over to the group.

Cadance inwardly sighs at how the mares are not really talking to her at all when her nose catches a minty smell wafting towards her from the left, turning her head to see a handsome stallion with sea-green eyes walking her way, having a snow-white coat and a golden blonde mane and tail. She then turns back to the group of mares and excuses herself, saying, "Do excuse me for a moment, ladies, it appears that some pony requires me." Turning away from them, she heads for the stallion to see what he needs.

You stand away from the group as the mare comes to you, and greet her with a smile, saying, "Good evening to you milady, how do you fare at tonight's gala?"

She looks at him with a curious smile and says, "I fare rather well, thank you for asking, kind sir. Might I ask who you are?"

With a polite nod, you say, "I am Blistering Blizzard, miss, and may I inquire as to the name belonging to the radiant, breathtaking mare I find myself lucky enough to greet?"

9: The Gala: Part 2

Cadance feels herself being drawn in by his sincere compliments but stops herself from developing a crush and says, "You are such a gentlestallion sir Blizzard, but it would be wise if you are mindful of your tongue as I am a taken mare. My name, however, is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though I prefer to be called Cadance instead."

You bow your head respectfully and rise back up saying, "I understand and will heed your wise words, I had no knowledge of who you are or if you were involved with anyone. I will be more cautious with my compliments henceforth, as it would be quite evil of me if I were to try to steal another stallion's mare. I am quite surprised to hear of there being a third Alicorn, are you the daughter of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?"

She giggles at that and shakes her head saying, "No I am not, but they are my adoptive aunts. How do you know my aunts?"

Somewhere at the Grand Galloping Gala...

Spike walks through the castle grounds and sees Twilight's brother, Shining Armor and waves to him, saying, "Hey Shining Armor!" then runs up to him asking, "How are you doing?"

Shining Armor looks at Spike, asking, "I am doing good, Spike, how are you enjoying the Gala?"

The young dragon groans and says, "Ugh, it's terrible, all my friends have ditched me and left me all alone. However it isn't too bad because my friend Blistering Blizzard asked for a tour around the castle, so I took him around and showed him a few things. When I left him at the golden apple tree to go get some food, I came back a few minutes later to see he was gone. So I have been wandering the castle all alone, bored out of my scales.

He cocks his head at the stallion's name and acts casual, saying, "Interesting, so how is Twilight doing, has she made any friends yet?"

As Shining Armor listens to Spike share the story from when they first arrived in Ponyville up until today, he then feels a little concerned for his sister and asks, "Hmm...do you know if he has shown any unusual interest towards anything?"

Spike thinks for a moment and then says, "Well...yeah. He is obsessed with learning new spells just like Twilight, and likes to be by himself most of the time, though he was brought along on a few of the adventures that I've had with Twilight and the girls." He then taps his chin saying, "There was something else too...what was it." then smiles and holds his claw in the air adding, "Oh yeah, he has this mysteriously horrible past that he does not share with anypony, though he has spoken of it a little with Fluttershy who he stays with each night due to bad dreams. He says that when Fluttershy stays close to him, he doesn't suffer those nightmares." He then chuckles as he remembers something funny and taps Shining Armor's shoulder with a claw saying in a whisper, "Wanna hear something funny I heard?"

The captain then lowers his ear closer to Spike's head asking, "What would that be, Spike?"

Spike then snickers and says, "That he kissed Fluttershy with his tongue, which was almost as funny as when he kissed Twilight after he dropped off all those super-old books I later sent to Princess Celestia. Wow, you should have seen how your sister freaked out over that for a whole week before they talked it over."

Shining Armor gets a little protective of his sister as his anger rises a bit and asks, "What did they say, Spike?"

He shakes his head saying, "I don't know, I took off to go help Rarity at her boutique. If you want to know, you will have to ask one of them."

With a silent huff, he straightens and says, "Thank you for catching me up on what has been going on in Ponyville, but I have royal duties to return to."

Spike then nods and waves to him as he walks away saying, "You're welcome, it was fun hanging out with you for a bit!" then starts heading into town to visit his favorite doughnut shop and wait for the others to meet up with him.

Back at the Gala

As you tell Cadance about some of the annoying adventures you had with the girls, at her insistence, you tell her a few of the things that happened at the gala, saying, "Then I bumped into Rarity as she was spending time with a stallion who I later saw to be quite snobbish, rude, and full of himself."

She cocks her head curiously and asks, "Could you describe this stallion to me? I might be able to figure out his name then."

You nod and say, "Well, his coat is a light grey, he has a light amber mane and coat with light blue eyes and a compass rose for a cutie mark."

Cadance groans saying, "Oh...that would be Prince Blueblood, he is my adoptive cousin and a distant nephew to my aunts, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Wanting to know a bit more about the stallion, she casts a subtle spell to see his emotional state. What she sees distresses her a little and asks, "Umm...are you feeling alright Blizzard?"

You then nod slightly and say, "I am much better after talking with you for a bit, why do you ask?"

Not willing to lie to him, she says truthfully, "I ask because I have cast a small spell to be able to see your emotional state, which I am sorry for doing without your knowledge. What I saw concerns me greatly, so I feel it necessary to ask why you have such negative feelings?"

Sighing at how she can tell, you then look at her and say, "The reason why is related to numerous events that have happened and choices that I have made in my past that cause me to feel such things for myself. I have only shared vague details about it with Fluttershy though I had her promise not to tell anyone else about what she learned about me, and Princess Celestia, which she shared with her sister, your aunt, Princess Luna. Perhaps I could share some of them with you at another time, as I think this place is unsuitable to mention such dark things."

Cadance nods sadly at not being able to help Blistering Blizzard feel better and tries to lighten the mood a bit saying, "You best be careful when treating my aunts like you did, Princess Celestia can harbor a grudge for a fair amount of time. As for when Twilight kissed you, you best hope that her older brother doesn't find out about it because he is quite overprotective of her."

Curious about that, you ask, "Twilight has an older brother, who is he?"

She smiles and says, "Oh, his name is Shining Armor, and he also happens to be the stallion I am in a relationship with."

You are about to ask her about him when you hear the doors get pushed open roughly and turn to see Applejack trot into the room pushing a huge 8 tiered cake on her cart as Pinkie cries out stage dive. You turn just in time to see her jump from the stage and sail through the air, causing the other ponies to scramble out of the way. As she lands on the edge of the cart, she accidentally launches the cake high into the air. You then hear the doors open and close, making you turn to see who just entered and see Rarity by the door with Prince Blueblood strutting into the room before her. When they both notice the airborne confection, you watch as Prince Blueblood grabs Rarity by the back of her dress and moves her in front of him but hides behind her dress. As you watch the cake splatter all over her, you glare at him as she turns around growling audibly. A moment later, she berates him and whips her head and hair around, splattering cake and frosting all over the spoiled prince, then storms out of the room to be alone for a little while.

You make your way towards the prince as he overbalances, then stumbles backward and falls back, hitting the podium where an alicorn statue sits and causing it to wobble. You use your magic to drag him over to you in the middle of the floor as Rainbow manages to steady it and glare down into the prince's eyes, slowly stomping closer to him and forcing him backward, saying, "Never before have I met a prince so unworthy of the lofty title, a prince is one who cares for those he may potentially rule over, should always put the needs of others before himself, protects them from outside harm if attacked, there are other qualities that a true prince should have but are not really important here. I now see that you have none of these qualities, I view you as being lower than a warm-blooded animal."

Everyone watches as the snow-white stallion with sea-green eyes backs Prince Blueblood into the wall as they listen to him further berate him, hearing, "A prince should not act as if everything should fall at his feet, for it makes him worthless and grants no merits. He should have respect for males and females young or old, be courteous, and a gentleman to them at all times. You are an honorless, disrespectful stallion that has been spoiled rotten. I believe you need to learn a lesson..."

Prince Blueblood quivers against the wall and shouts, "You can't do anything to me! I'm Prince Blueblood and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are my aunts, I am of royal blood, which means you can't touch me!"

You then smirk darkly at him and chuckle in the same manner, saying, "Oh I can't, you say?" as you draw a bit closer menacingly and say, "That is where you are wrong, you may be of royal blood but that and titles mean very little to me if I cannot respect you." You then feel a strange sensation crawling up through your body as you feel the urge to punish this stallion.

Cadance watches curiously as a deep blue flame covers his horn, causing several of the surrounding ponies to gasp and back away further and says, "You have made your point, Blistering Blizzard, please leave my misguided cousin alone."

Turning your gaze upon Cadance swiftly, you chuckle darkly and shake your head, saying, "Perhaps I have, but the lesson remains to be learned." then turn back to him and cast the hex on him saying, "Heed my words carefully. No magic, potion, nor even the elements can undo this hex, but fret not...there is a cure. The only way for you to turn back into who you were before is to gain an honest kiss from a pony who forgives you."

She watches as the hex takes affect and surrounds her cousin in deep blue flames, lifting him into the air a foot above the ground and swirls around him. When he slowly shrinks down and transforms into a slimy bog toad, she and everyone in the room are relieved that he is more-or-less okay. The funniness of the hex rises up within her, making her fight to contain her laughter after several seconds.

You let your anger wash away and feel the crawling sensation fade away to the depths as you bow to the prince, saying, "By your leave, Your Sliminess." then straighten back up and make your way back to where Cadance is at, struggling to hold back her laughter as everyone else starts laughing their tails off at the prince-turned-frog.

Cadance is unable to keep control over her laughter anymore as her eyes squint shut and tears flow from the corners of her eyes, hearing the others calling out things like, "Hail to the Toad Prince, Bow down to His Toadship!"

As you stand before Cadance, you smirk and then say, "Were you worried I was going to actually hurt him?"

She tries to get her laughing under control as she eventually calms down enough to wipe her eyes dry, saying, "At first, I was but I then scanned the magic with a spell and found no cruel intentions to it, so I let you cast it."

You then take her raised left hoof in your right and then bow lowly to her, saying, "I am pleased that I could amuse you." and then lean your head down to kiss her gold hoofshoe.

Shining Armor enters the ballroom and scans the crowd for the stallion he is looking for, finding him a few moments later. He spots the stallion speaking to his Cadance, kissing her hoofshoe with a smirk on his face. Seeing the stallion making moves on his marefriend makes him angrier than he has ever been in his life, and makes his way down to the dance floor to challenge him to a duel.

Cadance then takes her hoof back and sets it down, saying, "I told you to not hit on me because I am with Shining Armor, who just so happens to be Captain of the Royal Guard."

You stand up straight and cock your head saying, "Wow, I am quite impressed that he was brave enough to ask to court you, Cadance." A smirk then makes its way onto your face as you say, "I wish he were here now so I could test my fighting skills against his..."

Shining Armor stands to the left side of his marefriend and the right side of the stallion and clears his throat angrily, saying, "Wish granted. Blistering Blizzard, I challenge you to a duel, state your desired type of battle. The choices are. Wooden or metal swords, magic battle, or Both."

You twist your head around to see a pony wearing gold and purple armor standing beside you with an angry look on his face and ask, "Who might you be?"

Cadance smiles and says, "Hi sweetie, please don't duel him. I swear that it is not what it looks like."

The revelation that this is Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, brings a smile to your face as you say, "I accept your challenge, I choose...BOTH." which draws several gasps from ponies around the room.

With a groan, Cadance turns and heads towards the wall saying, "Stallions..." then says to the crowd, "Let's give them a lot of room everypony."

Shining Armor then smiles and removes his armor, then moves it against the wall and summons a short sword saying, "Prepare to be bested, now I shall summon a sword for both of us and dull the edges."

You shake your head and say, "I appreciate the offer but I have one already." then attempt to summon it by closing your eyes and thinking, 'Come to me Spellmourne, I have need of you.'

The captain looks at him, waiting for him to summon his sword, and summons his with magic saying, "Are you going to draw your sword already, or are you getting cold hooves?" which causes a few of the gathered ponies to start chuckling.

Keeping your eyes closed, you continue to focus and say, "I am most certainly not getting cold feet, I am just trying to figure out how to summon my sword to me from where it is kept. When you set eyes upon it...you will be the one getting cold feet." You then think of something else you can try and say, "Come forth, Spellmourne, your master requires your aid!"

Shining Armor watches as a large black cut appears in the air in front and above Blistering Blizzard's head, spreading open as he watches a sword tip slip out of the cut. As more of the dark metal sword becomes visible, he notices that it has glowing runes on it along with being wreathed in blue flames which draws several oohs and aahs from the crowd. When the rest of the sword becomes visible, there is a collective gasp from the crowd, including himself as the sword's hilt comes into view.

Cadance is taken aback by the grizzly appearance of the sword as it has numerous glowing runes including a glowing skull on both sides of the crossguard wreathed in blue flames and thinks, 'Oh no, it's a magical sword...which means that Shiny will have a tough time beating him if he is skilled with that sword.'

You set the sword's tip on the ground gently and keep it upright saying, "The blue flames are just an illusion, so you do not need to fear them. Could you instruct me on how to dull the edge, Captain?"

The captain nods and brings his sword before him, holding it on edge horizontally, saying, "What you do is channel your magic into your hooves as well, it's just like how you grab something and hold onto it. The only difference is that you are actually trying to coat the edge of the blade with magic shaped into a sight oval shape, very similar to how one chooses the shape of a barrier." To demonstrate, he shunts some magic into his right hoof and runs the edge of the blade against the front of his hoof gently, saying, "You run the edge of the sword lightly against the front part of your hoof, not the center or you risk cutting the soft frog and potentially making yourself lame." When he finishes, he holds the blade up and uses magic to extend his tail to the side and swings the sword's edge onto it, feeling it hit and not go through, saying, "And just like that, the edge won't cut anything."

You watch as he returns his sword to the front and lets go of his tail, then lay your own sword the way he did and raise your hoof into the air upside down. Channeling magic into your hoof, you set the underside of your hoof to the base of the blade and start to run it across the front part of your hoof and watch as a blue hue coats the edge of the blade and say, "Interesting way to use magic..." When you finish coating the edge, you hold it up in the air and grin saying, "Ready to dance, captain?"

Shining Armor nods and readies his sword as his opponent does the same, then moves the sword tip to his right and swings it down to the left, which is blocked by his opponent.

As you block a horizontal swing from his left, you quickly bring your sword to the right and angle it slightly as he swings upward. Shifting your angle just a bit causes his swing to go wide, granting you the chance to strike. Moving your tip to the left and bringing it back, you aim to strike his shoulder hard as he summons a barrier.

The captain watches as the sword strikes the barrier and bounces off, saying, "Nice try." then swiftly drops it and thrusts straight forward with the tip for a counter-strike.

You simply hop to the left and turn slightly, letting the thrust go ahead and swing your sword down upon his in an attempt to disarm him.

Shining Armor tightens his grip on his sword as the heavy sword hits his, causing it to vibrate strongly and leaving an opening. He sees him spin his body around and bring the sword back around to strike his side again, and drops down to the ground to avoid the strike.

Your swing goes wide, causing you to overbalance as you see him pull his sword back, no doubt to strike at your neck again. Letting your rear face him, you see him swing from the side and bring your sword tip back and hold it just to the left of your neck. You hear his sword strike yours as you block the strike and chuckle with amusement saying, "You are obviously well-trained, but how will you handle this?" then swing your sword up to cause his to shoot upward, spinning around while moving the sword in a horizontal arc and hit his sword in the middle.

He is taken by surprise by the swiftness of the strike and holds onto the sword as the strike rings out across the room, shifting his angle like his opponent did before which sends him off-balance. At the brief opening he gets, he leaps back and prepares to fire a magical beam at him to catch him off-guard.

You see him charge up his horn and prepare for what his next attack is, watching a blue bolt of magic shoot from his horn toward you. You swing the flat of the blade up and block it while continue to bring it back and thrust it toward him, preparing to fire a blast of frost at him to hinder his movement.

Shining Armor brings up his shield on instinct and gets it up just as it is hit with a blast of frost, watching as his barrier starts to frost over and blocks his view of the stallion.

Still blasting his shield with frost, you take a few steps forward and then suddenly release the spell. Bringing the sword's tip up and back over your head, you then use most of your strength to swing down at the shield.

Cadance hears Blistering Blizzard cry out as he swings down with a lot of force at her lover's shield, and gasps when she sees it shatter, saying, "Shiny!"

You watch the captain be sent backward from where he was standing, wondering if it was due to the spell being overpowered. As you feel victorious at breaking his shield, you set the sword's tip on the ground beside you and hear him cough a few times saying, "Are you almost ready to continue our duel, captain?"

The captain coughs and then returns to his hooves, asking, "Just what did you do, how did you manage to break my shield?"

You chuckle and say, "The frost had done nothing to weaken your shield, though it did blind you to my next attack. Any shield can be shattered if one puts enough strength into the attack. Have you noticed yet that the flames have faded to almost nothing after I channeled magical attacks through it? There is much more I have yet to show you, so gather your strength...this duel isn't over yet..."

Fifteen minutes later...

Celestia overhears a commotion coming from the ballroom and turns to her left, then looks at the line of ponies and says, "Do excuse me, everypony but I must go find out what is going on in the Ballroom." She then looks to her student and says, "Come along, Twilight, let's go see what the commotion is."

She nods and follows her toward the ballroom saying, "I sure hope that everypony is just having a really good time in there..."

When the pair arrive, Twilight looks around to see frost along the floor, along with a light scattering of snowflakes across the floor when she hears a loud metallic clang ring out. Looking up to see her friend Blistering Blizzard fighting her brother, Shining Armor, saying, "What the... Why is Blistering Blizzard fighting my brother?"

Celestia looks around with wide eyes to hear everypony cheering on Captain Shining Armor while a few others cheer on Blistering Blizzard.

Cadence sees her aunt arrive with her student Twilight, whom she used to foalsit and makes her way over to them and huffs in annoyance, asking, "Hi Aunty Celestia, are you having a good time?"

She looks over to her niece and chuckles saying, "You know how tedious I find the Gala each year, Cadance." then looks at the fight, asking, "So, could you tell me how this mess came to be?"

As you parry another magic bolt, you flip your sword upside down and drive the tip to the floor while channeling a wide-area attack. When the tip hits the floor, it creates a small crater as an icy blast shoots out in all directions around you for ten feet.

Shining Armor is hit by the blast before he can bring forth his shield and concentrates on trying to keep his opponent at bay with magic bolt after magic bolt until he can free his hooves from the ice.

Swiftly using your sword to block or deflect the bolts, you block the first two and then move to deflect the next. Hoping to interrupt his attacks, you angle your sword and swing it upward and to the left while also sending forth an attack that makes chunks of ice shoot up from the floor.

He sees the attack racing toward him and hastily summons his shield, blocking the ice from reaching him.

Seeing an opportunity to attack, you seize it and rush forward to the left of the icy path before leaping through the air at him and crying out as you swing down with all your strength.

Shining Armor stops trying to break the ice holding him in place as he uses it to help him in his next attack, feeling the blowback from his shield being broken yet again but is not pushed back as the ice holding him shatters. With a hop to the side, he quickly pushes the offensive and thrusts his sword at the stallion.

You react to his attack by hopping aside while twisting your body to the right and swinging your sword upward to lift his tip up, and watch his tip shoot up like you intended. You rear up into the air and spin around to your right in a full circle while swinging the sword back around, aiming to hit his sword, saying, "Mind your horn."

The captain sees him spin around in a follow-up attack and angles his head down to protect his horn, thinking, 'Please don't hit my horn...'

Twilight watches the swing in slow motion as the sword just misses his horn by a bit, travelling on to strike his sword and gasps in surprise at how it shatters from the strike of the bigger sword.

Shining Armor watches with disbelief as his sword flies from his magical grasp, with the shards skittering across the floor. He watches the hilt soar through the air end over end and hit a column along the wall, sending it teetering back and forth before falling to its left and breaking apart as it strikes another.

Celestia watches with shock as ponies run out of harm's way as a slimy bog toad hops onto her hoof shoe, looking down while lifting her right hoof up as the toad has tears in its eyes and ribbits pathetically. She then looks at the toad as it makes a kissy face and reels with disgust saying, "Sorry, but there is no way that I am going to kiss you."

Cadence sees the toad on her aunty's shoe and giggles saying, "Say hello to your nephew, aunty. That is Prince Blueblood you are holding, if you forgive him for his actions and behavior and kiss him, he will turn back into a pony."

As the Princess looks at her niece in surprise, she looks back at the toad and chuckles, saying, "Still not going to kiss you, dear nephew." then tosses him into the hall to run along.

You watch a column break apart and fall toward you and the captain, reacting quickly and channel a slicing attack you used on Illidan while swinging it at the falling chunks.

Shining Armor watches in awe as the stallion keeps the two of them safe before swiftly bringing his sword close to his neck, sighing as the commotion dies down and saying loudly, "I accept my defeat." He then bows his head down sadly and says in a low voice, "You are the better stallion, take good care of her." he then gets up and starts to walk away in shame.

Confused by what he said at first, it then becomes clear to you as you chuckle, then laugh saying, "Hold your hooves, stallion. Did you honestly think that was what I was after?!" You then see him stop and turn around with a confused, barely perceptible nod and laugh even louder, saying, "Of course I was not trying to gain her affection or steal her, that is just how I treat all of the ladies at certain settings. She may be very pretty and special, but I am not looking for love just yet. All I was after is to see if my training was better than yours, which it is somewhat lacking but you are formidable in your own right."

He sighs and smiles at hearing that and looks up at the tall stallion saying, "I am relieved and overjoyed at hearing you say that, but the real reason I was challenging you is because you kissed my sister Twilight. Speaking of which, I sincerely hope that she knows that you are not looking for romance... If she doesn't, you better come clean with her about it and own up to your trickery!"

You then sigh and shake your head saying, "Neither of us are looking for a relationship yet, but it was her that kissed me first." A grin crosses your face as you say, "If things are serious between you two...you might consider making her yours or someone might challenge you for her."

Captain Shining Armor blushes and looks away, then looks up at him and whispers, "I'm working up to it, could you do me a favor and not tell my sisterI am dating her old foalsitter? I am working on putting a plan together because of how smart she is."

A chuckle escapes your lips as you then say, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. It would just be far easier to wait until the last moment to spring it upon her, then you will be rewarded with how happy she will be at hearing the news." You then close your eyes and concentrate on returning the sword to its place saying, "Your service is no longer required, Spellmourne."

Celestia then looks around to see ponies exchanging bits and grins saying, "I never thought that I would see the day that Captain Shining Armor would be bested in a magic and sword duel."

Twilight then sighs and says, "Well, at least it can't get any worse than this." Then watches Arthas return the sword through a split in the air when she hears a low rumbling outside one of the doors, turning to look in the direction when a pair of doors burst open as dozens of animals race through them fearfully.

You look at the doors the animals burst through and see Fluttershy just inside the doorway with an angry look on her face as she shouts for the animals to love her. The absurdness of the sight of the animals running around in a panic from Fluttershy causes you to laugh and shout out, "Everyone run to safety, it's a furry and feathery stampede!"

The princess grins at what is going on and leans her head down to Twilight's ear saying, "You should run." and stands to the side of the door.

As you hear Twilight whistle for her friends to follow her, you turn to Shining Armor and say, "I will leave getting this mess under control to you, captain." then swiftly make your way to where Twilight is. When you see the others follow Twilight into the hall, you stop by the door next to Princess Celestia and say, "I'm having a great time, thank you for inviting me." To catch her off guard, you swiftly move your lips up to hers and give her a quick kiss before hurrying out after the girls.

Celestia blushes fiercely at being kissed in front of a bunch of panicking animals and ponies and looks out the door growling while thinking, 'I am so going to have to get even with that pesky stallion for doing that to me in public!'

You follow Pinkie down the stairs until she skids to a sudden stop, leaving you to crash nose first into her business and back up saying, "Sorry Pinkie, try not to do that without warning okay?"

Pinkie Pie giggles and says, "That's fine, I enjoyed it." then redirects her attention to the glass slipper she found and says, "OOH! Hey Rarity, you lost a glass slipper! Now your prince will be sure to find you!"

You hear a shriek of terror from Rarity as she gallops up the stairs and smashes it before racing back down the steps pulling Pinkie with her, chuckling as you follow them through the castle, saying, "Awe, did things not work out between you two love birds?"

Rarity looks behind her with an angry growl saying, "Oh don't you dare get me started with that stuck up, pompous, uncharming, royal pain!"

As you follow them out of the castle, Twilight leads the group over to a place called Pony Joe's. Watching as Spike asks Twilight how her night went, you can't help but chuckle as she regales Spike with how bad it went. You then hear the bell above the door ring and turn to see Celestia standing in front of the door and hear her say, "That was the absolute best Grand Galloping Gala I ever hosted!"

Twilight then looks to her mentor and says, "Excuse me, Princess Celestia, but tonight was absolutely awful."

You hear Celestia tell Twilight that it is always that way and then nod your head after Twilight asks if it really is like that and say, "The ones I used to go to were always such a bore back in my day." As the conversation continues, you then wait till they finish talking and say, "That really was the best time I ever had at a gala, but the highlights were definitely when I hexed Prince Blueblood into a toad until somepony forgives and kisses him, and of course, who could forget the duel I got into because of a certain baby dragon confusing some important details... I thank you for that small mistake Spike, for I quite enjoyed the duel."

Everypony bursts out laughing as Celestia looks over to the stallion and narrows her eyes at him and asks, "Speaking of my nephew...he isn't in any danger being under that dark hex, is he?"

You shake your head and chuckle, "Not as long as nopony steps on him, but I highly doubt he will stray too far from the castle."

Twilight then looks at Blistering Blizzard and says, "I can't believe that you actually beat my brother in a sword and magic duel, no pony has ever done that before!" Thinking back on the fight she then remembers the sword she saw and asks, "Just what was that sword you were using? I sensed quite a lot of magic coming from it."

Celestia then corners him on it and says, "I am curious about that too, would you bring it out for us to see?"

A sigh escapes your lips as you nod, saying, "Sure." then close your eyes and say, "Spellmourne, heed your master's call and come to me." You hear gasps around the table as you open your eyes and look up to see the sword emerge from the split in the air, quickly realizing that you forgot to remove the magic coating the edge and making it dull. When the sword's tip reaches the floor, you pick it up in your magic and then set it upon the table with the blade facing you, saying, "Feel free to touch it, it is much less dangerous now, even less so with the magic coating the edge and blunting it."

Twilight looks at the sword with a great deal of interest, noticing that two runes aren't glowing like the others and asks, "Are these two runes at the end supposed to glow like the rest?"

You notice how Celestia uses her horn to look at the sword and nod saying, "Yes they are, and the blade is supposed to emit illusionary blue flames that cause no damage when the sword is completely full of mana or magic. When the sword is completely empty, the last thing to lose its glow is the skull crossguard."

Celestia then gasps as she learns from her appraisal spell just how much magic that it currently holds and looks upon the stallion with her appraisal spell, which makes her eyes go wide as she sees the amount of magic he currently holds and calms herself before asking, "Just where did you get this sword?"

With a sigh, you notice that Pony Joe slipped into the back room and say in a low tone, "It is now a relatively harmless replica of my past, but it wasn't so harmless when I found it in another world far unlike this peaceful one. The original sword identical to this one went by the name Frostmourne, and it had a few abilities, but only one of them was truly diabolical. It could steal the souls of those it killed, " you pause as you see Fluttershy wipe tears away as she already knows this bit and then say, "and mine was the very first one it claimed when I took it from the icy plinth it was sealed in. You need not fear that sword as it has been shattered and reforged." You then look back at the sword and say, "This sword here is capable of absorbing and storing magic equal to what Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can wield, it can absorb magic from anything at all magical and I can also cast spells with it." Sensing that Celestia is about to say something, you interject saying, "When it absorbs magic from ponies, it will only make them tired as if they used their magic too much so their lives are in no danger from it."

Spike looks at the creepy-cool sword and says, "Woah...that's so OP."

The princess huffs and says, "Overpowered it most certainly is, which is why I expect you to keep it hidden from other ponies when possible and not to let it fall into the wrong hands."

You then chuckle and nod saying, "Of course, Your Majesty but it is not so easy to use the sword with out having the innate skill granted to me to use it."

Celestia then cocks her head curiously and asks, "You need a certain skill just to use it?"

With a nod of your head, you say, "Mhm. Go ahead and pick up the sword and try to pull some of the magic out of it, Princess Celestia and you'll see."

Doing as he says, she picks it up with her magic and tries to take the magic out. She tries for several seconds before she lightly pants and huffs in annoyance, saying, "You are right...I cannot." She then sets the sword back onto the table, saying, "It is surprisingly very heavy."

You pick the sword up in your magic and nod saying, "As are the foul deeds I have committed using Frostmourne..." then turn it around and return it to where it came from, saying, "Spellmourne, you may return from whence you came." and watch it rise back up into the black slit it emerged from. Seeing the pony return from the back, you then call out, "Good sir, I would like to order a round of hot cocoa with whatever kind of doughnuts that my friends here desire, I'm paying!" You are rewarded by the smiles and happy cheers of the ponies around you, catching even Celestia giving you an appreciative smile as they start to place their orders and look to Spike and remember the last slice of the golden apple you wrapped and pull it out of your pocket saying, "Hey Spike, I must thank you for showing me to the princesses golden apple tree, catch." then tear it in half and toss one piece toward him.

He catches the object tossed to him and looks it over with a sparkle in his eye and says, "WOAH, ONE FELL FOR YOU? COOL!" and then eagerly gobbles it up, saying, "Thanks!"

With a chuckle, you say, "One fell alright, right on top of my head. I believe I'm going to have a bump on the back of my head where the accursed gold apple struck me." As you think about everypony else, you move the last slice to Applejack and say, "Would you mind cutting the rest of that up into equal parts for the others excluding myself, Princess Celestia, and Spike?"

Applejack then smiles and pulls out a knife from her dress and slices it up into bits for the others and passes them around saying, "Here y'all go."

Twilight blinks in disbelief at the golden apple piece before her and looks at Blistering Blizzard saying in surprise, "A GOLDEN APPLE DROPPED FOR YOU TOO!?" then quickly eats it before another pony can swipe it.

Remembering the seeds you took out of it earlier, you say, "I did pull out the seeds when I broke it into four pieces and offered one to Luna to confirm that what Spike told me was true, but I don't quite know how to find them in this dimensional pocket."

Pinkie Pie then bounces around happily and says, "OOH, OOH! I CAN HELP!" then trots on over to him and gets right against his coat, slipping her left hoof underneath his vest and reaches inside the pocket.

You feel her warmth through the suit as she then uses her other hoof to pull the vest back a little and say, "I'm guessing you might have to do a bit of pocket-diving to find them in there."

She pulls her head up quickly, with her lips brushing against his and nods saying, "Yep, I'll be right back in a moment!" then slips her hoof back into the pocket and litterally climbs into it.

Rarity then sighs saying, "Does that mare have any sense of personal space?"

You chuckle and say, "She is definitely in her own space right now." With a look at your pocket, you say, "Oh look, she's my very own pocket pony." which gets everyone laughing at her antics.

A few moments later, Pinkie Pie pries herself out of his pocket with a smile on her face as she hops back to the ground before him. She then pulls a box from her mane and says, "GOT IT! I found all six of those tiny seeds scattered around in that pocket of yours and put them all in this tiny box, so HERE YA GO!" and hands it back to him before pronking back to her spot.

Shaking your head with a grin, you levitate the box to Applejack and say, "Here ya go Applejack, why don't you see what the will grow?"

Applejack beams a wide smile, saying, "Why thank ya kindly, pardner!"

You then nod and look to Princess Celestia, asking, "Your Majesty, do you know if those seeds will grow golden apples too?"

Celestia then shakes her head, saying, "Unfortunately, they will not, though they will each grow a different or completely new type of apple."

The farm pony then smiles and says, "Well ah look forward to finding out what grows from 'em all the same. Whatever they turn out to be, ah'll be happier than a pig in mud."

11: Making Preparations

Just before lunchtime, Spike swings by with a small stack of books from Princess Celestia and says, "You are very lucky that your leg broke right at the finish line and not in the middle of the race because you managed to win first, isn't that awesome!?" He then sighs and says, "Though it's a shame that you won't be out in time for Hearth's Warming."

You look at him and ask, "Hearth's Warming? What's that?"

The young dragon looks at you with surprise as he asks, "You don't know about Hearth's Warming!? Why it is the greatest time of year, there are all kinds of decorations to put up and gifts you can exchange with friends! It is a time when we celebrate the founding of Equestria by the three pony tribes, each town puts on a pageant of their own depicting the story of how it was founded. The largest pageant of them all is the one held in Canterlot every twenty-fourth of December!"

You then chuckle and say, "Interesting, are you forgetting anything, Spike?"

Spike thinks about it for a moment before gasping and saying, "Holy Moley! I need to get Twilight more paper and ink!" then takes off through the door calling behind him, "Thank you for reminding me!"

When Nurse Redheart brings you mashed potatoes covered in gravy with stuffing on the side and an omelet along with a glass of apple juice, saying, "It's lunchtime, Blistering Blizzard, once you finish eating, we will need to renew the splint under the cast to ensure the bone heals right. Now remember, we are not in any hurry, so take your time eating. With both of your hooves sprained, I will be helping you eat so that your hooves heal properly."

You sigh in embarrassment at not being able to feed yourself and swallow your pride, saying, "Thank you, it is strange how one can get so used to using magic with your horn to do so much, that you forget how the others have to get by without it."

She then chuckles and begins to feed you the potatoes and gravy first, getting a fair amount of mashed potato and gravy on the spoon before raising the spoon to your mouth, saying, "That is true, but it's something we all get used to after we're born."

After you finish your meal, a unicorn doctor comes in and adds more magic to the splint then departs, when Twilight shows up a half-hour later with her saddlebags and says, "Afternoon, Twilight. Are you ready to continue where we left off, or do you want me to tell you more about Azeroth?"

Twilight closes the door while thinking and then says, "Hmm, I think that it would be good to get more information about your world before continuing your story because there are things that I still don't understand."

With a chuckle, you then nod your head and say, "Very well, hope you don't mind it taking another week to get through what I know."

A week passes by as you finally get through your knowledge of the world of Azeroth, having taken a little extra time to tell due to how much there is to tell and the somewhat regular visits from the others. Spike has been stopping by more regularly as well, telling you more about Equestria that you didn't know.

When Twilight stops by again, you see her wearing a scarf and a pair of earmuffs and say, "I see that it is nearly ready to start snowing any day now."

She giggles and closes the door behind her, saying, "Yeah, though the snow should already be here, the weather pegasi must have fallen behind this year."

You chuckle and then say, "I think that Princess Celestia could plan things a bit better."

Twilight then smiles saying, "Well, I'm sure that she's doing the best she can with how busy she is with her daily duties to her subjects."

You then sigh and say, "She should just ask someone to straighten things out for her." With a shake of your head, you clear your voice and say, "Now where did we leave off?"

She pulls out a paper and says, "Well, we were going to get back to your story, and you last left off with the place where you first encountered skeletons." A shiver makes its way through her body as she thinks of the image of a human skeleton walking around.

With a sad look, you gaze at Twilight and say, "The story is going to get even worse from here on, so let me know when you need to stop. It is important that you hear my story in small bits from now on so that you can adjust to the knowledge and horrifying images you will no doubt conjure up while thinking of them."

Twilight then readies her quill and takes a calming breath, saying, "Okay, I'm ready."

You then continue your tale, saying, "After we found the blessed waters, we all drank from it to be healed and continued our way from village to village, but came across a granary a fair distance from the fountain. Jaina commented about how the land around it appeared to be dying, so I asked if the grain itself could be plagued. When I asked that, she told me that she hoped not because the emptied crates near the granary bore the regional seal of Andorhal, which was the distribution center for a great number of areas, and if the grain could spread the plague, there would be no knowing how many villages could be affected. As we continued along the road, we came to a town called Brill. That is where Jaina and I first encountered a group led by someone who I assumed to be some wizard when she suspected he was actually a necromancer and that he and the others with him could have been responsible for the plague. When they fled, a large group of undead came toward us accompanied by a massive, hulking creature." Sighing, you say, "You better brace yourself to hear this grotesque and nightmare-inducing description, Twilight."

She tries to keep her body from trembling at hearing of grain carrying a magical plague that kills the land and nods, saying, "I-I'm ready." while forcing a smile onto her face.

Knowing she is trying to remain calm, you then continue, saying, "The massive creature was sewn together from different corpses, was at least ten feet tall, gray-skinned, bipedal with one left arm attached to the shoulder wielding a five-foot long cleaver, and a right arm attached to the other wielding a hook on a very long chain, with a third arm wielding a slightly shorter cleaver. It had a massive belly that was rotted away, and you could clearly see its innards hanging out of the large hole. Despite its large size and rotted-away gut, it could run fairly well. We kept moving through and destroyed the warehouse with the tainted grain inside it, then set fire to it for good measure before moving on down the road to Andorhal." You then pause, saying, "Need a moment to catch up, Twilight?"

Briefly looking up from the paper, she shakes her head, saying, "Nope, please continue."

You then take a breath and say, "We encountered a few undead encampments and destroyed them before moving on to Andorhal. When we got there...there were fires everywhere and encountered the necromancer again. He introduced himself as Kel'Thuzad, he warned us to leave things well enough alone and that our curiosity will be the death of us. I asked him if he was responsible for the plague and the Cult of the Damned, to which he claimed responsibility for ordering the Cult to distribute the plagued grain, but did not take sole credit for it all. When Jaina asked him what he meant, he told us that he served the dreadlord named Malganis and that he commanded the scourge which would cleanse the land to create an eternal paradise of darkness. I asked him what the scourge was supposed to cleanse, he said it was supposed to be the living and that his plan was already in motion. He then told me to seek him out in Stratholme if I needed further proof, and then he took off and left a few undead to fight us. To our disappointment, we discovered the granaries were already emptied and destroyed, then burned them before chasing him down. As we slew the undead along the way, he stopped running which I then confronted him. Just before he died, he called me a naive fool and said that his death meant little in the end, but the scourging began." You look over at Twilight to see her shaking while writing away and say, "Let me know when you are ready for the next bit."

Twilight struggles to keep her frightened shaking under control as she nods, saying, "O-Okay, j-just a moment." A few moments pass as she looks up, still trembling from what she has heard, nodding, she says, "Okay, continue."

As you sigh and look outside to see the sun hanging lower in the sky, you say, "After killing Kel'Thuzad, Jaina and I made our way to Hearthglen. When we arrived the next morning, we saw several soldiers in the village preparing for an attack..." You then continue to tell her each detail of the following portion.

She writes the details down furiously until a quill breaks, forcing her to switch to another and resume where she left off, hearing you start speaking after a little bit, "After the battle was finished, Uther was surprised I held it together as long as I did and started to say something about if he hadn't shown up when he did. I interrupted him as my pride got to me and told him I did the best I could, but if I had a legion of knights at my back, I would've had no problems with the undead. He then tried to set me straight by telling me that it wasn't the time to choke on pride, that what we faced there at Hearthglen was only the beginning, and that their ranks were bolstered each time one of our soldiers fell. Wanting revenge, I then suggested we should strike at their leader and said that I would go to Stratholme myself to slay Mal'Ganis if I had to. Uther then tried to appease my anger by telling me to take it easy, that no matter how brave I was, I had no hope of defeating the one who controlled the dead by myself. Refusing to listen, I then told him to feel free to tag along because I was going with or without him."

Letting out a sigh, you then say, "That will have to be all for a little while because the next part is painful for me, and you need to recover from those feelings of fear you are currently feeling." You see her trembling more violently and say, "You should go drop off those papers, if it helps you feel safer, I guess you could stay by my side like Fluttershy does. You have nothing to fear from the plague that my people have suffered, for if it did exist here, it would have been noticed by now."

Twilight tries to get her trembling under control, but can't as her mind runs rampant over the horrific images going through it and instinctively asks, "How can one tell if the grain is infected with the plague?"

You look at her and say, "There will be a lot of vile insects drawn to it and the ground around it will die around wherever it sits, which is the only way to know due to it being odorless and colorless." You see her look around at the floor under her, looking for threats, and shout, "SPARKLEBUTT!"

She jerks upright and looks at you with wide, fearful eyes, asking in a scared note, "Y-Y-Yes?"

Looking into her eyes, you then try to convince her, saying, "The only way for the plague to be here is if the legion had a presence here or the Cult of the Damned was here, and Celestia or Luna would have known of anything that malevolent being in your world."

Twilight then sighs in relief and relaxes, saying, "Thank you for telling me that, it makes me feel much better." Realizing what you called her, she narrows her eyes and blushes lightly, saying, "You better not call me that when anypony's around!"

You watch her gather her things and say, "My offer to you stands if you have trouble sleeping, come back when you feel ready to hear when things went from bad...to worse. However, it will take me a couple of weeks to gather up the courage to talk about it, though I think it would be wise to wait until after the holiday to continue where we left off."

She puts a few things into her saddlebags and then says, "Okay, I will make sure to come by and visit again until then, and do my best to get over the scary knowledge you just gave me."

As she heads for the door, you say, "I hope you have a good night's sleep, Twilight."

Twilight looks over her shoulder at you, saying, "I hope you do too, Arthas." then heads out the door thinking, 'When I get home, I'm going to scan all the food in the pantry for anything amiss. After that...I'll go check my friend's homes for anything wrong, once I do that...perhaps I'll check the rest of the town's food.'

After she leaves, you begin to recall what Spike told you two weeks ago and remember the coming season as you think, 'It would be rude of me to not have gifts for them this season...I wonder what I could get them, or perhaps I could even craft something.'

When Spike stops by one day later in the morning, he looks at you with a weary look, saying, "Twilight spent much of yesterday checking the food to ensure it was safe to eat, now she's going to each of her friends' places and checking theirs out. So how are you doing today?"

You sigh and shake your head at Twilight not listening to you and say, "Aside from really wanting out of here, I'm doing okay, though I do have a small task for you if you're willing to help me with it."

He smiles and hops from foot to foot eagerly, asking, "Okay, what do you want me to do, huh!? Huh!?"

You look at him and say, "Well, I would like to get started on some presents for my friends this season, so I would like to ask you to take a letter to Princess Celestia?"

Spike nods and hops up on a chair beside a table saying, "Alright, let me get ready." and pulls out a quill, paper, and inkwell from a small bag he carries on his shoulder then sets them out on a flat surface, saying, "Okay, I'm ready."

You smile and then say, "Don't write this but I want you to keep in mind that Princess Celestia will be annoyed with me and not you, okay?"

The young dragon nods and blinks, saying, "Okay, so what do you want me to write to Her Majesty?"

You take a breath, saying, "Dear Princess Flankstia, it is Blistering Blizzard here, and this is the first letter that I have ever written to you. I have heard from Spike about what holiday is coming up and I thought it would be rude not to get gifts for all my friends, therefore, I am humbly asking for some books regarding using spells to create and craft physical items as well as spell books about enchanting. I intend to have the staff here replace the cast so that I can return to my unicorn appearance and get a start on gifts for them. Your humble annoyance, Blistering Blizzard...and send that please."

Spike cocks his head and asks, "Are you sure it is okay for you to tease the princess like that?"

With a chuckle, you say, "If I was any other pony, most definitely not Spike. If you send that to her right away, I'll ensure you get a gift this year for Hearth's Warming too."

He smiles widely and jumps for joy, saying, "Alright!" then sends the letter to her in a puff of flame and excitedly hops from leg to leg, wondering what kind of present he will get.

The reply comes a half-hour later as you watch Spike unfold it and hear him read it aloud, saying, "To my royal humble annoyance, Blistering Blizzard, I have considered your request and was intrigued about what you might get me and my sister this year, so I shall send a few books to you through Spike. Some of these books are highly treasured and irreplaceable, so please treat them with utmost care and respect. Your greatly irritated friend, Princess CELESTIA."

Spike looks at you as you start chuckling and asks, "Well, you certainly annoyed her, so-" then suddenly belches out green flame.

You watch the flame roll out and coalesce into a large pile of at least 40 books that land at the foot of the bed with a dull thud and say, "Alright, now, could you go get a doctor and ask them to come here?"

When Spike returns with the doctor, you ask him if he could remove the cast so you can shift back into a unicorn. It takes some conversing, but you manage to convince him to remove it to let you shift so you can craft items for your friends without leaving the bed.

Once the cast is replaced, the doctor looks at you while shaking his head, saying, "That is the most unique thing I have ever seen, your body looked as if it became slightly skinnier and sprouted a horn." He then asks, "How did that feel for you when it happened?"

You chuckle and say, "Well, it feels like growing a new body part, the sensation of things growing throughout your body is like ants crawling under your skin. It feels just the same as it happens in reverse, believe me. Thank you for agreeing to my odd request."

The doctor nods his head, saying, "It isn't every day that a patient asks for the cast to be removed so they can change their body from being an Earth Pony to being a Unicorn, can you change gender also?"

Shaking your head, saying, "No, that I am not able to do, and I wouldn't do it if I could, it would just seem wrong and unnatural if I were to do that."

Understanding he nods saying, "I was only curious if you could do that as well, out of professional medical curiosity. With your cast out of the way, I shall let you return to recuperating, good day Blistering Blizzard." He then turns and heads out of the room.

You turn to Spike and then say, "I appreciate you coming by to chat Spike, perhaps you should get going back to help Twilight or Rarity? One of them might need your help, and I have quite a bit of studying to catch up on."

Spike nods with a smile on his face, saying excitedly as he hurries out the door, "I can't wait to see what I'll get! I hope that it is something fun and full of wonder!"

With a chuckle, you pull the first book over and begin to read it while studying the spells within it, thinking, 'If I'm going to get these all read and committed to my memory in time, I need to stay awake all night.'

It takes you a couple of weeks to get through the last book in the stack that Celestia sent you when you start to think up ideas for gifts to get the others, with the hardest being Twilight. You begin to make a list of what you will need for the first few gifts as you hear a cart being pushed toward the door and see a cart full of decorations pushed by a nurse, then hear a thump against the window. You turn to look and see that it was just a snowball hitting the window and see a young filly's face pop up apologizing for the stray snowball, putting a soft smile on your face while nodding your head to her before pulling the curtain closed slowly.

Spike makes his way through the corridor as he watches the hospital staff put up decorations for Hearth's Warming, eventually arriving at your room and knocking on the door, saying, "You awake Blistering Blizzard?"

Pulling the list back out, you say, "Great timing Spike, how have things been going over at Twilight's?"

He then says, "Great, Twilight finally stopped checking every pony's food supply yesterday. What's up?"

You look at him and say, "Well, I am almost finished with a list of things I will need for the gifts I plan to give for Hearth's Warming."

Spike smiles and nods, saying, "Okay, hand me the list and I will find everything you need."

A smile crosses your face as you say, "That is good to hear, I'll just write down a few small notes for each item to be clear about what I am looking for...and done." then hand it over to him saying, "Here you go, if anyone asks, tell them that I need them for the holiday."

The young dragon then nods, saying, "Okay, no problem." and looks over the list, then looks up, saying, "I'll find everything you need no problem!" He then hurries out the door to start the scavenger hunt.

After he leaves, you pull out another paper and close the door before writing, 'Greetings, Your Royal Majesty, I am writing this letter to you to request your aid in procuring an item that is fun and full of adventure for Spike. Cost is of no concern as I will reimburse you for the expense, please be sure to send the gift and a note of the cost via courier rather than through Spike. Awaiting your reply, Blistering Blizzard.'

When Spike returns a couple of hours later with everything on the list, he says, "Sorry it took me so long, I found it all within an hour but I had to help Twilight and Rarity with putting their decorations up."

You then grin and say, "It's alright Spike, now just set the small box up on the tray beside me so I can start working on it later. I have a letter for you to send to Celestia for me, when she responds I need you to hand the letter to me due to it being of a sensitive nature." then hand the scroll to him in your magic.

The young dragon takes the letter from your magic and sends it off with a puff of flame, saying, "Alright, is there anything that I can help you with?"

With a shake of your head, you say, "Nope, perhaps you could lend the staff here a hand in putting their decorations up, just make sure to bring her reply here before returning to helping them, alright?"

Spike then nods his head saying, "Sure thing."

Meanwhile, in Canterlot

Celestia is enjoying a rare day when she has nothing to do and is walking around the city, greeting the ponies that pause to greet and wave to her as she arrives at a shop that sells games. She heads inside to look around at what they have and looks at some card games before passing them by when she comes across some board games.

The shopkeeper comes out of the back room and is surprised to see Princess Celestia, of all ponies, in his shop and bows to her, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty. What brings you to my humble shop?"

She looks at him and smiles saying, "Please rise, I am here on an errand for an annoying friend of mine. Fortunately, we were both thinking of getting a gift for a mutual friend of ours. When he mentioned that our friend was wishing for something fun and full of adventure, I thought of getting him some kind of game. What do you recommend for a young, curious dragon?"

The portly shopkeeper straightens out and says, "Well, Your Majesty, if he is wishing for adventure and fun, there is a game that just came out. It is a turn-based fantasy game."

Princess Celestia listens to him tell her more about it, making her smile as she finds the perfect game for him, saying, "That sounds like just what he is looking for, I would like to purchase it."

As he takes the game over to the counter, he says, "Okay, Your Majesty, that will be 50 bits please."

She pulls the bits out and counts the amount, then sets the bits on the counter, saying, "Thank you so much."

The shopkeeper smiles and says, "No thank you, Your Majesty. Would you like me to wrap it for you or put it in a bag?"

Celestia thinks for a moment, saying, "I shall wrap it myself, but thank you for offering. A bag would be nice, and I do appreciate your thoughtfulness. I hope you have a wonderful Hearth's Warming this year."

He pulls out a tall bag and sets the game down into it, then sets it on the counter, saying, "Here you go, Your Majesty. I hope you have a happy Hearth's Warming as well."

She takes the bag with a smile and leaves the shop, feeling elated at finding something she knows Spike will enjoy, thinking, 'I'm glad that he mentioned what Spike was looking for, as I might have gotten him something else.'

When she returns to the castle, she puts the bag in her room and writes a reply before sending it off, asking herself out loud, "Now what kind of paper do I want to use and what bow..."

Back inside the Ponyville Hospital

You unroll the scroll as Spike goes back to helping the staff decorate, reading the letter to yourself silently, 'Greetings to you as well, Arthas, it is fortuitous that you caught me on a rare day when I was not busy and was thinking of getting some gifts for friends. I shall have this gift wrapped and brought to you when I am finished, make sure that you sign your name ABOVE mine as I had to acquire it for you. It is kind of you to offer to reimburse me for the expense, however, it is not necessary as I was already planning on a gift for Spike. I look forward to what kind of gift you shall be getting my sister and me for Hearth's Warming.'

As you smile briefly with one gift out of the way, you then make your way to the next one, saying, "One down, eight more to go." With gifts to get started on, you then pull one of the cleaned-out, empty frosting tubes out of the box and begin experimenting on trying to fill it with frost.

Time passes by as you try a few experiments first, managing to get all of the other gifts made except for two and hide them in the cabinet in the corner. When Rarity stands near the bed, you ask, "Since you are a mare with quite a discerning eye, perhaps you might lend your knowledge?"

Rarity bats her eyes at him, cocking her head curiously, and asks, "What would you ask from moi?"

You then say, "I'm trying to craft something just right with a spell, so would you tell me what you think of the quality and style?"

She then asks, "Alright, what do you need my judgment on?" and takes out her glasses to see really small details, then puts them on her face.

As you look at her wearing glasses, you then pull out a small box of icicle decorations you have been messing with and ask, "Those are the result of the first time I was casting a new spell I learned. I have a different idea in mind, but I was wondering what you thought of these before I discarded them."

Rarity looks down with wide, curious eyes at the box filled with icicles that twist and taper down to a rounded point and pulls one out, then looks it over with a great deal of scrutiny for a minute or two. When she finishes, she sets it aside and then says, "These are quite interesting, they are good quality glass and the design is eye-catching."

With a relaxed face, you ask, "So do you think they would be palace-worthy?"

She looks at you curiously and asks, "You mean, would they be worthy of decorating Canterlot Castle?"

You nod and say, "Yes."

Rarity smiles and shakes her head gently, saying, "Oh heavens no, darling. If they were to hang in Canterlot Castle, they would need to be made of crystal."

Looking at the box, you purse your lips together as you ask, "Are any in there that are crystal?"

She looks at the box and hums thoughtfully, saying, "I am not sure, let's find out." She then starts pulling them out one by one, making one pile for the glass ones and reserving a spot for the crystal ones.

You watch her go through all the icicles you made and chuckle at seeing just one large pile of short and long glass icicles, saying, "I think that one big pile means that they are all glass, correct?"

Rarity then nods her head saying, "Mhm, that they are. It might be a little more complicated for you to make crystal icicles due to high-quality crystal having a percentage of lead in it."

Cocking your head at hearing this bit of news, you then say, "Huh, I didn't know that fancy crystal contained a heavy metal like lead, which is quite surprising at how it is not good for one's health."

She then chuckles lightly, saying, "Oh don't worry darling, because there are other options such as barium, zinc, or even potassium oxide."

You then smirk and nod, saying, "Hmm...alright then, let's see if I can figure out how to make a high-class quality icicle." Closing your eyes to focus, you then concentrate on the spell you were using and find it much harder this time due to mixing another metal with the formula in your head. You hold the formula in your head and decide to switch from using zinc to a more common metal, picking silver instead.

Rarity watches with wide eyes as a twinkling drop appears in the air as Blistering Blizzard concentrates on the spell, observing how it begins to grow longer with a slight rippling effect as if two small trickles are hitting opposite sides of two angles and going through a hole. When the icicle is finished, she watches a small loop form at the top and blinks in disbelief saying, "Wow, now that is truly amazing, let's see if this is crystal."

You breathe hard for a few moments and hand her the newly made 6" icicle, asking, "So, what is the verdict?"

She taps her hoof against it lightly, liking the sound she hears. She then holds it in the light and turns it around, catching a bright sparkle in her eye that leaves a purple spot in her vision for a few moments. Having her decision made, she sets it down gently in a separate pile and looks at you with a neutral face, suddenly smiling widely as she says, "It's absolutely perfect to hang in Canterlot Castle!"

With a sigh, you smile and say, "That is great to hear, could you put the glass ones into the box? As a thank-you gift, why don't you just have a seat for a moment and close your eyes while I make it?"

Rarity smiles and lifts the pile of glass icicles off the bed and sets them all into the box, setting the shorter ones to one side. Picking up the new crystal one and setting it on the bed where the previous pile was, she then climbs up into the chair and closes her eyes.

As you close your eyes, you concentrate on channeling the spell again with the same formula as before. Taking your time, you make one crystal icicle after another of the same length, making 14 more before making ones that are 4 1/2 inches long.

She begins to slowly doze off when she hears you say her name and opens her eyes to see the bed empty and asks, "So what is the gift you wanted to give me, could it be a kiss for moi?"

You chuckle and keep the finished icicle set out of view, saying, "Perhaps next year, Lady Rarity, but I thought that since I can finally make nice enough decorations you might like to have these icicles you assisted me in making."

Rarity's eyes go wide as saucers at seeing icicles of three different lengths and that there are several of each one, making her almost prance in her chair as she looks up to him, asking, "Are you sure that you want me to have such nice icicles?"

Nodding your head, you say, "Yes I am sure, those loops at the top of the icicles are where the string goes through so you can hang it on a tree, dangle it just past an edge, or wherever you'd like." then set them on the bed saying, "If any break, just let me know and I can easily replace it."

She barely stops herself from squealing with delight and gets down off the chair, stopping beside the bed, saying, "Why thank you very much for this extraordinary gift, I shall treasure them for many years." then climbs partway onto the bed and kisses his cheek before pulling out a piece of red satin ribbon and bundling them together.

You look down at the others in the box and say, "Before you go, could you put the others in the hall and let the staff know that they can have them?"

Rarity nods and picks up the box and sets it outside against the wall beside the door, saying to a passing nurse, "Excuse me, but my friend wants the hospital to have the glass icicles he was making earlier with his magic."

The unicorn nurse heads over to the box and pulls one of the icicles out and gasps saying, "Oh they are so lovely, is he sure that he wants us to have these?"

She nods, saying, "He is because these are the results of the first time he was using a new spell he learned, and has another project in mind for the spell."

The nurse smiles and then pokes her head into the door, saying, "That is so thoughtful of you, sir! I will let the others know and find out where we can hang these, thank you very much!"

You look out the door and watch her pick up the box, saying to her, "You're welcome." When Rarity enters the room again, she wraps her icicles up in a chunk of cloth.

Rarity then looks at him and smiles, saying, "I'm glad that your front pasterns are no longer strained, though it really is a pity that you won't be out of the hospital until mid-January."

As you look up at her, you nod, saying, "So am I and it is, but at least I can close the window to block my view of the snow outside, which keeps my pesky memories from popping up so frequently and souring my mood. Who knows, maybe I might be able to enjoy this coming holiday. Thank you for stopping by, Lady Rarity."

She then picks up her precious gift, saying, "You are welcome, darling, and I greatly appreciate the lovely gift you've given me." then makes her way out of the room after kissing him on the cheek again.

When she leaves, you then wonder how you are going to accomplish making your next gift when you hear Twilight's voice in the hall as she talks to Rarity for a bit before walking into your room and grin at her, saying, "Just the mare that could assist me with my project, how are you doing Twilight?"

Twilight looks at him with a smile, saying, "I am good, I hear that you are thinking of making decorations for the Princess' Castle in Canterlot."

Rolling your eyes at how mare's talk about everything, you nip the potential for her to spill the beans to Celestia by saying, "Before I tell you what I need help with, I need you to Pinkie Promise me that you will keep the secret to yourself until after the 26th of December."

She groans and says, "Ugh, fine..." then begins the motions, saying unenthusiastically, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She then sets her hoof back down and looks at you with an annoyed, unimpressed expression on her face, saying, "Happy now?"

With a chuckle, you nod and say while closing the door behind her, "I am, what I need your assistance with is to hold up a small wire that has tiny gem pieces stuck to one end and a loop on the other, so that I can use a spell to try to encase it."

Twilight cocks her head curiously and asks, "Okay, what are you trying to encase it in?"

You smirk and pick up one piece from a small box beside the bed with a small, rounded piece of amber at the end, saying, "You will have to wait and find out after I finish the spell."

She huffs and takes hold of the piece of wire in her magic, watching him as he closes his eyes and concentrates on channeling a spell. When she notices a drop of water in the air around the middle of the wire, it mesmerizes her as she realizes that it isn't water at all when it grows wider and flattens out. As she observes lines forming in it, the shape refines into a shape she realizes is the sun and gasps in surprise when it is finished and begins to glow, saying, "Amazing! Just how did you get it to glow, and what spell was that?"

Thinking whether or not you should tell her, you shrug your shoulders and say, "It doesn't really have a name as I modified one that was used to create glass. Give it a gentle tap and look closer, it should be made out of a much higher-quality crystal using a formula I came up with. As for how it glows, I just channeled some of my magic into it. Could you check it to see how long it will keep its glow?"

Twilight's mind switches to scientific mode as she nods and lays the finished sun on the bed to scan it. She examines it thoroughly, using her magic, eyes, and hooves to scan or look over every inch of the glowing decoration. When she finishes looking it over, she then turns to him with shock on her face, saying, "It's a very, high-end crystal since it contains thirty percent silver with the detailed design you put into it, I confidently believe that the glow will last for at least two days before needing to be recharged. What really sets it over the top is the glittering, frosted appearance you gave it, if you wished to sell it you could get anywhere from fifty to seventy-five bits."

With a smile, you then say, "Good, can you tell me if there is a private room in the castle that has a fireplace and what measurement the lowest point is from the roof or supports?"

She nods her head, saying, "Yes there is, they have a personal living room that the princess and I used to spend Hearth's Warming together, I believe the lowest point from the ceiling is twelve feet... wait, no, it's fifteen feet."

You nod and pick up the box on the floor saying, "Alright, then let us keep going and make the rest.

Twilight smiles and says, "Okay, how many are you planning to make?"

With a grin, you pull another wire with a loop on one end and a light blue diamond on the other, then hand it to her, saying, "Just a hundred of three different types of decoration, then after that, you'll need to do some figuring of how long the string will need to be for a twelve-foot tree."

She blinks in disbelief for a few moments before her eye begins to twitch, saying, "Let's just get through making the decorations first, okay? Then we will move on to the next task."

12: The Gifts

Having to draw some magic from Spellmourne, a day passes when you and Twilight finish the last decoration when she looks at you and asks, "That is the last one, how are we going to know how long to make the string for the tree?"

A thought hits you as you then think, 'A normal tree would turn brown after a little while, which would mean an expense every year. I wonder if I could help them out by giving them something that lasts through the years...' You look at her and ask, "Hmm, I am going to try something new, could you bring me a half-dozen potted ferns if they still can be found this time of year? If they can't, any kind of potted plant that is flexible will work, I will reimburse you for any cost."

Twilight smiles and says, "You don't have to do that, but thank you." then makes her way out to go find the plants.

When Twilight returns with six small evergreen trees, you pay her back for buying the plants and set one on a tray while concentrating on changing its molecular structure. When you finish with the first attempt, you look at Twilight and ask, "Well, how did it turn out? Is it still flexible and will it last?"

She looks it over and touches it with a hoof, causing a part to fall off due to being transformed into frost, saying, "Unfortunately not, just what exactly are you trying to accomplish here?"

You look at her and tell her what you have in mind as Twilight helps you adjust the spell quite a bit to get it to work right, making an attempt with each big change to the spell and hoping to get it right. When you two do finally get it right and transform it into a multi-tiered, metallic tree with sets of branches that you can remove, you grin and look at her saying, "Now let's see if we can get the doctors to let me go outside to find the right tree to do this."

Twilight looks at you with a nod and says, "I will go find them and ask about it, be right back." then heads out of the room.

When you see Twilight return a half-hour later, you look at her and ask, "So what did the doctor say, can I go outside for a little bit?"

She puts on an act and sighs, saying, "I tried to tell them that I would take great care of you, but they still said no."

You shrug your shoulders and start thinking of another way to get outside and say, "Perhaps we could stage a breakout to accomplish what we need to do..." You then hear Twilight snigger and look at her with your head cocked to the side and ask, "What's funny?"

Twilight's expression turns around instantly as she giggles and says, "I am just teasing you, they said you can go outside. In fact, I managed to convince them to let you recover at my place."

You smile slightly as you think this over and say, "Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful, Twilight. There are a few gifts that I am going to need you to move to your house before we start packing up my things, alright?"

She beams a smile and nods, saying, "Alright, I can do that for you. Where are they located?"

Glad that you had time to get them all wrapped, you turn to her and say, "They are all hidden in the cabinet, and there's seven in all. The sooner you can get them to your house, the sooner we can get out of here but remember, some of those are fragile and must be handled carefully."

Twilight then nods and heads over to the cabinet, then carefully lifts the wrapped presents out with her magic, saying, "I will be right back once I get these over to my house, and then we will get started on moving you into the library."

After Twilight helps you settle into the library, the two of you go search for a tree that would work. When you do find the perfect one, you purchase it and bring it back to the main room of the library, saying, "Now that we have the tree, let's transform it."

She smiles at being able to help her friend get leave from the hospital to enjoy the holidays, watching you as you close your eyes and focus on the spell, saying, "Remember the process now, work your way up from the base, then go out."

You concentrate on turning the tree base into silver first, then work on changing the branches next. When you get that done, you alter the remaining bits and adjust the color and structure of the needles. Looking the tree over, you then have Twilight test one of the branches, and watch it bounce back like it should nod and say, "Alright, now on to the next step, Twilight."

Twilight blinks in disbelief, saying, "There's another step?! How much more are you planning to do to this tree?"

With a chuckle, you say, "Not much more, so relax Sparklebutt." You then adjust your foreleg's position in the cast and roll your eyes at the nuisance, then call forth Spellmourne as that last spell left you a little drained. Once your magic is replenished, you send it back to its space and close your eyes to focus on what you are trying to do.

She watches curiously as you manage to separate the very top part of the tree and bring it down to the ground, and looks it over closely to see a small cylindrical piece sticking out of the bottom portion of the tree top. Blinking in disbelief, she turns to you and asks, "You're planning on making this tree able to be taken apart and put back together each year?!"

You nod and chuckle, saying, "I am, so grab something to mark the rows they come from, I will be starting with removing the bottom row."

As Twilight grabs an assortment of colored, skinny, ribbons and a hot glue gun, she starts marking the branches with a single color before marking the space on the tree where they came from, asking, "Is it important to return them to the exact spot they came from?"

While you make another pile for the next row up, you shake your head, saying, "No it isn't, the holes on each level are roughly the same size, besides, if they aren't, the princesses will have fun figuring out which hole they go in."

When the two of you finish the tree, you realize that the tree needs a topper on it and use a good deal of your magic to make a special one for the two sisters and look at Twilight, breathing hard from the effort of making it and say, "Now we just need a box to put the tree in, write some instructions on how to put the tree together, then write a letter to Celestia asking her send a pegasi guard here with a small wagon to pick up the gifts." You get the feeling as if you're forgetting something and chuckle, saying, "Hey, I just remembered, we need to put the crystal decorations on a string for the tree yet."

Caught up in the festive mood, Twilight sniggers and says, "How silly of us to forget something so important as that! We better get a start on putting it back together first."

You look at her and grin, saying, "You go get some suitable string for these to hang on, I'll get this back together so we can start putting the final touches on it."

Twilight says, "Alright, I will be back before you know it." then trots out of the library with her mood high, and tail lifted slightly.

By the time Twilight arrives, you have the crystal decorations laid out carefully on one side of the room, saying, "I laid out the pattern for the decorations while you were out, what color string did you get?"

She then pulls out a roll of heavy, braided, silver thread saying, "I asked Rarity if she could make some heavy silver thread for hanging heavy ornaments from, she was in such a good mood that she surprised me with how quickly she made it. It's getting dark out now, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to get a box."

After you both enjoy a meal made by Spike, Twilight runs the string around the tree to measure it. Once she cuts it, you let her tie small loops evenly throughout the string as you wire the lights onto the loops.

When the last of the loops are used, you look at the extra ornaments left over and smile saying, "At least the princesses will have extras if any should break, let's see how it looks with the string and lights."

Twilight smiles and nods saying, "Since you used your magic so much, you can wrap them around the tree and I will charge the gem pieces."

As Spike goes to bed, the two of you finish putting the lights on the tree and watch as Twilight puts the topper onto the tree and charges the gem pieces within it. You both then take a few steps back and look at the magnificent tree and marvel at how beautiful it is when Twilight says, "This really is a magnificent tree, I am sure that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are going to really love this."

You then start to feel cozy looking at the tree and yawn, saying, "I know they will, though Celestia will most likely assume this is a jab at her having a big flank. The joke is on her this time because this isn't a jab at all, just a nice early present for Hearth's Warming."

She then smiles and slides a bit closer to him, then starts to feel drowsy as well, saying with a yawn, "I guess that we should get you upstairs to my bed so you can be comfortable."

As your eyes get heavier, you feel her bump up against your right side and protest, saying, "No I'm too comfortable right now to attempt the stairs." and then start to lie down carefully.

Twilight chuckles as her eyes get heavy too while her mind becomes addled with weariness and looks up at the stairs, cocking her head to the left, saying, "Huh...you are right, there seems to be too many." She then looks down at you and says, "The spot next to you looks rather inviting, scootch over handsome." She then lies down and snuggles up against you, lying her head up against your neck.

The next day

When Twilight rouses from her sleep feeling tired, very warm, and comfortable, she lifts her head off the pillow and winces as her head is killing her with its pounding. When she hears a deep-sounding breath, she rubs the sleep in her eyes away and then looks down beside her. Her fuzzy vision doesn't offer much detail at first and waits for them to focus, when she realizes that she is lying belly-to-belly with Arthas. She begins to panic when her pounding headache gets in the way eliciting a groan from her lips instead of a scream.

Suffering from your own hangover, you feel around with your right leg, pulling yourself up to where the sound came from, and press your lips against the female lying next to you. Slipping your tongue into her mouth, you then pull away saying, "Come back to bed sweety, we can kill Spike later."

Too tired to deal with what is going on, she groans again as her head feels like Applejack is trying to kick her way outside of her skull, saying, "Fiiinnne." then lies back down and snuggles back into Arthas's side.

When Spike wakes up sometime around noon, he gasps at seeing how high the sun is and jumps out of bed saying, "Woah nelly, it's so late!" then hurries down the stairs to start making food for Twilight and you. He gets downstairs and sees the two of you lying beside each other as Twilight's head rests on your shoulder.

As you two wake up to smell something cooking, you feel the weight on your neck go away and hear a feminine groan followed by a light stumbling of hoofsteps. You open your eyes to catch Twilight making her way to the kitchen on wobbly legs and get up to assist her, saying softly through your pounding head, "Hold a moment wobbly, let me help you."

Groaning softly in annoyance at the pounding in her head, she turns her head to look back at you saying softly, "Okay, just get on my right side because of your cast."

You make your way up to her and lean against her slightly, hearing her stumble a bit as she tries to adjust and ask in a low tone, "Ready to be my left legs?"

She smirks and says, "Only if you're ready to be my right legs, I was wondering why I'm all left hooves today."

The two of you make your way to the kitchen steadying each other as Spike looks at you two and asks in a loud voice, "Woah! What happened to you two!?"

You wince at the loud tone and hiss, saying, "Quiet voice, if you please. We are suffering a hangover because we enjoyed too much liquor last night."

Spike cocks his head and says, "Huh? When did you guys drink liquor? I only served you guys spiked cider."

Twilight groans and says in a low tone, "Spike...that was alcoholic liquor because it contains alcohol, which is something that helps ponies relax in small doses. In larger amounts, such as five glasses or more will result in most ponies waking up with headaches, and sensitivity to light and sound as well. Those symptoms mean that the pony is suffering from a hangover." She blinks at him and asks, "Spike, could you do me a favor and make sure that you don't open anything bottled that says Spiked or has alcohol in it?"

He chuckles as he looks at her gnarly bedhead, saying, "Sure thing, Twilight."

After you and Twilight enjoy a hearty breakfast, you attempt to make your hangovers go away as you make a dwarven cure for it which contains mostly alcohol and fill two glasses a third full with a lightly swirling yellow and orange concoction. With the mixture completed, you carry it over to Twilight saying, "Don't smell it first and shoot it back as fast as you can, not sure how well ponies can handle this so we'll both learn something new." You set it down before her and raise your own saying, "Cheers." then drink it down as quickly as you can. As you swallow the last bit, you belch loudly and feel much better, saying, "Ah, still tastes just like it should, which means..."

Twilight downs her drink quickly without smelling it first, gagging for a moment before forcing it down. She feels a little green after drinking the concoction, which makes her belch just as loudly and blushes in embarrassment. Quickly putting a hoof over her mouth, reflexively saying, "Excuse me." she watches you turn away from Spike and start heading away, just to stop and move your tail aside. She opens her mouth to ask something when you let an obnoxiously loud and long fart rip, thinking, 'OH CELESTIA, DID HE SERIOUSLY JUST GAS SPIKE?!'

Spike looks at the wall ahead of him with wide eyes as he begins to laugh, taking a breath while slapping his belly saying, "Oh CELESTIA that was hilarious! HAHAHA..." then takes another breath and falls to his right side when he passes out from the smell.

You look behind you after hearing a thud, then look at Twilight with a big grin, saying, "Spike has been punished."

She then frowns at him and says, "YOU THINK!?" She is about to say something else when her stomach gurgles violently and squeezes her flanks together to try to keep it quiet. When it tears out of her with an angry hiss, she fights to keep her flanks together when it becomes a high-pitched whistling.

A grin crosses your face as you watch the two glasses begin to vibrate, then abruptly shatter as the whistling gets even higher. When you look up at Twilight, her face is redder than a cherry as the whistling becomes a hiss and her tail falls back into place. Unable to keep from chuckling, you close your nose and say, "Now he has been very thoroughly punished, let's get out of here before we too fall victim to the smell." Using your magic, you find a piece of paper and leave a note for Spike. Turning back to Twilight, you say, "Alright, let's get going and see if we can find some boxes."

Twilight gets off her stool, still blushing crimson and too embarrassed to even speak, and starts to head for the door after casting a lasting barrier around the trees and books to protect them from the smell.

You close the door behind you as Twilight refuses to say anything and hobble up beside her, bumping into her asking, "Hey, wanna go for a run to air out? Follow me." then take off at a three-legged canter.

She sees you canter off and gasps, calling out, "HEY! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DOING ANY RUNNING!" and then takes off after you.

When Spike comes back around, he holds his nose as his eyes burn and water. Getting back onto his feet, he spots a note on the floor and picks it up to read it, 'DON'T BREATHE FIRE! FIRE BAD!' Spike then scowls at it and huffs in annoyance, saying, "Fire isn't bad, it will clear this smell in an instant." then breathes in through his mouth and exhales green fire. A sudden fiery explosion rocks the whole tree as Spike blinks a few times and looks at his reflection in the oven, seeing that his face and scales are blackened with soot. With a cough, he says, "Right...fire bad..." then falls over as he falls asleep again.

When you and Twilight arrive at Sweet Apple Acres, she is still blushing but is chuckling a little as you see Applejack scooping some snow. Heading over to her, you call out, "Hey there Applejack, having fun clearing a path through the snow?"

She then stops and looks over at you and Twilight with a smile, answering, "As much fun as a hog in mud. Ah'm surprised to see ya out so early, what's up with that?"

Twilight then happily opens up and says, "Well I was helping him work on some gifts over the past few days and yesterday morning I decided to see if the doctor would let him come stay with me for Hearth's Warming, surprisingly, he agreed to it so we spent the majority of the day or so working on a few of his gifts. I was wondering if you would be able to make us a shipping box thirteen feet long by four feet wide by three feet high, and another box that is five feet long by three feet wide by three feet high?"

Applejack then nods, saying, "Ah can have Big Mac build them fer ya right quick." then puts her hoof in her mouth and whistles sharply towards the barn, then calls out, "Hey Mac! Twilight and Blizzard need a couple of boxes to ship gifts in! One needs to be thirteen feet long by four feet wide by three feet high, and the other needs to be five feet long by three feet wide by three feet high!"

Big Mac hears her from the barn and calls out loudly, "EEYUP!"

She then takes a breath and then looks at you and waves a hoof in front of her nose saying, "Hooooey! Somepony went a little heavy on cabbage and beans, didn't ya big guy?"

You smirk and chuckle, saying, "Apologies for the lingering smell Applejack, but it is a result of what happened last night."

Twilight looks away as her face turns beet-red from embarrassment when you start telling Applejack what happened, trying to see if there is an empty barrel she can hide in.

Rainbow is on a cloud up above the group of ponies, listening in to the tale as she hears what you did to Spike and begins snickering to herself until she hears what happened with Twilight and laughs so hard she falls off her cloud.

Applejack looks around as she hears a pony laughing raucously when something hits the pile of snow she was shoveling, sending it out in a wave that covers her and hits you and Twilight as well. She looks crossly into the snowpile at the pegasus who is holding her sides while kicking wildly with laughter, causing her to say, "RAINBOW! How many times do ah have to tell ya not to spy on ponies!?"

The pegasus snorts and says, "I can't help it! Hearing how Twilight obliterated two glasses just by passing gas is too much!"

Still blushing furiously and wishing she could disappear, Twilight turns to Rainbow and shouts, "I WAS TRYING TO BE QUIET ABOUT IT!"

Fighting her own laughter at hearing it, she sheds tears of mirth saying, "Come on Rainbow, Twilight is embarrassed mightily about this."

Wanting to send Applejack over the edge, you finish the story saying, "That wasn't all, because I left a note to Spike warning him not to breathe fire, we left on a slow run. When we were a hundred feet from the house, Twilight and I both heard a small explosion from inside and guessed at what happened. I was snickering the whole way here as Twilight just kept getting redder and redder."

Unable to fight it anymore, she falls to her side and joins Rainbow on the ground in raucous laughter, saying, "Poor Spike...we should...hahaha...check on him...to see if he is...hahahaha...alright."

You snicker and say, "I'm pretty sure that he is just fine, perhaps a little dirty after the fiery explosion from lighting the gas. A dragon can't be hurt by their own flames."

Twilight pulls you away from the laughing mares, still a bit embarrassed at how funny her friends found the story and sticks close to your side by the barn to let Applejack's brother know which side has the lid for the boxes.

When you go to pay Big Mac for the boxes, Twilight beats you to it, leaving you to say, "Thanks for making these Big Mac, I hope you have a wonderful Hearth's Warming this year." As you feel Twilight snap your flank with her tail, you look back for a moment, then turn back to Mac and say, "I will swing by sometime after I am released from the hospital."

After you apologize to Spike for what you did, he forgives you although he thought it was hilarious, and sends your request to Princess Celestia. She responds a few moments later and informs you that a couple of guards are on their way to pick up the packages.

You are studying the books that Celestia sent you through Spike when you hear a knock and see Spike head to the door, following him with your eyes as you see a couple of guards outside with one at the door and stand up, saying, "Good timing soldier, good timing."

The guard looks at the stallion stoically and says, "We're here for the Princesses' packages, sir."

With a nod, you head to the first one and start carrying it out with your magic, saying, "Splendid, this first box is not fragile."

The guard moves aside to let the stallion pass as his eyes follow the box colored in red and white striped paper with loose ribbons sitting on the top, asking, "What's in the box, sir?"

You set the box down and let the loose ribbon tacked to the bottom slip off of it and lift the lid up saying, "Just a Hearth's Warming present for Princess Celestia, it is a tree requiring a little assembly and decorating is all." As the guard comes over to inspect it, he steps back with a nod and says you can close it up. You set the wrapped lid back down and pound the four corner nails in, then pull the ribbon up over the middle of the long side and drape it over the other box. While you lift the other side up and lay it on the lid, you do the same to the long ribbon ends before looking inside the open door and call to Twilight, "Twilight, can you come tie a big bow on this first box for me so I can load it onto their wagon?"

Twilight chuckles as she trots out wearing a scarf, saying with a smirk on her face, "You can master hundreds of spells, but have problems tying a bow?"

You let Twilight get started and huff saying, "I learn all I can so that I will be able to act when serious trouble comes to Equestria."

She works on tying the bow and chuckles saying, "No, you study like you're preparing for an intense battle, you need to remember that Equestria is a peaceful place."

Turning your head to look at her, you say, "That may be true, but where there is peace...a fierce battle is never far behind. Heed my words well, for I ignored wise words one too many times and it led me to ruin." then head back inside to grab the last crate.

Twilight looks up at the guards, who have the expression showing a question begging to be asked on their faces, and says, "Don't worry about him, sirs, he is just in one of his moods."

When you bring the next crate out, you set it by the guard, saying, "This crate needs to be handled very carefully as it holds two Hearth's Warming presents made out of crystal that are buried within the straw. The items themselves have small gems that I enchanted to be filled with magic so they glow." You then slide the ribbons off the lid and lift it to reveal the contents for the guard to inspect. Something about the guard strikes you as odd, making you observe the guard very closely.

The guard looks over from where he's hooked up to the wagon, observing their partner as he comes over and uses his wings to move the straw and items aside carefully. He takes notice of how you observe their partner rather closely and thinks, 'Is he going to attack my partner?'

As you watch the other guard finish inspecting the crate and look up from the box, you focus all your attention on their eyes when they flinch ever so slightly and quickly recover their stoic demeanor. You smirk as you see something quite interesting in them and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

The guard looks at the stallion with a stony gaze as they wonder what he is doing, then resumes his duty and says, "Okay sir, you may clo-" He is surprised beyond measure or reaction when he feels the stallion's mouth over his, kissing him deeply with tongue as he stands there like a statue when his tongue starts to act on its own and dances around with his.

Twilight stares at you with her jaw on the ground and with eyes wider than saucers as she sees you intimately kissing another stallion while questions run rampant through her mind demanding to be voiced first, leaving her unable to even speak.

The guard hooked up to the wagon looks at the scene unfolding and fights a smirk from appearing as he thinks, 'I wonder how good that kiss will turn out to be...' He continues to watch closely as his partner's eyes close of their own volition, hearing a soft moan rise up his throat and escape through his nose. When he watches his partner lean into it and really get into the kiss, he is surprised to see his wings shoot slightly upwards and straight out to his sides.

With your unspoken question answered, you ease up and gently push the hungry guard back, saying gently, "Take it easy guard, you left your composure back in the barracks, take a breath and recompose yourself."

It takes the guard a moment of heated panting when he is finally able to pull himself back together and retract his locked-out wings with a slight coloration on his cheeks, letting out an uncomfortable and embarrassed cough, saying, "As I said, sir, you may close the box up now."

You nod and put the lid on, then drape the ribbons over the box, saying peacefully, "Thank you." then look over to Twilight, who is rooted to the spot with a shocked speechless expression on her face and shake your head, saying, "Oh Twilight, you need to work on not being so surprised with what I do?" To spark a reaction out of her, you hobble slowly toward her saying, "Because if you don't..." stopping right in front of her face and start to lean in for a kiss saying, "I might just get addicted to kissing you."

She watches you slowly get closer and takes control of her own mind, then gives herself a mental kick in the flank thinking to herself, 'GET YOURSELF UNDER CONTROL ALREADY!' With her facilities back, she blinks a couple of times before shouting at the top of her voice, "WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS YOUR DEAL!?! DO YOU LIKE STALLIONS OR MARES?"

With a chuckle at her coming back to her senses, you pull back, saying with a smile, "Welcome back to sentience, Twilight. I believe you have your answer if last night was any indication..."

Twilight growls at you and then says in her regular tone, "Don't word it like that because the only thing we did last night was kiss and cuddle!"

You let the smile fall away with mirth still in your eyes and say, "I know, but it is so fun getting a reaction out of some of you. I need you to tie this one as well, Twilight."

She stomps past you and heads to the box grumbling, "I'm going to tie your tail in a knot if you're not careful!"

