A Villain Gets A Second Chance

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."