Celestial Love Book 3: Marriage.

by LunaLover1990

Chapters

The Discovery
The Proposal
The Season of Joy
As Life Goes On
Planning for Love
Amor Vincit Omnia
This World Just Got 20% Cooler
As This World Keeps Turning
Disturbing Revelations
Frozen In Time, Drowning In Blood, Living In Love
Without Hope
A Disturbing Secret
Awakening of the Soul
Amare Interrumpitur

The Discovery

"Oh my God..." I mumbled as I looked at the clock and calendar. 10:30 A.M. EST. November 20, 2012. Only 4 hours had passed in my own world. I walked into my mother's bedroom and stared into her face. Behind me, she saw the portal I had come through and the colorful equine creatures within. "W-what the hell..." She started, all color drained from her face. "What's going on here..."
"Let me explain. This might take a while, but maybe... OH! Luna... can you help me?" I asked, hopeful. A moment later, I saw the portal shimmer as a human form stepped through. Luna was more beautiful than ever.

She had skin that was white like snow. Her lips were covered with a sapphire-blue lipstick. She had cobalt-blue eyes and jet-black hair. She had a small rear and medium-sized breasts, curvaceous enough to show off through her pink satin dress. Her cheeks were a bit flushed as she walked up to me. She appeared to be about 16 years old. She looked me up and down. First, she looked at my feet. Then, my large stomach (I was overweight then). Finally, she looked up at my face and smiled. We came together in an embrace, knowing it had been only a few moments since last we touched, though it had felt like decades.

"So then," I began, still embracing Luna. "Let's tell you what all went on." As I told her my story, Luna only occasionally chiming in, from getting up in the morning and falling through some kind of portal, to asking Luna to dinner, to setting out get the items to make Rift, to finally getting back here, my mother's eyes went from surprise, to amazement, to disbelief, to pure joy.

"I don't understand anything that's going on here," My mother began. "but I don't really care. I'm just so glad that my son is ok, and that he's found someone to love!" As she spoke, she embraced me and Luna in a tight hug. She kissed me on my cheek as she turned to Luna and spoke, saying, "And as far as I am concerned, you are a member of our family!"

.....

A few hours later, I was having lunch with Luna and my family. We were dining in Canterlot, and it was then that we made an interesting discovery. Anytime that a human goes into Equestria, they become a pony and vice versa. My mother was a brown & grey earth pony with a saddle as a cutie mark. My older sister was violet & blue with an assembly line as a cutie mark, and my older brother's was an American bald eagle clutching a U.S. flag, as he was in the National Guard. My father was a contractor in Iraq, so he wasn't able to be there at the moment.

"So then," I began, a bit confused. "Luna, how are we going to do this? I mean, I have school to go to, and you have your royal duties. So, I mean... How will we able to be together?" Luna contimplated this a moment as my family looked at themselves, still not able to believe that they had become technicolor ponies.

"Well..." She began, grinning. "Since you have studies, and I have duties, how about we do this: three days of each week, I will come to your world, 3 days, you come here to Equestria, and on the seventh, we alternate, meaning once we are here, the next we are in your world, and so on. Is that reasonable?" I grinned at her and nodded, happy we had an idea.

"The love has been doubled!" She exclaimed, pulling me into a deep embrace. I hugged her in return, not caring that my family was there. After a moment or two, we kissed. It was a deep, passionate kiss, like that of two newlyweds, our tongues writhing against eachother. We were enjoying ourselves so much, I noticed I was running out of breath. I didn't want to break the kiss, but I would suffocate if we kept going. I didn't know any magic, so I didn't know what to do! Suddenly, Luna's horn glowed brightly, and I felt a great stream of air come into my throat, into my lungs. I realized she had cast some kind of spell, so I knew we could keep going.

We continued to kiss, our tongues exploring the familiar territory. I loved her taste, sweet and savory and sour, all at the very same time. After a long while, we finally broke the kiss. I didn't know how long it had been, and I didn't care. I was just glad I had been able to show my love for Luna. "Wow," My brother exclaimed, surprised. "A thirty minute make-out session? Nice job, baby brother!" I began to blush deeply, embarrassed by that.

"Oh, look," Luna sighed. "You have made him blush. How cute! Aside from me, I've never seen anypony make him blush! He's usually so... Confident! I've never seen him blush, unless we're showing our love!" My family laughed at that, and while I was still EXTREMLY embarrassed, I was still happy, so I grinned at Luna. "Oh Luna," I spoke, chuckling a bit. "Only YOU can truly make me like this..." I pulled her against me and put my lips against hers after that, glad to have her. My family smiled at our romance, glad I had someone.

.....

The next night, Luna and I were in her chambers. I had no school for the rest of that week, (it was Thanksgiving break from school,) so Luna and I were going to spend all the time together that we could. We were preparing to make love, when she said something that rocked my world. "General?" She started, blushing and nervous.
"Hmm?" I replied.
"Um... I, ah, oh.. I don't know... How to say... This, but... Um... I think, I am, um...
"What is it? Just tell me, it's okay!"

"Oh... General, I am, um... I think I am... With foal... I... am pregnant!" As I heard her last words, I stared at her with shock, joy, and horror, as I processed what she had said. "Luna... Y-you're pregnant? Oh, Luna, that's... Wonderful! Oh, we're going to be parents! Oh, but... I'm only a teen myself! How can I support both you, AND a child?"
"Oh, General," She continued, trying to reassure me. "You may be young, but we have 11 months until the child is born! You've nothing to worry about!" I grinned at her, trying to be grateful for the support, but I was still worried. How was I supposed to take care of a child when I was only 16 years old?

The Proposal

A day or two later, Luna and I were celebrating Thanksgiving. Luna said she had wanted to spend Thanksgiving on Earth, and I figured, why argue to your alicorn girlfriend that you've knocked up? My mother had recently had a surgery, and she was still recovering, so she wasn't up for making Thanksgiving dinner. Because of that, we had decided to have dinner at my grandmother's house. We let my mother tell the whole story as she knew it, from what I said about the first time I fell through the portal, to having dinner with Luna, to adventuring across Equestria to get what we needed for me to travel between our worlds, (including the awkward nights with Fluttershy and Dash,) to me finally getting back home.

If it weren't for Luna standing there as living, breathing proof, they would have called me, my brother, my sister, and my mother all insane. When my mother finished, I let the cat out of the bag. As I embraced Luna in a tight hug, I told them, stating, "Everybody, Luna and I have an announcement: Luna is... Pregnant!"

At first, they all stared in disbelief. Finally, my brother broke the silence, "Wow, way to go, General! You dog!" After that, the awkward silence was over, and the loud awkward commotion began. From being congratulated by my cousins and siblings, to being scolded slightly by my aunts, uncles, grandmother and mother. Despite any of their comments, they were all very supportive of us, and said they would help us in any way they could. I was glad for that, and I continued to hold Luna.

When we all made our plates, I made sure to show Luna which things were meat and which were vegetables, as she was a vegetarian (she is a pony, afterall!). Even despite that, I grabbed extra turkey and deviled eggs, and when I began eating, I playfully fed Luna a bit, and I even convinced her to eat a little turkey and a deviled egg. She didn't feel very good about eating meat, but she seemed to like the savory flavor. Everybody chuckled as we embraced and ate together.

A few hours later, Luna and I were just sitting there together, enjoying eachother's company, when my mother came up and asked us something, "General, Luna, I'm so happy for you two, but I need to know something: What are you going to do to take care of your child?" Luna and I went from smiling and laughing jovially to wide-eyed, worried teens, not sure how to react.

"Well," I started, still quite unsure. "I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but we'll figure something out, don't you worry about that... Don't... Don't you worry..." I trailed off, trying to think of what we were going to do. I hadn't thought of this, so I needed to. The whole time, Luna didn't ask me if anything was wrong, she didn't break my concentration, she just embraced me, seeming to hope to discover my thoughts just by touching me. "Don't you worry, Luna..." I muttered under my breath, so quiet, it was like I had only thought it. "Don't you worry..."

Finally, it was time to go, so I told everybody good-bye, and I slashed open a dimensional rift. After that, I took Luna by the hand, and we entered the glowing violet portal, directing timespace to send us to her bed chambers. Luna and I decided that we would spend the night together, and the next day, I would return home.

.....

It was the next day that the beginning of the rest of our lives began. I had to go to work, but Luna was still asleep, so I left her a note before I went. You know, don't want her to get worried or anything.

Once I got to work, I saw that I didn't have much work to do. All the apples had been harvested, so I couldn't help with that. The animals were all sound asleep, so I didn't have to worry about them for that moment. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to just hang out in the clouds and wait for something to happen.

I was just meditating in the clouds, waiting for something to happen, when suddenly, I started thinking of Luna. I thought about what I would do to support her and our little filly or colt. I just... I wasn't sure how we would do this! But, even so, I would do something about it... I would take care of my new family!

Then, the idea came.

I decided there was only one way I could do this. I would marry Luna.

.....

Applejack sent me off early, as she realized there was nothing I needed to help with that day. So, I gathered up all 73 bits I had, and bought the biggest diamond ring I could. It was a 12 karat cobalt diamond horn-ring meant for a unicorn or alicorn,and on the main face of the 24 facet gem, there was a special rune carved in. It was a sea pony magical symbol that meant Love.

I just knew she would love it! I couldn't wait to kneel down and slide it over her beautiful ebony-violet horn! I gathered up the ring and box and cradled it tightly in my legs as I flew to the Everfree Forest. 'Luna,' I said by using magic to speak. 'Meet with me in our spot in the Everfree Forest. I've got a surprise for you!'

.....

"General?" Luna mumbled, walking slowly through the forest as I spied on her. I wanted to surprise her, so I hid from her until she got right where I wanted her. "Surprise!" I yelled, flying out of the woods towards her, legs outstretched to give her a large hug. I tackled her to the ground by doing this, and, chuckling with her as we fell to the ground, I brought her lips towards mine and gave her a great big kiss. I let my tongue writhe in against hers in the passionate expression of our love.

Finally, we broke the kiss and I helped her stand up. After that, I told her what I wanted. "Luna," I started, pulling out the ring. "I know we're young, but, I love you, and I just have to ask you..." I kneeled down and opened the box. "Luna, my love... will you marry me?" She just looked at me in delight until she finally nodded quickly, an enormous grin on her face.
"Oh, General," She began, excited. "Yes, yes, a thousand times YES! Oh, yes, my love, I will marry you!" And with that, I slid the ring over her horn, and we began to kiss once more.

The Season of Joy

Just a few days later, Luna and I were deciding how we would do the Christmas season. We couldn't be in two places at once, and we wanted to be able to celebrate the holidays in both worlds. Finally, we decided that Luna and I would spend a few days in my world, and would celebrate Christmas there. Afterwards, we would leave and spend a few days in Equestria for Hearth's Warming and just to enjoy ourselves.

"You're sure you want to spend the holdays in my world first?" I asked her, curious. "I don't want to do anything that you're not comfortable with, love."
My mare smiled at me and replied, saying, "Of course! I love you, and I want to get to know you and your family. I am fine with starting the season in your world." I smiled at her, glad she agreed. I embraced the soft mare in a deep hug. I loved how she felt, and wanted to hold her there forever.

"I love you so much!" I continued, nibbling her ear in a loving gesture. She giggled at that and nuzzled my neck. "I love you, too!" She replied, a large grin on her face. We just sat in that position for several minutes. Her head leaning on my shoulder, me holding her in a great hug.

I couldn't wait until Christmas came along! I had a special gift in mind to give to her. I didn't have it yet, but it would be very special. I was going to get her a wonderful outfit for Christmas: A jadesilk & goldthread robe, a silvercloth cloak, and a gold crown with a moon gem on it's top. I wanted her to feel like the queen she was, and if it was the last thing I did, I would.

.....

December 12, 2012

13 Days to Christmas

I began working to be able to afford Luna's present. Overall, they costed over 850 bits from the boutqiue and jewlery store in Ponyville that I was planning to get them from. I decided to start working overtime at Sweet Apple Acres for some extra money. Since I only had 100 bits with me at that very moment, I knew I would have to be able to earn as many bits as possible.

I decided I could only hope I would be able to earn that much money in so short of a timespan. So, I went to the acres early every morning and left late every night. "Why are you working so hard?" Luna would ask me over and over.
And every time, I would only answer, "You'll find out soon enough, my beloved." She would always be confused, but every time, she would just smile and nod.

She knew I would be faithful to her forever, so she had nothing to worry about. But, the first few times, she did see a little concerned. Even so, I told her not to worry and that she would know what was going on soon enough.

Early this morning, on the twelfth of December, I went to Sweet Apple Acres at 5:30 in the morning. I noticed Applejack was already up, and I nodded to her as I walked by. She nodded as I walked to the pens to make sure all the animals were ok and that none of them had gotten loose.