Spotting the letter for Princess Celestia lying on top of the lid, you lift the long box up with your magic, head over to the back of the wagon, and then lay it inside, still chuckling at the reaction you got from her as you take the letter off the lid.

When Twilight finishes tying the bow a little too tightly due to her annoyance with your behavior, she pounds the nails in and huffs, laying the letter on top, saying, "This one is ready and I've placed the letter on top of it like the last one." then raises her tail a little and trots past him, and goes into the library.

You turn to the guard with a smirk and ask, "Do you have anything to put messages in on your body, soldier?"

The lightly blushing guard nods, saying, "Yes sir, there is a small satchel right here under my wing, hand the letter here and I will put it inside."

Handing the letter over, you say, "That one goes to Princess Celestia, who is getting the long box." Then grab the other from the smaller box and head towards the other guard, saying, "This one is for Princess Luna, who is receiving the much smaller box, which is also very fragile and it is imperative that it is handled and transported with great care."

The guard looks you in the eyes and takes the letter with a nod, saying, "Yes sir, we will take utmost care in getting these packages to the princesses promptly and safely."

You then see something in his eyes too and smirk while carefully lifting the box wrapped in checkered silver and blue paper and then setting it inside the wagon, saying, "That's the last one, soldiers." You lean closer to the guard and whisper in their ear, "Your armor enchantments are impressive, but neither of you can fool my keen senses and eyes."

The lightly blushing guard returns to his place in the harness and says, "We must now return to the palace, sir, please back away as we require space to take flight."

Stepping away, you turn around and watch them take off at a slow run, then spread their wings and fly into the air saying with a sigh, "I wonder what it would be like to fly under your own power..."

On their way back to Canterlot, the other guard looks to his partner and chuckles saying, "That stallion must really be a good kisser because of how you were moaning and getting into it, I can't even believe you got wingboners from it. So tell me, how was that kiss, Star?"

Star looks at his partner and groans with delight, saying, "Oh Celestia's wing tips...that stallion's kiss could have knocked the wind out from under a pegasi's wing, then knock the socks off of an earth pony's hooves, and still have enough left over to scramble a unicorn mare's mind. If he had made that kiss any more intense, I probably would have jumped out of this armor and taken him right then and there, Sherry."

Sherry looks at his partner and gasps, saying, "You're saying that stallion is seriously that good at kissing?!" An idea then comes to his mind as he smirks, saying, "You know...that season is just around the corner..."

Star then smiles and says, "March 20th is still a few months away, at least we have a target in mind for when the time comes."

Sherry looks back at him and chuckles saying, "At least we know more about the stallion that the noble mares are all so hot to trot for."

Star then licks his lips saying, "And despite those other mares...I know why."

Sherry then groans saying, "Now I wish that he would have kissed me too."

Star then giggles and says, "Maybe next time he will. I still can't believe that he managed to beat Captain Shining Armor...at the gala and in front of everypony."

Sherry then smirks and adds, "Or how he sent your brother tumbling flank over tea kettle right into a wall."

Star then bursts out laughing at that, saying, "Oh I know! When he told me about it, I laughed so hard I cried and started calling him Tea Kettle around the barracks in the off hours. Shortly after, everyone started calling him that."

An hour later, at the Castle in Canterlot

Princess Celestia finally finishes with day court when one of her guards returns, saying, "Your Majesty, the detail has returned with the packages along with a letter for you." She then takes it from their wing with a kind nod, thinking, 'Let's see what Arthas has to say to us this time...'

When she unrolls the letter, she reads it silently to herself, 'Greetings, Princess Celestia. It is Blistering Blizzard here and I am just writing to inform you that the gift you are receiving is wrapped in striped red and white paper with two ribbons tied into a bow. Before you put your gift with the others to open on the 24th or 25th, I would ask that you take your gift to your private royal relaxation quarters where the fireplace is and open it today with your sister. P.S. Just so you know, the box and lid are wrapped separately, and the bow is sitting on top of the lid. Just untie the bow and pull out the nails then lift the lid to open it, or you could cut the two ribbons and pry off the lid. The choice is up to you, Your Royal Hindness.' She gasps at reading the last bit and puts it away, looking at the guard, saying, "Please have my present taken to the private relaxation quarters which has the fireplace."

The guard nods and then makes his way outside to relay the orders to the unicorn guard outside, saying, "We are to take Her Majesty's gift to the private relaxation quarters with the fireplace."

Celestia makes her way through the castle and looks out through a window at the sun getting lower on the horizon, huffing with annoyance at having her flank made fun of once again by Arthas and looks back at it, thinking, 'Is it really so big it jiggles when I walk?'

When she heads inside the room, she spots her sister in the room and sees a smaller present with silver and blue checkers on it with a white bow on the top, saying to her, "Evening Lulu, I see that you got called to this room as well. Did your letter say the same thing mine did?"

Luna looks over her shoulder at her sister with a smile and a light blush, saying, "Ours says..." then starts to read it out loud to her sister.

Princess Celestia then listens to the letter, hearing, "Greetings Princess Luna, it has been a time since we spent time together at the Gala. Do you still find yourself smiling about that kiss with the golden apple? I am sure it will be a night we both will treasure, but I digress. The present you are about to receive for Hearth's Warming is a smaller box than the one your sister is getting, which is as large as her flank is these days. Your box is checkered, having silver and blue paper which is wrapped around the box and lid separately, the lid is nailed down so you can choose to pull the nails and untie the ribbon like I mentioned to your sister or cut the ribbon and pry the lid off. It is all your choice, though you must be careful not to jostle it too much as it is much more fragile than hers is, the bow is sitting on the lid of each present. I ask you to go to your private relaxation quarters that have the fireplace and open your present there with your sister, when she gets there though, I ask you to refrain from opening it until she opens hers first. I promise that your presents will make much more sense and my intentions much clearer, though to be honest, the gifts are more or less for both of you. So you know, I made them myself with a little assistance from Twilight, Spike, and Rarity. I forgot to mention this in your sister's letter, but instructions are in both boxes."

She gasps at what her letter says and says, "That scoundrel! I can't believe he kissed you too, and just what happened between you two at the Gala that led to you two getting so cozy?"

The younger sister looks at her as she has a frown on her face, smiling up at her and saying, "I shall tell you about what happened after finding out what he gave us, is that okay Cece?"

Celestia sighs and nods, saying, "That is fine, thank you for starting the fire." She then makes her way over to the couch and sits next to her sister and moves her box closer, saying, "Alright, let's see what that annoying former crown prince has put in this box..."

Luna watches her sister use her magic to cut the ribbons near the top of the box and pries each of the four nails out, setting the nails in a tray to avoid stepping on them. When she picks the lid up and sets it off to the side, she hears her gasp with surprise and a wide-eyed expression on her face and asks, "What is it Cece?"

She looks at the remarkably beautiful contents and pulls out the booklet laying on top, looking at the cover of it saying, "It's...a strangely beautiful tree."

The younger princess looks at the tree in pieces, then at the booklet and asks, "What does the book tell us about the tree?"

Celestia opens the booklet to the first page and reads, "Consider yourself very fortunate to have received the finished product resulting from several failed experiments of a few of those books that I have asked for, this is a coniferous tree that your obsessively studious pupil Twilight told me was either a Spruce or a Cedar. I didn't pay much attention to what she really said, as she rambled on about it as I was trying to figure out how to cut it down without damaging it too much. However, we got it down safely so I could begin altering the tree's molecular structure in such a way that it lasted forever without ever needing to be watered, yet still retaining a flexible state in its branches. The main shaft of the tree is pure silver, as well as the majority of the branches. The needles are some other kind of material entirely, and I have no clue what it is called and didn't hear what the bookworm called it. I then used another spell from those books and removed the branches layer by layer, and experimented by removing the topmost portion of the tree before moving on to the lowest level of branches. The top may or may not go into the slot at the top in a special position, as well as the rest of the branches. So you and your sister will have to figure that out for yourself, but they are all marked with colors for where they go. I now leave you to the annoying bookworm's overly precise and torturous...ow...instructions. Happy Hearth's Warming, Your Majesties!" She then bursts out laughing at that last part, saying, "Twilight must have read what he was writing over his shoulder and got back at him for it."

Luna leans forward and says, "Go on, continue on to the next part! Let's find out how to put this 'undead tree' together!"

Together, Celestia and Luna read the instructions together then started to assemble the tree by setting the stand in a wide open space and putting the top in first, followed by placing the main part of the tree into the stand. As they get started on putting in the bottom row, they learn that some holes are indeed different sizes which causes some mild annoyance to Celestia mostly as Luna just chuckles gleefully at getting to do something fun with her sister.

As they get more and more branches onto the tree, Celestia notices stacks of paper laid on the bottom. Deciding to finish the tree first and look at the papers later, she gets back to searching for where the last branch is at to finish off the current row.

When they finally get the tree done, Luna looks at her sister with a smile, asking, "Isn't it so nice to have done this together, Cece?"

Celestia smiles and nods to her sister, saying, "It is Lulu, though I wonder what these stacks of papers are doing along the bottom of the box?" Curious, she looks them over with each having a red silk ribbon tying it together and a small barrier over each with a piece of paper lying folded on top of them reading, 'Princesses Celestia and Luna.' Picking up the loose paper, and unfolding it, she reads it out loud, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming to you both, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, from Twilight Sparkle. I know you are curious as to what these stacks of paper are, and I will promise to tell you shortly, but you must first hear what I have to tell you. Remember the day that you came to enjoy the Running of the leaves? We were escorting Arthas to the hospital and you left to go enjoy the rest of the celebration? Well I stayed there for a little while and was persistent, asking him why he always kept us all at a distance and if we did something to upset him but he said we did nothing at all and changed the subject to avoid the question. I didn't let that stop me though, and asked him why he doesn't want us to know anything about his past and what happened that was so horrible that he doesn't want to talk about it. He then sighed and said that I wouldn't be able to handle it and that Fluttershy is having trouble dealing with what she knows, I didn't stop though, and pushed one more time for answers about his past. I told him that I was stronger than I looked and to lay it on me because I would not stop asking, I wish I hadn't now... Anyway, I got him to tell me about his past, and what I heard...scared me and made me see monsters and evil that don't exist in our world. This crate contains the first part of his story, and the barrier will go away on its own a few days after the first week of January. Please don't try to dispel the barriers or you and Luna might react worse than I have and ruin your enjoyment of what should be a fun holiday, it took me two weeks to get over my fears and return to normal. He said that he will refrain from telling more until after the holiday, though later he said he would be ready to continue after the new year started. Shortly after I recovered from my fear, he heard about Hearth's Warming from Spike. I asked if he could draw some illustrations of what he told me about, and he drew some pretty detailed images of what he spoke about. I put the illustrations regarding his past into the bundles in this box which have numbers written on the blank page on top, stating the order in which to read it. The bundles in Luna's box, however, are not guarded but are about what he knows of Azeroth as well as the races that call it home. There are illustrations as well, though there are some things that he advised me to put aside from what I am sending you until they become relevant in the story. Your faithful and diligent student, Twilight Sparkle." With a sigh, she sets it down with the others but is sorely tempted to override the barriers and read through them.

Luna looks at her sister and rests a hoof on her shoulder, saying, "I know you are dying to know his past, but if it took her two weeks to recover from what she heard is any indication? I think it would be wise to wait until the time runs out so that we can enjoy this rare time together, how about you, Cece?"

She moves the temptation away and says, "You're right Lulu, our time together is far more important. Let's change the cycle and then find out what is in your box."

13: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 1

After raising the moon and lowering the sun from the balcony attached to the private relaxation quarters, Celestia and Luna head inside to see what she received for Hearth's Warming. As Luna carefully moves the box closer, she carefully pulls the nails from the lid and sets them with the others. Using her magic to cut the ribbon like her sister did, she lifts the lid and sets it aside by the other lid. She then looks inside the box to see it full of straw and lifts the booklet sitting on top of the straw from the crate, seeing a rough illustration of ornaments on a string above another illustration that looks like a sun.

Celestia looks at the box as her sister begins to read her letter aloud, "Greetings, Your Majesty, the gifts inside this box are quite delicate indeed, as they are made from a custom formula I came up with for crystal. The ornaments hanging on the silver wire and string have a gem fragment inside each of them that has been enchanted to store magic and glow, all you need to do is fill the gems and pull the magic out when you want to get them to stop glowing. I had a little help from Rarity with getting their predecessor, a crystal icicle, just right, and rewarded her with the ones I made. The first failed attempt resulted in glass icicles, which I donated to the hospital. Twilight and Spike had a small part in the creation of these, Spike gathered the materials I asked him to go find and I had Twilight hold the silver wire up. After we made the decorations, I came up with the idea of making a tree to last a long time. When finished altering the tree and used my magic to make the branches re-attachable, Twilight and I nearly forgot about needing to make a string for the decorations, correction...lights to hang on. So we had to reassemble the tree for Twilight to gauge how much string we needed, which she acquired from Rarity. We then put the finishing touches on the string and hung it...ow...Twilight put the finishing touches on it, then had me wrap the lights around the tree as she charged the gems. There are extra lights in the box if one should break, if you should need replacements, all you have to do is ask me to make more. Just so you know, Twilight spoke with the doctor and managed to get him to let me come home with Twilight...ow...to stay at her place during the holiday. Spike made us supper as we were working on the tree, but accidentally gave us Spiked Apple Cider instead of Spiced Apple Cider which resulted in us sleeping together. WILL YOU STOP LEAVING OUT IMPORTANT DETAILS, WE GOT DRUNK AND SLEPT NEXT TO EACH OTHER! NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED EXCEPT FOR US MAKING OUT UNCONSCIOUSLY WHEN WE WERE AFFECTED BY THE ALCOHOL! When Twilight woke up the next morning with a massive hangover, I convinced her to go back to sleep with an affectionate kiss. We both woke up close to noon to the smell of Spike making us a hearty breakfast and wobbled our way to the table together, using each other to walk properly. By the way, I'm whispering this part to the quill I cast a come-to-life spell on, so it writes whatever it hears. Now let's return to the story, after we enjoyed breakfast, I made a concoction to cure our hangovers. When I drank mine and advised Twilight to drink hers quickly without smelling it first, I was near Spike and turned around. I then took a couple of steps away and shifted my tail aside, and gassed him. He then started laughing but then tried to speak and passed out from the smell. However, what is truly funny is what happened after Twilight drank hers down-DON'T YOU DARE TELL THE PRINCESS THAT I TRIED TO BE QUIET WHICH RESULTED IN MAKING A SOUND SO HIGH-PITCHED IT SHATTERED GLASS! Don't worry...I won't. Happy Hearth's Warming Princess Luna and Celestia from Arthas and Twilight!"

Luna hears her sister fall off the couch laughing and smirks saying, "It certainly seems that things are getting cozier between those two."

She slowly gets her laughing under control and returns to the couch saying with a chuckle, "They most certainly are, sister. Shall we begin decorating our tree?"

The younger sister nods and starts moving the straw aside, finding a silver string with delicate crystal lights on it in the shape of Snowflakes, her sister's cutie mark with a smiling face on either side, and her own cutie mark bearing a half-face with closed eyes as if sleeping. As she continues to pull the string of lights out of the box slowly, she says, "These are so lovely, aren't they Cece?"

Celestia looks at the detail in each crystal light, saying, "They are quite exquisite, Arthas was quite generous to use up so much magic to create these. It must not have been easy, I am sure that he must have had to use most of what he had stored in Spellmourne." She then watches her sister pull the whole string out and lay it carefully on the floor, then search around in the box to find the other decoration. When Luna finds it and pulls it out, both sisters gasp at what they see as Celestia says, "Wow, that is astonishing. He created a snowflake with a sun and moon above a group of ponies."

Luna notices something different about it and pulls it closer, gasping as she says, "Look closer, Cece, we are in it too. I'm sitting in the crescent moon, looking down at the sleeping pegasus. You are standing inside the sun, looking down with a smile at the awake unicorn and earth pony."

She looks closer and sees it too, bringing a smile to her face as she sees another, darker symbolism there, thinking, 'I'm sure that he didn't mean to put it in there, though I wish that he could learn to forgive himself for it.' She then says, "He did a marvelous job at making this decoration, the stem at the bottom implies that this decoration goes on the top of the tree and the strings below are for securing it to the top."

The younger sister looks at her with a happy smile and says, "Let's make room somewhere for the tree and decorate it like we used to as fillies."

Celestia nods her head with a wide smile, saying, "I would be so happy to do that with you, sister, and remember the happy days we had together."

The two move the two boxes aside and then carefully move the lights and tree topper to a safe spot before moving the furniture around to clear a corner, deciding on having the couch in front of the fireplace with the tree to the left of it near the corner. They make sure to leave enough room so that they can get around the tree to hang the lights and other decorations later, then begin to move the lights into place around the tree. When they finish, the two sisters work together to fill the gems with as much mana as they can hold, then move on to charging each of the gems in the tree topper.

As Luna moves the topper into place, she watches her sister wrap each string around the tree three times before tying it together in a bow at the back. When she finishes, she tests to see if it is secure by moving it side to side and back and forth. Seeing that it doesn't slide hardly, she sighs with relief at knowing that it is secure, releasing her hold on it to let it stand there above the tree, saying with tears in her eyes, "This is going to be such a beautiful memory to us both, sister." She then cuddles against her sister's side, preparing to go on patrol saying, "I'm going to do my patrol in the dream realm from here for a few nights."

She looks at her younger sister and wraps a wing around her, chuckling before saying, "I will be by your side each night as well, but don't forget that you still need to tell me what happened between you and Arthas at the Gala."

The younger sister nods and chuckles saying, "Very well, I was on a patrol of the Dream Realm when a guard knocked on the door and notified me of having a pony wishing to speak to me about some matter..."

After hearing what happened, she looks at her younger sister aghast, saying, "I can't believe you got into the kiss and returned the chewed-up apple into his mouth with your tongue, and then stole the slice sticking out of his pocket."

Luna smirks and says, "He pulled a fast one on me, so I got back at him for stealing a kiss. Did you know that several mares in Canterlot and Ponyville are dreaming about him? He is the one that the mares are hot to trot over, and for good reason too. Fortunately, they have no clue how good of a kisser he is, and I have been coming up with an idea to get back at him for always messing with you so much."

Celestia cocks her head and asks, "Oh? What might this plan be, Lulu?"

The younger sister then smiles deviously and says, "For now, it involves a season that is coming up in a few months and a game, that is all I have so far."

She tries to put the clues together when her eyes go wide with a salacious smile following it, asking, "You're talking about...that time...aren't you? Tell me when you finish thinking up your plan so we can get ready to put it into motion."

Luna closes her eyes and prepares to enter the dream realm, saying, "I am, and most certainly will keep you informed, Cece. It really was thoughtful of Arthas to give these precious gifts to us, we will have to see if we can find our old ornaments." She then sighs and says, "Though I wish that he was a little more careful in designing the snowflake..."

Celestia says, "I know I moved them here somewhere after our fight, I will have to have the staff check the storage rooms." Then asks her curiously, "What do you mean by that, Lulu?"

A sad smile appears on her face as she keeps her eyes closed, saying, "I'm sure it wasn't a conscious thought when he was designing it, but if you look very closely at the crystal towards the outside, you can see numerous crosses in neat rows within the crystal's frosted design."

She sighs as well and nods, saying, "You mean the graves? I saw them when we were charging the numerous gem fragments, I wonder what he feels so guilty about that caused his subconscious to interfere with the design?"

Luna then says, "We will find out why after the new year starts, I am sure. At least we can learn a bit about where he came from in the papers at the bottom of my box. Now, I must begin my patrol Cece." and slips into the dream realm.

A few days pass as the sisters spend each night together in front of the fire and by the tree, having found their old ornaments and putting them on the tall tree. They spend time reading through the piles telling them about Azeroth, when they finally finish it as Celestia says in exasperation, "And here I thought that Equestrian politics were a headache...UGH!"

Luna then giggles and agrees with her sister saying, "I feel the same way, I never thought that a place could have such a complicated structure compared to ours."

Hearth's Warming Eve, in Ponyville

You hobble your way toward Sweet Apple Acres and see a line of ponies at the gates and see a sign by the fence reading, 'Sleigh rides three bits per pony, two bits for a couple, and one per foal. Please stand in line and wait your turn.' You then go around the line, hearing a few protests that the line starts back there, and say, "I'm not here for the sleigh ride just yet, only here to give a present to a friend."

Applejack returns from her turn pulling the sleigh, looking up to see you heading her way, and looks over to her brother, asking, "Big Mac, think ya can take over for a moment so ah can talk to my friend?"

Big Mac then nods and heads over, saying, "Eeyup." then takes her place and waits for the sleigh to fill up before taking off.

When you and Applejack stand by the house to talk, you look at her, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming, Applejack. I just wanted to swing by to give you the Hearth's Warming gift I brought for you and the others can enjoy." You then reach inside your saddlebags and pull out a small, flat box a bit bigger than your hoof wrapped in striped red, yellow, and green paper with a small, golden bow saying, "Here you go, Applejack, I hope that it brings you all luck."

She takes the gift with a smile and sets it on her back, saying, "Come on inside, ah have one for ya too."

Following her toward the door, you tap the snow off your hooves and then head in saying, "I see you and Big Mac are busy with the sleigh rides and are busier than ever."

Applejack brings her present out from where she hid it and hands it to you, saying with a grin, "Yep, everypony loves our sleigh rides, perhaps you and Twilight might even like to take one together." then wiggles her eyebrows suggestively before changing the topic, saying, "I hope you enjoy the gift and have a happy Hearth's Warming too, Blizzard. You're always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres, so stop by anytime."

You then turn and follow her out of the house, suspecting that she is thinking that you and Twilight are a thing. You shake your head with a smile, saying, "Thank you for the gift, Applejack, I will be sure to remember that." then put the box wrapped in green paper covered in gold, red, and silver horseshoes topped with a pretty red bow inside your saddlebags, and head back into town to find Pinkie before she goes to her parent's farm.

As you knock on the door to Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie opens the door and swiftly pulls you inside with a crushing hug. You tap her on the shoulder with your right leg, saying, "Hello Pinks, ease up on the strength if you would mind. I'm still wearing a cast you know?"

Pinkie Pie then grins and hops back, saying with a giggle, "Right! Silly me! You came by just in time for me to give you my present!"

You smirk as she vanishes behind a counter and pulls out a box barely small enough to fit inside your saddlebags, noticing that it is wrapped in Pink and white swirling stripes paper with candy canes and other sugary treat images on it and pull out your gift for her saying, "I know how you like sweets, so here is something that you can use for whatever you wish."

She squeals with delight and zips right over, puts his gift in his saddlebag, then quickly snatches the red and white striped candy box with a pink bow on top. In a flash she tears into the gift box to find three tubes of frosting with snowflakes drawn all over each one, then looks up at him, asking, "What flavor are these?"

With a chuckle, you say, "They have no flavor but it is edible. They are just empty tubes that Spike got from you that I filled with ice magic, which you can use to put a thin layer of frost on many different things, such as food, furniture, windows. The layer will also help to chill the food until it fades away after a half hou-" but are cut off by Pinkie Pie pressing her mouth to yours and shoving her tongue into your mouth.

Overjoyed at the present she got, her tongue delves to the back of your throat and wraps around your tongue while her hair wraps itself around your neck and pulls you further against her mouth.

Feeling yourself getting overpowered by her, you fight back for dominance and manage to drive her up against the wall, pinning her back to it while your tongue roams around the inside of her mouth. You pull your tongue back after finding traces of frosting tucked between her cheeks and pull it into your mouth, then start to chew it when you discover it isn't frosting at all.

Pinkie pulls away with a heated blush on her cheeks as her tail wraps itself around his back leg, saying, "Um...can I have my gum back, pretty please?" and bats her eyes at him prettily.

You chuckle and nod, saying, "So that's what this spicy flavor is, try to take it." then press your mouth back against hers and try to drive your tongue to the back of her throat when she moans into your mouth.

She battles him with her tongue as she fights her body's growing desire, finally succeeding in getting her cinnamon-flavored gum back and jerks back exclaiming triumphantly, "AHAH!" She then shows him the small ball of gum between her teeth for a moment before pulling it back into her mouth, saying breathlessly, "That sure was some kiss, if I was a normal mare, I would have fainted from it!"

Unknown to you, a hungry pair of eyes observe you from around the corner as the owner of the shop bites her lip, thinking, 'Wow, what a kiss! I shall get what I want this coming season...'

When you back away and let Pinkie back to the ground, her mane uncoils from your neck as she trots around you and stops next to you.

Pinkie looks over her shoulder at him and says, "I hope you have a very enjoyable and tasty Hearth's Warming!" She then trots away from him but is stopped in her tracks as her tail catches on something and looks back, with a giggle, she says, "No silly tail, we can't take him with us to our parent's home." When her tail tightens its grip around his tail, she sighs saying, "Well because he has other places to go today, besides, we haven't gotten to know each other too well yet!"

You look at her tail as it seemingly goes limp and falls towards the floor as if sighing and shake your head at the weirdness of it, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming to you too, Pinkie. I hope that you like your gift."

She smiles and says, "I absopositutely loved it!" then starts to trot towards the door as she picks up the gift she got and puts it into her mane. Trotting for the door, she then says, "See you in a week or two! OH! Make sure to tell Twilight that the wrapping, box, and bow containing your presents are also edible!" With a skip in her step and seeing stars in her eyes still, she hums a happy tune as she exits the shop.

As you see her flat tail's end fluff back up, then lift up and touch the top part, it reminds you of how a girl would blow you a kiss and ask yourself, 'Wait...did her tail...just...blow me a kiss goodbye?' Shaking your head, you tell yourself, 'No, don't even chase that thought down the rabbit hole like Twilight did. I have presents to give to the rest of the girls, I'm going to give Rainbow hers next, then Rarity followed by Fluttershy, and last but not least, Twilight and then Spike.'

When you head back outside, you look up to the sky and call out, "Rainbow, you around?"

Rainbow flies down from the cloud she was lounging on and hovers in front of you asking, "Yeah, what's up?"

You look at the pegasus, saying, "Oh not much, I have a Hearth's Warming present for you."

She lands on the ground and cocks her head curiously and asks, "What is it, is it awesome?"

Pulling the tall blue box with a bow matching her mane and tail colors, you shrug your shoulders and say, "I am not sure what you would consider awesome, so you will just have to find out whenever it is you open the presents you get for Hearth's Warming."

Rainbow grabs it with her wings when it is moved in front of her and says, "I normally open presents on the twenty-fourth after watching the Canterlot play retelling the story of the founding of Equestria." She then rubs the back of her head with her hoof and says, I actually have a present to give you too. I'll take this back to my house and go get it real quick." and tucks the gift into her bag under her wing before taking off for her home like a shot.

You watch her race off and chuckle, when she returns with a box in her hooves roughly the same size and wrapped in blue paper with a white bow stuck to the top of it and say jokingly, "Welcome back Dash, enjoy the scenery on your way here?"

She blows a raspberry at him and holds out his present, saying, "Pfff, no!"

Taking the gift from her, you chuckle and say, "Happy Hearth's Warming, speed demon."

Rainbow then snickers and says, "Happy Hearth's Warming to you too, Blizzard. If it isn't awesome, I'm going to pelt you in the head with a snowball!"

You watch her fly off and say, "If you do that, I'm going to hit you right back!" then make your way over to Rarity's boutique to give her the present you made.

After arriving at Rarity's shop and home, you knock on the door to hear Rarity's voice say, "Coming!"

When Rarity gets to the door, she opens it and smiles at seeing her friend at the door saying, "Come in, darling, come in!"

You enter her home when she steps aside, saying, "Hello Lady Rarity, I stopped by to give you your Hearth's Warming present."

She looks at you with a happy smile, saying, "Oh how thoughtful of you! I also have one for you, let me go get it for you."

Rarity then turns and heads to a closet hidden behind a curtain and pulls out a box covered in silver and white diamond-patterned paper with a sparkling magenta bow, then closes the door and heads over to you saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming, darling, I hope you enjoy what I crocheted for you."

You set her present on the ground gently and smile, saying, "Why thank you so much for your generosity, it is much appreciated. I hope you like mine just as much as I am sure to like yours."

She stops in front of you and lets you take her present from her magic, then picks hers up saying, "I can't wait to open it tonight when Sweetie Belle and I exchange presents."

Looking around, you see all the icicles hanging from ledges on the ceilings and say, "Those icicles look great, Lady Rarity, especially the small glowing light string a little above them."

Rarity beams a cheerful smile as her pride gets a boost, saying, "Sweetie Belle put up the small hooks for them to hang from as well as the white garland lights above them."

You lean forward and kiss her cheek, saying, "I shall see you some other time, Lady Rarity."

A light blush colors her cheeks as she beams saying, "Til we meet again, monsieur."

With one more place to go, you head outside and make your way to Fluttershy's cottage. When you arrive there, Angel answers the door in Fluttershy's place, tapping his foot in irritation and say, "I know I haven't been by much, but mind if I come in?"

Angel then grunts in annoyance and hops away from the door, then heads to his bed to get a nap.

You enter Fluttershy's home and close the door behind you, calling out, "Fluttershy, it's Blistering Blizzard, and I've come to see how you are doing. Are you okay?"

Hearing the familiar voice draws her out from underneath her bed and flies downstairs, then wraps her front legs around your neck and heads over to the couch with her lips smushed over yours in a needy kiss.

When you hear Fluttershy sob and lie on top of your belly, softly shifting forward and back, you put your right hoof over her neck and hold her against you and deepen the kiss for a little bit before parting to ask, "You really must have missed me being around to cuddle you."

Fluttershy nods and says, "I did, I missed you even more since I overheard you talking in your sleep at the hospital a little over a week ago. Even in my sleep, I have to wake myself up when I start to dream about what your final words were before you died. I-I can't stand not feeling alone anymore without you here, and it may be wrong to want this...but I would like to feel you with me if only for just one time." Seeing you starting to turn away, she uses her hooves to turn your head back to her and continues, "I know you don't want to be in a relationship, but I need somepony to help me through this because it is tearing me apart inside keeping this to myself."

You see the pain in her eyes clear as the sun in the sky as she continues grinding against you slowly, moving your right hoof to her cheek and wipe away a tear threatening to spill down her kind, soft face and sigh saying, "I hear you loud and clear, Fluttershy, but sharing your first time with me just wouldn't solve anything. It would only hurt you more in the end, I do understand now that you need help getting over this. So when you go to sleep tonight, go ahead and let Luna know you need help and talk to her about what is affecting you. I would say go to Twilight, but you can't because she doesn't know anything about my regrets or what I did when I had no soul and was evil, you know far more than her in that regard. Luna is the best one I can recommend to help you deal with what little you know. So lay your head on me and let your tears flow, I shall hold you until you fall asleep. I do have a gift for you though, but my saddlebags are on the floor where you grabbed me."

She buries her head into his neck and lets herself wail out her feelings, speaking incoherently as she tries to apologize for being so weak.

Caressing the back of her head with your right hoof, you shush her and say, "Nopony could have handled what you know any better, Flutters, there's no need to apologize for having a heart of gold like you do. That is what makes you special because you care so much about others, don't let anything change who you are deep down."

It takes a half-hour for Fluttershy to cry herself to sleep as she lies on top of you, sleeping soundly for the first time in several weeks. Picking her up carefully with your magic, you crawl off of the couch and land on the floor on your left side. Hissing in pain at your leg being jostled, you look around to see and frowning brown bear looking you in the eye and say, "I'm sorry for hurting her Harry, but I really wish I didn't talk in my sleep. I am not the right person to help her through her pain because I am still struggling to come to grips with my dark past, can you stay with her until I can get word to Luna that she needs help dealing?"

Harry nods gruffly and smiles very slightly at the stallion who hurt Fluttershy and clearly cares for her as a friend, then heads over by the couch and lies down with his head on the couch next to Fluttershy.

You make your way to a table, then pull out Fluttershy's gift and set it on it. Taking out some gifts you got for the small assortment of animals still here with Fluttershy, you set them on the table for her to hand out later. With nothing else to do, you make your way to the door when you feel something thump your right leg rapidly, looking down to see that it is Angel Bunny who is pointing at something. Looking up in the direction, you see a couple birds carrying a small box toward you and look down at Angel asking gently, "Is that her Hearth's Warming gift for me?"

Angel crosses his arms and nods his head up and down twice while thumping his foot on the floor as his way of saying, 'Yes it is, so take it before I thump you on the head.'

With a soft chuckle, you take the box with your magic, saying softly, "Thank you all for making sure to give this to me." then put it into your saddlebags before heading out the door.

Versa watches you intently from her dimension as the stress on your soul grows due to what has been happening to your friend without you even knowing about it, preparing to try to fight to stabilize your soul and keep it from shattering completely.

As you walk away from Fluttershy's cottage, you look up to see the sun near the horizon. Turning left after the bridge, you walk along the outskirts of Ponyville while your guilt rises up and slowly tries to overwhelm you. You fight back against the guilt, but find yourself losing ground as the sound of Fluttershy's wailing cries echo in your ears and the sight of the tears streaming down her face.

Versa watches another crack appear in your soul from her dimension and quickly uses her magic to try to stabilize it from damaging the undamaged half of your soul, saying exasperatedly, "You are really testing my patience now, you know that, you stubborn fool!?!"

Credits for this video belong to the one who made it, I am just borrowing a wordless instrumental version to write my own lyrics

It takes a few moments of walking that does nothing to help ease your guilt before you start to hear music play as a blizzard slowly starts and find yourself singing once more, saying, "The snow blows wild in the world tonight, not a pony in my sight. A stranger to friendship, but it seems they want to be. My past is haunting me each time I close my eyes, couldn't keep it closed...even in my sleep. Can't let them know, they should not see, how bad my past is from all they could think. Ignore, be cold. They should not know, they are too weak. Let me go, let me go! You can't handle my past horrors. Let me go, let me go!"

As you head into town, the blizzard gets worse as you continue, "Walk away, then close that door! Don't need friends for what I have to do, yet I will move on. This world doesn't compare to what I've known. I really should get moving, they might realize my plan. I won't let my past burden them, won't tell them what I've done. I must learn what my limits are, to be as fierce like I once was. No spell, no law, can stop me now. I'm a new me, let me go, let me go! I'm moving on and you should too. Let me go, let me go! I can't bear to see you cry, my place is on the outside. They can make more friends. My special talent lies under this very earth, I have no ambition for raising undead whatever. Bad deeds could make me the villain once again, there's no turning back, leave the past behind me. Let me go, let me go! Your friendship can't save me at all, let me go, let me go! The golden prince is gone, all that's left are tattered remains. So just let me go, you could never rescue me anyway."

Versa watches closely as the fractured half of your soul slowly begins to darken, causing her to wonder, 'Now what's happening with this idiot's soul?!'

Finding yourself at Twilight's home, you knock on the door when Twilight answers it and ushers you in out of the cold blizzard, brushing the snow out of your mane, tail, and coat, saying to her, "You don't need to worry about me catching a cold, Twilight. I've lived in places that make this feel like summer."

Not wanting to hear it, she huffs and says, "You don't need to act so tough around me, you can get sick just as easily as we can this time of year. Now come over here and have a cup of cocoa before it stops steaming."

You follow her to the table where Spike has poured you a cup, saying, "Thank you, Spike." Grabbing a piece of paper, you then bring over a quill and inkwell and start writing a letter to Luna.

Spike smiles and says, "No problem dude."

After drinking your cup down, you finish the letter and fold it in two places before writing Luna's name on the front, you then have Spike send it to Celestia. The three of you then sit by the tree which has presents underneath it as you say to them, "Pinkie told me to inform you that the box, ribbon, and paper around the gifts she gave you both are edible."

Spike then chuckles along with Twilight and says, "We know already, she told us earlier when she gave them to us."

You then chuckle saying, "Okay then, how about Twilight goes first, then you, Spike, and I'll hand my presents out last. When they are handed out, we will open them together." When they both agree to the idea happily, you watch as Twilight goes first and hands Spike the present she got for him, then hands one to you as well. When Spike's turn comes up, he hands a small box to you and a present to Twilight. As it is your turn, you pull out one present and hand it to Spike first, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming Spike, hope you like it." With one last present to go, you hand the last one to Twilight, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming Twilight, I hope you like it."

With the last present handed out, Twilight and Spike smile, saying, "Happy Hearth's Warming!" and then unwrap their presents

As you unwrap your first one, you hear Spike say, "Wow, the next copy of Daring Doo!? Thanks, Twilight!"

When you hold the monocle in your magic and look it over, you chuckle at it, saying, "Thank you, Spike, now I have something to make me look like a noble."

Twilight gets one of hers unwrapped and turns to Spike saying, "The Theory of Magic Relativity, thank you, Spike. I haven't read this before."

Spike gets his last gift open and gasps with delight at what he sees, saying, "WOAH, OGRES AND OUBLIETTES!? AWESOME! I've been waiting for a chance to get this, I can't wait to find somepony to play it with!"

You then look up from your gift from Twilight and say to Spike, "I never had the patience to play board games, so you will have to look elsewhere, Spike." Shifting your gaze to her, you lean over to her saying, "Thank you for the picture with every one of our friends in it, Twilight."

She looks at the beautiful glass star tree topper with frost patterns over the front of it, then holds it close to her chest, saying, "Thank you for the star, Blizzard." She then leans forward and kisses him on the lips for a few moments.

A bit later, you and Twilight cuddle with each other as Spike is nose-deep into reading the information about the new game he got when Twilight whispers, "Since Spike is most likely going to fall asleep down here with how into O&O he is...would you...want to spend the night in my bed?"

Knowing you heard her gulp nervously, you nuzzle her cheek and say, "I am truly flattered that you want to share something so special with me, but you should save yourself for your special someone."

Twilight's face flushes crimson as he misunderstands her intention and stammers a little, saying, "Uh-uhm...I-I didn't mean...that sort of thing. I only meant so that you don't suffer from nightmares and you can have a soft place to sleep, I don't mind sleeping on the floor sometimes but it does get uncomfortable after a while."

You then smile and chuckle, saying, "I know, I was only messing with you." which earns you a soft nudge in the ribs followed by her calling you a jerk. Sighing, you say, "You go on up and I'll be up when Spike gets to sleep."

She leans over and kisses your cheek, saying, "I look forward to sleeping in my bed after staying by your side after so many days in a row."

As you watch her get off the couch while brushing her tail against you lightly, she makes her way upstairs and closes the door behind her. Waiting for the right moment, you open the gifts the girls gave you for Hearth's Warming. You smirk at seeing what they have given you, a box of sugar cookies with a chocolate star on top from Fluttershy, a knitted scarf from Rarity, six red and white peppermint cupcakes from Pinkie, a cloud shaped like a pegasus from Rainbow, a jar of something called Zap Apple Jam from Applejack, a phoenix feather quill from Celestia, and an inkwell that never runs out of ink from Luna. Putting them all into your saddlebags, you eat the box, ribbon, and wrapping from Pinkie's gift before moving on to eating the cupcakes which leaves you with a full stomach. Cleaning up the pile of wrapping paper, you then turn to Spike and say, "I'm going to go for a small walk through town and enjoy the falling snow for a bit."

With his nose still buried in the book that came with Ogres and Oubliettes, he looks up briefly with a nod, saying, "Alright, bundle up because it is cold out there."

You then chuckle and say, "Don't worry, I have Rarity's scarf she gave me for Hearth's Warming if I need it. See you later, Spike."

After you head out the door, you close it softly behind you although the wind and snow are trying to blow the door shut when Chilly emerges from your body and dances around in the snow, asking her, "It has been a while since I last saw you, going to meet with your sister?"

Chilly then nods her head saying, "Mhm, but I'm going to spend a little time with my family. Now that I think about it, it is kind of funny how we celebrate Hearth's Warming in our own way."

Cocking your head curiously, you ask, "How do you celebrate Hearth's Warming?"

The windigo-pony giggles and says, "Well we call it Hearth's Freezing, and we dart through the towns at night and ice the roads over so that ponies slip and slide around. And we also enjoy making metal objects super cold so that the pony foolish enough to lick it gets their tongue stuck." She then floats up to his face and kisses him saying, "Well, I need to get going now, I'll be back sometime after Heart's and Hooves Day. See ya!" then zips off for her home in the Frozen North.

You shake your head, amused at the antics they get up to as you make your way out of town toward where you know Canterlot to be on the map. When you are outside of town, you look up and into the blizzard still howling around you but only see a tiny, light pink glow in the sky saying, "That must be the fire of friendship that Twilight told me about, which means I need to head in that direction to get to Canterlot."

Versa realizes what you are trying to do from her dimension and growls, saying, "Oh no you don't, you stubborn fool. I won't let you run away from what is good for you..."

In Canterlot, a couple hours later in Princess Celestia's dream

Princess Celestia tosses in her sleep as she dreams of being in a nasty blizzard somewhere in Equestria, looking around for any sign of where she is but is unable to see anything clearly. When there is a very brief lull in the raging blizzard, she catches a glimpse of somepony in the distance when it picks back up and starts fighting her way through the storm, trying to reach them. It takes her a little while as she tries unsuccessfully to use her magic to shield herself from the weather, but she does finally reach them and gasps at seeing you trudging through flank-deep snow. She opens her mouth and calls out, "What in Tartarus are you doing out here?!"

You then stop and turn around, not seeing her there but look in the direction of Ponyville, saying, "Goodbye girls." before looking forward and continuing.

She sees a light pink glow flash briefly into existence from the edge of her vision and looks up to see it appear again when she suddenly opens her eyes and sits up with a gasp, realizing that it wasn't a dream but a vision and hastily grabs her quill, inkwell, and a paper to write a hasty message to her student.

Back in Ponyville, at Twilight's library

Spike wakes up with a belch and rubs his eyes before looking around the room to see that you are gone, finding a scroll with a large, gray ring beside it lying in front of him. Picking up the scroll and ring, he sees it is from Celestia and runs up to Twilight's room so he can give them to her.

Feeling somepony shaking her, she wakes with a start and turns around asking, "Arthas, what's wrong?" when she realizes it is Spike carrying a letter and a magic nullifying ring from Princess Celestia and says, "What is this all about?" As she opens the letter and reads it, she gasps moments later and jumps out of bed, saying, "Bundle up Spike, we need to get the others!"

Putting on warm clothing, he asks, "What's going on?"

Twilight wraps her scarf around her neck tightly and puts her saddlebags on saying, "It's Arthas, he took off into the blizzard and Celestia needs us to find him."

When the two of them open the door, Spike jumps at seeing a snow pony standing right by the door saying, "It's an abominable snow monster!"

Pinkie laughs and shakes the snow off her body saying, "I'm not a monster, I'm a pony!"

Twilight heads outside and closes the door behind her and Spike, asking over the howling wind, "What are you doing back in Ponyville?!"

She then says, "I was about to go to sleep when I suddenly got a pinchy knee and raced back here as fast as I could to see what was wrong!"

The unicorn then looks at her saying, "It's Blizzard. We need to get the other girls together and I will tell you all the rest at the library, okay?"

Pinkie nods her head saying, "Okie dokie loki! I'll get Fluttershy and Applejack!"

Twilight then nods and says, "I will go get Rainbow and Rarity!"

Rainbow then lands next to Twilight, asking over the blizzard, "Get me for what?"

The unicorn then cries out in surprise, saying, "YAH! Rainbow, don't startle a pony like that!"

She then snickers and asks, "Sorry, so what's the deal?"

Twilight then says, "It's about Blizzard, but I will tell you all the rest when the others are at the library."

Rainbow then salutes saying, "Alright then, I'll go get Applejack and bring her here since the farm's out of town." then takes off to go get her friend.

When Applejack heads downstairs after hearing incessant banging on the door, she says to Applebloom and Big Mac, "Ah got it, ya get back to sleep." As she reaches the door, she pulls it open with a frown on her face to see Rainbow outside in a howling blizzard.

Rainbow hurries in and helps Applejack push the door closed, saying, "Blizzard's in trouble, we need to get to the library pronto."

Grabbing her hat off the hook, she puts a rope around her neck and dresses up in warm clothes, saying, "Alright, let's go see what is the matter."

After everyone gathers at the library, Twilight looks at her friends and says, "I'm glad that you all came so quickly, I received a letter from Princess Celestia that informed me that she had a vision of being lost in a bad snowstorm when she found Blistering Blizzard trudging through deep snow without warm clothing and saw him look back saying 'Goodbye girls.' He then kept walking away when she looked up at a light pink glow that briefly appeared in the sky, then she woke up so that is all we know. She has tasked us with finding him and slipping a magic null ring over his horn and bringing him back to find out why he is trying to leave us behind. Thankfully, I have an idea as to where he is heading because of that pink flash. I told him the tale of the founding of Equestria, which leads me to believe that he is heading to Canterlot for some reason."

Rarity looks at Twilight and asks, "You're thinking that flash is the fire of friendship, right darling?"

Fluttershy growls under her breath, saying, "Let's get going girls, when we find that stubborn stallion, let's all give him a piece of our minds!"

Hearing them all agree wholeheartedly, Applejack looks to Winona and says, "Glad ah brought ya along girl, time to track that stallion down!"

Winona barks happily and trots to the door, waiting to be let out to start tracking him down. When she is let out, she begins to sniff for his scent. Finding it moments later, she barks a couple of times and walks through the snow to the right with the others behind her.

14: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 2

As Twilight and the girls follow Winona out of Ponyville for a few hours through snow that's up to their heads, Twilight uses her magic to widen the path for them to take back when they find the stubborn stallion.

The scent gets stronger as Winona picks up her speed a bit, breaking away from the group a little as she senses herself closing in on the stallion.

She trots after Winona faster, saying, "I think we are almost to him!"

Rarity shivers as her mane is frozen backward, saying, "I should bloody well hope so, my mane is frozen solid from the wind!"

Applejack then says, "Ah know, ah lost count of how many times this blasted wind tried to take the hat off my head!"

Winona smells something just up ahead and takes off to go check it out, when she gets to the source, she finds a pony lying on the ground with a broken branch lying just in front of them, half-covered by the snow. Trotting up to the downed pony, she sniffs them and learns that the scent she's been tracking belongs to this stallion. With her target found, she barks three times loudly, then howls out to let her owner know.

Applejack hears the barks and the howl and gasps saying, "SHE'S FOUND HIM BUT HE'S HURT!"

Twilight then gasps and starts galloping ahead, saying, "LET'S GO GIRLS!"

When they arrive, they find a pony buried under snow with a broken branch just in front of them as Twilight uses her magic to clear away the snow. Once they are able to see you lying there, Applejack puts her ear to your chest and sighs, saying, "He's alive, still warm, and has a strong heartbeat which means he was only knocked out cold by that branch in front of him."

Sighing with relief, Twilight pulls out the null ring and slips it over your horn saying, "At least we don't have to worry about sneaking up on him, Applejack can you carry him back?"

Applejack nods and says, "Eeyup, just lift him up and lay him over my back."

Fluttershy and Rainbow then volunteer to help keep him from falling off either side, watching as Twilight lifts you up and lays him onto her friend's back.

When your unconscious body is securely on Applejack's back, she and the others make their way back when she feels something bumping and rubbing against her flanks and gulps thinking, 'Don't pay any mind to the fact that his family jewels are bumping into me, just concentrate on what you want to say to him when he wakes up... Though they are pretty weighty...' Shaking the thought out of her head, she thinks, 'STOP THINKING ABOUT IT! Get yer head out of the gutter cause spring is a long way away, and ah'm not looking for a foal!' As she ducks her head to the side when Rarity turns to talk to Twilight, she says, "Watch out with that mane of yours Rarity, it's liable to knock somepony out."

Jerking her head to the left, she doesn't hear the smack and thud beside her, and says back, "My mane is not a deadly weapon!"

Spike climbs out of the snowbank rubbing his cheek, saying, "I beg to differ...ow...!" which gets the other mares laughing except for Rarity.

Once the girls get back to the library, Applejack ties your three legs together while you're still unconscious so that you can't run anywhere and wait for you to wake. When you feel a minor headache return, you start to stir as your eyelids open. Everything is fuzzy for a few moments before you feel pretty warm for being outside, when your vision clears up, you realize that you are back in the library with 6 upset mares looking at you with Rarity and Fluttershy tapping one of their front hooves agitatedly. You try to get up, but you find that you are unable to with your three legs being bound. You then try to teleport away, but your magic doesn't activate and look up to see a ring on your horn blocking your magic.

Twilight then looks down at you and asks with an unhappy look on her face, "Just why were you trying to escape from us Arthas?!"

The others all look at each other in confusion, then to Twilight and ask simultaneously, "Arthas?"

She looks at the others and says, "Yeah girls, his name is really Arthas Menethil but he likes going by Blistering Blizzard because of his past." She then looks at you angrily and asks, "You are going to tell us why you tried to leave us like that, Arthas."

Fluttershy then steps up and slaps you with her wing, earning a few gasps from the others while giving you a furious scowl, shouting, "I cannot believe you took off like that because of you seeing and hearing me cry from having missed you so much since I learned what happened to you in the end!

Applejack looks at you, saying, "We aren't going anywhere until we get answers bub, and you're staying tied up and that ring stays on until we are satisfied."

Rarity then narrows her eyes at you, saying, "How uncouth, taking off in the night, and on Hearth's Warming Eve no less!"

Rainbow then crosses her wings in front of her and says, "Spill the beans already, pal."

You sigh with irritation and say, "I couldn't forgive myself for causing you so much pain after learning those bits about my past."

Fluttershy huffs and says, "You mean about the plague that was spreading around and turning citizens into undead, what you did at Stratholme, how you left your teacher Muradin for dead when you claimed Frostmourne, or are you talking about the time you died because it's hard to know what bit you're talking about? I'm too angry at the moment to hide behind my mane or even feel scared."

Everyone around you is too stunned to say anything as their mouths hang open when you hiss and turn away, saying, "Damn it Fluttershy-"

She gets up in your face and yells, "DON'T YOU DARE CURSE AT ME LIKE THAT MISTER OR I WILL SLAP YOU WITH MY HOOF INSTEAD OF MY WING! YOU HAVE FRIENDS THAT CARE ABOUT YOU, AND YOU NEED TO TREAT US BETTER AND GIVE US A CHANCE! FRIENDS HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH TOUGH TIMES AND ARE THERE WHEN THEY NEED IT MOST, AND I'M GOING TO BE THERE FOR YOU BECAUSE THAT IS HOW KIND I AM." She then hears her friends voice their own acknowledgments that they too will be there.

They all flinch back at seeing how angry Fluttershy can get, blinking in shock at never hearing her shout like that. Even you flinch back as best you can, then let out a sigh as her angry face is unrelenting. With no choice but to give in, you look to Twilight and ask, "Twilight, how much paper do you have stocked?"

Twilight grins and then summons numerous stacks of paper that are so tall, that they teeter dangerously as she says, "This is only some of what I have, do I need to bring more out?"

You groan and say, "God you're so obsessive. In one of my saddlebags is an inkwell I got from Princess Luna, who says it will never run out. Let's put that to the test, grab your quills because I will only tell this once. Oh, and you might want to inform Princess Luna that she might have her hooves full dealing with you girls' fear and nightmares after what I'm going to tell you." You then look to Rarity and say, "Rarity, I hope you have a lot of tissues because this story ends quite badly, or happily if you consider it from the side of Good versus Evil."

Rarity then summons her whole supply of hundreds of tissue boxes, saying, "I hope these are enough, darling."

She is already finishing the letter and sets it on the table saying, "Done, I'll have Spike send it when we need to rest."

Shaking your head, you say, "I don't know why you girls are so insistent to know what burdens I bear. Let's get this story started then... Do try and avoid interrupting me as Twilight will need to focus on writing down what I say." You take a moment to let Twilight ready the quill and inkwell, saying, "Just let me know when you are done writing, so I can continue, this is where things went from bad to worse... As I was on my way to Stratholme with my wounded pride, I was upset that Uther saved me at Hearthglen, a wizard appeared and informed me this land was already lost. That the shadow had already fallen, and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. He then advised me if I wanted to save my people, I had to lead them over the western sea." You then sigh and lay your head on the ground, saying, "I should have listened...but like the fool I was, I did not."

Continuing the story after Twilight lets you know she's ready, you say, "I then flat out refused by telling him my place was defending my people. He then told me that my choice was already made, he wanted me to remember that the harder I try to kill my enemies...the quicker I'll lead my people to them. When he left, Jaina cancelled her concealment spell and approached me from the woods, apologizing for concealing herself and tried to say something else when I cut her off. She then mentioned that she could sense great power from him, that maybe he could be right and did know what was going to happen. I didn't care what that madman saw, as I was determined to stay and protect my homeland because I saw as a young boy what happened when a city was sacked and its king was slain, which is how I came to know Varian Wrynn, with two n's, the Crown Prince of Stormwind and was later crowned as king. Anyways, back to the main story. I then told Jaina we had to get moving, so we continued on our way and got to Stratholme early the next morning. When Uther arrived with his men, I greeted him with an unhappy tone. He didn't care for it and told me to watch my tone, calling me a boy though I was 23 at the time."

As Twilight is still writing, you turn to the others and say, "I better get this out in the open since Twilight and the Princesses already know, but I-"

Twilight finishes writing the last bit down while saying, "He's the Crown Prince of Lordaeron and the Lich King of Icecrown Citadel."

Hearing everyone exclaim in shock, you hear Rarity faint on the floor and look at Twilight with an annoyed gaze saying, "Now who's leaving crucial details out?

Rarity eventually comes back around and blinks wearily, asking, "Y-YOU-YOU'RE-YOU'RE A-A ROYAL CROWN PRINCE!?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US EARLIER!?"

You then sigh and say, "Because I'm a FORMER Crown Prince and the FORMER Lich King of Icecrown Citadel, meaning that I am pretty much just a commoner now."

The studious unicorn then narrows her eyes, saying, "You may not be a Lich King anymore, but you were born a royal. Therefore, you still are a Crown Prince."

You roll your eyes at her and say, "Now you're just splitting hairs on technicality, I died before I came here and found myself alive again somehow."

Twilight then scoffs saying, "Get back to your story, Your Royal Pain-ness"

Blowing a raspberry back at her, you then say, "Uther then reminded me that even though I was the prince, he still was my superior as a paladin. I was annoyed by that and told him as if I would ever forget that with a little sarcasm, I then told him there was something about the plague he needed to know. We then started heading towards the city and were halfway across the stone bridge when I started to hear coughing, and realized that we were too late." Your throat starts to tighten up as you recall the painful memory, saying, "I then told them that we were too late and that the people had been infected by the plague, and it was only a matter of time until they became undead. I tried to have mercy and told them that the entire city had to be purged..."

Rarity hears him sniffle and start to sob, so she picks up a box and lies down in front of you, then pulls one from it with her magic and dabs the tears from your eyes, saying, "Keep going and I will wipe away your tears."

Forcing yourself to continue, you clear your throat and keep going, saying, "Uther was shocked at hearing that and asked how I could even consider that, and told me there had to be another way. Frustrated with Uther and anxious to save the kingdom, I used my station as the future king to order him to purge Stratholme. He reminded me in a cross tone that I was not his king yet, calling me boy yet again, and then said that he would not obey that order even if I was. He then turned and walked away from me, so I told him that I had to consider his choice as treason. Uther stopped at the other side of the bridge and turned to face me saying, 'Treason? Have you lost your mind?' I then asked if I had and used my right of succession as well as the sovereignty of my position as Crown Prince to relieve him from command and suspend his paladins of service. Jaina tried to intervene by saying that I couldn't just do something like that, but I cut her off and said it was already done. I then turned to the men behind Uther and asked for those with the will to save our land to follow me, and told the rest of the men to get out of my sight. Uther then narrowed his eyes and pointed at me, telling me that I had crossed a terrible line. When he started walking away, I noticed Jaina walking away as well and said her name in a questioning manner. When she stopped and looked back at me, she had a deeply saddened look on her face and said sorry, but she could not watch me do that. I watched her walk away and realized that two of my friends had just abandoned me right then, and shook my head before heading into the city with the 6,000 men who remained loyal to me."

As you pause, Applejack gulps and asks nervously, "U-Uhm, how many lived in Stratholme?"

You sigh and say, "Around 75,000 give or take a few hundred."

Shocked at hearing such a high number, Twilight drops the quill as a new understanding of her friend's pain dawns on her. Picking it up again, she returns to writing the last bit, making sure to include how many lived in the city before saying, "Ready."

As the others try to come to grips with what you did to the whole city to prevent Mal'ganis from turning the citizens into undead, they listen to how he escaped and lured you to Northrend.

Rainbow listens intently as the story unfolds and hears about your arrival at the Forgotten Shore in the unforgiving land of Northrend, establishing a base camp before you ran into Muradin. She starts to get into the story a bit as you tell them about the fight you had against a group of Mal'Ganis's forces just to save Muradin's camp of dwarves.

When you get to the part where the base was destroyed, you wait for Twilight to catch up before continuing to talk, saying after hearing her say ready, "After I asked what Muradin was doing here, he told me of an ancient waygate somewhere within the glacial wasteland of Dragonblight that supposedly transports you to a secret vault where a runeblade named Frostmourne was kept. They came to claim Frostmourne, but the closer they got to the waygate, the more they kept encountering undead. So I made the dwarven camp my new primary camp and went with Muradin on a scouting trip. However, while we were away, I returned to find that no guards were present and asked Captain Luc Valonforth about their absence, and he told me that my father, King Terenas Menethil, had the men called back at Lord Uther's request. Unhappy at hearing that, I commented that if my men abandoned me, I would never be able to defeat Mal'Ganis. I then made my mind up and said that the ships must be burned before the men reach the shore. Muradin then asked me if I was going too far, but I was too angry to pay attention and said they had to be burned down to the frames. I was not going to let anyone go home until we finished the job, so we took off immediately and I told Muradin that we needed more men to fight our way through the undead. He then told me he came across some bands of mercenaries up there that I could hire. So we went to go search for them, encountering a few small groups of undead along the way and found one camp of Ice Trolls and Ogres. After hiring them, we continued on our way."

Fluttershy looks down at the ground sadly as she hears how you had the mercenaries destroy the ships and then blamed the mercenaries for the destruction of the ships, sniffling as she hears you say how Muradin admonished you for your actions and asked out of concern if vengeance is the only thing you cared about.

As you pause once again, you watch Twilight write furiously for a few moments before looking up and nodding for you to continue the story, and then say, "When we returned to the base camp, we were surrounded by scores of undead abominations and other undead creatures. As a last chance to turn things around, I asked him to help me claim Frostmourne so that we could use the power of Frostmourne to survive the battle. Muradin then said he had a bad feeling about it, but he promised to see it through to the end and led the way to the gate after I told one of the captains that they were in charge of the base's defense."

They all listen to the story as you had to fight your way through direwolves and the undead, then a powerful revenant guardian who fell saying that it was trying to protect you from the sword.

You then recall that memory as if it was only yesterday and say, "Muradin and I left the men behind to guard the entrance to the cavern, and when I first laid eyes on the sword in its frozen plinth, I honestly thought I found our salvation. Muradin then asked me to hold a moment because there was writing on the dais, which was a warning that said 'Whoever claims this sword will wield power eternal. Just like how the blade cuts flesh, so too must power scar the spirit.' He realized right then that it was a foul blade and told me it was cursed, then suggested we get away from it. Willing to do anything to save my home, I told him that I would happily bear any curse if it would let me save my homeland. Muradin then turned to me and advised me to leave the blade alone, forget why I came here and lead the men home. I wish I had listened to him then because things would have been better, but I didn't listen to him. I was too eager to get revenge, so I said damn the men and that nothing would keep me from slaying Mal'Ganis, not even my friend, Muradin Bronzebeard. I then looked at the cavern around me and called out to the spirits there, telling them I would give anything or pay whatever price if they would give me the chance to save my people. Casting aside my Warhammer, I then reached out for the hilt with my left hand, which caused the blade to start trembling inside the ice encasing it. When it broke free from the ice, the ice around it went flying in all directions as the magical seal holding it there was destroyed. One of those shards must have struck Muradin because I heard him cry out in pain while I moved the sword into my right hand as I then turned around and tested Frostmourne's weight with a few gentle swings. When I saw Muradin lying there injured, I took my leave of the cavern without even checking on him or looking back. When I claimed the sword, that was the moment I turned evil because the sword claimed my soul the moment I held it." You see the others trembling violently after what you just told them and sigh saying, "The story gets even worse at this point, so let's take a little while for you to adjust a bit to the news before you get nightmares from what I'm about to tell you. You can leave the ring on my horn as long as you want to until you have adjusted to the mind-breaking news I just dropped on you, you can even guard me round the clock until you are prepared for the rest of my story. I just hope you don't keep me tied up the whole time so that I can eat and use the restroom at least."

Fluttershy trembles violently after hearing your terrifying past, steeling her resolve and gulping nervously, saying, "N-No...this story causes you pain, and we need to know why. Please continue your story."

Applejack then nods and bolsters herself, saying, "We're here to know what troubles ya, so keep goin' pardner."

Rainbow then shivers lightly in fear but half-laughs saying, "C'mon, you ain't scared us off yet pal! Keep this campfire story going!"

Twilight lays a hoof on your good shoulder saying, "True friends will never abandon a friend in need."

As you hear the others voice their agreements, you sigh in defeat, saying, "Alright...fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you..."

Continuing your story at their insistence, you say, "This is where I became evil... because from the moment I left the place where Frostmourne was kept, I began to hear a voice in my head. The voice then spoke to me about my revenge against Mal'Ganis and where I could find him, after telling the men of Muradin's death, I began gathering them and heading off to find and slay him. After having to fight through a few bases, I finally caught up to him as he said, 'You've taken up the sword at the cost of your fellow warriors' lives just as the Dark Lord said you would...You are even stronger than I realized.' I then told him that he was wasting his breath, that I only heeded the voice of Frostmourne. He then turned to face me and grinned while telling me that I heard the Dark Lord's voice, whispering to me through the sword I wielded. Then he walked past me as I was listening to the voice whisper again, asking me what he said and what the Dark Lord of the dead was telling me at that moment. When he was behind me, I answered him and told him that the Dark Lord told me the time for my vengeance has come. I heard him turn around and ask what, then understood and said he couldn't possibly mean when I cut him off by channeling a strong spell through the sword and driving through him. I watched with grim satisfaction as he fell to the ground lifelessly before he vanished in green flames, then wandered off into the frozen wastes of Northrend. After listening to the maddening voice through the day and night ceaselessly, I eventually lost the last remnants of my sanity an began following the voice's dark will and planned to finally return home to claim my just reward."

Twilight continues to write it all down, eventually dipping the quill into the inkwell again to keep going. When she is finished, she looks at him and says, "Ready."

As Applejack listens to you tell your story, she trembles more violently at hearing how you slaughtered the surviving men and recruited some cultists to accompany you as a guard detail.

With a sigh, you turn away and look into the fire shamefully with a frown, saying, "When I arrived at Capital City, all of its citizens were along the roads or looking from open windows as I made my way down the paved street. As the bells were ringing, the citizens were throwing rose petals into the air and raining down upon me. I watched a drawbridge lower at my approach, making my way across and stopping before the doors to the castle interior. I watched the rose petals flutter down around me, feeling nothing at all and caught one of the velvety red petals in my hand. When I rubbed it between my gloved fingers and looked at it again, a green spot of decay appeared from where I rubbed it and tossed it aside before I made my way inside."

Rarity's breathing hitches as she hears how you violently push the doors open, leaving them to slam against the walls while making your way to the throne. Her imagination tries its best to recreate the scene as you describe it, with her looking on as you draw your sword from its sheathe and set its tip on the floor while kneeling before your father.

Staring into the fire, you resume the story after describing the scene to them, saying, "As I knelt before him, I heard him address me, saying, 'Ah, my son, I knew you would return victorious. I didn't hear what else he said after that because I was lost in my head thinking, 'You no longer need to suffer for your people. You no longer need to bear the burden of your crown...I've taken care of everything.' With that last thought, I rose to my feet and began to approach my father with a smile on my face. Once I walked up the steps to the throne with the sword in my hand, I grabbed his shoulder and forced him to lean forward, hearing, 'What is it? What are you doing, son?' When I drew my sword back, I looked into his wide eyes and said, 'I am succeeding you, father.' then drove my sword through his chest and watched him die. Once his final breath left him, I yanked my sword free while pushing him away with my boot. His crown came off his head and bounced down along the stairs to the floor stained with his blood and came to rest as I said, 'This kingdom shall fall... from its ashes, a new order shall rise that will shake the foundations of the world.'"

With her makeup in ruins due to the torrential tears blazing trails down her cheeks, Rarity wipes her makeup off her face as she continues to sob along with the others at hearing how you murdered your own father. As she breaks down into soft wails at hearing how you spread the plague through the city, Rarity hands the others another two boxes of tissues each.

After getting through the city's fall and the survivors fleeing the city in terror at what was happening, you say, "I was then teleported to an empty area where I looked around saying, 'What sorcery is this?' When I noticed someone standing on the rise to my right and saw a demon who I took to be Mal'Ganis and told them I didn't know how he survived, but I would slay them again when he cut me off and asked me to calm myself. He then introduced himself as Tichondrius, spelled T i c h o n d r i u s. He then said he was a dreadlord like Mal'Ganis and that he wasn't my enemy, but has come to congratulate me instead. I then asked him about it and he told me that by killing my own father and delivering the land to the scourge, I passed the first test, which the Lich King was pleased with my enthusiasm. I then told him that I have damned everyone and everything I've ever loved for him, that I still felt no remorse, shame, or pity."

Twilight blinks her tears away as she has a little trouble with writing while sobbing silently, listening to you tell her what the dreadlord said about the runeblade being forged by the Lich King and empowered to steal souls, with yours being the first one it took.

Seeing Twilight having trouble keeping up writing, Spike pushes away his tears and hurries to her side. Taking the quill from her magic, he takes over for her as she thanks him weakly before curling up on herself and sobbing away. After seeing where she left off, he resumes recording the tale as you give him a few moments to catch up.

Once you resume the story, you tell them the rest of the conversation between the dreadlord and you. As you tell them what happened afterward, you let Spike catch up before telling them about your next task. Eventually getting to the point where you were sent to search for a special urn to contain the remains of Kel'Thuzad and slew the paladins guarding it, you say, "When I encountered my old mentor, Uther, he told me that my father ruled this land for seventy years, and I had ground it to dust in a matter of days. I then commented on how dramatic that was and told him that if he gave me the urn, I would make sure he would die quickly. Uther was shocked by my demand and told me that the urn holds my fathers ashes, then he asked if I was hoping to piss on them one final time before leaving the kingdom to rot. When I heard that, I laughed in amusement and said I didn't know what was inside, but it didn't matter because I was going to get what I came for."

Applejack listens to the story with tears in her eyes at the intense fight that followed when she hears you say, "Just before I dealt the final blow, he told me that he truly hoped there was a special place waiting for me in hell, and I told him that we may never know because I planned to live forever."

Still gazing into the flames, you turn your head to see Spike struggling to keep writing and look at Twilight, asking, "Twilight, if you are able, could you take over for Spike?"

Rarity dabs her eyes dry as she turns to see Twilight still sobbing away and takes the quill, inkwell, and paper from Spike, saying, "I can take over for a while until they can resume writing." Looking at where Spike left off, she dips the quill into the inkwell and taps the excess off before making a few corrections to the writing. It takes her a few minutes to catch up to the present point as she has to halt to dab her eyes a few times, looking up at him saying, "You may continue."

As tears run down your cheeks, you nod and say, "After I collected the urn and dumped my father's ashes onto the ground, I put Kel'Thuzad's remains inside when the dreadlord Tichondrius appeared near me and said I was doing excellent work, and that our journey to Quel'Thalas, spelled Q u e l ' T h a l a s, could finally begin. He then left and Kel'Thuzad's spirit appeared before me, saying to tell him nothing and that only I could hear him. He then warned me that the dreadlords could not be trusted because they were the Lich King's jailors, then promised to tell me everything when he walked the world again. After that, I marched my army of five thousand undead across the land for almost a week and nearly reached the wondrous, eternal lands of the High Elves. I was standing on a cliff with Kel'Thuzad, overlooking the land that I haven't seen since I was a boy when he warned me that the elves likely waited in ambush. I then told him that the frail elves didn't worry me, and that our forces were strengthened with every foe we slew. He advised me to not be too overconfident as a death knight, for the elves were not to be taken lightly. Not wanting to lose time searching for the path to their land, I captured some of their priests and tried to get them to tell me where it was. Unwilling to tell where it was, I slew them and decided to make my own way through the forest that was barring our path. By using the meat wagons, we forged a way through the forest and into their land. Building a new base just inside their land, I began to increase my numbers by searching for towns and villages. Fighting my way through their lands from village to village, my forces quickly grew to ten thousand, though I had come across a new nuisance that hindered my every move. The nuisance soon introduced itself as a female High Elf named Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Silvermoon, capital of Quel'Thalas. She made it known that we were not welcome there and tried to get us to turn back, but I ignored her warning and told her that she should turn back, for death itself had come to their land. She then told me to do my worst, for the elfgate to the inner kingdom was protected by their most powerful enchantments, which we would not pass."

As she continues to write the tale down, leaving no detail out, she starts to hear a faint, eerie song playing just barely within earshot. Unable to hear any words yet, she continues to write it down as a faint wailing can be heard and asks, "Can anyone else hear that creepy music?"

The others nod their heads as you nod your head as well, saying, "It is a sorrowful tone, and I think that there may be words to it, though they will be in another tongue. I will translate it for you all once I get through this part of the story."

As you resume the story, you hear words being sung as you tell them of you cutting a path through their land, killing the very ground you and the army stepped on. You then blink slowly and continue saying, "When we reached the first gate, it didn't take the meat wagons very long to batter it down as I heard her order her troops to fall back and ordered my troops onward to victory. Attacking and pursuing her soldiers the whole way, a bridge was approaching as she waited by it. She faced our way and said I broke through the first gate, calling me a butcher before saying I wouldn't get through the second, saying that the inner gate to Silvermoon could only be opened with a special key and would never be mine. I then watched her run to the far side of the bridge and said she was wasting her time because she could not outrun the inevitable, which she then replied by saying, 'You think I'm running from you? Apparently, you've never fought elves before.' and then halted my pursuit by using her bow to fire a spell upon the bridge as a few of my soldier were crossing it, destroying the bridge and the soldiers in the process. I watched her run off again and damned her angrily at forcing me to look for another way to cross, which I found a couple hours later in the form of Goblin zeppelin air ships. After I got to the other side, I resumed my attacks on buildings and any who resisted me when I found a crystal. Kel'Thuzad appeared before me again and said that the crystal was part of a three moon key which would open the inner gate, so I set out to find the other crystal keys. Once I gathered the other pieces and completed the key, I battled my way to their inner gate and removed the magical barrier before blasting the gates apart and marching through them while looking forward to dealing with Sylvanas and laying claim to the inner kingdom. I watched the Ranger General retreat from on top of an overlooking cliff, cursing our ongoing march, which began to really vex me."

Rarity's body trembles fearfully as you continue the story, hearing how you continued to slaughter your way to the fields outside Silvermoon and killing her runners. She continues to write as you give her a chance to catch up, looking up with watery eyes, saying, "Ready."

You nod and look back into the flames with a heavy heart and sorrowful soul as you continue on, saying, "When I finally caught up to her, she fought to the bitter end as she tried to get her people to safety. When she ran towards me, she cast aside her bow and slid forth on her knees with her swords drawn to strike me down from my undead steed, Invincible. I was watchful and drew Frostmourne back as she froze for a second, staring up at me with either awe, wonder or fear in her eyes while I drove my sword through her chest. I held the sword there as I heard her tell me to finish it, and that she deserved a clean death. I smirked and told her in a condescending tone, 'With all that she put me through, the very last thing I would give her is death's peace.' She then looked up at me with shocked and angered eyes and started to tell me that I wouldn't dare do that, but I cut her off and tore her soul from her still-living body and transformed her into a banshee. I heard her let out a final, agonized scream and looked around to see what she was looking at an spotted a dead High Elf mother lying on the field with her dead daughter clutched in her arms tightly. Sylvanas's body fell to its side as I watched my new banshee turn to face me, waiting for orders. After strengthening my forces, I marched my forces to Silvermoon and began my attack on it, having her kill her own people." You then give Rarity a chance to catch up a bit before continuing on.

As they listen to more of the story, they are horrified at how mercilessly cruel, cold and unforgiving you were. Hearing how you were granted the ability to summon another new, horrifying creature, the Frost Wyrm, their lungs seize for a fraction of a second as their minds try not to imagine what one looks like.

When the tale continues on, you tell them about how you were sent to slaughter several groups of Blackrock Orcs to take over and use an active demon gate to summon Archimonde, who would lead the Burning Legion's invasion of Azeroth. You quickly pass the point where Archimonde ordered you and Kel'thuzad to find a special tome, the only remaining spellbook of Medivh, the Last Guardian. It takes you a few minutes to get through the attack on Dalaran and the summoning, getting to the point where command of the Scourge was transferred to the Dreadlords.

You go through the events of what happened in the months following, even telling them of the small part you had to play in the Legion's defeat. You then sigh and say, "Annoyed with being under their thumb, I spent most of my time secretly making sure there was no communication between the dreadlords and Archimonde. I was also learning what was going on in the world, having my shades and cultists be spies for me. One day, my newest banshee, Sylvanas Windrunner and the lich Kel'Thuzad were listening in on a meeting of Archimonde's pet dreadlords near Lordaeron's ruined Palace Gardens when she overheard them talking about not having heard from Archimonde for months along with their displeasure of overseeing the undead. Of course, I was listening the whole time through a shade as Another dreadlord reminded him of their reason for remaining here, being mainly overseeing the land and ensuring the scourge was ready to fight. I was amused to hear how they still didn't know of the legions defeat months ago as well as how they hadn't received orders by now, but little did they know that plans were in motion already as I was riding toward them. When I destroyed the gate leading to the area they were meeting, they were surprised to see me approaching them. As I came to a stop before them, I greeted them before graciously thanking them for looking after my kingdom for me in my absence and would not need their services any longer. They tried to tell me that the land was theirs and that the Scourge belongs to the Legion. I smiled with glee as I told them that they didn't belong to them anymore because their masters have been defeated and the Legion was undone, telling them that their deaths would complete the circle. They defied my words and said that it wasn't over just before teleporting themselves somewhere else. When Kel'Thuzad welcomed me back as Prince Arthas, I acknowledged that I had returned before telling him that he would call me King Arthas because that was my land after all. I then said that we needed to secure the land by scouring the last remnants of humanity from it when the lich told me that they had already began to abandon their villages, fleeing to the canyon passes and that we would lose the ability to hunt them down if they made it to the mountains. I countered him by saying then we must slaughter them before they escape, adding that their deaths would be a fitting tribute to the Lich King, Ner'zhul."

Fluttershy places her hooves over her head as she curls into a ball, wailing at hearing how vicious and evil you were to innocent citizens, adults and children alike. As she hears the horror story, she lightly starts to rock back and forth, sobbing, "No more...please, no more."

Looking at the state of poor Fluttershy makes your heart hurt for her, saying, "Someone please make it so that she can't hear anything else from here on?"

Twilight and the other girls put ear plugs into her ears as well as a pair of ear muffs to prevent any other sound from getting through, turning to you and say, "Okay, please continue on."

This part is in 3rd person, taking place within Fluttershy's mind and is between her inner voice and herself

As she battles with the horrors you have committed in her mind, something inside her sparks and asks her, 'Is this the kind of friend you want to be?'

Fluttershy opens her eyes to find herself in a dark place under a bright white spotlight with a pony identical to her standing in front of her with a frown on her kind and caring face, asking the other pony, "Uhm, what do you mean?"

The other lookalike closes her eyes and sighs, saying, "Is this the kind of friend you want to be? The kind of friend that runs away from something that she is too terrified of to deal with, though the other needs all the support they can get and lets them down, hereby letting them know they can't count on you for when things are much harder for them?"

She trembles on her hooves as she understands and softly says, "N-No...b-but...the things that he is telling us is going to keep me awake for many nights and might even drive me insane."

She looks at Fluttershy and sighs, saying, "That is true, but try to think about how he feels...he is the one that has to bear the memories of the very things you are hearing about. He actually did those awful things...and must suffer the shame and guilt of his past deeds. If you want to stay in the dark about what he's done, then go right ahead...but prepare to lose a potentially very good friend in the process..."

Back in Twilight's library...

Fluttershy sobs to herself as she hears her own blood pulsing in her ears, reaching one hoof to her ears shakily as her fear fights her for control. When she finally touches the base of the ear muffs around her ears, she has to use her inner strength and gains some control over her fear and starts to push them upwards.

You pause your story a little bit before the point you felt the pain through your connection to Ner'zhul as Rarity continues to write down the gory details you were telling them earlier, watching curiously as Fluttershy pushes the things off her head and gains everyone's attention when Twilight starts to ask what her friend is doing, cutting her off by saying, "Shhhh!" It takes a few moments for Fluttershy to get the plugs out of her ears as you finally ask, "Did you make up your mind as to whether you wanted to hear the rest of my story, Flutters?"

She gulps nervously and lays down on her belly, nodding her head and saying with a shaky voice, "Y-Y-Yes, and I realized that you must be feeling a whole lot worse than any of us at sharing your life story with us, so...please continue."

Nodding your head, you say, "The only thing you missed were some gory details of my quest to hunt down the remaining humans in my kingdom, which I was only telling them to stall for time to see if you were going to walk away or listen to the story. I am glad you chose the latter, now I can continue on with the rest of the story."

Rainbow's head jerks up as she exclaims, "Wait...hold up. You made Rarity and Spike puke their guts out repeatedly with all those details...JUST TO STALL FOR TIME!?! UNCOOL!"

With a smirk coming to your face, you shrug and say, "Hey, I have trust issues, what do you expect?"

15: Hearth's Warming Eve: Part 3

You then sigh heavily as you say, "Alright, let's continue where I left off..."

Rainbow then huffs and says, "Yeah, get back to the action!"

Rolling your eyes at her, you say, "Alright little miss speed demon, pipe down. I was fighting my way through towns while I had Kel'Thuzad and Sylvanas blocking the paths into the mountains with their troops. When I headed to another town, I suddenly felt an unbearable pain come over my whole body, nearly causing me to fall out of the saddle. When I asked what was happening to me, I heard the Lich King Ner'zhul tell me that danger was drawing near, and power was fading as time was beginning to run out. The voice and pain faded away after a few moments and Kel'Thuzad asked if I needed assistance, but I told him I didn't because the pain had passed and noticed my powers were diminished and that something was terribly wrong here. He asked if we should recall our forces, but I told him we wouldn't, as I wanted to finish the hunt and conclude our business before looking into the mystery."

Twilight takes over writing for Rarity as you tell them of how you had finally dealt with the final village and the paladin order when you decided to round up the stragglers and finish them off as you were hit by another bout of pain, hearing you say, "I was contacted by the Lich King again and warned that danger was drawing near the Frozen Throne, then was ordered to return to Northrend immediately. When his voice faded, I told Kel'Thuzad to take me back to the capital as I had a long journey ahead of me. With my powers further diminished, I noticed that I had lost control of some of my forces...learning later that Sylvanas was among them as well as a few of my Val'kyr. As I was on my way back to the capital, I received further warnings about my waning power. Barely able to control my own soldiers then, I told Kel'Thuzad of how all would be lost if I didn't return to Northrend soon. He had told me to not worry, that the ships had already been gathered for my departure. We were on our way there at that moment when we were ambushed by the three dreadlords Detheroc, Balnazzar, and Varimathras as well as a few of their soldiers, telling us that there's been a change of plans...that I was going nowhere. Kel'Thuzad heard the gates shut behind us and realize that it was a trap and they were trying to assassinate us both as Balnazzar said that I never should have returned in my weakened state, because they now controlled the majority of my warriors and that it seemed my reign was short-lived. The lich then told me to flee the city because there was too many of them, but he would find his own way out and meet me in the wilderness. I then agreed and wished him good luck before fighting my way back through their forces and smashing my way through the iron gates that they shut."

As you tell them of the battle you had to wage just to escape their trap, making it out of the city to be joined by a few banshees led by Sylvanas. Taking a breath, you then say, "The banshees told me they were sent to find me by Sylvanas and would escort me across the river to the wilderness. When we reached a clearing, they stopped and said we would rest here to gather our strength and I went to ask why here. I then told them that we needed to find Kel'Thuzad when I was struck by another bout of pain, where the Lich King told me that I had been deceived and to come to him at once. It was at that moment that the rest of my warriors were slaughtered, with an arrow striking me in the shoulder, which made me ask what was going on when Sylvanas confronted me. She then told me that I had walked right into her ambush and it was time to even the scales. I had called her a traitor and angrily asked what she had done to me as I felt something working its way through my body, leaving me unable to fight back. She answered me and said that it was a special poisoned arrow she made just for me, commenting that the paralysis I was feeling is but a tiny sliver of the agony I caused her. I then told her to finish me then, but she then said, 'A quick death...like what I gave her? No, I was going to suffer as she had. Thanks to her poisoned arrow, I couldn't run away.' She then told me with all the hatred she had to give my regards to hell and called me a son of a bitch, just then Kel'Thuzad arrived with his troops and engaged the banshees and Sylvanas, saying that I would not fall today. I then heard Sylvanas tell me it wasn't over, that she would never stop hunting me before running off into the woods as her banshees fell." You continue telling them how Kel'Thuzad told you the effects will wear off in time, and that all the preparations for my journey to Northrend had been finished. Just before departing, you called him a loyal friend and didn't know if you would ever return, so you asked him to watch over your land and see to it that your legacy endured.

As Twilight continues writing as you pause to let her catch up, she eventually finishes and looks up with a tired yawn, saying, "...Ready."

