A Villain Gets A Second Chance

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.'