A few sheep and a pig had gotten out, but I just herded them back into their respective pens and shut the doors. Upon doing so, I heard a crash come from the nearby barn. I quickly ran over to it and went inside. In there, I saw Big Macintosh and Derpy Hooves. Big Mac was standing over her, and she seemed to have a look of joy. When the two of them saw me standing there, Big Mac awkwardly said, "Uh... This ain't what it looks like?"

"If it looks like you two were getting ready to play 'Find the needle in Derpy's stack', than I would certainly hope it isn't what it looks like as long as I'm in here." I replied.
"Eh, n-nope!" Big Mac retorted

After that, I hurried back out to the pens. Thankfully, none of the animals had tried to escape. I realized only then how tired I truly was. I tried very hard to stay awake and make sure the animals didn't get loose. Applejack came by and noticed how tired I looked. She walked into her home and came back out holding some kind of leaf or something.

"Here, sugarcube," She said, vigor in her voice. "Chew on 'is a 'lil." I took it from her, nodding my thanks, and popped it into my mouth. Upon chewing it, I noticed that it was extremely spicy and bitter. "Ah, Lord, what is this?" I asked, a slight grimace on my face. "Ginger-spiced ginseng leaf." She said, giggling like a naughty school filly. "Ginger gives it taste, ginseng energizes you."

As I continued to chew it, I got used to the flavor, and thanked her for it again. "No problem, sugarcube. Just spit it on out when ya stop tastin' anything." She walked into the apple groves, heading towards the center of the acres.

Still chewing the odd tasting leaf, I noticed that there was some kind of rumbling in the distance. "Must be a storm planned for today." As I noticed the stormclouds come closer and closer, I noticed that there was a funnel-like shape to the thunderheads. My eyes widened in shock. "Funnel cloud... TORNADO!"

I looked around in fear, not sure what to do. I knew the tornado was too close for me to get the animals somewhere safe, and God alone knows where Applejack was! So, I thought back to what kinds of fanfiction I had read and what episodes I had seen on the show in the past. I gasped as I thought of something. "I know what needs to be done."

As I flew out towards the tornado, I made sure to give myself enough distance so as to not get sucked into the cyclone. I checked which way it was spinning. 'Clockwise,' I thought to myself. 'Gotta spin it the other way.' I started to fly counter-clockwise around the tornado at max speed, using my magic to help me spin it further. I was able to keep the tornado at bay, but only for so long. I needed help...

"Hey there, rookie!" I heard someone yell from the south. I turned around and stared in surprise; It was the Wonderbolts! "Hey there, friends! Mind giving me a hand?" I replied to Soarin'.
"Not at all!" Suddenly, Soarin' and Spitfire were flying on either side of me, just barely meeting my speed.

As the great funnel finally slowed to a halt, I flew down to the ground, the Wonderbolts still by my sides. "Wow kid, you're pretty fast." Spitfire exclaimed, panting a bit.
"Yeah," Soarin' said. "We could barely keep up! Eh, what's your name?"

I chuckled at how their jaws dropped in response to my reply. "My name is General Smiddy, fiancee of Princess Luna."
"Oh my sweet Celestia!" Soarin' yelled in surprise "That's YOU?! Aw man, congratulations! Not very often we hear about somepony marrying a princess!" I laughed again as they buffeted me with questions. "Hey, General, if you're not too busy, might ya wanna hang out sometime?" Soarin' asked me, Spitfire nodding in agreement.

"After the holidays, I might just have to take you up on that offer!" The three of us laughed together for a moment as Applejack came out. "Uh, what the hay just happened?!" She said, shocked a bit. I chuckled a bit at that.
"Ah, nothin' much. Me and the Wonderbolts here just saved Sweet Apple Acres from a tornado." Applejack suddenly fainted, she was so shocked. The three of us laughed again as I went to try and make sure she was okay.

.....

December 19, 2012
6 days to Christmas

I'd earned 300 more bits in the past few days, and on the 15th, I found 50 bits on the ground on my way to work one morning. I had slowly been hinting off a bit of what Luna's present would be. "It's sure to CROWN your beauty, love. Just be patient, Christmas will be here soon enough..." I said to her on the morning of the 19th.

"Very well, love." She replied. I was off that day. I could've gone into work anyway, Aj said she wouldn't mind, but... I hadn't stayed with Luna any that past week, and I knew I needed to give Luna some attention. So, I stayed with her all that day, kissing her deeply and passionately, over and over.

"Oh, love," I mumbled to her, wrapping my wing around her soft body. "I've needed this. I've needed to hold you. I know I've not given you much attention this week, I just want to be able to afford the present I wanted to get you. Please, forgive me, my dear." The beautiful mare nuzzled my neck.
"Oh, you've nothing to apologize for, my most wonderful love." She said, kissing me. "You have just been trying to be able to show your love for me. I love you so much!"

Our lips locked together again, tasting eachother yet again. After a few moments, I broke the kiss, looking into her eyes. "You are so beautiful," I whispered, moving my eyes over her body. "But I would love you no matter how you looked!" She fluttered her eyelashes and blushed, sighing as she did so. "Oh General, you are so generous! I am so lucky to have you." She gasped as I kissed her furry chest.

I grinned at her. "Luna, I am not generous. I take and take from you, yet you give. You give your love, and I accept it. You give your life, and I accept it. Just a few weeks ago, I had taken from you your virginity. You are my truest love, for you give so much, asking for nothing in return. The least I can give in return is my own love." I had tears in my eyes, tears not of sorrow, though. Tears of joy, were they. Tears of love, and tears of passion.

As I looked down into her eyes, I slowly brought myself closer to her. "Oh General..." She moaned as I brought her into another kiss. As I broke the kiss, she spoke again. "You are my aegis, love. I always feel my safest when you hold me. If I could, I would never leave your hooves..." I kissed her passionately then. We spent the rest of the day in a single kiss, breaking only occasionally for breath.

.....

Hours later, after the sun had set, I looked over at Luna. She looked so calm, so serene when she slept. The moonlight glancing off of her fur... Her soft lips glistening in the darkness... The fragile curves of her ever-growing belly showing just barely beyond the dark of night... She was so cute. Her eyes were closed, but I could imagine them glowing in the silver light of the celestial body above us.

A moment later, I noticed her sturring. "Eh..." She mumbled in her sleep. "G-General... Love... You... N-never want... To leave... You..." I swooned at the cute mumbling as I ran my hooves through her mane.
"Oh, I love you too..." I whispered as I kissed her neck. She didn't wake up, but she did smile in her sleep. I laid back down to sleep again. "What a wonderful life this will be...

.....

December 23, 2012.

2 days to Christmas.

My family and I arrived in Missouri the previous day to spend Christmas with my grandparents. Luna had come with me, and she seemed to be getting along with them pretty well. That morning, me and Luna woke up at about 8:00. No one else would be up for another hour or so, so we just laid there together. "Oh, Luna..." I whispered, a loving tone to my voice. "I'm so glad you're getting along with my family. Grappa doesn't usually get along with anybody. But, he must've liked you when he noticed Lucy liked ya."

She giggled at that. Lucy was my grandfather's dog. She was a red-heeler blue-heeler mix, and didn't really like anybody besides my grandfather. But, she sensed Luna's kind nature, I guess, 'cause as soon as Luna stepped in the door with me, Lucy walked right up to Luna, a stranger to the house, and starting licking her.

"I am glad they liked me as well. Your family seems very kind, and I would like for them to like me. Especially," She nuzzled my chest. "Since I am going to be your wife one day." I kissed her cheek and nodded, joy resonating from me. "Oh, Luna... I've never loved somebody so much! I can't wait until that day." I drew her into a deep kiss, loving the taste of her mouth.

She shuddered when she felt my fingers. "Sorry," She said. "I am still not used to your... Fingers." I chuckled and started combing my fingers through her hair. "It's alright. You'll be fine about 'em before long, love." I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed each one of her fingers individually.

"You have such pretty little fingers," I said, grinning at her. "And such a beautiful face, too. I never want to leave you or your embrace."

.....

At about 10:30 that afternoon, we went out into the living room. Everybody was up. "Mornin' General. Mornin' Luna." My grandfather said. "You two sleep well?"
I smiled as I held Luna. "Sure did." I answered, kissing Luna on the cheek.
"Good to hear." Luna and I walked to the couch and sat down then, coming down beside my brother.

"Hey General, hey Luna." He said, taking a sip of Mountain Dew. "How are you guys doing?" Me and Luna embraced and smiled at him. "We're doing fine," I answered, still smiling. "How 'bout you?"
"Good. Glad to see you're having a good morning so far." Me and Luna just sat there a while, holding eachother. My brother just smiled.

"You're lucky, General." He said.
"Hm?" I responded, surprised.
"You're lucky, bro. I mean... You've got a great girl, who you're engaged to, you've got a kid on the way, you've got a supportive family... Hell, you're even able to live in two dimensions! You're just... You've got the best life I've ever seen. I know I use to mock you alot, but... I'm jealous of you. If Luna were to get here to Earth, and you weren't with her, I might just try to hook up with her. She's beautiful. That's why you're so lucky. You've got a fiance who's beautiful, kind, loving... I'm... I'm j-just, so h-happy for you, General."

I realized he was crying now, and I didn't know what to do. "Hey now," Luna said, tapping my brother on the shoulder. "Don't be upset. You will not be alone forever. You're a good man. Much like your brother here. I'm lucky to be with him. I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

He smiled and sniffed for a moment. "You're right. See, General? She's caring for all."
I looked at my brother, then I looked at Luna, her head cocked a bit to the right. "You're right. I am lucky to have her."

.....

December 24, 2012

The Night Before Christmas

I had finally earned enough money to buy Luna's present. I went right into Equestria and bought it. I went first to Rarity's boutique. "Good day, Rarity." I said, greeting her with a smile.
"Oh, good day, General," She replied. "How can I help you?"
I grinned at her and pulled out my coin. "Oh, I just need to pick up that order I have."

"Oh yes, the dress and cloak. Just a moment." She walked into the boutique, beckoning me in as she did so. "Now I know I had that dress somewhere... Ah, yes, here it is." She tossed the beautiful clothing to me gently. "And... The cloak is... Aha! Here!" She pulled out a soft looking cloak that seemed to be made of pure silver. I marveled at it's amazing look.

"Here you are." She said, handing me the cloak. "That will be 550 bits please!" I happily handed her the golden coins. I thanked her for the outfit and flew to a nearby jewelry store. When I got entered the store, I was greeted by a sapphire-blue unicorn with a necklace for a cutie mark. "Good day, sir. How may I help you?" He said with a Greek-sounding accent.

"Good day sir," I replied, a smile on my face. "My name is General Smiddy. I do believe I ordered a custom made crown from your fine establishment here a few weeks ago."
"Ah, yes. I remember you. It is for your lover Luna, yes? Hehe, I shall go retrieve it." He went into the back room and closed the door. As he walked around in there, I took a look at some of the other gems and jewels in the store.

I noticed one piece in particular. It was a platinum-chained necklace with a golden locket encrusted with a sapphire on the front. The sapphire was engraved with some kind of rune. "Ah, you like that piece?" I heard the jeweler say with a chuckle. "Wha? O-oh, yeah. It's very nice."

"I would hope so," He continued, still chuckling a bit. "I made it myself. Took me 4 years to make that pretty thing.That rune, on the gemstone, it means "Love" in the Lost Tongue of the Alicorns, a language that nopony has been able to completely decipher." I marveled at the beautiful work.

"You know..." He said, noting how I looked at it. "I could give you a small discount, being the fiance of the Princess of the Night... You know, so you could get this crown AND that lovely necklace. Eh, how much do you have?"
I grinned. I had, thankfully, earned a little bit more than I needed to get the crown and necklace. "Well..." I checked my wallet that I carried with me. "I have about 500 bits to use. Is that enough?" The blue unicorn chuckled.

"Oh, that should be plenty." I handed him the bits as he put the crown on the counter and let me take hold of the necklace. "Thank you very much for your jewelry. This will be a great gift for Luna."
"No problem, my friend. Anything to help you show your love for your mare." He waved good-bye as I walked out of the store. "Next, some wrapping paper." I said to myself. "I can get some of that back home."

I took Rift and slashed open a portal to Earth. "God, I hate doing this." It was true. I hated going through the portal, because I always saw scenes of things, things that would happen eventually, and that should be obvious, and yet, they are scenes that I couldn't make any sense of. They were things that I wouldn't remember or understand until they came to pass or something came to pass that would cause them to happen.

This time, the scenes were different. There were scenes not of my life, but of the lives of 2 other ponies. One of them looked like Luna, but with white fur. It was a little pegasus filly with a black-furred mane and a ring of dark fur around where her cutie mark would rest on her flank. "W-what the..." Next, I saw a young colt. He appeared to be a unicorn with a fishtail instead of hind legs. The only spot on his body that wasn't black was on his flank, where his cutie mark would be. That spot was white.