Continuing the story, you tell them of how it took your ragged fleet three weeks to get to the frozen southern coast of Northrend when you encountered a group of High Elves that announced themselves as the Blood Elves, swearing to avenge the ghosts of Quel'Thalas and that the dead land would be cleansed. With a sigh, you say, "I told them that Northrend belongs to the Scourge and that they had made a terrible mistake in coming here. I then told my soldiers to kill them when a new group of creatures arrived and ambushed them, slaughtering them all in Ner'zhul's name. Not knowing who or what they were, I approached them warily and thanked their mighty leader for their assistance and learned that they were sent by the Lich King to aid me, introducing himself as Anub'arak, ancient king of Azjol-Nerub." After spelling both names out for Twilight, you continue the story where you left off, saying, "Welcoming his aid, I told him we had little time for pleasantries, as we were urgently needed at Icecrown. We then set off to deal with the Blood Elves' base in Northrend."

Fluttershy keeps herself strengthened against how he decimated their base and came to meet Prince Kael'thas, who took his leave after telling Arthas that the group he decimated was just a scouting force and that you would find it far more difficult to defeat Lord Illidan's army. Something deep inside her tells her that the story is somewhat half-finished as she feels rather sleepy, asking, "Uhm, I was wondering if it would be okay with you if we got some sleep?"

Curious, you look out the window to see the sun rising with Celestia's power and turn back to them with a nod, saying, "Of course, I myself will be needing to rest, however, I doubt it will be a peaceful rest. I shall continue the story after we all wake, goodnight, girls." Laying your head down onto your hooves by the fire, you prepare for another night plagued by your past horrors.

Twilight watches the girls all laying next to each other, bringing a smile to her face as she finishes writing the last bit of the story and turns to Spike, saying, "Please prepare to send everything written to Princess Celestia so that there is room to continue writing his story down while I write a letter to the princess to inform her of the current situation."

Spike's eyes widen at hearing that and gulps, asking, "Wait...ALL of this?" When he hears her hum in confirmation, he nods and then breathes his special flame over the stacks of papers.

Moments later, inside the special relaxation quarters of Canterlot Castle

Celestia watches over her sleeping sister when she sees numerous stacks of paper appearing all around her, saying, "What in Equestria is going on with all these stacks of paper?" She then sees a scroll pop up before her and unrolls it curiously, surprised at finding out that it is from Twilight. Reading further into the letter, she is pleased to learn that Arthas had been found unconscious in the snowy lands between Canterlot and Ponyville, bringing him back to Twilight's home. After questioning him why he tried to abandon them, they learned from Fluttershy that he had left after watching her cry from knowing what happened to him at the end. By being stubborn through his unwillingness to burden us and upset us with his past, they eventually got him to tell his story, however they were up all night long listening to his story and were just now going to sleep. She was even surprised to learn that Fluttershy managed to find the strength to continue listening to the story after initially begging him to tell no more, removing the ear plugs and ear muffs keeping her from hearing more of the horrors of his past.

Luna wakes to her sister's shuffling hooves and asks wearily, "Sister...what is going on?" Looking around, she sees the numerous stacks of paper surrounding them and asks, "What is all this?"

She turns to her sister and says, "This is another part of Arthas's past, though we will have to wait until the first part's barrier disappears to read it in order to fully understand his whole story."

The younger sister looks at the stacks of paper without barriers around them and says, "I think that would help to keep us from getting confused from reading it out of order."

With no court being held over the holidays, Celestia reads back through the pages regarding what Arthas knows about Azeroth, thinking, 'The description of the known landmasses and the massive, swirling maelstrom between all the continents seems familiar...but why is that? My sister and I should investigate why it feels familiar to me...'

When you wake, you smell Spike cooking something delicious in the kitchen and feel something soft up against you. Turning your head to look, you see Twilight to one side of you with Applejack on your opposite side and spot Fluttershy lying on top of you. A half-chuckle escapes your lips as you find amusement in it, saying, "I see you girls were ensuring that I would go nowhere, even though I am still tied up."

The girls slowly stir awake at his words and look at him saying how glad they were that he didn't try to run away again, then get up to their hooves as they go get something to eat, with Fluttershy bringing him some fried potato fries and some kind of vegetable dinner while Applejack brings him some Applejuice, untying his legs, saying, "Now don't get any bright ideas mister, 'cause ah'm gonna stick to you like stink to a skunk."

With a smirk, you nod your head, saying, "As you wish, but I wouldn't get very far if I tried with the ring on my horn and my foreleg in a cast."

The sun is near the horizon when the others come back after heading to their homes for a bit, settling in to hear the rest of the story as Twilight brings out more stacks of paper and quills, saying, "Alright, Arthas, let's continue where we left off." Looking around at her friends, she asks, "Are you all ready to hear the remainder of the story?"

Watching them nod and hearing their confirmations, you then say, "Alright then, now where was I..." Remembering your place from last night, you continue, saying, "Right...I voiced my surprised at learning that Illidan Stormrage was behind the invasion, and Prince Kael'thas confirmed that he was indeed behind it. He then told me that their forces were vast and that they marched upon the Icecrown Glacier as we spoke, adding that I would never make it in time to save my precious Lich King. Before he left, he told me to consider that as payment for Quel'Thalas and other insults...with other insults meaning me 'taking' Lady Jaina Proudmoore from him because we both fancied her. Once he was gone, I was hit by yet another painful feeling as I weakened again as Ner'zhul spoke to me and urged me to make haste, for his enemies were drawing near and our time was nearly gone. After seeing me in pain, Anub'arak asked if I was well and I told him that I was alright, though my powers were weakening once again. I then told him that Kael'thas was right, that we would not reach him in time. It was then that Anub'arak told me that there was another route we could take...through the shattered, ancient kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, which laid deep beneath us. Even though it had fallen on dark times, it still could provide us a quick route to the glacier. With no choice, I accepted his suggestion and asked him to guide the way."

Spike listens as you tell them of your journey to the entrance, listening more intently as you talk of your intense battle with dragons from the Blue Dragonflight. His eyes tear up as he hears of how you defeated them all and was able to raise the great dragon Sapphiron into undeath as a Frost Wyrm.

As you tell them how Anub'arak advised you to conserve strength due to the long trek ahead of you, you eventually get to where you made it to the start of the tunnels to Azjol-Nerub. You then say, "Anub'arak said that nothing was certain, that the ruins would be quite perilous, but still worth the risk. We were walking for hours, which made me anxious to get to the Lich King's side because he was defenseless without us, but Anub'arak informed me that he left many of his warriors at Icecrown and that they would the line for as long as they were able. When we finally did arrive at the entrance, something felt very off to me as there was nothing around as I asked him where his nerubian people were, undead or otherwise. Telling me that he was wondering that himself, he then suggested that something must have driven them off. Moments later, a group of dwarves ran out of hiding and told us that they did, calling us rotting bastards and said they had been watching us all along. I then recognized them as being Muradin's dwarves, complaining out loud why nobody stays dead anymore. They then told me they've been wandering the forsaken land ever since I killed Muradin and left them here to rot, though Baelgun led us into the ruined city to survive and there was no way they were going to let me in. In response, I sent Sapphiron to destroy the gate they had closed. When the gate was destroyed, the blast killed a dwarf that failed to make it inside and I was forced to leave Sapphiron behind due to the tunnels being too small for him."

Rainbow listens intently to the story as it continues on with how Anub'arak warned you that time was running out and they had to hurry, which wasn't easy due to you having to fight your way through the tunnels. When she hears of surviving nerubians still fighting to reclaim the tunnels foolishly after the war of the spider, she asks, "How long ago was this spider war?"

You think about it for a moment and say, "Well it happened sometime during my teenage years, but that is a different story than mine. After killing Baelgun and opening the way into the next section, I noticed that the air inside smelled awful and that something didn't feel right."

An eerie feeling crawls up Rarity's spine as she mutters, "I have a feeling that something truly horrid was down there in the inner kingdom with you..."

A chuckle escapes your throat as you look at her and say, "Horrid doesn't even do justice to what was down there in the heart of the old kingdom." You then continue with the story, telling them of the battle throughout the tunnels, then say, "When we broke our way through a barricaded door, we saw what the dwarves were scared of...the ones that Anub'arak only thought were legends until that moment, naming them as the Faceless Ones. If you wish to see what they looked like, there are several drawings I made of everything I remember. You will have to ask Twilight where the rest of them are, as the first batch was likely sent as a Hearth's Warming present, am I right, Twilight?"

Twilight looks up, surprised as she says, "You knew!?"

You laugh and then nod, saying, 'Of course I did, you are so obsessive with your reports that it is predictable whenever you make a breakthrough, be it big or small."

Rainbow then turns to Twilight and asks, "Yo Twilight, where did ya hide those drawings so we can look at em?"

She sighs and pulls them out from inside a set of fake books, saying, "Here you go, but for Rarity's sake, try not to let her see the ones depicting what the Faceless Ones look like."

Watching Rainbow looking through the photos, Rarity asks, "Why can't I see what they look like, darling?"

Twilight looks at her with a deadpan look in her eyes and asks, "Because they are basically walking, faceless tentacled creatures that might affect your daily life whenever you might look at a mane or tail."

The fashionista scoffs and says, "Oh pish-posh Twilight, nothing could possibly change how I see a pony's mane or tail."

She sighs and watches her head over to look at the images with Rainbow and the others, saying, "Okay then, don't say I didn't warn you..." Looking up to you, she continues writing for a bit before saying, "Alright, you can keep going."

You then nod your head and say, "Alright, we had to fight our way through a room filled with dozens of writhing tentacles three-times taller than my human form with huge curved spikes growing from their insides that were sticking up through the tiled floor under a foot of water along with a dozen or so bipedal Faceless Ones. The tentacles would lash out and strike at anything that got near them, so they proved to be quite the nuisance to deal with until we killed off the last of the Faceless Ones in the room. When we moved onto the next area, we came face-to-face with a Forgotten One, which was another creature I had never came across before. It was a hideous blob-like creature having four eyes, and five mouths all over it. Anub'arak couldn't believe that one was there, telling me to look to my defenses and fight like I never fought before. Sending some of my troops to attack it, I discovered that it could use spells and psychic attacks as well as summon, and control multiple tentacles at a time along with calling in additional soldiers. Once we had dispatched it and the few soldiers that arrived during the fight, I turned to check out noise from another tunnel and noticed that there were perhaps a hundred or even more racing our way to take us down. Knowing we could not take them all, Anub'arak told us to hurry toward the stairwell quickly, where we hastily closed the doors behind us and blocked the path as best we could."

Rarity and the others look through the colored drawings of places, buildings, people, and creatures you knew when she sees the drawing of the Forgotten One and exclaims, "EHEHEEEWW! That is the most HIDEOUS THING I HAVE EVER LOOKED AT YET! I am aghast at how I find some inspiration from this monstrosity!"

With a chuckle, you continue the story from when you reached the Upper Kingdom and had to watch out for hidden traps and pitfalls as you made your way to the exit. After you get through the part where you ran down the path while urging Anub'arak and the others to find cover, you say, "I had to be careful where I stepped with Invincible or I would have fell to one of the many traps within the passageway."

Twilight continues writing the story down as you tell her how you had to fight your way through a dozen Faceless Ones without any help from others, narrowly succeeding with the aid of your spells and regrouping with Anub'arak and the others on the other side of the labyrinth. She listens to how you collected stashes of gold as you made your escape, having to fight your way through even more faceless ones that tried to block your escape.

As you tell her how you finally made it to the exit to the outside, you say, "As I was looking forward to seeing the sun again, Anub'arak reminded me that Illidan and the true battle still laid ahead of us above. He also said he hoped that our journey through the dark earth bought us the time necessary to reach the glacier in time. It took us a few hours to arrive near the base of the Scourge's main stronghold, arriving just in time as Illidan's naga and blood elf forces took up positions at the glacier's base. At that moment, I was hit by one more bout of pain as the Lich King spoke to me, saying that I had come at last. He then told me of a fracture in his prison, the Frozen Throne, and his power was slowly leaking out of it...which was the cause of my powers diminishing. I asked him how it was possible and he told me that the runeblade called Frostmourne, was once locked inside the prison with him but he forced it from the ice so that it would find me and in turn, guide me to him, which it finally had. He then told me that we faced a grave danger, his creator, the demonlord Kil'jaedan, sent his agents to destroy him. If they were to reach the Frozen Throne before me, all would be lost as the Scourge would be undone. He bade me to hurry and granted me all the power he could spare, and I knew right away what I had to do. Wanting to end the game once and for all, I needed to make plans with Anub'arak to defend the Lich King's throne chamber."

Everyone stops looking at the photos as they listen in to the story, hearing how you were fed up with Illidan mocking the Scourge and decided to put the fear of death back into him. Each time your forces would clash with his keeps their attention riveted to you, waiting to hear who the victor was. After a long battle that lasted for several hours, you came out victorious in claiming all four obelisks and opened the doors to the throne.

You see the looks on their faces and then say, "I was on my way to the doors when Illidan met me outside the throne doors, telling him that the Frozen Throne was mine and to step out of the way. I told him to leave the world and not to return, for I would be waiting if he did. He then spoke to me and said he swore to destroy it, that it had to be done, though I refused to let him do that. That led us to facing off against each other one more time..."

When you describe the start of the fight to them, they are enthralled as Twilight manages to somehow keep writing while keeping her attention mostly glued to you. Telling them how you traded blows with Illidan and his dual, double-bladed warglaives, rendering him unable to grip one weapon, you forced him to unleash the power he got from the skull of Gul'dan. You then look at their enraptured faces, you say, "I saw the green markings on his body glow with the power the skull gave him, watching as he discarded his other weapon and let his rage take over as he jumped up into the air and prepared to charge at me with his clawed hands. I saw a chance to end the fight and held my sword in both hands, channeling power into Frostmourne until it glowed a bright sapphire blue, then charged toward him with the sword held low behind me with both hands. He then dove at me in turn with his hands reaching out to tear me apart, which is when I jumped up to meet him. When we were a few feet apart...I swung my sword up and to the left, and heard my sword cut him deeply. When I heard him fall to the ice heavily, I kept walking towards the doors to the Frozen Throne."

Twilight works feverishly to catch up as you pause the story, her heart beats quickly at hearing of the duel between you and Illidan. It takes her a few moments to finish writing before looking at you, saying, "I'm done, please continue."

You then tell them of your walk up the long staircase to the Frozen Throne, thinking back on your journey here and the friends that abandoned you, betrayed you, or you left behind. With a sigh, you say, "During my trek up the steps, I could hear the voices of my former friends in my head the entire way. Undaunted by what I had done, I kept going and reached the Frozen Throne itself. When I looked upon the ice surrounding the throne, I thought I saw the Lich King trapped inside it and heard him speak to me from the ice, saying, 'Return the blade and complete the circle. Free him from his icy prison.' Hearing that, I took big steps forward while drawing my sword back to shatter the ice trapping him inside. When I destroyed the ice with Frostmourne, I discovered that there was only an empty suit of armor inside the ice. Looking upon the empty armor with a smile, I took it as being my reward for being so loyal to him and replaced what was lying before me. The last thing I picked up...was the crowned helm. Once I put it on, I heard the ice above the throne starting to break apart when I began to feel new power suffusing my body which felt amazing to me. I then heard the Lich King tell me that we were finally one and opened my eyes to look out at the vast lands I now ruled over as the Scourge's new Lich King. Feeling annoyed with the small pangs I felt during my climb up the steps, I tore out my own heart and cast it far away from me. Aware of my new strength, I knew I needed to rest for a little while and sat down in my new throne."

Gasping in shock, Rainbow and Spike both blink their eyes and say, "Woah..." in unison as Spike continues, saying, "So that's how you got that creepy armor."

You nod your head and say, "It is indeed, now let's continue..."

The bookworm nods her head and finishes writing before making a note at the bottom of the page to help with keeping the story straight, then sets it at the top of the appropriate stack and grabs a new paper, saying, "Okay, go ahead."

As you tell them how you slumbered atop the throne to gather your strength, you say, "When I awoke, I learned I had slept for about a decade and decided to ready myself to wage war on the world of mortals. With a sigh, you get to where Sapphiron told you of where the great dragon Sindragosa fell from the sky after being mortally wounded by the dragon soul wielded by the traitor Neltharion, saying, "As I set out to the place where she fell, I walked onto a lake several miles from the Frozen Throne and found her soul trapped beneath the ice with her skeletal body at the bottom of the lake. As I claimed her crazed and enraged soul with Frostmourne, I heard her rant and rave about how much she craved revenge against the Burning Legion, Neltharion, her former consort Malygos, and the world of mortals. When I told her who I was, I told her I could help her get her revenge...and more if she served me in undeath. In her present state, she eagerly took my offer of resurrecting her and asked me to find and raise her children as well, telling me where they fell in their battle against the black aspect Neltharion, who betrayed all of the flights several thousand years ago. When I resurrected her, I had her lead the frostbrood into war against the mortals. With her among my ranks, I sent out agents to raise the dead in preparation to battle the living."

Twilight continues to write down the story as you pause after a little while to let her catch up, which takes her a few moments to finish writing, saying, "Alright, continue with your story."

Continuing on, you reach the point where you sent your newly created Death Knights to destroy the village of Hearthglen, then sending them on to attack Light's Hope Chapel, saying, "I sent them there to hopefully draw man old acquaintance out of hiding, which it did, and planned to kill him myself. It was there, that my Death Knights were bested and captured by my old friend Tirion Fordring. When I saw the soul of Alexandros Mograine intervene and show him a vision of the past, I saw my chance to claim a powerful soul that had eluded me several years ago. Wanting to claim his soul, I appeared near him and waited a moment to hear his words to his son Darion, claiming his soul as I commented how touching it was, and that he was now mine. At that moment, he had realized how little I valued them and said I betrayed them all, which resulted in him regaining his will and turning against me. When he jumped at me and attempted to strike me down, I batted him aside with Frostmourne and commented on how pathetic the attack was. Tirion then called me a damned monster, to which I then told him he was correct. I did indeed send them there to die because their lives meant nothing to me...however, his life had great value. I then said how easy it was to draw him out of hiding, leaving himself so exposed with nothing around that could save the great paladin's life. The others charged in to attack me, but I cast them all back and greatly weakened them. At that moment, I believed that I would claim his soul...however, I saw Darion throw his sword to Tirion. When Tirion caught it, I was taken by surprise when he was suffused with great strength and surrounded by vibrant, holy light as he then leapt towards me and struck my side. Feeling his strike made me jump back and check my wound, finding that he managed to wound me lightly. Feeling uneasiness creep through me, I decided to retreat, saying that it wasn't over...when we met again, it would be on unholy ground. It was after my retreat that the Argent Crusade was formed from the merging of the Argent Dawn and the Silver Hand. Shortly after, I lost command of the floating Necropolis called Acherus just outside of Hearthglen."

As she continues writing, she hears of what you have done in the meantime. When you pause in the story yet again, she works to catch up before nodding her head for you to continue. While you resume the story, she hears Fluttershy sobbing at the events that transpired at Angrathar, the Wrath Gate.

Hours later, you look out the window to see the sky lightening in preparation for the sun to rise and smirk, saying, "Finally, when the heroes had fought their way to Icecrown Citadel's front door...I stood before Frostmourne and saw many souls manifest in the room around me, with my father being the foremost of them all as he asked me if I could feel fate closing in around me. Saying that the light's justice had been awakened, that my past finally caught up to me and I would be made accountable for all that I had done. Though he was the first to be devoured by my evil, thousands more were still bound to the blade and were crying out for release. His final words to me were to look to my defenses, for the justice's champions had gathered at my gates. After those words, I took up the sword and said to let them come...for Frostmourne hungered for more souls."

Seeing how the quill was trembling violently in her magic, Rarity takes over for her, saying, "Let me take over for you."

Pausing to let her pick up where she left off and catch up, you hear Twilight thank her friend. Once she is caught up, you hear her ask you to continue and resume the tale. Telling them about the intense battle they waged through Icecrown floor by floor and room by room, besting your strongest warriors before finally reaching the top of your citadel. Not leaving details out, you describe the battle in great detail, leading right up to the moment that Tirion broke free of his prison and charged. You think back on that moment with a slight grin on your face as you say, "When our two swords met, his Ashbringer...completely shattered Frostmourne's blade. When I looked down in shock and surprise at my broken sword, I watched the souls trapped within go free. As they all swirled around me, they picked me up into the air and began to further weaken me, until Tirion dealt me a mortal wound. Too weak and unable to fight any longer, the spirits released me from their hold. After falling to the floor, my crowned helm came off my head and skittered a short distance from me when I saw my father appear from the thousands of swirling spirits above me. Once again myself, he knelt down beside me and I reached up with my gauntleted right hand and grasped his shoulder gasping out, 'Father!' before asking if it was over."

With tears running down Rarity's face as sobs wrack her body and the others, she continues writing on with a heavy heart as she hears you say, "My father replied with, 'At long last, my son. No king rules forever.' Right then my vision started to fade away as I saw two brilliant figures flying toward me, and I assumed they were coming to take me to face judgement. Before all went dark, my very last words were, 'I see only darkness before me.' I then felt myself being carried away, eventually getting the feeling of being dropped. The falling sensation lasted for a little while, so I must have fallen quite a ways before I felt something grip me tightly in its grasp. Unable to look around me, I heard a new, deep voice speak up, saying, 'Your soul is finally mine after all the hard work I put in to acquire the perfect source of energy for my designs.' Shortly after that, I began to suffer the agonizing sensation of having tiny pieces of me torn away...and never returning. The torture was so immense, I lost all sense of time as I slowly started to cease existing. When the torture finally came to an end, I heard voices once again that seemed to be around me that said, 'Arthas? Is that...all that remains of him? The last flicker of his scarred spirit...consumed by the forges of The Jailer. No crown, no throne, not even a soul remaining for judgement.' I then heard that same voice at the end speak again, saying, 'I hated you, hunted you. With each act of selfishness...I...became you. However, that...is my burden to bear. Your legacy...is at its end, so be gone then...Arthas Menethil, let the final whisper of your name...fade and be forgotten forever.' I was then drawn away somewhere that I cannot tell you about how I was returned to life and found myself here as I was before."

Twilight sobs as sorrow fills her heart, saying, "It is so sad to hear that you never got the chance to make amends with your former friends..."

With a nod, you answer her, saying, "It is regrettable that I may never see them again, though I doubt that they would ever forgive me for what I've done. I had been given the chance to redeem myself here, though I wasn't given much guidance or advice to follow."

She and the others look at you as Applejack places a hoof over your good shoulder, saying, "Don't worry pardner, we will be there to help you along the way if you need us.

Rainbow then nods and says in a determined tone, "Yeah, we'll always have your back!"

Fluttershy then lays down beside you and leans her head against your neck, saying, "If you need to talk to anypony, we will listen."

Twilight then smiles and says, "Yes we will, because that is what friends are supposed to do, be there for each other. We all can be good friends for you to keep, but only if you allow us in to help you."

You sigh and look at them all with tears in your eyes as you feel a faint warmth ignite within you and smile at them, which surprisingly stays there for full two minutes as you feel happy at the same time, saying, "Thank you, everyone. It will not be easy for me to adapt to having friends again, but I will do my best to let you all into my hardened heart."

When everything is silent, Pinkie recalls the feeling she got a few months ago and turns her head slowly towards Fluttershy with wide eyes and eyes the size of pinpricks, then says with an eerily low and calm voice, "Fluttershy...did you make a Pinkie Promise to someone a few months ago?"

Thinking about her question, she then nods and says, "Yes I did, I made a formal Pinkie Promise to our friend Blistering Blizzard, or Arthas the day after we saved Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon. I overheard him singing a really sad song and then got pulled into it, after a conversation afterwards, I promised that I wouldn't share what I heard him say of his past a secret from you all." Realizing what she did earlier out of anger, she gasps and puts her wingtips over her mouth, muttering, "Oops...sorry Arthas!"

Hearing gasps from the other ponies around her except from you at the revelation, Pinkie's mane pops and goes flat as her eyes disappear under her mane, taking a deep breath before jumping into the air and screaming angrily, "YOU BROKE A PINKIE PROMISE!!!"

Intervening for Fluttershy's sake, you say, "PINKS! In Fluttershy's defense, it was sort of an emergency. Besides that, her outburst got me to open up to you all about my horrible past, so I forgive her for breaking her promise to me, it was for my own good anyways."

She lowers her head and takes an audible deep breath and huffs it out in a rush, looking back up at Fluttershy with a smile as her mane reinflates, saying, "I forgive you too!" Then glomps the shy pegasus and gives her a firm hug, saying, "You are even scarier when you are very angry."

A few hours pass as everyone leaves with the exception of Fluttershy, looking at her curiously as you ask, "What's up Flutters?"

Fluttershy blushes lightly as she then turns to Twilight and asks, "Uhm, Twilight? Would it...be okay if I...spent the night here?"

Twilight nods, saying, "Of course, it's Hearth's Warming Eve after all! There is so much fun that we can have together!"

16: Discord's Return

In her own dimension...

Versa looks over Arthas's soul and sighs with relief at it returning to its previous brightness saying, "I sure hope that annoying stallion lets me relax for awhile. I swear it would be easier to raise a child than watching over that royal pain in the flank..."

By the time things return to normal between you and the girls, it is March and the royal guards have finally stopped checking the food for safety. With a sigh, you look at Twilight and say, "I swear...your mentor was just like you when you learned about that ordeal involving Andorhal, she actually started a panic with how thorough the guards were being. I can't believe that it got to the point where Luna had to calm everyone down, quite an interesting mentor you have..."

Twilight looks at you with a sigh and says, "I know, but you need to put yourself in her shoes and remember how peaceful this land is. You aren't in Azeroth anymore, so there aren't any villains that nasty." Then rolls her eyes and says, "So do yourself a favor and stop studying magic like you are preparing for things to hit the fan in a month!" Changing the subject, she then asks, "You better be careful when you help clean up winter, I don't want you missing out on anything fun because you were trying to punish yourself."

Rolling your eyes at her, you nod and say, "Yes mother... try to keep the mayhem to a minimum, okay? I don't want winter to stick around for another month."

She grabs your left ear and pulls it hard, saying with a frown, "Hey, it isn't like I go out of my way to cause trouble. I'm not as bad as the crusaders, you know!"

After she releases your ear, you smirk, asking, "Oh really? Then what about the incident with Mr. Smartypants...hmm?" Not getting an answer from her except for an annoyed snort, you chuckle as she trots away from you.

As you head into town, you see vests being handed out and approach the group and await your turn. Eventually reaching the front, you then ask the three ponies handing out vests and ask, "Where would my talents be best utilized?"

Applejack looks at you and chuckles saying, "Ah think ya'd be more helpful on the animals or plants team, but make sure that ya don't use magic, as it is town tradition to clean up winter without using magic at all."

Nodding, you ask, "It started because Ponyville was founded by Earth ponies, right?"

The farm pony nods with a smile and says, "Yup. Somepony's been studying."

You shake your head and then say, "Not really, it is kind of hard not to learn something when around the bookworm, she tends to ramble...a lot." Getting back to the matter at hand, you ask, "So where do you want me to start?"

Applejack hands him a green vest and chuckles, saying, "Nowhere yet, pardner. We will meet up and discuss what needs to be done once Mayor Mare gives her speech."

With a nod, you hear her tell you to hang around the City Hall until the mayor gives her speech as she needs to finish handing out vests and stand out in the open for the other ponies to gather around.

A few minutes later, after giving her speech, you look for where Applejack is and head over to her. When you get there, you listen to her give out instructions to the group. When you hear your name called out, you listen as she assigns you to a snow blade when you hear a song start up as Rainbow starts singing, "Three months of winter coolness, and awesome holidays." when she stops and Pinkie jumps in, singing, "We've kept our hoofsies warm at home, time off from work to play." You hear applejack chime in and sing, "But the food we've stored is running out, and we can't grow in this cold." You turn to Rarity when she continues the song, "And even though I love my boots, this fashion's getting old." You see Twilight trot past, singing, "The time has come to welcome spring and all things warm and green, but it's also time to say goodbye. It's winter we must clean, how can I help?"

Following the others to where the snow blades are as Twilight continues to sing, you head to an empty one and shift your form to that of an earth pony, then step into the contraption and watch other ponies hop in their own machines while joining in on the song before fastening a ring around their body and put their chest against the padded bar. Watching others do the same thing before pushing, you follow their example and fasten the ring around your barrel before looking at the lay of the land.

As you feel the urge to join in on the song, you squash it down and focus on making your way to the bottom of the hill. When you make it there, you wonder how you are supposed to lift the blade up when you see a lever on the right and see that it is connected to the blade through a string and pulley. Pulling the lever out of the slot and moving it up into the top one, you then look at the blade to see that it is up off the ground and start to back up to get turned around.

A couple hours pass when you are at the top of the hill and catch Twilight speaking to Applejack and frown, thinking, 'I sure hope she has the body strength to push a machine like this...'

Ten minutes pass by when you hear Twilight say to slow down, causing you to turn your head and look around curiously. You see her zip between two hills a short distance from you, only to hear a crash and back up to go see if they are okay. You are a few feet away from them and hear a deep, rumbling sound, causing you to look around to find that tons of snow up on the cliff a hundred yards away is rushing down towards you all and call out, "Everyone brace for the snow's impact!"

The avalanche of snow buries you and the other machine, rendering you unable to open your eyes as you grumble in irritation of being buried alive under snow. Forced to fight your way out of your ring and dig your way to the surface, you pop up out of the snowbank and look around to see Applejack glaring at Twilight and scolds her for using magic.

As the day wears on, your machine gets dug out and the others become more organized with Twilight's help, causing you to smile as you watch her find something to do. Clearing away the snow in a strip with a pony pulling a plow behind you, there's a pony planting seeds and another behind them covering the furrow. When all the plowing is done, you hear a bird chirp out a signal. Minutes later, you see a massive whirlwind pass through the sky, clearing away the clouds and sucking away the snow in its wake.

When everyone gathers, you listen to the mayor's speech as she is surprised that winter is on time for once. You then watch as she thanks Twilight for her skills by giving her a vest and the title of being the All-Team Organizer. As the mayor declares winter wrapped up on time, everyone around you starts cheering and join in. You then hear what Applejack says and look over to see Spike sleeping on a floating chunk of ice, causing you to chuckle, saying, "Poor Spike's gonna learn a lesson too, it seems."

Just over a week passes by as you notice strange, pink clouds zip through the sky over Ponyville, raining chocolate milk wherever they go. You watch as Twilight attempts to cast a spell, but it fails to do anything against the crazy clouds and the changed rabbits.

Twilight gasps as she turns to you, asking, "Can you do anything about this craziness?"

You think of all the spells you know, but shake your head and say, "Sorry, but most of what I know is mostly spells for offense or defense, or magical information that might let me dabble in spell creation."

Rainbow then asks you, "What about that thing you did to Prince Blueblood?"

Recalling what you did that night sends an uneasy chill through your body, causing you to shiver in displeasure and stammer, saying, "I-I-I...I can't."

Seeing the fear in your eyes, Fluttershy walks up as Rainbow asks you why not, looking into your eyes and asking, "What has you so scared? Did something go wrong when you did that?"

You shake your head and say, "I-It's too...dangerous."

Applejack then steps up and places her hoof on your shoulder and asks with a concerned look in her eyes, "What happened, pardner. No matter what it is or was, you can tell us and we won't leave you."

Bolstered by your friends reassuring you, you find the courage to tell them what really happened and say, "I...I grew so angry at how that snobbish, poor excuse of a prince treated the girl that was interested in him. My anger turned into rage and I...I lost control of myself as something within me channeled dark magic with the express purpose of being cruel without causing potential injury. I heard of how dangerous and seductive that dark magic is, and I don't...no...I can't let myself fall prey to one of my dark vices and risk returning to the very monster I am trying to overcome!"

Seeing him shudder and cry makes Fluttershy rush in and wrap her wings and forelegs around the stallion's scarred inner self, saying, "We will always be here to help you avoid that fate, doing whatever we can to stop you."

As the others voice their reassuring words, Twilight hears Spike belch out a letter and quickly picks it up. Reading it quickly as the others go quiet, she gasps and says hastily, "Princess Celestia wishes to see us all in Canterlot at once."

With nothing better to do, and being slightly curious, you then say, "Well then, lead the way, Twilight."

Once you get off the train at Canterlot, you follow the girls off and look around curiously at the mountain city.

Twilight looks over her shoulder at her friends to see them all keeping up with her, except for you, and speaks up, "Come on Blister, we don't have time for sightseeing!"

You hurry after the group up to Canterlot Castle and are ushered through the gates by the guards saying that the princess is waiting for you all in the throne room, rushing into the room to see Princess Celestia pacing back and forth with a concerned look on her face.

Princess Celestia stops in her tracks and turns to face them as she hears, "Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could."

You hear the princess thank you all, followed by Twilight asking rapid fire questions if this was about the weird things happening around Equestria until she is silenced by Celestia putting up a hoof so that she can speak. When she asks you all to follow her, you nod as she heads up the stairs to a different part of the castle.

As she walks down the carpeted hall, she says, "I've called you here for a matter of great importance. It seems an old foe of mine, someone I thought I had defeated long ago...has returned. His name...is Discord."

You listen to her tell you about them and her history with Discord, followed up by them discovering the elements. When she then continues on, it annoys you slightly and makes you shift your attention to her rear. As you stare at it, something seems different to you about her as you think, 'I don't know what it is, but something about her seems different from last I saw her... Why isn't her flank jiggling with each step?' It then hits you as you grin, thinking, 'Oh, so she lost weight...though her rump is still fairly sizeable though. At least I can barely see she has wings, though what is a much better view is not obstructed by her flowing tail.'

Celestia continues to tell them how the spell holding him broke when they became the new element bearers, catching a glimpse of Arthas gazing intently at her backside. She averts her eyes back forward as she secretly wishes her tail didn't flow in the air now, stopping at the door at the end and turning her flank to the right, saying, "This is the Canterlot Tower, where the elements are kept inside since you all recovered them."

As she turns to face you while hiding a light blush on her face, you hear her kindly tell the girls they must use the elements again to put an end to Discord's mischief. When you hear Pinkie Pie try to reason with her own insanity, trying to save the chocolate rain, you shake your head with a chuckle before your joyful mood is dashed by getting a flashback of how you betrayed everyone you cared for.

Moments pass as you look upon a jeweled case that Rarity fawns over, only to see it open and be empty. Minutes pass by as you watch the others as they look at the empty box, trying to figure out what happened when you think, "What obviously happened, was that someone must have beat you to the punch."

She gasps as she then rhetorically asks, "But how is that possible, that chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break. This doesn't make any sense..."

Discord watches them from one of the window panes, laughing maniacally at their plight, saying, "Making sense, hoh? What fun is there in making sense?"

You watch the Draconequus flit from window to window, appearing as one of the illustrations and taunting the princess. Raising your eyebrow at Discord saying how grim Celestia can be, you chuckle in your mind and think, 'If you think she is grim, just wait until you meet me...'

As the Draconequus admits to 'borrowing' the elements he eventually gets to his plan, saying, "To find your missing elements, just make sense of this change of events... Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the elements back where you began."

While you think over the riddle, you instinctively think of an answer, 'Could he possibly mean the ruined castle? Before I jump to any conclusions, I better see what they come up with.'

Twilight wanders around the room, trying to figure the puzzle out when she stops by the window and says triumphantly, "That's it! I bet Discord hid the elements in the palace labyrinth." She then sees you lost in thought and asks, "What did you come up with Blister?"

Pulled out of your idle musings, you look at Twilight and say, "Well, with how it was worded...I thought that the answer might lie at the old castle."

Thinking it over, she says, "That would make sense, but Discord said that there was no fun in making sense. So I doubt that they might be there, our best bet would be in the maze."

You think back on what he said and then say, "Hmm...very true, you make a good point. The maze might be the true answer, but what if for some reason, he would do the last thing you expect he would?"

Twilight mulls it over thoughtfully for a few moments, saying, "Why don't we handle both ideas at once? The girls and I can check out the labyrinth, while you can go investigate the old castle!"

Celestia looks at them all with hopeful eyes and says, "Good luck, my little ponies. The fate of Equestria is in your hooves."

As you follow Twilight down the hall, she heads a different way and stops to wish you good luck. As the others do the same, you wish them luck in return and say, "The creatures of the Everfree would be wise to be wary of me, so worry not Fluttershy."

Just before following the others down the corridor, Fluttershy rushes towards you and nuzzles her muzzle against yours affectionately, breathing in your smell before pulling away and saying, "Please be careful and try not to hurt them too badly, okay?"

You smell her floral smell and chuckle, saying, "Don't worry, I will only give them a bump on the head unless they mean me serious harm." She then turns and takes off after her friends, leaving you alone to continue your journey to the ruined castle.

The journey back is pretty uneventful as you make your way through the forest, arriving at the old castle a half hour later and say, "Alright, time to head in and see if they are here."

Heading through one of the doors, you look upon the monument to see nothing there and sigh, saying, "It seems I was wrong, I need to go catch up to them in the labyrinth."

Discord snaps his fingers and appears on the top of the monument, lounging comfortably as he laughs, saying, "Oh hoh hoh...to the contrary, young stallion. Why would you leave when the fun is just getting started..." then snaps his fingers to lock the doors shut and put a candy barricade up, then disappears to watch the fun unfold.

With a huff, you attempt to blast a hole through the doors with a destructive spell. When the bolt hits the door, it ricochets off and hits the ceiling. Watching the bolt as it races towards you, you jump out of the way and hear something explode into rubble behind you. Turning around to look, you spot that one of the destroyed columns is now just a pile of rocks, saying, "What the..."

Amused by your failed attack, he laughs harder and says, "Oh what a shame that didn't work, as the candy barrier is magic resistant. Why not try something else?"

Annoyed with his games, you walk up to the door and turn your rear towards it, shifting your appearance into that of an earth pony. Pushing your rear into the air, you strike the door with all your strength and are rewarded with a bone jarring shock that runs back up your body.

Discord wails out laughing as your body vibrates from the blowback, saying with tears in his eyes, "HOH that was spectacular, DO IT AGAIN!"

When you regain feeling back in your body, you ignore him and head toward another part of the castle to search it.

He watches with amusement as you wander the castle, looking for a way out and triggering some of his traps along the way. Eventually making your way further into the castle, Discord says, "Awe, don't let yourself get discouraged, for you might yet find the secret door out of here." Seeing the annoyance on your face, he chuckles and then snaps his fingers, saying, "Fine then, be that way, allow me to try to cheer you up with a party instead."

As the sounds of heavy armor makes its way to your ears, you summon forth Spellmourne and prepare for a fight. When you see a dozen armored ponies approaching, a second look tells you that it is just empty armor and sigh with relief. When they draw their own weapons and charge you, you react by charging a slash attack with the sword that cuts the ancient heavy breastplates in half.

Discord watches with interest as he sees you react with violence against the puppets, destroying each set of armor with a flourish of powerful cuts sent through your sword. When the last armor is defeated, he claps sarcastically, saying, "Well done, well done indeed. I would love to stay and play with you more, but I have guests to entertain elsewhere. Be sure to enjoy my parting gifts as you search for a way out. Ta-ta." He then snaps his fingers and disappears in a puff of smoke, heading over to the labyrinth to undermine the magic the elements have against him.

You then call out angrily, "You better not do anything to my friends or terrible things will happen!" Unfortunately, you hear no response and sigh exasperatedly, saying, "What a pest...let's get back to finding a way out of here."

Spending a long time in the castle, you discover a variety of curious things, such as a library filled with old books, some extremely annoying escape paths that lead to empty rooms, and of course numerous traps. Feeling hungry, you stumble upon a wooden cabinet and open it casually, only to jump aside as a very dark object jumps out at you. When you close the cabinet and turn around, you eyes spot that what attacked you was, in fact, a cake. Looking at your opponent with disbelieving eyes, saying, "Seriously...? I have to defend myself against a confection?"

Just then, the dark chocolate and strawberry icing cake leaps at you from its silver plate, snarling savagely at you through the mouth formed from one side of its four layers.

Performing a roll to dodge the attack, you cut the cake in half while swiftly levitating the silver platter behind you and watch as the cake lands safely on it with a wet plop, saying, "I believe that I will show this weird thing to Celestia."

Continuing on with your search, you discover a secret 'play room' and assume it is for one of the sisters. Eventually, you are walking down a corridor when you feel a click from under you, saying, "Crap..." Jumping back hastily to avoid the death trap, you wait for the attack until you watch a sandwich appear from the side of the wall. Staring at the sandwich hungrily and curiously, you use your magic to lift it up and flip it over before setting it back down. Unsure if it is safe to eat yet, you pry the two halves apart and wait for it to attack you. A few minutes pass before you decide it is safe and eat it, testing the button again to see if it would happen again.

After eating a few sandwiches, you are no longer hungry and wander the catacombs some more, eventually managing to find a path out at the bottom of a ravine, smiling and saying, "I'm finally out, I'm on my way to help you girls. Looking up at the sheer wall of rock, you groan and say, "I will have to find the time and let Rainbow teach me how to fly."

You watch day turn into night as you search for a good way up to the top, then see it turn back into day. Unable to tell time robs you of knowing how long you have been in the old castle, finally able to climb your way out of the ravine. Panting heavily, you look down the ravine in victory...only to find that it has become a small crack in the ground. Your anger builds as you become further annoyed with Discord, turning your gaze to where you know Ponyville to be and make your way back into the dark forest.

Creatures scurry away from you as you walk through the forest along a forgotten path, not in the mood to play games any longer. It takes you a few minutes to return to Ponyville as you see the girls approach Discord with the necklaces on, realizing something is wrong as Rainbow Dash is not there. Spike is there instead and the other girls all seem to be more greyish than you remember, which draws a scowl to your face as you realize he has done something to the girls.

Walking towards Discord, you call forth Spellmourne and continue towards him slowly as you watch the girl's elements glow for a moment before vanishing, leaving them to fall to the ground. Moments later, you watch as the girls argue and go their separate ways, greatly concerning you. When Twilight turns gray herself, you watch Discord talk with her for a moment before jumping for joy and skating off on a watery road.

Changing your course to go check on Twilight, you stop her from going inside her library home by putting your right hoof to her cheek, asking, "What's wrong, Sparklebutt?"

Depressed and grey, Twilight looks at you with a faint flicker of a smile, saying, "My friends are all being jerks to me, so I am heading back to Canterlot. I don't need you abandoning me too, so goodbye."

Her words are like a knife to your heart, but you ignore it as she tries to turn away. Keeping your hoof on her cheek, you force her to keep looking at you. Wanting to get some reaction out of her, you move in and place your lips against her. Slipping your tongue into her mouth, you feel her lazily slide her tongue around yours and pull away to see if it had any effect on her. Seeing nothing at all, hearing only a sigh escape her lips spurs you into a last ditch attempt as you look her square in the eyes and ask, "Sparklebutt, could we talk about trying for children?"

She barely blushes at hearing that and sighs deeper, saying with a shake of her head, "What's the point...I need to go pack."

Watching her turn away from you hurts you deeply, making you slowly turn to find out where the laughter is coming from. Once you see Discord dancing around, seeing him makes your heart burn with rage as you remember everything he put you through and what he did to your friends. Your grip on Spellmourne tightens as you frown while walking up to him with ice cold eyes, saying in a chilly tone, "You are to blame for all of this."

Discord snaps his fingers and sits down in a throne, then summons forth a drink to celebrate his victory as he turns to the snow white pony, saying, "We meet again, Snowy Stallion. Did you enjoy my parting gifts? OOHH, have you come to congratulate me on my victory over the Elements of Harmony?!"

In her own dimension...

Versa watches the events with a groan as she tries to calm his raging soul down, having very little effect, causing her to begin to fear for her little ponies as she imagines what would become of Equestria or the world if he is not calmed down. Not wanting to fail, she hastily shouts into Princess Celestia's mind, "DO SOMETHING TO SAVE ARTHAS!"

Hearing the shout causes her to spew her tea into the air and drop her crumpet as she looks around wide-eyed for who just yelled at her. Seeing no one around her, she races off to her room to do something to help her subjects out.

Back in Ponyville

Video is not mine, all credits belong to who made it!

You look up at Discord with a creepy smile and a dark chuckle as you hear music play around you, saying, "I came here for a very special reason, a once in a lifetime chance event. So tremble in fear and scream in pain, for I shall soon introduce myself to you..."

Discord sits upon his throne as the music continues, rolling his eyes and scoffing while saying, "Ugh, how droll..."

"It was many years ago that they knew my name, I'm the biggest villain of the killing game. People say what I did was wrong but I didn't care, I tried to cure something that plagued 'em everyday." As you start singing, you shrug your shoulders and rise onto your back hooves a moment, you bend your forelegs and hold your hooves upside down to either side in an unknowing gesture. Returning to the ground on all fours, you keep singing without missing a beat, "When their light goes out and placed in the ground, that's when I would come around. Creatures all across the lands would run in fear at seeing me nearby."

Something about the song makes him wanna back away, but he doesn't want to leave his throne behind.

As you stand still and stare into his eyes with a sinister smile, you keep singing, "Run, run, run! They way they move, make you feel fear, fear, fear! It makes us wanna scream, scream, scream! Before you break, running in terror like everyone else. Graves empty as I visit each one and I can raise them all, which truly is easier than blinking an eye. They all heard from where I came, but they knew I'm the king of undead from a world far more cruel than this. When the people scream and the children hide, that's when you know I'm nearby. As you hear the sound of uncountable screams, I'm likely attacking a bigger city." Taking a moment, you close your eyes to let yourself slowly shift back into your original form as the music keeps going for several seconds. Grabbing your sword with a spinning flourish, you hold the sword down towards the ground. Lifting the sword up, you hold it upright as if in a formal duel, then move your arms to the side in a gracious bow, saying, "Apologies for failing to introduce myself, for I am Arthas Menethil...King of Icecrown Citadel in the frozen wastes of another world." Straightening back up and not missing a beat, you add, "You will learn to fear my wrath..."

Unaware of what is happening outside, Twilight reads through scroll after scroll of her friendship reports, slowly regaining the color that drained out of her and saying with realization in her eyes, "Spike, Spike! It's all so clear now, don't you see?" She holds him up while standing on her hind hooves, saying, "Discord's trying to distract us all from what is important!"

Finding this amusing, he laughs loudly and claps, saying, "Marvelous singing! Now that was very entertaining!"

With your anger controlling you once again, you channel dark magic into your sword saying in your dark, menacing voice, "DO YOU FIND THIS FUNNY TO YOU?!" then thrust it up into the air and cast a massive barrier that surrounds Sweet Apple Acres and the outskirts of Ponyville.

Still chuckling, Discord snaps his fingers while saying, "This is so pathetic, my magic overpowers everything..." When nothing happens, he looks around at the deep blue indigo shield wreathed in azure fire and says, "Huh..."

As he snaps his fingers a few more times, it does nothing at all as you see a shocked look on his face as he wonders what is going on, saying to him, "What's wrong, science experiment...did your magic finger break?"

He smiles nervously at you and chuckles, saying, "Oh of course not, after all, I can still do things like this..."

You watch him follow your sword and go to snap his fingers, but beat him to an attack and drive Spellmourne into the ground. Casting a wide freezing blast, you see his snap fail once again and chuckle darkly.

Twilight leaves the house to go find Applejack, completely oblivious to the massive shield or you fighting Discord with dark magic, saying, "I'm coming for you all, girls!"

Discord's hooves freeze in place, causing him to sweat nervously for a bit before trying his magic again. Managing to free himself from the ice, he looks down at it curiously to see it still intact and asks, "Well, well, it seems that you wield some strange kind of magic, Arthas. Do tell me what it is."

With a dark chuckle, you pull your sword out of the ground and bring it back, saying, "What is the fun in telling you when I can show you!" then swing it sideways and send forth a fast indigo slash right at Discord.

Barely having time to blink, he jumps aside and cries out in pain, shouting, "YEOWWW!" Putting his left claw to his side, he hisses in pain before bringing it up to look at. Seeing that he is bleeding for the first time in a very long time causes him to gasp and look at you in fear for a moment before getting angry, saying, "You...are going to pay for that!"

After catching her last friend, Twilight then starts a group hug, saying, "I'm so glad that I got you all back." until she sees a group of dancing buffalo in tutus pass by and says, "Perhaps it is too soon for a group hug."

Looking around, Fluttershy doesn't see you anywhere as she asks, "Uh girls, do any of you know where Blister is at?"

Rainbow is about to reply when something tall and blue races their way, shouting, "WOAH, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Seeing her friends in danger of being hit, she yanks them aside to safety.

Twilight looks at Rainbow with a concern and asks, "Rainbow, what was that for?"

She points to a spot a few feet away and says, "W-Well, look for yourself."

Turning her head to look, she hears the others wonder what caused the massive clean-cut gash in the ground beside them. A pained shout then catches her attention as she says, "Let's go find out what is going on girls."

When they get close enough, Applejack looks on in shock as she watches you fighting Discord, saying, "Uhm girls, is it just me, or does Discord seem to be in pain?"

Fluttershy looks closer and gasps, saying, "He is in pain, I can see blood running down his left side from a cut."

They all gasp at seeing the cut in his left side and watch you thrust your sword down into the ground, shouting, "SUFFER FOR THE MISERY AND PAIN YOU CAUSED MY FRIENDS!"

You watch with glee as Discord screams out in agony as black lightning races through his body, pulling your sword out of the ground to cease the attack only to thrust it forward and send out a blast of frost.

Rainbow watches the fight with awe and says, "Do we even need to help him here? This fight seems a little bit one sided..."

Twilight gulps and says, "Our friend needs our help to save him, just look at his face underneath his helm...he is inflicting pain while smiling widely."

Applejack then nods and says, "Your right, Twilight, that isn't the pony we know. The pony we know doesn't like inflicting pain upon others."

The cyan pegasus then looks at the others and asks, "So...any idea as to how we are going to stop him?"

An idea comes to the farm pony's mind after a moment, saying, "Well, ah could have Twilight throw me at him and ah could use my strength to knock him off his feet and then take that opportunity to seal away Discord."

Twilight smiles and then nods, saying, "I like that plan, let's go kick some sense into our thick-headed friend."

When Discord narrowly avoids being struck by your magical attacks, he is blown to the ground once more. He scrambles onto his back just in time to see you drive your sword into the ground, watching with fear-filled eyes as another blast of icy snow is unleashed at him. He tries to scramble away, but finds himself unable to and looks down to see his arms and legs frozen to the ground.

As you stomp up to him, you watch with glee as he can't run away anymore and drive your sword into the ground right between his lower legs to send another bout of black lightning through his body just to hear his screams. Once you finish channeling the spell, you yank your sword free and look down at the Draconequus, seeing his body shake violently before moving to stand over him, saying, "Prepare to die and rise again...as a slave."

Watching you raise your sword in slow motion, Discord loses control of his body and pisses himself in fear, stammering, "N-No...I-I don't want to die." He then screams, "SOMEPONY PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS MONSTER!" As the sword starts to descend toward his chest, his heart hammers in is chest. When the sword's tip pierces the skin on his stomach, he watches as a pair of light orange hooves slowly slam into your helmet. The pony keeps moving sideways from the force as it sends his would-be killer off balance, in fact, it completely knocks you off your feet. Watching as you sail a few feet through the air and hit the ground, not moving for several seconds, he snaps his head back around and sees that it was Applejack who spared him.

Rainbow watches with a smirk as Discord pulls himself free from his restraints, asking sarcastically, "Close one wasn't it?"

Escaping his restraints and returning to his hooves, he coughs away his embarrassment. Bringing out a glass and fills it with chocolate milk. After drinking the glass itself down, he tosses the milk away into the distance, causing a big explosion, saying, "Oh it's you girls again, haven't you learned your lesson the last time?"

The cyan pegasus then huffs and says, "Hey, we just saved your life bub!"

Discord scoffs and says, "Oh please, I was simply waiting to spring a nasty surprise on him. Oh...chaos is a wonderful thing."

Twilight then says, "Not as wonderful as friendship."

You wake up with a splitting headache and a loud ringing in your ears, causing you to groan in discomfort asking, "Did someone see the train that slammed into me?"

Pinkie gigglesnorts at hearing that and says, "That wasn't no train, that was Applejack being thrown by Twilight's magic!"

Applejack sees you look around with squinted eyes, saying with a light chuckle, "Sorry about having to kick you so hard, pardner, but we had to stop you from doing something bad to Discord."

Everything comes back to you as you sigh, feeling ashamed of yourself for losing control, saying, "Thank you, girls, I am extremely grateful that you stopped me before I ended his life. I owe you all so much for stopping my rage."

Twilight then smiles and shakes her head, saying, "You don't owe us a thing, Blister, that is just what friends do."

A week later, you are heading back to Canterlot for a ceremony to congratulate the ones who saved Equestria. Not hearing your name on the letter earlier, the girls still made you come with. Making your way towards the hall, you look back at them and say, "I will cheer you girls on when you walk up there." Heading towards the doors, you look to the guards as they prepare to open both doors and stop them by saying, "Oh I'm not with them, I'm just here to watch the ceremony and cheer on the ones who saved the day."

Celestia sees the door open a little as you walk in and take a seat at the back, smiling at how her plan is unfolding. When the doors open wide, she hears the trumpets play their fanfare for the heroes as they make their way up the aisle toward her.

As Twilight waves at Spike from the ramp, she watches Celestia look at the crowd behind her with a chuckle, then hears her say, "I realize you are not overly fond of crowds, but I kindly ask that you come forth and join the others."

Silently huffing, you grumble under your breath, "Damn you sunbutt..." You then feel the eyes of everypony fall upon you as they whisper to each other in hushed tones, thinking, 'This had better be good or she won't be getting what I found in the dungeon...'

Once you are standing behind the others, Celestia then raises her wings to signal for silence and says, "We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends, and a new friend they had made since then, who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos." With a smirk to her student, she uses her magic to pull a curtain back to reveal a new window featuring the six girls plus you wielding Spellmourne...in your humanoid, armored form.

You look at the window, then turn back to Celestia with a raised brow, saying wordlessly, 'Hiding the truth a bit, aren't you?'

As she hears the crowd cheering happily, she smiles mischievously, then turns her nose up a little at him, wordlessly responding, 'My sister, the girls, and Spike, all agreed on this. Besides, you have no say in what happens in a world where we have the final say.'

Groaning in annoyance, you hear Rainbow whisper to you, "Like it? I think you and that sword look awesome up there, though it was Twilight's suggestion that you be added to the display in your human form."

17: Castle Hospitality

As the ceremony comes to an end with a handful of ponies asking questions about yourself, all wanting to know your name, you answer the ones you are comfortable with giving the answers to. Most of the questions are from mares about your present love life, but a few stallions ask about your sword or ask about the fight. Finding an chance to escape, you slip away from the others to have a chat with Celestia about the window, finding her on her way to the kitchen and call out to her, "Your Majesty, might we have a word?" then bow to her in your antiquated royal manner.

She stops and turns around to see you standing behind her in the old royal etiquette, smiling while saying, "Of course we can, My little pony, what is it you wish to say?"

While in the halls with maids passing by, batting their eyelids at you flirtatiously as you continue to act princely and wait for there to be no maids around and say, "Well, it is about the mural, princess. Did you really have to put me in there? I'm sure that Twilight told you about the fight I had with Discord, but...you know what really happened."

Celestia smiles and says, "Of course we had to put you in there, Arthas, you helped to save Equestria, albeit indirectly." She then looks around herself to see the hall empty and casts a privacy barrier, saying, "Even though you lost control of yourself due to your anger and tried to kill Discord, the fact remains that the girls, your new friends were there to stop you.

With a sigh and your guilt weighing on you heavily, you say, "That may be true, but if they arrived a moment later...I would have succeeded in killing him and possibly returning to my old self."

Seeing how much guilt he is feeling by his posture, she sighs and lowers her head a little, saying, "Although I know your past, I can't fully fathom what burdens you bear, but perhaps you need a pony to talk to to help you through what you are feeling. My sister has started to hold court again at night, so you could visit during that time and speak with her. There is also another you might want to talk to, her name is Mi Amore and she has a special knack for sensing emotions, but her special talent is dealing with the emotion love."

You think about it for a bit, eventually saying, "Even though I'm hesitant to talk about my past with others, you make a good argument. I won't find redemption in wallowing in my own grief and self-loathing, the only way to move on is to open up to others and let them in." With a sigh, you look down and say, "I haven't been fair with the girls either, even though I call us friends, I haven't let myself open up to them because of how badly they handled the story of my past. It took a month or two for things to get back to somewhat normal, it...just doesn't feel right to me to let them in on what bothers me just yet."

Smiling at the progress you are making in starting to open up to others, Celestia nods her head saying, "That feeling is coming from deep inside you, similar to how your conscious lets you know what's right or wrong." With the season a little over a week away, she asks, "How about you stay in one of the guest rooms here in the castle for tonight and try talking it out with my sister? If it helps you feel better, then perhaps I could arrange for you to meet with the emotional counselor. Does that sound fair to you?"

Looking away and at the wall for a moment, you think it over before turning back to her, saying, "That does seem fair...I see no problem with giving it a chance." Remembering the cake that tried to eat you, you then say, "While I was off searching the old castle for the elements, dealing with Discord's annoying distractions, I discovered something interesting in a wooden cabinet in the catacombs that made me think of you."

Her frown disappears as she says in a warning tone, "This had better not be about my flank being big..."

Shaking your head, you then say, "No...not really." Then pull out the confection, saying, "This cake jumped out of the cabinet at me when I opened it, after slicing it in half and thought you might be interested in it, so I caught it with the silver platter it was on before it hit the floor.

Celestia looks at the triple chocolate confection with dark chocolate frosting and strawberry icing on top, having strawberries on top along with 25 candles and neat cursive writing, saying, "Happy Birthday, My Beloved Sister." Seeing the confection before her eyes draws tears to them as they slowly threaten to drip from her eyes, making her choke out, "The cake I never found..." Taking it from his magic gingerly as if it were the most fragile thing in the world, she looks over every detail. Seeing fudge on the platter around the cake's base, she holds back a sob, saying, "My sister used to make these for me ever since she learned to cook when she learned to cook at 8 years old. She used to make a cake for me each year on my birthday, then hide it somewhere in the castle and tell me If I found her present, I could keep it to myself."

You then bow your head to her and say, "I am pleased to hear that you are happy with it, I shall take my leave now and let the girls know I will be staying for the night." You then turn and start to head back, only to find yourself surrounded in a yellow aura and swiftly spun back around. Finding yourself lips to lips with Celestia, you wonder what is going on when you feel her push her tongue into your mouth and kiss you back tenderly.

Pulling herself back from your lips, she smiles at you before kissing your cheek, saying, "That is a reward for finding something I assumed she never made." Turning away from you, she walks away with a slight skip in her step as she thinks, 'I am going to show this to my sister and tell her about it, then share it with her.'

As the barrier disappears, you turn back around and make your way back to the hall to talk to your friends. When you manage to get some alone time with them, you say, "Girls, these past few months have been both fun and annoying at times, but I find myself struggling to deal with my guilt and inner turmoil about my past. I had a few words with Princess Celestia and she recommended me try speaking with her sister during night court to help me get over my emotional issues, then, if that works out she will make arrangements for me to see the emotional counselor Mi Amore. So, she asked me to stay in a guest room for tonight, and I agreed to give it a try if it can help me make progress towards redeeming myself.

Together, the girls all exclaim in shock, "YOU'RE LEAVING US!"

You see a few teary eyes and caress Rarity's cheek for a bit, saying, "Oh don't be so dramatic, I'm not leaving Equestria or anything like that, I'm just staying in Canterlot for just one night. If anything changes, I will let you all know through a letter okay?"

Fluttershy then looks at you with watery eyes, asking, "You promise to come back and let us know what is going on?"

You turn to her and caress her cheek as well, saying, "Of course I do...I Pinkie Promise." To show them you mean it, you go through the motions while saying, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Pinkie jumps for joy at hearing that, saying, "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh, you just made your first Pinkie Promise!"

With a chuckle, you nod and say, "I did. What can I say, you all have grown on me just like an annoying boil on your shoulder that you have become rather fond of."

Rarity gasps and says, "EEWWW, don't compare us to disgusting boils, we are much better looking than those eyesores!"

Grinning, you then say, "Fine then, you all are like a small, barely noticeable mole that I've grown fond of. Is that better?"

With a huff, she says, "Much better, thank you."

As the others chuckle at Rarity being herself, you hug Fluttershy and rub the spot behind her right ear with your hoof saying, "If you get too lonely, I will leave my window open at night for you."

Nuzzling against your neck, Fluttershy says, "Oh murr...that feels so nice." Zoning out due to how good it feels to her for a few moments until she says, "Oh, and thank you."

When you and Fluttershy part, you turn to Rainbow and say, "I look forward to learning how to fly from you when I get back...I think." then pretend to go in for a hug.

Rainbow shies away from the hug, saying, "I'm not really a hugger, but I'll gladly go for a hoofbump!"

With a grin, you rush her and pull her into a headlock, then quickly give her a noogie, saying, "Here's your hug, Dash."

Fighting to get out of the noogie with a chuckle, she says, "Hey, what's the big idea with messing up my mane!"

You let her go with a chuckle and say, "You don't have much of a mane to mess up."

With a grin, Rainbow says, "Whatever, pal, I'm going to get you back for that by going all out with your training."

Before your smile can be taken away by your guilt, you say, "Just remember that I don't know squat about flying, so teach me from the very, very beginning. Oh and don't just throw me into the deep end, expecting me to pick it up right away."

Facehooving herself, she says in annoyance, "UGH...but do you know how long and annoying that is going to take?"

To save her, you chuckle and say, "Don't worry, you can leave the early stuff to Fluttershy and help me hone it once I can get myself off the ground and stay in the air."

With a nod and a broad smile, she socks your shoulder, saying, "Deal! So get started already and learn fast, so we can get to the fun stuff!"

Shaking your head at her attitude with a grin, you say, "Slow and steady wins out in the long run, Speed Demon." Turning your gaze to Applejack, you say, "I look forward to how those seeds turn out, Applejack, and tell Applebloom to avoid Twittermite hives in the future."

Applejack chuckles at hearing that and says, "So do ah and ah look forward to that too. Ah will pardner, ah will."

Turning your gaze to Rarity, you then say, "When I get back, perhaps me, you, and Spike could go gem hunting together?"

Smiling, she then says, "Of course we could, darling, it would be a pleasure."

You look at Twilight and are surprised when she rushes in and hugs you, saying, "Don't worry Twilight, I will miss our little study lessons, but I will miss our moments of intimacy more."

Twilight turns beet red at the mention of the last bit, backing away from you, saying, "WILL YOU STOP WORDING THINGS SO THEY SOUND LIKE SOMETHING HAPPENS WHEN IT IS JUST THE OPPOSITE?!?"

You see her face and chuckle, saying, "And miss how red and embarrassed you get with how I word it? Never. However, you do need to learn to lock the door when you shower."

She gets mad and then shouts, "AND YOU NEED TO LEARN TO KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING THE BATHROOM!"

Wanting to get under her skin, you say, "I'm a former royal, so I don't need to knock. Others just need to learn to thank me for gracing them with my presence."

Rarity snickers behind a hoof at the drama unfolding, knowing that you are only messing with Twilight. When it goes on long enough, she stops it, saying, "That's enough, you lovebirds. You know that he is just messing with you to see your reaction, Twilight." Then turns her head to you, adding, "You need to learn to behave yourself better when in public or others will see you as a troublemaker."

Raising your eyebrow, you close the distance between you and Rarity, saying in a low, sultry tone while running your hoof along the top of the left side of her neck, "So I should behave like this, then, Lady Rarity?"

She goes weak in the knees at the affection, barely managing to stay standing and mutters, "Y-Yesss..." Shaking her head moments later and returning to her senses, saying, "Wait, NAY! Nay I say, not like that at all!" She then huffs in annoyance and backs out of your reach, saying, "You have too much charm for your own good... Honestly, I hope that all that charm comes back to bite you in the flank one day!"

Chuckling in amusement, you say, "That will never happen, apologizing to my friends in Azeroth has a higher chance of happening than that."

Pinkie Pie then mutters to herself, "Heads for it to happen, tails for it won't..." Flipping her lucky coin into the air, she watches it closely and holds her hoof to catch it.

A glint catches your eye as you spot a coin in the air, falling back down to bounce off Pinkie's hoof and see her quickly slap her other forehoof down upon it. Curious, you ask, "What are you doing Pinks?"

She smiles widely at seeing heads and puts it away, saying cheerily, "Oh just having fun flipping a coin! I would be careful with how much you tempt Karma, strange things tend to happen when you least expect them."

With a sigh, you then say, "I will keep that in mind, Pinks. I will look forward to a fantastic party when I get back to Ponyville either tomorrow or some other day." You then reach forward and pull her into a quick hug, getting a gigglesnort from her. When you release her, you then ask, "How long are you girls gonna remain here?"

Applejack then speaks up, saying, "Ah need to return and help the fam with chores, otherwise ah'd stay and chat a bit longer."

Twilight then smiles and says, "I wish I could stay longer, but there is a new spell I am trying to learn from one of those ancient spell books you found."

As you hear the others give reasons they need to return, you smile and say, "Alright then, I will see you all when I get back. If I get too bored, I can always annoy the princess."

Everyone chuckles along at that, eventually taking their leave after a few more minutes. Twilight remains behind for a little longer before moving in for a kiss on the cheek, saying, "Try not to get into too much trouble, alright?"

You look at her and smile, saying, "I will do my best, but no promises." When she then turns and walks away, you watch until she vanishes from your sight and turn to go wander the castle a bit. Eventually, you soon realize that it is only an hour after noon and make your way to the throne room, finding Princess Celestia making her way back from her sister's room and say, "I thought I recognized that figure, we meet again, Your Majesty."

She frowns at his words, but puts a smile on her face, saying, "It is quite a coincidence to meet you in the corridor, my sister was very pleased to see the cake you had found. In fact, we both enjoyed eating it together, so thank you very much for finding it, Arthas." Remembering he will be staying the night, she giggles lightly and says, "Oh silly me, I forgot to show you to the room you will be staying in. Follow me right this way."

As you follow her down the hall, you chuckle and say, "I am surprised that the cake was still edible, how is that possible after being in the cabinet for a thousand years? It shouldn't even resemble a cake anymore, it should look like something that needs a name and then put out of its misery."

Giggling at hearing that, she says, "Oh there is an ancient preservation spell that cooks use today to preserve their food, it has been modified over the years to suit the ponies' needs of today."

You follow her to one of the doors and open it, remembering how many doors there are until reaching it. With a nod, you say, "Thank you for showing me to my room, Your Majesty, I look forward to seeing what kind of hospitality you provide your guests."

With a smile, she then says in a low tone, "You shall experience the hospitality that visiting royals get, especially formerroyals from another world." She then adds something in a slightly conspiratorial tone, "Though in my eyes and my sister's, we strongly believe that one used to be royalty, they're always royalty."

Sighing, you narrow your eyes and look into hers, saying, "What are you getting at? You better not be plotting something sinister just to get back at me for annoying you."

Mischief sparkles in her eyes as she giggles louder and says, "Oh, you will find out...and soon, I might add." She then turns around and starts walking away, saying, "Farewell for now, Former Prince Arthas, I must return to my royal duties. Please enjoy your stay at the castle."

You watch her turn around a corner and disappear from sight with narrowed eyes, thinking, 'Sunbutt is definitely plotting something, and since it may concern me...I must find out what it is."

Spending your time talking to a few visiting ponies, you don't learn much at all except for some history and a few rumors of what some of the noble ponies might be up to. The hours go by slowly as your attempts to casually interrogate the visitors fails to produce any useful information, looking out the window to see that it is almost dinnertime and decide to head to your room to see what is on the menu.

Upon nearing your room, you see a maid waiting by your door with a relieved look on her face, which calms down when she notices you in the hall.

As the maid stops, she bows her head to you lightly, saying, "Afternoon, Sir, I was informed to ask what you would like for supper as well as tend to what you might need during your stay at the castle. Do you have any special requests?"

Thinking thoughtfully, you then say, "I will gladly have whatever the chef desires to make, and might you have any grapes of any color to serve as an appetizer?"

The maid nods her head with a smile, saying, "The Chef's Surprise it is, understood, Sir. Do you have a preference to which kind you prefer?"

You then consider it and say, "Either green or red, and would you know of any rumors going around the castle lately or anything interesting?"

She cocks her head and thinks for a few moments, saying, "There are a few rumors, one of which is that Prince Blueblood was intimate with a frog..."

As you listen to the rumors, you smirk at hearing of how Prince Blueblood is liking life as a toad, then say, "Why am I not surprised to hear that he is still a toad...so amusing. Is there anything else of any interest going on?" Putting your charm to work, you slip up to the middle-aged mare and slide your hoof along her cheek and neck affectionately, asking, "Is there anything at all that is going on? Perhaps Princess Celestia might be acting strangely recently?"

Biting her lower lip as she is loving his affection, she recalls something and says, "W-Well...there is one thing, though it isn't about the princess..."

Continuing your affectionate caress along her neck and cheek, you watch her eyes start to roll upwards and approach her ear, whispering into it, "Oh? What might that be, I wonder?"

Not having a special somepony, she leans into his touch, nuzzling her head against him and says in a slightly passionate tone, "Well, the majority of the males are heading to a retreat in a few days this year."

Disappointed at its lack of importance, you set your hoof down and kiss her cheek, saying, "Why thank you so much for telling me that, miss. You have been very helpful."

Missing the affectionate touching already, she sighs longingly but nods her head with a gentle smile, saying, "You are quite welcome, Sir. I will go get your grapes for you."

Entering your room and looking around, you find it completely decked out in fine decor. A silver chandelier hangs in the center of the ceiling, having diamonds putting out a cool blue light. The bed is an expensive one, having a high-quality four-post canopy frame with silk sheets and an army of pillows to offer extra comfort. You continue to check the room out and see a shelf holding a variety of books, and decide to head over to check them out.

The unicorn maid returns a few minutes later with a large silver bowl filled with a few bunches of red and green grapes, knocking on your door with a hoof, saying, "I have brought the grapes you requested, Sir."

Putting the book on the shelf, you turn to the door, saying, "You may enter." then watch the handle turn as the door swings open to reveal the same light blue unicorn from earlier.

The maid closes the door behind her and walks up to the bed with a smile on her face, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Blistering Blizzard. I must thank you for dealing with that annoying Prince Blueblood, he was too full of himself and saw himself as a prince when it was only a part of his name. Your deed must be rewarded, so please allow me to feed you."

Cocking your head at hearing that, you ask in surprise, "He wasn't actually a prince, is he even royalty?" Remembering what she said, you then shake your head, saying, "I appreciate the offer, miss, but I am perfectly capable of feeding myself."

She smiles and shakes her head, saying, "No sir, he is related to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, so he is of royal blood." She then persists, saying, "I understand that, kind and graceful sir, but I insist that you let me perform this small service for you to pay you back for helping all of us maids that Prince Blueblood treated like personal servants."

Feeling uneasy about this, you hesitantly nod your head and say, "If you insist...very well, miss, you may do as you desire."

The maid watches you lie down on your side and uses her magic to pull a bunch of fat, red grapes up and plucks one off. Moving it to your mouth with her magic, she watches you lean toward it and take it into your mouth.

As you let her feed the grapes to you slowly, one by one, the bunches eventually run out as she leaves while promising to return with the main course. When she does, she returns with a cart carrying covered platters with a bottle of white wine and a wine glass. As you watch her uncover one platter containing what she tells you is called Buttered Mashed Potato Ravioli with a fried onion sliced in a way to resemble a flower.

Setting her cart up beside the bed, she lays out a cloth to catch anything that drops and removes her hoofshoes, then lightly hops up onto the mattress and takes a seat next to you. Picking up the silver fork with her magic, she turns to look at you and says in an affectionate tone, "Open up, kind sir, and I shall feed you dinner..."

The following section is NOT SAFE for work and can be skipped entirely, feel free to skip to the end and continue the story!

As the maid feeds you, you notice how she touches you affectionately with an idle hoof occasionally. The affection flatters you, so you let her continue on. When there is just one scrumptious ravioli left, you hear her ask you to close your eyes. Trusting the mare not to do anything because she is a maid, you close your eyes and open your mouth.

Placing the ravioli halfway into her mouth, the maid gets closer to you while tilting her head. Leaning her head forward, she places her mouth over yours and uses her tongue to push the ravioli into your mouth, slipping her tongue into your mouth and along your tongue.

When the warm, wet squirming object leaves your mouth, you hear her say chew and follow her request. Enjoying the taste of the last ravioli, you remember what you felt before and swallow the chewed food down before opening your mouth to say something. When your mouth opens, however, you feel something around your mouth again followed by something sweet and mellow.

She feels him swallow the wine down as her tongue wraps around his, then feels something under her moving. Knowing what she wants to do to show her gratitude, she slips off and slides the covers back while pulling her mouth away to put more wine into it. Not wanting to give you the chance to change her mind, she returns her lips to yours and kisses you deeply while pushing the wine into your mouth. Moving her hips further along your underside, she feels your member against her soft coat as it slowly gets bigger.

A haze passes over your mind as you reach up with your hooves and caress the mare's neck, kissing her back as affectionately when you feel something hot and slick press around your member. The lightness of the mare now on top of you is noticeable, but of no concern as you hear her moan into your mouth. Her hips meet yours smoothly as you feel her slide back up your body, slowly increasing the speed as you get harder and longer inside her.

Losing herself to the pleasure, she goes faster on top and pulls off when she feels you twitch, moaning passionately into your ear, "Please fill me, stud, I'm on Moon Tea."

Your mind is fogged over as you push yourself deeper into her and unleash your seed into her tight confines while pulling her down into your groin, saying, "Oh yes...I like this feeling."

The maid feels the warmth blooming in the depths of her body as she rides out her orgasm silently, biting her lower lip, saying, "I enjoy this warmth you are giving me, makes me yearn to try for a foal..." As the feeling continues on, she lays against your body and presses her lips onto yours and kisses you deeply.

While your orgasm continues for a bit longer, you hold her against you in a tender embrace as you feel it begin to slow down. Kissing your way along her neck, you lightly nip it in places before nuzzling your head against her neck, saying, "I wish you good luck in that quest, for children are both a curse and a beloved burden for their parents. I believe you may find someone when the time is right."

She pulls away from you with a happy, teary-eyed smile as she feels you go still inside her depths, saying, "I strongly believe that you would make a great father to a foal."

Amused by that comment, you sarcastically say, "With my past being as dark as it is and the choices I made, I'm certain that I would be the worst father in history."

Squeezing her muscles around your member, the maid starts to pull off of you while keeping anything from spilling out and looks at you with a slight frown, saying, "Oh don't say that about yourself, I know you will find love one day when you least expect it. That is just the way things are here." Returning to her hooves with her muscles still clenched, she gives you a light peck on the lips, saying, "Goodnight, Sir. May you have a wonderful night's sleep."

You watch the maid return to the ground with a light hop, pushing the cart along on slightly wobbly legs as you catch a tiny bead of white appear from between her folds, saying, "Goodnight and sweet dreams to you as well." You watch her leave the room with a smile as she closes the door, leaving the bed to explore the room a bit. After opening a window, you wander around the room, finding a private bathroom and shift back into your human form to wash yourself. Closing the door as you enter, you remove your armor and turn the water on and adjust the temperature to your liking before stepping into the shower.

This is the end of the section, enjoy the rest of the story!

When you get out of the shower, you sniff the air and smell something positively foul, saying, "No wonder why people ran away from me screaming their lungs out...I wore armor that smelled like a thousand vile, rotting corpses." Grabbing your pack, you pick up the armor and put it inside before shifting into your unicorn shape. Returning the changed bag, you put your saddlebags back on and return to the room to find the sun sinking toward the horizon and spot Fluttershy sitting on the floor inside the room, causing you to chuckle and say, "Hello Flutters, came to spend the night with me?"

Fluttershy looks at you from behind her long mane, saying, "Oh no, I was just wanting to give you something I was too shy to give you earlier..."

With a smile, you then say, "Oh, alright then. What did you want to give me, Shy?"

Rising to her hooves, she trots up to you and flaps her wings, launching herself into the air as she hovers in front of you. She then closes the distance and whispers, "Just this..." then places her mouth on yours at an angle and wraps her hooves and wings around you as she starts to kiss you deeply.

After being knocked onto your back, you wrap your own legs around her and hold her close. Minutes pass before she releases you with a soft sorry, caressing the back of her ear with a hoof, saying, "It's alright, Flutters." You surprise her right back and roll over onto her, hearing her squeak out a cute eep and nuzzle along her neck.

She gets into the affectionate nuzzling when she catches a new scent coming from you and starts to investigate it, discovering that it is the scent of another mare. With a curious look on her face, she asks you, "Uhm, I don't mean to be rude and I'm sorry for asking, but were you with another mare earlier?"

You freeze in place for a moment before pulling away to look into her eyes, catching a dangerous glint in them and say, "Yes I was, and she felt it necessary to reward me for doing what I did to Prince Blueblood, so the started to feed me grapes. When they were gone, she brought me the main course and started to get closer to me. She then started to touch me, which led her to getting more affectionate. She then took things even farther and got intimate with me...are you angry about it Shy?"

Fluttershy's left eye twitches, making her sigh and hang her head, asking in a mournful tone, "No...I'm not angry about it. I am just very heartbroken that you would have sex with a random maid that threw herself at you instead of me!" She then begins to sob uncontrollably as she wails out, "Am I not pretty enough for you? Is it my shyness that makes you not see me that way?! Is it because I like flying so slow and close to the ground that a slug can beat me in a race?!" She then breaks down and collapses to the floor wailing her eyes out.

You then watch as Fluttershy starts bawling her eyes out while laying down on the floor, curling up into a ball. The sight breaks your heart as you walk up to her and curl up around her, saying, "Shy, there is nothing wrong with you, I like you the way you are. I love the fact that you are so kind, you help others at your own expense and are happy to do so. I also love how shy you are, that sometimes you still get scared of your own shadow." You hear her sobs slow down and see one of her watery, cyan eyes open up and look at you cautiously. Seizing the moment to bring her back out, you nuzzle your way into her ball and whisper into her ear, "You are adorable and I love you for being you, I value our friendship way too much to take it to a different level. If we were to become lovers, it would be challenging for us to go back to being friends if we were to break up. That is what happened between Jaina and I, so you know how my one and only relationship ended..."

She comes out of her ball and wriggles her way between your hooves, her sobs slowly start calming down as she asks with a half-sob and a voice as fragile as glass, "I just want my first time to be with someone I love, can you please share something special with me? I Pinkie Swear that we can remain friends, just with certain benefits between us." Pulling her head away, she then turns to look at you with pleading eyes wider than a puppy dog's.

Able to feel her shiver nervously in fear and worry, you lay your weight on top of her body and sigh, saying, "I would be a monster for saying no, wouldn't I... Alright then, I will make sure it is a night you will never forget." Moving your mouth to hers, you kiss her deeply for a few moments to let her bask in your presence. Once you feel her tail shift aside, you then whisper to her, "Your special night will begin once I have finished talking with Princess Luna for a few hours."

Fluttershy feels you press your hips against her exposed marehood and smiles, treasuring what you said and sighs happily, saying, "I will be waiting for you to return." She then leans forward and nips the right side of your neck lightly, adding, "Please don't make me wait too long."

Nodding your head, you chuckle and nuzzle against her neck, saying, "I don't know how long I will be away, it could be an hour or a few hours."

She then smiles up at you and says, "Thank you for letting me know. Even though I might take a nap, I am a light sleeper so I will know if you try to sneak back in bed."

With a huff, you ask, "What do you take me for, Shy?"

Fluttershy giggles and then says while batting her pretty eyes up at you, "A former evil villain who needs to earn his honor back and trust in others to have his back."

Rolling your eyes with a grin, you get up and head toward the door saying, "You ponies are going to be the death of me."

With a smile, she then says, "Of course, and we are starting off with Kindness, which is my specialty."

You chuckle and open the door, saying, "I will be back later, Shy." Hearing her say goodbye as you pull the door shut and head down the hall to go find the lunar princess.

As you head down the halls, you catch a scent in the air and look up to see bundles of Lavender along the walls. When you turn another corner, you keep looking around and don't notice a mare in front of you until you bump nose-first into her rear. Pulling your nose away from her minty scent, you look up to see who you bumped into so rudely, saying, "Oh, excuse me milady, I should have been paying more attention to where I..." when the words die in your throat as you recognize Princess Luna looking back at you with wide eyes and hastily bow to her in your antiquated manner, apologizing to her, saying, "Please forgive my rudeness in colliding with your royal flanks, Your Majesty."

Luna giggles at your reaction and turns around to face you, saying, "It is quite alright, I know you did not mean to put your nose there. What brings you to me at this hour of the night, my little pony?"

You then say, "Well, I was hoping that we could talk about what troubles me."

She cocks her head and then asks, "What is the matter, did something bad happen to you recently?"

Shaking your head, you then say, "It is nothing like that..." then sigh and come out with it, saying, "It's about the guilt I feel over my past actions, Your Majesty."

Nodding in understanding, Luna says, "I see now. Is there a reason you come to me instead of going to your friends?"

You sigh and say, "I can't go to them because they won't understand the guilt I feel, the shame of betraying all I stood for and destroying everything I loved for a fool's venture."

Letting out her own sigh, she says, "I can understand what you feel, young one, for I too fell victim to my own pride when I realized the ponies weren't enjoying my beautiful night as they enjoyed the day. So I decided to take control and show them how beautiful my night was, I didn't realize that they were enjoying my night. Too blinded by what I wanted, I refused to lower the moon one night. When my sister tried to get me to lower the moon, I grew resentful and transformed into Nightmare Moon. Soon after, she banished me to the moon. Walk with me and help me change the old lavender bundles while we continue to talk, there aren't many more to go until we reach the throne room." She then turns around and resumes walking down the hall, taking down old bundles and replacing them with new ones.