Oddest of all, he looked quite a bit like me. "W-wha's goin' on?" I asked with great confusion, speaking into the void. "What the fuck is going on... What is going on! God, what is happening?" I wasn't angry, though I spoke with an angry voice. Oh no, I was just frightened, frightened and confused. Finally, I saw a white light.

"Oh... Finally... I'm out of this place!" I paddled my arms through the anti-gravity to quicken my pace to the portal. I was sick and tired of going through this portal, but it was the only way I could get between Earth and Equestria. Finally, I came to the end of the wormhole and exited the portal.

.....

A few hours later, I was back at my house, wrapping Luna's presents. When I came to the crown, looking at the crescent moon adorning it, Luna came in. "Excuse me, love," She said, startling me as I tried to hide the crown. "Oh, my bad, i-is this a bad time? I can leave for a few moments if you want me to-"
"No no, it's fine, just give me a second to hide your present right quick." She obliged, stepping out into the hall as I slipped the necklace into my pocket and the crown and already-wrapped dress into the closet. "Alright than, what'd you need, Moon Pie?" She walked into the room slowly.

"Oh, nothing major, I just, eh, wanted to see if you might be able to talk for a moment." She came to my side and sat beside me. "Talk?" I replied, a smile coming onto my face. "I can always make time to talk with you, love! What do you need to speak to me of?"

"Well, I was thinking of what was a good gift for you, and I was wondering... Well, there are a few things I don't know about you, but... I know you like weaponry, both for actual use, and decoration, so... Well, do you prefer, say, swords over daggers, tridents over swords, et cetera...?" I grinned and told her everything, from my love of swords and daggers, to my joy at seeing the sight of a Chinese Jian blade, to my preference of a Japanese Ken blade over a one-handed Tachi, and my preference of a great sword Tachi over a Ken blade.

Finally, I finished, saying, "But out of all weapons throughout history, I absolutely LOVE tridents the most out of all weapons!" She grinned and thanked me for the knowledge as she walked out of the room. "Heh. Look what time it is." It was 10:00 PM. I had spent 4 hours telling Luna about my favorite weapons.

"She sure is a patient girl... She... She's the perfect lover." Even though there was nobody there, I talked about how wonderful and perfect she was. I talked about her best features, her best aspects. I spoke of how loving and kind she was. I talked about everything, from her kindness and sensitivity, to her face and her curves. I spoke to nobody, nobody but myself.

As I finished wrapping the gifts, I noticed Luna walk by as I spoke of her. She giggled at how I spoke to myself, knowing I wasn't insane. Well... I did have a touch of insanity, I always have. But, I spoke about her to myself because... Because I was in love. I loved her touch, her look, her feel, her sound, her taste, her scent. I... I loved HER.

She came in and sat down, laying her head on my shoulder. I smiled and stroked her hair, loving the silky sensation. "I can't belive you're so patient." I said, chuckling. "Just the fact that you can handle 4 hours straight of me talking about weaponry and my weapons preference is just... Just amazing. I can't believe how much patience you have for a fool like me." I kissed her forehead and pulled her into a deep embrace.

"Oh," She started, closing her eyes. "My King of the Sea, you are not a fool. You are a loving man, and I am lucky to have you. I've never loved a man before I met you, never known carnal pleasures before you, and never had any see my true nature before you. You are my first and truest love, the first I have ever known, and the only one I ever wish to know." She kissed me swiftly upon the lips, lingering for just a moment. "I must be patient, so I do not lose you."

"Oh dearest," I said, drawing her deeper into the hug. "You will never lose me. You shall be mine forever..." I took her into a kiss, holding her tightly and stroking her hair. She melted into my arms, allowing me to feel every inch of her body, me playfully pinching a bit every now and then. Breaking the kiss, I continued speaking, saying, "You are mine, and I am yours. I... I love you." We continued to kiss eachother, allowing our tongues to writhe as the eve of Christmas faded to the first minute of Christmas day.

.....

December 25, 2012

Christmas Day

Luna and I finally went to bed at about 3:00 that morning. We had been up that late kissing eachother, love evident in our every motion, our every action. I pushed myself against her, pressing her against the floor, gently pinning her to where she couldn't escape my embrace - Not that she would want to. When I looked over and saw what time it was, I told her we needed to go to bed.

In response, she simply nodded and went into the bedroom while I put my gift for her beneath the tree. 'Wow,' I thought to myself. 'S-she's so... Loving, and... And I don't deserve her. I've done so many things wrong in my life, but I guess I did something right.' Even as I thought this, my eyes watered with joy. "God," I said outloud. "I am so grateful for this. Oh Lord, thank you so much for this gift you've bestowed upon me. I am eternally thankful, oh Lord, and I pray that I can be with Luna forever. Dear Lord, please, let me and Luna be with eachother for eternity. Amen."

I went into the bedroom and laid down beside Luna. She was already asleep. I chuckled at how she could fall asleep so quickly and so very, very easily. I kissed her upon her brow and wrapped my arms around her. "Rest well, my Queen of the Moon." I fell asleep soon after.

.....

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" I exclaimed as Luna and I walked into the living room seven hours later. "Mornin' General, Luna." My grandmother said as we sat down on the couch. I wrapped my arm around Luna and lovingly drew her closer. "Alright," My grandfather said, going to the tree to pass out the gifts. "Why don't we get the gifts for Luna first? Okay, eh... Oh, looks like there's one from General here."

Luna hugged me tightly, then leaned forward and took the box with a smile. "Thank you." She said. She carefully unwrapped the box, then tugged off the string holding it closed. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. She drew out the gifts one by one, first with the crown, eyes lingering on the gem, then the necklace, and finally, the dress. "Do you like it?" I asked her, excited to hear her answer.

It came swiftly. She pulled me tightly against her and kissed me deeply, love evident in her actions. "Oh General," She began, breaking the kiss. "Yes, yes I love it! Thank you so much, it's so beautiful!" She kissed me again, letting her tongue pierce my lips to meet my own.

After a few moments, she pulled away. I continued to hold her tightly against me, not wanting to let her go. When my grandfather finished handing Luna her gifts, he started onto mine. Everybody knew my fascination and love of the weaponry of ancient peoples, so they all got me things having to do with such things. Books, movies, videos, et cetera. But, Luna's gift was the most extrodinary of all.

"Alright," My grandfather said, picking up a large box. "This one's from Luna. Open it on up." I took the box in my hands and laid it across my lap. I gently took off first the bow upon it, then the paper, then the lid off of the box. When I looked into it, I think it killed some of my brain cells.

I was looking at a trident. I was looking at a 6 foot long trident with a shaft made of bone, prongs made of gold, and a pommel made of silver and inlaid with a sapphire with eight facets visible on each side. "L-Luna..." I said, astonished. "Am I looking at what I think I'm looking at?"

She nodded with a giggle. "If you think you're looking at a trident made by your fiancee, than yes, yes you are." I didn't know how to respond at the fact that she had made this herself. I was just... I was fucking amazed. I just rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't imagining this. "Luna... H-how did you make this in one night?"

"Oh, I already had the pommel and the head of the weapon ready, I just had to make the shaft. Truth be told, I had a few dagger and sword blades ready too, in case you said you preferred either of them." I just sat there. I was totally, fucking, amazed. Suddenly, the world starting going sideways. Within moments, everything was black.

.....

I awoke what seemed hours later, in a daze. My head was spinning and it felt like a nail was driven into my temples. When my blurry vision finally cleared, I realized that I was back at my hometown, resting in my bed. I looked over and saw that Luna was sitting cross-legged at my bedside. "Oh," She said, smiling. "You are awake. I hope you are okay."

I rubbed my temples gently and slowly. "Ah," I said, wincing a bit. "What the hell happened to me?" I continued rubbing my temples as she came up and kissed my brow, leaning her head on my shoulder. "Oh, nothing major. You just fainted and hit your head on the floor. You've been asleep for a few days. We were afraid that maybe you had a concussion, but the doctor assured us your head was fine, though your arm is fractured in two places from the fall." I looked over then and noticed the splint on my arm.

"Luna... How long have you been in here? How long... How long have you been watching over me?"
"I've been watching over you since we got you home from the hospital three days ago. Your mother brings in food and drink every so often, and I managed to give you a little water." I looked into her eyes, confused yet thankful.
"Luna... Why did you spend so long watching over me? Why?"

"Well, it was mostly just to take care of you, but," She continued, a blush fading into her cheeks. "I also wanted to give another present to you, to thank you for your kind gift to me." She kissed me upon my lips, drawing me against her in a deep embrace. "You deserve a reward, love... And I'm going to give you one." She reached down and unzipped my jeans. As I realized what she meant by, "reward", I brought her even closer to me. She pushed my jeans down past my legs and put her hands against my chest.

I could feel myself stiffening. Luna, upon feeling my stiff member, looked seductively into my eyes. "Oh, are you ready?" I nodded and brought her against me again. She pulled down my boxers and brought her hand down towards my groin to stroke my shaft. She went slowly, teasing me. She broke the kiss for just a moment, and took her shirt off, revealing her firm breasts.

I brought my hands to her breasts, gently massaging them while she continued to kiss me. She moaned with ecstasy as I did that, and she brought her hands down to the skirt she was wearing. She slowly pushed it down, past her knees, past her feet. We rolled to our sides, more comfortable that way. A moment later, we broke the kiss. I looked into her eyes and said, "Are you ready, love?"

She nodded and freed me from her embrace. She turned and leaned back a bit, spreading her legs so that I could finish undressing her. "You look beautiful in those, by the way." I humorously said, motioning towards her panties, black and blue with a crescent moon on the back. She giggled and allowed me to grip the underclothing. I pulled them down, past her knees, her shins, and finally, her feet.

I sat back and admired her beautiful body. Her soft, plump breasts. Her beautiful midsection, perfectly rounded from her pregnancy. Her moist sex, gently glistening. "You are so beautiful." I declared, moving closer to her, minding my injured left arm. I laid myself against her body, touching my glans gently against her clit. She shivered with ecstasy. "Oh, G-"

"Shh." I interrupted. " Let's let our bodies do the talking, my Queen of the Moon." I pushed slowly and gently into her, allowing her walls to grip around my member. "Nnngh!" She cried out, a smile on her face. Once I was inside of her, I began to slowly thrust, careful not to go too hard on her, fragile due to her pregnancy. I let one of my hands wander to her round behind, squeezing gently.

"Ooh!" She cried again, gripping me around the waist with her legs. I could feel pressure building up in my loins, and I could feel a heat in her nethers. I continued thrusting into her, out of her, into her, out of her. Finally, I burst, a stream of semen joining the sudden burst of wetness she released upon my spire.

I pulled out of her and we lay back, panting. Eventually, she crawled up and laid her head on my chest, wrapping her arms around me. "T-that was... Amazing, love." She said, snuggling herself up against me.
"You were, too." I said, kissing her cheek. "Oh, Luna... You're the only girl for me. You could've had anyone you wanted, and yet you chose me. I must've done something right for God to bring you to me." She nodded and kissed me one more time. "Oh Luna... I love you so much..." The two of us drifted off to sleep together, holding eachother passonately.

As Life Goes On

December 31, 2012

New Year's Eve

The next morning was the morning of New Year's Eve. I awoke early that morning and saw that Luna was still asleep. I giggled at the slight noises she made while she slept, and I kissed her on the cheek. "General..." She mumbled, eyes slowly opening. "Good morning, Moon Pie." I whispered, wrapping my arms around her. "Sleep well?"

"Very well," She whispered. " Especially now that I can sleep beside you again." She rested her head on my chest.
"Oh, you." I tightened my grip on her. "Luna, I've never met such a perfect person in all my life. You know how to flatter a man so well." I kissed her again and pierced her lips with my tongue. Our tongues wrestled eachother, our bodies copying the motion as we pushed eachother back and forth.

Finally, she broke the kiss. "You know," She said, resting her head against my chest again. "We will need to get our clothes on before someone comes in here. You know, so no one sees us... Nude, together..." I giggled at how she blushed at that. "Oh, you're so cute when you're embarrassed, Luna." I kissed her on the cheek, allowing my lips to linger on her flesh for several moments.

After several moments, I took my lips away from her and stood up. "Well," I continued. "Let's get dressed." We went on to dress eachother, me pulling her underwear up her legs, her buttoning my polo up on me. I handed her shirt over, and she pulled it on. "Alright, now let's get that skirt back on you." I said, lightly squeezing her shoulder. I picked up her skirt and began pulling it up around her legs. I noticed only then how soft the fabric was. "What is this made of?" I asked her.

"Oh, just normal silk. Nothing special." My eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, it's very soft. I see why you always seem so comfortable." I kissed her on the cheek one more time before pulling the skirt up. Standing up, I took Luna by the hand. "Let's get some breakfast." I said, staring into her eyes.

We went into the living room and saw that no one was there. She sat on the couch while I went into the fridge to see what there was to eat. I knew she would prefer not to eat meat, but after a month or so with her, I'd gotten her used to meat to a point that she didn't mind eating fish or fowl. "Hmm... Catfish, eggs, lettuce... Eh... I guess I could make something with that." I pulled out a pan and put the fish into it. I turned the flame on low and told Luna, "How would you like your eggs, Luna?" I asked her, taking some eggs out of the carton.

Smiling, she replied, "Poached, please." I nodded and continued to cook the fish a bit. I put a shallow pan on one of the other burners and proceeded to cook the eggs. About 10 minutes in, the fish was finished. I chopped up the fish and put some of it onto two plates, mixed in with lettuce. Finally, the eggs were finished and I was putting them onto the plates. I brought Luna her plate and a fork, and sat down beside her.

I was surprised by how she ate. I had never actually seen her eat as a human, and I was shocked at her gusto. She ate quickly and swallowed every bite after no more than 3 bites at most. "Wow, Luna," I said, eyes wide. "Why are you so hungry?" Luna looked at her plate, and her eyes widened as she blushed.
"Oh my," She exclaimed. "Excuse me, love. I am just so hungry, because... Well, I was so worried about your condition that I did not eat at all the past couple of days. I guess all the hunger just came up at once, and..." She looked down at her hands, appearing ashamed. "Ah, Luna, it's sweet that you were worried for me, but you shouldn't have endangered your own welfare!"

I put one hand on her shoulder, the other around her. "But," I continued, drawing her close. "If you're hungry, maybe my love can sate your ravenous appetite." I brought her lips to mine, and allowed my tongue to wander past her lips. She welcomed the familiar-yet-alien entity joyfully, placing her arms around me. After a long while, I broke the kiss. "I love you so much," I exclaimed, tightening my grip on her. "You're such a beautiful woman. I'm so lucky to have you!"

She blushed and half-closed her eyes in a seductive manner. "You really know how to flatter a girl." She replied. "I am so glad you came into my world, my King of the Ocean!" I kissed her upon the brow and allowed her to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat like that for hours, glad to be in eachother's embrace.

This was the kind of thing I'd dreamed about ever since I'd first seen Luna in the show. Sitting with her, holding her in my arms, loving her, knowing that she loved me. When 4:00 PM came along, my mother came in. She grinned at seeing Luna and I embracing. "Oh, how cute." She said as she walked past us. My grin widened as I held my beloved wife-to-be.

"I know she is." I whispered as leaned her head closer to mine and kissed my neck.
"I could stay in your arms forever." Luna said.
"Then why don't you?" She giggled and pulled me tighter against her. She was careful of my still-injured arm as she did so, though I still winced a bit at the slight pain. "Sorry." She said.
"That's alright." We stayed like that for several hours more until 10:00 that night. "Let's go to bed." I said, helping her up. She nodded and followed me, moving with grace.

We reached my bedroom and walked to the small bed. "Sleep well, Moon Pie." I said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Good night, Seabiscuit." She replied, returning the kiss. Finally, we laid down together as I snuggled her against my chest and closed my eyes.

"Good night, my love..."

.....

The next day, I woke very early. I looked out the window and realized it was still night. I checked my cell phone sitting on the nightstand. "5:30," I whispered looking over at Luna. "Glad we can sleep beside eachother for a little while longer." I put my phone down and put an arm over Luna. "More time with my beautiful Queen of the Moon."

I stroked her hair for several moments, loving it's silky feel. I was gentle as I stroked it, so as to not wake her. I couldn't believe how soft she was and how comforting her feel was. "Mmm..." I mumbled as I felt my eyes droop again. "She's just so... Warm..." I yawned quietly. Finally, I laid down, one arm still around her. I fell asleep once more, so in love and so glad that I was able to share a bed with the girl, with the woman... No, with the mare I loved.

.....

I awoke to the sight of Luna changing her clothes. I winced as I saw her and all her beauty, nude, in a moment that should be private. She looked at me, and she covered her breasts. "Oh, sorry, 'hon..." I said, blushing at the moment. Luna's cheeks flushed as well, then she just giggled and uncovered her chest. "It is alright, love," She said, smiling. "You are to be my husband one day. It does not harm me if you see me nude." I blushed again, but I was smiling now.

"Well, I'm glad you're not upset." I stood up and hugged her, enjoying the warmth spreading forth from her. We stared into eachother's eyes a moment, then she broke the embrace and continued dressing. I went ahead and changed my clothes as well, looking over at Luna every so often. After about 5 minutes, we had both finished dressing, and I took her by the hand and led her out of the room.

Upon entering the living room, we were greeted by my pet dog, Luke. "Hey, bud." I said, crouching down to pet the foolish doberman. I scratched his scraggly head and he jerked himself every which way in excitement. I grinned at his ignorant euphoria as Luna giggled. "Oh, General, General..." Luna mumbled, crouching down next to me. I looked over at her, and she did the same. I stopped patting the dog's head and did nothing but stare at the beautiful woman next to me.

I couldn't help but stare, and Luna giggled as she pointed at the side of my mouth. I looked down and realized I was drooling a bit. I wiped off the saliva quickly and blushed, embarrassed that she had seen that happen. "How adorable!" Luna said, giggling a bit as she did so. I blushed a bit more at that, then I rose and kissed her upon the cheek. "I love you so much, Luna!" I said as I drew her against me.

I kissed her once more, interlocking lips with her. "Hey, no spit-spwapping in the house!" I heard my mother jokingly say as she walked into the room. "Ma!" I exclaimed as I broke lips with Luna, the two of us giggling as well.
"Ah, you know I'm just teasing!" She replied. "So, what are you two gonna do today?" She asked, putting a pot of coffee on to boil. I thought a moment, then I decided. "Well," I said, grinning at Luna. "I think I might like to go with Luna on a picnic. Would you like that, love?"

Luna grinned. "As long as I'm with you," She said, bringing her arms around me. "I don't mind where we go!" I chuckled and copied her action, pulling her closer to me in a deep embrace. "Glad to hear."

.....

I walked out deep into the nearby woods with Luna, making sure I followed the path. At about noon, we found a small clearing where I spread out a tarp for the two of us to sit on while we ate. I sat down beside her, and I set down the small basket I had brought for the meal. I brought out a medium-sized plastic bowl of salad, a couple of fish and cabbage sandwiches, and a few apples.

I handed Luna her sandwich, put a little salad onto a paper plate for her, and put an apple by her leg. "So, Luna," I said, smiling. "How are you enjoying your time on Earth?" I scooted over closer, still grinning.
"It is very good," She said, a sad smile on her face. "But... I miss my own home a bit." I saw a single tear slip from her eye, though her good mood and slight smile didn't dissipate.

"Well..." I continued. "Why don't you go home? We can visit and stay there together, we can see everypony there again, and maybe we could start planning for the wedding, figure out when it will be." That all gave her a decent smile, then her eyes became as wide as dinner plates when I mentioned planning the wedding, and she nodded vigrously. "That sounds wonderful, love!" She said, bringing me into an embrace. I chuckled at her and her kind nature.

"Well then," I sighed, smiling as I did so. "I'm glad you like that idea. Let's eat our lunch here, then we can go back to my house and tell my mother our plan." She nodded and took a bite of her sandwich, smiling at the heavenly taste. "Well, guess this will be a great day, from how things are looking so far!" I took out my own sandwich and took a bite, grinning widely.

We sat there for several hours, enjoying the meal. Just as we both finished and began to get up, I heard some kind of growl. "Luna," I calmly and quietly said. "Stay down, don't make any sounds or sudden movements." She obeyed as I saw what was making the sound. It was a wolf. I saw the silver-furred creature walking out of the woods, growling menacingly. I just glared at it.

I was scared beyond belief, but I couldn't let the beast attack. It slowly walked around us. I knew the beast was probably just an adolescent, straying from his pack for whatever reason. I just glared the beast down angrily the entire time, a frown of great displeasure on my face. Finally, the beast walked off. I waited a few moments after before I let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright Luna," I said, offering my hand to help her up. "He's gone."
She nodded and took my hand. "Thank you," She said, grinning. "You risked yourself for me. I cannot thank you enough, love!" She threw her arms around me and laid her head on my shoulder. "Now then," She said, moving yet closer. "Time for your reward."

She brought her lips against mine, and I could feel warmth spreading out from her. I leaned into the kiss, breaching the wall formed by her lips with my tongue. She welcomed it, and pressed her own tongue against mine. The entities wrestled with eachother in a loving fight. Finally, we fell down upon the tarp, still kissing. Minutes later, she broke the kiss for just a moment. "General... You are my truest love, now and forever."

I nodded and continued the kiss, loving every moment that I tasted her. I loved feeling her flesh against my own, and so I brought her against me ever-tighter, rubbing against her as I did so. We laid there a long time, not caring what happened around us, caring only that we were together, able to love eachother. "I love you so much..." I whispered as I broke the kiss and made our embrace tighter. We laid there longer than I could remember, and we didn't break the embrace until daybreak.

"Well then, I guess we should get going now." I said as I took her hand and we left for my home, walking off into the sunset.

Planning for Love

January 5, 2013

Luna and I had spent about a week in Equestria, hanging out with the Mane 6 as well as her sister and her own friends she had made. I learned that in the months leading up to me coming to Equestria for the first time, she had made several friends through gaming. One of those friends was a pegasus named Cobalt Arrow.

He was 14 hands tall, 5 hands long. He had a sapphire coat, a mane of green tinged with ruby, and upon his flank was a bow-and-arrow cutie mark. I figured it was for like, adventure games or something, but then he surprised me. "So, Cobalt," I said, talking to him when me and Luna were playing video games with him. "What, exactly, IS your special talent?"

"Oh that." He responded, shooting my head off for the 23rd time in a row on a PVP game. "I'm an archer."
"What?" I said, shocked.
"Yep." Was all he said in reply, killing Luna for the 27th time in a row.
"What the hell!" I exclaimed. "This is the first time I've ever heard of a pony in this world who's able to shoot a freakin' bow and arrow! Dude, I HAVE to check this out!" He chuckled and nodded. Luna giggled at my reaction as we all paused the game and went out to the royal gardens.

Once we reached the gardens, we had the guards set up 10 targets. Each target was 150 feet away from us. He had with him not some kind of elegant bow made of horn, not a fancy old thing made of blackened wood or decorated with colorful leathers. Oh no, it was a simple willow branch with a few arrows made of river cane shafts and flint arrowheads.

I was certain that he wouldn't hit a single target, but Lord, was I proven wrong. He quickly strung the bow with strengthened grass fibers and held it with some kind of machinery made to replicate hands, which he attached to his hoof. He pulled back a single arrow on the string. He released, and he hit the westernmost target, making a perfect bull's eye.

My jaw dropped in astonishment. "Nice shot, bro." I said, still amazed. Suddenly, he went down the line, drawing back and releasing the arrows one after another, taking only a second in between each shot to notch another arrow. I couldn't believe he was actually getting bull's eyes from 150 feet away. Suddenly, he was down to his last arrow and his last target. He smirked then.

"Just a second." He said. Suddenly, he turned around and ran back another 350 feet. I could hear the strain of his bow as he brought the arrow back as far as he could. Finally, he released the arrow. All I saw was a streak of light-brown as the arrow whizzed past faster than I can accurately recall. Not a second later, I heard the arrow bury itself into the target. I looked over and saw that the arrow had made a perfect bull's eye.

"Fuckin'... Awesome..."I said, shocked. Cobalt finally walked back to where we were. "Dude," I continued. "Cobalt, that is fucking awesome! I can't believe that!" He chortled heartily at my reaction. Luna was also giggling at me. I guess the look of amazement on my face must have been crazier than I thought. "I mean, dude, just... You are freakin' epic! Hah! Look at me! I'm just a regular, everyday human, yet just a few weeks ago, I fell into this dimension, and I started going out with a princess! And now, I've met someone extremely epic through my relationship with that princess! Two awesome people, and yet there's still more people I've met that are sure to be epic! J-just... I am so, fucking, lucky."

I suddenly started laughing. Even as I laughed, I realized that I MUST be insane. I realized that they were stepping back and trying to get a distance away from me. "Oh, Lord," I said, trying to calm myself down, though I was still laughing. "Sorry guys, I'm fine, come on back." They nodded and stepped just a bit closer. "I'm sorry about that. I just... I don't know what happened to me. I guess I was so amazed, I just went kinda wacky."

Luna giggled and came right next to me, nuzzling my neck. Cobalt chortled a bit, but then I noticed something. As he watched me and Luna embracing the way we were, I noticed a pain, a longing in his eyes. "What's wrong, Cobalt?" I asked, me and Luna walking closer. Luna answered that. "Before you came to Equestria," She whispered. "He once asked me to be with him. I turned him down. I liked him, but just as a friend." I nodded, showing that I understood.