Following her down the hall, you help her take down old bundles and put up new ones, saying, "It is so easy to let yourself fall victim to your own pride and ego, I wish that I had heeded that wizard's words then."

Finding an opportunity to give you advice, she puts up another bundle and then drapes her left wing over your back, saying, "At least you had others trying to help you, one thing that I have learned from you is that the experiences from our past make us better ponies."

Before you know it, you are inside the throne room with Luna, talking about how you feel about your past. A couple hours pass by as she listens to you lay out your inner turmoil at her hooves, eventually feeling much better than you had in years, saying, "I'm sorry for laying all my feelings out like that, Princess Luna."

With a light chuckle, Luna looks at you and uses her hoof to lift your head up, saying, "There's no need to apologize, Arthas, I rather enjoyed our talk. Besides, I rather enjoyed spending time with you, though I think it might be time for me to start my patrol."

You nod as she lays down before the throne, bowing your head to her and saying, "Very well, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave then."

She watches you start to turn to leave and stretches out her left wing towards you, placing the tip of her feathers under your chin as she pulls your head around to face her, saying with a fake hurt tone, "Oh, leaving without a goodnight kiss? How rude."

Not realizing she is teasing you, you turn around and bow your head, saying, "Apologies for my rudeness, Your Highness, I did not wish to offend you. So let me make amends for my ignorance." Then walk up to her and place your lips upon hers and angle your head, slipping your tongue into her mouth.

Luna feels a shiver run down her spine, ruffling the feathers on her wings in mild arousal at the affectionate kiss. Finding herself being pulled in by your skill, her wings wrap around you and pull you closer to her as she deepens the kiss. Feeling a heat rising within her, she forces her body's desire for intimacy to cool down before she does something inappropriate for the throne room. Pulling back with a husky huff, she puts a wing between you and says, "It would be best if we stop here, for it would not be appropriate for the throne room."

Your mind calms down as you slowly catch your breath, bowing to her and saying, "As you wish, Your Highness."

Once again stopping you with her wing, she says with a lightly annoyed tone, "Oh drop the formalities already, we're both royals. Please just call me Luna, alright?" Pulling you towards her, she gives you a peck on the lips, saying, "Goodnight, Arthas, I hope you have pleasant dreams tonight."

You look into her eyes to see that she meant every word, then lean forward and kiss her once more, saying, "As you wish, milady Luna. I bid you a goodnight too for when you close your eyes to sleep." Bowing to her once more, you turn around and make your way down to the floor then out of the room.

Luna watches you leave, biting her own lip hungrily as she sighs to herself, thinking, 'I'm looking forward to seeing more of you...in the morning.'

18: A new day dawns

As you return to your guest room in the castle, you find Fluttershy lying on the bed among pink rose petals which causes you to smile at how much she was looking forward to this night. Making your way to the bed, you climb onto it carefully and kiss your way up Fluttershy's neck.

As Fluttershy feels you kiss her neck, she smiles and opens her eyes to look at you while reaching out to caress your face with a wingtip, saying, "You've returned...I'm so happy."

You nod, saying, "I told you I would, didn't I?" then keep her from saying anything else by moving your mouth over hers and kissing her deeply.

Just after sunrise the next morning...

After a long night of fighting nightmares, she lowers the moon and watches her sister's sun rise to start the day, thinking, 'Now I can get some sleep after having breakfast.'

Once Luna eats a couple grapefruit and a pineapple, she drinks a glass of orange juice and heads towards the sleeping wing of the castle, saying, "Goodnight, Sister. Thank you for letting me know that Arthas was going to stay at the castle last night." with a yawn. As she makes her way through the halls with her eyelids threatening to close on her, she passes by the room her sister said you were staying in and quietly opens the door. Slipping inside the room, she sees the four-poster bed with you under the covers in the center of it, leaving enough room for her to cuddle up beside you. Removing her silver hoofshoes, she sets them beside the wall and removes her black chestpiece and lays it on the nightstand. Her black crown follows it as she sets it on top of her chestpiece, with the last of her regalia removed, she slowly slides the covers back and climbs into your guest bed bed. Once on the bed, she looks down at you and freezes when she spots Fluttershy beside you with her back against your stomach. She sees your front hooves around the younger mare's middle as a scent rises from the bed and enters Luna's nostrils, recognizing its muskiness from long ago, she smiles and huffs in amusement, whispering under her breath, "Lucky girl..." Leaning her head down, she then kisses your cheek, whispering, "Goodnight, young prince." Settling down softly, she nestles up behind you and lies with her back against you, using her magic to summon a sleeping mask to keep the light from waking her up. Slipping the mask over her face, she pulls the covers back over her and lets herself slip off into slumber.

When you wake up, you are shocked to find your hooves around Princess Luna's sleeping form, not knowing how or even why she is in bed with you, you carefully extract your hooves without disturbing the sleeping alicorn. Taking your time in removing your hooves from under her body, you finally free your second hoof and roll over to wrap them around Fluttershy's sleeping form, only to find her looking at you quizzically and say in a very soft tone, "Morning Shy, did you enjoy last night?"

Not realizing the third mare in the bed due to being hidden by your body, a light blush colors her cheeks as she smiles at you, nodding her head and whispering, "Oh definitely, I would love to sleep in some more, but I have to get back home and feed the animals." She then sits up and goes to kiss you farewell, and spots the sleeping princess beside you.

Spotting her eyes widen in surprise and her mouth opening to scream, you act quickly and reach out with your hooves. Wrapping them behind the startled mare's head, you pull her towards you and kiss her deeply to keep her quiet.

To frightened to stop herself from screaming, Fluttershy screams into your mouth as she feels you kissing her passionately. As she finds herself being rolled onto her back, she feels you press against her and quiets down. With your warmth and weight comforting her, she finds enough breath to ask, "Wh-Wha-What is Princess Luna doing in bed with us?!"

With the frightened pegasus underneath you calmed down and back under her own control, you say quietly, "I'm not sure, she was here when I woke up a few minutes ago. Maybe she was so tired, she didn't realize she climbed into bed with me?"

She thinks about it for a moment and nods her head, saying softly, "Poor Princess Luna must be beyond exhausted after dealing with nightmares all night, be a gentlestallion and comfort her. I will come to the Royal Gardens sometime this afternoon to get started on teaching you how to fly, so come find me when you have time." Leaning forward, she then whispers, "Thank you for giving me a wonderful first time, I look forward to experiencing it again with you." Rolling over so that she is on top of you, she kisses you deeply before flicking your nose with her tongue and climbs off of you.

You watch her spread her wings and flutter down to the floor, landing with a slight wobble to each step as she heads for the open window. As she flaps her wings and heads out, you catch sight of her backside leave a slight trail on the floor. With a soft chuckle, you pull the covers back over and roll over to cuddle Princess Luna, coming muzzle to muzzle with her as she subconsciously reaches out with her hooves and pulls you against her.

Still asleep, she lays her head onto your neck, muttering, "Mine..." before curling a wing around you.

A few hours later, a maid gently knocks on the door and hears a soft, but clear reply to enter, signalling her to enter the room. Upon entering the room, she says in a gentle voice, "Sir Blizzard, I have came at the request of Her Majesty. She has requested--" only for the words to die in her throat as she notices Princess Luna lying on top of you, her jaw going slack and her eyes bugging out of her head in disbelief as her brain struggles to understand what is going on. When her brain connects the dots, she blinks twice hastily, saying, "Forgive me for interrupting your intimacy, Your Majesty, I will let Her Highness know that Sir Blizzard is preoccupied."

As she quickly heads for the door, you turn your head to her and say, "Halt!" Causing her to freeze in her tracks, granting you a moment to speak, saying, "It is not what it looks like, I Pinkie Swear, I woke up to find Princess Luna in bed with me. What does Princess Celestia request of me?"

The maid turns around and faces you, noticing the facemask she is wearing as the misunderstanding clears up and says in a gentle tone, "Her Majesty requested that you join her for lunch in the private dining room, what might your reply be?"

You feel Luna shift her body, causing your body to react as your member begins to creep out of its sheath, saying, "Let her know that I will join her as soon as I am able."

She watches as the princess nuzzles against your neck, moaning softly which makes her want to leave quickly. Nodding quickly at your response, she quickly says, "I will tell her at once, sir." and makes a hasty exit to go inform Princess Celestia at once.

The door closes softly as you feel Luna lightly playing with your ear, causing you to slip further out of your sheath. Trying to keep your bodily reactions under control futilely, you feel her rub her teats against your shaft. The friction causes you to slowly start to stiffen, making you more nervous when she slides up even farther as the tip of your member is pushed back by Luna's body on top of yours. Feeling your member bend further and bounce up to briefly poke her entrance before sliding upwards towards her tail alarms you even further, forcing you into action as that familiar haze starts to cloud your vision. Rolling over to be on top of her, you grind your body against hers as your shaft presses into her lower folds, moving your mouth near her ear, saying softly, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I will not let myself take advantage of a mare as she sleeps, or let her do the same to me." Kissing her deeply, you feel her wings start to wrap around you as you use your front hooves to gently keep them down, pulling away and saying, "Pleasant dreams, milady."

Luna feels him make a smooth escape from her, hearing the door click shut, which makes her frown and huff out, saying in a pouty tone, "I was so close...poo on you. Karma is coming for you, so mind that charm of yours."

Celestia sits at the table in the private dining room with a smile as she sees you enter the room, saying in a too sweet tone, "Ah, how good of you to join me for lunch, Blistering Blizzard. Please have a seat so we can chat."

Uneasy about the too-pleased appearance of the princess, you keep your guard up and say, "It would have been incredibly rude to not accept your invitation, so I must attend to avoid offending you. It would be a grave mistake to offend such a powerful ruling mare such as you, Your Royal Flankiness."

Hearing your last comment causes her to spew her tea all over the table as she glares at you for a moment, but recovers her composure and says, "Oh how quick-witted you are, I would expect nothing less of one aiming to become part of the ruling family so soon."

You genuinely laugh at her attempt to rattle you and say, "Oh I Pinkie Swear that I am not trying to become part of the ruling family of Equestria, Your Majesty, your sister was simply just so exhausted from her nightly duties, she didn't realize she entered the wrong room. I assure you that nothing inappropriate happened."

Celestia cocks her eyebrow and seizes the opportunity to corner you, asking, "Such as letting a sleeping princess share the same bed with you, cuddling with you...oh, and of course, letting her crawl on top of you and be overly affectionate with you under the covers?"

Her words make you a little nervous, but get no chance to speak as you hear her continue on, "If this had happened a few centuries ago, I would have requested you to take responsibility for touching me or my sister, or be treated as a criminal and condemned for your actions and thrown in prison."

She smirks as she watches a bead of sweat slips down your cheek, then eases back and says, "You are so lucky that I know my sister's sleeping habits so well, so I forgive you for the impropriety. I surely hope that you didn't let it go any farther." while raising her eyebrow inquisitively.

Seeing through her game, you smirk right back at her and say, "I behaved like a true gentleman would and stopped it before any lines were crossed, but if you wish me to take responsibility..." Throwing your head back and striking a commanding pose before smoothly going into a bow, you say, "Then I shall do so and ask for your sister's hand in matrimony."

She freezes as her eyes shrink to pinpricks, causing her head to snap to you so fast, her neck pops as her magic falters and lets her fork holding a cake slice fall onto the table with a wet splat. Her mind ceases all function as all she can do is stare at you with wide-eyes and her jaw trying to hit the floor, which takes a few moments before it starts going haywire as thoughts zip through her head in a fraction of a few seconds, thinking, 'OH BUCK IS HE SERIOUS OR JUST MESSING WITH ME AGAIN?! IT'S WAY TOO SOON TO ANNOUNCE A ROYAL MARRIAGE, THE PUBLIC ORDER WOULD BE DESTROYED IF HE WERE TO MARRY MY SISTER! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO TO AVOID DESTROYING THE PEACEFUL ORDER OF THE CITIZENS!?'

You watch her eyes flick back and forth as she tries to think of what to say, delighted to see her in such dismay. Wanting to keep her off-guard, you then approach her steadily and ask, "Well, what is your answer, Your Majesty? Do you find the idea of calling me baby brother to your liking?"

Celestia's eyes snap back to you as you slowly make your way towards her, scrambling to come up with something to say as something pops into her mind, saying, "B-But it-it's too soon to announce your courtship of my sister...the citizens won't handle the sudden news of your engagement very well."

Still smirking at how off-guard she is, you continue your attack, saying, "Oh, so you do like the idea of me becoming your brother... How long should the courtship be before announcing our engagement? Three weeks? Two months?"

Her mind freaks out, thinking that you are serious about taking her sister's hand in marriage and says, "B-But...if you two marry...she will spend more time with you than me." A sniffle then escapes her as she imagines what would happen if you two marry, saying weakly, "She will also become Equestria's first queen, making you its king..."

Sensing an insecurity, you pounce on it to see her squirm even more and stalk towards her like a hunter would hunt its prey, saying, "Oh...what is this now?" pausing a few moments to add to the tension, adding, "Would you rather be the one to marry me?"

Celestia's thoughts are scrambled all over again as she stammers out a reflexive response, "Wh-What? H-Huh?" Just then her mind registers what you just said, stammering even more, saying, "M-Me? Ma-Ma-Marry y-y-you?" She then blows a weak raspberry as a fierce blush colors her face, waving your response away, saying, "Oh p-p-p-please, I-I-I-I d-don't even l-l-l-like you that w-way..."

You get into her personal space, saying, "Oh, I think you like me much more than you let on, Princess Celestia. Are you nervous because you have never been courted before?"

Your words startle her enough to make her fall off her chair and back away from you with beads of nervous sweat appearing on her face, saying in a panic, "I-I've been courted before...by lots of handsome stallions better looking than you!"

As your nose touches hers, you smile at her and say, "Fantasies don't count as true courtship...allow me to educate you a bit. It all starts out with getting to know each other better..."

Celestia's back legs give out from under her as she hears you get to the part about kissing as lovers, making her slowly scramble backwards on her flank as her mind helplessly imagines what it must be like. Her breath heats up as her heart starts racing in her chest with your description of courtship behavior playing out in her mind, asking absentmindedly, "Oh...?"

When you get to the point about the first time you get intimate with each other, you push your front off the ground and take a small leap forward. Using your hooves to knock her over backwards, you pin her to the ground by her shoulders as she trembles underneath you with her legs curled up against her underside, saying, "Then as they would hit the bed, he would prepare her to become a true adult..."

Her eyes grow hazy as her breath deepens, saying in a meek tone, "P-Please be gentle with me...it...it's my...first time." She then allows her legs to widen for you to get closer.

Your lower body rests against Celestia's teats as you then move your mouth to her lips and kiss her deeply for several slow seconds, pulling away to whisper to her, "A male's member is the sweetest thing you could ever taste, so close your eyes and I shall help you become an adult."

Celestia's heart hammers away in her chest as she gulps nervously, saying, "O-Okay, please tell me what to do..." then closes her eyes and waits to hear what to do next.

As you see her eyes close, you get off of her and lightly guide her head onto its right side. Turning to the table to see a chocolate cake on her plate, you pick up her fork with your magic and cut off a bite-sized piece. Stabbing it with the fork gently, you bring it over to you and say, "Alright, if you are ready to taste the sweetest thing you've ever taste, open your mouth wide. Just remember to avoid letting your teeth touch it as it is very soft and sensitive."

She waits eagerly for it to enter her mouth when something slightly warm and soft enters her mouth and rests against her right cheek, closing her lips around it before rolling her tongue around it. She lets out a soft moan through her nose as she tastes something remarkably similar to chocolate, continuing to roll her tongue around the member in her mouth.

You watch her play with the piece of cake with a smirk, saying, "Wow, you are really talented for it being your first time..." You fight back a chuckle at how she gets more into it and say, "Now open your beautiful eyes and look up at me as you pleasure me..."

Opening her eyes to look up at you, she sees your underside and notices that your member isn't even out, cocking her head in confusion as she tries to figure out what is in her mouth. Opening her mouth, she uses her magic to pull the object out and discovers that it is just a piece of chocolate cake and frowns up at you. Returning the piece into her mouth as embarrassment colors her face crimson, she chews it and gracefully returns to her hooves and then glares down at you, saying, "That...was not very nice..."

With a smile still on your face, you chuckle lightly, saying, "No, but your reactions sure make a great reward." Clearing your voice of the laughter in your throat, you say, "Just so you know, I was just messing with you about courting either of you and marrying your sister."

Celestia's frown turns into a scowl as her mane starts to smoke, and fights back a growl, asking, "Aside from being happy about annoying me to even greater heights, did you have a talk with my sister last night?"

You nod with a grin still on your face, saying, "I did talk with her last night, and I feel better than I have in years."

A smile graces her face as she hears that and says, "That is wonderful to hear, may I take that to mean you will be spending another night here?"

Once again nodding, you say, "I will, though I must ask if Luna enters the rooms of others when she sleeps?"

Covering for her sister, Celestia lies and says, "Oh, she tends to do that once in awhile, it began when our parents were lost at sea. Each time she would crawl into bed with me and snuggle up beside me, continuing well into her teen years and slowed down to about twice a week. When she gets lonely, she climbs in bed with me usually because I make her feel safe." A mischievous idea pops into her mind as she says, "If she climbs in bed with you, it means that you make her feel safe... So whatever you do, don't ever leave her side when she climbs into your bed, and never, ever wake her up when you catch her walking around in her sleep. Because, if you do...you could severely startle her and cause her to die from shock, and it would be very disastrous for you if you killed my sister by doing that." Looking at you with a serious look, she asks, "Do I make myself clear?"

You give her a solemn nod and say, "Crystal clear, Your Majesty." Wanting to learn more about magic, you ask her curiously, "May I have access to the royal library, Your Majesty?"

Thinking it over a moment, she looks back at you, saying, "You may, but on one condition..."

Having a sneaking suspicion that she is up to no good, you ask curiously, "What might that be, Your Flankiness?"

A growl escapes Celestia's throat as she decides to get a little payback for all the teasing, and says, "If you close your eyes, I will share some of my cake with you."

Suspicious of what she asked you to do, you raise your eyebrow and ask, "Why should I trust you and do as you ask?"

A smirk crosses her face as she says, "Well, if you listen and perform my simple request, on top of getting a slice of my cake, I will even grant you access to the restricted section where we keep battle magic under lock, key, and wards. If you can't trust me this once, it won't upset me at all, but you will not gain access to the royal library."

You debate your choices tentatively, wondering what the proper thing to do would be. Coming to a decision several seconds later, you sigh and then say, "Very well, I shall give you the benefit of a doubt, Your Majesty. I hope I don't regret this later."

WARNING! THIS SECTION IS UNSAFE FOR WORK AND CAN BE SKIPPED ENTIRELY, FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS AND CONTINUE THE STORY!

Celestia watches you close your eyes and grins, stepping forward to place her lips around yours in a deep kiss. However, she doesn't stop there and slips a nullifying ring onto your horn before using her front hooves to push you over backwards. When she is over top of you, she straddles you and then sits down on your lower half, saying, "With how much you have been teasing me and tormenting me, I can finally even the score..."

You look up at her with curious eyes, asking, "What are you planning on doing to me, sit on me and try to sing me into submission?"

A sinister smirk flashes across her face as she says, "Oh of course not, it's nothing quite like that..." Starting to grind her flanks up and down your sheath, she casts a privacy barrier around the both of you and traps your front legs on either side of her body, saying, "I'm going to make you turn me into a grown mare..."

As you open your mouth to protest, she quickly captures your mouth with hers and begins to devour your mouth while your member begins to stir.

Celestia hungrily devours your mouth as she rubs her teats along your sheath, trying to draw it out, thinking, 'Come on out, little guy, it is time for a little fun.'

Feeling her grind against you, you start trying to fight against her, but she has the advantage with her wings and a larger body frame than you. Your member slowly starts to slip from its sheath while the bumps from her flat teats draw more blood into it as they stimulate it further.

Letting herself being swept up into the haze slowly falling upon her, she feels your member grow longer and thicker, causing her to become wetter. Her breathing quickens as your shaft sends tingles up through her body from her teats, pushing her body up even farther to pass over your tip.

As she presses her hips back too hard, it causes your member to simply run back between her teats as a shudder passes through her body as you think, 'I think I should ease up on how much I tease her...I sure hope she stops soon...'

It takes Celestia a few tries to get your member to pop up and run up her backside, feeling pressing against the dock of her tail as she then slides forward and arches her back upwards. Bringing herself back, she feels the tip press against her untouched entrance and applies more force to make you enter her.

You wince at the force she is using to make you enter her, feeling like she is trying to break it off when you gasp into her mouth as it suddenly enters her tight confines. You hear her hiss in pain through her nose as she bites down on your tongue, with her muscles trying to squeeze your intruding member out, thinking, 'Damn it, why the hell did you take things this far!?'

She waits for the pain to pass while her body shudders around your member, thinking, 'I've done it, I am a grown mare now.' When the pain does subside, she presses herself back even further to take more of you into her as a new thought enters her mind, 'Wait a moment, a full-grown mare is one who has gone all the way with a stallion... so that means I need to do the same.'

As she continues to slide back and forth, you notice she keeps getting faster while she kisses you more intensely. While she keeps taking you deeper and deeper, you feel your member become rock hard and press against a hard wall, thinking, 'If that is what I think it is...I'm in serious trouble here.'

Feeling that she's not fully taking you into her, she thrusts harder to try to make her flank meet your hips. She slams her flanks down even harder, but can't quite get there. An aching sensation in her chest causes her to stop devouring your mouth, letting a gentle sob escape her.

Her thrusts come to a sudden stop as her flanks are held up by your tip resting against her inner wall, wondering why she is starting to sob. You lie there under her as her eyes begin to water, causing her to close them and releasing her tears as a few more sobs escape her. Curious as to what is going on, you ask, "P-Princess? What's going on, did you change your mind?"

Celestia feels herself begin to become smaller as sobs start to wrack her body, saying through a sob, "Well look at me, I'm fat and ugly compared to my sister! No matter how hard I try, I just cannot make my flank any smaller! I'm so exhausted by the end of the day and stressed out, I can only relax by eating cake, and never have the time or energy to exercise! If I don't get it under control soon, all of Equestria is going to call me Chubby Cheeked Celestia! I am such a failure as a princess...just look at what I have let myself become!"

While she rants on about how terrible she is, you watch as she grows to become smaller than Twilight. The tightness of her tunnel around you is so much that it almost hurts as you move a hoof out to place it against her cheek, saying, "Your Majesty, you are not fat and ugly. In truth, you are really quite pretty...your flank is no bigger than your sisters despite all my comments about it. If you are so stressed out and exhausted all the time, maybe you should speak to your assistant and arrange it so that some days are lighter than others so that you can have that time to relax a bit and unwind. You are a far better ruler than I ever was, you managed to keep your kingdom from falling to ruin over a few centuries."

Hearing you call her pretty causes her eyes to snap open and focus their attention on you as a half-sob escapes her, asking you in a fragile tone, "R-Really? Y-You think I-I'm pretty? Th-Then wh-why do you antagonize me so much?"

You let out a sigh and caress her cheek, saying, "Well, Sunbutt, I torment you because that is how I cope with the unforgivable things I've done. It helps me feel relief when I know someone is angry or hates me, I may have shared my past with you all...but hearing or reading about it is far different than having to relive it every night. The only time I ever get a peaceful sleep is when I am beside Fluttershy, though I worry if that blessing will fade. I pray by all I hold dear that none of you ever see what I have done."

Feeling bad for you, she sniffles and lies down on top of you, then wraps her front hooves around your neck affectionately, saying, "You poor poor stallion, let me be here to help ease your suffering. Please torment me to your heart's content."

As she lays her head beside yours in her smaller form, something inside you gives in as you use your forelegs to push her down towards your hips, saying, "You really should be careful with what you wish for in your smaller form, Sunbutt." Without warning, you roll over to be on top of her and slam your hips down towards hers.

Celestia has trouble catching her breath as you drive it out of her with each powerful thrust into her back wall, wrapping her hooves around your sides when she feels her hips meet yours, making her involuntarily say, "Hnh!"

You feel your desire to dominate her rise as you angrily say, "You thought that I would ever allow you to have your way with me? Well you are sorely mistaken, princess. I am not the type to just lie down and take it...I will give back as good as I get until I win." Placing your mouth over hers, you repeatedly draw your hips back and slam them into hers as her walls threaten to pinch your member off.

Her eyes roll up into her head as she finds this strangely blissful, when her body tries to fold backward on itself as electricity races through her body from her entrance to her brain.

The princess's insides spasm around your member violently as you hold yourself against her, keeping her from squeezing you out as you feel her squirt all over your legs. Looking at her with disdain, you say, "Did I give you permission to have an orgasm?" As punishment, you bite her ear as you notice her crown lying on the floor.

Barely able to speak, she croaks out, "S-S-Sorry...it...happened with...no warning." Her vision dims at the intensity of her first orgasm, leaving her too weak to even walk or fly anywhere for a little while when she feels you start to hammer into her once more.

Eventually, she starts to moan from the pleasure she is feeling from the rough treatment. Unable to keep her orgasms at bay, she cries out when her orgasms hit her hard.

After pounding her for a while, you notice that she has gone completely limp, though she does let out a dull moan as her body shudders violently. When you look at her face, you see her mouth hanging open with her eyes rolled back into their sockets, making you wonder if she is conscious at all. Smacking her cheek a few times gets no reaction from her at all, making you pull out of her and realign your member to the other opening.

Celestia's eyes roll back to normal when she feels searing pain in her rear, screaming out in the royal voice, "AHHH!!! UNHOLY TARTARUS THAT IS MY BUCKING ASS YOU ARE POUNDING!!! THAT HOLE IS EXIT ONLY, SO PULL OUT OR YOU ARE GOING TO SPLIT ME IN HALF!!!"

Happy as you get a response out of her, you keep pounding her ass a bit more, saying into her ear, "I had to make sure that you were still alive, Your Majesty."

She nearly bites her tongue off as she tries to speak when an orgasm hits her much harder than the others, feeling her body spasm and cause her head to bounce off the floor a few times until it calms down. Given no chance to recover, she feels you pull out and slam yourself into her depths, which sends her into another orgasm.

As you thrust away into her depths, you near your peak and mutter into her ear, "Are you ready to take a gamble, Your Majesty?"

Barely coherent, she groans out, "Hnnn...yes." Feeling you thrusting away into her depths as she uses her teeth to latch onto your withers.

Still thrusting away, you continue muttering, "I'm going to release inside of you whether you want me to or not, so here's the gamble... There is a 50/50 chance of you getting pregnant, let's find out what the results will be in two weeks." Feeling your peak nearly here, you slam your hips into hers and hold them there while using your forelegs to pull her down into you as you start to fill her, panting into her ear, "Let the game....hah...begin."

Celestia's orgasm sends her into the stratosphere as her wings shoot out to either side and instinctively wrap around your back, seeing a horizontal roulette wheel appear in her mind having painted black and white slots with a black - on the end of the white box, and a white + on the black box. The next thing she sees is a well-manicured hoof take one of the handles when she hears a distinctly female voice say in an amused tone, "Alright mares and gentlecolts, place your bets! Will Princess Celestia wind up pregnant after her first time ending in receiving her very first creampie? Place your bets now and find out the test results in a few weeks!"

A few moments pass as she hears the voice continue, "Alright, all bets have been placed and accepted." She watches helplessly as another well-manicured hoof produces a tiny white ball and places it on the metal track around the wheel's edge saying, "Alright folks, here comes the egg!" Giving the wheel a strong turn while sending the egg rolling, adding, "Will it land on black, or will it land on white? The game has begun so keep watching the egg with bated breath, I myself am finding this quite exhilarating and look forward to what the results will be in a few weeks!"

With the sound of the egg rolling around the track echoing in her mind, her body shudders lightly from the aftershocks of her intense orgasm as your member gives a final few spurts. Letting out a sigh of relief, she weakly says, "I feel so..."

You notice her beginning to return to her normal size, asking her, "Full, complete, tired, sore, happy, sad, angry, or worried?"

Celestia lets out a groan as she says, "Ugh...all the above, I'm going back to my chambers to sleep for a few hours. Will you please pull out and let me up?"

Getting up off of her and pulling out, you watch her just lay there for several seconds before groaning and complaining that her legs or wings won't obey her. Finding great amusement in her struggle, you chuckle out loud at the current state she is in.

END OF SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE STORY!

She turns to look at you with a scowl, saying, "How dare you laugh at me, I'm Princess Celestia and you are the cause of my suffering!" When you continue to laugh, she huffs out in annoyance, saying, "HMPH! Be that way then, so go ahead and enjoy the rest of my cake for me. I will make sure to let Raven know to inform the guards that you have been granted access to the restricted section of the library, but make damn sure you don't take those books out of the library."

With a smile, you bow your head, saying, "As milady Sunbutt wishes."

Celestia scowls at you and removes the null ring from around your horn, saying, "Oh just bite me." then dispels the barrier and charges her own to teleport back to her room.

Before she completes her spell, you say, "I did earlier." earning you a brief raspberry from her as she then vanishes from your sight. With nothing to do, you head to the table and look at the cake she asked you to enjoy for her, gulping nervously and saying, "Ugh, death by chocolate here we go..."

As you make your way to your room with an unsettled stomach from eating so much chocolate, you groan, "I'm just going to lie down for a bit until I don't feel like puking my guts out."

Climbing back into bed carefully, you cozy up to Luna's back and nuzzle her lazily flowing mane, groaning in discomfort, mumbling, "How can she stomach eating an entire cake by herself?"

Having woken up from the bed's motion, Luna smiles under her mask at you returning to cuddle with her and smells a scent coming off of you, thinking, 'Congratulations on entering adulthood, sister. Now I am not the only grown mare around here...'

Letting yourself drift off to sleep, you wake a few hours later feeling much better than you have before. Seeing that Luna has turned over in her sleep and has her head laying on top of your neck, you begin to carefully extricate yourself from under her. It takes you several minutes, but eventually free yourself and make your way to the gardens to go see Fluttershy to start learning how to fly.

When you arrive at the gardens, you find Fluttershy sitting beside a bush talking to a cardinal until the bird spots you and flies away. As you hear her sigh and hang her head a little, but cheers up instantly when she notices you and say, "Hello Flutters, think you can help me learn how to fly?"

Nodding her head, Fluttershy's smile brightens as she says, "Of course I can, I have helped baby birds learn to fly and leave their nest. If you would switch to your pegasi form, we can begin."

Closing your eyes, you use your ability to shift into a pegasus, asking, "How do I look?"

She walks around you, her eyes looking over your shape and the state of your wings very carefully, saying, "Hmm..." Coming to stop in front of you, she says, "You look just like a strong pegasi stallion with beautiful wings. Now, before we can even begin learning about flying, we need to teach you the basics first. The structure of a pegasi's body is made up of hollow bones, making us a bit lighter than the other ponies and grants us the ability to use our wings to fly..."

You listen to Fluttershy teach you basic knowledge about flying as a few hours pass by, discovering that it is already lunchtime when she pulls out a picnic basket and sets a bunch of sandwiches she made onto a checkered red and white cloth. When she offers some to you, your stomach growls and causes you both to chuckle at the timing before accepting her offer. Joining her on the opposite corner, you look at her with a slight smile, looking her wings over then glance back at yours before facing her and saying, "Thank you for helping me learn how to fly, is it common for a pony's wings to have different colors on them?"

Fluttershy looks at your snow-white wings with black forming a line across the bottom edge of your feathers and shakes her head saying, "It's not, it is very rare for a pony to have more than one color on their wings, so many ponies will find your wings quite curious. Your coat alone is quite rare, being such a pure and crisp white."

With a chuckle, you say, "Great, so I'm a rarity."

At that moment...in Ponyville, Rarity sneezes and looks around for the culprit before huffing at no one being around, saying, "Somepony's talking about me again." and turns to look at her temporary assistant, asking, "Spike, would you bring me some more pins please?"

Covering her mouth as she giggles at your pun, she says, "Yes, you are indeed very unique among us ponies."

After eating the sandwiches, Fluttershy goes back to teaching you about the basics you need to know about flying as she brings the lesson to a close, asking her, "Are you going to return here tomorrow to teach me more?"

Fluttershy then looks at you, saying with a smile, "Oh definitely, I look forward to helping you fly with your own strength. Tomorrow, I shall get to a very important part, wing care, which is necessary to maintain healthy feathers."

Taking her words seriously, you nod and say, "I will do my best to remember what you teach me, miss Fluttershy."

Blushing at being called miss by you, she smiles and then says, "I must go now, my animal friends must be quite hungry." Spreading her wings and fluttering over to you, she kisses your cheek, saying, "Farewell for now, I shall see you again tomorrow."

As you watch her fly away with a smile, you make your way back to the castle as the sun slowly sinks toward the horizon. When the sun finally does set, you wander the castle to find Luna and help her with her nightly preparations before having another chat with her.

19: Secret Plots

Author's Note

WARNING! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE A SMALL WHITE PORTION SAFE TO READ, HOWEVER...MUCH OF IT, IF NOT THE REST, WILL BE RED AND UNSAFE FOR WORK.

19: Secret Plots

A couple of days pass by when one of Celestia's maids guides you to Mi Amore's chambers at her request, arriving at a tower at the end of a corridor you have not been down before near the guard barracks. Stopping near the door, she turns her head to the left and looks at you, saying, "Be mindful of your position and knock on her door, then maintain propriety before waiting for her reply before entering a maiden's private quarters."

Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, you nod and walk up to the door in your unicorn form and raise your hoof to knock on it. Rapping the tip of your hoof on the door firmly, you say in a loud and clear tone, "Miss Mi Amore, my name is Blistering Blizzard and I was notified of you agreeing to meet with me."

Prancing in place as she looks down at her engagement ring she has hidden away in a drawer, she calms herself down and closes the open drawer before turning around and making her way to the door, saying, "I have been told that you have been having some emotional trouble, so I asked to see you at your earliest convenience." Opening the door, she looks you over with a smile, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Blistering Blizzard. Please come on inside so we can talk about what troubles you are dealing with."

Disguised as a unicorn maid, Chrysalis pretends to take her leave until the door closes, then quietly returns to it. Before leaning towards the door, she looks around to see no guards around and listens to what is being said, thinking, 'I must learn all I can about this princess and who she interacts with if I am to succeed in taking over Canterlot and all of Equestria...'

As you have a seat in a chair across from Cadence, you say, "Your aunt has told me that you have an ability to sense emotions, so could you tell me what you can sense from me?"

Rolling her eyes, she huffs silently and thinks, 'It is childsplay for me to see that your emotions are in a state of utter turmoil, battling for supremacy. It is quite interesting at how you still function with such a paltry amount of love being inside of you...'

Cocking her head, she closes her eyes and uses a small spell to detect emotions, then opens them back up, saying, "There are a few and it is difficult to gauge them, but the most apparent are: Happiness, Sadness, and Anger with the least apparent of them all are Fear and Love, which is almost non-existent." Straightening her head, she then asks, "Your lack of love concerns me greatly, may I place my hoof upon you so that I can examine your source of love?"

Unsure about what she is aiming to do, you sigh and nod, saying, "Go right ahead, though I have no clue as to what you can do to help me from what happened in the past..."

Cadence walks up to you and lays a hoof upon your chest, saying, "The spell I use will not hurt at all, it will allow me to see what is going on with your sources inside you."

Casting her spell, she finds herself standing in an empty space with five silver braziers surrounding her, with two nearly blazing beyond control. Identifying the wildly burning braziers nearly instantly as she knows blue to signify sadness with red being anger, she turns her head to look at the flame to the right of the red flame. Noticing that it is smaller than it should be, the flame to the right of Anger is an inferno compared to the tiny pink sliver of fire that belongs to Love, which sits to the right of Happiness's yellow fire. The green fire sitting between the pink fire of Love and the raging blue fire of Sadness is roughly the same size as Love, causing her to sigh and think, 'Why are these braziers in such a sorry state for a pony so young? I know my aunts told me that his name is Arthas Menethil, and that he is from another world...but they haven't mentioned anything regarding his past other than he has had a hard life. How come these braziers look as if he is in so much agony, and what caused his source of love to be on the verge of collapsing? I must find out what caused his heart so much pain that has him almost ready to give up on love and help breathe life into it again.' Placing her hoof upon the nearly crumbling silver brazier, she uses her ability to gain access to the cause of its current state.

Feeling something questing deeper into you, you wince as a memory flashes before your eyes, causing your sorrow to rise as you relive the moment, saying, "I'm so sorry..."

This part takes place inside of Arthas's Heart, with absolutely nothing being said by him or Cadence in the room until after her return to her own body!

After following the trail from the brazier, she finds a picture frame resembling a couple beings on two legs leaving a house holding each others hand. Looking closer at the leading figure, she identifies it as being male for its wide shoulders and posture. Another look at the picture makes her gasp as she recognizes the eyes and hair from Blistering Blizzard's appearance, saying to herself in the empty space, "So this is who you really are, Arthas. Why do you look like a noble in this picture?" Looking at at the figure to the left, she determines it as being female for its slighter stature and ample bosom similar to how the dragons are identified as male or female. Seeing long, blonde hair past her shoulders, and the joy in her eyes as she follows you down the steps, she asks herself, "You two look so happy together in this picture, so what became of your relationship?"

As she examines the picture frame for clues, she spots a barely noticeable jagged, red line running down the picture frame and cuts right through the middle of your clasped hands. Finding that unusual, she raises her hoof and touches the crack and gasps when it splits open, causing the left half to fall to the floor and leave the right half with you remaining behind as a red liquid slowly runs along the red tear and drips off the bottom of the frame. Pulling her hoof away quickly, she looks down at the other half of the picture to see that it is bleeding as well. Watching the blood slowly pool up to form two halves of a heart torn apart, sadness touches her heart as she understands that you two went your separate ways.

Needing to know more, she sighs and places her right hoof on both halves of the broken heart, which draws her deeper into the void. As she finds herself in a new area with several black reflection-less mirrors, one of them shimmers and begins to reveal an image. Focusing on the image, she sees a small crowd of two-legged beings sitting behind pews when she spots a pair of children, one of whom is looking to their left at another child with their hands pressed up against each other bowing their head reverently, a young female child by the dress she is wearing.

Thinking that it resembles the girl from before, Cadence says to herself in the void, "So you two first met when you were children, what happened next?" She then sees the mirror to the right of it begin to shimmer and watches as another image shows up, with the mirror beside it starting to shimmer once the neighboring image becomes clear.

As she watches frozen images from the past appear of your time together with her, not yet figuring out either your status in society, one mirror begins to shimmer as an image of you two at a much older age becomes visible. What surprises her is that it maintains its shimmer as it quickly transitions to another image and the next in sequence, creating a silent moving picture. As she watches it play out, it shows you arriving at her room, bowing to her as if requesting something from her when she hesitantly places her hand in yours. From there, it continues on to the two of you riding large ponies out to the countryside and stop near a huge oak tree, leaning against it with your back on the bark as you gently pull her to you for your very first kiss. The image stops there as a pink heart surrounds the mirror, when another starts to shimmer.

While the following mirrors don't have any motion in them, they too are surrounded by pink hearts. Cadence understands the pink hearts to mean that your relationship moved from friendship into romance, saying, "So you two were childhood friends that eventually became romantically involved, so what happened to make your source of love to become so damaged?"

More still images shimmer and show scenes from your time together, all surrounded by a pink heart until one of the last few mirrors shimmers brightly and pulls her into it.

Cadence looks around a lavish, ancient-looking castle throne room with a grey haired male sitting in a throne made of marble, gold and red satin wearing a silver crown with talons curling up out of it. Continuing to look around for clues, she sees a very expensive-looking gold and dark red velvet carpet stretch out from the base of the throne all the way to the door. When her eyes spot movement to her left, she turns to see you walking towards the red carpet wearing gleaming, heavy silver armor with gold trim around the edges, a long blue cloak around your broad shoulders with gold trim, a thick metal belt made of silver around your waist with a gold lion head on top of a blue background, though what causes her to look twice is the silver band around your forehead, making her shout out loud in the void, "Your ROYALTY!?" Thinking back to the night of the gala, she facehooves herself and groans, saying, "Of course...now it all makes sense why you acted that way." When you pass by her, she notices two silver pins on either side of the front of your armor by your shoulders, seeing that one has a painted blue background with a gold L while the other is all silver with a hand on it, wondering, 'What do those symbolize? I will have to ask him or my aunts later if he won't tell me.'

As she watches you stop and kneel before the ruler and bow your head to him, saying, "Father, I came to answer your urgent summons. What danger threatens the kingdom of Lordaeron?"

The old man's chuckle draws her attention to him as he then speaks, saying, "There is no danger to the kingdom, my son. The reason I have summoned you is regarding troubling rumors that have reached my ears.."

Cadence watches you cock your head and respond with, "What rumors would those be, Father?"

Averting her attention back to the old man, he raises his eyebrow at you, saying, "Rumors involving a certain admiral's daughter of the ruling family of the allied nation of Kul Tiras. Do these rumors speak the truth? Are you secretly courting Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's daughter...BEHIND OUR BACKS!?"

Things begin to clear up for Cadence as she turns to you, hearing you answer, "Yes they do, and I demand that you arrange a marriage between Jaina and I this year, for I wish to start a family with her at once."

Hearing a thunderous boom from her right snaps her attention back to the old man whose fist struck the throne's arm, bellowing, "YOU DARE TO COMMAND ME TO OBEY YOUR WISHES?! YOU ARE MERELY A CROWN PRINCE, MY CROWN BEARS MORE AUTHORITY THAN YOURS DOES, MY SON. DO YOU KNOW THE PRECARIOUS POSITION YOUR SECRET ROMANCE WITH THAT GIRL HAS PUT THIS KINGDOM IN?! YOUR FEELINGS FOR HER ARE JUST A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION FOSTERED BY YOUR LACK OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX! THEREFORE, I FORBID YOU FROM COURTING JAINA PROUDMOORE ANY FURTHER IN ANY MANNER, SO END IT IMMEDIATELY OR RISK LOSING YOUR TITLE AS CROWN PRINCE AND ALL PRIVILEGES GRANTED TO YOU AS MY SON! The safety of the kingdom rests on your shoulders with this decision, do not disappoint me..."

The scene around her comes to an end with the sound of glass shattering, making her look up to find herself back in the void with the mirrors. Looking at the most recent mirror she was drawn into, she sees a pink heart surround the cracked mirror as the next mirror to it shimmers and begins to create a moving picture, placing the two of you in a building somewhere having dinner together when you hold each others hands. The moment lasts for several seconds as you rub her right hand with your left thumb, when she apparently says something as her lips move.

Cadence watches as Jaina then pulls her hands out of your hold and reaches into a pocket, removing something small she hides within both of her hands. When she holds her hands towards you, Jaina opens her hands to reveal a beautiful silver locket with gold designs swirling about the top of it with small amethysts set into spaces at the end of each gold line. Taking the locket from her, you press the hidden button on top to open it.

When it pops open, she sees an image of you and Jaina standing together underneath the oak tree she recognizes from an earlier mirror. As Cadence watches you close it gently and put it into your satchel, then take her hand in yours while looking into her eyes. The moving picture shows you speaking to Jaina, which causes her face to become crestfallen as tears slowly appear in the corners of her eyes. As she dries her eyes, the image comes to an end as Cadence finds herself back in the room with the mirrors.

Another sound of breaking glass reaches her ears as she watches a broken pink heart show up around the mirror, causing the next mirror to shimmer and show a moment between you two after that. Able to figure out from the images that you two remained friends, she smiles at how rare that happens when the next to last image shimmers and draws her in.

Taken to another location, Cadence looks around her to see herself outside of a city as she watches hundreds, possibly thousands of soldiers marching away when her eyes land on you. She watches as you turn your gaze to Jaina as she takes a few steps from you, saying her name questioningly. Turning her gaze to her as she watches her stop with her back to you, saying, "I'm sorry Arthas, but I cannot watch you do this." and continues walking away, causing Cadence to turn her gaze back to you with tears in her own eyes as her heart aches at sensing how much this affected you. The scene ends with the alicorn watching you hang your head briefly with a tear falling from your eye before turning away.

An excruciating pain hits her hard, causing her to clutch at her own heart with her hoof, feeling like someone just stabbed it and sobs as she finds herself in the empty void again. Looking up at the next to last mirror, she sees a broken pink heart around the cracked mirror with a dagger plunged into the upper right side of it and sticking out the lower left side.

Still clutching at her heart in pain, she watches the last image shimmer and slowly reveal the image. What she sees causes tears to stream from her eyes as the pain becomes unbearable to her as she gazes upon the image of you wearing dark, ghastly armor with your gauntleted hand around Jaina's throat as if trying to choke the life out of her.

Collapsing to the ground, she screams in agony as your pain overwhelms her, forcing her to suddenly jerk her hoof away from you with tears streaming from her own eyes as she sobs at remembering the pain.

Cadence has returned to her room in the real world.

You watch her with a worried look and ask in a concerned tone, "A-Are you going to be okay, Cadence?" and raise your hoof to touch her cheek in a caring manner.

Cadence jerks away from your hoof, then sighs and takes a few calming breaths to help herself regain her composure, saying, "Apologies for the unseemly display, I was momentarily overwhelmed by the pain you felt in the past when you felt betrayed by your former lover." Taking a few steps back toward you, she says, "Here, let me help you ease some of that past agony."

Hearing nothing but silence until now after hearing you apologize, Chrysalis huffs in annoyance, thinking to herself, 'Well at least this wasn't a total waste of my time, I must remember that she has developed a fondness for this stallion and capitalize on that when the time comes for me to strike...'

As she holds you close, you feel some of your sorrow fade away, asking her curiously, "What did you just do?"

Continuing to hold you close, she says, "Your broken heart has suffered a wound that continues to bleed, which threatens its survival. It isn't a permanent fix, but I have shared some of my love with you to keep your source from perishing. A pony can live without love, but they will be colder than ice to those around them. With the rate of your bleeding heart, I would guess that the love I shared will last you a few months at most. I will be searching for a permanent fix for your wound in the meantime, and share more of my love with you when it gets low."

With a sigh, you attempt to push her away, but she refuses to budge as you say, "Why do you care so much for a monster like me? Do you not know what I've done in the past?"

Cadence shakes her head and refuses to budge, saying, "I am nicknamed the Princess of Love, so I care about all ponies equally, despite anything they may have done in the past."

When you raise your hoof to the spot just behind her left ear, you rub it firmly and say, "Then before we meet again, I suggest that you find out what your aunts have deigned to share with you despite being a princess yourself."

Finding the ear rub pleasurable, she leans into the petting, saying, "I am not a real princess, that is just a nickname due to how much I care for everypony. Though, I will be having a talk with them about what I have learned, I look forward to meeting with you again after I find out what I don't know about you."

Remembering that she is a taken mare, you stop the ear rub and say, "I doubt you will be so eager to see me after you learn my past."

Pouting at how abruptly the rubbing stopped, Cadence whines, saying, "Aww, why'd you stop! That felt so nice and relaxing..."

A chuckle escapes you as you ask, "How would Shining Armor react to hearing you say that?"

She rolls her eyes and snorts in irritation saying, "He wouldn't care. Besides, it is only an ear rub between friends. Now get back to rubbing my ear."

Raising your eyebrow questioningly, you hesitantly return your hoof to her ear, muttering, "I highly doubt that, but I will leave it to you to clear up the mess."

With a huff, she says, "Fine, but there won't be a mess. After all, Shining Armor finally asked for my hoof in marriage, but please don't tell anypony else that, especially not Twilight, for her brother wants to be the one to tell her."

New emotions well up within you, but instead of latching on to them, you let the bitterness and jealousy pass over you and say, "Well congratulations, when is the wedding going to be held?"

She catches herself almost nuzzling into your neck and pulls back a little, taking her head away from your rubbing and saying with a smile, "Thank you. I believe it is going to be held in a couple months due to the season that is arriving in about a week."

Putting your hoof back on the ground, you nod at her and say, "That is understandable, there must be quite a lot going on with Spring just beginning." Curious, you ask, "I have to ask, it was mentioned by a pony a while ago that all the males go away on a vacation around this time of year. Has that always been a tradition?"

Surprised by your question, she cocks her head saying, "Vacation..." before it clicks for her, bringing a nervous smile to her face as she says, "Riiight, that vacation..." Thinking about how to answer the question, she says, "It is indeed tradition for the males to go on a vacation, though many males go on the trip, some do stay behind due to their own desires or obligations." Genuinely curious, she then asks, "Are you planning on joining the stallions on the trip?"

You consider it and then ask, "Where are they going?"

Cadence thinks about it for a moment, saying, "I believe Shiny said they were going to Las Pegasus this year for some shows, gambling and other entertainment."

Sorely tempted to go somewhere new, you really consider going and say, "I have never been there before, so all that sounds very intriguing. Unfortunately, there is too much here that I need to deal with."

She cocks her head again and asks, "Oh, and what might that be, if I may ask?"

You sigh and then say, "Well, for one...I have to try to keep control of myself when I get angry. Another is the fact that I need to talk with you and Luna about the feelings that my other friends are not ready to deal with yet. Last, but not least, I need to get into the library and learn what I can about attack and defense magic for if there is ever trouble."

Finding your calm composure over the season odd, her eyes widen slightly as she gasps mentally, thinking, 'Hold on, does he not know that the breeding season is starting soon?!' She looks you over again and watches your eyes, her thought proves true as she then thinks, 'Oh Celestia, I will certainly not be the one to tell him about that, that is way too sensitive an issue for a mare to broach with a grown stallion out of the know. Once he leaves, I need to see if I have plenty of moon tea to last me through three weeks.'

Finding the continued silence a bit awkward, you then say, "Well, I enjoyed meeting you again milady, do you wish to see me again so we can talk?"

Cadence nods and says, "Yes I do, but I will let you know when once I learn what my aunts wish to keep from me. It would be wise of you to ease back on the charm, lest it land you in a sticky situation."

With a nod of your head, you bow to her gracefully and say, "I will take your advice under great consideration, so farewell for now, fair maiden. I shall await your word, good day to you." then turn around and head out the door, closing it behind you as you start to make your way to the library.

She looks at the place you were just standing with a far away look in her eye as she absentmindedly bites her lower lip, thinking, 'Buck...what a gentlestallion...' Before that thought can go anywhere, she shakes her head clear and groans, saying, "I can't believe it is hitting me already, need to drink my tea before I get into trouble and risk losing my Shiny." She then has a thought, thinking, 'Maybe he can tell Blistering Blizzard for me...'

A few days pass as Fluttershy teaches you how to control the multiple muscles in your wings as she then says, "The girls and I will be going on a camping trip to White Tail Woods for a week or two, so I won't be able to teach you how to fly while we're away." She then nuzzles against you affectionately, saying, "I will miss our time together, so please try to keep yourself out of trouble."

You then smile at her and say, "Thank you for letting me know. I will miss you too, and I will do my best to try. The one thing I will miss most other than you are the flying lessons, I hope to start flying soon."

Fluttershy giggles and kisses your cheek, saying, "Don't worry, we will get to that when we return. But let me show you a few easy exercises you can do to strengthen your wing muscles before we end this lesson."

Nodding your head, you say, "Alright then, at least that will give me something else to work on while you are off camping, show me what these exercises are."

As she shows you the first exercise, a simple push up, Fluttershy coaches you through it with a smile, saying, "Even though this is a simple exercise, it is important to get the form right or you won't work all the muscles necessary for flying at faster speeds. You need to keep your back legs straight behind you on the ground, and your back needs to be in line. Doing the exercise properly will help strengthen the muscles along your spine. I never really have a need to fly faster than a hummingbird, so I don't exercise as much like Rainbow Dash does."

Getting down into position to match her description, you listen to her correct your form a little bit and then watch her drop down into the same pose and perform a few push ups before returning to her hooves. Doing a few, you hear her say your form is good before starting on the next exercise.

The sun is nearly setting when Fluttershy must leave to feed her animal friends, giving you a tender kiss goodbye before brushing her tail across your neck as she takes flight.

With your stomach full from the food that Fluttershy brought, you mosey your way through the halls to go help Luna set up for her nightly patrol.

Once you have a chat with Luna about the grief you feel and the past mistakes that haunt you, you return to your chambers to get some sleep. Waking up the next morning after suffering a night plagued by your past, a floating mane brushes past your nose. As her mane tickles your nose, you try to snort it away when you suddenly throw your head back and sneeze, saying "AAHH-CHOO!"

Unable to hold back a giggle, Luna looks up at you as she lies beside you, saying, "Bless you, Prince Arthas. I thank you for putting up with me always sneaking into your bed at daybreak, as well as my...other shenanigans."

Turning your eyes to her with a raised eyebrow, shooting a scrutinizing gaze at her saying, "'Putting up with' is an adequate way to say that if I had let you have your way with me, your sister would either banish me into the sun or force me to take both of your hooves in marriage."

Her eyes light up in amusement at hearing that, saying, "I know she would jump at the first one, but she would be rather hesitant with taking a husband as she would not know how to let go of the control she has over her decisions."

As you stretch your body out, your joints pop after not resting too well. Turning back to the princess, you caress her cheek and say, "Well, I shall wish you a goodnight, milady." Giving her cheek a kiss, you then make your way off the bed.

Letting out a tired yawn, Luna then smiles sleepily at you, saying, "Enjoy your day, Arthas, mind that charm of yours."

Making your way to the door, you smirk and say, "Oh but how can I? That is the best part of my personality."

Raising her mask a bit, she cracks one eye open at you then snorts and waves a wing at you in a shooing motion, saying, "Pfff, don't come crying to me when it comes back to bite you in that toned flank of yours. Now shoo, off with you, I need my beauty sleep for the next night patrol."

With a chuckle, you open the door and walk out while closing it behind you softly, turning to head down the hall for breakfast when a maid comes up to you, informing you that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza wishes to see you. Nodding your head, you make your way down the hall after her.

Cadence paces back and forth in her room, trying to keep herself under control after learning all of your past history when she hears a knock at the door. Snapping her attention to the door, she forces herself to calmly say, "If that is Blistering Blizzard at the door, you may enter. If not, then please come back later as I am expecting company."

Opening the door and entering the room, you close the door behind you and see that Cadence's mane is frazzled and ask, "By the state of your mane, I am guessing that you learned of my past. Is my assumption correct?"

Hastily stepping up to you, her nose is close to yours as she looks at you with wide eyes, "Why didn't you tell me before that you are a bonafide PRINCE?!" Gasping as she recalls the maid outside not supposed to know that, she casts a privacy barrier then sighs and curtsies to you, saying, "Apologies for letting that slip, Your Majesty."

Still disguised as a maid, Chrysalis's eyes open wide at the revelation as she slowly blinks a couple of times from shock. When she recovers, a slow grin crosses her face as she thinks, 'An actual prince huh? I might have to adjust my plans a bit to further investigate that stallion.'

Sighing and placing your hoof under her chin, you pull her back up, saying with a sorrowful tone, "It is fine, I don't hear that maid running off to tell anyone else just yet. Maybe that bit of news caused her to faint. Besides, I used to be a Crown Prince, I am not one anymore."

Cadence straightens up a bit and forces her to calm down a bit, saying, "I know you died and came back to life somehow, but that doesn't change the fact that you still have a royal upbringing and the blood of your father running through your veins, not to mention your personality. Do the others know of your past?"

With her no longer bowing, she stands on her four hooves looking at you curiously and nod, saying, "They do indeed, even though I didn't go into great detail when sharing my story with Twilight as she wrote it down, it still is a lengthy read. I don't see you laughing like a madman, so I think you handled it fairly well."

She blinks a couple times at hearing that and says, "You call being terrified of the dark, the tiny motes of dust that float in the air visible only in the light of the moon or the sun, the sounds you hear at night that are supposed to help you sleep soundly, and the insects that I know are outside...HANDLING IT WELL!?!? I've been unable to sleep for the past two nights because of the horrors I've learned from your past. How are you keeping yourself from going insane, please tell me your secret!?"

You see her eyes twitch as she starts losing her mind, forcing you to change your shape into your original human one. As you stand over her, you see her back legs give out from under her as she slowly backs away. Lunging toward her, you reach out with your gauntleted hands and wrap them around her back. Pulling her up against you, practically able to smell the fear coming off of her, you hold her against you and move your hand to behind her head.

Almost losing control of her bladder, Cadence feels you rub the spot just behind her neck, saying in a half-moan, "Ohhh.....soothing."

Continuing your ministration just behind her ear, you take her left ear into your left hand and massage it gently. Your massage soon has her melting into your hold, pressing herself up against your armor moaning softly. Wanting to stop this from going too far, you slowly stop and say, "I maintain my sanity because I come from a world where war, bloody violence, and death are commonplace and unavoidable. I am used to it, however, you ponies know only peaceful times with only a few challenges appearing every so often"

Once she regains control of herself again, she wriggles out of your grasp with a slight blush at letting herself get too into it, saying while sitting a few steps away from you, "Thank you for helping me regain control over myself, I can't even begin to fathom what you feel when you relive your past every night. Care to talk with me for a little while?"

You shift back into being a unicorn, saying, "I would like that, I believe that you may need to talk about what you need to."

Cadence looks away for a moment, feeling guilt at almost screaming out and calling you a monster. Then sighs as she turns back to you and says, "Please return to how you normally look so I can work past this guilt I feel at almost screaming out in fear and calling you a monster."

A chuckle escapes you as you nod and shift back, saying, "As milady wishes, though you are correct that I am a monster. I am the worst monster this world has never seen before, but worry not, for I have other plans in place should I ever return to my former evil self."

Curious what you look like now, she asks, "Would you please remove your helm so that I may see what your human face looks like, Arthas?"

Reaching up and removing your helm, you set it on the ground beside you and look at Cadence, saying, "Am I everything you imagined me to look like?"

Quickly squashing the heat rising within her body, Cadence smiles and says, "Better, if I wasn't happy with dating Shining Armor, I would likely try to get to know you better as other mares wish to. You are a stallion among stallions alright, and are in a class of your own. Any mare that you decide to court or marry would be the envy of every mare in the world, though if I understand the state of your heart correctly, you are not looking for a relationship just yet, right?"

As you and Cadence spend a few hours talking, the sun starts to hang towards the horizon as you say, "I enjoyed our talk together, Cadence, let's talk again when you wish."

She smiles and nods her head, taking a breath and failing to suppress a wince at the smell coming from you, saying, "I would ask to meet again tomorrow, but I am afraid that you will need to do something about the stench coming from you or your armor first. Apologies, but it is taking all my strength not to hurl all over the floor."

Shifting back into your unicorn form, you hope to remove the smell and say, "My apologies, I never put any thought into maintaining my armor or weapon as they are just replicas and reminders of my past failures. I shall see about getting that taken care of before any others fall victim to my armor's fetid odor."

Bowing your head to her, you bid her farewell and leave her room to find the maid waiting for you patiently with a slight grin on her face and sigh, saying, "I'm guessing that you heard I'm a genuine prince? You must have questions, feel free to voice them, though be warned, I may not answer them if they make me uncomfortable."

Retaining her disguise, she continues to act like one of Celestia's dutiful maids, bowing her head to you and saying, "Thank you so much for granting me such a rare privilege, Your Highness. Just where might your kingdom be? Equestria has no princes, only three princesses and Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna rule over this land."

You look down at the light tan unicorn maid, saying, "Rise, both lands that I have ruled over were freed of my reign, and they are very far from here."

Asking her next question with a genuinely curious mind, she asks, "Don't you miss watching after your subjects, and do you desire to reclaim them?"

Making your way down the hall with the maid leading you, you think it over a bit before sighing and shaking your head, saying, "I do not, for I allowed myself to be led astray and did an extremely poor job caring for their well-being. I would be hunted by my former subjects and brought to justice if I returned."

Getting the answers she wanted, Chrysalis then says, "At least you have experience to know what to do better, should an opportunity to rule over subjects again ever present itself. My mother always told me that it is best to always be the hunter instead of the hunted, but if you ever find yourself being chased...have several escape plans prepared."

As you walk down an empty hallway, you consider her words and chuckle, saying, "That is sage advice, sounds like your mother led an interesting life."

Leading you back to his room, she begins to feel hungry as she responds, saying, "Oh she most certainly did, and she was quite amorous towards others. Not once, did she discriminate between one pony or the other when it came to intimacy."

When you turn and follow the maid down the hall leading to your room, you see the mare glance back at you with a hungry glance and smirk before shaking your head at recognizing that lustful look, saying, "I appreciate you always leading me back to my room, milady. I also respect your dedication to your station here at the castle."

Finally reaching the door to your room, Chrysalis opens the door and stands aside, saying, "We have arrived, sir, I hope you have a good night." Bowing her head to you, she begins preparing to attack and feed on your love.

WARNING! THIS SECTION CONTAINS CONTENT THAT IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK, so feel free to skip this and enjoy the rest of the story!

Stopping in front of her, you smile and say, "Thank you, I have enjoyed our chat. Allow me to reward you for not treating me so kindly..." Using your hoof to lift her chin up, you lean your head towards hers to kiss her lips.

Chrysalis looks up at you when she feels your lips touch hers, surprising her for a few moments as your tongue pushes into her mouth. When she gathers her thoughts again, she closes her eyes and begins to kiss back while siphoning off a little bit of your love. She instantly notices that something is off with the love inside you, having a flowery, feminine taste to it instead of tasting a bit sharper and a bit like cinnamon like a stallion's. Wanting to know more, she uses her ability as a changeling to search your body for what your love tastes like. She finds her answer when she finds a barely flickering source of love inside you, causing her to gasp and suck in air through her nose. She tastes a tiny bit of the love within you and finds it to have a very unique flavor to it, having a minty taste which causes her body to feel a slight chill pass through it.

You slowly step around her, raising your left front hoof off the floor and smoothly slide it over her neck. Managing to move around on three legs, you begin maneuvering her so that you can back her into your room when you hear her moan into your mouth lightly.

Finding herself getting into the kiss, she feels you slowly turning her around as her tongue tangles with yours. With your love source in such a sad state, she leaves it be and decides to take no more than half of the love that is within you. As she moans into your mouth again, she sucks your tongue into her mouth and feeds on a bit of the love in you.

When you get her turned around, you take your hoof from her neck and begin to walk forward slowly. When your mouth is firmly pressed against hers, her jaws open wider to accommodate you.

Nearly devouring your teeth, she takes a step back as you keep approaching her, thinking, 'We're already making out, why are you trying to push your head into my mouth, fool?!' As she keeps walking backward, she spots the door frame going by and thinks, 'Did he discover who I am, is he planning to attack me in his room?!'

You keep walking her back, swallowing some saliva that pools into your mouth and push the door shut with your back left hoof. You keep going until you near the bed, glad to see that it is empty, thinking, 'She told me she had a few things to help her sister out with, I better make the best of this opportunity.' You then pull away and kiss along her cheek, then make your way down her neck and down along her back.

Chrysalis's vision hazes over slightly as she bites her lower lip and pants heavily through her nose, thinking, 'Well, what a surprise...not many stallions are this forward and able to turn me on. Can't say that I hate that in a stallion...but what is he planning on doing now?'

Kissing your way down her back and lightly nipping at her flanks, you kiss your way around her right thigh and use your nose to nudge her tail aside before shoving your nose between her thighs. Nudging your muzzle against both thighs, you wordlessly request her to widen her stance.

A chuckle winds its way up her throat and out of her mouth as she moves her legs further apart, only to feel you suckle at her right teat. The sensation causes her eyes to narrow slightly from desire while feeling your tongue swirl around her small, but sensitive nipple, thinking, 'Oh now this stallion knows how to tease a mare, perhaps I should keep him all to myself...'

Switching to her neglected teat, you feel her nudge your tail aside and kiss one of your testicles. The sensation sends ripples of pleasure through your body, causing your body to make your member emerge from hiding.

Chrysalis lets out a throaty moan when you kiss up from her teats to her entrance, pushing her hips back against your face as she eyes your member. Licking her lips, she slides her muzzle in front of your back right leg and licks along the front part of your member, causing your member to twitch at the sensation.

When your tongue slowly quests deeper into her folds, you feel her take your member into her mouth and feel a slightly tangy liquid drip into your mouth. With the liquid tasting like citrus, you become more enthusiastic with pleasuring her.

Her eyes roll up as her marehood becomes excited and lets out some fluid to moisten itself, working her way into taking your member deeper into her mouth. Before too long, though, she feels your member grow in size and girth, poking at the back of her throat. The sensation of you pleasuring her entrance causes her to moan again as a slight staticky charge runs through her, making her marehood even wetter and attempts to take your member deeper into her mouth. When the tip hits her throat harder than before, she winces her eyes shut as she gags and convulses. Not letting the sensation stop her, she pushes on and feels your member squeeze its way down her throat when she convulses again with a staticky charge zipping through her body.

The tightness of her throat makes your member become rock hard as you use your neck muscles to push her further onto your member, hearing her choke and cough around your member. Slowly, you pull your hips back to ease her choking and hear her moan out through her nose as another small gush of citrus fluid enters your mouth, stopping just before your member leaves her mouth completely.

In utter bliss, she notices the sweet taste of a different emotion swirl through your body, and breathes some of it in to find out what it is. Tasting a sharp pepperminty taste carrying a very spicy aftertaste, she sighs through her nose and thinks, 'Oh, what a surprise... I never expected anger to taste like this, it usually tastes bitter and salty as hell. Even though Hatred has no power to offer a changeling, this might be my new favorite junk-food.' Sucking even harder on your member, her fangs absentmindedly come down and brush along the sides of your member as she feasts on your self-loathing.

Feeling your testicles rise up and prepare to unleash your seed, you feel your member become thicker and press against the sides of her teeth. Hearing her suck in breaths between thrusts, you say, "I'm nearly at the end, so be ready."

Not paying much attention, her lips press against your sack humming in acknowledgement at hearing you. Lifting one hoof off the floor, she hooks it around the back of your flank and pulls you further into her throat. Moving her other hoof around the other side, she lets your member keep her front off the floor while she forces herself into you, ending up with her nose pressed into your sack and unable to breathe in when you start to twitch. The first hot spurt causes her entire body to shudder in orgasm as it twitches again, causing seed to slowly fill her throat and creep towards her mouth. Not wanting to let any spill out, she goes to swallow it down and feels your tip push right through the opening to her stomach, thinking, 'I didn't realize that he was this gifted, I am definitely going to have to kidnap him for my own enjoyment.'

With your nose pushed against her marehood, you gulp down her fluids while you unload into her throat, thinking, 'This mare is really talented, I might have to ask for her name so that we can have a little fun once in a while.'

She loses track of time as she feels the heat of your seed pool up in her stomach, thinking, 'Oh how much fun this would be if I was further into the breeding cycle...' Several seconds pass when she feels you stop twitching, taking the signal to return her front hooves to the ground as her body trembles slightly with post-orgasm aftershocks.

When your member leaves her mouth, still hard, you turn and look at her dazed face, asking, "Would you like to continue?"

Chrysalis's eyes can't seem to focus on you as she cocks her head in confusion, then nods her head dumbly and watches as you start to approach her rear. The dots slowly start to connect when her mind starts functioning again, causing her eyes to widen as you hop onto her back and thrust your member into her marehood. The swift thrust causes her to gasp out in surprise and pleasure, shouting out briefly, "AH BUCK...SO BIG!"

Keeping yourself on her back and only partway inside, you lower your mouth to her ear and ask, "Shall I continue, milady?"

Pleasure floods her body as she lets out a deep, husky moan, saying, "Ohhh...you better. I haven't felt sex this good in ages..." loudly saying, "NOW GO DEEPER AND THRUST HARDER, TREAT ME LIKE A SLUTTY BROOD MARE!"

Nodding your head, you slam yourself forward and meet her hips with a wet smack, drawing out a loud, passionate moan from her mouth, saying, "As milady wishes, so shall she receive."

Chrysalis enjoyed the hard, fast, and rough pounding she was getting, but slowly started to lose track of time when you released inside her the first time.

Pulling her head towards you, you take her mouth for a deep kiss and soon discover she has fangs, pulling away while burying yourself into her tight confines, asking, "How long have you had those fangs?"

Lost in the passion, she mindlessly says, "I've had them all my life, but ponies were so terrified of me I had to learn how to hide them with my magic. Sorry if you find them hideous..." and prepares to hide them with her magic.

Seeing her horn start to activate, you hook your left hoof around it and yank her head backward, saying, "I didn't give you permission to hide them, did I?"

Suddenly finding herself the prey, an orgasm hits her hard and makes her clamp down around your member, causing her to squirt all over your sack, saying, "S-Sorry SIIIRRR!"

With her giving up on using magic, you take her mouth into a deep kiss once more and continue pounding her. When her front legs buckle from under her, you keep going and make her moan louder than before by biting the sides of her neck.

Guessing that you have filled her at least five times, she feels something change inside her when you suddenly start hitting her even deeper. With the kiss still continuing, she continues to gorge herself on your anger. Only realizing that she has overfed when she gets the unpleasant urge to puke, thinking, 'DAMN! I...overfed...(hurk)...must sleep...it off...in my...(hurk)...quarters.' Her thoughts are scrambled once more when she feels a new liquid heat pour into her deepest place, shouting, "BUCK YES! RIGHT THERE!"

Holding yourself against her hips as her back legs threaten to collapse, you run your tongue along her fangs and then whisper into her ear, "I don't know why, but those fangs look really nice on you."

Chrysalis's mind melts away with bliss as she groans tiredly, "Thank you...so tired, must get back to work."

Pulling your hips back and slamming them back into her, feeling a slight pop, you say to her ear, "No work, you sleep here. I will work things out with the princess."

Once she feels you let her go, she shakily returns to her hooves and looks back at you with mostly closed eyes, saying, "Thank you, kind sir. I will remember this for the rest of my life."

You watch her make her way to the private bathroom, saying, "Rest well, milady. I shall pay Princess Celestia a visit."

After stumbling into the bathroom and relieving herself, she makes her way to the bed while still struggling to walk a straight line, chuckling, "Oh yes...I will most definitely be kidnapping this stallion and making him my only consort, perhaps even my king..." She thinks about that for a moment and cackles, saying, "Scratch that, definitely my king! Those ponies don't deserve such a gifted stallion anyway." Recalling what happened a couple days ago, she giggles with amusement, saying, "I wish I knew who cursed Prince Blueblood and turned him into a toad... Then I can get them to do it again and watch him turn back into a toad so I can free him over and over just for my own amusement!"

END OF UNSAFE SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

Making your way to the throne room, you see a line of ponies outside the door and understand immediately, saying, "That's right, she holds court three times a week. Well, better get in line and wait my turn."

As you wait in line, the line of ponies waiting to meet with Princess Celestia gets shorter and shorter when you eventually find yourself next in line. Looking behind you, you see no more ponies and then turn back to the guard, asking, "Is there a reason there are no ponies behind me?"

One of the guards turns their eyes to you and says, "It is three forty-five sir, the princess usually ends court at three o'clock in the afternoon." and swiftly returns their eyes to the front, resuming their duty.

With the guard returning to their duty and saying no more, you wait for the pony that went in before you to come out. When the mare comes out and winks at you, she kisses your cheek and swishes her tail teasingly across your nose with a giggle. Finding the mare's actions unusual, your eyes follow her for a moment before hearing the guard clear their voice, saying in a deep voice, "The princess will see you now, sir."

Turning your head back around with a slightly confused look on your face, you say, "What was that?" Looking to the guards, you nod and say, "Thank you for that, guards, you do your duty very well, but keep your senses sharp. My past experiences taught me that danger can sometimes hide in clear sight, so keep your senses keen and trust your instincts."

The disguised female guards maintain their stoic appearance, though a slight smile appears on their faces as they watch you enter the throne room. The unicorn guard on the right side of the door looks at the far wall ahead of her and looks to her right at a fellow guardsmare with a knowing smirk on her face, with one thought going through both of their minds at the same time, 'I can't believe how brave that handsome stallion is to volunteer his seed to any mare that desires it, through a game of capture the flag.'

Making your way into the throne room with no other guards inside, you approach the dais and see both Princess Luna and Celestia atop of it in their own thrones. Stopping at the base of the way up to the throne, you genuflect in your unique manner with your right hoof bent over your chest, saying, "Good evening, Your Majesties, you both look positively radiant this day."

Rolling her eyes as her sister giggles, Celestia sighs and says, "Can the formalities, Arthas, please tell us what brings you here before us?"

Returning to a normal standing position, you then say, "Well, I met again with your niece Cadence a few days ago and she used her ability or 'talent' to help me feel a bit better. She then explained to me how she had shared some of her love with me to save my source of love, telling me that it was a temporary fix which would last a few months until she found a permanent solution and would share more when it got low. When she wanted to know more about my past aside from my lovelife, I told her to go find out from you two and to let me know when she was ready to meet again. Today, she asked to meet me so we could talk some more, which she shouted out in surprise about me being an actual prince and forgot about the messenger being outside. When she remembered and cast a privacy barrier spell, I clarified for her that I was a former prince. After that, we continued to talk for a bit about how I managed to remain sane, so I told her and had to help her calm down by scratching behind her ear and rubbing it between my fingers after I shifted back to my human form."

Looking at you with wide eyes, Luna says, "Please tell us everything..."

Celestia then interjects and continues, "And leave NOTHING OUT!"

Sighing out in defeat, you say, "Very well, let me start out at the beginning."

When they hear your story from start to finish, Luna giggles and says, "Oh I almost feel sorry for that maid...almost."

Ignoring her tone, you look at Celestia and ask, "I came here for two reasons. One is to request your aid in helping me gain control over my anger so that I have complete control over my dark magic, and the second is to ask for you to forgive the maid for shirking her duties and permit her to regain her strength before resuming her duties."

With a nod, she says, "Very well, I shall forgive her and let her rest. As for helping you gain control over your dark magic, I eagerly look forward to helping you gain mastery over it as I have mine. Show up bright and early tomorrow, just after sunrise so that we can begin training. I hope that you learn it quickly, as I have an important event I must oversee."

20: Celestia's Scheme

When you wake up the next morning to find the maid preparing to head out of your room and ask, "Leaving already?"

Returning to her maid persona, Chrysalis smiles and nods her head in a polite bow, saying, "I must, good sir. Some of us do have duties to tend to."

With a smirk, you then say, "I did get Celestia to forgive your actions from yesterday and grant you some time to recover..."

With a feigned chuckle, she says, "Do forgive me, good sir, but as much as I would enjoy cuddling with you some more, I have far more important duties to perform." Then without further words, she opens the door and leaves. Shutting the door behind her, she mentally huffs and thinks, 'Oh god, if I didn't get out of there much longer, I may have fallen victim to his ridiculous charm. Wait...is that his special talent?' She then shakes her head rapidly and thinks to herself, 'NO NO NO! Don't you dare chase that idea down the rabbit hole or you will return to that room like the love-struck fools you feed on!'

Getting up yourself, you make your way to the throne room to begin learning how to control your anger from Princess Celestia. Upon arriving at the doors, the two guards open the doors as the one on the left says, "Her Majesty is expecting you, sir."

Nodding to them, you say, "Thank you very much, guards. Would you know when the other males are planning on going on the trip to Las Pegasus?"

Unable to fully hide her smirk, the pegasi guard says, "They are leaving in a half hour sir. If you handle business quickly with Her Majesty, you might just make it to the train station in time to get a ticket."

Sighing heavily at missing a chance for some entertainment, you say, "Thank you for that information, unfortunately, I will have to miss out on it this year. It would not be good if I rushed through the meeting and forgot something important just to arrive at the last second to go on a silly trip, so I will look forward to when it comes around next year."

When the female guards watch you walk through the doors, the pegasi guard on the other side closes her door and glances to the other mare.

Seeing the other mare look at her, she winks at her quickly and softly mumbles, "Remember the meeting from yesterday with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the throne room?"

With a nod, she responds, "Mhm, we divided into groups who wanted a foal and those who didn't. Those who did, flipped a coin, heads for doing our duties, and tails for participating in the game set up by the princesses. I got tails...what about you?"

With a smile reaching her eyes, she waves her tail around as a signal, saying, "I look forward to when we are relieved at noon..."

As you make yourself comfortable on a cushion provided by Princess Celestia, you listen to her as she tries to teach you how to control your anger. It proves rather difficult to control your emotions, with a few entertaining hiccups along the way.

Still trying to keep her annoyance from the last mishap that befell her when you lost control of yourself and used dark magic, she forces herself to let out a calming breath and says, "I know it is not easy to gain control of your anger, trust me, it took me a few years to teach myself how to do it without anyone teaching me. Think of it like having a flood gate on a drainage ditch that connects to a river that tends to overflow every spring when the snow melts away or during a very heavy rainfall, having a large wheel connected to a set of gears and cables that allow you to raise or lower it. That mechanism allows you to increase or decrease the flow from the overflowing river when it gets too high, letting you let more water into the normally dry ditch to keep the river from leaving its banks. Does that make any difference?"

You close your eyes again and imagine things that make you angry, saying, "Let's find out..."

Celestia watches you as indigo blue flame surrounds your horn, then starts flowing from the far corners of your eyes. Noticing that your eyes remain closed, she smiles and says encouragingly, "I think you are making more progress because your eyes are still shut while your dark magic flows from your eyes, how do you feel while you do that? Are you hearing any whispers?"

Focusing on maintaining your anger, you search your feelings and nod, saying, "I do hear the whispers now, the former me wishes me to use it on you for my own amusement. It feels like I am on the verge of losing control of my magic, what should I do now?"

Wanting you to keep your eyes closed for a bit longer, she says, "The whispers are the dark impulses hidden in your subconscious, do your best to push them aside. For now, focus on maintaining your control over your anger while I mix us up some raspberry tea. You are doing wonderful right now, Arthas, don't give up. Remember what you are striving for in our world."

With your inner fire stoked, you focus even more on your control, saying, "Yes ma'am, I will maintain my focus so that I can succeed at this current challenge."

Smiling at how you got more fired up, she grins and pulls out a tea set with some imported raspberry tea grounds. Summoning some water in a pitcher, she prepares the tea set to start brewing and uses her magic to heat the water up. Once the water is warmed, she looks up to see your eyes still closed and pulls out a couple of small vials of silvery-reddish looking liquid. Setting them aside, she begins brewing the tea and looks up, saying, "Your doing marvelous, maintain that focus and you will be able to try opening your eyes on your own after we take a tea break. I will let you know when to let yourself release your emotions."

Nodding your head, you keep your eyes closed as your anger roils within you, desiring to be channeled into making Sunbutt's butt even bigger. Losing track of how long you have been maintaining your focus, you soon hear the princess tell you the tea is ready and to slowly release your hold on your emotions.

Slipping the two vials into your empty cup, Celestia returns them to where they came from and quickly picks up the teapot. She begins pouring tea into your cup as you open your eyes, filling it and hiding the fact that she put something more into it. Bringing the teapot to her cup, she fills it while bringing out some strawberry tarts she asked the chefs to make.

As you let your anger fade away, the blue hue to everything fades away as you let out a sigh of relief, saying, "I feel pleased at being able to gain some control over my anger, hopefully I will have full control before I return to my quarters." Almost forgetting what Cadence mentioned about your armor's smell, you ask, "I almost forgot to ask if your guards clean their own armor or do you have staff to handle that?"

Swallowing down a bite of a strawberry tart, she says, "The guards maintain their own armor, though the castle does have its own armorer. Why do you ask?"

Picking up your tea cup and sipping from it, you find the taste to your liking and say, "I was asking because when I changed into my human form, your niece commented that my armor has a very pungent odor. Therefore, I find myself in need of performing some thorough maintenance on my armor."

With a happy smile at the opportunity presenting itself, she nods and tells you where the guard barracks are, saying, "The barracks where the guards stay are on the back side of the castle, I will have a guard come to show you the way when we are finished here."

Noticing nothing unusual, you enjoy the tea and tarts before returning to your training, saying, "The tea and tarts were really delicious, thank you."

Now only needing to wait for the potion to activate, Celestia nods and says, "You are quite welcome, Arthas. The guards all know of your human form, so you don't need to come up with a story. Now, go ahead and close your eyes once again, then rouse your anger and control it as you had successfully done before."

Taking time to strengthen your new control by rousing your anger, you then hold it for a little bit before letting it subside. Getting used to the sensation, you then sigh and say, "I finally feel able to talk without risking my control."

Happy with how much progress you are making, she says, "Good, now try to open your eyes while maintaining your focus and look around."

When you slowly open your eyes and look around, it takes you a few moments to get used to how everything in your vision is a shade of blue, saying, "It is quite strange to be seeing everything in a shade of blue."

Giggling at hearing that, she says, "Oh, when you gain enough control, you will be able to make yourself see normally. It took me several months to learn how to control my vision like that, it is much stranger to see everything in a shade of purple."

Finding that information curious, you then cock your head and ask, "Is Dark Magic supposed to be purple, or blue?"

Celestia smiles at hearing that and says, "Magic fueled by fear and hatred is Dark Magic, and is always a dark purple flame surrounding your horn and coming from your eyes. I am no expert on Dark Magic, but I think that yours is a more potent type. Perhaps when you feel ready, we could summon various things with our dark magic so you could learn how to control it."

A shiver runs down your spine at that suggestion, saying reflexively, "Absolutely not." Recalling how that sounded, you sigh and maintain your focus, clarifying what you mean, and say, "I appreciate the offer, but I will have to respectfully decline your offer. The reason for my refusal is because of my strong belief that I will receive my butt tattoo if I use my dark magic in such ways."

A few seconds pass silently as she smirks at the mention of 'butt tattoo', though her amusement quickly fades as she asks in a concerned tone, "Arthas, why do you fear getting your cutie mark so much?"

You sigh and continue to maintain your control over your fear and anger, saying, "I fear it because it will be the final, permanent reminder of the monster I once was."

With a nod, she sighs and feels sorry for you, saying, "Alright then, I won't do anything to help you get your mark."

Smiling back at her, your control over your Dark Magic increases, an say, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I appreciate that."

The teaching lesson continues on to lunch, with Celestia providing lunch for the both of you. When you finish lunch, Celestia looks at you and asks, "Would you feel comfortable trying to channel your Dark Magic into blasts of magic at some crystals I summon, to find out how it compares to the Dark Magic I know of?"

You think it over a bit and say, "I think using my Dark Magic to do that would be alright and not risk me getting a butt tattoo."

With a nod, she summons forth a small crystal and casts a spell to make it hover in the air, then closes her eyes and draws out her fear and hatred. With her dark magic waiting for her command, she shoots a beam at the crystal, saying, "Shoot the black crystals that show up on the floor from the shadows and see what your dark magic does to them."

You watch the crystal turn black nearly instantly as one shadow snakes its way towards you, making you focus on drawing your dark magic out. Once your dark magic is flowing through your horn and eyes, you focus on the black crystal and try to channel it through your horn as a blast.

Celestia watches curiously with her eyes on you when you fire a beam at the black crystals sprouting from the soil, just missing the mark by a few inches. She is shocked to see the blue fire remain behind for a few seconds before fading away, leaving no trace of its existence at all when a second shot hits the black crystal.

When you observe the black crystal continue to burn with your indigo flames, you watch it slowly burn down to practically nothing and say, "Well, that was quite interesting to see."

Surprised to see such a reaction, two more pop up as she says, "I would have to agree on that. That is most definitely an interesting reaction, now do it once more and I will see if the blue flames are hot at all."

Turning your gaze to the crystal that sprouted from the end of the shadow's right fork, you shoot a bolt of your dark magic at it and set it ablaze, asking, "Be careful not to hurt yourself, I don't want to have to deal with an upset sister who wants to send me to the moon or Tartarus for accidentally causing your death."

With a smirk, Celestia grins at you and says, "If I die, you can just bring me back to life."

Narrowing your eyes at her, you then say, "And get my butt tattoo in the process? No thanks." You then take a moment and then mess with her a bit, adding, "If you do burn up and your corpse is left somewhat intact, I could bring you back as an interesting undead creature of your choice. However, if you are reduced into a pile of ash...I can bind you and turn you into a small handful of ghostly beings. So, if you die, what would you want me to bring you back as, your options available for your corpse are..."

The smirk leaves her face as she listens to you list the available choices while her mind conjures images of the creatures you once commanded, coughing uncomfortably as she is forced to take back her bluff, saying, "Being reminded of the hideous appearance of those creatures, I will have to politely decline and avoid touching the flames at all."

Smiling at her, you nod to her, saying, "Very wise decision, Your Majesty."

Celestia narrows her eyes warningly at you, she says, "Oh don't you patronize me, your station in life is equal to mine and my sister's." She then smiles at you cheerily in the hopes of annoying you, finishing, "Although you may be a former crown prince and the former Lich King, but the two of us will always see and treat you as an equal."

With a huff, you see the crystal burning away and ask in an annoyed tone, "Are you going to test the flames or not, Sunbutt?" Seeing more crystals starting to pop up, you take the opportunity to hit them with your dark magic.

Succeeding in annoying you, she giggles and approaches the burning crystal. Cautiously reaching out with her hoof, it gets closer to the flame. When she gets within a couple of hooves distance of it, she pulls her hoof back after sensing a great deal of heat from it, saying, "Good idea I remained cautious, because that flame is very hot indeed. Shall we continue with further testing your control?"

Nodding your head in agreement, you agree and say, "Very well, what shall we do next?"

After taking a couple more hours for helping you gain control of your dark magic, Celestia looks at the huge grandfather clock against the wall, and says, "Oh my, is it that time already?"

Curious, you ask, "What's going on, Your Majesty?"

Looking at you with a smile, she says, "Oh, there is an event that I need to announce shortly, would you mind helping me finish setting things up for a game taking place in both Canterlot and Ponyville?"

With a nod, you turn to her and say, "What do you need my help with?"

Celestia fights back a sinister smile as she says, "Oh it isn't much really, I just need you, a strong and talented stallion to participate in a game of tag."

Not sensing anything off with her request, you think it over and say, "If there's no bloodshed involved, I'm willing to participate. What do I need to do, and what are the rules?"

Her smile widens a little at hearing that, and says, "Oh not much, really..." and pulls out a sapphire blue vest with twenty, two-toned white and golden blonde ribbons with green edging, and continues, "I just need you to walk or run around Canterlot first wearing this vest while trying to prevent the others from snatching the ribbons matching your colors. If you lose all twenty of your ribbons, you lose the game in Canterlot and will be transported to Ponyville where you will be given new ribbons and repeat the task of evading the others. If you can manage to keep at least one of your ribbons, you will win the game in that location and will be rewarded with an extremely rare spellbook to study and master, which will need to be returned to either me or my sister once you have finished studying it."

You think about it and consider it a fun little challenge to test your spells and training, saying eagerly, "Very well, I'll take part. This sounds like a fun game." Taking the vest and clipping it onto your body, you then look back at her and ask, "Is there anything else I need?"

Celestia looks up, pretending to be thinking and snaps her gaze back to you, saying with a slight giggle, "Oh, right, silly me. I almost forgot that in order for this game to be fair, you will need to wear this throughout the game in both locations." and pulls out a magical null ring, then slips it around your horn.

Smirking back at her, you say, "Making things a bit more difficult for me are you, is this your way of getting payback for me teasing you so much, Sunbutt?"

A mischievous glint appears in her eyes as she just chuckles, then says, "Play the game and you will find that answer for yourself..." Using her strong magic, she then disposes of the shadow crystals and cleanses the original crystal, then starts walking away. Remembering one other detail, she stops and adds, "Oh, just so you know...several of the rooms in the castle have been blocked off for you during this game, including the quarters you have been staying in."

You huff as she walks away from you and say to her, "Hmph, not very sporting of you."

She looks over her shoulder at you, smirking while saying, "You better get going if you wish to learn about caring for your armor properly, and preferably before I announce the start of the game..." Then continues heading towards the throne room doors to get to the balcony overlooking the waiting mares.

You trot out of the throne room after the princess and go down a different hallway to head to the guard barracks, thinking to yourself, 'Oh this will be quite an interesting game to test my skills...'

Celestia turns her head around to watch you disappear around a corner, only then allowing the wicked smile she has been hiding to show, saying in a very low tone, "He bought it...hook...line...and sinker... He is going to be in for a wild surprise once he hears the announcement."

You make your way to the guard barracks behind the castle and knock on the front double doors, saying, "Pardon my intrusion everyone, but I would like to know how to perform routine maintenance on my armor. Might you grant me entry?"

The mare closest to the door smiles as she hears of his request and calls for every mare's attention, saying, "Quiet down ladies, quiet down!"

One mare in her bunk moans softly as she quietly says to her bunkmate, "Oh I can't wait to become heavy with foal this year!"

The mare then walks through the short hallway, saying in a low tone, "Pipe down, all of you! We can't do anything until we hear the announcement, so try to control yourselves until then. Remember...we are still royal guards, so let's maintain our stoic demeanor until she begins the game."

There are a few sighs and groans at having to wait as she hears you knock again, saying, "I'm on my way, sir, just one moment."

When the door opens, the guardsmare says, "Please come on in, sir." then watches you enter and closes the door behind you with a soft, resounding boom and watches you look around curiously. The guardsmare leads you further into the barracks through the short corridor, saying, "The other off-duty mares are in the sleeping quarters just ahead, what brings you here, sir?"

Making your way through the corridor as the mare stops in front of you, stopping a few steps away, saying, "I was hoping that I could learn how to perform routine maintenance on my armor."

Every mare in the common room has their attention on the lone stallion in the barracks with held back desire as mares poke their heads out of their rooms with a smile, several of them answering nearly in unison, saying, "We can most definitely help show you what to do!"

WARNING! THIS SECTION CONTAINS CONTENT THAT IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK, BUT IS NOT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY, FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT AND RETURN LATER AT A SAFER TIME. ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

Celestia steps out onto the balcony, then looks out to all the mares gathered in the plaza below and raises her wings to call for silence. When all goes quiet, she says in a loud and clear royal voice, "To all of you mares gathered before me this joyous day, thank you for wanting to take part in my sister and I's game this Estrus Season. I know that some of you may have been wanting a foal for a long time and some of you have even petitioned me for help in that matter, so I have taken some time to think about this with my sister and have came up with this game. The other stallions participating in this game have volunteered willingly, though there is one other stallion that has volunteered himself by choosing to annoy me...REPEATEDLY, therefore, this game is my way of punishing him for his actions...as he will learn soon. But fret not, I am familiar with this stallion's personality and character, so I guarantee that he will be directly involved in the raising of your foals, unless you decide otherwise. Now, I wish you all to enjoy this game to the fullest, and I hope your dreams will come true. Before I start the game, allow me to state the rules. The castle interior is off-limits for the game, as well as any locations where young fillies and colts routinely visit, the hospital is also included in being off limits. I have placed guards not participating in the game at the entrances to the locations off-limits with strict instructions to keep the stallions out. The participating stallions are wearing vests matching their colors, so please remember which stallion you mated with. The other stallions have volunteered to breed three mares each, though the stallion being punished is wearing twenty ribbons. Feel free to hunt alone, with friends, or even a large group to capture the troublesome stallion, as just one ribbon will be enough to grant breeding claims to an entire group of mares wanting foals." She sees a few hooves go up and chuckles, saying, "If you are wondering about how the stallion will endure that amount of frivolous activity, fear not, for I have asked a skilled alchemist for a brew that will ensure the stallion has plenty of stamina and seed for you all. I was told that its effects wear off after three days, and will not harm the stallion or cause ill effects in any way. Without further adieu...LET THE GAME CALLED 'CAPTURE THE STAG' BEGIN!" Choosing to say that last part extra loud just so that you can hear it.

As you listen to a few of the mares show you exactly what to do, walking you through the maintenance by showing you with their armor, you hear Celestia's voice echo into the room, announcing the start of the game.

Everything goes quiet as a few mares giggle and stalk toward you with a hungry glimmer in their eyes when a heavy, deep thunk resounds throughout the room. Momentarily confused, you think about the game's name, saying to yourself, "What kind of game am I part of...Capture The Stag...huh?"

Having already known about the planned announcement, one of the guards sneaks up behind you and snatches one of the ribbons off your vest. When the sound of the velcro being separated is heard by the mares in the common room, they all smile and speak in unison, saying, "Thank you for volunteering to breed us...sweetheart."

The dots connect simultaneously as you feel a mare knock you onto your back, with another placing her mouth upon your lips as yet another starts licking the end of your sheath and a third suckling at your balls. Unable to react quickly enough, a mare uses her magic to hold your body in place, leaving you able to only shout out in your mind, 'CURSE YOU FLANKESTIA!!!'

As one mare passionately and hungrily makes out with your mouth, your member begins to emerge and slip into the other mare's mouth. With the first mare using her tongue to search the depths of your mouth, the second mare sucks harder on your member's tip to make it come out and get harder.

A new, but familiar haze drifts over you as you smell a strange scent mixed in with the metallic scent of blood you will never be able to forget, making you more compliant as your member slips out a bit faster.

The mare's tongue continues to tangle with yours, wrapping around it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. The other mare sucks your member deep into her mouth, her eyes closing until just barely staying open while your member starts to slip down her throat and begins to grow thicker.

When your member eventually becomes thick enough, she has to pull off and look at how long and big you are, saying, "Well, girls...I think we all will be walking a bit funny for a couple of days. Who's going first?"

A pegasus walks forward with a sultry grin on her face, getting up beside your ear and says, "Hey stud, remember when you gave me that intimate kiss when you asked my friend and I to deliver a couple of fragile Hearth's Warming presents to the Princesses? Well, I look forward to getting a foal from the pony who sent my brother flying ass over tea kettle straight into the wall."

You then watch as the mare kissing you pulls your head to the side while the light blue pegasus mare straddles your body, lowering her hips to rub her coat against your member as you then feel two pointy nubs pass along your member.

As she feels your member slip past her entrance, the mare slides herself back quickly and feels you press into her. With a moan, she pushes further back, taking you deeper into her, saying, "My name is Star Finder, I look forward to having your foal next year." Letting herself lose control of her urges, her inner desire to breed sends her into a frenzied state as she thrusts her hips forward and slams them back into yours.

Having trouble keeping track of time, you find yourself repeatedly popping in and out of Star's deepest places as she moans loudly with delight when you suddenly twitch and start filling her depths.

Wasting no time, the next mare waits for the filled mare to climb off and wobble her way back to her room with seed slowly dripping out of her, leaving a trail to her room. Shifting herself around, the earth pony mare continues to devour your mouth and slams her hips back, taking you all the way to the base when you pop through into her womb, crying out, "OH BUCK ME, HE'S HUGE!"

As you feel her go wild while making out with your mouth, it goes by quickly as she too gets off and wobbles away with seed oozing out of her. Unable to focus on anything, the next mare climbs onto you and begins making out with you passionately while moving her hips back and forth more slowly.

Wanting to enjoy this chance to the fullest, Sherry slowly moves her hips back and forth. Laying herself down onto your body, she wraps her front hooves around your neck as she kisses up the left side of it to your ear, saying, "I have been eager for this chance to find out how good of a kisser you are, and now I know that you are better than the rumors I heard. It pleases me to say that I am not disappointed with anything I heard about you, though you really should be careful with how you annoy Princess Celestia."

Feeling her body rubbing against yours and her hot breath against your ear makes you try to make this more special to her as you wrap your front hooves around her shoulders, making your kiss a bit slower and more affectionate. When her body begins to shudder occasionally, you lightly nip along her neck and then play with her ear a bit.

The extra stimulation sends her over the edge as she is hit by an intense orgasm, causing her to scream out in pleasure as you unload deep into her body.

Once the mare's orgasm ends, you see her head fall unceremoniously against your neck as she passes out, causing a couple of the other mares to giggle and comment about bucking her so good she fainted. One of the mares tenderly lifts her off of you, only for another to mount you and devour your mouth eagerly while riding you like their life depended on it.

Things begin to blur together with a new mare mounting you seemingly without end, either ending with them wobbling away on their hooves or passing out after being filled. Passing out sometime after mating with all the mares, you wake up with a start. When sunlight strikes your eyes, you hiss and return to your hooves a little sore from yesterday's events. Looking around you warily for more mares, you make your way towards the door to escape.

You see a freshly mopped floor around you and watch each step you take, not wanting to wake the mares and have them attack you again. As you spot a mare at the door, you jerk to a stop as a new sensation crawls through your body. Too nervous to identify this unfamiliar sensation due to your heightened sense of self-preservation, a bead of sweat drips down your face.

Giggling at seeing your response, the mare steps away from the door she is guarding and uses her magic to teleport to your side. Rubbing her side against yours, she nuzzles her head against your neck, saying, "I am not as eager like the other mares were last night, so I wanted to wait to have my intimate time with you."

Frozen in place by her magic, you watch her leave a trail of kisses up to your mouth while she slowly lays you onto your side and climbs on top. Using her hoof, she trails a line up your underside while she kisses you chastely on the lips.

Moving her mouth to your ear, she slowly climbs onto you and mutters, "Please be gentle with me, I just joined the guard and I'm the youngest of them all at 19." With a blush she adds, "Uhm...it's also my first time with a stallion. Sooo...I'm sorry if I am not as good as the others..."

Not wanting a mare's first time to be terrible, you sigh and resign yourself to your fate. Rolling over so that you are on top, you hear a small, surprised squeak from the mare as you kiss along her neck.

Unsure of what to do, the younger mare eagerly begins to kiss along your neck as her desire to breed battles for control against her insecurity and inexperience, while her body quivers lightly underneath you in excitement.

You lightly kiss her neck and nuzzle it while laying your body against hers and rubbing yourself against her, feeling her soft coat against yours as your member slowly slips from its sheath.

She feels your member against her flat teats, slowly getting longer the more you rub against her. When the tenderness gets to her, her eyes roll back in her head as she wraps her legs around your body.

When your member is fully hard, you pull further back until your member hangs in the air and smoothly take her lips in a deep kiss while maintaining control over your own body. While your tongue begins to tangle with hers, your member meets her entrance and drive yourself into her depths.

A hiss of pain comes out through her mouth when her virginity is taken as she clamps down around you, cringing through the white-hot pain from inside her entrance.

Holding still to let her adjust, you feel her breathe against your neck hotly as she clings even tighter to you. It takes a few moments for her to relax before finally feeling yourself sliding deeper into her, feeling that familiar resistance at the end of her tunnel and thrust your member against it to feel the pop.

She lets out a soft sigh at feeling your member in her deepest place, subconsciously taking your mouth in a deep kiss as her instincts slowly gain control of her. Losing herself to the pleasure she starts to feel, she pulls away and moans, asking, "Please breed me."

That familiar haze begins to settle you as you fight to maintain control, eventually losing after the once-insecure mare topples you onto your back and takes over. You watch helplessly as she holds herself up with her hooves resting on your chest while her hips lift and slam back down onto your member until you release deep inside her, causing her to howl out when her orgasm hits her.

Her mind scrambles as she feels heat bloom from deep within her, holding herself on top of your body to bask in the sensation of being bred for the first time. When she opens her eyes after a long moment, still feeling you unload deep inside, she lays down on your chest and rubs her nose against yours before laying her head beside yours, saying, "I look forward to bringing your foal into this world, my name is Lucky Clover."

You lie there under the mare as she falls asleep, eventually sliding off of you while still asleep. With only a foreleg lying across your shoulder, you regain control and let out a sigh, saying softly, "I will remember your name, Lucky Clover...I only hope that I will be a good father to our foal."

A couple, wobbly-legged mares lift the sleeping mare off the floor as a trail of seed oozes out of her and onto the floor, causing them to giggle quietly at the sight, with one saying, "I think Canterlot's population is going to get a big boost in twelve months."

THIS IS THE END OF THE SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

The other guard then looks back with a sultry smile, saying, "We all look forward to the years ahead with our foals, be expecting several letters in a few weeks from all the mares you breed..."

That unnamed emotion from earlier returns as a shiver runs down your spine and a chill passes over your body, finally remembering what this emotion is called while the two mares slip into a side room, saying softly to yourself, "So this is how they felt when I came for their souls..."

A heavy sigh escapes your mouth as you rise to your hooves and head for the closed doors, only to find them barred shut. Lifting the bar free with your head, you set it aside and pull one of the doors open. When you close the doors, you hear a mare shout, "THERE HE IS!"

Turning your head to the shout, you see a mare running towards you and recognize her as one of the maids in the castle. Unfortunately, you soon realize she is not alone when the sound of thundering hooves gets louder as you recall what the game was called, taking off running while saying, "I will get you back for this Flankestia."

Celestia watches from a second-story window as you are chased around the castle grounds by a few mares of the castle staff, falling victim to a well-hidden pit prepared by one of the gardener mares, chuckling to herself and saying, "...And there goes another ribbon. I do hope they leave one for me, but if not...there's always next year."

When the castle staff mares are finished with you, you climb out of the pit and run towards the gate saying, "I sure hope this game comes to an end soon!"

A passing mare giggles and stops you, saying, "Oh, it will hon...in about three days. You better keep moving or some more horny mares might catch you again like we did." She then trots up and kisses your cheek saying, "We enjoyed our time with you, sugar, but we need to get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your day."

You watch her trot off and return to work, with your eyes widening slightly as you think, 'I need to avoid horny mares...for three days?!'

So, you take off and exit the castle grounds, deciding to attempt hiding in the upper class part of Canterlot. Your choice proves out to be the wrong one as you spend several hours trying to find buildings to hide in, only for the horny mares to find you again and again. When half of your twenty ribbons are gone, your mane and tail are a mess as you race towards the commercial district as a last ditch attempt to hide in the shadows.

WARNING! THIS SECTION CONTAINS CONTENT THAT IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK, BUT IS NOT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY, FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT AND RETURN LATER AT A SAFER TIME. ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

You spend the remainder of the evening darting from a shadowy alley and into a treetop to look at your vest to find that you only have one ribbon left after doing your best to hide from the mares prowling the commercial and residential districts. As you do your best to not stick out in the tree, your heart hammers in your chest as you hope that no mare finds you in the tree.

A sudden flapping causes your head to spin around fearfully and look for the source, finding out that it belongs to a robin returning to her nest and watching over her eggs. You let out a relieved sigh, saying, "Phew, it is only you I heard flapping your wings, I almost thought that you were a pegasus."

Spitfire soars in the air, sure she spotted the stallion nearby. A few seconds pass when she is about to give up the hunt when she hears soft laughter from a nearby tree, adjusting her course to circle around it quietly. As she circles the tree, she spots a golden yellow tail along with a robin sitting in her nest. Developing a plan of attack, she flies near the ground under the branches and darts up towards the stallion to tackle him off the branch.

You suddenly feel something knock you off the branch, saying reflexively, "Curse my luck!"

Sitting on top of your chest with a smirk, she chuckles and says, "Hey stud, I've been looking for ya..." then goes in to kiss you affectionately while lowering her body against yours.

Feeling her body grind against yours, you kiss back while the robin watches the scene from her nest. Swearing that the bird is smirking at you, you consider the bird a traitor in your mind, asking, 'Did you rat me out?'

As Spitfire wraps her hoof around your neck, she feels your member slide underneath her body and between her teats. Sliding her body a bit further, she angles her back to send your member upwards toward her entrance.

As your member slowly hardens, you feel her slick entrance slide around your member as she begins to go deeper. You watch her wings stretch out as she uses them to provide a little lift for her body, raising her upper body a bit off the ground as she continues riding you and moans a little louder.

She bites her lower lip between her teeth as she feels you slip into her deepest place, letting herself get carried away in the season's effects. Her orgasm takes her by surprise as she throws her head back and cries out loudly while her wings lockout, her body spasming wildly.

Reacting quickly, you reach up and grab her front hooves with yours when she starts toppling over backward as you begin to unload into her depths.

Her vision begins to swim as the heat builds within her, not wanting to shift positions just yet as she moans softly in delight, cooing, "Yes handsome, pump me full."

Once your orgasm comes to an end, you pull her towards you and kiss her deeply before hearing her snoring lightly into your neck while sucking on the tip of your ear. You watch a few horny mares stalk around you, but walk away with a heavy sigh and hear them say sadly, "Darn, they're all gone now..."

A few of the mares chuckle as they stick around and look at the scene before them, with a few of them softly saying, "Wow, would you look at that abdomen, look how big it is!?"

Another mare then giggles and says, "Mine felt just like that when he filled me up, I will be walking funny for a few days."

As the mares talk amongst themselves about either missing out or the sensation of being bred, another mare says with disbelief, "I can't believe that he caused Spitfire to have such a strong orgasm she passed out. Look, her wings are still locked out."

When you feel her continue grinding against you, some of the mares gasp and ask, "Wait, did she just wake up for a second round?"

A different mare steps up and looks closer, saying, "No, she is still sleeping, her body is doing this on its own."

They continue watching as the sleeping mare's body keeps going while one mare comments, "That goes to show how much training the Wonderbolt's captain undergoes to stay in top shape, look at how toned her flanks are!"

You feel her working you towards another orgasm as she kisses you deeply, albeit sloppily being asleep when your second orgasm hits you harder than your first orgasm.

Unconsciously wrapping her wings around your body, she leans her head back towards the sky and moans out softly while her body shudders from its own orgasm while you fill her depths even more.

Whispers from the watching mares make it to your ears, hearing them say or ask things like, "Just how big is her abdomen going to get? Is she going to be able to fly after this? Will she even be able to lift a hoof? The potion must be wearing off. How? The princess said it would last three days and it has only been a day and a half since the game started."

When Spitfire wakes up to find her head nuzzling yours, she smiles slightly and rubs her nose against yours, saying, "Thank you for the fun time, stud, but I need to get back to training recruits." Opening her stubborn wings, she manages to fly up into the air haltingly while her heavy abdomen leaks seed onto the ground below.

You hear a few startled gasps as well as a few comments about her being a Wonderbolt and decide to ask about it later when a guardsmare approaches you, saying, "Greetings sir, it seems your ribbons have all been claimed. If you would please follow me, I will take you to Her Majesty for relocation to Ponyville."

THIS IS THE END OF THE SECTION, ENJOY THE NEXT BIT OF THE CHAPTER!

Returning to your hooves, you nod and say, "Very well. I wish to have some words with Her Majesty."

The guard nods her head, hiding a smirk while saying, "Right this way."

When you are led to Celestia's chambers, you are initially shocked and say, "It is most improper for one to meet royalty in their own bedroom!"

Hearing your voice outside, Celestia opens the door and lets you in with her magic, closing the door after you and circles you saying with a smirk on her face, "I see that all your ribbons have been claimed, congratulations on becoming a father in thirteen months."

You look at her with scowl, saying, "You could have warned me of what was going on..."

With a shit-eating look, she chuckles and says, "Now where would the fun or payback be for all the stuff you put me through if I did that?" Producing a new batch of ribbons, she puts them into place on your vest and grins saying, "Good luck on trying to keep your ten ribbons while in Ponyville, the mares there can be a little...wild."

Before you can say a word more, she charges her horn and sends you to the center of Ponyville with a spell, saying with a huff, "Perhaps it would be in my interest to learn some utility magic..." when you are interrupted by a mare screaming, "STALLION IN THE SQUARE!"

Turning to run away from the mare, you get a few steps away when something hits your head with a metallic clang. Your vision starts to swim as you turn to see who attacked you, spotting Mrs. Cake standing over you with a cast-iron skillet in her hooves. You then see no more as you pass out and fall to the ground unconscious.

When you come to, you find yourself lying on a soft bed with someone kissing along your neck. Looking around, you spot a pony standing in the corner of the room and focus your attention on them, eventually seeing that it is Mr. Cake with a soft smile on his face, asking, "Excuse me, but could you tell me where I am and what happened?"

Mr. Cake chuckles and says, "Don't worry champ, you are resting comfortably on the guest bed in our home. I'm sorry for how my wife behaved toward you with the skillet...we...umm...need your help this season."

You catch a glimpse of a light crimson mane on a light blue coat, spotting three cupcakes on the flank lying on top of you. Turning your attention back to the stallion, you feel the mare become more intimate with your ears and say, "Why do you need my help this season, and with what?"

Mr. Cake watches his wife lie on top of you, kissing your ear passionately under the season's effects and says in a sad tone, "I was born unable to father foals, which was something I learned when I met my wife, Chiffon Swirl, in school. Once we graduated and started cooking together, we started to discuss having a family. So we tried for several seasons with no success, and we both went to get tested. My wife's test came out with no issues...mine, however, came back with the news that I was born sterile and would never be able to father foals. When I learned that, I offered to leave my wife so that she could find someone new. The second those words left my lips, she slapped me and scolded me for being foalish, saying that she didn't marry me for my ability to father children. We talked about the options available for us and we decided on a cost-efficient route, and knowing how much my wife loved me for me, I helped her look for a stallion that we both approved. My wife came up with a sort of cat and mouse game where I would remain behind for the annual guy's trip so that my wife could hunt me down to keep her impulses under control during the season. When we found you, we watched you while you were around town and listened to everything that Pinkie Pie had to say about you and we thought that you would be a perfect candidate."

Getting the sense that you are uncomfortable with the situation and with her husband around, Mrs. Cake looks at her husband and says, "Sugar, would you mind going out and take a little time to restock our supplies?"

Catching his wife's hint, he smiles and nods his head and says in a cheery manner, "Of course Pudding, I will go to the shop and double check the inventory to make a list." Turning towards you, he winks at you and says, "You two have a good time now, alright?" He then walks out of the room and closes the door behind him to go check the shop's inventory, whistling a cheery tone to himself at finally finding someone to help his wife fulfill her life-long wish.

The moment the door closes, Mrs. Cake wastes no time in taking your lips hungrily and grinding her body against yours, panting heavily under the season's effects, saying, "Take me now, stud and breed me like the needy mare I am."

That haze settles over you once again and takes over, turning you into being a passenger in your own body yet again as you huff in annoyance, saying out into your mind's space, "If I ever come face to face with whoever created this world, I am going to show them what kind of monster I can be..."

You watch helplessly as you treat her more roughly than any other mare previously, biting at her neck hard enough to leave marks. It takes an hour before your body trots out of the room, your tail hiked up in pride at doing your job of breeding her.

The haze over your mind fades away, returning control to you and allowing you to look back at the very exhausted and filled mature mare. Seeing her frazzled and matted mane, how she pants to catch her breath, causes you to feel a bit guilty and say, "I am sorry for how I treated you, ma'am, I lost control of myself when the haze fell over my mind. Is it normal for that to happen to a male during the season?"

Nearly asleep, Mrs. Cake opens her eyes and feels herself drenched in sweat, turning her head to look tiredly at you, saying, "It...hah...is alright, dear. That is a very common thing to occur every season whenever a stallion is around a mare in heat, even my own husband can be a bit much whenever he is feeling his oats. You, however, are too much for a mare my age." She then smiles and chuckles, saying, "I almost feel sorry for the mares you breed." Taking a breath through her nose, she recoils in disgust, saying, "I do like your scent, but I can't stand smelling myself. If you would, could you go over to the shop and tell my hubby that I need his help?"

Nodding your head, you say, "I will be sure to relay your words to him as soon as I can while avoiding the crazy horny mares of Ponyville."

Laying her head back on the bed, she laughs loudly, saying, "I am sure that your ribbons will not last as long as you hope, some mares in this town are positively ruthless during the season..."

Before you leave, you say, "Thank you for letting me know that Mrs. Cake." Without another word, you head out the door.

Remembering one thing, she turns toward the door and stops you in the hall, saying, "I just wanted to tell you that my husband and I are planning on raising the foal together, so we would appreciate it if you would not be involved with our foal until we feel the time is right to tell them the truth. I hope you are okay with our decision, Blister."

Returning to the doorway, you look at her with a smile and nod your head, saying, "I appreciate you telling me that, and I will obey your wishes. I just hope to know that my involvement this once will not endanger your marriage..."

With a smile, she says, "Oh don't worry, dear, we both talked this through and my husband understands that we were both under the season's effects, that there are no emotions between me and you at all. Be on your way dear, I would much rather smell of flour and frosting than stinky sweat."

Once you take your leave and tell Mr. Cake that his wife needs his help, you return to your previous task of attempting to avoid the mares of Ponyville. As you hear another mare shout your location, you change directions and sprint down an ally. You look behind you to see no mares chasing you, and turn your head back forward when you collide with another pony, hearing a high pitched yelp of surprise.

Feeling quite dizzy, you open your eyes and blink away the dull headache, remembering how you collided with somepony and look around for who it was when you hear a couple of groans under you.

Sweetie Belle groans again, feeling something extraordinarily heavy on top of her, saying, "Ugh, Applebloom and Scootaloo, get off me already!"

Scootaloo looks back at the pile of ponies, seeing you lying on top of Applebloom's belly and Sweetie Belle upside down underneath your hips with your testicles hanging over her face, saying, "I'm over here you two, it's Blister that is on top of you both. I wouldn't try to move too much SB, your head is not in a good spot right now...especially your horn."

Feeling something big poking her flank, Applebloom calls out, "HEY, WATCH WHERE YER TOUCHING ME!" She then tries to wriggle out from under you, only to freeze in place when it hits her special place. With just enough room to move her head from under you, she looks back to see the biggest member she has ever seen in her life, saying, "Holy cow, he's even bigger than Big Mac!"

Unable to understand what is going on, Sweetie Belle struggles underneath of you and opens her mouth while moving her head about, only managing to mumble muffled words around something hot, soft, and musky.

Helpless to control your member's arousal from the struggling underneath you, you attempt to rise to your hooves when you hear a filly's voice squeal out in fright, "EEE! DON'T PUSH! PLEASE DON'T PUSH ANY FURTHER!" Getting your front legs under you at last, you push yourself up onto your hooves and hear a soft thud from below you.

Scootaloo rushes to her friend's side to see if she is alright, sighing with relief as she sees her dart out from under you with wide eyes and tail firmly between her legs. Moving her head to her ear, she asks in a whisper, "Uhm, did...he...you know...go in?"

Snapping her head to her friend so fast her neck nearly snaps, she squeaks back with a fierce blush, saying, "Do you see me hanging in the air on that battering ram of his!?"

Finally able to see what is going on, Sweetie Belle looks up to see two massive orbs hanging above her face. Blinking a few times in confusion, things register in her mind as her eyes go wide when she catches the same musky scent coming from the huge member hanging under your belly. In a moment of mindless curiosity, she gets onto her hooves and walks up to the pink flesh of the member...and licks it.

Your dizzy spell fades away as you look underneath you to find Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle, licking the side of your member. Moving your body away from her, you narrow your eyes at her in a glare and ask, "Just what do you three, young fillies think you're doing in town?"

Tearing her gaze away from Sweetie Belle licking her lips, Applebloom squeaks out, "Sorry! We were just getting some treats from Sugar Cube Corner and were on our way back to the clubhouse in a hurry when we crashed into you suddenly!"

With Sweetie Belle apparently not paying attention, you look at Applebloom and say, "Did anything happen after that? My memory is a little fuzzy after crashing into you three."

Shaking her head profusely, she says, "Other than your member pressing against my special place...no, nothing else happened."

A suckling sensation on the tip of your member tears your attention away as you catch Sweetie Belle attempting to take your member into her mouth, acting quickly and use your foreleg to move her away, saying, "Take your friend with you and get back to where it is safe, the season might be getting to her and I do not want to deal with angry mares wanting to beat me black and blue."

Scootaloo and Applebloom nod their heads quickly and grab their friend before she does something she shouldn't, then drag her off to Scootaloo's scooter and take off towards their clubhouse while Sweetie Belle whines about being taken away from her candy.

When the fillies are out of sight, you hear a mare shout, "BREED ME!" Turning your head just in time to catch a tan pegasi mare throwing a lasso around you and hauling you into the alley.

By the time night falls, you are already down to one ribbon when you hear a deep growl from behind you. Spinning around quickly, you find yourself face to face with a big bear and gulp, saying, "Hi, I am sorry to tell you this, but I don't think we are compatible."

The female bear smirks and lets out a loud, angry roar to try to get the stallion to run from her and towards Fluttershy's.

Instinctively turning on your hoof, you run away from the bear, saying, "I think you are really quite pretty for a bear, but I just don't breed bears!"

You spend a half hour running away from the bear when you find yourself pinned against the door to Fluttershy's cottage, saying in a fearful voice, "I sure hope she is gentle with me..."

Fluttershy opens the top door to see you bracing yourself up against the door frame, giggling with delight and saying, "Thank you so much for helping me, Marietta. I sure hope you and Harry have a wonderful time together."

You look back with a shocked look in your eyes as you say in surprise, "You are the culprit for that bear chasing me all over town!?"

With a grin, she reaches up for your face with her hooves and nods her head, saying in a low, sultry tone, "Mmmhhmmm..." She then surprises you by yanking you inside with a surprising amount of force and kissing you deeply, moaning, "Please.....breed me..." and then uses her wing to tear off the last ribbon on your vest.

Managing to pull away for a moment, you sigh at seeing the deep-seated desire in her eyes and say, "Ohh Shy...alright." Letting yourself get pulled into the heat of the moment, you choose to make tonight something she remembers for a long time.

You wake up in the morning feeling sore all over from the activities, finding yourself in Fluttershy's bed and nuzzle your cheek against hers, saying, "I thought that you girls were supposed to be on a week-long camping trip..."

Fluttershy rolls over, feeling a wet spot underneath her hips and smiles at remembering last night, saying, "We were supposed to, but I told them about how I was really hoping to try for a foal this season with you. They all helped come up with different ideas to get you to help me achieve it, but Marietta was my idea and I was hoping that you would assume that she wanted to breed with you and would run away from her."

Leaning forward, you kiss her affectionately for a few moments before pulling away with a brief chuckle, saying, "Well good plan." With a sigh, you then sit up and add in a sad tone, "I would love to stay longer, but I need to report back to Princess Sunbutt in regards to her "Game."

With a smile and a gentle nod, she says, "That's okay, I know where to find you to continue our training."

Kissing her one last time, you then get off the bed and say, "I will see you later then, the past couple of days has been...difficult to say the least."

Laying on her side with her belly towards the door as you walk away, she giggles softly and says, "Oh I can only imagine..."

Taking the train back to Canterlot, you report to Princess Celestia about how you lost all your ribbons, only to hear her giggle in delight at how disappointed you are at losing both games.

Calming herself back down, Celestia smiles at you and says, "Oh Arthas, you really think you lost?"

Confused, you cock your head and ask, "You said that I would lose the game if I lost all my ribbons in either location, and I have lost them all in both locations. That means that I have lost the game, and cannot claim the reward."

With a grin, she raises her eyebrow and asks, "Oh, did I say that?" Acting, she then facehooves herself and says, "How silly of me, I carelessly used the wrong words to state the requirements of your victory. What I meant to say is that you would win, IF you lost all your ribbons..."

Finally catching her lie, you narrow your eyes at her and say, "That was not a very nice prank, sunbutt, thanks to you...who knows how many mares are going to be bearing MY foals in thirteen months."

Giggling in delight, Celestia happily says, "I know, but birth rates have been way down these past few years, so I needed to find a way to try to fix that issue. I only hope that half of your future foals are stallions to even out the balance of mares to stallions..."

You snort disapprovingly at her scheme, saying, "Well I am going to head back to my quarters and sleep this annoying ache away."

She watches you leave and mumbles under her breath, "Okay sister, he is all yours to play with now..."

Hearing her say something, you snap your head around and say sharply, "What did you say?!"

Smiling back at you, she waves it off and says, "Oh, nothing...just wishing you pleasant dreams."

21: The Invasion

MINOR CLOP PORTION, FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT AND RETURN TO READ IT LATER!

You wake up much later in the morning than you normally wake up, finding a dark foreleg and wing over your chest. Looking to your right, you see Princess Luna lying half-sprawled across you, which sparks you to recall last night's activities. When you move to get up, you wince when you feel pain from one of the bite marks from Luna and her two thestral mares she had waiting in your room.

Another moan comes from behind you as a pair of lips brush against the back of your neck, with a hind leg being laid across your sheath. Subconsciously reliving last night's activities, the mare lightly kisses the side of your neck. It doesn't last long before she returns to her slumber, but her affections rouse your member from sleep as it slips from its sheath and pokes against something soft and wet.

You raise the covers with a hoof and see that the other thestral's head is lying at the end of your sheath, suckling at your member in her mouth, softly saying, "I sure hope that this is all you are going to do, I'm too sore to do anything from last night."

The thestral on your left stirs with a chuckle, saying, "Oh not to worry, she does this sort of thing all the time because she was weaned so late." She then moves her head up toward yours and takes your mouth in a brief passionate kiss before returning to lying beside you and resting her head on your neck.

END OF SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE STORY!

Still tired, you close your eyes and drift off to sleep, waking up better rested a few hours later. Looking around the room, you see that Luna and the two thestrals have left your bedroom, deciding to get up and see if Fluttershy is around to help you learn how to fly. You spot a big book lying on the nightstand with a scroll sitting on it and unroll it, discovering that it is from sunbutt and she is congratulating you on 'winning' the game. Also telling you to study the rare and well-guarded book to your heart's content.

You get up out of bed, still feeling very sore, and put the book into your saddlebag to study after your lesson with Fluttershy. Making your way out the door and to the gardens, you find Fluttershy talking with a few animals.

Unable to see you approaching her, she catches a whiff of your scent and watches the shy animals scurry or fly off when she feels you come up behind her and nuzzle her affectionately, saying, "Morning Blister, did you have a good night's sleep after being chased by all those pesky mares?"

A chuckle escapes from your mouth as you reply, saying, "I did indeed, though Princess Sunbutt left one surprise in my bedroom. Her surprise is the result of these red bite marks all over my body, but I am looking forward to today's flying lesson."

Nuzzling back into your warmth, she sighs and says, "Good, because I will be going through what I have taught you before teaching you how to fly today."

Going back over what Fluttershy has been teaching you, she learns that you have been doing your wing exercises regularly. After showing you how to use your wings to their fullest, she deems you ready to try flying for the first time. Stretching your wings out, you then raise them up and flap them down to feel yourself lift off the ground for a split second, saying, "Alright, I felt myself leave the ground for a moment."

Nodding her head, she says, "You did indeed leave the ground for a moment, but you need to remember to bring your wings in a little when you raise them to flap again."

Listening to her words, you nod and flap your wings once more. Once your wings can go no further, you try to fold them a little and raise them quickly to flap a second time to take you further off the ground. Unfortunately, you aren't quick enough and return to the ground.

Fluttershy watches you try again, saying, "It will be a learning process for you to learn how to fly at a later age than most of us ponies, but I am confident that you will get the hang of it before too long."

You continue to attempt to keep yourself in the air, taking an hour before you finally manage to keep yourself in the air. Falling a few inches with each flap, you notice tears coming from Fluttershy's eyes and stop flapping to ask, "What's wrong, Shy, am I doing something wrong?"

She shakes her head with a half chuckle, saying, "Oh no, not at all. I am just very happy for you is all, I always cry when I watch a creature learn how to fly for the very first time."

Walking up to your friend, you brush away her tears with the tip of your wing, saying, "You are a wonderful teacher, Shy, I know that you are going to be a great mother to our foal when the time comes to bring them into the world."

Hearing your words unleashes a flood of tears as she darts toward you and pulls you into a tight hug while sobbing uncontrollably, managing to say, "Th-thank you for saying that, you have no idea how worried I was about whether I would be a good parent at all!"

You hold the crying mare close until she calms down, rubbing your nose against hers affectionately for a few moments before returning to attempting to maintain a steady hover.

Fluttershy watches you with a big smile as you slowly learn to maintain a steady hover before teaching you how to fly forward or backward, fly higher or lower, then how to turn left or right.

It takes you another hour to learn how to keep in the air while turning, but slowly you get the hang of it as you fly in a slow circle around your friend, saying, "Look, I can finally fly, Shy!"

With a beaming smile on her face, she joins you in the air and asks, "Ready to go for a short flight around the castle?"

Nodding, you eagerly say, "Of course, lead the way, Shy." Then watch her fly off towards the castle and follow after her, flying a little bit higher as she stops around treetop level and banks left around the castle.

Fluttershy leads the way around the castle when she sees you fly a wing's distance away from beside her, smiling warmly at you, saying, "How are you enjoying your first time in the sky, Blister, is it everything you hoped it would be?"

Wishing you could nuzzle her, you smile warmly back and nod, saying, "And more since I have a good teacher."

The two of you enjoy a leisure flight around the castle for a while longer before she needs to return to Ponyville to watch over the crusaders, saying, "I wish I could stay longer, but I need to get back to babysitting the crusaders."

When she nuzzles your cheek, you nuzzle her back and say, "Those three are a handful of trouble."

Chuckling, she steps away and says, "Oh, they aren't that much trouble, one just needs to know how to handle them."

With a smirk, you say, "A sedative would work wonders."

Not liking what you said, she gets up into your face in the blink of an eye and looks at you seriously, saying, "There is no need to be so harsh towards the girls, or do I need to tell Applejack and Rarity about what I saw yesterday?"

Gulping nervously, you back away a little and say, "O-Okay, I'm sorry. Please don't tell the others about that, I'm sore enough as it is."

With a nod, she then blinks away her gaze and says, "Then you've learned your lesson, so I will keep what happened between us."

You watch her leave with a relieved sigh and make your way to your room to study the book that Celestia lent to you, thinking, 'Well, no time like the present to learn what spells this book has to offer...'

A few weeks pass by as you begin to receive letters from dozens of mares informing you of the results of their pregnancy tests, including a picture of them as well as telling you their name. One of those letters catches your eye, wondering to yourself, "Where have I heard the name A.K. Yearling before..." Unable to remember, you make your way towards Cadence's room when a maid pulls you off to the side and hungrily makes out with you.

The disguised female changeling begins devouring what little love you have inside you, saying, "Feed me."

A sigh leaves your lips as you say, "I thought the season had passed already, but have it your way..." Maneuvering her rear towards you, you mount the mare and prepare to thrust away.

Surprised by her target mounting her, she scurries away with a heavy blush on her face, saying, "I don't want to breed, I want to feed on your emotions!"

Something inside you tells you that she is not what she appears to be, causing your hackles to rise and approach her curiously. You stalk towards her, asking, "Oh, and why do you wish to do that?"

Feeling herself being backed into the wall, she quickly responds, "Because I'm starving!"

When her flanks hit the wall, you close the distance and look down at her with sympathy, saying, "You should have said so from the beginning instead of being so secretive, I almost got the idea that you were an enemy." Planting your lips against hers, you push your tongue deep into her mouth and feel her drawing something from you. Feeling faintly familiar, you press her back up against the wall and hold her there with your own body as her hind legs dangle in the air above the floor.

As she runs out of love to siphon, she switches to his self-loathing and realizes how you have her pinned to the wall. Blinking away her initial fright, she says, "Uhm, you know you are pressing against my special place right?"

With a smirk, you back away and put your hoof to her neck, raising your other hoof to slap her, saying, "Tell me who you really are or I might get physical with you."

Panicking, she tucks her legs under her body to protect her abdomen, saying, "Please don't hit my abdomen, I'm carrying!"

Curious, you trail your free hoof across her cheek and say in a sweet tone, "How sweet of you to be concerned for the life within you, tell me who you are and why you are at this castle. If you don't answer quickly enough, I may just have my way with you and interrogate you in a less-friendly manner."

Quivering in her hooves, she hisses at you and says, "You will never make me spill my secrets!"

With a dark chuckle, you say, "As you wish then, I shall now interrogate you forcefully."

MINOR CLOP PORTION, FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT AND RETURN TO READ IT LATER!

Feeling you press yourself further against her entrance, she instinctively goes back to feeding to drain you of your strength. A sudden pain rips through her when you enter her, biting down on your tongue accidentally from the pain of her entrance being stretched past its limits.

As you begin to thrust away into the suspicious mare, you feel your member bump into multiple small objects with a firm outer wall and ask, "That is not a foal inside of you, so what manner of creature are you?"

Refusing to answer, her inner spring winds up tighter and snaps, causing her body to shudder violently and squirt all over your lower body, saying breathlessly, "I...hah...will not...tell!"

With her refusing to answer you, you push yourself into her fully and bite her neck hard, saying, "You better answer me now or I am going to do my best to break you from the inside out."

Still stubborn, she fights back and tries to get away while your member is against her wall with her six eggs laying around your shaft, saying, "I will not surrender, so get off me or pay the price of your foolishness!"

Clicking your tongue, you continue pounding the smaller mare against the wall and unload inside her, saying, "Be that way then, let's see how many loads you can survive before your mind breaks..."

The mare manages to maintain her struggle through five of her own orgasms and four of yours before she groans, saying, "Enough! No more, please! If you release inside me again, I might just burst!"

Holding yourself inside her, you then ask, "What are you doing here?!"

Slowly losing consciousness, she says, "Plotting to take over Canterlot..." then passes out and slumps against you.

With a huff, you switch forms and carry the passed out mare to the bed and then watch her abdomen slowly return to normal as your seed gushes from her confines, saying, "Don't go anywhere, miss, I have more questions for you."

END OF SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE STORY!

Chrysalis makes her way down the hall in her maid disguise when she spots you leaving an unoccupied room smelling like you just had sex, asking, "Is everything alright, sir?"

Turning to the maid, you sigh and say, "More or less, I just had a run-in with a maid that was acting strangely. I am going to let the princess know what happened."

Nodding her head, she says, "Of course, sir." She then watches you hurry down the hall and hurries into the room to check on her subject, spotting her on the bed passed out with seed leaking out of her like a faucet. Shaking her head at the state of the changeling, she returns to her true form and channels magic to send her back to the hive, saying, "My eggs have better be intact or you will have hell to pay for damaging them." With a huff, she cleans up the mess and sighs, saying, "I guess this plan is far too risky to have my subjects here with him being around."

Making your way to the throne room, you find Celestia pacing in front of it with her sister trying to calm her down. Approaching the dais, you bow to them and say, "Afternoon, Your Majesties. I have some urgent news to share with you two."

Practically teleporting to you, Celestia wraps her hooves around you, saying in a nervous tone, "What a coincidence...so do we."

Wondering what has them so nervous, you ask, "Alright, you go first."

Backing away from you, she keeps her wing around your shoulders and sighs, saying, "My sister and I are both pregnant with your foal, so be ready to join the royal family in a few months after the big wedding."

Shocked at the news, you blink a couple of times, saying, "Uh...what did you just say?"

Chuckling at your reaction, Luna steps forth and hugs you, saying, "She said that we are both pregnant, and you are the father. We will be holding a ceremony for welcoming you to the royal family, though it will be after the big wedding in a few months. What is your urgent news?"

With a sigh, you say, "I'm sorry to rain on your happy news, but I have discovered a threat against Canterlot."

Her eyes go wide with surprise as Celestia backs away with a serious look, asking, "Tell us everything you know about this threat, NOW!"

You nod and say, "I do not know much as the suspect I found only managed to tell me that there was a plot to attack Canterlot."

Luna then says calmly, "Please tell us what happened...from the beginning."

Telling them about what happened earlier today, you hear Luna snigger at how you interrogated the mare as Celestia scoffs, saying, "Arthas, it is not proper to 'buck' a confession out of a suspect!"

Cocking your head slightly, you then ask sarcastically, "Okay then, would you prefer I torture one out of them?"

Gasping, she then says, "Of course not! I would much prefer a non-violent approach to getting information from a suspect."

With a smirk, you look at her and say, "I did take that approach."

Narrowing her eyes at you, she says, "I mean to say that you could have talked it out instead of treating her like a horny mare."

Grinning at her, you hear her sister snickering and say, "Okay then, I will remember that for the future, kettle."

Luna catches her sister looking like a fish out of water at his remark and guffaws as the two of you begin poking each other with barbed words, putting a stop to it before it gets out of hoof, saying, "Okay you lovebirds, that's enough."

Wanting to get the last word in, Celestia blows a raspberry at you, saying, "Onto more important matters, we need to increase security due to the big wedding happening in a month or so."

Cocking your head curiously, you ask, "Is that snobbish Prince Blueblood getting married?"

It is Celestia's turn to burst out laughing as she slaps the ground with a hoof, saying, "HAH! Of course he isn't, but you better keep this to yourself or you will be taking a short vacation to the moon as punishment. The one getting married is Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, Twilight's sister."

Smirking at hearing that, you chuckle, saying, "Oh he finally acted on my advice to him, good on him."

Remembering something that she saw in a dream, Luna looks at you and says, "I think he might be looking for you actually, why don't you go find him, dear." Needing to get some more sleep, she makes her way towards the doors, nuzzling her nose against yours before kissing you on the corner of your mouth, saying, "I'll be dreaming of you, handsome."

Feeling left out, Celestia walks up to your other side and nuzzles her nose against yours, then kisses the side of your mouth, saying, "Uhm, I have some pressing matters to attend to, so I will see you later...hun." She then takes her leave with a blush on her cheeks to go deal with the new threat."

With nothing else to do, you head out of the throne room to go find Shining Armor. As you make your way to the guard barracks, you spot Shining Armor training some guards on the training grounds. Making sure to keep to the side, you spot a few guards wink at you or blow kisses your way and smile at them while waiting for the training session to finish.

An hour passes as Shining Armor finishes going through a short training session with the returned males when he spots you standing off to the side, bringing a smile to his face as he trots over towards you and leans close, saying, "Hey, think that we can talk about something in a quiet place?"

Nodding your head, you then mess with him a bit, saying, "This isn't about what happened between Cadence and I when she found out about my past from Celestia and Luna, is it?"

Confused at first by what you mean, he figures it out and chuckles, saying, "Oh, that, of course not. I understand that you were just trying to help her calm down, I appreciate how you didn't let it go too far. Let's go for a walk, follow me."

You follow him while saying, "I will, as long as there is no 6 foot hole waiting for me in some dark corner of the castle grounds..."

He chuckles at hearing that, and says back over his shoulder, "There's not, so don't worry. If you make any moves on my sister, however...you might want to keep your eyes peeled."

Brushing off the light-hearted threat, you chuckle and make one of your own, saying, "If that is the case, then I might have a chat with Cadence about how you are hindering her love-life."

Shining Armor blanches and spins around with fear in his eyes, saying in a panicked voice, "You wouldn't dare!"

You smirk and then say, "Try me, for she is the princess of love, is she not?"

Bowing his head, he then sighs, saying, "Please have mercy on me, Your Highness."

Narrowing your eyes at him, you then say, "Oh don't you start that with me or I might blab to a certain mare about something I heard from another stallion during your vacation."

Shining Armor pales and stutters, saying, "I-It was just one lapdance, I swear!" When he hears you start chuckling, he then figures out your game and says, "You were bluffing!? How ruthless!"

You both then break out in soft laughter and continue walking around the castle and reach a secluded area with no others around to overhear, when you stop and ask, "Alright, I don't see any holes around, so what do you want to talk about?"

He chuckles at hearing that and says quietly, "I was wondering if you would like the honor of being one of my groomsponies during the wedding."

Surprised by getting such an offer, you nod your head and say, "I appreciate your offer, I will agree to your request. I would highly recommend telling your sister about this soon or you might be in for an earful later."

Shining Armor chuckles nervously at that and paws the back of his mane nervously, saying, "I know, I know. I'm trying to find the right time to tell her, but my hooves are a little tied at the moment with my duties and this new threat against Canterlot."

With a nod, you say, "Okay, but make sure you don't wait too long." Remembering traditions from Azeroth, you then ask, "Since you are captain of the royal guard, is there to be a Sword Arch?"

He thinks about it and then answers, "There has been a few mentions of having one, but with it happening so rarely these days, I don't think there will be. The majority of your duties will be to help guests find their seats during the rehearsal and the wedding, and standing with the others beside me."

Understanding your role in the wedding, you nod and say, "Alright, let me know if there are any changes or if you need something."

Shining Armor nods, saying, "I will, thank you so much for becoming one of my groomsponies, Arthas."

You nod your head to him one last time and say, "I will let you return to your duties, captain, I have some studying to do." Without another word, you make your way to your room to learn all you can from the book.

The weeks fly by as you stop visiting Cadence due to the upcoming wedding that was announced last week, spending some of your time getting fitted for a uniform for the wedding. The rest of your time is spent practicing your flying with Fluttershy or studying the spellbook lent to you by Celestia. When the girls arrive a week from the big day, you see very little of them as they have their own jobs to tend to, unfortunately leaving Fluttershy unable to go flying with you.

You are walking around the castle when you spot Shining Armor and chuckle saying, "I told you that you really should have told her sooner..."

He sighs and half-chuckles, saying, "Yeah I know, Twily gave me an earful when they arrived. She cheered right up when I told her that I was marrying her old foalsitter." Seeing the barrier weakening, he then says, "One moment, I need to strengthen the barrier."

Watching as he uses a spell to renew the barrier's strength, you notice how he rubs his head after casting the spell and ask, "If maintaining that barrier is putting that much of a burden on you, I could take over until the wedding is over."

Smiling at your words, Shining Armor shakes his head saying, "I appreciate your offer, I really do, but this barrier is one that only I am capable of casting. Thank you for being considerate."

With a nod, you leave it be for now and say, "If you need help with magic in any way, let me know and I will step in."

Before taking his leave, he says, "I will be sure to do that, I must get back to my duties."

You turn and head back to the castle, seeing Twilight walking by with a downcast expression and trot up to her, asking, "What's eating you, Sparklebutt?"

Twilight groans in agitation, saying, "No, it's my friends. I thought that I knew my old foalsitter, but once I met her and did our traditional greeting that we used to do when I was young, she acted like she didn't remember me."

Feeling that there is more she needs to say, you say, "Okay, please go on."

She then sits down and goes into detail about what bothers her about her old foalsitter's behavior, then finishes, saying, "When I tried to tell my friends this, they brushed it off as stress due to the wedding planning. When I said they are too caught up in the wedding to notice, and that she didn't deserve my brother, that maybe there shouldn't even be a wedding...they accused me of being overprotective of my brother! Please tell me that you don't agree with them!?"

Thinking of what little you know about Cadence, you cock your head and consider her recent actions, saying, "I will not deny that it is quite stressful to plan a wedding, but it is not very common to change one's personality unless there was an event that caused it. It is not my place to say if you are right or wrong about her, but do your best to gather clues and what information you can before making an accusation, for it might make you look like a fool if you are wrong."

Twilight feels glad that someone listened to her at least and rushes up to you, throwing her forehooves around your neck and laying her neck against yours affectionately, saying, "Thank you for not outright dismissing my worries, Blister. I only wish that my friends did the same thing you did." Nuzzling into you, she breathes in your scent to calm down more before saying, "Listen...I haven't forgotten what you said to me earlier during the Discord crisis, but I am not ready to try for a foal just yet. It isn't that I don't have those kinds of feelings for you, it is just that I am not quite ready for the responsibility at this time. I hope that you understand."

You caress her neck soothingly and chuckle lightly, saying, "I do understand, but I only said that to try to snap you out of that strange greyish state you were going into."

The revelation makes her blush and pull back with a slight jerk, saying, "You said that to me just for a reaction?! Are you insane?! What would you have done if I had said yes to your offer?"

You walk up to her, thinking, 'I better watch my back from here on out...' Placing your hoof under her chin, you lift it slightly and speak in a softer tone, saying, "I would have made it a night you would never forget."

Blushing fiercely from hearing you say that to her face, slowly turning beet red as a nervous chuckle comes from her throat, saying reflexively, "I have things to do! Sorry!" She then turns and runs away while her mind races with panicked thoughts.

Returning your hoof to the ground, you chuckle and shake your head, saying, "She doesn't handle heavy flirting too well, which is caused by her overprotective brother's interference." Once she is out of sight, you then think over everything that she said about her old foalsitter and say, "Hmm, from my knowledge of her, she was always kind to me. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep my eye open for anything unusual."

As you make your way through the castle, you spot Cadence making her way down the hall and call out to her, saying, "Good evening to you, Miss Cadenza, I do hope that your day is going alright."

Hearing a familiar voice, Chrysalis stops and turns around to see you approaching her. Smiling at remembering your night together about a month or so ago, she says, "My day is going alright, more or less. There are some girls helping to plan my wedding, and I don't care about the little details. Do you mind if we go talk in private?"

Shaking your head, you follow her and think to yourself, 'Okay, so she is acting a little weird. Perhaps she might have been hypnotized by someone...'

WARNING! THIS SECTION IS UNSAFE FOR WORK! Feel free to skip it and come back later to read it!

When she finally reaches the princess's chambers, she closes the door behind you. Closing the distance between you two in a few moments, she takes your lips and starts to kiss you deeply to feed on your self-loathing.

Knowing that something is definitely not right here, you play along until you have a clear idea of what is going on and turn the tables on her and turn yourself so that her flank is up against the door instead of yours. Slowly walking her up on her back legs, you feel something sharp brush against your tongue and chuckle saying, "You have some sharp teeth there."

Blushing at how she is letting her facade drop, she covers for her slip, saying, "I know...I need to have them filed down a little because I keep biting my tongue."

Catching her in a lie, you take advantage of the imposter's cluelessness and press yourself further against her, saying, "Then let me give that tongue of yours something to do..."

Moaning lightly into your mouth, she thinks to herself, 'I have missed this...' as she feels your member slip out and run up her underbelly.

When your member is hard enough after grinding your body against hers, you crouch down until your tip hangs just a few inches from her entrance and thrust up into her quickly, telling her a lie, saying, "You seem much tighter today, did you find some way to exercise those muscles?"

Lost in the ecstasy of your member being buried in her depths, she hooks her legs around your back, saying through a half-moan, "Nooo, I've...hah...always been this tight." Lightly kissing and nibbling your neck, she feels an orgasm approaching and hides her fangs to bite your neck to not scream out.

You feel her body shudder as fluid runs down to your balls and drips onto the floor, saying, "Since you've gotten yours, I get to have mine now..." then start thrusting into her even harder.

Not wanting to be walking like a duck and smelling of sex, she manages to gasp out, "Wait...not inside, I can't walk down the aisle with your seed oozing out of me the whole way."

Still thrusting away, you whisper to her ear, asking, "Then where do you suggest I finish, should I spray my seed all over your body, or do you want to do something...different?"

Catching your meaning, she quickly says, "NOT THERE! I want you to bury yourself in my throat and finish there."

Backing up to let her down, you say, "Alright, then get into position and I will do as you wish, milady."

Returning to her hooves, she lowers her head and angles it to the side, saying, "Have at me, Your Highness."

Slipping your member into her mouth, you quickly drive yourself forward and feel your member down her throat. Using your front hooves, you grip her shoulders tightly as you pull yourself ahead with each thrust.

Barely able to breathe or keep up her appearance, Chrysalis feels your member grow thicker and cut off her oxygen, thinking, 'I don't think I will have much of an appetite after this...feeding.' All of her thoughts are blown away as she feels you start to unload down her throat, having to swallow frequently or risk it coming out of her nose.

Managing to even push your sheath into her mouth, you hold yourself there while listening to her swallow your seed to the best of her ability.

Once she feels you begin to soften in her throat, she sucks on your member hard while pulling away. Sucking all your leftover seed from your member, she backs away from you with her mouth closed before opening her mouth and showing your seed to you before throwing her head back and gulping it down. Opening her mouth wide one last time, she then says, "Thank you for the delicious snack, I won't need to eat for a day at least."

As your member retreats, you nod, saying, "Your welcome, I have enjoyed this experience."

Remembering that she has a wedding to plan, she says, "If you would excuse me, I believe there is a rehearsal I must prepare for."

END OF SECTION! Enjoy the rest of the chapter.

You make your way to the hall where the rehearsal is being held and hear Celestia look at you with a questioning gaze, asking, "Cutting it a bit close, aren't you? Where's your uniform at?"

Shining Armor chuckles and says, "Apologies, the uniforms haven't arrived yet."

Nodding her head, Celestia then continues telling you all of how the wedding will proceed, saying, "Then of course, Cadance will enter and walk down the aisle. After that, I'll say a few words and we will begin the vows." Turning to Shining Armor she says, "Once they are spoken, Shining Armor will get the ring from your best mare."

Wondering why Twilight isn't here yet, you look around as you hear Shining Armor comment about her absence and say, I saw her last night and did my best to help her with her concerns over the wedding."

Shining Armor sighs and says, "I guess she wasn't able to get over how she was feeling over the wedding..."

Just then you watch as the doors open with Twilight's magic and chuckle in your mind, saying, 'Well it looks like she found what she was searching for, I can't wait to see her blow this imposter's masquerade.'

Twilight walks in, holding her head high and says, "I'm not going to stand next to her and neither should you!"

You turn toward Shining Armor and hear him apologize to Cadance for Twilight's actions and frown, thinking, 'Come on Twilight, don't lose your momentum...'

She then continues on, shouting, "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"

You sigh with irritation as Fluttershy and Applejack ask if she is okay, thinking, 'Fuck's sake, will you girls let her speak?!'

Twilight makes her way past her friends undeterred, saying, "I have something to say." She then raises her hoof and points it at her, saying, "She's evil!"

You watch her teleport behind Cadance and continue her tirade, telling how she's been rude to her friends and did something to her bridesmaids. You then watch her back the imposter to the steps, thinking, 'Great work Twilight, but it's time to get to the point. Where's the proof?'

She then says, "Then if that wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes go wobbly like..." then mimics the same look he had on his face.

You watch with a smirk as the imposter has a worried grimace on her face, waiting for Twilight to deal the final blow to her facade... With a mental groan, you think, 'Drop the hammer Twilight, or you are going to lose.'

As you watch Cadence rise on her back hooves, her face on the verge of tears, you sigh as she tears up and says, "Why are you doing this to me?!" then drops to four hooves and runs towards the door crying.

Feeling victorious as she runs out the door, Twilight teleports to the door and says, "Because you're evil!"

With a soft sigh, you hear her continue speaking as Shining Armor walks down the steps towards her. Stopping before her, she bumps into him as you hear him say, "You want to know why my eyes went all wobbly?"

Shining Armor then goes to walk around his sister, saying, "They do that because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines."

You let out a soft groan as you hear Shining Armor tear through her accusations, taking his leave and saying she shouldn't come to the wedding at all. The domino effect continues on as you watch Twilight's friends go to check on the imposter, with even Celestia joining them. Being the last one in the room, you walk up to her and pull her into a hug with your hooves, saying, "Oh Twilight...you almost had it, just a little bit more proof would have made your claims stand.

As she slowly works through the shock of every one of her friends and her mentor abandoning her, she breaks down into tears against your shoulder and sobs, saying, "I can't believe my own friends ditched me like that!"

Sitting on the ground, you place your hoof on the back of her neck, saying, "I know how you feel Twilight, but I think that it will take much more than this to abandon you as their friend."

As she slowly gets her crying under control, she pushes off of you and nuzzles against your neck for a moment in a soothing manner, saying, "Thank you for being here to support me after my attempt failed, but maybe I am being a little overprotective of my brother." Rubbing her nose against yours, she says, "I need to do a little thinking, so I will talk to you later."

Not letting her go without a kiss, you pull her against you firmly and slip your tongue into her mouth in a passionate kiss. Able to hear her satisfied moan, you then feel her wrap a hoof around your neck and hold you against her while she exhales hotly against your cheek through her nose.

Not wanting to let herself get too into the moment, she slowly pulls back with a soft whine, saying, "Perhaps I will stop by a bit later once I've thought things through."

With a light smile, you nod and say, "I hope you don't let yourself overthink things too much, Sparklebutt. Remember what happened with Smarty Pants, alright?"

Sighing, she rubs her horn against yours and giggles lightly, pulling away and then turning away from you. Swishing her tail over your nose teasingly, she walks away saying, "Will you ever let me live that embarrassing moment down?"

Watching her looking at you over her shoulder, you chuckle and shake your head, saying, "Not as long as I draw breath."

Stopping by the steps, she sighs and says, "I would like some time to myself, could you give me a little space?"

With a nod, you say, "Of course I can, and I will. Do your best to not drive yourself crazy over it, or I might go to extreme lengths to bring you out of you insanity."

Having to think your words over for a second, she blushes and then says harshly from embarrassment, "Oh will you just scram already?!"

Laughing out loud at her reaction, you start trotting for the door, saying, "As milady Twilight wishes..."

As Twilight watches you leave the room and close the doors behind you, she sighs in a defeated tone, saying, "I could have gained a sister, but instead...I just lost a brother."

While you walk away, you hear music come from behind you and then hear Twilight's voice as she sings about losing her big brother, best friend forever. Stopping for a moment to listen to her beautiful singing voice, you feel a little warmth well up within your chest before letting her have her space and continue walking down the hall.

Before you know it, morning comes as you realize that Twilight never came to see you last night and say, "I guess she wasn't quite ready, I guess that I should get dressed and head to the wedding."

After getting dressed and making your way to the hall, you stand at the base of the steps looking across at the girls in their dresses while Fluttershy fights to keep her morning sickness at bay. When you hear the wedding march start to play, you see the doors open as the Cutie Mark Crusaders come skipping down the aisle and tossing out pink rose petals. Spotting the imposter making her way through the doors, you wonder what Twilight is up to as you hear the imposter singing about her special day.

Once she reaches the dais, you take your place at the end of the line of stallions and look up at the imposter and Shining Armor. Turning your gaze to Celestia, you hear her begin the ceremony saying, "Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor..."

As she goes on, you think to yourself, 'I don't know what you are doing Twilight, but I would hurry.'

When she finishes the opening ceremony, she gets to the start and says, "Shining Armor, do you take Mi Amore Cadenza to be your lawfully wedded wife? From this day forward to live together in harmony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward as long as you both shall live?"

You watch the ceremony as Shining Armor's eyes take on a greenish hue to them, then say 'I do'. Then Celestia turns to the imposter and asks her the same thing, hearing the bride respond with 'I do'. Concerned at how Twilight is not back yet, you chuckle in your mind as you have to stall for time and stop sunbutt from saying a word to unite them as a couple by saying, "Is it just me, or does something seem a little bit off?"

All eyes turn and focus on you as Celestia narrows her eyes, asking in a warning tone, "What do you mean, my little pony?"

You smirk at getting everyone's attention and say, "Well, I am just confused at how she begged me to have my way with her this morning, I was just needing to know where her heart really lies."

Her jaw falls open as she hears gasps fill the wedding hall, followed by a unified shout of what. When all eyes turn to her at breakneck speed, she chuckles nervously and stammers, saying, "Uhm...eh...I...I don't know what you are getting at, stallion, but I don't know you."

Not letting her get her footing, you press on and say, "Well I am positive that you were the one who pulled me into your chambers and began to make out with me passionately before practically begging me to take you. I still can smell you on me, don't you love me?"

Completely blown off balance as shocked and excited murmurs start to fill the room with noise, her act begins to falter as she stammers, saying, "Uh....of course I don't love you...there is only room enough for my stallion, Shining Armor."

As you catch a blush creep across her face, you chuckle and say, "Oh, so that explains why you asked me to pull out and finish in your mouth..."

Flabbergasted at how you said that out in the open, her face flushes crimson as she sputters while trying to come up with some retort, saying, "Oh you...you rogue!" Then huffs and turns away, saying, "Please continue with the ceremony, Princess Celestia."

Huffing in annoyance at the loud noise in the room, she clears her throat, saying, "Quiet down, everypony, quiet down please!" When it finally quiets down, she sighs in relief and says, "Very well, we shall continue on."

As you see mares look at you with shocked looks on their faces, a few of the younger ones smirk back and blow you a kiss as you hear Princess Celestia continue the ceremony, thinking, 'Sparklebutt, I've done all I can, so you better hurry the fuck up before she pronounces them married.'

Princess Celestia smiles widely as she then says in a cheerful tone, saying, "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great honor to pronounce you-" but is interrupted by a mare shouting stop. Shocked at hearing a mare shout that, she pauses and looks at the doors when they open to reveal Twilight standing just outside.

You smirk as you hear her break character and comment about her possessiveness of her brother, then begins to sob in a fake manner. When she asks why she has to ruin her special day, you hear another voice matching hers, say, "Because it's not your special day...it's MINE!"

When the others gasp at her appearance, she asks, "But how did you escape my bridesmaids?"

You chuckle as you hear her say how she distracted them with a bouquet of flowers while you hear the girls mutter in confusion about the appearance of two of them, hearing Applejack voice her confusion and say, "Ah-Ah don't understand... How can there be two of them?"

The true Cadance speaks up and says, "Because she's a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them."

You grin as you see the imposter's eyes glow green and then channels magic through her horn, summoning a ring of green fire around her and begins to return to her true form. You watch as a pillar of green light rises to the ceiling all around her, looking through the light to watch her disguise slip away as her insectoid appearance is revealed. Able to see her true form, you check her out head to hoof, thinking, 'Oh so that is why she was so tight...'

As her voice returns to normal, she laughs evilly, saying, "Right you are, princess, and as Queen of the Changelings, it is my duty to find food for my subjects, and Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered."

Hearing her continue on, you are reminded of the time just before your defeat. Pulled into your memory of that day, you relive it nostalgically.

While their conversation continues on, Celestia hears how she plans to take over all of Equestria and steps forth, saying defiantly, "No...you won't. You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to cast his spell, but now that you have revealed yourself so foolishly, I can protect my subjects from you."

Unaware of the magic battle going on around you, you sigh as you watch Tirion break free from his icy prison with the light's aid, saying in your mind, "Ah Tirion...you taught me a valuable lesson that day."

After you finish reliving your death, you blink your eyes in confusion for a few moments before noticing the magic beam battle going on between Celestia. The green beam slowly starts to encroach on Princess Celestia, spurring you into action as you then start to run towards her when the beam hits her horn.

Celestia watches with horror as her magic is overpowered, singing her horn and sending her flying backwards and towards the floor, saying, "How...could I...lose?"

Managing to get there just in time, you catch Celestia in your magic and lay her down gingerly as her crown clatters to the ground beside her, asking, "Are you alright, Sunbutt? What about the foal?"

Wanting to rest for a little bit, she smiles up at you and lays a hoof on your cheek, saying, "The foal and I are just fine, so there is no need to worry, but I am feeling quite tired now, so I must rest a moment."

Sighing with relief at hearing that, you lay her head down carefully and hear the changeling queen gloat about how she is stronger than even Celestia. Her gloating causes you to become irritated enough to slowly stand up and face her while chuckling darkly, not hearing her tell the girls to get the Elements of Harmony. When you hear the barrier beginning to crack, you chuckle as the other ponies in the room scramble to escape and say to the changeling queen, "So that is what you truly look like, I must say you are quite the looker."

Standing tall, she smirks and strides towards you, then strokes your cheek with a thin wing, saying, "Thank you for your lovely compliment, sweetie, I can't wait until we get back to my hive so that we can add more soldiers to my army. With you by my side as king, no one shall be able to stand in our way."

Being pulled into an intimate kiss, you let it go on for a little while and then pull away, leaving her biting her lower lip in lust as you stroke a forehoof along her cheek, saying, "If we had met several years ago, I might have accepted your offer eagerly. Unfortunately for you, I have been where you are right now and I know where a villain's life leads."

THIS PART IS UNSAFE FOR WORK, PLEASE SKIP PAST THIS AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE CHAPTER!

Cocking her head in confusion, she asks, "What do you mean, you couldn't possibly have the tiniest inkling of what a villains life is like?!" Shaking her head of the confusion, she puts Celestia in a cocoon and hangs her from the ceiling and pulls you against her hungrily, saying, "You have already sired several dozens of eggs with our previous mating, and I am not taking no for an answer. I will dominate your mind and take you as my king."

You look up at Celestia's wide-eyed look at you, practically demanding answers, and take the queen's breath away with a kiss that leaves her panting and spreading her legs for you. Walking around her to the backside, you sigh and say, "I will not be gentle with you for endangering one of my foals and imprisoning two of my friends, but what is your name?"

Driven on by her desire to breed with you, she pants needily, saying, "Chrysalis... My name is Queen Chrysalis."

Moving beside her, you move your mouth to her ear and say, "How nice to finally meet you, Queen Chrysalis. It is a very little known fact, but I have experienced the life as a villain, and what a villain I was." You then walk around the front of her body, dragging your tail over her nose, saying, "There wasn't a single soul that didn't know who I was, and I was feared by a great many. In the day several years ago, I led a crusade to conquer the world with hundreds of thousands of soldiers at my command."

As she breathes in your scent hungrily, she feels you brush up against her side again and pants, "So...marvelous, my king...please take me now!"

Climbing onto her back as your member slips out of its sheathe, you grind up against her, saying, "I was the most despicable creature they had ever known, there was no line I wouldn't cross, no crime was unthinkable to me."

Biting her lip eagerly in anticipation of getting bred again, Chrysalis leans her head back and says into your ear, "Yes...that is what I desperately want..." Pulling your ear into her mouth, she begins to suck and gnaw at it lightly to arouse you further.

When you are hard enough, you thrust into her entrance, saying, "I was young when I first started down the road to being a villain, though I didn't realize it at the time." Pulling back and slamming into her again, you feel her inner wall part for you as you say, "I battled against an enemy that endangered my people, though it was an enemy that was not easy to defeat."

As Chrysalis moans into your ear and tries to milk your seed from you, she nips your neck lustily, panting, "Tell me more, love, tell me more."

Celestia watches with disgust as you thrust away into the insect creature as another bout of morning sickness hits her violently, causing her to hurl inside of her cocoon, saying, "Oh will someone please save me from this nightmare!!??"

Feeling her desire to breed, you thrust away and say, "I continued to hunt down the cause of my people's misery, and came face to face with a demon." Holding yourself against her hips as your climax nears, you stave it off by grinding into her hips lightly, saying, "I then received some advice and set out to destroy the demon."

Biting your neck and tasting some of your blood, she licks the wounds closed, asking, "D-Did you succeed in destroying the demon?"

You slam into her roughly a few more times, saying, "I did indeed, but little did I know...I unleashed a new evil upon the world." Moving your lips to her ear, you bury yourself in her entrance and say, "The monster I unleashed upon them...was my new villainous self." Pulling out of her entrance, you then realign yourself and prepare to slam back into her, saying, "There was a price I had to pay to save my people from what was afflicting them..." Pausing for dramatic effect, you pause an inch from her back door and then say, "The price I had to pay to save them...was my soul, and all those I held dear." then slam into her rear full force.

Celestia hears Chrysalis howl in pain at her ass being rammed by your member and fails to keep herself from laughing her tail off.

Tears slide from Chrysalis's eyes as she feels your hips slam into hers while searing, white hot pain rips through her body, screaming, "PULL OUT YOU FUCKER! THAT IS MY ASS YOU JUST DROVE INTO!"

Grinning, you thrust away and hear her shout in pain each time, saying, "I didn't feel anything at the time, so I started to destroy the capital of my kingdom and introduce my people into the new form of salvation I found."

As you thrust away, Cadance watches on with slight curiosity at how strong you are, but shakes the thoughts out of her head as she says, "That is not a very good way to treat an enemy, Blister."

Hearing your story, she groans as she latches onto your throat and begins to try to take a chunk out of it. When her bite fails to make you stop and pull out, she lets go and shouts, "MY FUCKING ASS IS BEING TORN APART! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME YOU BASTARD!"

Feeling yourself reaching the end, you pull her head up towards yours and say, "My actions proved to be too fruitful as I was on the verge of succeeding at making my army the strongest in all the world." Slamming your hips against yours and holding yourself there, you unload your seed into her, saying, "When one valiant soldier broke through my attacks and bested me, it granted the others the chance they needed to finally kill me."

Her eyes roll up into her head as she fights to remain conscious while her body shudders from an insanely powerful orgasm, causing her to squirt all over your groin and soaking your tail in her scent, saying in a barely cohesive tone, "Im-possible."

You feel her suddenly go limp under you as your cock remains firmly inside her rear, causing her body to twitch occasionally. Jerking your member free, you walk away from her as she oozes onto the floor in a comatose state and approach Celestia, asking, "Now how am I going to get you down safely?"

When Chrysalis comes around, she shoots up off the floor to feel her legs struggling to obey her. Wincing as her insides scream at her not to move, she fights against her desire to puke and looks around with angry eyes for you, saying, "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SONOFABITCH!"

With a chuckle, you turn to look back at the slightly bloated queen and say, "Look who decided to rejoin the land of the living..."

END OF THE SECTION, ENJOY THE REST OF THE STORY!

Roaring in rage, she then puts you into a cocoon, saying, "WHEN I GET DONE WITH YOU, YOU WILL BEG ME TO STOP FUCKING YOU!"

Stuck on the ground in a thick glob of whatever she put you in, you are forced to watch as the girls are brought in while she keeps herself from leaking all over the floor. You smirk as you see her legs give out occasionally, causing her to curse under her breath.

As a short conversation ensues, you hear a song begin to play as Chrysalis begin to sing. When you look at the girls before you, you see Fluttershy wince in pain and rub her abdomen worriedly, causing your anger inside you to rise to new heights as you begin to channel your dark magic.

She looks out the archway to see her minions chasing ponies around and capturing them when she hears a deep chuckling come from within the room. Wanting to know who is laughing, she looks around to notice that the amused noise is coming from you as she narrows her eyes at you, asking, "Just what do you find so funny, prisoner?"

You look out of your green goo prison and say, "Oh, nothing at all, really..." Then continue laughing at the irony of what you are planning.

Getting closer to the amber prison, she growls and says, "Stop laughing! Tell me what you find so funny!"

Sighing, you then say, "This is what I find so funny..." You then channel your dark magic into your arms and burst free from the prison, saying, "Forgive me for being rude and not introducing myself." Using your ability, you shift to your human form and say, "It is amusing to me with how your situation is much like mine from my past, and even more so with how I am acting like a hero now."

Cocking her head, she prepares to encase you in amber again and growls, saying, "Stop talking in riddles, make sense already!" When she watches you shift into a bipedal form, she looks at you with wide, curious eyes, asking, "Who and what in Tartarus are you!?"

Bowing your head to her under your replicated armor, you say, "I am Arthas Menethil, former Crown Prince of Lordaeron...and former Lich King of Icecrown Citadel in Northrend."

Backing away slightly, she charges an attack, saying, "There is no kingdom with such a name in the Frozen North!"

With another chuckle, you draw your sword at your side and say, "I never said I was from this world...did I?"

A shiver runs up her spine as she says, "Wh-What are you and where are you from?!"

You channel your dark magic into your eyes as you slowly stalk towards her, saying, "I am a human, the world I am from is called Azeroth." Wanting to keep your intimidating position, you then smirk at her, saying, "In my former life, I ruled over the undead that I fought to destroy before I betrayed my people." With a dark idea inspiring you, you say, "My subjects were always just...dying to serve me in undeath."

Backing away from you, she blasts a beam of magic at you, shouting, "I will not be one of your subjects...you will be mine!"

Blocking the beam with your sword, you continue stalking towards her with slow, booming steps, saying, "I am a servant to no one, but if you plead for mercy, perhaps I will take you as a plaything in the bedroom."

Shuddering in pleasure at hearing that, she shakes her head clear and says, "I am a queen! I will never be anypony's plaything!" Shooting a large glob of her amber at you, expecting it to completely encase you and immobilize you.

The glob of goo hits you and then surrounds you for a moment as you chuckle again and have your blue flames burn it away, saying, "That was cute the first time, but let me show you what my magic can do..." Wasting no more time, you then thrust your sword towards her and send out a blast of cold air to freeze her in place.

Unable to jump out of the way soon enough, Chrysalis feels ice crawl over her entire body and root her to the spot. Chilled to the bone, her teeth begin to chatter as she attempts to break free from the ice. Her magic fails to do anything to the icy prison encasing her body, causing her to tremble with fear as she says, "I-I will not let myself become your servant!"

Walking up to her, you grasp her chin between your gauntleted left forefinger and thumb, saying, "I would not want someone as heartless as you in my servitude, but perhaps you will serve me better as a doorstop...or an ice sculpture."