"Is that true, Cobalt?" I asked him. He nodded, a single tear falling from his eye.
"Yeah, it's true." He replied, looking up. "Gosh... General, friend, do me a favor. I loved Luna, and... I still kinda do. So please, take care of her. Be good to Luna, please." I looked from him to Luna, then nodded. I smiled and chuckled.
"You don't have to tell me twice." I said, coming closer to her. "You don't have to tell me twice..."

.....

A few hours later, me and Luna were back in her bed chambers, alone now. Cobalt Arrow had gone home after I had made the discovery about his feelings about Luna. Luna and I were just playing video games at that moment in time. "General," Luna started, looking at me. "So... How do you feel about Cobalt Arrow having... You know, wanting to be with me?" Well, that really made me think. I wasn't sure what I thought of it. On one hand, it meant that it would always be a bit awkward between the 3 of us. But, on the other hand, it meant that Luna had somehow known to save herself... It meant that Luna was meant to be with me.

Finally, I answered her, declaring, "Luna, I'm glad I found this out. It means that there will always be an awkward time when all 3 of us are together, but it also means that you were meant to be with me. You could've had another guy - or, rather, stallion, - and yet, you turned him down and waited for another. Luna, I'm glad I found out about this. This makes me know how lucky I truly am to have you. Luna... I love you so much." There were tears in her eyes at the end of that, as were there tears in my own eyes.

I came closer to her, and she copied the motion. Before long, we paused the game, and we expressed our passion. I practically tackled her to the ground, drawing her into a kiss. She welcomed the loving attack, drawing my tongue in. Our saliva mingled as our tongues met eachother in the gesture. I pushed deeply into her maw, wanting to lap up every single flavor I felt within her.

This was a bit of a tease, though. I knew she wanted the kiss to go into something a bit... Deeper, than that, but I didn't think we should do such things too often. But, after a while, she tempted me just a bit too much, and I finally fell for it.

Our lips continued to interlock as I reached a hoof down. I slowly drew my hoof across her body, going from her neck, to her chest, to her soft teats. I let my limb linger there for a moment, circling each of the nipples, pressing against them. Finally, I let my hoof finish it's descent.

I bumped against her already-moist marehood. I rubbed up and down, grinding my hoof against it. I could hear her moaning softly, pleasure evident. I continued to rub her clit, wetting my hoof as I did so. I broke the kiss and brought my hoof up. I licked it, and I smiled. "You have a lovely taste." I playfully said, eliciting slight giggling from Luna.

It was true. The liquids coming from her mare hood tasted good. She tasted spicy, sweet, and savory all at once. It was an odd flavor, but I liked it. I savored the sensation, then allowed my hoof to lower to it once more. Despite how it obviously made her feel, she stopped me halfway down.

"No," She whispered, bringing her lips against my ear. "Stop teasing. I want it all. Now." I looked into her sparkling eyes, cute, spicy, powerful, calm, and seductive all at once. As I looked into her beautiful orbs, I couldn't help but nod and obey her. I kissed her neck and pressed the head of my penis against her tender sex.

She cried out slightly at that, as she almost always did. I loved how it felt to know that I did that, and that only I could. I loved that feeling so much, and I don't know if it would be possible for me to be even a bit flacid. This was making me feel as hard as steel. Finally, I stopped with the teasing, and I pushed in.

She cried out in ecstasy, voice laced with electricity. I allowed my spire to rest within her, loving the feeling of her moist cunt. I could feel the warmth of her breath on my neck as I did this, warm wetness gathering on my fur. I leaned my head lower down and nibbled a bit on her ear. Finally, I stopped resting my penis and began to thrust.

I didn't want to hurt her in her pregnancy, so I thrusted slowly and gently. She didn't mind the gentle motion, though, because that was all she needed. She was so very sensitive in her nethers, and so even the slightest touch threatened to make her orgasm. I picked up a bit of speed as I did this, and she eventually began to buck her hips wildly against me. I loved the mingling of her fur and flesh against mine own, and I felt a pressure growing within my loins.

Finally, I couldn't hold it back any longer. I felt myself burst within her. As I released the semen, I slipped out of her moist sex. I looked down and saw a white trail coming up to her teats from her lips. I was simply amazed by how wet she was, and at how much she panted. "Oh, Luna," I buzzed, kissing her furry cheek. "Had fun, did we?" She nodded coyly, pink rising to her cheeks. "I... Always enjoy... Doing this with you." She said, still panting a bit. I chuckled and nuzzled her neck.

I noticed her eyes drooping sleepily. I chuckled. "You're all tuckered out." I said, snuggling her closer to me. "Let's get you to bed." She nodded as I helped her up from her position on the floor and led her to the bed. I laid her down on the bed, and I joined her. I kissed her upon the cheek, and I whispered, "Good night, my Queen of the Moon." As she nodded off to sleep.

Man always wishes to have what he cannot. He would have that he is the Master, but he is countered by God and the concept of God. He would wish that he knows all, but then is countered by an unknown struggle. But, sometimes, man has what it is he wants. Sometimes, man finds Love. And sometimes, Love is the purpose of man's existence.

.....

We woke early the next morning. I woke to see her out of bed and stretching herself out a bit. "Good morning, beloved." I buzzed, proclaiming my being awake to her.
"Oh, good morning, my love." She exclaimed, bounding over to me. Upon reaching me, she nuzzled herself against my neck and chest. "Sleep well?" I asked her, caressing her mane. She nodded with vigor as she brought herself back up.

I noticed how flushed her cheeks were. I chuckled a bit. "You're still a bit dirty from last night." I whispered, licking her neck. "Why don't you join me for a shower?" She giggled and nodded at that, cheeks flushing ever more. I got up and slowly led her into the bathroom with me. "Do you like hot water, or cold water?" I asked her as I walked to the shower.

"You decide," She proclaimed. "I do not mind what it is as long as you are happy." She had a happy smile on her face. I chuckled and nodded. I turned the knobs until it reached a temperature of roughly degrees farenheit. I smiled at the warm feel of the water and invited her to join me. She gladly accepted.

She stepped into the shower and we drew back the curtain. I smiled at her. She always managed to get more beautiful. From when I had first seen her, to when I saw her as a human, to now. Her mane dripped with water and hung over her, sticking a bit to her side. Her fur was also sticking, making it snug around her flesh. Then I looked at her face.

She was just drop-dead gorgeous. Her sparkling sapphire eyes, her darkened blue fur, her glistening horn. I couldn't help but let a tear slip from my eye at how beautiful she looked. I brought her against me and embraced her. She returned the action, then broke the loving gesture. She levitated the soap over and began to scrub herself.

She started with her front legs, rubbing the bar up and down each leg a few times before putting it forth in the warm spray of the water. She turned to her side a bit when she went to wash her flank. Upon her doing this, I couldn't help but notice her lifting her tail a bit, revealing her wettened marehood. I chuckled a bit at it, and she blushed a bit when I pointed it out to her.

Finally, she was finished with the soap and levitated it to me. As I copied her actions with the lye, she took forth a bottle of her shampoos. I saw her choose one of the more feminine ones, a certain Moon Lily Delight. I saw her sniff it once and smile before squirting some into her mane. She rubbed it into her beautiful locks with her hooves, scrubbing ever-so gently, and yet effectively cleaning herself.

Next, she cleaned her tail. She rubbed some of the gel through the ebony-blue hair forming it, gently stroking each individual strand. Finally, she finished with it and returned it to it's shelf. I myself had been cleaning my own mane and tail, using a spruce-scented musk. She noticed the smell, and she laughed a bit, obviously pleased by the scent.

Even though we were both done cleaning ourselves, we lingered in the onslaught of warm water and embraced. As I smelled the fragrant scent of her mane, I felt myself getting high. "Oh Luna," I whispered into her ear. "You smell wonderful." I nibbled her ear playfully as she giggled a bit. "As do you." She responded through her laugh.

We simply stood there for several minutes, holding eachother in a silent, loving hug. Finally, I broke myself off from her, and I turned off the water. We stepped out of the shower, and I levitated two towels over. I dried myself off, quickly rubbing the towel over every part of my body. Luna did the same, and then we hung up the towels on the rack.

Upon exiting the bathroom, I started the conversation. "So, Luna," I said, stopping for a moment. "When do you think our wedding should be? And for that matter, where should it be?" She contimplated this. I could tell she was as unsure as I was. Finally, she thought of something. "Well," She mumbled, eyes lighting up. "We could have it at sunset. Yes, sunset would make for a lovely time for us to wed! Ooh, and... And maybe we could do this on the summer solstice!" I nodded, imagining it then. A warm, beautiful evening. The Sun setting far off in the West, the Moon finishing the first part of it's ascent off in the East. I nodded.

Then I thought of something. "And as for where," I said, drawing her snugly against me. "We can have the wedding somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Anywhere in Everfree, that you like." She nodded, smiling. We finally broke the embrace and walked out of the bed chambers, prepared for the day.

Amor Vincit Omnia

I dreamt. I dreamt more than dreams. I saw visions, visions of what was happening. I saw what had been happening to Luna since that fateful day.

It started out when I should've been back at the castle that night. My dreams started with Luna, sitting in her chambers, a slight frown beginning to cross her face. "Where is he?" She said. She began fidgeting with her hooves, growing more discontent with each moment. First, one hour passed. Then, two. Then four, and eight, and by Midnight, she was so worried she was crying.

She cried long, she cried long and loud. Finally, at 4:00 that morning, the guards heard her and came to her. "What is wrong, Your Highness?" One of the guards asked her, clearing the others away to give her air.
"I... I..." She stuttered. She began to cry again. "General has not returned! He never came back last night, he has not returned this morning, and I do not know where he could be!" She let her head hang in her hooves and weeped anew.

They weren't sure what to do, the guards. They did everything they could. They comforted her, they assured her I would return soon, they even had Celestia Herself try and reassure her, but nothing worked. "Luna," I called out, though I knew she couldn't hear me. "Luna! It's me! I'm right here! Luna! LUNA! LUNA! I'M RIGHT HERE, LUNA, I'M RIGHT HERE!"

Several more days passed. On day 2, they sent out search parties and investigators. They discovered that the last person who saw me was Pinkie Pie.

"Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh!" She cried out, excited and frightened. "Well I saw him flying out from Sweet Apple Acres towards the West and he wasn't watching where he was going, but he flew into a cloud! And then, I thought to myself, 'Self, doesn't that cloud look like a bunny?' And then I thought that it looked like Gummy, then I saw it looked like Winona, and then-" Before long, they had to stop her, and they walked away. They looked towards the west, and before long, they found a cliff by the beach with a notch in it. It appeared to have been busted into the cliff as if something had crashed into it, but they couldn't find any other clues.

By day 8, they had given up the search and proclaimed me dead. "No, no, NO!" Luna cried out when they told her they were certain I was dead. "He is NOT dead! I just KNOW he is out there somewhere! He is just... Just... Somewhere! Missing! He WILL return! I... I... Believe in him... He is... Too strong to die easily, no matter where he is. He WILL return! When, I do not know, how, I do not know, but he WILL return!"

"L-Luna..." I whispered. "There she is. Be strong. Don't give up hope, my love. I will be back soon." By day 10, the day that I remember waking up to find myself in Calypso's hut, Cobalt Arrow had begun to take care of her. "Knock knock," He said as he walked into Luna's bed chambers. "Hi Luna."

"Oh, hello Cobalt Arrow." She said, drying a few tears. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, I don't need anything. I just wanted to try and cheer you up." He frowned as he came up by her side. "How are you coping?"

"Coping? What, with General's disappearance? Oh... I'm doing better. I'm sure I'll have no problems at all once he returns." She replied, a slight smile coming to her lips.
"Luna..." He desperately said. "General... He's been gone for almost 2 weeks. There's no way he's still alive. Face it, Luna. He's... Gone. I hate to admit it, but... He isn't coming back."

Luna's eyes went from sad and hopeful to furious. "Cobalt Arrow, he is NOT gone. He is simply missing! General is strong! He can make it through anything that can be done to him! It doesn't matter if it's torture by another person, or if it's attack by Nature Herself, he can make it! He WILL make it! HE IS ALIVE!" Tears stayed in her eyes, tears of anger, of love, of sorrow, and of passion.

"Well then, Luna," He said surrendering. "I'm sorry I upset you. I think it's best I... Go, for now." He stepped away and bowed. "Yes," she replied, still angry. "I think it is, too." She closed thr behind him and walked back to her bed, where she repositioned herself. She looked around and listened closely, then allowed tears to flow once more.

She looked towards the growing bulge in her belly. "General..." She whispered. "Please... Come back soon. I need you. I need you!" Before long, I couldn't quite understand her. Then, I realized, she was speaking Latin. She was praying. "Magne caelestis Domine, obsecro suppliciter in genibus pedes meos amo is restituere. Quia vivit, et revertetur ad me obsecro. Hoc placet, Domine. Amen."

I couldn't believe it. She was... Praying, for my return. She truly did care for me to ask God for aid. I was Christian, so this really moved me, to see she was taking up a part of my faith. "Luna..." I began to weep within this dream, happy and proud of her, glad she wouldn't give up on me. "I'll be with you soon, my Queen of the Moon. Don't give up hope." I closed my eyes, and the visions faded away.