Glancing at a few of her subjects, she desperately shouts, "Seize him!"

You see a half-dozen changelings charge at you and twirl your sword in the air, then dodge one of their attacks while swinging your sword sideways. Hearing your sword break through something hard with a crunch, followed by a slicing sound and a wet splat, you see that you cut a changeling in half.

Chrysalis watches more changelings join in the fight and get cut down, or be burned alive in a blue fire that leaves only ashes behind, and screams, "Stop! Please don't kill anymore of my subjects! Do their lives mean nothing to you!?"

You turn to her amidst a circle of a dozen dead changelings and a few ash piles, saying, "Life is such a fragile thing, but with so many of my victims weighing on my conscience...what difference does a dozen more make?"

Trembling more violently, her eyes widen as you threaten her life and pleads, "P-Please don't kill any more of them!"

Seeing her chance to stop this, Twilight sneaks over to Cadence and frees her, saying, "Quick! Go to him while you still have the chance!"

As you look into the Changeling Queen's eyes with a cruel smirk, you say, "Very well, I shall show you and your insectoid subjects mercy this time...but let me gift you a little knowledge about me as punishment for harming those I consider friend." Placing your forehead to hers, you pull her consciousness into your mind and show her what lies within.

Celestia looks at you curiously, wondering what you are doing to Chrysalis now when she sees a light lavender light surround Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.

Chrysalis finds herself in a snowy wasteland with no greenery around whatsoever, shivering violently from how cold it is here and attempts to keep warm using her magic. Her attempt warms her slightly as she then hears a giggle from nearby, causing her to look around for the source.

Chilly appears from out of a flurry of snow blowing by and giggles, saying, "Wow...aren't you in a whole lot of trouble..."

Chrysalis looks around and sees a translucent, pony-shaped creature and gasps, shouting, "GHOST!"

The windigo giggles again and flits around her as she attempts to run away, rooting her hooves to the snow-covered ground, saying, "I'm not a ghost silly, I'm a windigo!"

Her shivering gets worse as her spell fails to keep her any warmer, saying, "W-Windigos are a fairytale!"

Chilly wails out with her howling laugh as she then says, "I'm as real as you are you know, but whatever you tell yourself at night so you can sleep is fine with me!" Sensing that the scene is going to change soon, she giggles and say, "Take what you are about to see as a warning, alright?" Vanishing back into a flurry of snow with a shrill giggle, she dismisses the ice around her hooves and calls forth a blizzard to surround the visitor briefly.

Blinded by the snow blowing against her face, she spots a glow in the distance and moves toward it. She takes a few steps forward and trips over something, falling face first into the snow and getting a mouthful of snow. Spitting it out hastily, she detects a familiar metallic taste from the snow and tries to spit the blood out of her mouth. Wondering what she tripped on, she looks back to see a changeling corpse cut in half with red blood staining the snow she just fell into. What really unsettles her is that when the blizzard eases up, she spots several dozen more corpses belonging to her subjects. When the blizzard eases up further, she sees that there are corpses all around her...all of them changelings. Looking around the wasteland littered by the bodies of her own subjects, she spots the body of a young changeling held in the arms of a female changeling. The sight causes her to shed tears, saying, "No...nooo..." When even more young changeling corpses become visible, she then starts to shout, "Please NO!"

Appearing fifty feet away from her, you sigh and then summon forth your newest creation, saying, "This is what awaits you, should you bring harm to one of my friends...now look at yourself in the mirror behind you and see what might become of you."

Spinning around fearfully, she looks at the mirror behind her and looks on with wide eyes as the image reflects her own. She barely recognizes her new, lumbering form, having a massive thorax with eight spindly legs supporting her tiny head. What really makes her skin crawl is that the form is created from the bodies of other changelings, though she sees herself lay an egg and watches it hatch into the rotting corpse of a changeling. The sight causes her to scream her head off and shake it from side to side violently, saying, "NOOO!"

The terrified scream draws everyone's attention to Chrysalis as she tries to get away from you, screaming, "GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU'RE A MONSTER, A MURDERER...A BUTCHER!"

Forcing your anger to fade away, you keep your distance from her and say, "If you keep going down this path of villainy, that is just one of many sad fates that might lie in wait for you. I learned a valuable lesson when I was defeated... Evil may win many battles, however, it will inevitably lose the war as good will win out in the end. Try as you might, you can never stomp out hope."

A light catches her eye as she turns to its source, spotting that it is coming from the princess she captured and Shining Armor. She then spots them casting a spell together, having enough time to only say, "NOOOO!!!" before she is sent flying away with her subjects in tow.

When you make your way over to help Celestia up, Twilight beats you to it, causing you to sigh and shift back into being a unicorn. Seeing the blood stains on the floor still, you channel your dark magic and send your flames over the stains to burn them away. Noticing how the others are busy talking to themselves and paying you no mind, you take the opportunity to slip away without anyone noticing.

Catching movement in the corner of her right eye, she catches sight of your golden tail slip out the door and goes to try to speak with you.

Applejack spots Fluttershy start to walk away and stops her, saying, "Where ya goin' Fluttershy?"

Letting out a short sigh, she says, "To go have a word with Blister about what happened a little while ago."

With a small nod, she follows after her, saying, "Awright, lead the way. That stallion is quite a handful, it's a good thing that we have plenty of others to help him pick himself back up."

As you make your way to a secluded spot on the castle grounds, you hear hoofsteps approaching you and sigh saying, "If you're going to lock me away for taking a creature's life, sunbutt, could you at least send me to the sun so that I won't ever have to feel the cold?"

Pinkie Pie pops up before you and pulls you into a fierce hug saying, "You look like you need a Pinkie Pie hug!"

Rarity then sighs and says, "Pinkie darling, I really think you should learn what personal space is."

Putting up a brave act, you force a chuckle and say, "I'm fine girls, I really am."

Knowing better, Fluttershy hugs you tightly and lays her head against your neck as Pinkie Pie slips onto your back, saying in her kind tone, "No don't you even start lying to me, I saw the look flash in your eyes when you saw me caress my abdomen where the foal is. The foal is fine, believe me, I would know if something was wrong by now."

Twilight nuzzles against your other side and says, "Arthas, I know that you must be upset and furious at yourself for killing those changelings, but you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Getting an opportunity to join in, Celestia wraps her wings around you and says, "Twilight is right, the guilt will wear you down and cause you to be as gloomy like you used to be."

Sighing in their embrace, you say, "I can't believe I let myself fall into my old habits...I really am such a monster."

Rarity steps forward and joins the others in hugging you, saying, "Darling, you are not a monster. You might be a monstrous fool, but you are still considered our friend."

Rainbow then joins in, saying, "Yeah! You might be a little quick to resort to violence, but you always regret it afterwards. If you go too far like you did just a little while ago, it is our job to help you deal as your friends."

You cock your head at hearing that from Rainbow of all ponies and say with a smirk on your face, "You better watch it Dash, or someone might confuse you for an egghead."

She bops you over the back of the head with a wing and says, "Oh Puhlease, I may like to read books about Daring Do, but I am no egghead."

With a chuckle, you pull her in closer and say, "I don't know about that, what you said to me earlier sounds awfully close to wise advice."

Gasping in shock, she frowns at you, saying, "HEY, YOU TAKE THAT BACK! I'M NOT AN EGGHEAD!"

Pulling her head under your foreleg, you use your other hoof to give her a firm noogie on the head, saying, "Of course you aren't, it just surprises me that you are capable of giving good advice once in a while."

Managing to twist her head free with a chuckle, she says, "Of course I can, who am I!?"

Grinning, you bump her shoulder with a hoof and say, "The fastest flier in Equestria."

Bumping your shoulder back with her hoof, she says, "Don't you forget it bub, speaking of flying. How are your flying lessons coming along by the way?"

Shooting her a smirk, you say, "I have been flying around Canterlot with Shy for the past two or three weeks."

Smiling widely, she then exclaims, "AWESOME!" Then calms herself down, saying, "That means I get to show you what I know!"

Wanting to keep everyone on track, Celestia clears her voice, saying, "Let's not forget about the wedding now, " and turns to Twilight, continuing, "Don't you have a wedding to plan?"

Jumping out of the hug with a gasp, she says, "YOU'RE RIGHT! I DO!" She then runs back to the wedding hall and returns to Cadence's side, saying with a wide smile, "Let's get started on your wedding!"

22: A new arrival

As the wedding plans get underway, it only takes a couple of days to get everything planned when you watch the doors open to reveal the real Princess Cadance approach the aisle behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When you look around, you see Rarity dab her eyes with a cloth. With Rarity distracted, you spot Applejack take the opportunity to put on her stetson which draws a snort from your nose, thinking, 'Now this feels like a real wedding.'

Averting your gaze to Celestia, you hear her begin her speech, saying, "Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza..." when she is interrupted a short ways in by Cadance, telling her that Princess Cadance is fine.

Celestia continues, saying, "The union of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, the strength of their commitment is clear, the power of their love undeniable." Turning to Spike, she says, "May we have the rings please?"

You watch Spike raise the pillow with two rings on it when Celestia picks them both up in her magic and places one on each of their horns then pronounces them as mare and colt. As they approach the balcony as a married couple, you say, "Now their life together begins."

Moments later, you watch them wave to the cheering ponies outside when you hear Celestia speak and turn your head to see her talking to Twilight about it being her victory as much as theirs. When she stops speaking, you hear a loud smooching coming from the balcony and smirk, thinking, 'At least he isn't married to a changeling.'

When Celestia hears them kissing, she leans down to Rainbow's ear and says, "Rainbow Dash, that's your cue..."

You see Rainbow smirk and zip out of a side arch and approach the arch to watch what she's doing curiously, seeing her dash into the sky beside the newlyweds. As you notice something bending around her, a rainbow wave blasts out from a spot and follows in Rainbow's wake while she flies over the newly married couple.

Chuckling at the display, you sigh and say, "Nice touch, speed demon."

Chilly comes out and hovers just out of view of the others, sighing as she looks at the new couple, saying, "Awwee, I just love weddings, don't you?"

You turn to look at the windigo and see her pinkish hue, saying softly, "You best be careful or you're going to melt."

She turns to you with a giggle and says, "Don't worry, I won't. I made a new discovery while I was away."

Cocking your head, you ask, "Well don't keep me in suspense, spill it already."

Twirling around in a playful circle, she creates a light flurry of snow that floats around her and disappears into it, saying, "I learned that I am not in danger of melting away from the fire of love."

Surprised at hearing that, you ask, "How is that possible, does it have something to do with binding yourself to me?"

Taking on her ghostly form with a giggle, she nods and says, "Mhm, it does. My best guess about what happened is that I am at least partly comprised of the substance that makes up your emotions, and guess what one of those emotions just happens to be?"

You look at her a bit softly, saying, "Love..." Wishing to apologize to her, you say, "I'm sorry that you were created from something that you dislike Chilly."

Kissing you on the lips lightly, she says, "Don't worry about it, I'm okay with how I am now. I first noticed something wierd when I returned to you when the mare's breeding season hit. I was inside your mind when a pink flaming heart appeared in the sky within your mind. At first I panicked and tried to flee, but whatever I tried never worked. So I fled to your citadel and curled up on your lap as you sat on the throne and waited to melt away as I started to get hotter. As time passed, I opened my eyes and glanced down at myself. To my shock, I noticed that I was glowing a light pink and was not steaming at all. It took me a little while to get used to the warm sensation, but when I began to discover new abilities, I waited for the season to pass before visiting my sister again. I just got back a few days ago and I am surprised at how busy you have been, naughty stallion of mine."

You sigh and ask, "So how did your sister take the news?"

Adopting a long, narrow form, she drapes herself around your neck like a ghostly scarf, she says, "She was frightened at first, but then she warmed up to it and was eventually happy for me being able to tolerate being around the fire of love."

Smiling, you stroke her neck with a forehoof, saying, "I think it is pretty neat how you're able to change your shape at will now, do you have your eyes on a stallion you like?"

With a light blush coming to her cheeks, she giggles and says, "Of course I do, you know him quite well and see him every day."

Looking at her, you then ask, "It isn't Prince Blueblood, is it?"

Unable to keep her laugh quiet, she then giggles, saying, "Oh Celestia no! The stallion in my eye is much better looking than that brat."

Hearing laughter from where you are looking out the window, Twilight walks over towards you, hearing bits and pieces of a converstion about who someone likes and hears you say, "Shining Armor just got married, so you might as well give up on dating him."

She throws her head back and giggles madly again, saying, "It isn't him either, silly, so try again!"

Not knowing any other names, you then ask, "Is it one of the guards?"

Almost losing her grip and slipping off your neck, Chilly snickers and says, "Of course not...it's someone you see in the mirror everyday."

Twilight blushes and hangs her head a little at figuring out the unknown female's hints, thinking, 'Great, there's someone else who has a romantic eye for Arthas...'

Confused, you then ask in shock, "But Rarity's not a stallion!"

Losing her grip, she slips off your neck and down to the floor in a fit of laughter, saying, "It's not her either!" Catching a breath, she then says, "It's you!"

You look at the snickering windigo, unaware of the crowd of ponies gathering behind you and say, "I'm glad you told me, but I am not looking for a relationship right now."

Looking up at you from the floor, she then smiles and says, "That's fine, because we're already married!"

Too surprised to notice the collective gasp from behind you, you say, "We got married? When did this happen?"

Giggling at your shocked and confused expression, Chilly says, "Remember that day when I bound myself to you?"

Remembering that day, you nod your head and say, "I do, what does that have to do with me marrying you?"

She looks at you adoringly and says, "That binding ceremony I performed is actually an ancient wedding ceremony for Windigoes many centuries ago."

Unable to hear Pinkie exclaim in shock, you ask, "Wait...WHAT?!"

Still giggling at your shocked expression, she says, "Yep, so don't worry about finding us a pair of rings, wedding rings were never a part of our traditions, past or present. One thing you should know though, is that I have no problem with how many mares you wed or breed. I shall be with you til death do we part...honey." Catching a glimpse of something behind you, she looks down and around you, saying, "Oh look, we have an audience."

Twilight's eyes shrink to pinpricks as she watches the windigo change her shape into that of a transparent pony and shouts, "WINDIGO!"

Acting quickly, Chilly giggles and transforms into a flurry, then darts around all of the ponies in the group. Encasing their hooves, horns, and wings in ice, she reappears beside you in her regular form and giggles, saying, "Apologies for freezing you all like that, but I just wanted a chance to speak before you start to attack me. Hi, I'm Chilly Gale Menethil. Yes, I am a Windigo, but after I bound myself to Arthas here, my body was absorbed into him and reformed anew from small bits of his emotions. No I will not harm any of you because you are friends of my husband!"

Rarity is the first to react and scream, "GHOST!" then promptly faints onto the floor dramatically.

Celestia fights against the cold and says, "I appreciate your honesty, but could you remove your ice from our bodies?"

With a sheepish smile, she says, "I will as long as you all promise to not attack me once you are free."

As you see them all nod while shivering from the ice, Chilly then releases them from the ice and ask them, "From the looks on some of your faces, I would assume that you have a few questions to ask..."

Twilight then says, "YOU THINK!? How could you not know you married a windigo?!"

As the others begin to barrage you with questions, you say, "I was dealing with a few things at the time, so I wasn't really paying attention."

Rarity rises from the floor and hears the others asking you questions and says, "You could have at least told us that you made friends with a windigo!"

You sigh and answer her, saying, "I never knew when the right time was to introduce you to her, especially after learning how you all feared or hated Windigos.

After being interrogated by Celestia, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike, eventually Cadance grills you with a few questions before she is satisfied. With a migraine from dealing with such a hassle, you watch as Pinkie Pie and Chilly become fast friends, saying, "What a day..."

Shining Armor chuckles and bumps against your shoulder, saying, "I know that I almost married the changeling Queen, but how do you feel after hearing of siring several of her eggs?"

You turn your head to him and groan saying, "I think that I am going to be suffering from new nightmares soon."

He sees Celestia approaching and decides to go talk to his wife and sister, saying, "Well, I wish you good luck in the future."

With a brief nod to him, you say, "Thank you for that, I will need all the luck in Equestria at the rate things are progressing."

Celestia stops beside you and chuckles softly, saying, "You most certainly will after my sister gets here and hears of all that has happened."

The wedding continues on as the reception goes on past sunset, with the first dance starting just before Princess Luna arrives, asking, "Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?"

You watch as the girls fight back their laughter at the question, noticing Twilight nod to Pinkie out of the corner and wonder, 'Now what do they have planned?'

Pinkie Pie zips off to the DJ booth and calls out, "Now let's get this party started!" then pulls out a mic and tosses it towards Twilight.

You stand off to the side as the girls bob and sway to the music while Twilight stands near the DJ booth, using her beautiful voice to sing for the bride and groom. As you watch her sing away, the bride and groom begin dancing with each other as other ponies start to join in the dancing. Trying to stay out of everyone's way, you back away from the group of girls and stick to the shadows as much as possible.

When the other girls join Twilight and the newlyweds except for Celestia and Luna, you sigh and look down at your hooves to see them standing in a pool of blood belonging to your newest victims. Looking around to see if anyone else notices it, you don't hear any terrified screams or comments about the puddle and think, 'Okay, now I know that it is in my head that I am seeing this, no need to be alarmed.'

Chilly stands beside you completely invisible and sees how you try to avoid others, which causes an idea to pop into her head as she giggles to herself and floats away towards Applejack and hovers near her ear, saying in a whisper loud enough for her to hear, "Applejack, it's Chilly Gale here, so don't freak out. Look over by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, can you see a certain pony trying to keep out of sight?"

Looking around for the windigo, she can't spot her and looks around for the pony trying to hide and spots you near the bushes by the wall and replies, "Yeah ah see him, what'cha want me to do bout him?"

Giggling into her ear in a mischievous tone, she says, "I think that he needs to get out and dance a little, don't you think that you can rope him into it?"

Smirking at her suggestion, she chuckles and says, "Ah can get that stallion over here faster than Granny Smith can core an apple!" She then pulls out her rope and twirls it through the air, throwing it towards you and saying, "Git on over here Blister, its time fer ya to shake a leg."

You see the rope almost toward you and move to dodge it, only for your hooves to be rooted to the ground and look up to see Chilly giggle before sticking her tongue out at you and then becoming invisible again. When the lasso lands around you, you frown and say, "Betrayed by my own wife, how 'loving' of you."

Giggling again, she flits about you and releases the ice around your hooves, saying, "Don't be so dramatic, it would be good for you to do some dancing tonight. Maybe even you could progress things with Twilight a bit..." She then watches as he gets yanked toward the dancing circle of mares and flits towards Cadance, whispering, "The plan is in play."

A happy smirk crosses her face at hearing that and continues to dance with her husband more energetically, saying, "Great song!"

The moment Applejack pulls you onto the dance floor, she removes her rope and puts it away, then bumps her flank against yours, saying, "Get yer groove on pardner!"

You groan and look around to see how others are dancing and notice various styles, with your friends doing more of a wild, prancing head bob, and the upper class doing more of an organized fancy prance. Deciding to just go with the flow around you, you get into the wild prance and feel Applejack bump her rump against yours and hear her say, "Yer gettin' into it pardner!"

Nodding your head to her, you look at Rarity, who is dancing as ladylike as she can while singing along with Twilight. Turning your head to the others, you see that Rainbow has also joined in the singing.

Before she joins in singing, Applejack bumps her flank against yours again, leaning towards your ear, saying, "Go dance with Twilight, she's really starting to like you 'more than a friend' if ya catch my meanin'."

Getting the hint as she begins to sing along, you look behind you to see no ponies behind you. Not wanting to break your rhythm, you back up in a slow prance before doing a smooth slide with your left hooves. Sliding just far enough, you then prance forward until your beside Twilight and look over at her to see her smiling back at you with sparkles in her eyes while still singing into the microphone.

The two of you get into a dancing rhythm together, swaying your flanks together side by side as you match her step for step. You get caught up in the moment and lay your shoulder against hers before joining her in the song, singing in time with her, "A beautiful bride, a handsome groom. I said love is in bloom, you're starting a life and making room."

As you continue singing in time with her, Twilight lays her head against your neck as you both sing the final line. Once the singing is finished, she gives the microphone back to Pinkie and turns to you, saying, "Thank you for having my back when you did, I'm guessing you didn't have much luck in getting more information or proof since you didn't speak up at the rehearsal."

A slow song begins, making you take the initiative and move in front of Twilight. Bowing to her respectfully, you lift her hoof with one of yours and kiss the front of it asking, "Lady Twilight Sparkle, may I have this dance with you?"

Nearly jumping for joy, she barely restrains her eagerness and says, "YES!" a bit louder than she meant to and blushes from embarrassment, rephrasing her words and says more calmly, "It would be a delight to dance with you."

Stepping towards her, you guide her right hoof to your neck just above your shoulders and set your chest up against hers. Feeling her melt against you and lay her neck alongside yours, you repeat the gesture and place your right hoof on her shoulders and join her in a slow back and forth swaying motion.

Standing on her back hooves against her husband with her head beside his, Cadance opens her eyes and sighs happily at finally marrying her love. As they slowly spin in a clockwise circle, she catches you dancing rather intimately with Twilight. The sight causes her to squeal softly in delight, saying, "I sure hope those two can strike up a relationship, that stallion needs a strong mare to keep him in line once in a while."

As he continues to dance with his wife, Shining Armor looks around with his eyes and asks curiously, "Who is that dear?"

Giggling, she loses sight of them and says, "You will see for yourself soon enough, honey."

Keeping his eyes peeled curiously, he spots you dancing with his sister intimately. The sight rouses his protective instincts as he growls, saying, "I warned him not to make any moves on my sister..."

Wanting to nip his over protectiveness in the butt, she pulls her head back to look into his eyes and says in a calm tone, "Sweetie, I know how much you love your sister and want to keep her safe from everything, but I have noticed how much you have hindered her heart's growth. As much as you would like to, I won't let you keep her from finding and experiencing the joy and pain that comes with loving somepony..." Making sure he gets the point, she narrows her eyes slightly and adopts a menacing look, saying, "In fact...I forbid you from interfering any more in her personal affairs regarding who she wishes to love. If you don't agree to my wishes, you will be sleeping in a separate bed throughout our honeymoon as punishment."

A pitiful whine creeps its way out of his throat at hearing that and says, "Oh but Cady, do you remember how he acted in the wedding hall during the attack?"

Keeping the hard look into his eyes, she nods curtly and says, "I do remember how he ended those changeling's lives in an ugly way, yes." Shifting to a much softer tone, she lays her head back on his shoulder and sighs adding, "However, I also was able to feel how he felt once he regained control over his senses, he felt such immense shame and guilt for taking their lives that it even caused me to nearly choke on it. He bears such a heavy burden on his shoulders that it is almost too much for just one pony to bear alone, no matter how much it might be warranted or deserved. Please cut him some slack dear...for me?"

His wife's words touch him deeply, making him sigh and give in, saying, "Alright, I will do my best to not interfere, but if he breaks her heart...I will beat him black and blue."

Pulling back and kissing him on the lips, she then says with a smile and a vicious glint in her eye, "If he does that, I will even help you."

A cold shiver races up your spine, causing you to reflexively rise onto your back hooves and press your underbelly against Twilight's.

Feeling something amiss at the sudden shiver and change of posture, Twilight asks you, "What's wrong?"

You look around and only see happy faces on the ponies, saying with a sigh as you adjust to a slightly more intimate slow dance, "Oh it just felt like someone wanted to beat me within an inch of my life."

Giggling, she wraps her front hooves around you as you both dance belly to belly, saying, "Oh that was probably just my brother seeing us dancing like this, I will have a talk with him later, so don't worry about it too much."

Once the party comes to an end, Celestia and Luna watch Cadance and Shining Armor head towards their chariot as Celestia turns to her sister and asks, "So what was so important that had you teleport away during the middle of the day?"

Gasping at being reminded of it, Luna turns to her sister and leans into her ear, speaking in an excited whisper, "OH! I received the most curious report from a patrol I sent to investigate the Frozen North suggesting that life might be returning to it."

Her eyes go wide as she whispers back, "Truly?! Were you able to confirm this?"

A smirk crosses her face as she then nods, saying in a quiet tone, "I was indeed, I flew to the site of an interesting observation the patrol made while searching the area. What I found there shocked me beyond words. I had to fly through the harsh lands of the banished empire, but when I arrived...I thought I was seeing a mirage. When I tried various methods to correct my sight, it was still there. So I walked up to the small meadow and used my magic to scan for any fowl play, but couldn't find any dark magic or any spell making it appear. Curious with learning that, I stepped into the meadow and was shocked when I felt much warmer than I was outside the meadow. Unable to explain that, I tore off a blade of grass. I examined it with my magic and found nothing once again, the grass was completely natural and safe to eat. There were wild flowers there too that were also safe to eat, though what later caught my attention...was that there was a young tree growing at the very center of the slightly sunny meadow."

Celestia's eyes are the size of dinner plates as she says in a gentle tone, "Impossible... How can there be any light at all in the Frozen North? It is inhabited solely by wild creatures and the windigoes that drove ponykind out several millenia ago."

Nodding at her sister, she says, "I'm getting there, sister, have a little patience." Continuing her tale, she says, "After nearly exhausting all my magic to carefully scan the tree, I discovered that it absorbs the snow from around it as well as the bitter cold surrounding it. I also learned that it only relied on the sun to proliferate, though it was the tree's appearance that captivated me the most." Looking around to see where you are, she spots you beside Twilight as she talks to her brother and says, "The bark that protects the tree is the color of fresh fallen snow, having light blue leaves that glitter in the light with vibrant violet star-shaped flowers with five long petals having a red center. The most interesting thing about the tree is that it thrives on negative emotions, the inner part of the tree is also quite intriguing, care to take a guess?"

She tries to think of a good guess and tries, "Ice?"

Luna shakes her head and says, "No, it is a solid piece of living crystal. Who do we know that arrived in the Frozen North and made presents out of crystal?"

Gasping at the obvious answer, she turns her eyes towards you and says softly, "Arthas..." She then turns to her sister and says, "We must figure out what he did to create that Weeping Willow."

Smiling at her sister, she says, "Already figured that out too, want to know what created it?"

Nodding eagerly, she says, "I'm dying to know, please tell me!"

Her smile softens as she turns to look at you, saying in a soft tone to her sister, "A single tear containing the deepest sorrow belonging to Arthas, helped along by the spirits of nature." Recalling the moment she left, she says thoughtfully, "Just before I left to return to Canterlot for the wedding, I swore I could hear somepony nearby weeping softly. I looked all around, but couldn't find the source of the sound. Maybe the wind was playing tricks on me, I was a little tired after all."

Celestia turns to look in your direction and smiles saying, "I am not sure, but we should investigate it more thoroughly."

As you watch Cadance stick her head out the window and throw the bouquet, you watch it sail in your direction and pass just overhead. Watching it continue on toward a group of mares behind you, you watch as Rarity pushes the others aside to claim the bouquet greedily. The sight of Rarity getting violent makes you laugh out loud, saying, "HAHAHA! Best wedding ever..."

Twilight watches the chariot leave, saying, "Now this...was a great wedding."

Spike then pounces on Pinkie's mane and says, "Oh yeah? Just wait until the bachelor party!"

As soon as you hear that, everyone bursts out laughing, including you as you find breath to say, "Spike, don't you know that Bachelor parties are supposed to happen...before the wedding?"

He blinks as the information sinks in, then says, "Aww man, I messed up!"

You watch as he starts to pout and chuckle, saying, "Don't worry Spike, I'm sure that you will have another chance someday. Who knows, maybe you might get the chance at one of the girls' weddings. My bet is on Rarity for getting married next since she caught the bouquet."

Rainbow sniggers at that and says, "More like seized it for some fashion violation..."

The others burst out into another fit of giggles at how Rarity splutters and tries to defend herself, and turn your eyes to Twilight, saying, "Shall we all make our way to our rooms for some sleep after this crazy couple of weeks?"

Nodding their heads in agreement as a couple others use their voices to say yes, you hear Rarity yawn behind her hoof and chuckle, saying, "Let's start heading to our rooms then before we fall asleep on our hooves."

Twilight walks beside you as her shoulder lightly brushes against yours, saying in a gentle tone, "I'm looking forward to when our first date is going to be."

Turning your head to look at her, you notice how the others backed off a little as Spike lies asleep on top of Rarity's back and chuckle at the sight before returning your gaze to Twilight and answering, "I will do my best to make it something you will remember fondly in the years to come."

When the time comes for you two to head to different rooms, Twilight sees you open a door and stop just outside it. Realizing how close your room is to hers, she stands beside her open door and looks inside to see how big and empty it is inside. With Rarity taking Spike to her room for the night, she realizes that she doesn't want to be alone tonight and uses her hoof to fidget with one of the floor tiles, asking nervously, "Uhm...would you be okay with me spending the night with you?"

Pushing the door open fully with a back hoof, you bow to her and then hold your hoof out towards her for her to take, saying, "I would be delighted to have your company tonight, lady Twilight."

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she pulls her door closed and walks towards you with her tail between her legs and a blush on her cheeks. Taking your offered right hoof with her left, she says nervously, "T-Thank you, I-I don't feel like being on my own in a large room tonight."

Turning towards your room, you begin guiding Twilight inside, saying, "One tends to get lonely without having the certain someone around that they are growing closer to, don't you agree?"

Getting your meaning, she smiles and steps into your room as you close the door, nodding her head and leaning herself up against your side, saying in an affectionate tone, "Are you planning on returning to Ponyville anytime soon? I love the tree library I'm staying in, but it has started to feel strange without you there with me."

You bump your flank against hers and say, "I didn't realize you had grown fond of me always reading over your shoulder."

She bumps you right back with a giggle and says, "A bit, you grew on me like moss on a tree, or like a mushroom growing on a fallen log that is rotting into the ground."

Stopping at the side of your bed, you turn to face her and say, "I can't smell like a corpse because I bathed myself the other day."

Looking into your eyes with a smirk on her face, she says, "Oh? A little birdie told me that a pony had to drag you into a bath because of how bad you smelled."

Feeling cornered, you back up and hit the edge of the bed, saying in your defense, "I couldn't help that, I was chased all around Canterlot and Ponyville by mares during their cycles. Thanks to that experience, I am quite familiar to how prey feels when it is being hunted."

Stepping forward, she rests her head against your neck, saying, "I know, Celestia filled me in on how she 'punished' you. I feel like that was a little bit overboard as punishment, but I won't judge her because I do the same thing whenever I yank on your ear. Now stop avoiding my question, please."

Sighing at how smart she is, you put your foreleg around her neck and answer her honestly, saying, "I was beginning to think that learning some non-combat magic might prove quite useful in a tight situation, and I couldn't think of anypony besides you I would wish to teach me. So would you mind if I crashed at your place for a while during our time together?"

Almost squealing with delight, Twilight wraps her forehooves around your neck and squeezes tightly, saying, "Thank you, you have just made my day. Just to forewarn you, I will be strict with teaching you what I have learned." Feeling a little bold, she holds you close and teleports the both of you to the bed, casting another spell that removes, cleans, and puts your outfit away.

Not wanting to let the atmosphere to lose the romance, you pull your head back while sliding the covers towards the foot of the bed and place your lips against Twilight's.

Taking a surprised breath, she closes her eyes and keeps her lips against yours for a moment until she feels your tongue brush against her lips. Parting her lips and opening her mouth, she feels your tongue slip past her teeth and presses her tongue against yours.

As you curl your tongue around hers, you pull her into your side of the bed with your hooves. Sliding the covers over the both of you, you turn onto your side and pull your head back, saying, "Now you can remember a kiss fondly, let's catch some sleep before heading back to Ponyville tomorrow."

Brushing her nose against yours affectionately, she feels lighter than air as she turns around and presses her back into your stomach, saying, "I've missed you, Arthas." Letting herself bask in your warmth once more, she quickly drifts off into a peaceful slumber.

After falling asleep with Twilight nestled against you, you begin to dream about your time with Jaina. Still in love with her, you feel a tremendous amount of guilt for how you two separated. Tossing and turning due to your dreaming, you sigh and say in your sleep, "Sorry...Jaina."

Meanwhile, back in Azeroth...

Lady Jaina Proudmoore sleeps in her bed at Proudmoore Keep in Boralus, Kul Tiras, finding it difficult to get a good night's sleep due to dreams about Arthas plaguing her. As tears slip from her eyes, she clutches the pillow close to her face and weeps into it when she hears a familiar voice whisper into her ear, saying, "Sorry...Jaina."

The whisper startles her awake, making her shoot upright and look around with puffy eyes, asking in a slightly hopeful tone, "Arthas?" Seeing her room empty, she sighs heavily at there being no one there and berates herself, saying, "I can't believe that I still hope his ghost will be at the foot of the bed."

The door opens suddenly to reveal her mother standing there with a concerned look on her face, asking, "You haven't been sleeping well these past several nights, what is bothering you?" Closing the door, she then walks over and sits on the edge of the bed.

Sighing heavily, she brushes her long hair out of the way and says, "I have been dreaming about Arthas these past sleepless nights. Even though I saw his soul vanish before my very eyes, I wake up hoping that his ghost will be at the foot of my bed. Why can't I stop thinking about him when I know that he is dead, is there something wrong with me Mother?"

Katherine places a hand on her daughter's back, smiling at her lovingly and saying, "Arthas was your first true love sweetie, and a lady's first true love is always the strongest. You will feel their absence more strongly after they are gone, I still dream about your father. There is nothing wrong with you, your heart is just not ready to accept another into your life."

She reaches for her mother and pulls her into a hug, saying, "I am sorry for feeling so weak, Mother, but I don't think I will ever be willing to court another."

She lets out a heavy sigh, saying, "And here I am, still hoping that someday you will make me a grandmother..."

A soft chuckle escapes Jaina's lips as she says, "I don't think that it will happen anytime soon, but I really wish that there was a way to find him..."

Having been watching Jaina Proudmoore for the past few weeks due to her searching for a more reliable way of saving your soul, she smirks at hearing what the younger woman said and chuckles, saying, "What a curious thing to say..." and begins thinking on her wish while she paces back and forth in thought.

It takes her a few moments before she turns back to the second mirror that shows Jaina and sees her take something from the nightstand beside the bed and hold it before her with a fond smile on her face. Curious, she adjusts the image to get a better look and sees that what she is holding is a locket with an image of her leading Arthas out of a shop, able to detect a very strong attachment to the locket.

As Versa examines the locket closely, she giggles as an idea pops into her head, saying, "That will work perfectly..." She then sets to work and prepares to summon the locket to her when she spots Jaina hold it close to her chest and drifts off to sleep.

She makes a few attempts to take the locket from her hands, but fails each time due to how tightly Jaina clutches it, causing her to huff in annoyance, saying, "If you would only lighten your grip a smidge, I would give you the chance to visit your prince!"

Jaina's hand loosens ever so slightly as she rolls onto her side, sighing happily as she softly mumbles, "My prince..."

Getting the chance she has been waiting for, she plucks the locket from her hand and double checks the locket to make sure that it is capable of holding her enchantment. Once she examines the locket for a third time, she nods and says, "This will work out just perfectly...time to put my idea into motion."

A few hours pass as something feels off to Jaina, who subconsciously searches for the locket she was holding. As she fails to find it, she wakes up and rubs her eyes tiredly, groaning, "Now where did it disappear to, I remember that I fell asleep holding it..."

Doing her best to put the final touches on the enchantment, Versa huffs saying, "Jeez, I can't believe how precious this locket is to you." When she finishes the enchantment, she watches as Jaina frantically begins to tear the bed apart to find the locket she lost and waits for the perfect time to return it without being noticed.

Spotting one more pillow still in place, Jaina grips it fearfully and yanks it away to find the locket lying underneath it. Seeing the locket lying there causes her to let out a relieved sigh, saying, "That's where you wound up..." Picking it up with her hand, she pulls it to her chest and says, "I don't ever want to lose you again."

Watching her put it around her neck, she waits on her couch anxiously for her to activate the enchantment, saying, "I'm glad that I made the trigger simple or I would be waiting forever, but still...it is taking longer than usual for her to do it without me providing any hints of its existence."

As she prepares to go back asleep, she lays her fingertips upon the locket and thinks about her prince, saying sleepily, "I wish I knew where you were now...my prince."

The enchantment activates and sends her to Versa's dimension, who lays upon her couch with a smile and waits for her new guest to rouse herself.

Only a few moments pass when Jaina feels that something is amiss, causing her to slowly wake and sit up to look around. When she finds herself somewhere else entirely, she gasps and reaches for her staff, only to find that it is not there. Searching for her staff, she spots a strange, pony-like creature lying upon a couch having a pair of wings and a unicorn horn on her forehead. A closer look tells her that it is a female having a pure white coat with light pink eyes and an ethereal, flowing mane and tail with swirling black, purple, red, yellow, and blue hues with white specks traveling throughout her mane and tail. Shocked at seeing such a strange creature, she looks around, asking, "Where am I?"

With a smile, she chuckles lightly as her guest's head spins around to face her, saying, "You are in my personal dimension where I watch over others."

Looking at the talking pony with wide, curious eyes, she says, "Okay, so does that make you a watcher?"

Figuring out what she is trying to understand, she says, "Of sorts, yes, but before you assume anything, I am not one of the Titans that watch over your world. I am much older than those children, though I am quite proud of how they locked away my mistakes."

Gasping at the clues forming a picture, she says, "You know of the old gods?! Why did you create them?"

Groaning at having the question asked, she answers, "I was made a fool of by another cosmic being, which is where I am going to leave it and say no more as we are getting off topic. Your time here with me is short, so I shall tell you that it was I who brought you here with an enchantment I placed upon your locket you hold so dear. Forgive me for 'borrowing it' while you slept, but I heard your wish and desire to help you."

Rising to her feet, she subconsciously reaches up to her locket with both hands, saying, "So that is why I had trouble finding it, thank you for returning it to me." Desperation seeps into her voice as she hastily asks, "What do you know about my prince?!"

Looking at her standing before her in a light nightgown with no slippers on her feet, she says, "I know quite a bit about him, though he is proving to be quite the hassle for me to babysit. So I had to find a way to ease the burden of dealing with him, so I have decided to turn to you for assistance. Will you help me out?"

Her heart jumps for joy at the chance, taking over and making her say, "OF COURSE! PLEASE TAKE ME TO WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW!"

She giggles at her enthusiasm and looks her up and down, saying, "I would do that, but your attire might not be appropriate to be seen out in public like that."

Looking down at herself, she chuckles at seeing herself in just her night dress and her hair looking like a rat's nest, saying, "I would have to agree with you on that as I am Lord Admiral and a daughter of house Proudmoore." She then asks, "Would you be so kind as to send me back so that I can make myself presentable?"

Nodding her head with a smile, she opens up a small portal and says, "Don't take too long to prepare, for I must get back to the annoying duty of babysitting that prince of yours."

Jaina nods curtly and then hustles through the portal, finding herself back in her room. Feeling rather giddy, a wide smile crosses her face as she thinks, 'My prince is alive somewhere else! I can't believe how wonderful this opportunity is, but what should I wear...'

Versa closes the portal as she watches Jaina rush around her room, rummaging through her numerous wardrobes for a particular outfit. Chuckling to herself about how she is acting like a young person in love, she watches as she stands in front of the mirror and begins to wrestle with the tangles in her long hair.

As she breaks the handle off another brush due to how furiously she brushes, she curses at chucks it aside and grabs one of her best brushes, saying, "Ugh, this hair is so unruly this morning..."

Once she finishes braiding her hair, she stands before the mirror and looks herself over. Seeing herself in an outfit she hasn't worn since Stratholme, she sighs and wonders, 'Oh...is this really the right outfit to wear when I go find my prince?' Turning around in the mirror, she looks herself over and second-guesses her choice saying, "Ugh, this thing is so tight on me now, I can barely breathe. How was my waist and chest so small back then? I should let my mother know I am heading somewhere so she doesn't worry."

With time running shorter, Versa waits for her to finish her letter before pulling her into her dimension with an amused chuckle as Jaina tries to ask to go back to find something different, saying, "Apologies, but that will have to do as time is far too short now to permit that. I do need to redo the enchantment on your locket so that you can travel back and forth at will. Can I see it for a moment, Lady Jaina?"

With her staff in her right hand, she reflexively puts her left hand over the locket protectively for a few moments before sighing and nodding, asking, "Please be careful with it, I don't know what I would do if I should ever lose my only reminder of my prince."

As she watches her remove the locket from her neck carefully, she takes it from her with her magic and holds it before her in a hoof to change the enchantment.

Jaina watches nervously as her locket is returned to her and asks, "It is done? How do I work the enchantment?"

Versa smiles and says, "To activate the enchantment, just think of where you want to go while placing your hand over it and channeling a little magic into it. You will then be able to teleport from the world your prince is, and yours, but keep in mind that the enchantment requires an hour to recharge and that you will return to the exact spot you left the previous location. So make sure that you are in a safe place before activating the enchantment."

As she bows her head to the powerful, gracious being, she says, "Thank you for being so kind and generous, I will not soon forget it." She then goes to place her hand on the locket and begin her search.

Hastily needing to stop her, she says, "HOLD ON! HOLD ON FOR A MOMENT!" She then sighs in relief as she puts her hand down and says, "I am not quite finished with you yet young lady. If you are to find your prince, you must have another form to take as that world is inhabited by sentient creatures similar to myself. The more common of the races are ponies, though there are others such as dogs, buffalo, gryphons, dragons, changelings, minotaurs, kirins, seaponies, hippogryphs, windigoes, serpents, and a few others. Which one would you prefer?"

Not having to think about it, she says, "I would like to be whatever race my prince is."

Nodding, she says, "Very well then, you shall be a pony mare. There are three sub-races for the ponies, the Earth Pony, Pegasi Pony, and Unicorn Pony. Do you have a preference as to which race you would want?"

Thinking the choice over, she then says, "Uhm, it would be nice if I was able to use magic."

Acknowledging her answer, she nods and says, "Very well, may I see your locket one final time?"

Removing her locket, she holds it out toward her, saying, "Of course, what all can you tell me about my prince?"

Taking her locket from her carefully, she begins to add a second enchantment to it, saying, "Well, he knows his previous name as well as remembering everything he's done in the past, however, he prefers to go by Blistering Blizzard these days." Finishing her work, she floats the locket back to her and opens a portal back to her room, saying, "You can change between forms at will by thinking of which form you desire while again placing your hand over it and channeling magic into it. When you take your pony form, your clothes and belongings will be stored in a separate dimension you have free access to through using your magic, but will return to your body when you change back so you won't wind up in your birthday suit. So you know, the satchel you carry will become a pair of saddlebags upon becoming a pony, and if you should ever need your staff, you will have to open your personal storage to retrieve it as a pony. Our time is nearly at its end, so I won't have time to teach you how to do it. As for your prince, you will have to search around for him as I won't rob you of the time and effort you will have to spend in your quest to find him." Remembering what else she did to the locket, she says, "Your currency will change when you move from between the two worlds."

Sighing with relief at hearing that, Jaina says, "At least I won't have to worry about not having any money over there. Is there anything else I should know?"

Nodding her head, Versa says, "Yes, the world you are going to is much less violent than you are used to, so do avoid trying to kill others during a fight." With nothing else to say, she says, "You best return to your room before trying out that enchantment, good luck in your quest to find your prince. When you first travel to is world, you will wind up where he first appeared and have to make your way south to begin your search."

Heading towards the portal with a huge smile on her face, she stops and turns to the pony, saying, "Who exactly are you?"

She looks at her and says, "I am an Alicorn, and my name is Versa. Please keep our meeting to yourself, I do not need the world to learn of my presence. Even though Arthas met me, he is included in that. Am I clear?"

Nodding her head respectfully, Jaina says, "I have already forgotten, thank you for the generous opportunity."

Watching her leave without a word more, the portal closes behind her as she watches her through the mirror with a smirk on her face, saying, "I sure hope she finds him before too much damage is dealt to his heart and soul."

Back in her room, Jaina looks around at the state of it and decides it would be best if it didn't look like it was ransacked, saying, "Before I go, I better get this cleaned up or there is going to be a panic."

Making sure that the letter is in plain sight, leaning against a vase of flowers, Jaina places her hand on the locket around her neck while thinking of her prince. Tears form in the corners of her eyes as she channels magic into the locket, feeling it's magic activate, sending her into the middle of a snow-covered wasteland during a terrible blizzard that has her hair whipping about her face violently.

Looking around, she doesn't see very far and starts to shiver right away from the cold, wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt to keep warm, saying, "At least this isn't like the cold in Icecrown."

Trying to get her bearings, she catches a glint in the distance and decides to head towards it, hoping that there is a city in the distance.

While she trudges through the blowing snow, she arrives at the glint she saw and finds herself in a soothing meadow with a tree growing in the center of it, sighing with relief and leaning against it to rest for a bit, saying, "What an unusual place to find a meadow."

As she rests against the tree, she takes hold of the locket she once gave to you and opens it to look at at the picture inside, saying with a happy tone, "My prince is alive...and he is somewhere in this world."

Once she recovers enough strength to push on, she closes the locket and thinks of taking on her other form. Channeling some magic into the locket, she feels a tingling sensation wash over her entire body and watches her hand as it begins to change shape in front of her very eyes. Closing her eyes to let the magic do its purpose, the sensation doesn't last too long as she takes a breath and opens her eyes to find herself on four legs and quite a bit shorter than she used to be.

Wanting to get a look at her new appearance, she recalls how she first learned to use magic and closes her eyes to search within herself for it. Finding the magic running throughout her body, she goes through the process to cast a spell and feels her magic gathering to a location on her head and stay there.

As she tries to learn how to open up her personal storage space, she finally figures it out and and retrieves the small satchel she had at her hip. When she pulls out a pair of sapphire blue saddlebags with gold trim on them and searches through them for a small mirror she had hastily shoved into her satchel.

Bringing the mirror out in the meager moonlight, she tries to look at herself but can't see much due to how dark it is. Taking the mirror into her hoof, she tries to use her magic to create enough light for her to get a look at herself. When her horn suddenly illuminates, casting the area in a pale light, she finds a snow-white unicorn mare looking back at her with a reflective braided silver mane and tail having a golden blonde streak running through them. Getting a look at her eyes, she finds them to be the same bright sapphire blue they were before. Looking above her eyes, she spots a horn about a foot and a half long surrounded in a light blue magic aura, saying, "So this is what I look like as a unicorn, at least my hair, magic color, and eye color didn't change too much."

Putting her mirror away and fastening her saddlebags to her flanks, she uses a spell to discern which way is south and then sets out to begin searching for her prince, saying, "I'm on my way to find you...my prince."

A few hours after sunrise by Jaina's room...

Katherine knocks on the door to her daughter's door, saying, "Jaina, it's your mother, may I come in?" Not receiving an answer, she opens the door and slowly walks in. Looking around to find her not there, she spots a letter leaning against a vase, asking no one in particular, "Now what did you get up to, dear?"

Picking the letter up and opening it, she reads the letter to herself, reading, 'Good morning, Mother. I am sorry to have left in the night, but I must find a way to deal with my feelings for my prince. I will return once I have everything settled, tides guard you.'

Folding it back up, she holds it close to her and says softly, "Good luck sweetheart, may the tides keep you safe in your travels." Leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she thinks, 'I pray that you find what you are searching for.'

23: The return of an empire

You lie awake in bed after a sleepless night of reliving your past and being plagued by new nightmares involving your future changeling children, which Luna found quite entertaining each time she came to dispel them. Feeling Twilight still lying against you with her front to yours, you pull out your book and try to finish studying the last few spells in it.

Managing to memorize the last few spells, you feel Twilight stretch her body and legs out, incidentally brushing her left hind thigh against your sheath and pressing her flat teats against your abdomen and put the book away before she spots it, saying, "Morning sleepyhead, time to get up and tame that jungle on your head."

Opening her eyes with a giggle, Twilight slips out of bed after giving you a brief good morning peck on the lips, saying, "I hope it isn't too crazy today..."

When you watch her enter the bathroom, you hear her exclaim in fright saying, "WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME THAT I LOOK LIKE A RAVING MANTICORE!"

You chuckle and call after her, saying, "I did say you had a jungle on your head, does that come close?"

Blowing a raspberry out the door at you, she says, "NOT EVEN CLOSE!" Pulling out her emergency beauty supplies, she starts running a comb through it, saying, "This will take me a few minutes to deal with, why don't you go let Princess Celestia know of your plans to return to Ponyville today?"

Rising from bed, you move to the edge of the bed and stand on the floor, saying, "Alright, will we be having breakfast here or on the train?"

As she starts on another tangle, she says, "We will be having breakfast with Princess Celestia if she is feeling up for it, if she doesn't, we will have breakfast on the train."

Nodding your head, you say, "I will make sure to find out how she feels this morning, I have something I need to return to her anyway."

Twilight hears you head out the door, and says, "Thank you!"

Making your way to the dining room where breakfast is served to the princesses, you enter the room to find Princess Celestia sitting at a table looking ready to tackle the day while Luna sits across from her with her head in a bucket. Walking up to the two princesses, you bow to them, saying, "Good morning, your majesties, you both look so radiant this morning."

Pulling her head out of the bucket long enough to scowl at you, Luna says, "I don't look or feel radiant at all, no thanks to my sister and you."

As she watches her sister return her head to the bucket, she groans at the slice of cake in front of her, saying, "Ugh, I hate how cake makes me gag in the morning."

Luna hears her pass the slice towards her and groans, saying, "At least you can keep your food down..." Turning her head to the kitchen door, she says, "Bring out a small plate of oyster crackers, please."

You can't help but sigh at their suffering and walk up to Luna first to give her a firm hug and a kiss on the cheek, saying, "I was wondering if either of you were feeling up for having breakfast with the girls?"

Both sisters groan at the mention of breakfast as you walk over to give Celestia a hug and a kiss on the lips, who takes the initiative to deepen the kiss and pull away, saying, "I hope that you or the girls won't be offended...but neither of us can stand the smell of fruit or juice."

Nodding your head in understanding, you say, "Very well then, I shall tell the girls that you are both suffering from morning sickness and are unavailable at this time."

When a pony brings out a small platter of oyster crackers, Luna attempts to eat one and expects to hurl into the bucket yet again. However, when it stays down, she sighs with relief saying, "At last I have found something that I can keep down."

Not sure of what to do, you then ask, "Is there anything that I can do for the both of you?"

As they both try to think of something, Luna shakes her head while Celestia smiles and says, "Yes, I was wondering how you were coming on studying that book we lent you. How close are you to finishing it?"

Smiling back at her, you pull the book out and set it on the table beside her as she steals an oyster cracker from her sister's plate, saying, "I just finished a few minutes ago and wanted to return it to one of you before I return to Ponyville with the girls."

Surprised at hearing the news, Luna stops eating and takes a drink of water to wash the crackers down, asking, "You're returning to Ponyville already?"

Sensing that her sister is on the verge of tears, Celestia says, "Thank you, I will expect you to visit us at least twice a week or we will send the guard after you."

You see Luna's face brighten up a little and nod in agreement, saying to them, "Of course I will visit twice a week, I won't let the beautiful alicorn mares carrying my children get lonely on my watch."

Luna watches you walk up to her, wondering what you are going to do when you suddenly move in for a kiss. Squeaking out in protest, she tries to squirm away from your lips saying, "Don't kiss me, I have barf breath!"

Celestia giggles at her sister's struggle, taking the chance to steal the rest of her oyster crackers while you succeed in kissing her deeply.

Huffing in embarrassment, she notices her oyster crackers are gone and scowls at her sister, then turns back to you, saying, "I will look forward to when you visit us again."

Nuzzling your nose against hers for a moment, you say, "So do I, Lulu." Raising your voice, you look at the kitchen door, saying, "Can one of you please bring a bowl of crackers out for the princesses so they don't steal each other's food?"

Both sister's look at each other and burst into light chuckles, as Luna says, "You're right...we would be doing that to each other the rest of the morning."

Celestia takes the book and uses a spell to return it to its place, saying, "We wish you a safe trip back to Ponyville."

As a couple of bowls of oyster crackers are set before Celestia and Luna, Luna smirks at you, saying, "Yes, and we also hope everything works out between you and Twilight."

Making your way towards the door with an irritated look on your face, you say, "Jeez, there are spies everywhere here."

A guard looks at you from the corner of his eye and nods almost imperceptibly to confirm that, thinking, 'And they're all mares too...'

When you return to your room, you see that Twilight is coming out of the bathroom with her mane and tail finally under control, saying, "I see you have everything under control now, did you have much trouble?"

Chuckling, she shakes her head, saying, "Not as much as I thought I would have. How did things go with the Princesses?"

Smiling at her, you say, "Everything was okay, however they both are suffering from morning sickness and are unavailable at this time. Shall we gather the others and head to the train station?"

After gathering the few things you have, you and Twilight gather the others before making your way to the train to Ponyville. As you sit with Twilight, she turns to you and asks, "So what kind of utility spells are you interested in learning? Cleaning? Organizing?!"

You spot her manic smile and chuckle, saying, "Not really, the kind I was looking for would be like teleporting yourself or others to other locations as I seen you do a few times."

Understanding your idea of utility now, she smiles and says, "Ok, I can definitely teach you how to do that."

Just north of the banished Crystal Empire

Jaina forges ahead through the blizzard, using her magic to keep herself warm. Determined to get out of the snowy wasteland where the only food she can find are these strangely shaped berries that thrive in the cold weather, she pushes on without rest and reaches the bottom of the treacherous mountain range when she senses a massive amount of fowl magical aura to the east of her, saying, "I don't like the feel of whatever is east of me, so I will steer clear of it and keep moving south. I must get out of this place soon...just how did my prince manage to get out of this endless blizzard?"

As she struggles on through the blizzard through another day, she finally begins to see clear skies ahead of her and chuckles at the happy sight, saying tiredly, "Hah...I'm...almost out...of this place, must...keep going...for my prince."

When she finally makes it out of the snow-covered landscape ravaged by endless blizzards, she revels in the cloudless sky under a beautiful full moon for a few moments when she notices a faint glow coming from the other side of the hill.

Once she stands at the top of the hill utterly exhausted and wanting to take a nap, her eyes catch sight of a city several miles away and smiles at fortune smiling on her, saying, "Just a few...more miles, then I can...find a place to rest...and start my search."

Weeks go by as you finally learn how to teleport along with a few other spells that might make everyday life a bit easier, even learning how to cast Rarity's gem finding spell when you and the girls receive an urgent summons from Celestia.

On the train to Canterlot an hour later, Twilight is frantically going through everything she has learned, causing you to worry for her sanity if she continues like this. Opening your mouth to say something to her about it, you remember how she reacted to Spike saying something to her and decide a different approach, saying, "Twilight, there is no test that you cannot pass, but you need to maintain a calm mind and not fret about what you do not know."

Pausing a moment, she leans against your side and takes a deep, calming breath and sets the book she was going through down, saying, "I am so glad that you are around to keep me from getting myself worked up too much."

As you smile back at her, you say, "And I am glad to have you and the girls around to keep me in check."

While they wait for Twilight to arrive, Celestia looks up at the window, whispering, "I know that she will succeed at this task, and when she does...we'll know she's that much closer to being ready."

Luna turns to her sister and asks in a concerned whisper, "I hope you are right sister, but is it really wise to send Arthas with them? Surely you remember how many soldiers that were forever corrupted from the use of his dark magic?"

Sighing and turning to face her sister, Celestia feels guilty for what she plans to do and says,"I know that it is a big risk to have Arthas undertake, sister, but he needs to experience what Dark Magic is like. He can only grow stronger if he can learn to manage the impulses he gets from using his Dark Magic."

Still fearing for your sake, Luna sighs and says, "I still don't like how tall of a task you are going to put onto his shoulders, if he isn't strong enough to handle it...I fear for the fate of our world," Placing a hoof upon her abdomen, she finishes, and says, "And for the future of our foals."

Placing a hoof upon her own abdomen, Celestia looks up at the newest mural, saying, "So do I sister, so do I." Moments later, she hears some pony clearing their throat and looks over to see that her student has arrived, puts a smile on her face before turning to her sister and saying softly, "Please trust me with this, little sister."

Unconvinced that it is going to work, she sighs and nods her head hesitantly then heads towards the throne room doors, thinking, 'If we lose the father of our foals to the cruel task you have in mind for him, I will never forgive you.'

Once Celestia asks Twilight to help protect the Crystal Empire from Sombra, she bravely accepts the task and asks where to start, saying, "You will begin by joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire."

Happy to hear that her brother is there, she asks, "My brother is there?"

Making her way to the throne room doors with Twilight following beside her, she says, "He is indeed there. And your Ponyville friends will join you there as well."

Smiling even wider, Twilight prances and asks hopefully, "Even Arthas?"

As she nears the throne room doors, she says, "He will also be there, though he will have his own task to accomplish. I have every confidence that you will succeed, and when you do...I'll know you are ready for the next level of your studies."

Stopping beside her mentor, she notices Luna look down at her with a serious look, causing her confidence to wane and ask, "But what if I fail?"

Wanting to reassure her, Celestia shakes her head with a smile, saying, "I know you won't, you have never failed one of my tests yet so I am confident that you will pass this one."

Still lacking confidence in herself, she starts saying, "But what if I-" when she feels her mentor lay a hoof on her neck to calm her down, reassuring her that she won't fail.

When she starts to walk away, she stops her by saying, "But Twilight, it must be you and you alone in the end, who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the empire. Do you understand?"

Putting on a brave face, she stands tall and nods, saying, "Mhm, I understand."

Just before finishing the conversation, she sends her on her way saying, "Then go, there is no time to lose. Please send Arthas here so I can give him his own task."

With Celestia pulling the doors closed, Twilight's head hangs at the important task given to her as she starts to make her way back to where you and Spike are.

When Twilight makes her way down the steps, you hear Spike comment about how fast it was, and ask her, "So how did it go?"

Not in the mood to say much, she looks up at you and says, "Celestia wishes to see you at once about an important matter."

Nodding your head, you make your way toward the stairs, saying, "Where are you going? That way I can catch up after she is done scolding me."

With a soft smile crossing her face, she looks at you, saying, "We will wait here until she's finished with you, then we will be on our way back to Ponyville."

Concerned about what is making her so down, you say, "Okay, I will be back here faster than Pinkie Pie can eat a four-tiered chocolate cake."

Walking through the castle doors, you trot towards the throne room and open the door abruptly, asking in a warning tone, "What is going on, what did you tell Twilight that has her so worried?"

Celestia frowns and closes the door, saying, "During your time in the Frozen North, did you ever hear anything about the Crystal Empire?"

Cocking your head, you then go through what you know and say, "I have heard Chilly and her sister tell me a little about it, saying that it was a powerful nation that suddenly disappeared one day."

Shocked at you knowing that much, she then fills you in on further details. It takes her a couple minutes to share what happened to it before finally saying, "I have given a test to Twilight, asking her to find a way to assist Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in protecting the Empire from Sombra's return. What I don't want them to know, is that when he was banished...he took an army of corrupted soldiers with him. The task that I wish for you to accomplish, is dealing with that threat before the soldiers or Sombra reclaim his hold over the Empire. My sister and I do not want the kingdom to fall under his tyrannical rule again, so will you please serve as the front line and keep Sombra, and his army of shadow soldiers at bay while Twilight works on accomplishing her own task?"

The heaviness of the task presented to you is apparent as you hang your head in deep thought over having to battle an evil king that took both princesses to imprison, taking you a few moments to prepare your mind for the challenge that lies ahead. With no choice but to accept, you then nod your head, saying, "I shall accept the task presented to me, Your Majesty, I will put my all into giving her the time needed to achieve victory."

Just before you have a chance to leave, Luna looks at you with a pleading look in her eyes as a tear slips down her cheek, saying, "Good luck out there, Arthas."

Bowing to the two princesses, you then turn and make your way out of the throne room hastily. Your mind reels at having such a big opportunity presented to you to redeem yourself so early, bringing a smile to your face as you think, 'I will either succeed in my task or die giving her the time to fulfill her task...'

As you arrive outside, you hear Twilight start singing a song and follow her down the path. After a brief pause, the two of you walk through the city when she resumes singing and picks up a teapot and pours somepony a cup of tea. The song continues on as she then recites the square root of a high number, causing you to be mildly amused at how vast her intelligence is.

Eventually arriving at the station after following her around town aimlessly, you watch as the others gather on the platform with Applejack being the first one to greet her. As you hear the others ask her questions about the test, you remain silent as she tells them where you all are going.

After heading to Ponyville to pack for the trip, you sit with Twilight and spend the entire trip staring out the window, quietly asking yourself if you are ready for this opportunity. Once the train pulls to a stop at the station, you are the last to get out and see Spike struggling to carry Rarity's bags.

Spike slips on some ice, causing all the bags to fall with one of them bursting open and allowing some of the scarves within to blow away in the blizzard, getting up again and giving chase to them saying, "Hey, come here!"

You narrow your eyes in the blowing snow as Spike chases after Rarity's garments, watching as Shining Armor approaches from the blizzard, removing his shades and scarf from his muzzle to hug Twilight. Hearing him suggesting they get moving and then warning them about things being out here that they don't want to run into after dark, you see Fluttershy gulp nervously and ask, "What kind of things?"

Shining Armor looks out in the distance for anything remotely dangerous and glances back, saying, "Let's just say that the empire isn't the only thing that came back."

As you watch him start walking, you look at the girls and say, "Let's not hang around then, Twilight, follow your brother and lead us while I guard the rear."

While she nods and follows her brother through the blowing snow, she hears her brother speak and look back over her shoulder at her, saying, "Something keeps trying to get it, but we haven't been able to get a good look at it. Though we think that it might be the unicorn king that originally cursed the place."

Drawn into another memory, you keep walking as you find yourself standing on the frozen waters of Icecrown's Northeastern lake. Walking forward with purpose in a heavy robe to protect you from the deadly chill of Icecrown, you walk out onto the frozen lake and stand in the center of it where Sapphiron told him Sindragosa fell. Drawing Frostmourne from its scabbard, you swiftly raise it into the air and hold it parallel to the ground and concentrate on gathering the fallen dragon's soul into the sword.

As her soul is drawn into Frostmourne, you turn your attention to the powerful soul you just collected and ask her through your helm's ability to commune and control the dead, 'I learned of your fall and desire to resurrect you, so serve me well, Sindragosa.'

Choosing to bind herself to yours, she bows her head as her rage boils within her, answering from within the sword, 'I will gladly serve you, my king. All I ask is to unleash my hatred upon those that abandoned me. Many of my flight fell battling Deathwing, they will be great additions to your might.'

As you take your sword in both hands, you turn the blade down and thrust it into the ice. Returning her soul to her skeletal form, you resurrect her and say, "Now rise again, Sindragosa, and lead me to more of your fallen kin." Suddenly pulled from your memory, you hear a long predatory howl in the distance and look around to see something shadowy gather behind you, making you turn to the girl's saying, "We need to get to the empire...MOVE!"

Shining Armor sees his sister and the girls start running towards the barrier a distance ahead, looking around to find Spike carrying Rarity's luggage while looking up at the shadow monster. Picking Spike up with his magic, he turns around and runs toward the barrier, saying, "This way, Blizzard!"

Knowing that it is the time to run, you follow him and the girls. As Spike runs ahead of the girls, he starts to slow down when Twilight lowers her head and tosses him onto her back, shouting, "Go! Go!"

Spotting a light in the distance and hear Shining Armor say that you're almost there when he suddenly stops and turns around to face the monster. Sliding to a stop yourself, you watch as he bravely attacks the monster with magical beams that the shadow monster dodges easily.

When the monster charges at the captain, you watch him raise a protective barrier that remains intact for a few seconds before cracking. As you watch shadow start to flood into the barrier, black crystals sprout all over his horn.

The sight spurs you into action as you grab Shining Armor with your magic and toss him out of the monster's reach, shouting, "GO!"

He shakes the dizziness from his mind and looks around to find you holding him back with a barrage of sunbeams, and says, "This way Blizzard!"

Not intending on remaining within the barrier long, you follow him through and stop just inside of it as Twilight rushes toward her brother, saying worriedly, "Oh no, brother, your horn!"

As he tries and fails to use his magic, he shakes his head with a frown, saying, "Let's get to the castle, Cadance is waiting for us."

You look back and watch as the barrier holds against the monster's shadowy attacks, then face forward to continue following the girls.

Once the empire is in view, you hear Pinkie say, "Sparklerific!"

Joining them on the hill, you stop and look at the city carved out of crystal, saying, "Impressive, you and your sister were telling the truth Chilly, it really is quite the sight."

Coming out for a bit, she giggles and flits about your head, saying, "Of course we were, Windigoes never lie."

As you walk towards the crystal city, you watch Rarity trot up to various things and marvel at everything. One strange thing you notice though, is that you don't see any one outside, saying under your breath, "I can understand why they don't want to be outside..."

When you arrive at the castle, you hear Rainbow tease Rarity about it being just another old castle and chuckle when she rises to the bait and starts to have a conniption. With a smirk, you look the castle over and shrug, saying, "Too shiny and bright for my tastes."

Curious, Rarity turns to you and asks, "And what did your castle look like?"

As you follow them inside, you say, "Bigger, much darker, and as imposing as I could make it."

Arriving at the throne room, you see an exhausted Cadance sitting upon the throne maintaining a magical aura when Twilight approaches Cadance happily who meets and do the strangest greeting ever. Cocking your head at the sight, you say, "Am I the only one here who finds that a little disturbing?"

Hearing that, Cadance and Twilight finish the greeting and burst out laughing, saying in unison with the others, "Yep!"

Still maintaining the barrier, she smiles at Twilight when a pang of magic exhaustion hits her. Wincing in pain as her magic flickers, she forces herself to keep going, saying, "Someday we should get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance."

As you hear Twilight ask Cadance if she is okay, you see Shining Armor walk up and stand beside her, telling how she has been spreading love and light with her magic. Hearing how her love and light seeming to be the only thing protecting the empire, never sleeping or hardly eating over the past couple of days, you learn that Shining Armor's magic has been blocked by King Sombra.

When Cadance tries to tell Shining Armor she's fine, he tells everyone that she isn't fine and can't hold her spell forever. As you listen to them talk, you hear how he has been patrolling the arctic for trouble and say, "I will take your place in the arctic as the cold doesn't bother me, after all, I was tasked to keep the trouble at bay."

Not giving them a chance to stop you, you channel your magic to teleport to the barrier, saying, "My vigil has begun, good luck to you all in your search for a solution."

Unable to catch what Rarity said, she hears her brother say that they have to believe one of the crystal ponies knows how to protect the empire without Cadance's magic. As her mind tries to cope with how you just took off without kissing her, she tries to get back to her task at hand and says, "A research paper!"

When you stand by the barrier, you say, "Since Shining Armor's magic was countered, I wonder how well mine will fare."

Steeling your resolve to fight a stronger foe, you walk towards the barrier and see that King Sombra stopped attacking for now. When you exit the barrier, you use your magic to enhance your sight and wait for any sign of the king's return.

A half-minute passes when you hear the howl, watching as a towering shadow gathers in front of you. When you see a pair of glowing green eyes with red irises emitting purple smoke, you huff and prepare to cast your sunbeam barrage, buying a little time by starting a conversation, saying, "You must be the unicorn king responsible for the Crystal Empire's banishment."

Moving his head forward, Sombra smirks pridefully, saying, "Yesss...and you will soon become one of my subjects." He then charges towards you saying, "BOW TO ME NOW AND I WILL SHOW YOU MERCY!"

Shaking your head, you refuse, saying, "I will never submit to evil again! Be purged, you vile tyrant!" and cast your barrage all around him.

King Sombra howls with pain and pulls back, regrouping in a new spot to your left and tries to rush you again.

Quickly calling forth a barrier of sunlight, you feel him slam against the barrier and recoil in pain with another howl. When he surrounds you, you hold onto the barrier you have not had the chance to try out yet.

As he swirls around your barrier, he attacks it in various places to find a weak point. Several minutes pass when he strikes at the barrier to your left, grinning when he watches sweat drip down your neck and starts to attack it more frequently.

Silently cursing at not having the time to get used to the drain this barrier has on your magic, you push yourself harder to maintain it while each strike against the barrier gets stronger with every attempt.

You feel yourself starting to lose ground as you are pushed around by the attacks, looking around to find tiny fractures forming in the barrier. Sighing internally at knowing this barrier won't hold much longer, you realize that you are going to have to resort to using your Dark Magic soon to resume fighting back.

Seeing the strain maintaining the barrier has on you, he notices more cracks in a certain area above you and increases his attacks tenfold. Striking at your barrier at random four times per second, he focuses one to two of those attacks on that weak point above you.

Not sure how long you have been maintaining the fight, you breathe heavily as sweat runs down your face in rivulets when you hear your shield break. Unable to channel your dark magic fast enough, you feel Sombra's shadow engulf you and attempt to dominate your mind.

Images of your past deeds flash before your eyes at random as you feel tendrils of his magic penetrate the darkest reaches of your mind, seeing an image appear with you standing next to the corpse of a mother cradling her dead child in her arms while transforming Sylvanas into a banshee. The image stays for only a fraction of a second, but seems like it lasts for a long minute before changing to another scene frozen before your eyes.

Sombra focuses on dominating your mind, unable to see what memories you have and chuckles with glee as you shout out in agony. Sending his voice into your mind, he whispers in a dark, alluring tone, "Submit to me and obey my will, you will make a marvelous addition to my army."

You find yourself standing before the Frozen Throne with Frostmourne in your hand and the imprisoned Lich King, Ner'zhul, in front of you as you hear a disembodied voice whisper into your ear again, saying, "Take up arms under my command and together, we shall rule over all of Equestria."

Drawing back the sword in slow motion, you fight harder against his magic invading your mind. As your anger rises within you, you battle to change the event taking place before your very eyes and try with all your might to stop your swing.

As your sword gets closer to striking the ice, you begin to cry out as you apply even more strength into halting your sword. Squinting your eyes shut as you put your entire self into stopping the event's progression, you begin to scream no in a low tone.

Cadance struggles to keep awake as she senses somepony experiencing a great deal of despair, looking around to feel where it is strongest and discovers that it is coming from you, saying in a sorrowful tone, "If only there was something I could do...please stay strong while Twilight searches for a way to help."

Twilight opens the doors and walks in triumphantly, saying, "I found something!"

Shining Armor watches his sister with an interested look, asking, "What did you find, Twily?"

Spike opens the book for her and holds it up while Twilight reads from it, saying, "Let me read what I've found for you, it's called a Crystal Faire."

The blade is inches away from the ice as you scream no again, fighting back with all you have left and feel your hand twitch slightly. Knowing you felt something change, you fight back with renewed effort as you shout no again. As you open your eyes, you see the blade slowly come to a stop a fraction of an inch from the ice, shouting, "NO!" As a new feeling wells up within you, you tear the sword away from the ice yelling, "MY WILL IS MY OWN!"

A wave of yellow light coming from within you destroys Sombra's tendrils into you and sends his shadows flying away from you, screaming in pain from the blast.

Your anger peaks as your hope remains strong, letting you stand up taller and straighter as you start to call upon the dark magic slumbering within you. Channeling it into your eyes and holding onto it, you then call into the distance, saying, "Come forth, cowardly king and fight me!"

Gathering his shadowy form again, he howls in anger and replies, "I will make you pay for your insolence!" Then begins to summon his army of loyal soldiers, watching as a thousand of them emerge from beneath the ice. He then gives them the command to attack, bellowing, "DEFEAT AND SEIZE THAT FOOL!"

You watch as his soldiers charge toward you, drawing Spellmourne and saying, "The only fool here...is you!" Channeling your dark magic into your sword, you thrust it into the ground and send out your black lightning attack to inflict pain, saying, "FEEL THE PAIN YOU CAUSE WITH YOUR RULE!"

Your channeled attack hits the large group of armored shadow soldiers, causing them to writhe and scream out in pain. Wasting no time to let them recover, you call forth a rain of blue fireballs upon the soldiers.

While watching his group being decimated, Sombra summons a larger group having three thousand soldiers, bellowing, "GET HIM!"

You see the new group approaching and send forth a wave of icy spears that spring up out of the ground for a few seconds before returning to it, watching as it races forth and takes out a third of the soldiers. With your sword held in your dark magic, you charge forth toward the remaining soldiers.

Sombra watches in shock at how strong you are and summons a third of his remaining forces, sending the group of six thousand soldiers after you with an angry roar, saying, "Bring him to his knees!"

As you use your dark magic to call forth a raging whirlwind of blue fire, you watch as numerous soldiers are frozen solid and then take the opportunity to send forth your lightning attack again. Down on one knee, you watch as your lightning hits the frozen soldiers, causing them to burst apart. Ice, blood, limbs, and armor scatter in every direction while some blood splashes against your pure white coat, with some leaving a streak along your face and across your eye, though you manage to blink at just the right time to avoid getting blood in your eye. Unimpressed with his army, you call forth your rain of blue fire down all around you, shouting above the explosions, "Is this the best you can do, tyrant?!"

Seething with rage, he bellows, "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR ARROGANCE AND TAKE GREAT DELIGHT IN TORTURING YOU!"

Following Twilight to the balcony, Cadance looks down at the gathered crystal ponies when she senses a disturbing amount of dark magic outside. While she continues to maintain the barrier, she begins to worry for your safety, thinking, 'Keep fighting, Blister, we need more time still...'

As Twilight is interrupted by Pinkie Pie blowing the flugelhorn again, she looks back at her with a slight frown, wordlessly asking 'seriously?'. When her friend puts the horn away with a nervous giggle, she apologizes and lets her continue. Finally able to continue announcing the Crystal Faire, she calls out loudly, "Hear ye, hear ye! Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor do cordially invite you to attend the Crystal Faire."

As Cadance's magic flickers again, she and twilight get a glimpse of blue fire raining from the clouds as Twilight gasps at the sight. A whimper of worry escapes her as she fights against her desire to run to you, thinking, 'Please stay strong a little longer...we are almost there.'

As you send forth a wave of blue fire, it sets hundreds of soldiers on fire and causes them to cry out in agony at not being able to put them out.

Agitated with your resistance, he then smirks and says, "I tried to be merciful, but you leave me no choice. Now you will face ALL of my soldiers, now die!"

With a smirk, you look up at him, saying, "I've done that already, so no thanks. The only ones that shall die and be set free are your soldiers!" Calling forth a larger barrage of blue fire balls, you then thrust your sword up into the air and summon a raging blizzard.

While the blizzard rages around you, it causes the shadows to lose track of you and wander around in search of where you are. Dashing through the blizzard silently, you swing your sword to and fro to strike soldiers down from close range.

Hearing the pained cries of his soldiers within the raging blizzard, a sizzling sound catches his attention, making him turn his head to see the barrier collapsing. Seeing his chance to reclaim the Crystal Empire's power for his own again, he surrounds the vulnerable with shadow and moves to retake the throne when the barrier starts to surround the empire once again. Darting forth to get inside the barrier before it closes, he almost makes it when the tip of his horn is cut off by the barriers edge, causing him to shout in pain.

Annoyed with how pathetic his power is, you call forth another freezing whirlwind which freezes every soldier within two hundred yards of you and send out a large ring of blue fire. Watching the frozen soldiers catch fire and burn to death, you sigh, saying, "If this is what you consider power, then I am greatly disappointed with how weak you are."

Scowling at being insulted, he roars angrily and shouts, "I haven't even begun to show you the depths of my power!"

Not believing him, you shake your head and say, "Don't even bother with your empty promises, allow me to show you what I am truly capable of!" and sigh, thinking, 'I am going to regret this in the morning...'

Versa watches curiously from her dimension with a raised eyebrow, saying, "Oh, are you finally going to use your special talent and earn your Cutie Mark?"

She changes the view to watch from above as you slam your sword into the ground, channeling a great deal of dark magic through it to send out a massive wave of blue fire around you that travels much farther than before. Watching the wave grow taller than a tree, she sees it instantly kill thousands of Sombra's soldiers, saying with a soft smile, "How kind of you to go so easy on them before resorting to your trump cards. I will look forward to spending some time with you one day, whenever I am finished adjusting my avatar to my liking that is."

Sombra watches his soldiers fall like dominoes and growls saying, "Just you wait. When I reclaim my throne, I am going to show you how terrifying I can be!"

Not giving him a chance to try attacking you, you sense the ancient remains of a dragon below you, chuckling darkly and pull your sword out of the ground, saying, "I am going to do the very same thing right now..." Closing your eyes and calling forth all of the dark magic you can, you hold your sword out before you while channeling it all into your sword until it glows and emits indigo flames, saying in a low tone, "Oh mighty ancient warrior of fire, scale, and magic, I call upon thee to join me in battle once more."

As Versa watches you intently, she watches your soul start to swirl, asking in a concerned tone, "What is going on with your soul now?"

Once your soul begins to slowly separate, she acts quickly and tries to hold your soul together, saying, "Oh no you don't!"

Her attempt to hold your soul together fails as her spell bursts apart, causing her eyes to widen with worry, asking in a pleading tone, "Please don't fall apart just yet, Arthas, you have come so far."

As tears well up in her eyes, she sees another orb take shape from what separated from your soul and blinks away her tears, asking, "What the...who are you?"

With your request made, you turn your fully charged Spellmourne toward the ground before saying, "Now ARISE!"

An invisible blast races outward in a circle, clearing the ground of snow and killing the soldiers that were closing in around you. Drawing your drained sword from the ground, you hold it at your side and watch while the frozen ground cracks and breaks apart.

Sombra's shadow flickers in shock when he watches a massive skeletal claw push out of the ground and reach forth to pull the rest of the body from the soil. His eyes widen with fear as he notices that the bones emerging from the ground are made of living crystal, saying in a soft tone, "It's not possible..." and turns his eyes to you fearfully, asking in a fearful shout, "Who and what kind of monster are you!?"

You watch the crystal dragon pull itself out of the ground, then shake the dirt from its bones and hear it speak in a feminine voice, saying, "Ugh, I feel so dirty..."

As she recovers from her confused and disoriented state, her memories begin to return from her. When her memories begin falling into place, she then cocks her head saying, "Wait a minute, I died after being mortally wounded..."

As you watch the dragon's body regain its organs and flesh, it completely regenerates by the time she cranes her head around to look her azure crystalline body over. Shocked at the raised dragon regenerating itself, you think, 'How am I capable of doing this?'

Confused beyond words at the fact that she is breathing once again, she uses one of her claws to see if she is imagining or dreaming this. Gasping at feeling pain from each point pressing into her body, she returns her claw to the ground and looks around her, asking, "How am I alive after having died?" Wanting answers, she narrows her eyes and calls out, "Who is responsible for this!?" When she doesn't hear a reply, she then stomps her claw threateningly, shouting, "I DEMAND YOU SHOW YOURSELVES AT ONCE!"

Hearing her angry tone, you breathe nervously and then clear your voice, saying, "I am responsible, ancient dragon. I pray that you can forgive me for my audacity."

Spinning her head around at the sound of your voice, she looks down at the ground and sees that the voice belongs to you, a strange, talking unicorn. Raising her eyebrow questioningly, she uses a little magic to discreetly examine your body's magic, discovering that you are currently using a dark form of pure magic, saying, "Am I some kind of experiment of yours? Did you twist your own pure magic in order to return me to life in spite of life's natural order?!" Wanting her irritation to be known, she breathes in a deep, rumbling breath and huffs out a cloud of smoke, saying in a warning tone, "Answer me."

Shaking your head and bowing to her respectfully, you say, "No, not at all ancient one. The magic I used to raise you is quite different from the magic that I normally use, but the reason I dared to raise you is to prove how strong I am to my weak opponent and get them to stop fighting."

Growling in her throat unhappily, she then huffs out a cloud of smoke towards you, saying, "How noble of you, but you still disrespect the natural order in raising me. I do not recognize the snowy land around me, has Azeroth changed so much since my death? How much time has passed since the War of the Ancients?"

Confused and shocked at hearing her mention Azeroth by name, you say, "Forgive me ancient one, but you are not on Azeroth anymore. The world you are in now is called Equus, and it has been roughly ten thousand years since it ended in the well of eternity imploding on itself and causing the sundering which split the single continent into smaller ones. I would tell you more, ancient one, but I am presently standing on a battlefield. What was your name during your time on Azeroth?"

Understanding with a heavy sigh, she nods her head, saying, "My name was or is Sindragosa, what was your name, little one?"

A cold sweat passes over you as you gulp nervously at how she might react to learning who you truly are and say, "Uhm...I was called Arthas Menethil in my time on Azeroth, does that name sound familiar to you at all?"

Something sounds familiar about the name to her as she repeats it curiously, saying, "I feel that I have heard it before, but from where..."

Giving her another clue to clear her confusion, you then lift your sword in the air with the blade toward the ground, asking, "Does this sword's refresh your memory at all?"

Turning her gaze back down to you, Sindragosa focuses on your sword, causing her to focus harder on the details which causes an image to flash before her eyes, saying, "A little, I saw a man wielding it where I fell." Looking back at you expectantly, she then asks, "What do you know of this man, little one?"

Not wanting to run away from your part in her life after death, you sigh and hang your head, saying, "Too much, ancient one...you see..." then use your ability to shift your form back to what you originally looked like, saying, "I am the one responsible for what happened to you after your death...Sindragosa."

The rest of her memories return to her in a flood along with her feelings at seeing you, the one who raised her not once...but twice. As her memories sort themselves out, she lowers her head a little and her throat rumbles angrily when she breathes in. Raising her head briefly, she thrusts it down towards you and roars out angrily, "ARTHAS, YOU BASTARD!!!" Just barely stopping herself from breathing fire at you, she keeps her jaws firmly closed while baring her teeth and exhaling fire through her nose.

Remaining still and silent the entire time, Sombra lets out a soft sigh of relief at not having to fight the dragon and turns to see the barrier start to fade and flicker. Taking the opportunity to slip away towards the barrier, he chuckles in a low tone, saying, "Yes...my crystals."

With Sindragosa's hot breath blowing against you, you sigh and sheath your sword, saying, "I know that you must want me dead after raising not only you, but many of your kin as well, but I ask you for mercy. I am not worthy of it, I know, I beg of you to let me show you my memories before passing judgement upon me."

Making herself comfortable on the ground, she lowers her lips while still maintaining an intense scowl, saying, "Very well, but be quick. I am barely restraining myself at knowing how I was raised and treated by you."

As her head comes closer to yours, you sigh with a brief sigh of relief, saying, "It would take a while to tell you what happened with words, would you permit me to use a spell to share my memories with you to save time?"

Sindragosa narrows her eyes at you and nods, saying, "If that means less time looking at you, very well. But be warned, if I sense any attempt to control or alter my mind, I will roast you and the shadow creatures nearby."

Blinking in surprise at hearing her notice him, he leaves his soldiers milling about and waiting for orders. As he watches his shadow transform nearby crystals and increase its domain, the barrier fades even more as his horn regenerates and laughs evilly at being able to reclaim the empire sometime soon.

As Rainbow lands behind Fluttershy, she puts her head under her and lifts her rear up while making her move forward on two hooves, saying, "Come on, Knight Fluttershy, it's jousting time."

Pushed along by Rainbow, she worriedly asks, "Huh? But I'm with foal, I can't joust, I might miscarry."

Remembering that, she sets her down and sighs, saying, "I know that, but there is nopony else I can ask. Pinkie Pie is busy entertaining the crystal ponies, Applejack is standing guard over the crystal heart, Rarity is busy making things at the arts and crafts station, and Twilight is busy searching. If it makes you feel any better, we both will be wearing suits of armor and I will be aiming to hit only your chestplate.

Still scared, she then says, "Uhm I still don't feel safe doing that Rainbow, sorry."

Looking around to see if anypony is around, she lowers her voice and says, "I need your help to keep the ponies distracted so they don't notice the failing barrier. How about this, when I strike your breastplate, you use your wings to fly backwards and into a big pile of hay I will set up? Can you please help me distract the ponies so that we can save the day again?"

Sighing, she takes a breath and lets it out to calm herself, briefly nodding her head, saying, "Alright, but do try not to hit me at full speed."

Jumping for joy, she hovers in the air and says, "Let's go put on a show!"

As Sindragosa watches the memories of the later years of your life, she still feels a raging desire towards ripping you to pieces. When you arrive at the time of your rule as Lich King, she watches your demise through your eyes until getting to the end of your final moments on Azeroth. Wondering how you came to be here, she asks, "I see...but how was it you came to be here?"

With a sigh, you lower your voice and say, "I can't share details with you, but let's just say that my soul was about to disappear forever when it was saved and given another chance."

Going over what she heard at the end, she sighs and keeps her rage at bay saying, "Seeing your memories did nothing to sway my desire to tear you into tiny pieces. What is keeping you here?"

Shifting back into a unicorn, you understand what she is really asking and sigh, saying, "When my soul returned to me as I was dying, I was relieved at hearing my father tell me it was over. However, when I was brought back, I just wanted to disappear due to the guilt weighing on my soul. I was dropped in a snowy wasteland and forbidden to take my own life or let myself die, promised punishment if I broke the rules. The real reason I'm not hiding is that I desire to redeem myself for what I've done. If it isn't too much to ask, I would prefer you to call me Blistering Blizzard. Putting that aside, what judgement do you pass on me?"

Taking a moment to think, she holds her rage at bay, still feeling nothing but disdain towards you due to how similar your life was with Neltharion's. Not wanting to look at you, Sindragosa takes a deep breath and snorts out a burst of flames through her nose, saying, "In spite of my raging desire to kill you in the most painful way possible, I shall spare you for just one reason alone, which is your desire to redeem yourself. In the event that you fail and return to your evil ways, I will hunt you down and rip you apart piece by piece. Do I make myself clear, Blistering Blizzard?"

Bowing your head to her, you then say with relief, "Thank you for your graciousness, mighty Sindragosa."

Rising to her claws, she prepares to take off and glares down at you, saying, "I hope you suffer greatly while chasing redemption..."

When you watch her spread her wings and fly away, you let out a breath you forgot you were holding and look around to see where Sombra went. Seeing him near the barrier, you then call upon your dark magic and call out to Sombra, "Where do you think you are going, weak coward?"

Sombra twists his head around to glare at you and then bellows, "KILL THAT WORTHLESS STALLION!"

As you hear his soldiers begin charging toward you, they shout battle cries for their king. Turning your head back to the soldiers, you resume using your deadly skills to wreak death and destruction upon those that won't stop fighting.

While you begin to tire from using your dark magic so much, you ease up on using the spells that have a large area of effect and focus more on killing ponies with your sword instead while frequently calling forth a blizzard to make it easier to take them out.

Sombra continues transforming the buildings within the Empire as he watches as his soldiers keep you busy with a smile on his face, turning back towards the failing barrier and anxiously waiting for it to finally fall. When he gets a signal from his hidden trap, he growls angrily and channels magic into his horn to activate it. As it activates and traps the pony inside, he laughs evilly, saying into her mind, "Foolish pony, you actually thought I would leave my treasure unguarded?"

As you continue to slay his soldiers, you see the barrier dissipate and fall, saying with a huff, "I cannot let him get past me, I must do whatever it takes to buy the girls time...whatever the cost." Calling forth another rain of blue fire, you then quickly send out a wave of black lightning to keep them from dodging the falling orbs of death.

Looking around to see that only a few thousand remain, you feel the effects of mana exhaustion worsen as you charge at another group and send out a freezing blast to freeze them in place before sending forth a wave of blue fire.

Unable to use your dark magic anymore, you finish off the last few dozen soldiers with your sword and make your way towards the crystal castle as Sombra's dark clouds surround the empire. Needing to make a decisive strike to bring the fight to an end, you keep walking down the path of black crystals when you spot a mare run headfirst into a black crystal.

Watching as she cowers before him, you see that he is still mostly comprised of shadow and continue to wait for your chance. When Spike says he has the Crystal Heart, you turn towards a growling King Sombra as he says, "That is mine!" then dives into the ground.

As Sombra travels through the ground to get close enough to the Crystal Heart to manifest his body, he fails to notice that he is being chased.

While you chase Sombra's trail across the ground, you have to weave around crystals he pushes up from the ground as you glance up to check on Spike's progress. Seeing the young dragon making his way down to the ground, you notice a shadow zig zag on the ground ahead of you when a crystal suddenly shoots up out of the ground at an angle and grows longer.

When Spike trips and starts to fall to the ground, you are torn between trying to save Spike or stopping Sombra from going after the heart. Making the decision, you sigh and begin making your way up the crystal, saying, "Sorry Spike, someone else will have to help you as I cannot allow Sombra to reach the heart..."

As you hop your way up the crystal, you see your big chance to stop him as he forces himself to materialize at the top of the crystal. With the crystal still growing and getting closer to Spike, you reach a point where you can catch Sombra. Leaping toward Sombra with Spellmourne drawn back, you drive it through the left side of his body and grab him around the neck, shouting, "YOUR REIGN IS OVER SOMBRA!"

The pain is slow to register as he watches the heart drift further out of his reach, when it and the baby dragon vanish from before his eyes, shouting, "NOOOO!!!"

Cadance soars through the sky with the crystal heart in her magic and Spike on her back, banking around to return to the base of the castle when she spots you and Sombra falling towards the ground with your sword through his side. Sorrow passes through her briefly at seeing how blood staining your beautiful white coat and golden blonde mane, thinking, 'He will need a lot of help to get past whatever has happened outside the barrier.'

You and Sombra hit the ground hard with you landing on top of him as you feel a few bones break, wincing when you rise to your hooves and back off of him. Knowing that he is going to die soon, you feel it appropriate to shift into your human form and start the process.

Ponies gasp as they watch you transform into a two-legged creature wearing dark, ominous armor and murmur amongst themselves about who and what you are.

As you kneel beside Sombra on a broken leg, you see him cough up some blood before prying open his eyes and attempt to look up at you.

Feeling you move a limb under his head, he takes a shaky breath of air before wheezing out, "Is the nightmare...finally over?"

Using your other hand despite its broken forearm, you pull off your helm and set it down beside you and look into his eyes, saying with a regretful tone, "At long last, No king lives forever, I know that better than most."

Smiling up at you in spite of the pain, he chuckles weakly, saying, "I'm sure you have, but don't let yourself be misguided by the whispers."

Curious, you ask, "What whispers do you mean?"

He starts to chuckle again, but is cut off when blood comes out and wheezes, "I'm sure that you hear them whenever you use your powerful dark magic, but thankfully...the whispers have finally stopped for me." Taking his last breath, he lets it out, saying, "I hope I get to meet my family on the other side."

As his body goes still, you move your free hand up to his face and shut his eyes, saying, "I pray you find peace on the other side."

When you lay his body down, you watch as the tip of his horn falls off and starts flopping around. Surprised to see something this strange, you hastily shift back into a unicorn and create a thick glass specimen jar to capture it.

The creature then sprouts crab-like legs and stands upright before attempting to scurry off when its escape is cut off by a thick wall of glass in front of it, turning around to leap at its newest target.

Quickly putting a lid on the container before it does anything, you cast a seal around it to keep it contained before it can escape. Wondering where to store it, you cast your spacial storage spell that Twilight taught you and put the specimen inside before closing it, wondering aloud, "Just what in the world is going on?"

A shimmer catches your eye and turn your head to look at it, watching with a soft smile as the crystal ponies' coats change to crystal and see the Heart underneath the castle hovering in the air on its own, saying with a sad sigh, "I fulfilled your task Flankestia, though it will exact a heavy toll upon me."

You watch as the streets beside you begin to glow brightly while the ponies around you hold their heads down to the ground, with the light then receeding into the heart and sending it spinning before sending out a wave of light blue magic that races outwards. Looking around, you see the black crystals are blown away as you hear a chiming sound come from Sombra's body. Turning to see what is happening to it, you notice glowing light blue cracks appear all over his body, asking softly, "He deserves a burial, don't destroy his body."

The cracks continue to cover him as charred pieces of his skin start to break off and float away, revealing a crystal coat underneath being a charcoal grey and notice his cutie mark is a silver crown beside a magical scepter.

While more of his body underneath is revealed, you look at the young colt before you with a sad smile then sigh with relief, saying, "I hope that you will be remembered for the pony that you were and not who you became." Your attention is then drawn skyward as you hear a loud burst and see streaks of color shoot up from the castle's peak and spread out above it, saying, "With that display, I do believe that the day has been saved."

Wanting to get away, you shift into your human form and pick up Sombra's body before returning your helm to your head and rise to your armored feet. Ignoring the shooting pain in your broken leg and forearm, you start walking towards the outskirts of the city to find the graveyard to bury him.

As you pass behind a building, you start to cross the road ahead when you hear a frightened gasp to your right. Turning your head, you see a light blue earth pony having a bright pink mane and tail with a pair of deep blue eyes looking up at you fearfully. Seeing her hoof frozen in midair, you gently ask her, "Excuse me miss, but where might I find your cemetery?"

Looking at the colt's body in your arm, she takes a half-step back saying, "Th-that's King Sombra!"

Nodding your head, you say, "It is, but he is king no longer. He deserves a proper burial, where can I find your cemetery?"

Calming herself down in spite of her fright at the bloody appearance of your armor, she sighs and says, "Why did you kill him? The Crystal Heart would have driven him away."

Hanging your head at hearing that, you say, "I wish I would have known that earlier, but I couldn't let him take posession of the Crystal Heart."

With a sigh, she then turns around, saying, "I will show you where it is, but you will have to do the digging."

You follow her down the street and say, "Very well, I have a lot more graves to dig for the soldiers outside I couldn't save."

Stopping in her tracks as she looks up at you with a shocked gasp, she says, "You defeated his army and recovered their bodies!?"

You pause and look down at her, nodding your head with a sigh, saying, "I did, though it wasn't easy and I will be suffering from what I had to do." Looking away for a moment you feel the guilt over killing them grow heavier and turn back to her, saying, "I don't mean to be rude, but can you please take me to the cemetery? I don't know how much longer I can go before collapsing from exhaustion."

Nodding her head, she then goes back to leading you to the cemetery, saying, "After I lead you there, I will go find others that have lost family members and tell them the news. Can you lead us to where their remains are so that we can find those we lost?"

Responding with another nod, you say, "I will do that so that you all can mourn their loss."

24: The aftermath

Once you are led to the cemetery, you look around for a spot to lay him to rest. Seeing a solitary tree away from the other gravestones, you feel as if that would be a perfect spot and head towards it to begin digging.

Seeing you head to the tree, the mare turns around, saying, "I will go find and tell the others, I will return with them in a little while."

After returning to your unicorn form, you dig a hole large enough for the young colt and use your magic to craft a coffin for him. Focusing on your spell, you manage to create a crystal coffin and a lid to place on top with a silver crown etched into one end on the lid's cover. With the coffin complete, you sigh, saying, "Before you are laid to rest, I hope that you are happy where ever you are and with your family. I commit your body to the flame so that you can never rise again. Find peace in the afterlife, Sombra."

A crowd of crystal ponies who have lost family members gathers at the cemetery, watching with sad expressions on their faces as their crystal coats fade away when you set the king's body aflame. When the fire fades away, they watch as you wait for the smoke to dissipate before placing the lid onto the coffin and slowly lower it into the ground.

When the coffin is at the bottom of the hole securely, you slowly cover the dirt pile in your magic and slowly return it to the hole. Once the pile disappears, you pack the dirt down before using your magic to create a slab of grey marble out of nothing and lay it over the fresh dirt.

The crystal ponies watch in awe at the magic you are using, seeing a small orb of liquid appear in the air that slowly grows larger. Moments pass as the liquid takes on the shape of a young pony wearing an oversized royal robe with their hoof pointing up into the air, shocked to witness a large block of liquid crystal form from the bottom of the pony's hooves.

Breathing hard at creating so much after your battle earlier, you raise the heavy gravestone off the ground and move it into place on the grey marble slab. A few moments of silence pass by as your regret deepens, a tear slips down your cheek and falls to the ground below when you straighten your posture and look at the statue.

They listen in awed silence to your beautiful singing, though they do not understand what the words mean. Tears trail down their faces at the sorrowful tone of the song and hold each other close when your short song comes to an end. When you walk away from the stone, they approach it to see what is written upon the stone in silver writing, reading, 'Here lies former king, Sombra.' with the line below it reading, 'Falling in battle after being taken advantage of and corrupted, may his rest be eternal.' As another line of silver writing starts to appear, they look at it, reading, 'Long live the king, may he reign forever. May his strength, fail him never. First in battle, last in retreat.'

The light blue mare from earlier looks at the silver writing with a sad smile as she bows to the gravestone, whispering, "Be at peace, King Sombra." To her surprise, the others follow her gesture and repeat the same thing. Looking at them with a sorrowful expression, she says, "Let's go recover those we lost."

You stand away from the tree and look out towards where the battle was, closing your eyes to pray to the light, saying within your mind, 'Light, I know that I am not worthy of calling upon you for aid... Yet here I am, pleading for you to sanctify this burial ground with your benevolent grace so that those that are laid to rest here remain at rest. I ask this not for myself, but for the sake of their precious souls so that they are never torn away from their families in the beyond.' When you finish praying to the light, you hear a pony walk up and clear their voice, making you turn around slowly and recognize the mare from earlier, saying, "Ready for me to take you to where their remains are?"

Without anyone noticing, a shimmering aura falls over the cemetery and covers an even larger area than was asked. As it seeps into the ground, it purifies and transforms the entire area into holy ground to ward off all evil.

Curious as to where you are, Cadance walks back into the throne room to see Twilight returning from a hidden staircase in the middle of the floor, saying, "Thank you for finding the Crystal Heart Twilight." then asks, "Would you happen to see where Arthas went?"

Cocking her head in thought, Twilight shakes her head, saying, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't. However, I did see a large group of ponies heading West Northwest. Is something wrong with him?"

With a sigh, she says, "I don't know what happened out there, but I watched him tackling King Sombra with Spellmourne thrust through his side. I wonder if he got hurt from falling at such a height, want to help me look?"

Nodding quickly, she hurries up to Cadance and says, "He must have unless he protected himself with a barrier, though I doubt it because of how stubborn he can be."

When they arrive at the graveyard the group of ponies were heading, they find signs that you were there as Twilight says, "He has certainly been here alright, only he would be capable of creating something as marvelous as that gravestone." She then looks around for signs of where he went and spots a trampled path of grass, saying, "Hey there's a trail leading away from the Crystal Empire, it appears that the large group of ponies I saw earlier headed this way next."

Following the trail to the outer edge of the empire, they arrive to see that a horrendous battle took place during their time trying to save the empire as Twilight backs up into Cadance's forelegs, saying, "I know that he studied magic to use in battle, but to think that he is responsible for all this...horror?"

Looking around with sorrow on her face at so much death and scattered bodies, she holds her close, saying, "I know how you feel, Twilight. Even though I know his past, I had no idea that he was given a task as hard as this. I worry for how he will cope with what he has done here in order to save the empire." As she uses her magic to search the area, she discovers that the area retains traces of dark magic being used in battle here and says, "No normal magic spells caused all this, a spell revealed to me that he used dark magic to fight against Sombra. I only wish that I knew of the existence of an army..."

You cast your eyes across the battlefield littered with the corpses of crystal ponies lost to Sombra's control, hearing the wails and cries of those that have found their loved ones as others gather the scattered and dismembered bodies. Wishing you could help them, you sigh at remembering how the light blue mare named Autumn Gem forbade you from doing anything further.

When Cadance spots you in the distance, she gasps and says, "I see Arthas up ahead in the distance, but he does not look good."

Before Cadance is able to stop her, Twilight takes off running at hearing that, saying frantically, "I must go help him!"

Hearing someone shouting your name from a distance, you turn your head to see Twilight rushing towards you with tears streaming from her face, smiling back at her with what strength you have left.

As she finally reaches you, she hastily begins looking your body over for obvious injuries, asking frantically, "TELL ME WHERE IT HURTS!"

While she circles around you, examining every inch of your blood-stained coat, you smirk and say, "My face hurts quite a bit."

Snapping her attention to her face, she moves her face within a few inches of yours and thoroughly looks it over when you surprise her with a kiss.

Deepening the kiss, you get her to relax a little as a moan escapes her lips, then pull away asking, "I Feel better already."

Hearing a soft mur of delight leave Twilight's lips as she nuzzles against your blood-stained neck, Cadance giggles, asking, "Apologies, but am I interrupting something?"

Returning to standing on her own hooves, Twilight blushes lightly, saying, "Not really, I was just really relieved at seeing him in one piece."

Cadance looks at your once-beautiful white coat now tainted by bloodstains and sighs, saying, "Let's get you freshened up, shall we?"

Knowing a spell for that, Twilight eagerly says, "OOH I KNOW A SPELL FOR THAT!" She then closes her eyes and recalls the spell, then casts it with her magic, and opens her eyes to see that your coat, mane and tail are back to their original colors.

Looking you over closely with a scrutinizing eye, Cadance sees how you are sitting and asks, "How bad are your injuries, Arthas? Can you even walk?"

Huffing at how observant she is, you roll your eyes, saying, "I think I broke my right front leg and my left hind leg along with a rib or two"

Sighing as she can't rely on her magic to support you, Cadance turns to Twilight, asking, "Twilight, could you think of a way that we can carry Arthas back to the empire for treatment?"

Not wanting to be treated as an invalid, you rock yourself back and forth to get enough momentum to push yourself up, saying, "Nonsense, I am fully capable..."

As Cadance watches you attempt to push yourself up with your good leg and fail, she watches you try and fail a second, third, and a fourth time, raising her eyebrow curiously and asking, "Could you use some assistance yet?

When you keep trying and failing to stand, Twilight has tears in her eyes at the seriousness of your injuries and can't stand it anymore. Rushing up to you and wrapping her forelegs around you, she pleads in a desperate tone, "Please just put your pride aside for once and let us help you!"

Hearing her sobbing against you, you sigh and hold yourself up saying, "Very well, but you better find a cart or something else besides a stretcher. I refuse to be laid on that bouncing torture device people claim to save lives."

Giggling at hearing your remark, Twilight looks around to see a hay cart nearby and approaches it. Looking inside to see that it is empty and free of bloodstains, she looks around and calls out, asking, "Excuse me, is anypony using this cart!?"

Walking up to another body, the light blue crystal pony mare looks over to see the pony from earlier that asked her questions and turns to face her, answering, "That is my cart there, but no, I am not using it now as I am still looking for the rest of the family I lost. Why do you wish to use it, do you have a long-lost relative here?"

Approaching the mare she recognizes from earlier, Twilight replies, "I don't think I do, but I was hoping to use it to carry a really close friend of mine, the stallion beside my alicorn sister-in-law over there to get treatment for his injuries."

Looking over at the mentioned stallion, she realizes that she is talking about the one who ended Sombra's reign, saying, "I saw that he had blood all over his body, but I never noticed any external injuries. He was walking fine earlier, what is wrong with him?"

Twilight then sighs saying, "Well he fell and broke two of his legs, and because he sat down...he lacks the ability to stand up anymore."

Nodding her head hesitantly, she then says, "Alright, you may use it to transport him to the medics, but please bring it right back so I can bury my family members once I find them. I am shocked to hear that he forced himself to show no signs of injury while carrying the former king's body and searching for the cemetery."

Keeping her smile from getting to wide, she nods her head thankfully to her, saying, "Thank you so much for letting me use it, I don't think my magic is strong enough to carry him there myself."

Smiling faintly, she watches her head to the wagon and hook herself up to it, saying, "Your welcome, I hope he gets all the help he needs."

As she starts walking away with the cart in tow, Twilight says, "So do I, and I will bring it right back."

Timeskip covering the events over a week

After being put into the cart and taken to get treatment, you find yourself once again restricted to a hospital bed. Wanting to help organize the search for lost ones, Twilight gathers more volunteers and arranges the remains into neat rows. It takes just over a day to gather the scattered remains of dismembered bodies, however, it only takes a few hours to identify which surviving member the piles of ash littering the field belong to.

In the end, a handful of bodies along with a dozen ash piles have no surviving relatives to go to, so a long discussion takes place about how to bury all of the fallen soldiers. It is decided that it would be best to cremate all of the bodies and bury them underneath a monument with all of their names written on it to serve as a place to pay their respects, though a few ponies choose to hold onto their ashes for sentimental reasons.

With all the lost ones accounted for on the fourth day, Rarity leads a group with Twilight and Applejack's aid to cleanse the land of all signs of battle. With the girls being mostly preoccupied with reparations and cleanup, you notice how the crystal ponies begin to show you too much respect as several of them leave gifts of various kinds. Some of the gifts given to you are way too much for you to accept, so you politely give them back while telling them you appreciate the thought.

It only gets worse from there as you hear the crystal ponies start referring to you as their king, making you turn to the girls for help as you fail to convince them otherwise.

Timeskip ends

After finally managing to convince the doctors to let you ride in a wheelchair with six shattered ribs on your right side, you escape to the Crystal Empire's throne room with Twilight's help. Looking up at Cadance and Shining Armor with a hopeful expression, you say, "Thank you for helping me come up with this idea, you two. In time, I know that the Crystal Ponies will understand my decision."

Pinkie Pie whines as she says, "But think of the party we could throw at your coronation!"

With a chuckle, you wince and say, "Perhaps you will get to throw one whenever the princesses coronate me as a royal against my will."

Rarity then sighs and says, "I do wish we could stay longer, but I have outfits to make as well as keeping Sweetie Belle out of trouble."

Nodding your head, you turn to the others and see Rainbow returning with a smirk and ask, "Did you spread the word?"

Nodding triumphantly, she then says, "Of course! I spread the word to every crystal pony within the city, shouting, "Attention everypony young or old! Gather in front of the castle balcony for an important announcement from His Majesty, King Arthas!"

Groaning in annoyance at how the crystal ponies have been calling you 'King Arthas', you say, "Thank you for being so diligent in spreading the word, Dash."

Getting the chance to tease you, Rainbow bows her head to you while saying, "Your welcome, Your Highness."

Narrowing your eyes at her in irritation, you say, "Go stuff a cloud." Your comment only makes her and the others snicker as you turn to Spike and ask, "How's it looking out there, Spike?"

Spike looks over the balcony to see a massive crowd of crystal ponies gathered outside, turning his head back to you and runs back inside, saying, "It looks like a sea of sparkling ponies out there, I think that every pony in the city is outside!"

With a sigh, you look over your shoulder at Twilight, saying, "Okay Twilight, let's get this over with once and for all."

As Twilight takes hold of the handles of your wheelchair in her magic, she turns to the others and says, "Okay everypony, to your positions."

You watch as they begin walking out and line up on the balcony, with Pinkie taking her position just to the right of the rightmost door and Spike on the opposite side holding his Flugelhorn in his claws. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor stand just inside the doors while Rarity and Fluttershy line up on the left side of the open doors, soon joined by Applejack and Rainbow on the opposite side.

Once Rarity closes the doors with her magic, Twilight lets out a nervous breath, asking, "Do we really have to go through with this bogus ceremony?"

Preventing yourself from chuckling, you snort instead and say, "Of course we do. Did you notice how strange some of their customs are compared to the ones from Ponyville or Canterlot?"

Nodding her head, she groans and says, "Yeah, they really stick to their antiquated ways of rulership."

With your point made, you then justify it by saying, "Yes, which means that this ceremony is the only way they will accept my wishes."

Releasing an annoyed huff, Twilight begins walking towards the doors while pushing you along in front of her. Stopping short of the doors, she extends her magic to the door handles and turns her ears away from them in preparation of Spike and Pinkie blowing their Flugelhorns.

As you watch her pull the doors open, you turn your ears back just before you hear the cacophony of the two Flugelhorns. Rolling forward slowly as Twilight pushes you forward, you make your way toward the balcony and stop just in front of it. As the crowd below begins cheering wildly at seeing you before them, Twilight angles your chair to be close enough for most of the crowd below to see.

A mixture of feelings well up inside you at hearing their cheers, but don't take the time to prolong the announcement and raise your hoof in the air to call for silence. The cheers of the crowd below swiftly die down, letting you lower your good foreleg as you raise your voice and call out to the crowd in a loud, clear voice, saying, "My humble and recently freed subjects, it warms my heart that you all chose me to be your new king after what you experienced under Sombra's rule. I must be honest with you all now and tell you that ending the lives of King Sombra and the soldiers that were firmly under his control has taken a great toll upon my heart. I had experienced life as a villain in the past, and was soundly defeated by a hero who surpassed my expectations of him. When I found myself here, I desired to redeem myself for my past attrocities."

As you let your words sink in, you prepare the next part of your speech when you are inspired by what your mentor Uther taught you and smirk briefly before resuming a stoic expression, saying, "Long ago, I learned that one must always show compassion to others, regardless if they are friend or foe. The best way to face evil is with courage and determination. You must have the wisdom to differentiate justice from vengeance, for it is a fool's errand to seek revenge. Remember to always fight with honor, for if you forsake it you shall become that which you fight against. As long as you maintain faith in yourself and your abilities, you will never lose sight of what is important no matter how daunting the task ahead of you." With a regretful tone, you then say, "In the past, I lost sight of what was most important and forsook my honor and faith for vengeance, which is why I lack faith in myself and am not worthy of being your new ruler."

Hearing them start to protest, you raise your hoof to call for silence, saying, "Let me continue, please."

Shocked at how well you fit the role, Shining Armor watches with awe at how the crowd quickly quiets down, whispering to his wife's ear, "I am surprised at how convincing his act is, what is his story?"

Cadance smirks and whispers back, "Oh it is quite a long one which I can't share with you here, but I will tell you later in private."

As you lower your hoof again, you raise your voice, saying, "However, there is one here who is far more worthy of the mantle. Allow me to introduce you to her now..." Looking through the open doors at Cadance, you nod your head to her, saying, "Come forth so that they can meet you, milady."

When she makes her way to you and stands to your right, you look out at the crowd and say, "This alicorn to my right is known as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I have heard how she pushed herself hard to maintain the barrier without food or rest to safeguard the empire until a permanent solution could be found. She went so far for your sake that she completely exhausted her magic as the search continued for the Crystal Heart, however, the only thing I did to help is spend my time battling King Sombra and killing his soldiers due to my lack of a way to cleanse them of his magic. Therefore, my actions were deplorable since I was quick to violence, my place is on the battlefield...not on a throne ruling over others. Because of my past sins, I am unfit to be your king. I step down from my position, and hereby name Princess Mi Amore Cadenza as your new ruler."

Looking over the silent crowd, you watch as their heads drop and lose their crystal coats. Needing to remedy that, you then call out, saying, "HEAR ME!" causing their heads to lift up and look at you intently before continuing on, "Do not be sad with my abdication, you have a great deal to celebrate this day. You have returned and were freed from King Sombra's tyrannical reign of misery for one, and you have also gained a new hero to give praise to, Spike, the baby dragon. With my speech at an end, I shall bid you all a good day and take my leave back to Canterlot."

Cadance smiles and waves at the crowd princessly as they begin cheering loudly and thinks, 'When we head to the train, you and I are going to have a talk, mister.'

A day passes as they accept their new ruler, with Twilight sweet talking the doctors to allow you to transfer to Canterlot Castle's royal medical wing. On your way to the train station, being pushed along in your wheelchair by Cadance of all ponies, you hear her huff and say in an irritated tone, "You just had to go and leave such big shoes to fill and make me the new ruler while you were at it..." Looking down at you with a sickeningly too-sweet look, she smirks and says, "I sure hope that karma comes back around to get you."

Looking up at her in confusion, you then say, "I wasn't intending for them to take my speech that well, you know? I just wanted to get out of a position where things could go catastrophically bad due to my past history, so I decided to leave the kingdom in the hands of someone that could handle it with the help of her husband to re-establish their guard."

Letting her annoyance with you pass, she then sighs saying, "I know that, but you could have made things a little bit easier." Wanting to get to her second reason for offering to push you along, she leans her head forward and whispers to your ear, "I hope that things go well between you and my sister-in-law, but if you break her heart...my husband and I will make you pay."

A cold shiver runs down your spine at the promise coming from the princess of love, saying, "I w-wouldn't dare let myself hurt her like that." With the fact that she is the new leader, you then smirk and say in a lowered tone, "Since you are the new ruler of this Empire, its going to need a royal family. Perhaps you should consider having a foal of your own..."

Brightening back up with a smile, she nears the ramp and hears her husband callously say, "Relax, it's just a test. I'm sure that she will let you retake it."

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, you think, 'You have no idea how much of a bookworm she is, that was a little thoughtless of a big brother to say.'

With a sigh, Twilight takes over for Cadance and pushes you along while hanging her head saying, "I don't think she's going to give me a new test..." Getting back on the train, she makes her way to the back and sits on the mattress and leaves you in the aisle with an upset sigh.

After arriving at Canterlot and disembarking from the train, Twilight pushes you along and asks a guard to help her carry you up the stairs despite your claims of being able to handle stairs on your own.

When you and Twilight head inside as the others remain behind, you notice how she still doesn't say anything while traveling on and sigh, saying, "Twilight, I know how much you want to be the one that saves the day all the time, but you have to realize that you can't always do that. What truly matters is the big picture, which is the fact that the Crystal Empire has been saved, so you should feel a little good about being part of that."

Her mood lifts a little at hearing your words and sighs saying, "Your right, I should be proud of that fact. Thank you."

With a smile, you say, "Your welcome." then pretend to be annoyed and huff, saying, "Jeez, took long enough to cheer you up...if only a little..."

Realizing you are teasing her, she rolls her eyes saying, "Uh huh, don't you have your own report to give to the princess?"

Groaning as you approach the doors, you say, "Oh you just had to remind me, didn't you?"

Pushing you to the side of the throne room doors, Twilight then says, "I'm going to report back to the princess, then I will come back and push you inside."

With a nod, you agree and say, "If you insist, warden." then watch her head to the doors and open them.

She walks in and closes the door behind her, saying, "I have returned, Princess Celestia."

As you wait outside the doors, you overhear snippets from inside when you are drawn back into your memory from a few days ago when you see yourself charging into battle with a smile on your muzzle. Shocked and slightly worried, you shake your head clear of the image and sigh as your mood sinks.

Twilight makes her way out of the throne room with a smile on her face at hearing that she passed and then turns to you, saying, "Alright, now it is your turn to report to her."

With a groaning sigh, you then say, "Alright, let's get this over with so we can return to Ponyville so that I can heal."

Pushing you into the room and leaving you a little ways in, Twilight leaves you there, saying, "Good luck!"

As you exhale, you then say, "I'm going to need it."

Celestia turns away from the window to see that you are in a wheelchair and pulls you closer to her, asking, "I'm sorry to see you in such a state, was the battle against his forces that difficult?"

Shaking your head, you say, "His forces were not the cause of this, but let me tell you how things went for me." You then proceed to tell her your story from when you arrived, then reach the end of the story, saying, "After that was settled, we made our way to the train."

A happy smile crosses her face as she kisses your cheek affectionately and pulls away to prance cheerfully, saying, "Oh thank you, Arthas, you saved me from three months of hard work! You don't know how much this means to me, but I will make it up to you."

Cocking your head in confusion, you say, "You mean, you aren't upset about it at all?"

Celestia shakes her head with the smile still on her face as she says, "Not one bit about Cadance being the new ruler, because I was planning on making her the new ruler myself." With a sigh, she then drapes her wing around the back of your chair saying, "However, I am quite upset at how far you had to go in order for them to succeed in their task. How are you holding up after the fight?"

Looking up at her, you then consider lying to her, but shake that out of your head and say, "I am appalled at myself for how I let myself slip so easily back into my violent and bloody ways, I see myself watching myself on the battlefield in my memories...with a smile on my face as I decimated Sombra's forces." Tears well up in your eyes as a sob escapes you, saying, "I fucking smiled Celly...what kind of a monster am I!?"

She pulls you into a loving hug as she feels guilty for being the one who gave you the task, saying, "You are not a monster at all, Arthas. It is my fault for giving you such a cruel task, so please blame for what's happened."

Your stubborn pride makes its presence known as you shake your head, saying, "No...you are not to blame for that, I let myself fall victim to bloodlust as I faced Sombra and his soldiers. Once I saw how he cursed his own subjects, I saw myself in him and fell into a rage. So I chased him down the road after the barrier fell and decided to end his reign by driving my sword through him, but after he died... I saw the heart cleanse him of the darkness and I saw that I had murdered a foal no older than Applebloom."

Celestia pulls you tighter as you break down into incoherent sobs, shedding tears of her own as she says, "We are here for you, sweetie, so let your tears flow."

It takes you a few minutes to regain your composure as Celestia releases you, sighing and saying, "I completed your task, but in doing so...I fear I may have received my Cutie Mark."

Smiling slightly at hearing that, she says, "It pleases me to hear that you have finally earned your butt tattoo." She then snickers behind a hoof until she remembers what you said earlier, and purses her lips together in thought, saying, "The Crystal Dragons were all slain by Sombra's army, so it is quite a shock to me that you were able to return one back to life."

Looking off in thought, you then say, "I didn't know that Crystal Dragons existed, but I am clueless as to how it happened...it shouldn't have happened. What truly scares me, is that I somehow resurrected Sindragosa into the ancient Crystal Dragon's remains." Trying to figure things out, you then think, 'Her soul should not have been part of mine... So what the hell happened?'

Celestia looks at you and says, "The Crystal Dragon's were a noble race of dragons before they perished, do you know anything about Sindragosa?"

With a sigh, you shake your head and say, "Apologies, for I only know that she is powerful and used to be a member of the Blue Dragonflight a great many years ago, then perished during the War of the Ancients which was 10,000 years ago. I only learned that latter bit a few days ago. I do know that she hates me a great deal for raising her and her kin, somehow miraculously finding reason to spare me."

With wide eyes, she says nervously, "So...she is far older than my sister and I combined, and she hates you and would tear you apart if she felt like it." Taking a calming breath, she asks, "How would you recommend dealing with her if she were to cause problems?"

Letting out a thoughtful sigh, you say, "I would prefer to avoid a fight as she rivaled me in strength when I was Lich King, and I can only reach that level by channeling dark magic. Even then, it would not be easy as her magic was strong enough to earn her the title of Malygos's consort up to the point where she was gravely wounded."

Groaning in annoyance, Celestia sighs, saying, "Wonderful, you just had to give me something else to worry about..." She then looks at you, asking in an annoyed tone, "Is it too much to ask for you to be a little more considerate towards my sister and I?"

With a nervous chuckle, you then say, " It's not like I'm actively going out of my way to make things harder for you two."

Grabbing hold of your wheelchair, she nods her head and huffs, "Yeah, but I swear that you are a trouble magnet sometimes. Congratulations on completing your task and getting your Cutie Mark, Arthas, I look forward to seeing it after you are healed."

Meanwhile, in Versa's personal dimension

Versa watches your soul begin trembling as one of the fractures grows bigger with a loud crack, causing her to act quickly when another fracture deepens and threatens to split your soul into two. Using her magic to keep your soul from breaking any further, she grunts with the effort it takes to stabilize it, saying, "Ugh...not this again...when will you stop running away?!"

Hours pass by as noon passes by and the sun starts to sink towards the horizon when she hears a much deeper sounding crack come from your damaged soul, causing her eyes to snap open and see that your soul has split into two pieces. Shocked at losing ground, she pushes forward and puts more strength into keeping your soul from completely shattering and falling apart.

Sweat trails down Versa's forehead as she stares at your soul, shaking her head at not realizing her mistake, saying, "I can't believe I combined another's soul to yours in my haste to save you... How could I have been so foalish and make such a stupid mistake!?"

The trembling gets more violent as your soul continues to fracture, with Versa realizing that your guilt has grown to be too much for your weakened soul to take. She takes a moment to think of a way to reverse the damage when yet another crack is heard, saying, "UGH! I'm gonna have to turn to them for help..."

Without any other choice, Versa pulls back some of her magic and channels another spell while trying to reach out into Equus's dream realm, saying, "I sure hope they can do this..."

Moments later, inside the Dream Realm

As Luna wanders to another dream to fight a nightmare, a sudden voice sounds all around her, whispering, "Luna..."

Gasping and looking around for the source, she asks, "That is my name, who are you?"

The voice is heard again, saying, "Luna...come..." and echoes through the realm.

Spinning around to look behind her for the voice, Luna sees nothing but empty space, saying, "Come where?"

The voice then comes again, saying, "Need...help...the door."

Confused, she starts to look around worriedly and shuffle her hooves in nervousness, saying, "What door!? I don't understand."

The voice returns, saying, "Follow...the snowflake."

Looking all around nervously for it, Luna spots a glittering snowflake drift down into view and walks towards it. When the snowflake starts to move away from her, she continues to walk towards it.

With each step she takes towards the snowflake, it moves away at a quicker pace. Soon, she is galloping after it when she is forced to take to the air as a cloud of deep blue smoke. The temperature begins to plummet as she continues following the snowflake when she spots something in the distance, eventually coming close enough for her to identify clearly with a gasp, saying, "Those dark, frozen doors surrounded in snowdrifts..."

Something appears on the snow, glowing a blinding white color, saying, "We meet again, Princess Luna, guardian of the Dream Realm."

Gasping as she recognizes the creature as the alicorn from before, she says, "YOU! Who are you and what do you want?"

The form looks on at Luna and sighs saying, "You are not ready for this, but I have no choice and require your assistance."

Luna watches the alicorn curiously, asking, "With what, why am I not ready? What's going on?"

Remaining mysterious, she smiles at the young alicorn, saying, "The one beyond this door is in trouble, but you cannot face it alone. Gather the six, your sister, and the alicorn of love. Gather them all and return with them here, for the door will be much closer next time. The dragon must remain behind as he is too young and impressionable, so go now while the night is young. Equus's fate hangs in the balance." She then calls forth a howling snowstorm to drive the alicorn back.

With no choice but to turn back, she returns to her body in the throne and hastily jumps out of the throne and hurries towards the door. Throwing them open roughly, she turns and canters towards her sister's room, loudly saying to her sister's ear, "SISTER, YOU MUST WAKE, THERE IS TROUBLE!"

Waking up with a start, Celestia gasps and shouts, "IS IT SINDRAGOSA?!"

Shaking her head, Luna says, "No, sister, it is the alicorn I saw a few months ago. She requires aid in the Dream Realm, asking me to gather the elements, you, and Cadance before returning to the Dream Realm."

Getting up with a groan, she grumbles, "Ugh...if Arthas has anything to do with this, he's going to be on diaper duty for two months."

25: The Rescue Mission: Part 1

Rarity stands in the throne room with curlers still in her mane and sighs, asking dramatically, "Your Majesties, why have we been gathered at such a late hour? I haven't gotten the chance to remove the curlers in my mane..."

Lightly smiling at her, Luna says, "Do forgive me for retrieving you all at such an hour, everypony, but I have received a call for aid in the Dream Realm. I have gathered you all at the request of another whose identity is still unknown. Please do not tell anyone outside this room this, but the one who made the request is an alicorn keeping her identifying features a secret for some reason. Now lay down in a close circle around me, and we can be on our way."

Surprised to hear the news, except for Celestia, they all gather around in a circle and get comfortable on the sleeping bags as Applejack asks, "Are ya sure this pony's a real alicorn?"

Rainbow agrees with her and says, "Yeah, what if it is Chrysalis laying another trap?"

Considering it for a moment, Luna shakes her head and says, "Your concerns are warranted, however, something tells me that she would not try something like this after suffering a defeat. I could hear the worry in her tone as she made the request. Even though this is highly unusual and suspicious, will you all aid me in finding out what is going on?"

As they all lie down on the sleeping bags, Twilight sighs and says, "Even though Fluttershy was at Arthas's side, he was tossing and turning in his sleep every night since the battle he fought against Sombra and his army. We must find a way to help him sleep better at nights, it cannot be good to be losing so much sleep as he is."

With a sigh, Luna says, "It is not good at all, Twilight. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I will search even harder for his dreams once this ordeal is behind us. Now please lie down and make yourselves comfortable so I can bring you all into the dream realm."

Once they all get comfortable, Luna connects to each of their consciousnesses with her magic before getting comfortable herself. Slipping into the Dream Realm with her special ability, she looks around to find them all looking around curiously when she feels a cold breeze blow past her.

Applejack is the first to see the pair of heavy doors in the distance and blinks a couple of times before rubbing her eyes, asking, "Umm, do any of y'all see those creepy frost-bound doors, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

Celestia looks at Applejack and turns her head in the same direction, turning her whole body to face the door as her mouth falls open at the sight of the gateway. Seeing the falling snow blowing sideways across snowdrifts half-way up the dark doors surrounded by grey stone columns with icicles running down the outer edge and snow resting on top of the stone gateway, a gust of wind blows some snow toward her and feels the coldness around her, gasping and asking, "Sister, are those..."

Turning around and seeing the doors much closer, she sighs as she looks around to see them all looking at the doors that she has not been permitted access to yet and takes a steady breath, saying, "Yes...those are the very same doors that I have described to you, the place where I first saw the alicorn guarding them against my entry. Let us move on, from how she spoke, this may take us a while."

As the others follow her, Twilight shivers when the wind grows stronger and falling snow blows against their faces, asking over the wind, "Is it normal for there to be cold temperatures and snow in the Dream Realm, Princess Luna?"

Looking back, she shakes her head, saying over the wind, "No, it's not. I have no idea what is going on with this weather." She then looks over at Cadance and asks, "Cadance, can you sense anything that might be causing this?"

Capturing a passing snowflake in her magic, Cadance holds it in front of her and examines it. Releasing it and attempting to sense emotion around her, she gasps at the results and replies over the wind, "It is all formed by negative emotions towards one's self, but I don't know why it is this intense."

Shocked at hearing that, Celestia follows behind her sister, saying, "Unbelievable...how can one pony dislike themselves this much?"

It takes Luna a little while to arrive near the deep snowdrifts barring access to the gates when a shimmering light appears before her outside the gates, transforming into the featureless alicorn from before, calling out, "I have returned with the ones you said I needed, please tell us what is going on?!"

The featureless alicorn steps forth and stops in front of the group as the much younger ones gasp in surprise at seeing her, shifting her light pink eyes to them briefly before looking back at Luna, saying, "Indeed, you have heeded my request to the letter and left the young impressionable dragon behind. You now stand a chance against what lies beyond these doors behind me, so listen, and listen well..." Taking a breath, she puts up a barrier to hold back the worsening storm, saying, "I am fighting an uphill battle of my own, and am slowly losing progress with every passing minute. It falls to you all to find a way to rescue the one within with the knowledge you have, but in order to reach them...you must go through their memories, seeing things as a third party. Once you are inside, I shall slow time with my abilities and give you what you need to accomplish the task at hand. Do not dawdle, for time is precious." Releasing the barrier, she turns around to face the snowdrift, then looks behind her, saying, "I am unable to hold back their raging emotions any further, but I will open the path to the doors. From there, you shall be on your own." Turning towards the gateway, she aims her horn at the center of the frozen doors and sends forth a beam towards the deep snowdrifts.

She watches in awe as the alicorn clears the snow out of the way and uses a strange light to hold them at bay, looking back to the others and says, "Follow me and stay close everypony, let's go!"

Watching them all hurry towards the doors, she smiles and says under her breath, "It will be in your hooves soon..."

Once they reach the doors, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack press against the door with their front hooves while the others use magical beams to try to force the doors open. Taking them a few minutes, the ice sealing the doors shut breaks free and melts away when it hits Cadance's beam. With no more ice keeping the doors shut, the light pink alicorn adds her magic into the effort to push the doors open. With a great groan of protest, the doors slowly open inch by agonizingly slow inch.

Sweating with the effort as she keeps pushing forward, Applejack says, "C'mon y'all, keep pushing, it's still opening!"

As they keep pushing forward, the door slowly swings the rest of the way open and strikes the far wall with a deep, resounding boom that echoes through the dark corridor. Taking a few moments to catch their breath and rest for a moment, Luna leads the way inside with the others following closely behind her.

Once they are inside, the door slams shut and leaves them in total darkness as Rarity screams frightfully, saying, "I don't li-hike this! Somepony please turn on the light!" When the area around her gets brighter, she sighs with relief and looks around the room to see numerous bipedal skeletons in ancient-looking armor lying scattered along the walls, some by themselves and others in big or small piles. At seeing the corpses lying all around, Rarity's left eye twitches as she suddenly races to the door and bangs her hooves against it frantically, saying in a whiny voice, "I want out! I don't want to deal with any more disgusting things! Please let me ou-hout!"

Versa sends her voice inside the chamber, saying, "You have until sunrise to fulfill your mission, this world's fate rests in your hooves. So go now...time is ticking away."

Fluttershy goes to Rarity's side as the others follow her, hugging her firmly, saying, "You have nothing to be afraid of Rarity, for we are here for you and we will not let anything happen to you."

Getting an idea, Twilight then asks, "Rarity, do you know what I see all around me?"

Looking up at her with one eye, she says in a sarcastic tone, "An opportunity to learn something new..."

Shaking her head, she looks at her, saying, "Nope." then looks around at the corridor, saying, "A dirty corridor in desperate need of a good cleaning."

Raising her head at the word dirty, she narrows her eyes and looks around, saying in a menacing tone, "Where is the filth I must destroy?!"

Getting her idea, Rainbow then grins and says, "There's a big debris pile in the corner!"

Snapping her head in the direction her friend is pointing, she sees the pile and blasts it with a cleaning spell, saying, "Where's the next one!?"

Celestia watches with a smirk as Rarity destroys the piles of bones one by one, however, some of the skeletons begin pushing themselves onto their feet and grabbing their weapons, saying, "Keep on cleaning Rarity, there are a few pests trying to stop you. We will deal with them, so don't worry." To emphasize her point, she targets one undead warrior heading their way and blasts it with a magic beam.

Twilight smiles as it is blown apart, targeting a skeleton carrying just a sword and hits it with her own beam. When it flies backward in pieces, she sends a beam at another skeleton and destroys it.

As one of the skeletons gets closer, Applejack turns her flank towards it and bucks it into the far wall so hard it shatters, saying, "How do ya like them apples?!" Turning towards another, she bucks it into the far corner.

Rainbow flies into the air and zips around from skeleton to skeleton, bucking their heads off their shoulders, saying, "Hmph, these things are so pathetic!"

Turning her head towards Rainbow to admonish her, Applejack says, "Rainbow, don't say that or ya might jinx it."

As she takes out another skeleton, she huffs, saying, "What, it's true!" She then looks around and says, "Looks like we have this just about wrapped up..." Just then she hears a heavy thud coming from the dark area ahead of them, saying, "There's something else coming guys."

Applejack dispatches another armored skeleton and turns toward the front as the last pile is destroyed by Rarity, watching as a tall, bipedal creature with icy blue skin and glowing blue eyes makes it way towards them with booming footsteps and wearing thick armor while wielding two, double-bladed war axes in both hands. Her eyes go wide as she then says, "Way to go Rainbow, ya just had to go and jinx us!"

Wanting to stop the argument from proceeding, Celestia watches her sister strike it with a beam of her magic. Her attack doing little damage, she channels a blast of fire through her horn at the creature and watches as it sends it to the right side of the corridor, saying, "I remember seeing that creature's image from the list of creatures that Arthas drew, it is called a Frost Vrykul and they are much stronger than a normal skeleton. Keep dealing with the skeletons, everypony, there are more heading our way."

A gasp escapes Twilight's mouth at hearing that as she destroys another skeleton, asking in a surprised tone, "We're in Arthas's mind right now!?"

Using a more powerful attack, Luna succeeds in taking down one of the approaching Frost Vrykul as her sister takes a second one down, saying, "It would seem so, though we have to get past his defenses first to enter his memories."

It takes a little while for Celestia, and Luna to defeat the last of the two dozen Frost Vrykul as Luna listens to the ensuing silence for any signs of approaching enemies. When it remains quiet for a couple minutes, Luna slowly approaches the tunnel the Frost Vrykul came from, saying, "Let us proceed, everypony, but remain on guard."

As they make their way into the tunnel, encountering no further enemies as they follow the curve. Eventually arriving at a vast open void that stretches for an unknown distance, Twilight asks nervously, "Uhm...is it a good sign that we haven't encountered anything to fight yet?"

With a sigh, Luna shakes her head saying, "No it is not, it means that Arthas is too busy fighting an internal battle to maintain his defenses properly."

The area slowly begins to brighten as they find themselves standing in a finely decorated chamber, noticing a human man standing in the corner of the room with greying dark blonde hair and an iron crown upon his head, holding a small bundle in his arms wrapped in a royal blue baby blanket. Noticing a woman lying under the ornate covers of the massive bed with long, sweat-stained golden blonde hair, they see the man walk towards the door and open it.

Walking toward him curiously, Luna steps outside to hear nearby trees rustle in the breeze when a whisper passes by in the wind, saying, "Arthas."

Looking around for the source of the whisper, she hears the man speak, saying with a deep breath, "My son, on the day you were born...the forests of Lordaeron whispered a name to me...Arthas."

Luna stands to the side as the others join her outside and watches him walk along the balcony's rail, hearing him continue, "I will raise you with the purpose of taking my place as king one day when I am gone, I have such high hopes for your future."

With a gasp she says, "How sad it is that he received his name from the tree's whispers..."

Not understanding, Fluttershy tilts her head curiously and asks, "Why is that sad?" She then straightens her head and says with a slight smile, "I think it is rather nice for the forest to name an infant."

Twilight sighs and turns to Fluttershy, saying in a sad tone, "I know it may seem nice, but there are ancient legends about trees whispering names. Some claim that whoever's name you hear is destined for great or terrible things, then one legend says that the one whose name you hear is fated to die young."

Watching intently as the memory progresses around them, Celestia's eyes observe you as a child outside the stables receiving a young, white colt from your father as a birthday present and hears you name him Invincible.

Observing as you are taught like a royal, Celestia sighs as she recalls how they were raised much the same way and sees the moment you first meet Jaina. Your memories continue to progress as you train your horse to obey you, then begin to help him get used to a saddle first. A couple years pass by as you meet Varian when you hear about the fall of Stormwind and begin learning how to swing a sword at the tender age of 8.

Meanwhile, outside the Dream Realm

Jaina tosses yet again in her sleep as she is plagued by her later memories of her prince, sitting up suddenly as she reaches out to touch her fallen prince's body. Tears run rivers down her cheeks as she sobs, "My prince..."

It takes her a moment to realize that she is in the room she rented earlier, looking down at her body to see that she is a pony and wipes her eyes dry with her forehooves, saying, "My prince is still alive, she told me so. I will just keep asking innkeepers if they've heard of a pony called Blistering Blizzard."

Hearing their guest toss and turn next door, the innkeeper gets out of bed and walks over to her room. Knocking on the door with the tip of his hoof, he clears his throat saying, "Are you alright miss? I couldn't help but overhear you talk in your sleep and mentioned somepony's name, Blistering Blizzard was it? Are you looking for them?"

Jaina turns to the closed door and sighs, then looks around for a dress to get decent when she silently chuckles at herself as she remembers that ponies don't normally wear clothes like humans do. Shaking her head at her own silliness, she opens the door and nods, saying, "I am fine, and yes, I am looking for a stallion with that name." then asks, "Would you happen to know anyone with that name?"

As he thinks for a moment, he shakes his head, saying, "Sorry, can't say I have. Have you heard the exciting news yet?"

Sighing briefly, she cocks her head to the side and asks, "What news would that be?"

A smile crosses his face as he then says, "The Crystal Empire has returned and that King Sombra was defeated by a pony that had the ability to turn into a bipedal creature and made their new king! Now what did the rumor say his name was again...Smart Grass? No, that don't sound right...Snore Fast? No...that don't sound right either...maybe Art Hats?"

As she hears the elder pony say name after name, a thought comes to her that brings her some hope and asks, "Um, could it have been Arthas?"

Perking up at the name, he gasps excitedly, saying, "YES! That's the one! He defeated Sombra's army single-hoofedly, but stepped down and renamed Princess Mi Amore Cadenza as its new ruler. My wife and I plan to close up for a weekend so we can go see it this weekend, have you been there yet?"

Getting to her hooves swiftly at hearing her prince's former name used, she looks at the elder pony with wide eyes and says, "Do you know how to get there?"

With a chuckle, he nods and says, "The train station in town will take you there in a few hours compared to three day's travel by road, a ticket there costs about 5 bits."

Jaina hops to the floor, asking, "When does the next train leave?!"

Thinking it over a moment, he then says, "If my memory serves me right, I think that the last train leaves at eight o' clock, which is ten minutes from now."

Pulling her saddlebags to her, she digs around for her coin and pulls out twenty bits before levitating them over to him, saying, "Thank you so much for the information as well as the room, I must get going if I am going to make it on time."

The elder pony takes the coin with a smile and puts them away, backing away so she can get by, saying, "I hope you find who you are looking for miss!"

Putting on her saddlebags, Jaina trots down the hall and then hurries down the steps, breaking into a canter as she heads for the train station, thinking, 'I finally found a lead! I'm on my way, my prince...'

Reaching the train station five minutes later, she buys a ticket for the Crystal Empire and gets onto the train, hoping that you will be there or at least able to find out where you've gone to next.

Jaina makes her way to an empty cushion and lies down on her stomach, then lays her head down in front of her at a slight angle to continue sleeping for the long journey.

She wakes up a few hours later from her body shifting to one side, hearing screeching coming from outside. Looking around, she doesn't see anyone panicking and realizes that the train is just slowing down. Waiting for the train to come to a stop, she then gets up and stretches her legs before heading to the platform.

Stepping onto the platform, she follows the crowd down a beaten path for a ways before stopping at a set of tall pillars when she sees something that takes her breath away. She can't help but look at the towering structure in awe as the moonlight glints off the very top of the castle, saying, "Wow, I've seen many things in my life, but that is a really beautiful sight."

Taking a breath, she takes a step past the pillars, followed by a second and a third as she continues walking towards the city in front of her.

Back in the Dream Realm

The girls all watch your life go by before their eyes as you turn sixteen and are riding Invincible towards a stream that's frozen over, and square up to jump across it.

Applejack watches as you and Invincible make a clean jump, then head down the trail towards a fallen log with a few bushes behind it and a small iced over stream behind them. She gulps and says, "Ah sure hope he makes it across, because that is quite a distance to clear even at a dead run."

As Invincible races towards the fallen log, you give him the signal to jump and feel him respond right away. The two of you sail over the log and the bushes, then start to come back down towards the stream.

Rainbow's ears are down as she watches the angle of your landing and winces, saying, "That's not good." Watching as Invincible's front hooves clear the stream, his back hooves hit the ice and crash through.

A loud snap echoes through the trees moments later as you hear Invincible cry out in pain, then feel him fall over to his left side and lands on your armored left leg. Prying your leg from under him, you calm him down with a little effort and feel your way along his body to find where he is hurt. When you feel down his right hind leg, you find it is broken and feel tears well up in your eyes as you feel down the other one. Upon learning both back legs are broke, you sigh heavily as guilt wells up in you and move beside his neck.

Placing your hand on his neck, you caress it affectionately as a half-sob escapes your lips, saying, "I should have known better than to push you to make that jump. I failed you, and I must take responsibility for causing your injuries..."

Fluttershy sees you reach for your sword and draw it, gasping and asking, "He's not going to hurt him, is he?"

Sighing, Celestia puts a comforting wing over the kind, pregnant mare, saying, "Unfortunately, I don't think he has a choice as there is no one around to heal him."

Tears stream down the shy pegasi's face as she watches you kill your beloved horse, leaning against Celestia's body, whimpering, "I can't believe how heartbreaking it was for him to have to put Invincible down with his own sword..."

As you look at Invincible's body, you hang your head and sob for a few minutes before slapping yourself, saying, "No more tears, it is unbecoming of a crown prince. If I want to help my kingdom, I will have to learn how to heal their ailments as well as fight my kingdom's enemies." Sitting up straight, you wipe away your tears and steel yourself, saying, "I will talk to my father and ask him to hire a paladin to train me to fight and heal."

The girls all watch your memories continue on as you experienced each second of each day, seeing the moment you meet Uther the Lightbringer and become his student. They watch as you go through all your strict training and take your oath as a paladin of the Silver Hand with your father in attendance, then head outside with him to talk.

Celestia watches and listens intently as your father tells how proud he is of you, hearing him say, "My child, I watched with great pride as you grew into a weapon...of righteousness. Remember...our bloodline has always ruled with wisdom and strength, I know that you will show restraint when exercising your great power. The truest victory, my son, is stirring the hearts of your people. I tell you this, because when my days have come to an end...you will take my place as king."

As things continue on from there, the seasons come and go as a year passes when your father finds out how serious your relationship with Lady Jaina Proudmoore are when you beseech your father to allow you to take her hand in marriage. Displeased at your request, he chastises you for falling for a girl beneath your status as Crown Prince and subsequently orders you to end things with her or he would inform Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore of the inappropriate courtship between you and his daughter.

Cadance turns to her aunts and asks, "I don't understand why Arthas's father couldn't let his son be with the one that he loved, could you help me understand, Aunties?"

Celestia and Luna walk up and place a wing on her back and neck as Luna sighs and says, "Dear niece, things were very different long ago when my sister and I were only 16 or so."

Taking over for Luna, her sister says, "You see, we had no control over who we could court, our parents chose who would make the best match with us for the strongest possible pairing. Although I have been married off by our parents, I refused to have children with my spouse due to his insufferable personality behind closed doors. If my memory serves me right, my sister got lucky and wasn't matched to anyone.

With a sigh, the Princess of Love looks down at the floor briefly before looking back at her aunts and saying, "It is so sad to hear that mares had no freedom to pursue their own love interests, I can't believe there was such a cruel practice around so long ago..."

Luna smiles and hugs her niece, saying, "I feel the same way about it, though I am glad that my sister outlawed that practice nearly 800 years ago."

Sighing, Celestia says, "It took 200 years for that wretched practice to go away, I was always using investigators to search for any violators and arrest them. I can't ever remember feeling so exhausted from the paperwork of annulling the illegal marriages..."

Outside the Dream Realm, at the newly returned Crystal Empire

Jaina wanders the city for a few hours, learning that her prince had fought against the former ruler, King Sombra, and his army of corrupted soldiers. sighing at how you couldn't free them and had no choice but to end their suffering with sword and flame, arriving at the city just in time to save the empire from falling back into Sombra's evil reign and taking his life.

She stands in the Crystal Empire Cemetery before a lone gravestone featuring a young colt wearing a robe much too large for him and reads the text silently until she reaches the end of it. Seeing something familiar to her that she hasn't seen in a long time brings a curious gleam to her eye, recognizing the text as Thalassian, which subsequently brings a soft smile to her face as she finds herself humming a mournful tune to herself.

Autumn Gem hears humming that matches with something she heard before and looks around for the source, finding it coming from a snow-white unicorn mare with a reflective silver, braided mane and tail, having a blonde streak running through them both. Walking away from the monument to the ones lost to Sombra's evil, she approaches the mare and asks, "I have heard someone sing something to that beautiful, yet sad melody, could you tell me what it is?"

Jaina keeps looking upon the gravestone, running the tip of her right forehoof along the language she knows so well. She lets a pleasant sigh slip from her as she turns her head around to look at the mare addressing her, and sees a light arctic blue coat with a light mulberry mane with cornflower blue eyes, asking, "Are you able to understand the language hidden below the last line written in the common tongue?"

Getting a look at her eyes, she finds them to be a bright sapphire blue and cocks her head curiously, saying, "There's a hidden language there?" Walking toward the monument, she stands on the other side of the marble slab and looks more closely at the last line. Sure enough, she spots the hidden line and tries to read it. Unable to read it, she shakes her head and turns to look at the mare, saying, "The text is unknown to me." then asks, "What language is it?"

She looks back to the gravestone and says, "It is a language that has fallen into disuse many years ago, called Thalassian. I had to learn it along with many other languages to assist the Kirin Tor with affairs between the other nations on a world much different from this one."

Autumn Gem cocks her head curiously, asking, "You're from another world? What's it like over there?"

Jaina sets her hoof back down as she looks back at the mare, saying, "I am, and it is a world always in some state of conflict where blood is shed and lives are taken. You need not fear anything coming here from that world as I was granted passage to this world by a higher authority and asked to refrain from killing those that attack me, however, I have not been attacked once since I have come here several weeks ago. It takes some getting used to not always having to look over your shoulder at your surroundings."

Gasping at how bad it sounds, she trots around the marble, saying, "Oh you poor dear, you need a hug!" then wraps her front hooves around her neck.

Surprised by her actions, she chuckles and says, "Well, thank you for the hug, but I am fine. Could you tell me what happened after King Sombra perished?"

Releasing her, she backs away a short distance and nods, saying, "Of course I can. I was standing around looking at the newly returned Crystal Heart when I noticed movement to my right and saw a strange bipedal creature carrying the slain form of King Sombra's body, though it had returned to its original state as a young colt..."

Once Jaina listens to her tale in full, she lets out a sad sigh and asks, "Do you know where he has gone after leaving the Crystal Empire?"

Autumn Gem nods and says, "I overheard some doctors complaining about being talked into transferring him to the Royal Medical wing of Canterlot Castle in Canterlot. Is His Former Majesty from the same world as you?"

Nodding her head to her, she says with a sad smile to her face, "He is. We were quite taken with each other when we were younger, but went our separate ways before he could ask for my hand."

Curious about the text, she then asks, "Uhm, could you tell me what that hidden line says?"

Jaina giggles and nods her head, saying, "The translation is just above it in Common, but yes, I'll tell you. It reads...Long live the king, may he reign forever. May his strength fail him never. First in battle, last in retreat. The few words after that aren't translated, which are...Even in death."

Looking at the line above the hidden text, she asks, "I wonder why he didn't include those in the Common tongue?"

Turning her gaze to the headstone, she sighs and says, "I don't know really, though I could guess that he added those last few words accidentally. Take a closer look at how the cutie mark is shaded and you will glimpse what plagues his mind."

Autumn Gem approaches the monument and looks at the cutie mark even closer, then gasps, saying, "Crosses? Why do those plague his mind?"

With a sigh, she says, "Because crosses tend to symbolize a grave or death in Azeroth, I'm not sure about its significance here though." Turning back to her, she adds, "It was nice to learn of my prince's passage through here from you, but I need to keep searching for him as I miss him terribly."

Nodding her head, she smiles and says, "Thank you for telling me about the translation, it was nice talking to you miss. My name is Autumn Gem, what is your name?"

Smiling, she then says, "My name is Jaina Proudmoore, it was nice to meet you Autumn Gem. I hope to see you again in the future."

Autumn watches her turn and walk away, saying, "Good luck on finding your special somepony Lady Jaina!"

Jaina picks up her pace and trots toward the station once more, looking over her shoulder and calling back, "Thank you, I greatly appreciate your support!" Facing forward again, she then smiles and feels like a young teen in love again as she chases after her prince, thinking, 'I feel so close now, my prince. I can't wait to finally find you after so many weeks of searching...'

26: The Rescue Mission: Part 2

After making her way to the train station and inquiring about a ticket to the city of Canterlot, when the station engineer looks at the train schedule, saying to her, "The next train will be coming in a few minutes, however it will be making several stops along the way with Canterlot being its last stop. Depending on how the trip goes, it might arrive there at dawn or around mid-morning."

The elderly station manager blinks and then asks the mare, "Are you sure you want to purchase a ticket for Canterlot miss, it is going to be a very long train ride?"

Jaina nods her head and lays down 15 bits for the ticket, saying, "I'm sure, I will have a great chance to get some rest on the way there."

He takes the bits and slides the ticket toward her, saying, "Very well miss, have a pleasant and scenic journey."

Taking the ticket and putting it into one of her saddlebags, she sits down on a bench nearby to wait for the train to arrive. When it finally does arrive, she makes her way into a sleeping car and makes herself comfortable on a mattress in the back. Laying down on her stomach, she turns her head toward the back of the car so her horn doesn't inconvenience anyone and closes her eyes to fall asleep, thinking, 'He must be annoyed with being stuck in a wheelchair until he recovers enough to walk.'

Back in the Dream Realm with the girls

A few hours pass by as they watch your life play out in front of them as they stand amidst the city of Stratholme while you and your loyal troops go from house to house slaying everyone you come across, causing Fluttershy, and Rarity to cry at seeing how awful things were at this point for your people.

As the death and destruction finally come to an end, Pinkie Pie turns to her friends with a sigh and a flat mane and tail, saying, "Cheer up everypony, the screaming and fighting is now over."

Celestia holds her shaking sister close, saying, "Stay strong sister, things are only going to get worse from here. Just remember that these are just memories of things that have already happened."

Sticking close to her sister's side as you stand before Mal'Ganis who tells you the fight won't end here, but in the arctic lands of Northrend to settle the score between you where your destiny awaits. With a sad sigh, she watches you approach Jaina and ask her to accompany you there, but declines and begs you not to go due to it sounding like a trap. Ignoring her and going anyway, you sail the fleet to Northrend and establish a base to operate from before continuing on with your quest, saying, "I know that things will only get worse from now, but I still can't help but feel such sorrow at how he must bear these burdens alone. Why does he not let us help ease his pain?"

Stepping forward with a sad whimper, Fluttershy sniffles and wipes away her tears, saying, "Because his stubborn pride won't let him, as he is also to kind for his own good. Wanting to ensure that none of us ever suffer from the inconvenience of his burdens trying to crush him under hoof."

Twilight and Applejack step ahead of their group huddle as Twilight says, "We can deal with the traumatic things we've seen later."

Emboldened by her determination, Applejack says, "Twilight's right, our friend needs our help. Let's not allow these past visions to affect us, after all, we all have heard most of his story by now. We already know what is going to happen, so why should we be surprised with actually seeing it play through."

Rarity huffs and says, "You're right, Applejack. We have heard all of this before, although without some of the gory details, but nothing has changed really except us being able to see how awful and bloody everything truly is? None of this can ruin our coats, look!" To prove her point, she gulps nervously and hops into a pool of fresh blood left behind by a slaughtered nerubian, then steps out of the puddle without a drop of the blood on her. Seeing that she was correct, she smiles proudly, saying, "Imagine this all as a grand stage act far bloodier than any of us can think of where we can play the part of the heroine in the end and save our beloved protagonist!"

With their spirits renewed, the others gather their courage and remain strong to play their part. Key events play before their eyes, your chance encounter with your former mentor Muradin, saving his men and destroying Mal'Ganis's base while he wasn't there, gathering mercenaries to destroy the boats when your soldiers were ordered to return by your father at Uther's request and then betraying the mercenaries at the end.

Things continue to play out before their eyes, feeling like several hours have passed by as Twilight asks, "It feels like we've been here for several days now, does anypony know what time it might be in the real world?"

Curious herself, Luna closes her eyes, saying, "Great question, let me check." When she uses her spell to learn what time of day it is, she opens her eyes and says, "It is nearing midnight, so the night is somewhat young yet."

With a surprised huff, Rarity says, "That's all the later it is?! I thought it would be at least one or two in the morning..."

Things continue to play out before their eyes as they find themselves watching you return to Lordaeron to the scene of ringing bells and rose petals falling all around as the citizens cheer happily as others sing together to celebrate your safe return, catching one of them in between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand.

Applejack watches you rub the petal between your fingers curiously, cocking her head slightly and saying, "Ah don't know why, but ah feel like ah should know something here... That rose petal he rubbed and tossed away with a green spot where his thumb was tickles my brain something fierce."

Rarity then speaks up, saying, "Well...during the time we squabbled over Twilight's extra ticket, I heard some gossip later in the day from some mares seeing Blizzard acting strangely in the diner just before Twilight went in for some food. They said he had a far away look in his eyes and was crying while holding a rose petal in the air with his magic and making it tumble endlessly before being pulled out of his daze by Big Mac."

Gasping as she facehooves herself, she says, "Right! Big Mac told me all about that, then I went to ask Twilight if Blizzard was okay the next day, finding Fluttershy already there and Twilight was blushing for some reason. It turned out that Fluttershy had asked Twilight what she knew bout kissing, so she avoided the subject and asked me what ah knew. So ah asked them if they knew about the 'birds and the bees', to which they both informed me they did, so I then told them what ah knew about kissing."

Fighting her blush, Twilight tries to keep Applejack from getting into too much detail and says, "I wonder if this is the part that caused is daze?"

Hearing about the single rose petal he was holding aloft, Luna says, "I think it would be safe to guess that this part might be the reason that all happened at the diner, let's watch the events unfold even though we know that he killed his own father."

As they watch the events continue on, Celestia looks at the crown lying on the floor with your father's blood staining it and sighs, saying, "Now we know why he was crying after seeing that rose petal."

Things continue to play before their eyes without waiting for them to dry their tears as you go to the place where your steed Invincible was buried and raise him into undeath.

Time presses on as they observe the things you have done with red eyes when you face off Illidan for one last time and best him, continuing towards the doors and leaving him on the ground bleeding and clutching his chest. As you walk up the frozen stairs towards the throne while hearing whispers, the girls hear them as well as Twilight sighs says, "He was determined to get his promised reward, so he ignored the last words of the friends that failed to save him from himself."

When you reach the top of the peak before the throne, they hear the whispers in your head as you swing your sword at the icy prison to free Ner'zhul. Once the ice shatters and shoots everywhere, they watch as armor pieces clatter to the ground identical to what you wear while in your human form.

After watching you sheathe your sword and pick up the helm, they observe with bated breath as you don the helm and close your eyes to hear Ner'zhul say, "Now...we are one!" when you open your now brightly glowing arctic blue eyes which emit frosty wisps of smoke from the corners.

With shocked gasps, they watch as the dome collapses all around them to reveal the frozen landscape of Icecrown. Looking back at you as you draw Frostmourne, they watch as you use it to cut out your own heart, tear it out with your gauntleted hand and then chuck it far away from you before sitting down in the empty throne left behind.

The moment you close your eyes to rest, ice begins to encircle your body as your hand rests on the hilt of Frostmourne. The girls watch as days turn into weeks as you command your undead subjects to build a new structure to serve as a castle fit for the new Lich King.

It takes three years for the construction to be completed as Luna looks upon the completed castle in awe, saying, "I'm sorry to admit this sister, but...this kind of puts our old castle and new castle, as well as the Crystal Empire's castle to shame."

Rarity gags audibly, saying, "Eugh! No it most certainly doesn't! It is far too dark and imposing, not to mention nightmare inducing. Your new castle in Canterlot as well as the Crystal Empire's castle puts this one to shame due to sheer magnificence and their elegant designs! Hmph, this one dares anyone foolish enough to seek an audience with the King."

Recalling what you said about the citadel, Twilight then clears her throat, saying, "I know what you're saying Rarity and I do agree, but the intention behind this Citadel's construction was to serve as a symbol of power to any who set eyes upon it and instill fear into their hearts. Did you know that this all was built out of a metal only found on Azeroth in Northrend? Curious fact, did you know that it is a metal called Saronite, which Blister told me that it is actually the blood of an old god named Yogg-Saron. Imagine how large the old god was in order for so much of his blood to be collected and turned into such an imposing structure as this!"

Rainbow chuckles and says, "Don't geek out too much Twilight, it looks like Blister is finally waking up because I see the ice cracking."

Celestia watches curiously as you break free from the ice around you fully recovered and walk towards the circle a few yards away from the stairs to the Frozen Throne. When you teleport down to the bottom level, they are brought along as you make your way outside. As you ask Sapphiron about powerful beings you can raise to increase your strength, she gasps when he mentions Sindragosa and her resting place, turning to Luna with wide eyes saying, "Sister, we will get to see Sindragosa with our own eyes!"

Fluttershy then shudders at hearing her name and clears her voice before saying quietly, "Uhm, you might want to prepare yourself for a real fright then because I managed to beg him to draw me a picture of what she looked like as well as how big she was compared to us ponies. I had Angel keep the images from the others out of concern for Spike."

All eyes turn to Fluttershy as their mouths hang open at hearing how she kept that from her as Twilight sighs, saying, "Fluttershy...I can understand keeping them hidden from Spike, but why didn't you let us know that you had images of her?"

With a sigh, she says, "Because you wouldn't have coped too well at knowing how massive and terrifying she is." She watches the scene play around them as you ride Invincible across Icecrown toward a lake on Icecrown's Northeastern border, saying, "You best prepare yourselves now, because you are in for a real fright soon."

Spinning around to look at the scene, they watch as your army stops at the base of the glacier. Making your way up the side of the mountain on foot, you reach the summit a couple hours later and step out onto snow-covered ground.

Watching as light snow begins to drift down from the sky, you walk to the middle of a snow covered area, you then kneel down to brush away the snow to find thick ice beneath your boot and stand up. Drawing your sword slowly, the girls start to hear echoes on the winds as they pick up and start to swirl around you gently when you look down at your feet, hearing a feminine voice call out from below you, "Who dares to tread over my resting place!? Leave at once or I will tear you apart where you stand, fool!"

The girls hear you answer her, saying, "I have heard about your fall from Sapphiron, Sindragosa. If I raise you into my service, I only ask that you show no mercy to the living as I take their world for my own..."

Not wasting a moment, Sindragosa answers instantly, "Very well, but my will shall remain free."

Watching breathlessly as you raise Frostmourne into the air horizontally, you begin to absorb her soul into it, saying, "No... All shall serve the One. True. King."

As blue fragments of light start being drawn into the sword, they hear her shout in outrage, saying, "YOU DARE TO DOMINATE MY WILL!? I SHALL NOT STAND FOR SUCH INSOLENCE, I AM THE FORMER PRIME CONSORT OF MALYGOS AND THE QUEEN OF THE BLUE DRAGONFLIGHT!"

Remaining quiet as the conversation continues, the girls hear you answer her, "Silence... Soon, you shall be the Queen of the Frostbrood in undeath and instill terror and dread in every creature that dares to gaze upon your magnificent bones."

Observing and hearing her put up a struggle for several moments, they all listen as she inevitably succumbs to your superior might and is fully drawn into the sword. With your sword glowing and emitting a frosty aura with all of its runes glowing brightly, you then relax your hand and turn the blade's tip towards the ice below. Taking the hilt with both hands, you then raise it eye-level and then thrust it down with all your strength while dropping to one knee, saying, "Now rise again Sindragosa as Queen of the Frostbrood and lead me to more of your fallen kin."

When the snow around them is blown away by the magic, Celestia looks around to see that they are all standing on the lake's frozen surface when you rise as it starts to crack. As something pushes up through the ice behind you a ways, she watches as it quickly turns into a massive horn.

Luna watches with an open mouth as a massive dragon skull hundreds of times larger than hers thrusts up through the ice, soon followed by the tip of a limb which turns out to be her left front leg with claws three times the size of her body. The rest of her body follows shortly after as she pulls her own skeleton out of her watery grave and walks out on top of the thick ice as blue frostfire appears all along her bones as a massive orb forms in her chest.

Celestia's eyes shrink to pinpricks as she watches the newly risen undead dragon Sindragosa perch at the edge of the glacier and raise her wings, then sends herself over the edge and takes flight over the undead forces below.

A shiver runs along everypony's spines as Sindragosa lets out a triumphant roar at her return, triggering another roar from the undead soldiers below as Twilight watches blue frostfire appear in every single undead soldier standing in the long valley. The sight causes her to gulp nervously, saying, "So we are already this far into his story...I wonder how much longer it will take until we will get to play our part and save you..."

Seeing Twilight in distress causes Celestia to snap out of her terrified-beyond-any-reason state and head over to her, laying a wing over her comfortingly and saying, "Fret not, Twilight, for we will do everything we can to save Arthas."

Nuzzling into her mentor's side for comfort, she gains a much-needed boost of confidence to help her keep going through the horrible memories.

Before they realize it, they observe the events at Angrathar, the Wrathgate and are awed by the sight of Alexstrasza and her dragons burning away the vile green plague all around them.

A year passes by as Sylvanas and Jaina take a chance at revenge and saving you, but fail as they realize there is no hope for either to succeed. However, things change months later when your discarded heart is found by an adventurer who touches it with their bare hand, which ultimately results in your heart being destroyed and weakening you.

It feels like it takes a long time to arrive at the end of your reign as the girls watch with tear-stained eyes as you fight valiantly against the heroes of Azeroth and nearly win until Tirion breaks free of his prison, causing Celestia to snort at recalling how you broke out of Chrysalis's amber prison, saying, "So this is why he was laughing..."

After watching Tirion charge Arthas with Ashbringer and shatter Frostmourne, Twilight looks at her mentor and cocks her head, asking, "What do you mean, Princess Celestia?"

Turning to Twilight, she wipes away her mirthful tears, saying, "Oh, it was just the irony of how Tirion broke free from his prison when Arthas had all but won, then it was Arthas who had broke free from the amber prison when Chrysalis had all but one."

Hearing that causes her to snicker and say, "OH, I almost forgot about that, thanks for reminding me and clearing up my confusion, Princess Celestia."

They watch as the fight continues as you are lifted up by all the spirits from within your shattered sword, being laid low by a fatal strike from one of your former deathknights as you lie upon the floor. As your helm lies just out of reach, the girls watch as Twilight sobs while your eyes lose their bluish glow and return to their beautiful greenish color.

Leaning up against Celestia for support, she watches as your father materializes at your side and kneels down when you reach up and grasp his shoulder, asking, "Father! Is it...over?"

Luna lays a wing across her sister and Twilight as the others huddle near Cadance, with tears streaming from their eyes as well when Luna sniffles and sees your father cradles your neck with his hand. Hearing him say, "At long last. No king rules forever, my son."

Tears run down Cadance's face in streams as you look around, saying, "I see...only darkness...before...me." when your hand falls from his shoulder and falls to the floor limply, saying, "He said much the same thing to Sombra as he lay dying in his arm."

They all gasp when the scene changes, leaving only you lying on the floor alone and hear Versa speak, saying, "I am providing this next bit of his story as he is not yet aware of it and cannot hear of it from you."

Twilight watches as Jaina arrives at the top of the citadel, spots you lying on the floor and races over shouting, "NO!" Falling to her knees beside you and throwing herself onto your chest and wrapping her arms around you as she wails out her pain at seeing your body, sobbing out, "My prince..."

Several moments pass as the girls shed tears at hearing how Jaina weeps over your death, barely having the strength to push herself back up when she feels some sort of chain under her hand. They watch as she looks down at it and sobs out a half-laugh as she sits upright and pulls her hand up with a locket dangling on a chain held firmly in her fingers, then sets it into her other hand and gingerly opens it with her fingers as she then says in a surprised tone, "What?! You still kept it!? After all this time, you kept it!"

Twilight watches as she closes it gently and holds it close to her chest, then leans down to gaze upon your face, saying, "I knew that there was a part of you still in there...trapped...struggling...oh My Prince!" then leans forward in a rush to kiss you lovingly on the lips, saying, "Perhaps, perhaps one day you will remember what you once were, I will cherish this forever and always keep it close to remember you and our time together. Goodbye, my love. By the Light, may you find rest at last...free from the grip of that terrible blade." When Jaina turns around, she hears her begin humming a melody that seems familiar to her somehow while heading back to the portal to teleport back to the ground, able to finally get a good look at the locket just before she vanishes in a beam of light and commits the image to memory.

Curious as to what Versa meant, Rainbow Dash opens her mouth to say something but hears two pairs of wings flapping as two, winged humanoid beings fly down towards your body with one being a female and the other being none other than Uther, causing her to ask, "Woah! Why the hay does Uther have wings now?"

Versa answers, saying, "Because Uther had become a being known as a Kyrian, who are tasked with carrying souls of the newly slain to the Shadowlands."