.....

I awoke, feeling the ground beneath me. I was still in Calypso's hut, so I knew I hadn't just dreamed her up. "Dammit."
"What is wrong?" Calypso asked me, coming in with a tray of fruit. She had a grin on her face, the same smile that she never seemed to lose. "Oh, Calypso," I said, lifting the blankets off of my body. "Ah, nothings wrong, it's just..."

"It's her, isn't it?" She asked, giggling.
"Her? You mean, Luna? Uh, yeah, but... How did you know about her?" I asked, putting on a frown of confusion. She giggled, that same sweet melody. "You talk in your sleep. You kept saying over and over, 'Luna, I'm here. Luna, I'll be there soon.' I assumed this Luna was a mare who is very close to you. Girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? Not quite... More like, my fiance." I said, chuckling a bit at the discovery that I talk in my sleep. Calypso's eyes widened a bit, but then her face returned to it's usual appearance. "Fiance? Ooh, how wonderful! You are to be married! Oh, if you could... Escape, like the others." She took on a sorrowful look, letting a few tears fall.

"What's wrong?" I asked, shocked by her sudden change of mood. She wiped away a few tears.
"Oh, nothing. It's just... There have been several stallions to come to this island, all by accident. They were my companions and friends every time... Until they left. They all just used me, thinking I would help free them, that I was casting a spell to make them come here. Then when I would ask them to help me and take me with them, they would say 'No, you whore,' or, 'Lay off, you satanic cunt'! They thought I forced them to come here through black magic, just because I am an enchantress. And I bet you'll do the same!" She began to cry, trying to choke back the sobs.

I am not sure what to do. I want to help her, to calm her down, but I didn't know how. "Calypso," I began, sincerely. " I-I won't do that, you poor thing. I doubt you'll believe me, but trust, I won't do that. I can only imagine the emotional pain you've felt. Trust me, if I ever get off this island, I'll do whatever I can to get you off with me. I promise you. I swear on my good name."

"Y-you... You mean it?" she said, still sobbing.
"Yes, Calypso. I know you aren't just some witch, and I want to help such a poor mare like yourself. You deserve to get off of this island." I smiled, trying my hardest to calm her down.
"Thank you, Nobody. None of the others ever made such a promise, such an oath. You are truly a kind person, a gift from the Gods." I smiled. She came over and hugged me. I was shocked at first, then relax and return the embrace.

As we hug, I can't help but just smell her mane. It has a lovely aroma, a sweet scent I can't quite identify. As she broke the hug, I realized I was blushing. She just giggled. "Well, let's go outside and try to find a way to get you home." She quickly takes the tray she had brought in and hands me a fruit. It looks like nothing I'd ever seen before, seeming to be part apple, part guava, part cantaloupe, part... Something else. I took a bite of the strange delicacy, and smiled and the amazing flavor.

Upon exiting the hut, I looked towards the beach. "So," I began. "How are we going to get out of here? I mean, I guess I could try to swim us out."
She shook her head no. "No, can't swim. Currents too strong, even Oceanus himself could not get through. Only the Sky and the Earth could swim far enough to escape currents."

I just looked at her and grinned. "Calypso, please. I'm more than what you think." She shrugged and gestured at the water. I walked up to the water and felt the liquid lap against my hooves. It was warm and welcoming. I flew up high into the air, then flew down towards the briny deep. I hit the water head on and swam as far as I could. About a quarter of the way in, currents began to push me back. At first, I was able to push through, but before long, they began getting stronger. Finally, they pushed me back hard enough to land me back on the shore, flat on my ass.

"Told you currents were too strong." She said, mockingly.
"Yeah, yeah..." I stood up and walk back towards the water. "Maybe I could fly you out?" I said, looking at the sky.
"No, no." She exclaimed. "Sky-Master too strong. He pushes great gusts around the isle. Not able to escape through sky." I shrugged and flew upwards. I flew as fast as I could, making it almost a mile before I felt any wind resistance. It was weak at first, then stronger. Then it pushed at me, further and further, it pushed me, until, once again, I was pushed back to the isle and fell on my ass.

"Dammit!" I exclaimed. I refused to give up. I went into the water again, fast and hard as I could. I swam and swam, pushing the water back with my tail and pushing the currents away with my new-found abilities. "You aren't gonna get me this time, you damn waves!" I refused to surrender, but, despite my greatest efforts, the currents refused to yield, and I only got a mile before I was pushed back again.

"DAMMIT!" I dove in again and again and again. No matter what, I kept doing this, and I never managed to get further than 2 miles. Finally, at around 10:00 PM, after my 12,732nd failure, Calypso came up and tapped me on my shoulder. "WHAT?!" I shouted, harsher than I intended. Calypso flinched in surprise. "Oh, sorry Calypso. Wh-what do you need?"

"I think you should stop for the night. You are going to need a lot of energy if you're going to continue trying in the wake of Eos." I shook my head no.
"No, no. I have to keep trying. I need to get to Luna. I... I NEED TO! I NEED LUNA!" Despite her pleas, I dove in again. I refused to stop, I refused to come back. I wouldn't stop until I reached the mainland. I wouldn't stop until I reached the mainland. I would quit under only two conditions: If I got to Luna, or if I died. I never stopped. Even when I was out of energy, I kept doing it. The whole while, I shouted, "LUNA! LUNA!" Like a madman, not willing to give up, my burning spirit and will fueled by the image of Luna imprinted in my mind. "I WON'T GIVE UP ON YOU LUNA! I'M GOING OT GET TO YOU!"

Finally, when I hit the beach again at 11:42, Calypso came up and took me by the shoulder. "Nobody, please. Please, don't try again. I don't want you to get hurt, just come in and rest. Please, do it for me." She wrapped her legs around me in a hug, letting tears spill from her face. Finally, I reluctantly agreed, saying, "Fine. I'll... I'll rest." I broke the embrace and closed my eyes, letting a single tear roll down my cheek. "Good night, Calypso."

I walked past her and laid down on the firm ground. I pulled the blanket over my body. "Good night, Luna, my eternal love." I let myself drift into the realm of dreams.

Love. What is Love? It is Justice. What is Justice? It is Truth. What is Truth? It... Is Love. It is a vicious, cruel, yet beautiful cycle. Love is what happens when you live for a person, yet would die for them in a New York minute. You want to dream of that person twenty four-seven, yet can't fall asleep because reality is better awake with that person. You want to be with that person, rather they are a mate or family member, a friend or a child, male or female, all the time. You want to talk to them and be a friend to them. A best friend to them. Such is the will of humanity, the will of true society, and, despite what many think or see, the will... of God Himself.

.....

January 25, 2013

I woke early the next morning. From the position of the Early Dawn's still-risen Moon, I figured it was about 6:20. I looked out towards the beach and saw Calypso. I came up to her, and saw she was crying. "What's wrong?" I asked her, smiling sadly.

"Oh, nothing really," She said, still looking at the ocean. "It's just... You remind me so much of another stallion who was here, hundreds of years ago. He embraced his Fate to be here with open arms, though he still thought of home and of his family. He was also... My lover. No matter what, loving me always came first to him. He would never put anything before me. Every night, as soon as he finished trying to find a way off the island, he would come to the hut and lay with me. Every morning before he broke his fast, he would make sure I woke up and kiss me all over before he did so."

She paused, then grinned slightly. "Oh, but even so, he dreamed of us making it to the mainland and making a new life with me. He was also a sea alicorn, much like you, so he swam hard through the ocean, never giving up, never willing to accept defeat. That was why I loved him. He was brave and determined, kind and loving, strong and fierce, all at the same time. One day, he managed to get over 7 miles covered before the currents overtook him. Then, 'it' happened."

Tears resumed spilling down her cheeks. "It was a rainy day. He had been here for over twenty years. He went out to continue his activities, trying to escape the currents paying the drizzle no mind. But, before long, the drizzle turned to rain, and the rain to a downpour. Finally, it was a full-on thunderstorm. I tried to call him back to the isle, but he couldn't hear me over the onslaught. Then, it happened; an enormous, torrential wave came towards him, strong as the Bolt of the God-King. It swept him back to the shore, and I cried over what I saw: He was dead. He had hit the beach too hard when the wave swept him back, and he died. That is why I was crying when you wouldn't stop trying yesterday; I thought the same thing would happen to you."

She looked at me as I tried to digest the story she just told me. "Nobody," She continued, drying a few tears. I looked into her eyes. "I know you are to be married already, and I know this is foolish for me to say, but... You look JUST like my late lover, and... I think I am in love with you."

All I could think was 'Oh God, another one. Another one in love with me.' I wasn't sure what to think, so I just did what I would normally do. "Calypso," I started, staring straight at her. "I am sorry. I know how painful this must be, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I came to this isle and harmed you like this, but trust me, I will get you off this isle, so you can start a new life. You'll be in a better place within two months. I promise you." I kissed her on her cheek the dove into the ocean, wanting to get a fresh start on the escaping.

.....

I swam for hours and hours around the isle, trying to find a break in the ring of currents, though I never even found a weaker area in the shield. Finally, at around 8:00 that night, I came back to the beach. "Here," She said, handing me half of a loaf of bread. I thanked her and took a bite. "Thank you." I said, smiling. I ate and thought of what to do. "Hey, Calypso."
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to try and find something to help get us off of this place. I'm going to go far into the island, see what could help." She nods. "Be careful." She says before I walk off. I nod and smile at her.

I started off towards the small jungle that rested on the island's center. About halfway through a trail, I see an odd looking tree that held some of the fruit that Calypso had brought me the previous day. I picked a few and stored them in the saddlebags I decided to grab before I left. I noticed that there was a cave beside the tree, and I saw an odd silver glow come from within. "Odd." I said. I didn't know what to expect, so I took out a few torches to mark my place, then went inside to investigate.

.....

I placed lit a torch and placed it every hundred paces. With every step I took, the silver glow seemed to get brighter. I didn't know what it was, but the glow was warm, welcoming, and it gave me a comfortable feeling, the kind of feeling that a child would feel when they see their loving parents after a long summer camp, a long trip away from their parents. I smiled at the feeling it gave me and walked further in.

Finally, I came upon it. What was causing the glow was an odd altar. It seemed to be made of some kind of stone, but it wasn't made of any stone I had ever seen, both because of the glow it gave off, and because of it's texture. It was smooth, despite the fact that it looked rough and jagged. Beneath the altar, there was an odd blade; A silver dagger with a hilt just long enough to fit a human's hand, a silver bar-crossguard, and a foot-long blade that started in the shape of a wolf's head, then curved back up into a straight, double-edged blade. On the blade were two symbols: The runic signs for love and peace.

I approached the altar slowly and respectfully, and, upon reaching it, a voice reached my ears. "You have found it." I turned around to face a robed figure. I couldn't tell if it was male or female, the body being neither feminine nor masculine, the voice the same way. "Good. The blade was lonely." He approached me calmly and reached past me to take up the blade. It was a humanoid of some kind, I could tell, but I wasn't sure if it was human or what.

"Wh-who are you? Wha... WHAT are you?" I asked the figure in a fearless tone, despite the fact that I was shitting my pants. "Hehe. I see you have not read of my kind. Unfortunate. Very well then, I will tell you. I am the last of the Dragon-born Warriors, an ancient clan of humanoids who are neither human, nor pony, nor dragon, nor fish, nor insect, nor bird, nor rodent. We... Are nothing. And yet, we... Are composed of a bit of everything, but what gives us life is the Dragon's Blood flowing through our veins. Being the last of my clan, I am immortal to all diseases and old age. Only battle and God Himself can kill me. So, I've been here for over a millenia, guarding the last treasure of my people. I know that you can use it's power for good."

I just stared at the figure. "So... What can the blade-"
"Traum Silber," He corrected, oddly using the German words for 'Dream Silver'.
"What can Traum Silber do?" I ask.
"It is an enchanted blade, friend! It is made by the hands of angels! It does only normal tasks you'd do with an average pocket knife, but anything the blade touches or carves, it is blessed to be as strong as four thousand walls of iron, yet as light as a feather to the mortal hand! It can carve any wood into the strongest boat, and any metal into a fine blade, or trap, or pipe, or... Well, anything for that matter! Just take it, and tell my story to all, please, friend!"

I was not sure what to say, so I just nod and thank him. I take the blade then, as an after thought, make a quick prayer to God. "Carum caelesti Domino, gratias ago pro munere, talia mihi a vobis alienus. Obsecro Domine quia per hoc ferrum, quos ego diligo in domum Domine. Oro etiam, bone Deus, benedicimus te alienus huiusmodi adeo ut non iam pecuniam date ei. Obsecro, in nomine Iesu. Amen." I thanked the stranger once more as I turned to go.

"Wait!" the figure cried. "Take this, too!" He through a heavy leather-bound tome me. On the front of it were the words ' Draco-mogenitus alienorum: Amissus Clan' in rough silver lettering. I nod and thank him once more before following my trail of torches back out.

.....

"Calypso!" I yelled, charging onto the beach. "Calypso! I've got something to get us off of the island! Calypso!" I looked around, but I saw her nowhere. "Surprise!" A voice yelled from behind me. I jumped in surprise.
"Oh, Calypso," I said, trying to calm my heart. "Please do not do that again. I have a weak enough heart already."
"Oh, sorry, Nobody. Didn't mean to frighten you!" She giggles as she steps away just a bit. "So, what did you find?" She asks.

"Well, see, I walked into this weird cave I saw the jungle, and in the back of it, there was some kind of altar. Underneath the altar was a silver blade," I pulled the dagger out. "And when I approached the altar, someone - or something - stepped out of the shadows and told me to take the blade. He said he was the last of a clan called the, Dragon-born Warriors." As Calypso stared in surprise at the amazing blade, then smiled and squealed in glee. "Ooh, how wonderful! We are going to escape! We just need to make a boat, or something to get out of here! I've heard about that dagger, I know it will help us greatly!" She wrapped her legs around me in a friendly embrace, overjoyed by the new development.

"Great. Well, it's really late right now, Calypso, so, I think I'll go to sleep. We'll start working on our escape tomorrow."
"Very well then, friend. Good night!"
"Good night, Calypso!" I replied with glee. I then went off into the hut and laid down. It was about Midnight, so I wouldn't wake up until a little later.

I laid down beneath the blankets and looked up at the ceiling. I imagined Luna's bright, smiling face. "Good night, my love. I will be with you soon. With God as my witness, I will make it back to you." Then I drifted off.

.....

January 26, 2013

I woke at about 8:00 that morning, later than usual, but still early enough for a good start. I saw Calypso, standing at the shore like always, staring into the ocean, but something was different this time; she was standing straighter, taller, prouder... Happier. I smiled at that and went off into the jungle to find some wood.

I went towards the area where I knew the trees were strongest: the center. I found the tallest tree I could and took the dagger out. I set to work on the 30-foot tree, pushing the edge into the bark. It didn't take two seconds before the blessed silver had split through to the middle of the tree. I shrugged and finished my work, cutting through the other side. I put the dagger away and tied a rope to the end of the lumber once it fell. I began to drag it, and I realized the Dragon-born had been right; the logwas light as a feather. I pulled it down the trail with ease, starting out slow, then steadily gaining speed until I was flat-out running.

Within five minutes, I had arrived on the beach and dropped the wide, long tree by Calypso. "Let's get to work." I said, grinning at her. I pulled out the blade and began levitating it so that I could actually carve into the log. I began by peeling the bark off of the log, one thirty-foot strip after another. Finally, the log was nice and bare. Then, I set to carving into the tree. I pushed the tip into the pulp of the wood, slowly pushing the blade in a large oval in the log. It took me several hours, but before long, I had carved out half of the interior. When I looked up, I saw the sun had set and the gibbous Moon was just coming over the treetops. "Night already?" I said looking over at Calypso, who had been gathering the chunks of wood I cut out.

"Well then, I guess I'm going to sleep now. Good night, friend."
"Good night, Nobody." She replied, smiling. I grinned back as I walked into the hut. I laid down beneath the blankets and made my nightly prayer to God before I thought of Luna.

"Oh, dear Lord," I said, the image coming to my mind. That image of our first night together. I had just told her my feelings. She had pressed her lips to mine in response. The way her breath tasted was fresh in my mouth, the way her mane felt as it fell past her face and touched me fresh upon my flesh. I grinned and let my mind slow itself, let my heartbeat calm, until I eventually fell asleep, her image fresh in my mind. "Good night, my love. We will be together before long."

Love conquers all. A phrase which we have heard and seen examples of all throughout history. In the darkest days. In the worst storms. In the greatest typhoons. No matter what, we always learn that true Love will conquer all. It matters not who, or what, you are. So long as you have Love in your heart, you will conquer. You will succeed.

.....

January 27, 2013

I woke right as Dawn was breaking. I walked outside and kneeled down at the carving we were working on. Calypso was standing at the shore, looking at the ocean as always. She noticed me and walked over too. "Good morning, sleepy head!" She playfully said, feeling the wood. She was fascinated by it for some reason. "Such fine craftsmanship. I have never seen such a wonderful raft before." She said, marveling at the craft.

"Oh, hehe. It's not quite a raft, Calypso. It's... well, you'll find out." She nodded at me with the same, ever-present smile. I brought Dream Silver out and continued on the raft again. This time, there appeared to be a little more resistance than the previous day, so a assumed it was getting a bit dull. "Huh," I said. "Well, I guess I'll have to try and find a whetstone later." I shrugged and went on to carving.

It wasn't really difficult, but even so, it still took until 7:00 that night to get the tree carved. Periodically throughout the day, Calypso had been bringing me fruit and water while I worked. This time, when she brought me a fruit and a piece of bread, she saw I had finished the craft, and squealed with joy. "Oh my!" She exclaimed joyfully. "You have finished! Oh! You have finished the... The... Um... I am... Not quite sure what this is."

"It's a canoe," I said, grinning at her. "Now we just need some animal skins, to keep water sealed out of all parts of it." She looked confused and, to some extent, frightened. "Animal skins..." She said. "You mean... Kill, animals?" I nodded, not sure what was happening. "Um... Yeah, what's wrong with that?" I asked her, puzzled..
"I... I cannot kill animals. I worship the Mother Earth. All things on Her Body are living, but we do not kill the fruit, we only borrow. We do not kill the trees, we only borrow their wood. But, you can kill animals... We cannot kill them! We are not supposed to kill living things!"

As I realized the issue, I noticed that a few tears had fallen from her eyes. "Woah, woah. I see what's wrong now. Look, Calypso, I realize this must be painful, but surely you know we need this." She just shook her head and looked away. "Calypso, please. Look, you've been here for God knows how long. Surely the, eh... Mother Earth would forgive you for killing the animals as long as you waste none of their bodies and make sure their bones are returned to the Earth. Everyone has to kill an animal for some reason at some point. Surely you realize this?"

She still wouldn't look at me, but I could see her reluctantly turn her head a bit, and slightly nod. "I suppose you are right. I still do not like this, but... I will do anything to escape." She turned around, and I saw a sad smile form on her face. "But if we do not get off of this isle, you are going to owe me." I nodded to her and ran off towards the jungle.
"I'll be back before long!" I shouted to her once before running into the green.

.....

I ran into the jungle. In the previous days, I hadn't seen many animals, just a few dear and some birds, but the oddest thing happened. As I ran into the jungle, I heard an odd sound to my left. I stopped and turned that way. Suddenly, I saw a silver-furred wolf with blue eyes come before me. I wasn't sure why, but it did. Following it were 5 more, these with red fur. Finally, there were ten more wolves with blonde fur. They were beautiful creatures, especially their odd eyes. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I realized what was going on. I drew out Dream Silver, and they all knelt before me, knowing and wanting their fate. I realized that God and the Earth itself had sent the wolves. The... Wolf spirits. I smiled and went before the first one. I came down on my knees and brought a hoof to the silver wolf's chin. I stared straight into it's eyes, and thanked it. I took the knife, and stabbed it quickly into the wolf's throat. It just stayed still and silent, same as the others.

I quickly skinned the gorgeous creature and went on to the others. Each time, they stayed still. Each time, they accepted their fates. Finally, when I had skinned them all and gathered their furs, I took their meat and bones and head down to the beach. When I got there, I showed Calypso the meat and bones. She nodded, and a single tear fell, though she was still smiling. We quickly took the chunks of wood that we took from the canoe and gathered them into a small pile. I took some flint stones and sparked the wood.

We burned the meat in sacrifice and thanks to God and the Mother Earth. I thanked all the spirits of Nature for this gift, and Calypso simply prayed that she should be forgiven. Afterwards, I took the bones and the ashes from the fire, and buried them right on the seashore. "Well then," I said, wiping sweat from my brow. "I guess we should rest for the night. We're going to need our energy to finish the canoe tomorrow." She nodded in agreement as I walked off towards the hut. "Good night, Calypso." I proclaimed from the hut.

"Good night, Nobody." She replied. I walked inside and laid down beneath the covers. I made a quick prayer to God, then repeated my promise I made to Luna. "I will be with you soon, love." Then I drifted off.

.....

January 28, 2013

I couldn't sleep. At first, I was fine. I fell right asleep, had absolutely no problems. But, then, there was a horrible dream. I had finally made it back home, but... Everything was destroyed. Luna had barely survived the rubble, and standing before her was the master of this destruction. Sombra, the evil unicorn king of the old Crystal Empire. He was in a mortal form, and he smiled his wretched, twisted grin right in her face.

As I stared in horror, unable to avert my gaze, I watched as he plunged his penis into Luna. She was cut and scarred all over, unable to escape for her broken legs. He plunged into her, thrusting in and out with great force, making her bleed. She cried out in pain, begging him to stop. But he wouldn't. He just kept raping her. I couldn't stand it, but he made me watch. It was just a nightmare. I could tell it wasn't real, God above knows that, but... Sweet Messiah, it was so realistic. Finally, he caused the artery right near the crotch to burst, making Luna quickly bleed out and die. My lover and fiance was dead.

Thank God, I finally awoke, and I tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. No matter what I did, I couldn't fall asleep, afraid I would see another dream like that. I finally pushed the covers off and went outside. From the position of the my Luna's sweet silver Moon, it was 2:00 that morning. I walked out onto the beach and saw Calypso. "Hey you," I said,grinning at her.

"Oh, good morning, Nobody." She replied, smiling back. I wasn't quite sure why she was out at this hour. I wasn't sure why she was always up so early and so late. Finally, I asked her, "Why are you up so early? Why do you never seem to sleep?"
"Oh, that?" She replied, giggling a bit. "Well, you see... I am not mortal. I am a sea nymph. I, unlike mortals, do not need food, or drink, or sleep to stay healthy and live. I mean, it doesn't mean I won't die eventually; the Gods will eventually end my time, either through age, or they will have Geras take me. I am glad I will die eventually, so I can see what is beyond this world. By the way, General, why did you lie to me about your name?"

I just stared in surprise. "You... You knew I was lying about my name?" I asked, shocked.
"Of course."
"But... How?"
"Oh please, General. I am an enchantress. I had a spell on you this entire time you've been here to tell me if you were telling the truth or not. So, tell me: Why did you lie?"

I looked at her for a moment more, in shock still, then looked down in shame. "Oh," I started. "I guess I was afraid that, if you knew my name, you might try to take control of me through some kind of spell. That's why I lied. I know you can do a lot of things through a person's name in magic. I... I shouldn't have assumed the worst of you. I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't do something like that now."

She just giggled in response. "Oh, you silly thing. It's alright. That was a smart thing to do, though I admit it was a bit hurtful. But, it's okay." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I just blushed and looked down.
"So... Should we start sewing the furs together?" She asked me, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the moment.

"Yes! Lets, get to doing that, shall we?" I quickly took out the furs and set them gently on the sand. I took out a needle I had made from bone and quickly threaded a string I had woven from plant fibers through it. She carefully handed me a few furs to sew. I took them with thanks, and set to work.

.....

All-in-all, we were fairly successful. The furs came together easily, and were difficult to separate. When we had formed the shield, we contemplated how to attach it to the craft. Finally, we decided to try and merge it with the canoe itself using magic. Oddly enough, we succeeded. We placed the canoe in the cozy-like shield and started a spell. It took several hours of concentration, and by the time we were finished, sweat was drenching our coats. I looked up, and figured up that it was about Noon. When I realized we were complete, I grinned and told her to wait a minute.

I head into the hut and gathered the things I had with me from this week or so I had been there. I put it all, including the book and dagger the Dragon-born had given me, into my saddlebags. I set them in the canoe and quickly ran into the jungle. I found a nice, sturdy tree and cut it down. I took Dream Silver out and quickly carved out of the lumber four 10-foot oars. I gathered those up and ran down to the shore. There was Calypso, gathering some fruit into the craft. I came down and handed her 2 of the oars. She took them and nodded her thanks. I helped her into the canoe, after which she head up near the bow.

I set my oars in the canoe, and quickly got near the back. I began pushing it into the water, and once it was far enough into the ocean, I jumped in. Calypso looked back at me, and I nodded at her to start rowing. She nodded and I went ahead and started rowing as well.

We rowed at a slow, steady pace, staying in sync with each other. We were careful not to go too fast or too slow. Within five minutes, we were nearing the currents. She looked back, unsure, and I just assured her it would be fine, saying, "Keep rowing; I'll take care of the currents." She nodded and I focused on the ocean.