Twilight watches as the female Kyrian floats down and reaches out with her hand and takes your soul from your body and flies up into the sky, with the scene changing into a view of them in the air behind the two Kyrians, looking down to see a fiery maw surrounded by swirling shadows as she hands your soul over to Uther, saying, "Now, cast him into the maw! Return him to the darkness that he served, his eternal torment...awaits."

They watch with bated breath as Uther holds you above the maw, saying, "He was once...my greatest student."

Cadance watches as the female speaks up again, "Remember what he did...to you, and take your vengeance out upon him."

Celestia's eyes are wide as she hears Uther say, "Not vengeance...justice." and then releases his hold on you as your soul falls towards the maw.

As you fall into the maw, the scene changes around them as they watch a young boy rip a sword in half, leaving a glowing orb hovering before them all, who stares at it curiously before saying in a questioning tone, "Arthas?"

They watch Jaina approach the boy and lay a hand on his shoulder, looking at the orb questioningly before turning to the boy and asking, "Is this...all that remains of him?"

Luna watches the orb hover in place as Uther speaks up, saying, "The last flicker of his scarred spirit...consumed by the forges of the Jailer.

Cadance's eyes well up with tears as Sylvanas stands there, saying, "No crown, no throne...not even a soul left for judgement." and turns her gaze to her as she continues to say how she hated you and hunted you, then becoming you with each thing she done, which is her burden to bear. Saying how your legacy is at an end as Jaina and the young boy look down in sadness, adding, "Be gone then, Arthas Menethil...let the last whispers of your name fade so the world can forget you at long last."

Twilight stares at your soul flicker a few more times before vanishing with a slight pop, causing her to ask, "Hey, what happened to him next?!"

Versa then says, "I plucked the remnants from there and brought him back to life, but I won't be showing you that bit. Dawn is in a few hours, so enjoy the rest of his memories minus the part where he encountered me again."

As they watch the remaining memories, some of which make a few of the mares incredibly uncomfortable or blush fiercely at having to watch them, they finally reach recent memories as you teleport out of the Crystal Empire's throne room and to the battlefield.

Gasping at how hard you had to fight to give them time to save the empire, Celestia gasps in shock when she watches the moment you used your special talent to bring a dragon back to life, recognizes the dragon's shape and voice, saying, "I can't believe he was able to bring Sindragosa back to life...in another world. That just shouldn't be possible, so how did that happen?"

Sighing, Versa calls out, saying, "It was a stupid mistake I made when desperately trying to maintain the delicate balance, alright!? So drop it!"

Once everything finishes playing out before their eyes, they find themselves standing in a snowy wasteland with Icecrown Citadel looming before them as a blizzard rages around them.

Gasping at being able to feel the cold temperature, Celestia's breath is stolen away as she begins to shiver violently within a few seconds and summons a shield to keep them warm and protect them from the cold, saying, "Luna, due to how we're feeling the cold now, am I correct in assuming that we are now in Arthas's dream?"

Letting out a shuddering breath and shaking the snow off her coat, she shakes her head and says, "It is not a dream that we have entered, but his nightmare."

The howling wail of a windigo reaches the girls' ears as Pinkie looks all around, saying, "Chilly, did you finally come out to meet us!?"

Faster than she can spot her, Chilly turns into a small gathering of snowflakes and icy air, then darts into Pinkie's mane then dances along her body to mess with her.

The pink mare gigglesnorts as her friend races along her body, tickling her wherever she is ticklish, and cries out, "CHILLY, THAT TICKLES!"

The playful windigo continues to tickle her friend without mercy, saying in a happy tone, "Surrender or suffer great torture!" then keeps tickling her relentlessly.

Pinkie Pie writhes around on the floor due to her relentless tickle torture, pleading finally, "STAHP IT OR YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME PEE!"

Ceasing her attack, she stops and floats before the group of girls, saying, "Hi everypony! Welcome to my husband's world of nightmares, unfortunately...you all are going to have to fight your way through them all to get to him. I will do what I can to help you all in the fights, but I've never, ever seen things this bad before."

Twilight steps forward and asks, "Where do we begin, Chilly?"

With a smile, Chilly says, "The first thing you will have to do is battle your way to the front doors, and there are a few nightmare creatures eager to stop you. Many of them are weak, silly fears he ever had while coming to your world, but there are few more that are a little crueler."

Applejack slaps her right forehoof on the ground, saying, "Let's show those nightmares who's boss y'all!"

The girls all shout yeah and charge for the doors as a few nightmares charge towards them such as a duplicate Rainbow Dash cackling maniacally while chasing after Rarity with a whoopie cushion.

As the whoopie cushion hits Rarity's flank and deflates with a loud farting sound, she sees a few of her friends snickering at it and joins in the laughter, holding up her hoof, saying, "Good prank Rainbow, give me a low hoof!"

The real Rainbow Dash watches the nightmare Rainbow give her a low hoof and falls victim to a buzzer, vanishing with a poof of black smoke when she sees Pinkie Pie aiming her party cannon at her and fires it. A pie shoots out and splatters all over her face, causing her to wipe it off and chuckle, Nice job prankster, but you better watch out for that changeling behind you." She watches as the fake Pinkie looks behind her and screams in fright before she, the cannon, and the fake changeling vanish into thin air.

It takes them a few minutes to reach the large doors as the real Pinkie Pie brings out her own cannon and aims it at the throne room doors, saying, "Oh your grouchiness...knock," then fires it shouting, "KNOCK!" Making a giant pink hoof extend out of the cannon and battering the doors open, sending them against the walls with a deep, resounding boom.

The girls progress through the citadel, going floor by floor and encounter some more malicious nightmares that require them to work together to defeat.

Finally reaching Sindragosa's lair, Chilly gulps and says, "Oh no, this is another of his more recent fears, but is much stronger than the previous ones we dealt with. I'm sorry but I have no idea at how we are supposed to defeat her."

Together, they try many things such as fighting her, making her laugh, getting your shadow to apologize to her, when Fluttershy comes through and saves the day by trying several times to just talk to her.

After Fluttershy defeats the nightmare by turning her into a friend, the nightmare vanishes with a puff of shadow. With the shadow gone, the only one left to deal with are the ones remaining at the top of the citadel. With a nervous smile, Fluttershy asks, "Is everypony ready to tackle the last floor?"

As the others nod and voice their affirmations, Chilly heads towards the transportal, saying, "Alright, just watch out for the phantoms in the third phase okay? If they catch you and throw you off the top, you'll die in the dream and wake up. Just let me take care of them, alright?"

When they appear on the top floor, they look up the stairs to see a shadow emerge and take your form upon the throne as a dozen other shadows emerge from the ground. Shifting their gazes to the shadows, a spider-like creature with Chrysalis's head on it as her wings buzz briefly, anticipating a fight eagerly as she skitters along the floor laying eggs all over in the background while the other shadows take on the forms of undead changelings.

It takes them an hour to put the undead minions, and finish off the undead, egg-laying, spider-Chrysalis down. When the floor trembles below them, they spot the outer ring of ice break apart and fall away, causing Twilight to ask, "Uhm, did we just enter phase two?"

Chilly nods her head and says, "Uh huh, I wonder what we will be up against this time?"

A new set of shadows appear and take on the heavily pregnant forms of Fluttershy, Celestia, Nightmare Moon, and Luna as you rise to your feet. Leaving your sword in its sheath, you start walking down the steps when the sound of a mare's water breaking and splattering all over the floor reaches their ears. As the nightmares widen their stances and start to give birth, you walk up to each of them, saying, "Your king is proud of your dedication to your duty, the new kingdom needs strong subjects so we can conquer the world. When you pull their heads over to look at you, you kiss them passionately when a wet-sounding thud comes from behind them.

Rainbow Dash sees a wriggling sack lying on the floor, asking, "Okay, what fresh Tartarus are we seeing now?"

As a hoof pokes through the sack, the mare's bellies begin to slowly swell again as Celestia blinks in curiosity when she watches a snow-white alicorn filly with a flowing, fiery blue mane and tail rise to her hooves shakily. The filly grows rapidly to the size of an adult and then laughs maniacally before laying her head down and sending forth a blast of blue fire towards them all.

The attack is quickly blocked by Celestia as she blasts the filly with a stunning beam of magic, causing the filly to fly backwards and scream fearfully while sliding off the edge of the icy rings, crying out, "MAMA!" Having to fight against her desire to save the filly, she watches as her nightmare copy just pushes out another foal that fights its way out of the membrane as the other foals launch attacks at them.

Luna looks to the others after she sends the foals of Nightmare Moon and her copy screaming over the edge, saying, "Somepony please try to figure out how to deal with this new horror?!"

Minutes pass as the birthing rate speeds up while Twilight notices how each birth begins with a kiss from you and says, "SERIOUSLY!? THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY POSSIBLE!"

Applejack bucks an earth pony colt from the nightmare Luna off the platform and says, "WHAT DID YA FIND OUT TWI!?"

Facehooving herself and dragging it down her face, she groans and says, "WE NEED TO KNOCK THE SHADOWS OVER THE EDGE! IT'S INCREDIBLY SILLY, BUT EACH TIME ARTHAS KISSES A MARE, SHE WILL INEVITABLY GIVE BIRTH TO A MONSTER PONY!"

Rainbow Dash guffaws at hearing that, saying, "DUDE, THAT'S SO HILARIOUSLY NOT EVEN POSSIBLE!" and knocks a pegasus filly from Shadow Fluttershy out of the sky and sliding over the edge while screaming for her mama.

Annoyed at the ridiculous nightmare scenario, Twilight finds an opportunity to blast Shadow Celestia off the edge of the platform, screaming,, "MY KING!"

With only three mares remaining, the birth rates get quicker. Forced to fight even harder to knock the mares off the platform, Fluttershy is nearly sent sliding off the edge until Twilight brings her back with magic when Cadance gets a chance to send Shadow Luna off the platform.

It takes them an hour to get rid of the remaining two shadows when things change and you draw your sword, saying, "I am the future king of this world, and I will not stand for such insolent behavior!" Then drive it down into the ground to summon your seven elite warriors, saying, "Now you shall deal with me and my personal guard..."

Chilly watches as seven shadows rise from the ground and take on the forms of Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Cadance, and Shining Armor and says, "This is going to get a bit ugly..."

Celestia sighs and nods, saying, "Most definitely."

Twilight looks at Fluttershy who trembles violently as she looks at the undead version of her friends and lays a hoof on her shoulder, saying, "Remember, Fluttershy, this is all just a nightmare. Nothing bad will happen to your real body here, the worst thing that can happen is that you could fall here and wake up in the Throne Room in Canterlot."

Gulping nervously, she then adds, "But if I fall here, you will be forced to fight down a pony...which means we could fail and lose Blister!"

Looking down dejectedly, she nods and looks back up at her friend, saying, "I know Fluttershy, but that is precisely the reason that you must fight with everything that you have...love, kindness, compassion, even your determination to help a pony in need. Use every single emotion that you have inside you to keep these shadows from winning, because if we fail...we may just lose even more than Arthas..."

Steeling her resolve with a sad sigh, she looks up with a nod, saying, "Rainbow and I will deal with Undead Shadow Dash and remove their aerial attacks."

The others begin to attack the undead versions while Fluttershy and Rainbow chase after the nimble Undead Dash as each of them try to get a decent hit in on the other to knock them out of the fight.

An opportunity presents itself several minutes into the fight as Rainbow leaves her body open, letting Fluttershy dart in and slam her back hooves into the undead Dash's right wing. Fluttershy watches the wing crumble and fall off, causing the undead Dash to start falling when Rainbow darts around and kicks her beyond the edge of the platform and spins around to clap her hoof against Fluttershy's saying, "Great job Fluttershy, I couldn't have planned that better if I tried! Let's get back and help the others, Applejack looks like her undead version is giving her some trouble."

As the fighting keeps going for just over an hour, most of the enemy shadows are busy when your shadow summons phantoms to chase after them and throw them over the side.

When Chilly does her best to tear the phantoms apart with her abilities as a windigo, your shadow summons more to replace them.

The fight gets more challenging as Rarity is grabbed by one of the phantoms and dragged kicking and screaming toward the edge, but is freed by Chilly ripping it apart savagely and allowing Rarity to run back to the others, shouting, "Thank you!"

Things seem to start to turn against them until Pinkie Pie manages to stuff her undead shadow into her party cannon and fire her into a pillar and causing her to splatter all over the edge of the platform.

It takes them over an hour to deal with the Undead Twilight and Undead Rarity when they hear Fluttershy cry for help as she is thrown over the side of the platform with an injured wing, miraculously being saved by Twilight who teleports into the air beside her and teleports back with her and blasts her brother in the side when he is distracted by an attack from Celestia as Cadance is keeping her undead counterpart busy.

After taking much longer than it should have, Rainbow gets a chance to send Undead Applejack over the edge and then dart up into the air to dive-bomb Shining Armor when his shield drops.

With her undead brother's shadow dazed, Twilight blasts him apart with one of her new spells she learned a couple weeks ago as Cadance attacks her counterpart from behind and breaks her wing off while Rainbow darts down and damages her horn. As the last shadow is vulnerable, she blasts her over the edge with her magic as it starts to dwindle, breathing heavily, saying, "I won't be using that burst spell again any time soon, it is far too messy..."

With no more soldiers to send, your shadow then charges into battle and sends forth black lightning to inflict pain upon them, saying, "Let me hear your agonized screams!"

Managing to erect her protection barrier in time, Cadance trembles as the black lightning courses along her barrier and into her, saying, "I will deal with shielding us when necessary, you all work on defeating the last shadow!"

As the others use their magic, wings, and hooves to strike at your shadow when they can, Fluttershy tries to trip you up with her long tail and narrowly avoids getting decapitated. However, her attempt works like a charm as she jerks her tail to the side, making you lose your footing and try to regain your balance.

With a chance to strike opens, Rainbow tries to knock your shadow over by darting down and slamming her back hooves into your chest plate. Her attack is in vain as it only causes pain to shoot up her hooves, saying, "PONYFEATHERS THAT HURT! That armor is insanely hard stuff, make a few dents in it for me Applejack!"

The fight continues on for another hour before they start to wear your shadow down and drive it towards the edge when Applejack eventually gets the chance to use her back hooves to buck you in the rear, leaving two, Applejack-shaped hoofprints in the armor around your shadow's butt.

The scene disappears and blows away as snow in a strong gust of wind, leaving them all standing in an empty void. When they look around, Twilight spots you sitting on the ground as a human without any of your armor on and gazing into a blue fire. Wanting to get your attention gently, she steps forward and says softly, "Uhm...Blister, can we talk?"

Surprised to hear anyone speaking to you, you spin around to look for the voice and see that it is Twilight, and say, "Oh, hi Twilight. I am surprised that you are still talking to me after how mercilessly I killed those ponies that Sombra enslaved."

Taking a few steps forward, Twilight sits by the fire and says, "Why would I stop talking to you after doing the right thing since they couldn't be freed from their torture any other way?"

As the others hang back and let Twilight speak to you, they wait for any sign that they need to join in and add their thoughts.

Mid-morning in the waking world on the train

Jaina wakes up again to the screeching wheels of the train as it begins to slow down and lifts her head with a slight yawn before hearing a voice announce, "Last stop, Canterlot. Please ensure you have all your baggage with you before you leave the station platform, and thank you all for choosing the Equestrian Wanderer."

Stretching her body out, she then returns her saddlebags to her flanks then gets up off the mattress and makes her way to the door. When she gets to the door, she sees daylight peek through the gaps between the curtain and the window and wonders what time of day it is as she opens it with her magic.

Jaina steps out into the open air to find that it is only an hour or two past sunrise and walks through the station towards the city's streets, seeing a few shops already open and a few ponies milling about. As she approaches an elderly mare, she asks her where she might find the castle here in town.

The elderly mare looks at the pretty white mare before her with beautiful blue eyes, a braided reflective silver mane and tail with a blonde streak running through them and says, "First time in Canterlot dearie? Well to get to the castle, you just head east down this street here until you arrive at a much wider road paved with large square stones, then you just turn left and that will lead you straight there. I can't help but be curious as to why you desire to visit the Castle, Court won't be open to the public for another three or four hours."

She smiles at her and then says, "It is, and I heard that an old friend of mine is in the Royal Medical Wing of the castle."

Her face brightens up as she then says in an overly cheery tone, "Well then dearie, you are in luck because the visiting hours have just started, and they end at eight o' clock."

Jaina's face lights up with happiness at hearing that and almost prances in place anxiously, saying, "Oh really?! That is great news to hear madam, thank you so much for telling me that! I hope you have a great day today."

As the elderly mare watches the mare practically trot away with a purpose, she cackles cheerfully and says, "You're welcome dearie, I sure hope you find that stallion that has caught your eye!"

Making her way through the streets with a blush, she asks herself, 'Am I really that easy to read, or do these ponies have some special ability to tell when one is in love?'

When the girls wake up to find themselves in the throne room, they are shocked to see Versa in the room with them as she says, "Congratulations on succeeding in your task of saving Arthas's soul, though it does require further repairs that are beyond my abilities." Turning her eyes to Luna, she then says, "With this, I will no longer keep you from Arthas's dreams, Princess Luna, though I shall still be keeping an eye on things." Looking at Fluttershy, then Celestia, and finally Luna, she smiles and says, "I wish you good luck with your foals, for they might be quite the handful."

Cadance stirs and finally wakes, feeling that there is a heart crying out in desperation somewhere in the city and turns to the others, saying in a soft, questioning manner, "Why is there a heart feeling such desperation?"

Hearing her sister-in-law mumble something, Twilight turns to Cadance and asks, "Sorry, did you say something Cadance?"

Shocked at being heard, she smiles and says, "Oh, I was just wondering why I could feel a heart crying out in desperation, I am going to need to check into it since it is my duty to spread love throughout Equestria."

Getting up, Twilight says, "If there's trouble, we'll help you deal with it Cadance. So please lead the way!"

Looking at the others affectionately as they get up and nod their heads in affirmation, Cadance then smiles at them and says, "Alright then, let's go for a walk while I follow my talent's lead." and then turns to head out of the Throne Room.

As Jaina approaches the castle doors, two pegasi guards bar her path with their wings, with one of them saying, "Halt! What business do you have here at the castle?"

Stopping a few feet away, she turns to the guard that spoke and says, "I wish to see the stallion that has been admitted to the Royal Medical wing as he is an old friend of mine."

The two guards look at each other, with the other guard that didn't speak nodding his head to permit her entry, he then faces back forward and waits for his partner to grant her permission.

The guard then looks at the mare and says, "Very well, miss, you may proceed. Please keep in mind that visiting hours end promptly at eight pm."

Jaina nods to the guards as they lower their wings and says, "Thank you for granting me entry." As she makes her way towards the opening doors, she stops and asks, "Could you please tell me how to get to the Royal Medical Wing? It's my first time coming to the castle."

The guard who hasn't spoken yet nods and says, "Of course miss. When you get inside, take the first right down the big corridor and the third left after the tall archway. When you reach a set of stairs on the right, turn left and go down the hall, there will be a pair of guards there standing guard."

Thanking them again, she then trots into the castle and begins following the directions given to her. As she trots past a few corridors, she spots the one with a tall arch and keeps count after that as she passes it by, not noticing a group of mares start to walk down it toward her.

Cadance catches a brief glimpse of somepony pass by in front of them, leaving a trail of desperation behind her that only she can sense, saying, "We are getting much closer now, I can feel the source getting stronger."

As the others follow her down the hall, she turns left to catch a glimpse of a tail vanishing down one of the corridors on the left as Celestia says, "The Royal Medical wing is down that way."

When she finally arrives at the right corridor, she heads down it to spot a pair of unicorn guards at the doors and stops before them before they tell her to halt, saying, "I would like to visit the stallion that has been transferred here recently."

One of the guards pulls out a list and asks, "Name, miss?"

Standing tall, she says, "Jaina Proudmoore."

Checking the list, he then puts it away, saying, "Sorry, you are not on the approved list, therefore, we cannot grant you entry."

As she starts to feel more desperate to get into the room beyond them, she fidgets anxiously and pleads with them, saying, "Can you please let me pass? I have been missing my long-lost love for so very long now and this is the closest I have gotten to him in years!"

Readying themselves to force the mare to leave, they charge their horns as the one guard speaks up again, saying nicely, "You are not permitted entry miss, please turn around now or we will have to escort you out."

Sighing at having no choice, she then hangs her head and stops fidgeting, saying, "Very well then...have it your way." and charges her horn to encase them in ice.

Seeing that she is going to attack, the guard on the right throws up a shield to protect them. The shield lasts for only a few moments until it shatters, leaving her attack to push through and send them against the walls on either side of the corridor. With their bodies trapped in ice with only their mouths and horns covered in ice, they watch helplessly as she pushes the door open and trots through.

Nudging the door with her hoof, it closes most of the way but remains open a few inches as she pays no mind to it and makes her way through the room anxiously while checking the beds for the names of the occupants. Reaching the last bed at the back of the room, she walks up to the end of the bed and looks at the clipboard and reads it over to find that the patient's name is Blistering Blizzard or aka 'Arthas Menethil.'

Continuing to read the paper as tears start to stream down her cheeks, she sniffles back a sob, saying, "At last..." Returning the clipboard to its place, she turns to look at you more closely. Wandering to the side of the bed, she sees that you have the same snow-white coat that she does, if not a few shades brighter and your golden blonde mane lies on the bed in tangles. Pulling up a chair, she climbs up into it and leans over the bed.

Unable to help herself from holding back, she raises her right forehoof and trails it along the right side of your cheek as she says, "I've found you...my prince, and I will never let you part ways with me again..." Happiness overwhelms her as she takes a breath and begins to feel the urge to sing.

The video is not mine, all credit goes to the one who made it!

As Cadance starts to hear singing, she turns into the corridor and gasps, asking, "I wonder what happened?"

Twilight enters the corridor and hears a vaguely familiar tune being sang by a voice she thinks she recognizes, making her squeeze by the others to find out who is singing. When she gently pushes the door open as Celestia helps to thaw the guards out, she sees a mare with a snow-white coat and a braided, reflective silver mane and tail with a blonde streak through them sitting in a chair beside your bed. Making her way further into the room, she notices sparkles falling from above and looks up to see Chilly darting about at the top of the ceiling as a flurry of snow. Shaking her head at her behavior, she continues on and reaches the end of the hall as the singing continues.

When she gets a good look at her, she notices something hanging around her neck as the song comes to an end. Pausing a moment as she watches how she caresses your cheek, she softly clears her voice and asks timidly, "Uhm, hello, who are you and why are you beside Blistering Blizzard's bed?"

Jaina pauses and turns to look at who spoke, seeing a lavender mare a few years younger than her with a dark sapphire blue mane and tail having a light raspberry streak running through them with pretty, violet eyes. Answering her, she responds and says, "Hello, my name is Jaina Proudmoore and I have been missing my prince terribly for several years, but I set out to find him after a chance encounter led me here after I learned that he was in this world. Now that I have finally found him, I will never part ways with him ever again..." Looking back at her prince lovingly, she continues to stroke your cheek affectionately and gazes back at her, asking, "What is your name miss? Are you good friends with my prince here?"

27: A Reunion

Twilight goes rigid at her words as hundreds of questions fill her mind as she feels her heart go into a freefall, but recovers by shaking her head to escape the daze she's in, saying, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a good friend to Blistering Blizzard. How in Equestria did you wind up here?"

Jaina continues caressing your cheek as you continue to slumber, saying, "Unfortunately, that is a secret that I can't share with you, but this precious locket of mine was enchanted to let me travel to and from Azeroth and this world." Using her magic to lift up the locket for her to see. With a hopeful sigh, she says, "I hope that he wakes up soon so I can find out if he wants to get back together or not, though I really hope he does."

Sensing a new distress nearby, Cadance makes her way into the room and finds it coming from Twilight, of all ponies. Approaching her, she pulls her aside with a wing, asking softly, "Twilight, what is causing you such distress?"

Hanging her head, she then sighs and says softly, "That mare there wants to get back together with Arthas, her name is Jaina Proudmoore."

She looks at the mare beside your bed with a look of pure affection on her face and uses her magic to gaze at her heart, seeing that it has also been broken but is slowly healing as a tendril of love connects her heart to yours. With a smile, she then sees a tendril still connecting your heart to Twilight's and leans close to Twilight's ear and says, "Well, I can see that Blister still loves the both of you, her love may be older than yours, but that doesn't make yours any less real."

Feeling encouraged, Twilight raises her head at hearing her say that and asks, "Then what should I do, Cadance? I have no idea how to approach a situation like this with a mare from another world."

With a gentle giggle, she hugs her with a wing and whispers, "I am gifted with matters of love, so I recommend that you walk up to her and talk to her about her views on relationships."

Unsure, Twilight starts to walk back toward the mare and pauses to look back, asking, "Are you sure about this?"

Cadance giggles softly and swats her flank with the tips of her right wing, saying, "Don't be so afraid, put yourself out there."

Continuing forward with nervous butterflies causing her stomach to flip, she stops near the mare as a fierce blush colors her cheeks and says, "Since you are from another world, I was wondering what your views are on relationships?"

Turning away from caressing your cheek, Jaina then cocks her head slightly and asks, "By relationships, do you mean courtship before marriage?"

The blush fades a little from Twilight's face as she nods, saying, "Yes I do, what are your thoughts about love and courtship between beings?"

Smiling brightly, she sits in her chair and faces her saying, "Well I have read many books on Azeroth and although I have been courted only once by my prince here, I believe that love can be between a man and woman. Which it usually is on Azeroth, though it could also form between two men or even two women. I do know that there are rare occurrences where a man can take multiple brides, however I have not encountered one such relationship. What about you?"

Sitting on her flank, she lifts up her hooves as her blush returns with a vengeance and taps them together nervously, saying shyly, "Well...uhm...I-I haven't been in a relationship long enough to form an opinion yet, but I do read a lot too. A few history books I've read through claim that it was pretty common for a stallion to take many mares as brides..."Looking for a way to escape, she quickly turns to Cadance and asks, "Isn't that right, Cadance?"

Sighing at how uncomfortable Twilight is at talking about love and relationships due to her husband's involvement, she walks forward and smiles while nodding, saying, "That is correct, Twilight. Herds were commonplace up to about a hundred years ago due to the abnormal birth rates of mares to stallions, which still plagues us to this day. However, there has never been any laws passed that outlaw them, for some reason, they just became less popular between ponies." Looking at the mare, she then smiles and says, "Hello, sorry I haven't introduced myself properly, my name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though I prefer to just be called Cadance.

Jaina smiles at meeting a royal, bowing her head to her and saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Lady Jaina Proudmoore, but please just call me Jaina."

With a chuckle, Cadance says, "There are no need for formalities between us friends, though let us return to our previous topic."

Relaxing into her chair, she then nods her head and says, "Very well, what do you wish to know Cadance?"

Shooting a look at Twilight, she then asks without hesitation, "Well, I have a special talent that deals in the matters of love, so I was wanting to know something. If you and Blistering Blizzard here did get back together...what would your thoughts be if you learned that another shared the same feelings you do for him? Would you be wanting to fight for who gets to be with him, let the other have him, or would you be willing to share him?"

Jaina thinks on that for a bit, saying, "Hmm...very good question. With my feelings for Blistering Blizzard being what they are now...I would either have to fight for him or share him. To answer that question definitively, I would have to know how the other feels about him."

With a grin, Cadance turns her eyes to Twilight, causing her to wrap her tail around her as she tries to make herself invisible, asking, "How do you feel about him, Twilight?"

Squeaking with surprise as they both look at her expectantly, she fidgets with her hooves when she lets a resigned sigh escape her and says, "Well...I am always thinking about him, when he's around I'm always smiling because of how happy I am..." Looking away as a fierce blush colors her whole face when she adds quietly, "And I'm having thoughts of what it would be like to settle down."

Smiling after hearing her feelings, she then says, "After hearing how you feel, I would have to say I'd rather share him. However, I would have to reserve the right to marry him first, due to being his oldest relationship and a childhood friend."

Squealing softly with delight at hearing that, she pulls her into a firm wing hug saying, "I'm so proud of how far you've come, Twilight!"

As Cadance squeezes her, she grumbles and says, "I'm doing the best I can after finally escaping my BBBFF's overprotective clutches!"

Confused, Jaina raises an eyebrow, asking, "What does that mean?"

Without missing a beat, Twilight says, "Oh, it just means, big brother, best friend forever. He just so happens to be Cadence's husband."

A few hours pass by when you hear a noise similar to hens clucking and grumble, saying, "Applejack, will you make the hens quiet down? It's difficult to get any sleep when they make such a racket."

Tittering sounds and shushing noises reach your ears, causing you to rouse from your slumber and open your eyes. Lifting your head up off the pillow, you huff in annoyance, saying, "Will you quit acting like a bunch of farm animals?" Once your eyes take in the sight of Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash talking to a mare you don't recognize, you hear Rainbow snicker in amusement briefly before asking, "What are you all doing here?"

Rainbow snickers again, saying, "We came to visit you after rescuing you from your nightmares, duh."

Celestia clears her voice and says, "That is quite true, we were asked to venture into your nightmares through your mind to save you by Versa, your 'aquaintance'.

Sighing and letting your head hit the pillow, you ask with a sad tone, "I'm guessing that since you went through my mind, you likely saw my memories then?" When you see all but the mare nod their heads, you say with a shrug, "I guess that since you are not insane and still talking to me with your faculties intact, that you managed to survive the horrors that lie within. It's an all-around victory, I guess, but who is the mare that I don't recognize hiding behind you all?"

Parting to let her through, Jaina steps forward with her locket tucked out of sight, saying with a slight bow, "Hello, um...you might not remember me like this, but we were almost inseparable when we were younger."

As you look the mare over, you try and fail to remember her and say, "I'm sorry, my lady, but I cannot recall ever having seen a beautiful mare like you before. Who are you?"

With a brief sigh, she smiles and then steps closer, saying, "Perhaps this will help refresh your memory..." then pulls out her locket and channels her magic into it, mumbling, "My Prince."

Stunned at recognizing the locket, you then stammer a bit, saying, "Th-That locket was given to me by someone I held most dear... Where did you get it from?"

When she doesn't answer your question, you watch as she shimmers and changes her posture to stand on two legs and gulp, saying, "Oh please don't be Sylvannas!" Fear crawls up your spine as you try to squirm away, but Applejack and Rainbow keep you in place with smirks on their faces.

You watch as her appearance becomes clear as words form a lump in your throat as you can't help but try to cough them out, saying, "J-J-J-Jaina!?! What in the light are you doing here? Did you die and get resurrected here like me?"

Jogging forth to your side, she drops to her knees and grabs your uninjured hoof, saying, "No, My Prince, I didn't die. A lot has happened since you've been gone and I've been sick with grief at losing you, but let's just say that I made a wish to be with you again that was granted. There is something that I really need to know..."

Looking at her affectionately, wishing you could touch her cheek with your fingers, you ask, "What might that be, my lady?"

Squirming with delight at how you still have your charm, she pulls your uninjured hoof to her cheek and holds it there, saying, "Do you still feel the same way about me?"

Smiling lovingly at her, you then answer her question with a question, saying, "Does the sun still rise and set? Do the stars still shine brightly out in the countryside?"

Nuzzling her cheek against your hoof at your answer, she then bites her lip and asks, "D-Do you want to patch things up between us and get back together?"

Your heart leaps for joy and screams at you to say yes, as tears slip from your eyes, saying, "Of course I do, but you should know that I have a lot of blood on my hooves. There is also the fact that I have already married a windigo and developed feelings for another. How will we deal with that?"

With a sigh, she caresses your uninjured leg and says, "I know that you have far more blood on your hands than I do, Arthas, but I still desire to be with you...if you'll have me?"

Deciding to ask more about that later, you smile and say, "Of course I will still accept you, Jaina. It surprises me how you still want to be with me after..." you then turn away with a sad frown and sigh, adding, "Everything."

Taking your face in her hands, she turns you to face her, saying, "No matter what evil deeds you committed, I will always love and support you...my prince. I will not allow myself to fail you ever again, I remember the agony I felt at standing upon the peak of Icecrown while looking down upon your body as Bolvar sat upon the throne with the helm upon his head. I never want to feel such loneliness and desperation at your absence from my side ever again."

You smile at hearing that and say, "I'm glad that it was Bolvar instead of Tirion, he had important duties to tend to." Curious, you then ask, "Out of everyone we knew, who of our friends are still around?"

Jaina has to think about it for a bit before saying, "Out of the ones that were once close to you, I would have to say that besides me, obviously, Muradin's still around, and ruling Ironforge as king since Magni became the Speaker for Azeroth. Uther is now a Kyrian since his soul miraculously escaped Frostmourne's grasp with the Light's aid. The only one left that is around is...well your sister, but I will tell you more about that in private when you are released from here, okay, my prince?"

Sensing that there is something she is not telling you for good reason, you sigh and let her have the secret for now and ask, "Since Varian and Tirion were not mentioned, how did they meet their end?"

They both perished during the Legion's third and final invasion. With the Legion bringing Gul'dan back from the past, Varian perished at Broken shore from Gul'dan's fel magic, he sacrificed himself so that the other Alliance leaders could escape and continue fighting on. Tirion survived Broken Shore...only to be captured by the legion and be nearly tortured to death, but was rescued by the Argent Crusade. Sadly, he succumbed to his wounds soon after being rescued."

Letting out a sad sigh at their fates, you say, "At least they both died fighting for the Alliance, unlike a traitor like me..."

Pulling your head to her chest, Jaina strokes the back of your neck, saying, "Don't dwell on the past so much, my prince, what really matters is how we choose to live in the present."

Realizing she is right, you nod and say, "I guess you are right. After all, life can't be too bad if you're willing to take me back with my past being what it is, but my question remains to be answered... What are we going to do about our relationship with me being married to Chilly Gale and courting Twilight?"

Happy for a change of topic, Jaina giggles and beams a wide smile, saying, "Why we will share you of course! We have discussed it between us and decided that I will be the lead woman...or lead mare in the relationship."

Versa watches the exchange between you all and releases a great sigh of relief when she sees your soul become whole with only a few fractures in it, lying on her couch saying, "You really are a pain in the rump you know that?" With a shrug, she says, "Oh well, it is something I will leave in their hooves to manage, this alicorn needs a brief vacation. Perhaps a trip to Las Pegasus to do some gambling while I break in my newly finished avatar would be nice?"

Glad to hear that she is willing to share, you place your hoof upon her cheek and pull her towards you, saying, "It pleases me greatly to know that you are willing to share me with others."

Feeling that you are going in for a kiss, she lays her left forefinger over your lips and says, "Don't get ahead of yourself, my prince, for the three of us will keep watch over who you wish to bring into our future family, so you only have one vote to our three."

Huffing in annoyance at her taking the pants from you, you don't hate it and smirk instead, saying, "Well...look who's taken to this world like a fish to water..."

Smirking like a cat that has caught the mouse, Jaina says, "Of course I have, I am a daughter of the sea after all..." Taking her finger off your lips and kisses you, then lets you deepen it for a moment before pulling away with a heated blush on her cheeks, saying, "Oh how I've missed you...my prince. I look forward to making up for all the time we've missed together."

Not wanting to let the two get too into making out, Twilight cuts in and asks, "Sorry to ruin the moment right now, but what was that song I heard you singing a few hours ago? It was the very same one you were humming when you were at the top of Icecrown Citadel while heading towards the portal and clutching that locket you kept close to your chest."

Chuckling in embarrassment as she recalls how they all saw his memories, she says, "Well, it is an old song that is called Jenny of Oldstones."

Just now noticing the change in her hair, you then ask, "Uhm, I remember that you used to have blonde hair that was a few shades brighter than my own, did you dye it that color...or did something happen to you that caused that change?"

Sighing and looking down, she looks back up to you and nods, saying, "This happened about just over a year after you were defeated when Garrosh was the new Warchief of the Horde. He used cowardly methods and attacked Theramore from afar by using a Goblin Zeppelin to drop a massive manabomb with the Focusing Iris stolen from Dalaran sealed inside it, though I was teleporting to safety when it detonated...and was marked by the explosion with my hair turning white and my eyes glowing silver for a short while afterwards. Unlike thousands of others...I got lucky."

Pulling her head beside yours, you say, "I will look forward to hearing your story when you feel ready to share it, and I am positive that Twilight would love to find out what all happened and write it all down on paper."

Lifting her head with a smile, she sighs and then says, "Oh those poor trees...she will be going through a lot of ink to record everything that happened since your fall." Forced to sit up due to discomfort, she tries to shift her outfit around and grunts, saying, "Would one of you happen to know a good tailor or seamstress?"

Hearing her ask for either of those things makes Rarity shout, "I DO!" Then once she gets in front of the others, she clears her voice and acts more ladylike, saying, "Ahem, apologies Lady Jaina, but my name is Rarity Belle and I make outfits for all kinds of customers and am also a fashionista. How can I be of service to you, darling?"

Smiling at hearing that, she says, "Well, you see...this outfit of mine is a bit tight on me and is getting to be too uncomfortable to wear, do you think that you could make a few adjustments to it?"

Approaching her with an appraising eye, Rarity walks around Jaina and scrutinizes the outfit she's wearing. Once she finishes, she then sighs, saying, "I could make alterations to it if you are particularly attached to that outfit, but could I interest you in letting me make you a new outfit?"

Thinking it over for a moment, she then nods her head, saying, "That would make me very happy as this is the first battlemage outfit that Arthas bought for me when we started adventuring together as a couple."

Looking her outfit over, you then smile and say, "I do like how you look in that, though it makes your body look a bit bulkier than you really are. Perhaps my fashion sense is lacking quite a bit..."

Rarity cuts in and huffs, saying, "I would have to agree, although the purple goes well with her blue eyes and the gold goes well with the golden streak in her hair. The style isn't half-bad, however the material is without a doubt inferior and the enchantments are absolutely appalling to look at." Unable to help herself, she looks up at her with a pleading look on her face and asks, "Would you please allow me to correct the flaws in your dress, dearie?

Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she thinks it over for several seconds and relents, saying, "Alright, go ahead and fix it, but only as long as it doesn't look too different."

Smiling with delight, she says enthusiastically, "You will not regret your decision, I Pinkie Promise."

As a yawn escapes your lips, Celestia looks at your tired eyes and chuckles, saying, "Well, girls I think that Arthas might need some more rest after the night he has had, let's head out so that I can teleport you back to where we collected you from."

Jaina nods and says, "I would like to remain here for a while longer, if that is alright with you, Your Majesty?"

Turning back to Jaina, she smiles and chuckles lightly, saying, "Of course it is, young one. I shall inform the guards that you are permitted access to the Royal Medical Wing throughout Arthas's stay at the castle. You could stay with him in his room here at the castle, or I could assign you to a room beside his. Which would you most prefer?"

Jumping at the chance, she says, "I would like to share the same room with my prince, as long as it won't cause any problems for you."

With a nod, Celestia says, "Very well then, I will make the arrangements." then says, "You don't have to worry about that, the nobles are always complaining about something during day court. One more complaint from their spoiled flanks won't change my mind about my choice."

As a few weeks pass, Jaina spends most of her time tending to your needs in place of the nurses until the doctors finally give you freedom and discharge you, with Jaina pushing you down the hall to your room in the castle, saying, "I look forward to our first night together, what about you?"

Turning your head to look back at her with a happy smile on your face, you nod and say, "I do as well, for tonight shall be more precious because I was released from the hospital." Then huff and complain, saying, "You do know that I can walk on my own in spite of these casts, right?"

Smirking as she kisses your cheek while walking and pushing your wheelchair down the corridor to your room, she giggles, saying, "I do, but I nor the doctors or even the castle personnel won't let you do that any time soon until they both come off, so you will just have to suck in that pride of yours and tough it out. Besides, I shall treasure this opportunity so that I can dote on you like I wanted to." As she turns and heads down another corridor, she is drawn into her thoughts, thinking, 'I wonder if there's a way to make it memorable for another reason...' Quickly shaking her head as soon as that idea pops into her head, thinking, 'NO! It's far too soon to cross that boundary yet, we haven't been dating that long and haven't went on a real date! Keep your urges in check, Jaina.'

After finally arriving at your room in the castle, you hear the door close behind you and ask, "Help me get over to the bed, will you dear?"

Pushing you over to the bed and stopping, she sets the brakes and moves to your left side so that you can lean against her for support. She braces you with her own body and slowly walks you up to the bed, helping you climb up into it after throwing the covers aside. Helping push you onto the mattress, she lets you get situated and takes the brakes off the wheelchair then pushes it to the side of the room, asking, "Are you hungry at all, my prince? Is there anything I can get you?"

Huffing in annoyance at being kept from walking on your own in spite of your broken left legs, you say, "I guess that I could eat some of that jello, though I wish I could switch to my human form so that I could eat some fish. However, I can't because of the casts on my legs, so...I will just have to make due with a Beet, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich with mayo on either side of the lettuce."

Nodding her head, she says, "Alright then, I shall go inform the cooks of your order." She turns and is about to head for the door when there is a knock on it, with a mare's voice identifying her as a castle maid and asking if either of them need anything. Smiling at not having to leave your side, she calls for her to enter and gives the maid your order before passing her own food request to her. Once the maid closes the door behind her and leaves, Jaina pushes a chair next to the bed and hops onto it to wait for the food.

Once the food arrives, she helps you sit up with her magic and then unfolds the legs of the tray and sets it over top of your legs so you can eat. Taking her own food from the maid, she says, "Thank you, miss."

Nodding her head and leaving the room with the cart in tow behind her, she quietly leaves and closes the door behind her to return to her other duties.

After eating, Jaina stacks the dishes and trays, then sets them aside on a side table beside the door into the room with a sigh, saying, "I will be right back, my prince. I haven't informed my mother of my success in finding you yet."

You smile at her and say, "Of course, my dear, but be careful when you try to ease her into it will you? Most every being that can think despises me for what I've done."

With a nod and a soft chuckle, she says, "Very well, but I'm pretty sure that I can manage to convince my mother to give you the benefit of a doubt that you've changed." Leaning over and kissing you, she sits back in the chair and lays her hoof on her locket, saying, "I won't be gone long, so try not to miss me too much."

Smirking at her, you say, "Then you best hurry, because I'll start missing you the second you vanish."

With a girlish giggle, she sighs happily and closes her eyes while channeling magic into her locket, murmuring, "My prince."

In Jaina's room in Proudmoore Keep at Boralus, Kul Tiras

Jaina opens her eyes to find herself back in her room, thinking with a sigh as she looks around, 'It's been about two months or so since I was last here. I wonder where my mother is at now...'

After returning to her human form and leaving her room, she roams around while searching for her mother. Finding her a few minutes later in the gardens behind the keep, she approaches her, saying, "I've returned, mother."

Turning her head at the sound of her daughter's voice, Katherine rises quickly from the bench and walks swiftly towards her. Stopping just in front of her to wrap her arms around her in a firm hug, saying, "I'm happy to see you again, my daughter. Please tell me of the adventures you went on."

With a chuckle, she grabs and holds her mother's hand, saying, "Well, you may find this a little difficult to understand, but I went to a completely different world and went in search for answers." She then starts her story of how she came to be in that new world, carefully masking some details to keep it a surprise.

Thinking that she dreamt this, she hangs on every word and lets go of her daughter's hands, then places her right hand upon her left cheek, asking, "And did you find the closure you sought, sweetie? You look far happier than when I last saw you."

Leaning her head into the touch, she places her left hand over her mothers and nods, saying, "I found what I was searching for, but it wasn't closure..." Pausing from saying any more, she looks around her and casts a spell with her staff to see if anyone is lurking nearby, but finds the area around her clear and says, "It wasn't something, but rather a someone."

Confused at hearing her reply in a cryptic manner, Katherine looks around herself to see the area empty around them and lowers her voice to ask curiously, "I'm not sure that you can court someone you met in a dream, dear. But I will humor you and go along with it, so who is it that managed to capture your heart sweetie, and when can I expect to meet them?"

Sighing as she should have realized her mother would think her experience a dream, she quickly comes up with a way to get her to see that it is true. When the idea comes to her, a smile lights up her face as she then says, "Let us discuss this in the privacy of my room, shall we?"

Nodding comfortably, she says, "We shall, let us relocate to continue this talk in private." and then follows her daughter to her room.

Once Jaina sees the room is empty and the windows are closed, she pulls the curtains shut to block anyone from seeing her transformation and checks to make sure the door is fully closed before heading into an open area, saying, "Alright mother, let's see if you think that it was only a dream after this..."

Katherine watches her set her staff on the bed and move her left hand up to something hanging around her neck, pulling it out to reveal that it is a locket on a chain, asking as she watches her close her eyes and start to channel magic, "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

With a smile, she maintains her focus and mutters, "My prince." and feels the magic take effect, asking, "Ready to see something new?"

Cocking her head, she watches her daughter's body glow brightly and then shrink and morph into a four-legged creature with a head coming to about her abdomen. The brightness fades away as she then takes in her daughter's new appearance, seeing that she is a small, snow-white, unicorn filly with a braided, reflective silver mane and tail with candlelight glinting off it having a golden streak running through both of them. Looking on as she opens her eyes at last, she sees that her eyes remain the same color and claps ladylike, saying, "Marvelous and interesting illusion dear."

Smirking as she thinks this is an illusion, she says, "Hmm...how can I assure you that it is real..." Her face screws into thought when an idea comes to her, making her face brighten up with a big smile, saying, "OH, I KNOW!" She then opens up one of her saddlebags with her levitation magic and searches around inside for an apple, it takes a few tries to pull an apple out and split it down the center, turning to her mother and asking, "Care for a light snack, mother?"

She is surprised by seeing the display when her daughter levitates one half of the apple over to her and takes a big bite out of the other, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing it down. Taking the offered apple with her left hand, she feels the weight of it and smells a sweet aroma coming from it, saying, "This is truly an elaborate illusion, sweetie, I'm impressed."

Giggling at her mother's denial, Jaina says, "It's no illusion, go ahead and try a bite, you will remember not ever having tasted a sweeter apple than one from Sweet Apple Acres. I'd even go so far as to say that it puts our own apple orchards to shame, which really says something."

Unsure, Katherine hesitantly brings the apple towards her mouth and takes a small bite, expecting her teeth to pass right through it. Her eyes go wide when her teeth sink into it, hearing the crispness as juice drips from the apple and into her mouth. Raising her hand to her mouth, she chews the small bit of apple up and takes in the juiciness of the apple. Swallowing the bit of apple, she then stares at the apple half, asking, "How...?"

Watching her mother savor the apple, she smiles and answers, "Like I told you, mother, it wasn't a dream. Are you ready to accept my story and the rest of what I have yet to tell you?"

As she looks up at her daughter, she nods and makes her way to sit on the edge of the bed, saying, "You have my attention, now, my daughter, I'm listening."

Jaina watches her mother continue eating the apple and hops up onto her bed, saying, "I've wanted to do this since I got this ability, excuse me mother, but could you raise your hand off your lap?"

Katherine lifts her arm as her daughter crawls over and lays her head on her lap with a chuckle, feeling her head rest upon her thighs and lays her hand on her daughter's head. Curiously, she starts stroking her daughters head as if she were just a child again, saying, "This reminds me of the time you were a child, I've missed being able to show you such affection."

As she lets her mother caress her, she sighs happily while lying on the bed, softly saying, "You have heard of what the previous Lich King has done, right, mother?"

Nodding her head, a frown quickly spreads upon her face as she says, "Of course I have, the real question would be who hasn't. Why do you bring up that traitor's name?"

She sighs and lets a sad look pass briefly upon her face, saying, "I know that what he did is reprehensible, however, I do believe that he is suffering from the knowledge of what he's done."

Briefly looking up from her daughter lying on her lap, Katherine huffs and says, "Good, he used to be such a good, honorable paladin, a real pity that he let himself fall so far..." Turning back to her daughter, she asks, "You haven't answered my question, dear. Why do you mention him?"

Not saying a word, she lifts her head and looks up at her mother. Letting her feelings show on her face as she angles her head and smiles sheepishly at her mother as a rosy glow colors her cheeks.

Seeing the look upon her daughter's face makes her question why she has the look of a girl in love about her, causing her mind to puzzle it out. A couple minutes passes by when she gasps and grasps her daughter's shoulders back, whisper shouting, "NO!" Then looks directly into her eyes and gets closer, saying, "Tell me it's not true!?"

Sighing wistfully, she nods once and says in a soft tone, "I have found him, mother. He is different now and regrets his actions, I can see the sadness deep within his eyes whenever I look into them. I will never let myself abandon or fail him ever again."

Seeing the look of determination on her face, she knows that her daughter's mind is set on being with him. Letting a heavy sigh rush past her lips as she hangs her head in defeat, she takes a breath and groans, saying, "I know that look, my daughter. I beg you, please be careful around him. Find some strong allies in that world that you can trust to aid you, should he stray and return to the traitorous monster that he was."

Smiling at her mother begrudgingly expresses her acknowledgement at the news, she angles her horn away from her mother and sits up. Pushing herself up on two legs, she wraps her forehooves around her mother and holds her close, saying, "Thank you, mother, I will do as you say. I will return in a month to catch up with you about how things are." Kissing her mother's cheek, she says, "I will let you know when things get serious between my prince and I."

When her daughter pulls away and returns to sitting on the bed, she sighs and says, "I won't tell a soul about what you just told me," Laying her hand upon the soft fur on her daughter's soft cheek, she says, "But you stay safe over there and be mindful of the social etiquette, and never forget that you are the Lord Admiral and a daughter of House Proudmoore."

Just before she returns to the floor to say goodbye, she says, "Make sure that if the staff clean my room, they do it at night because I will almost never return during that time unless it is an emergency."

Smiling, she nods her head and says, "Very well, but I only have the staff go in and clean once a week, each Monday."

Nodding, she says, "I will be sure to remember that each time I return with news, the last thing I need is for one of the staff to see me in my pony form."

A brief chuckle escapes Katherine's mouth as she says, "I can understand that, for it would stir up quite a commotion if you were to be found in that small form."

Jaina returns to the floor softly and then uses her magic to pick up her staff, then store it into the space it is kept, saying with a smile, "It surely would, I should be heading back now, Arthas is lying in bed waiting for me."

Raising her brow curiously in a warning manner, she stands up from her daughter's bed and says, "Oh, before you go, my daughter..."

Looking up at her mother with a smile, she asks, "Yes, mother?"

Taking on a serious look, she holds her hands before her and then crosses them saying, "If you make me a grandmother before you are married...I won't forgive you."

A blush of embarrassment creeps onto her face as Jaina groans, saying, "Ugh...mother..." Then huffs and says, "I would never do that to our proud family name, I would at least get married before I even have a chance to start showing symptoms."

Nodding appreciatively, she keeps one arm crossed in front of her as she raises her other hand with the half slice of apple in her grasp still, saying, "I would certainly hope so, I would pass on before the scandal would be forgotten."

Wanting to reassure her, she says, "Then you won't have to worry for a little while as his front left legs are both broke and in casts right now."

Raising a skeptical brow at her daughter's words, Katherine asks threateningly, "Do I need to have the talk with you again about the birds and the bees, my daughter?"

Desperate to escape that embarrassing talk, she chuckles nervously and says, "Sorry mother, I need to head back and take care of my prince! I love you, bye!"

As she watches her hastily take her locket into her hoof and channel magic into it before vanishing before her, she looks at the apple with a sigh, saying, "My daughter is going to put me into an early grave." Making her way to the door, she takes another bite of the apple and humms in delight at the sweet flavor and smell of the fruit, saying, "I sure hope she brings a few more of these apples, they are so tasty."

Once Jaina returns to Arthas's room in Canterlot Castle, she spots you lying on the bed holding a book with your magic while reading through it, she asks you, "What are you reading, my prince?"

Looking away from the book you got from Twilight, you see Jaina making her way over to the bed and say, "Oh, I am just studying some utility magic after I was utterly helpless during a certain season and was trapped into being a stud for dozens, if not hundreds of mares." Curious, you then ask, "So...how did your mother take the news that I am alive and well in another world?"

She sighs and then says, "Pretty much how I thought that things would go, I had to convince her that the story I told her, with a few details left out, was real. I decided to relocate to my room and show her my pony form, and even gave her half of an apple from Applejack's farm while I ate the other. It was after that, that I finally revealed to her of your existence and that we have gotten back together."

As you listen to her tell how things went, you chuckle at how it all ended and say, "As long as I go on the annual vacation with the other males during spring, she won't need to worry about becoming a grandmother just yet. Besides, it is way too soon to even consider babies, we have a great deal of work to do to repair our relationship. Now I wish you would climb into bed so that I can relish our first night at each other's side."

Jaina's face lights up at hearing that and nods her head to you, saying, "At once, my prince." She then makes her way around the bed and takes her saddlebags off, then sets them on the nightstand before climbing up into bed.

Setting the book aside on the nightstand beside her saddlebags, you feel her pull the sheets over you both and roll onto your right side and lay your head on the soft pillows. As she rolls over to face you, you watch as she works her way into your hooves and rests her head on your neck before sighing dreamily, calling you 'my prince' before slipping into the land of dreams. Not far behind her, your eyes drift closed and you find yourself on a field leading your men to victory against the plague of undeath and driving out the scourge.

10: When stubbornness meets an immovable obstacle

October passes as November arrives while you read magical theory tomes to supplement your knowledge and give you the possibility to create a new spell if you want to, ignoring the silly competition that Applejack and Rainbow go through after the farm pony invited Twilight to be the judge and set up a course. As the competition adds to your building frustration, you hear Applejack mention the annual running of the leaves, you see a chance to punish yourself for the past and decide to participate in it. Remembering how you have other forms, you make your way over to the mayor's office to ask what the rules are.

Mayor Mare hears a knock at the door and says, "Please come in, I'm not busy!" When she sees the pony enter, she smiles at recognizing the stallion from around town and adjusts her mane as she finds him attractive. She then looks at him and asks, "What can I do for you today, Blistering Blizzard?"

You then look up at her and ask, "Well, I was wondering what the rules were regarding the Running of the Leaves tomorrow."

She smiles and then pulls out a paper and says, "Let's see here... Well, the rules say that a pony has to run through the course to help the leaves fall from the trees. It also says there is no magic allowed, or flying. Aside from that, it is a pretty straightforward endurance competition. Do you wish to participate?"

You then ask, "So it wouldn't be against the rules to race using a different shape, right?"

Mayor Mare looks at him like he grew a second head and asks, "Huh? What do you mean by that, sweety?"

You then sit on the floor saying, "Well I learned that I had the ability to switch my body between the different pony races such as a unicorn, earth pony, or a pegasus. So I was hoping to use a form I haven't yet used for anything in this race to see what it was capable of, would that be permitted?"

She then blinks and asks, "Could you show me this ability?"

With a nod, you close your eyes and concentrate on changing your form to that of an earth pony, opening your eyes and asking, "Did it work, do I look like a normal earth pony?"

Mayor Mare looks at him as her tail flags, ignoring it as she looks the handsome stallion over thoroughly, saying, "Hmm, everything appears to be in order here." Curiosity gets to her as she asks, "Hmm...let's see how you look as a pegasus."

Nodding again, you close your eyes and concentrate on changing to a pegasus. Opening your eyes a few moments later to ask, "Well, what do you think Madam Mayor?"

The following section is UNSAFE for work, feel free to skip to the end of this and continue reading the chapter!

Her body heats up as her inner fire is stoked even higher and says, "I see no reason that you shouldn't be allowed to enter the race, but would you return to your earth pony form? There is something I would like to find out about your form."

You nod and return to your earth pony shape, saying, "What is it you desire to know?"

Mayor Mare then walks up to the door and locks the inside door with her key, puts it back around her neck, and walks up to the stallion with a sultry expression on her face, saying, "I wish to know if you have the strength of an earth pony like me..." then presses her lips against his and shoves her tongue into his mouth.

Taken by complete surprise, you hesitate to reciprocate until you catch a scent permeating the air which starts to fog your mind as you feel your member slip from its sheath. As you start to kiss back, you place your hoof around the back of the mayor's neck and push your tongue deeper into her mouth, eliciting a moan from her.

She takes her glasses off with one hoof and tosses them onto the desk and reaches underneath the stallion, grasping his member with her hoof and stroking the underside of it gently, thinking, 'Oh, I can already tell that he has been gifted with girth and length.'

You kiss her hungrily as you feel yourself get harder and then pull away from her kiss, saying, "You help me, I shall help you." then roll onto your back with a grin saying, "Let's see that mouth of yours go to work, Madam Mare."

Beaming a wide smile, she then steps over the bigger stallion's body and takes his member into her mouth, laying herself down on top of him while flicking her grey and white tail past his head. She pulls him deeper into her mouth as she hisses with delight through her nose when he starts to eat her out, taking him further toward her throat.

You close your eyes as you wrap your front hooves around the mayor's juicy flank, pulling her further against you as you drive your tongue into her depths. You pull your tongue out occasionally and suck on one side of her lips before switching to the other, causing her to slowly soak your face in her fluids.

Mayor Mare takes him to the base and feels herself shudder, thinking, 'Oh this stallion is far too skilled with his mouth and tongue...buck.'

As you eat her out for several minutes, you feel her whole body shudder as she gushes into your mouth. Hearing her cry out in delight through her nose, you hook your back legs around her head and pull her to the base of your sack.

Her mind is scattered after that huge orgasm, feeling his tip press against the opening to her stomach when she struggles for air and hears, "Now there is a good mare that knows how to treat a stallion. I gave you an early treat, so now let us move on to round two." She struggles to get her hooves under her as he helps push her up from below, having to back up a bit when she is surprised by a suckling at her teat. The suckling causes her back legs to give out as she shudders with pleasure, pulling off his member and biting her lower lip while stifling a groan.

After sucking on her flat teats a moment, you help her back to her trembling hooves and get out from under her. You roll back onto your hooves and approach her trembling body saying, "Are ready for a mounting, Madam Mare?"

Mayor Mare moves her tail aside and widens her stance, gulping while nodding, saying, "Y-Yes, give it all to me, stud muffin."

You climb onto her flanks and line your tip up with her entrance as best you can and thrust forward, sliding just below her entrance and rubbing along her teats. Pulling back for another try, you inch forward to feel something hot and slick, then adjust your hooves further up her body. Wrapping your hooves around the front of her chest, you drive yourself forward until you hear a wet slap as your nuts smack against her hips, saying, "So tight."

Throwing her head back, she cries out, "BUCK! SO THICK AND LONG!"

You turn her head around to yours and place your lips on hers, kissing her deeply as you start to wildly thrust back and forth. While you hear her moan loudly through her mouth and into yours, you hear someone knock on the door and hear Twilight say, "Mayor Mare? Are you busy?" Inspired to thrust even harder, you use more strength to ram into her and hear her cry out into your mouth.

Mayor Mare feels her chest driven against the front of her own desk and feels her inner spring preparing to snap, moaning loudly into his mouth as her climax hits. She feels him hop up onto her desk and press her into her desk, lifting her back legs off the floor as they shake and curl up while she screams into his mouth, hearing, "Okay, I will just come back later when you return."

Hearing Twilight trot off, you feel her insides clamp and try to wring you dry in vain. Holding her rear in the air with your muscles and cock, you wait until her spasms fade away before pulling away from her mouth, saying, "Now let's take this behind your desk, though I won't be helping you stay quiet this time."

She stands on trembling legs as she nods, saying absentmindedly, "Okay..." and starts walking around to the backside of her desk as she feels the stallion's hard member pop out of her tight confines, pleasurably saying, "Hah..."

You hop off the desk and follow her behind it as she moves the chair into the corner, then returns to her desk and places her forehooves on top of it. Climbing back onto her, you slide back into her warm depths and hook your front hooves around the front of her chest, swiftly driving yourself into her aged body as your sack swings forward and slaps her hips, saying, "Ready for a test of how quiet you can be on your own?"

Mayor Mare's eyes start to unfocus as she breathes hard, saying, "Yes, buck this shriveled mare and fill her with your seed!"

As you start to buck her with abandon, you hear hoofsteps outside and whisper into the mayor's ear, "Looks like you have some more visitors, you better act normal so they don't suspect anything and investigate..."

She fights back her loud moaning as she hears knocking on the doors, making her answer with a pleasurable, "YES!?"

Applejack then clears her voice and says, "Pardon for interrupting whatever you are busy with, Mayor Mare, but Rainbow and I have-"

Rainbow cuts her off impatiently and says, "We both want to sign up for the race tomorrow!"

You thrust hard and make her bump into the desk, as she clamps down onto you much harder than before, slowing down your thrusts a bit, hearing, "HOH! That's good to hear, GIRLS! Consider yourselves signed UP!" You then speed back up to hear her let out small grunts of pleasure as her head lies on her desk.

Rainbow turns to Applejack and then hovers in the air, saying, "I am so going to kick your flank in the race tomorrow, Applesmack!"

Applejack looks at her friend, saying, "Hah, in your dreams, pardner!" then hears Mayor Mare say, "Buck yes!" and smiles saying, "HAH, even the mayor knows ah'll beat you."

Mayor Mare bites her lip as the two leave, trying to keep herself from crying out when another orgasm hits her. She goes cross-eyed from the intense climax, making her shut her eyes as she gushes all over the stallion's member, crying out, "Buck me, buck me you stud!"

You look down to see her eyes closed and spot the key lying to the side, still around her neck, and thrust away while closing your own eyes and changing back to your unicorn form. It proves to be tricky, but you manage to do it and levitate the key from around her neck. With the key in your magic, you plow away into the mare as you insert the key into the slot and unlock it, whispering, "Are you ready for the big finale?" and hear Twilight humming a song just behind the building while walking on the wooden planks towards the door. You then let yourself fall to the floor, pulling her down with you, and lie on your back as you feel a pop from inside her, triggering your climax as you unload into her while slipping the key back around her neck

She cries out, "OH YES!" as she shudders violently at feeling the white-hot seed pump into her, gushing all over the floor as she collapses onto her desk, panting hard to catch her breath when she hears a knock on the door.

Twilight opens the door and sees Mayor Mare sit up straight behind her desk with a slight twitch in her right eye, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you from your nap, Mayor Mare. I was just hoping to get signed up for the race tomorrow."

Mayor Mare's eye twitches as she feels her body wring every ounce of seed from the stallion, able to feel her abdomen start to swell slightly, saying, "That's quite alright, Twilight, a couple of your friends also stopped by to get signed up." She then pulls out a list, and hands it over to her, saying, "Here you go, sweety, why don't you go ahead and fill out the last few spaces on that form there with your name as well as Applejack's and Rainbow's I would write it myself, but I still seem a little tired after my nap. Did you know that your friend Blistering Blizzard came by and signed up for it?"

Unaware of what is going on behind the desk, she smells a slight mustiness in the air and then asks, "Oh, he plans on entering it too, when did he stop by?"

She giggles as she feels him twitch inside her one last time and says, "Oh he came by earlier and filled me in earlier about his desire to run in it, he also showed me an ability that he has."

Twilight cocks her head and asks curiously, "What ability would that be?"

Mayor Mare then says, "Oh, you don't know? He can change his body between that of a unicorn, an earth pony, or a pegasus."

The young unicorn then looks at her wide-eyed and says, "HE CAN DO THAT!? Does he use a spell or a potion?"

You relax on the floor, feeling much more relaxed when you realize that what you felt earlier was sexual frustration. As your member slowly retreats from her depths, you run your hooves up and down along her lower back as the two mares talk.

Twilight groans with disappointment saying, "Then it's an inborn ability, but I will have to do some research about it after the race." She then smiles and says, "Well, I am going to go prepare for the race, I'll see you later, Mayor Mare."

The mayor sits on top of the softening stallion under her as she watches Twilight leave and close the door behind her, then cranes her head around to gaze at the stallion with narrowed eyes, saying, "Looks like you have been a naughty stallion and unlocked the door, stud." She then stands up off the stallion on wobbly legs, moving beside him and takes his soft member into her mouth and sucks the leftover seed out of it.

You feel her use her tongue to clean your cock off as she hollows her cheeks, pulling off of you with a loud pop, and look at you with an open mouth to show the leftover seed in it. You watch as she closes her mouth and tips her head back, swallowing it down and then ask, "So, do I have the same earth pony strength as you?"

Mayor Mare then huffs tiredly, saying, "And then some, dearie. UGH! I wish I could keep up with you younger stallions these days, it isn't easy being my age and still having the libido of a mare half my age."

You return to your hooves as the fog gradually starts to leave your mind, saying, "Just be glad that you don't have anything more serious to worry about, such as giving birth."

She sighs and smiles saying, "Small blessings dearie, small blessings. Now if you excuse me, I do have paperwork to finish and you need to sign the roster."

END OF SECTION, Enjoy the rest of the story!

You pick up a quill and dip it into an inkwell, then sign your name on it and head outside. When you close the door behind you, you trot away before your head fully clears and destroys your uplifted mood as you groan saying, "Oh what have I done..." and head out of town to bathe in a stream near the Everfree Forest.

The next day is here before you know it as you stretch your limbs and warm your muscles up, and see Twilight coming up to the starting line. Hearing a commotion coming from Applejack and Rainbow, you turn to see the farm pony tie a rope around Rainbow's body, keeping her wings tied down.

Twilight smiles widely as she sees Blistering Blizzard in the form of an earth pony and walks around him saying, "Oh wow, you look exactly as you normally do, except that you don't have a horn. Can you show me what you look like with wings?"

You then look at Twilight and nod, saying, "Yeah I can show you, we'll head to your place after the race is over, okay?" You then hear the two overly-competitive ponies bicker back and forth briefly, and sigh asking in a low tone, "Are those two still at that useless competition?"

Twilight looks over at them and giggles, saying, "Hehe, yes...it appears so, but I hope that they don't get too serious about it."

You then hear Pinkie Pie call the racers to their positions as Spike heads over to ask to report the race with her, but starts to walk away as she then asks for him to help her co-report it with her. You shake your head as Rainbow and Applejack both rib Twilight about joining the race, looking back at your flank to see the number 100 covering your markless flanks and mumble, "I'm just glad that I don't have a butt tattoo..."

A few mares hear him say butt tattoo and laugh loudly, saying, "Butt Tattoo!" causing everyone around to devolve into a fit of giggles

A few minutes pass as Pinkie and Spike finally get the race started, with Spike watching the ponies take off, saying, "Wow, look at them all go!"

Pinkie looks at them and says, "Oh, you're right! And it looks like Blistering Blizzard is maintaining a steady pace, though he is slowly falling behind."

As you gallop along, you see Applejack trip and slow down to help her up, saying, "Make sure to watch the path ahead of you when you run, or you might trip like you just did." Then take off again once you see she is alright, saying, "See you at the finish line."

A little while later, you come across a stump and pass it, seeing a rainbow tail stick out from a pile of leaves and shake your head at how she most likely tripped over it and groan, "Ugh silly ponies, watch where you're running!" and put a little more speed on to close the distance a bit.

Eventually, you slowly catch up to the group when you spot Rainbow hanging on a sign laughing. Rolling your eyes at her behavior, you push onward, controlling your breathing to maintain your heart rate.

You reach the front of the pack at last as you see Rainbow and Applejack slide down a mountain and shake your head, thinking, 'Those two just won't learn...'

When the finish line finally comes into sight, you put your remaining strength into it as you break away from the pack, saying, "If you want to catch me, you better give it your all!"

As the adrenaline courses through you, you no longer hear the pounding of hooves behind you but hear the pounding of your beating heart in your ears, finding this exertion rather enjoyable as you start to feel your muscles screaming at you to slow down. Wanting to feel more pain, you push harder thinking, 'Even if I break a leg, I will continue to push myself forward. I will gladly trade my shame, for pain.'

Celestia flies high above Ponyville when she spots a white pony streaking for the finish line with their golden mane and tail blowing in the breeze behind them, flying a little closer to learn that it is none other than Arthas.

You feel a slight wobble in your right, front leg, but push on through sheer will as you reach the red ribbon stretched between the two poles and feel it snap loudly as you break through it. You feel pain rocket up through your body from your injured leg and shift most of your weight to your other limbs, managing to slowly bring yourself down to a trot while breathing very heavily. You look around with a weary smile as you sweat heavily while a few other ponies come in, looking back behind you and pivot your rear so that you can look at them properly.

Twilight slowly comes to a trot a little past Blistering Blizzard, then circles around and stops beside him, panting heavily herself and asks, "Do you mind if I lean on you, I feel like I'm going to pass out."

Masking the fact your leg is hurting, you nod and say, "Go right ahead, Twilight, I'm not planning on going anywhere until my breathing and heart rate are back to normal."

She then sidles up next to him and lets herself rest against him, laying her head on his neck as she slowly drifts off, saying, "Such a gentlestallion...thank you."

You then watch as Mayor Mare approaches you silently and puts gold medals having 5th place and 1st place stamped on them with red, white, and blue ribbons to be hung around a pony's neck.

Mayor Mare puts the fifth-place ribbon around Twilight's head first before putting the first-place ribbon around his head, softly saying while looking at the dozing mare, "Congratulations, to the both of you."

As you watch her leave, you smile at feeling free from your guilt and shame for a little while when you get to see Applejack and Rainbow tumble across the finish line together, then separate and argue back and forth about who won until Spike and Pinkie tell them they tied for last. You roll your eyes and shake your head, saying, "Ugh, those stubborn mares."

Twilight is roused from her sleep by the commotion as she stands up straight and steps away, to look at Blistering Blizzard with a slight blush, saying, "Thank you for letting me rest briefly, I hope I wasn't too heavy."

You shake your head and say, "No, you are as light as a feather, Twilight."

She then giggles and turns away from him to look at Applejack and Rainbow as they assume she won and says, "Oh, no, I didn't win, but I did place fifth, which I am rather proud of since I've never run a race before."

You sigh and listen to their conversation, feeling slightly amused at how they're being taught a lesson by Twilight when you see a shadow pass overhead and look up to see Princess Celestia coming in for a landing. Unable to genuflect like you normally do, you copy the others and fold your inured leg in and lean back on your good right leg.

As she walks regally toward the three mares, she says, "It sure seems to me that an important lesson was just learned."

After you straighten out your posture, still not putting any weight on your left leg, you listen to the princess answer their question by telling them fall is one of her favorite season, and that she came to celebrate the Running of the Leaves. You tune out most of the conversation as you hear Applejack and Rainbow suggest another run between each other and say, "I think I will join you two for another lap through the woods and start to make your way toward them, forcing yourself to walk on your injured leg with a smile.

Rainbow then smiles and says, "Alright, I look forward to giving my all to keep up with you on the ground!"

Princess Celestia then turns her body and blocks his path, saying, "I'm afraid that it will have to be just you two, as Blistering Blizzard is in need of some lengthy recuperation."

You then shake your head and try to deny that you need treatment, saying, "I'm just fine, Your Majesty, I'm fit as a fiddle."

She narrows her eyes at him warningly and says, "I beg to differ, as I heard that snap from the other side of Ponyville. So I shall escort you to Ponyville General to get it looked at."

You groan and say, "Go on and pound the ground hard with your hooves for me, girls. It seems that the princess has sharper ears than I thought.

Applejack then nods, saying, "Can do, pardner." and turns to Rainbow, saying, "How about it, friend? Care for another run?"

Rainbow then grins and stretches her right hoof saying, "I would love to stretch my legs, but you have to keep up!" and takes off laughing.

Twilight watches them take off and turns to Blistering Blizzard and Celestia, asking, "What happened to Blistering Blizzard, princess?"

Princess Celestia looks at Twilight and says, "I cannot be sure, but from how hard he was pushing himself, I would guess that he broke a bone. Why don't you come with us and give him support to spare his left front leg?"

You roll your eyes and mumble, "My fun is ruined by Miss Jigglestia."

She hears him clearly and jerks her head around and glares murderous daggers at him while trying to maintain a friendly demeanor and says menacingly, "Would you care to repeat that?"

Seeing her reaction is worth messing with her as you grin and shake your head, saying, "Just once was enough, Your Majesty, unless you would want to be affectionate and kiss me all better?"

Celestia fights back her anger as her mane smokes lightly in irritation at the stallion's banter, saying, "I wouldn't kiss you all better as you are not my special somepony, though I would be more than happy to use fire to take your mind off the pain."

You then grin and lean up against Twilight saying, "I am glad that you managed to place fifth in your first race."

Twilight provides support for him and asks, "I can't believe that you can choose to be one of the three pony races, can you even turn into an alicorn?"

You shake your head and say, "No-"

The princess looks at him with amazement and says, "I thought you looked different when I landed. You can really change shape, can you take on an Alicorn form? Is it a spell?"

You then sigh and say, "As I was saying, "No, I can't change into an alicorn, not yet anyway. It is more of an ability than a spell as my body sort of...shrinks or expands. I can show you once we get to the hospital so I can get this injury tended to. Speaking of which, I need to pay them for my last visit."

Celestia then speaks up, saying, "No need to worry about that, the royal treasury is footing the bill for whatever injuries you may sustain."

Rolling your eyes, you look up at her suspiciously and ask, "You're doing this because of what I told you...isn't it?"

A smirk crosses her face as she then says snidely, "Perhaps."

You keep hobbling along on three legs and huff, saying, "You don't need to treat me like anything but one of your subjects, I don't want that kind of attention drawn to me."

Twilight then cocks her head curiously and looks between her mentor and her friend asking, "What do you mean? What did he tell you, princess?"

You look over to see the grin on her face and shake your head in a pleading manner, silently saying, 'Please don't tell her.'

Celestia sees him plead for mercy and seizes the chance to get even for how much he has been tormenting her and casts a privacy barrier around them saying, "Now don't stop walking when I tell you this, Twilight, no matter how shocking it is. I do not wish to draw undue attention to us."

She looks over to her eagerly and nods saying, "I promise I won't, please tell me!?"

The princess then lowers her mouth toward Twilight and says, "Our mutual friend here goes by the name of Arthas Menethil, and he is a crown prince as well as a once-evil Lich King."

Twilight almost freezes in place, but her body keeps moving and presses in closer to him while her head whips around so fast she almost breaks it and shrieks with pinprick eyes, "WHAAAATTT!!!"

Your ears ring, making you flop your head side to side to remove it, and eventually say with a heavy sigh, "Yes it's true...though I'm a former crown prince from another world, key word being former. That means that I'm not a royal anymore, I'm not a royal anything."

Celestia grins and says, "Not true, you are becoming a royal nuisance." then chuckles and says, "All joking aside, you may take the crown from your head, but you cannot take it from your mind and heart."

Her eyes flick from side to side, running a hundred miles an hour as question after question races through her head as she tries and fails to deal with the monumental reveal.

You then see her eyes flick back and forth in deep thought and sigh, saying, "Shining is going to kill me for this, but she needs to pull it together."

The princess giggles and blocks out all view from the outside as she watches him pull her head around to face him and kiss her deeply, saying as she breathes out through her nose, "Congratulations on your first real kiss, Twilight Sparkle."

Realizing what is going on, she jerks her head away, screaming, "YAH!! WHAT THE HECK DID YOU KISS ME LIKE THAT FOR?!"

You then resume hobbling toward the hospital on three good legs, saying, "Well, you stopped walking and had the look like you were losing your mind, so I decided to get your attention."

Twilight groans and then says, "Well you've succeeded, now I have a bunch of questions that I am dying to get the answers to. I sure hope that you will answer SOME OF THEM!"

Celestia then dismisses the barrier as they reach the hospital, saying, "We will have to continue this discussion at a later time because we are here."

After getting x-rays taken of your leg, your leg is put into a magical splint and cast. When you are taken to a room, you lie down on a hospital bed once again as the doctor informs you, Celestia, and Twilight that you broke your left front cannon bone and sprained both of your front pasterns, groaning when you hear that you will be in the hospital for almost a month. You then look at Twilight and say, "Ugh, you better keep me supplied with magic theory books until I get the okay to check out of here, Twilight." You then turn to Celestia and narrow your eyes saying, "As for you, I think it would be punishment enough if you send me a few spellbooks to study while I'm here, Your Highness."

The princess then chuckles and says, "I think I might be okay with that, as long as you never utter THAT name again...is that clear, Blizzard?"

You then nod and say, "I better not keep you away from your celebration enjoyment, Your Highness."

Celestia smiles and nods, saying, "By your leave, Your Former Majesty."

You then huff and respond dryly, "Very funny, Your Flankiness."

The princess scoffs and looks back at him saying, "Will you stop teasing me about my rump?"

You look at her and chuckle saying, "Oh you like it, so just bite me."

Celestia stomps a hoof and snorts at him irritably, then thrusts her nose into the air saying, "HMPH! I will expect to be shown your ability once you are out of that cast." and walks out of the room.

Twilight watches her mentor go, then turns back to her friend and asks him curiously, "Why do you antagonize her so much? She is worried about you, you know?"

Not catching a glimpse of her nethers, you turn back to Twilight and nod saying, "I know she does, but I wish she wouldn't."

She sighs and pulls up a seat, then closes the door and asks, "Why do you try to keep everyone at arm's reach, do we upset you?"

You sigh and look at her saying, "Not at all, I do have fun with you girls whenever it isn't something super silly like when you tried to understand Pinkie's Pinkie Sense."

Twilight chuckles at remembering that and then persists, asking, "Then why is it that you don't want us to know about your past, just what happened that is so bad that you don't even want to talk about it?"

You shake your head and say, "You wouldn't be able to handle it, even poor Fluttershy has trouble dealing with what she knows about me."

She scoots closer and puts a hard expression on her face, saying, "I'm stronger than you think, so lay it on me because I'm just going to keep on asking."

The look in her eyes tells you that she will, which makes you let out a sigh and say exasperatedly, "Fine then, don't blame me if you can't sleep at night like me. In another world, one from which I came called Azeroth, now keep in mind that the world I came from is far, far different than anything you know of this world. It all started when uprisings began with a race of beings called orcs...which are bipedal, tall, ugly, green-skinned and furless, having hair only on their heads and two tusks jutting upward on their bottom jaw. I was sent to investigate it with my mentor at the time Uther the Lightbringer, who was human like me., and he tasked me with defending the town of Strahnbrad. By the time I arrived, I saw my own people being led away, so I attacked the orcs and slew them all including the Slave Master, saving my people that were held captive. Once the fight was over, a knight came to inform me that my mentor Uther needed me, when I arrived, he had already sent two of his best knights in to speak with them. However, only their steeds made it back safely as the knights were not with them. When he saw that, he realized they would never surrender and I suggested that we get in there and destroy them like animals, which he chastised me for by reminding me of our duties as paladins, saying, 'Remember that we are paladins, Arthas, and we cannot let vengeance become part of what needs to be done. For if we let our passions become bloodlust, then we would be as vile as the orcs.' After he said that, he asked me to lead the attack, so I headed out and came across a band of dwarf hunters and helped them hunt down the black dragon Searinox. Once the fight was over, I returned to the dwarf's camp before returning to attacking the orc encampment, where I learned they were sacrificing the townsfolk to summon demons." I then pause to hear Twilight furiously writing away and shake my head in amusement, saying, "Ever the dutiful student, let me know when you're caught up."

Twilight nods and dips the quill into the ink again, quickly tapping the excess off before returning to writing. When she finally finishes, she looks up and says, "Alright, I'm ready for more."

You then chuckle and say, "You better have a lot of paper and ink, as well as spare quills because this is going to take me a few days to get through my past." You take a moment and then continue, "When I met back up with Uther at the camp, I told him about what the orcs were doing and he told me to have faith because they were just trying to hold onto dying traditions, and that their demons were defeated a long time ago."

As she spends a couple of hours writing his story down, Twilight holds a small stack of paper in her magic and paws at the ground with a hoof abashedly and says, "Thank you for opening up, although I feel bad for kinda forcing you into it. I think I will have to get even more paper if this is just a small part of your life. I will make sure to come back tomorrow for more of the story."

You look at her and say, "Would you not tell anyone about my name or past, at least, not until I can open up to them about it?"

Twilight nods, saying, "Of course, I can do that for you. I will see you tomorrow sometime for more of the story, Prince Arthas." She then giggles and says, "I like that name better than Blistering Blizzard, it fits you better. Well, I'm going to head home and sort through all this, and send Spike out for some more paper and ink in the morning. Goodnight." then heads for the door.

You watch her head out of the room and leave the door open when a unicorn nurse enters the room, and ask her, "Is it time for more treatments?"

The nurse giggles and shakes her head saying, "No, no, of course not, I am just here to bring you your dinner and try to cast a spell on your mind to try to help you sleep peacefully."

With a brief smile, you say, "Alright, thank you. I appreciate your kindness."

The next day arrives as Rainbow stops by in the morning and chuckles saying, "Dude, I can't believe you broke your other leg just from running that hard!"

Applejack looks at you with a smirk and says, "Now who was being overly competitive?"

The pegasus smiles and then says, "Good to hear that you will recover, so when were you planning on telling us that you could take on the forms of other ponies?"

You then think about it and then say sarcastically, "Hmm...I was thinking just after Tartarus being a happy place and right before the 31st of never."

Applejack then looks at him and asks, "Ya know ya can trust us, right? We are your friends, pardner."

Rainbow then pokes at his right side and says, "So tell me, can you fly as a pegasus?"

You sigh and then say, "No, I was never taught how."

The pegasi's jaw drops open in shock as she then recovers and asks, "SERIOUSLY? Your family or friends never taught you?"

With a shake of your head you look at her and say, "No, they couldn't because I didn't have any family or friends by the time I learned that I had this ability."

Applejack then places a hoof on the bed next to you as she says, "Well, you have us girls and Spike for friends now, pardner."

Rainbow then cheers up and says, "Yeah! And I can teach you how to be an awesome flyer!" then catches Applejack shoot her a look and chuckles, adding, "Fluttershy can also teach you how to fly, of course."

You then chuckle momentarily before saying, "You two are in for quite an amusing experience with someone my age not knowing how to fly."

Applejack then looks up at the clock saying, "Ah'm glad you're okay, pardner but ah've got to go help around the farm."

The pegasus then rubs the back of her head saying, "Yeah, I've got a few weather jobs to take care of as well."