As we hit the rocky water, I thought of the water, and forced the currents away. It worked quite well, but not fully. By the time we were 9 miles out, the currents were starting to push us back. I strained harder then ever before, then sent out my thoughts to surrounding sea life. I said to the creatures, 'My subjects, my friends, my valued creatures of the deep, please help us. Please do what you can to help us push back these currents, so that we might escape the clutches of this isle, this beautiful, yet cursed, place. Please, help us.'

It didn't take long for a reply. Suddenly, there were dozens of hundreds of squid, fish, sharks, dolphins, and even some small whales, surrounding the craft. They were swimming around our ship as fast and as best as they could, repelling the currents as best they could. Finally, it happened; within 7 hours, we had beaten it. The ocean yielded to smooth waters, and we were able to glide through the water with ease. 'Thank you, my friends.' I thought, dismissing the creatures who helped us.

The next issue was now at hand: How would we get to Equestria? I thought on this a moment, then I tried something. I listened to the waves, then spoke aloud, saying, "Currents of the Ocean, the Great Expanse, hear my plea; I beg you to yield to us a short time and show us how to get to Equestria. I wish to find my home, and I wish for my new friend to find a new home of her own. Please, guide us to Equestria."

I'm still not sure how what had happened that day happened. The ocean suddenly brought about great jets of water, surrounding our boat. The jets went in an odd path, which I assumed was the way to Equestria. Me and Calypso rowed the entire way on that path. I wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she looked back every now and then, and smiled.

.....

January 29, 2013

We rowed all through the previous night. We wouldn't stop until we made it to the mainland. By 8:00 the next morning, land was within sight. By Noon, we could see distinctive landmarks. The beach. Some caves. Oddly enough, the Caves of the Dwarves. You know, where I almost got killed by half a million Dwarves? Ah, nostalgia.

I pointed to the caves and told her we were almost there. She nodded and we rowed ever-faster to the shore. Finally, by 3:00 that afternoon, we hit the beach. She timidly stepped out onto the sand, whereas I jumped out with great vigor and knelt down. I kissed the ground in joy, glad I was almost back with Luna. I told her to come on, and she obeyed.

I wasn't quite sure how we would get to Canterlot quickly, then I thought of something. Well, not so much something as someone. I thought back to a certain hippogryph: Zorg. I sent out my thoughts to him and spoke. 'Zorg,' I said. 'Zorg, old friend. It's me, General. You remember me?'
It took several moments, but finally, he replied: 'Yes, sir. I remember you. You are a good person. What is it you would like?'
'I need your help. You know where you and the others saved me from all those Dwarves? I need you to come here as quickly as you can and help me get a new friend back to Canterlot. Can you do that?' I asked.

He was thinking a moment, I could tell, before he replied. 'Yes,' He said. 'I can do that. I will be there immediately. I'm in Canterlot now, so it should only be five mintues.' I extended my thanks, then told Calypso. We waited just a few minutes, and, sure enough, there was the azure-and-scarlet being in the sky. He quickly descended. "Is this your friend?" Zorg asked me, gesturing at Calypso.

"Yeah, that's her." I replied. I turned to Calypso. "So, Calypso, you're going to ride Zorg here to Canterlot, okay?" She nodded and smiled at Zorg. She walked over to the graceful beast and pets him, causing him to cooslightly. "Thank you for the help, you wondrous avian beauty!" She climbed gently aboard his back, stroking his soft feathers. She nodded to me, and we both took off, flying into the West.

.....

Ten minutes later, we landed in front of the Canterlot castle. Ponies all around just stared, amazed. They were witnessing General Smiddy, the lost fiance of Princess Luna, the stallion who was supposed to be dead, standing there before them, proud and triumphant, back in the home of his true love. I simply ignored their stares and helped Calypso down. I walked into the castle, Zorg and Calypso trailing right behind me.

I followed the path through the castle that I new led to Luna's chambers. Left, right, up the stairs, right, left. Finally, I arrived. I knocked on the door. Through sniffling, I heard the answer come: "Come in." She said.
"Guess who?" I playfully said as I walked through the door. Upon entering, Luna just stared in wonder. Then, she spoke, though with difficulty. "G-General? How... Who... When... How did... OH, THANK THE LORD!" She ran to me with great speed and through her legs around me in a great hug, allowing tears of joy to fall.

"Oh, General! What happened to you? We all thought you were gone forever! I... I never gave up on you, but at times, I grew doubtful! What happened?" I broke the embrace and looked into her pale blue eyes. I simply brought her closer and stroked her silky hair. "Let me tell you," I said, still holding her. I told her my entire story, beginning to end, not leaving out a single detail. I told her about what happened on the island, how Calypso nursed me to health, how I promised I'd bring her to Equestria to help her start a new life, how I discovered Dream Silver, how we carved out a canoe with it, and how we managed to row here in a day and a night.

"Amazing... And you say that, the entire time, you... You thought of me? You didn't give up, all because of me?" I nodded. "My Lord... Oh, love, I... Oh. I'm so sorry I ever thought you were dead! How can you ever-"
"Shh..." I whispered, interrupting her. "Are we going kiss, or what?" And in that moment, she nodded, and brought her sweet lips to my own.

Author's Note

Note: I did not steal the whole 'Dragon-born Warrior' thing from Skyrim; I was just thinking of a good name for the figure and couldn't think of anything else. Okay? Just making that clear, so I don't get any complaints or any bullshit like that. Seriously, I'd actually expect that kind of shit.

This World Just Got 20% Cooler

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SCENES OF BONDAGE AND RAPE... Lol, just kidding! But, it does have clop.

As Luna and I stood there, holding each other and kissing, I thought of something. "Luna," I began, breaking the kiss. "We.. We shouldn't delay any further." I just looked into her eyes, smiling.
"Delay?" She asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... I don't want to delay the wedding any further. I don't want us to take any more risks, I want us to be together now. I want our wedding to be on your birthday, the fourteenth of next month. I do NOT want to delay this."

Luna just stood there a moment, trying to process everything I just said. Finally, after several moments, she burst into tears of joy and buried her face into my neck. "Oh, yes!" She exclaimed in ecstasy. "Yes, General, yes! I would love that! That will be perfect! Yes!" I held her head against me, gently kissing her upon the brow.
"It's official, then," I proclaimed. "We will be married on your birthday."

I pressed my lips to her own once more, glad that I was able to do so, grateful for the millionth time in the past 10 minutes that I was able to. As I held her, I felt her stir beneath my grasp. "Um... General?" She started, looking up at me with her sparkling azure eyes. "Yes, love?"
"Um... It is just... We have been apart for so long, and... I was hoping, that, we could... You know... lay together, tonight?" She blushed and looked down, still smiling.

I chuckled, and pulled her tighter. "Yes Luna," I replied. "Of course." I looked back to see if Calypso was still there, and she wasn't. I suppose the guards had taken her to where she would stay. I then looked out the window and saw that the sun had set. I looked down at Luna and grinned. "Come on, love."

.....

I took her by the hoof and led her to the bed. We kissed one more time, then lay down together. I brought her against my body in a loving embrace, loving the silky feel of her fur. I pressed my lips against hers once more, and as we slowly kissed each other, she began to grind her hips against me.

I heard her begin slowly moaning, a sweet, purring sound that made me want to bring her closer. I took one of my arms from around her and reached down to feel her teats. She shivered slightly at that, a common reaction from her. I giggled slightly through the kiss, then continued to rub her soft, cobalt folds.

This continued on for several minutes, then I slowly snuck my hoof lower, eventually reaching the soft folds of her crescent. I rubbed my hoof against it, causing her moans to deepen. Before long, I broke the kiss and chuckled at her. "Oh, Luna," I said, smiling at her, looking deeply into her beautiful eyes. "I love the sounds you make. They're just so adorable." I giggled at her and licked my hoof. "Mmm... You're delicious." She giggled at that.

I continued kissing her and rubbing her soft folds. I kept this up for many minutes, until she eventually broke the kiss and stopped my hoof. "Don't." She said, smiling lustfully at me. "I want all of you, love." I nodded, grinning at her. I kissed her upon the neck, loving the mingling of her fur and my lips. I moved my hips upward and pressed the tip of my penis against her warm, moist clit. "Ah!" She cried, shivering a bit.

I chuckled and pushed in slightly, piercing her lips. As she moaned, I began to slowly thrust, gently pushing into her and slowly pulling out. As she took me into her, biting her lip until the point that it nearly bled, smiling as she did so. She began gasping and wincing, and before long, she began to buck her hips against me, pushing me further into her. Before long, I felt a heat and pressure building within my loins.

Soon, I burst, as did she. I pulled out of her and we both laid back, tired out from the activity. I heard her gasping for breath, so very tired. She crawled up next to me, and laid her head on my chest, still panting. "Ge... General..." She gasped out, kissing me upon the cheek. "I... I love you... So much..." I looked down at her and kissed her upon the brow. "Oh, Luna," I replied, grinning. "I love you, too, Moon Pie." She snuggled up closer to me, and I pulled the blanket over the both of us. Within moments, we were both asleep.

.....

January 30, 2013

That morning, I woke early. I raised up from beneath the covers and, realizing where I was at, smiled. "So it wasn't a dream," I said out loud. "I really got back here. I got back to Luna." I looked over and saw Luna, still sleeping soundly. I grinned and gently brushed my hoof along her mane, loving the smooth feel. I chuckled and quietly got out of bed. I walked from the bed into the bathroom. I gently closed the door and stepped into the shower. I put a towel by the shower and turned on the hot water.

I smiled as I felt the steaming liquid patter against my neck and face. It was a bit hotter than I remembered, and it hurt a bit, but I was fine; I kind of liked the pain. I let it burn my flesh gently as I reached over and grabbed some soap. I gently scrubbed the lye against my chest. I loved the feeling; I loved the feeling of every part of the cleansing. This had been the first time in almost three weeks I had showered, so I savored the process, letting the gentle stream heat my body.

As I set down the lye, I took some oak-scented musk and lathered it gently through my mane. I enjoyed the fragrance for a long time, so long that I forgot how long I had been in the shower. Finally, I finished and rinsed my mane, letting the water trickle through the ruby and sapphire hair. Finally, I turned off the faucet and stepped out onto a mat.

I levitated the towel over and gently dried my body, dragging the towel over first my neck and face, then my back and stomach, and, finally, over my rear and my hind legs. I hung up the towel on a drying rack, then stepped back out into the bed chambers. I looked over and saw Luna was still sleeping. I quietly walked over and kissed her on the brow before I looked at the clock.

"8:02? Well, guess I could let Luna sleep a little longer." I grinned and got back into the bed, by Luna's side. I laid back and grinned. I'm not sure how long I ended up laying there. Every so often, I looked over at the clock, but I wasn't really concerned. What I can only assume was about two hours later, I heard Luna yawn and felt her stir. I looked over and saw her crack open her sleepy-looking eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful." I said, chuckling at her. She smiled and leaned over, laying her head on my chest. Good morning, love," She replied, kissing me on the chin. "How are you feeling?"
I smiled and snuggled her closer to me. "I'm feeling fine... Especially since I can sleep with you again." She giggled lightly and embraced me.

"Hey, Luna," I said, looking down at her. "Does my family know about how I went missing?"
She nodded and yawned once more. "I borrowed Rift and went to your world. When I got there, I told your mother you were missing. I told her I would let her know if you returned." I smiled at her.
"Well then, I guess at some point today I'll have to go home." She nodded.

"Why not now?" She asked me, looking into my eyes with her beautiful, sparkling orbs of teal. I thought a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," I replied. "That would be perfect."

.....

After we decided to leave and tell my family I had returned, I asked her where Rift was at. She told me it was being kept at the Royal Laboratory for safe-keeping. I nodded and took her with me. I remembered where the laboratory was at from past visits - From Luna's chambers it was left, right, right, straight, up the stairs, left, right, up the stairs, through the double doors.

I opened up the doors to the laboratory and walked inside, Luna in tow. As I entered, lab visitors within looked in shock at me. I guess not everyone had found out yet. I trotted up to the head scientist, a scarlet unicorn named Acid Hoof, and asked him, "Where is Rift, friend?"

"Ah," He replied, turning around. "General, my friend. I had heard you returned. Oh, eh, yes, Rift, it is in the same tank of quicksilver that it was the first day you had it, right over in the back room." He pointed to a small door off to the left of the table where they kept unused beakers.

"Thank you," I said, walking to the door. Luna stopped as I opened up the door."What's wrong, love?" I asked her, noticing her sudden change in mood. "Oh, it's nothing," She replied, looking down nervously. "I just... I've never really liked going into this room. There is just a bad... Feel, to it." I nodded, realizing her issue.
"Alright than, Moon Pie. I don't want you doing anything you're not comfortable with."

"Thank you, love." She replied, hugging me right quick. I nodded and told her I'd be right back, then walked inside. As I looked around, I noticed how dark the room was. I quickly found a light switch and turned on the light. Upon doing so, I saw an amazing sight.

Hanging upon the walls were all kinds of blueprints for different devices, as well as small prototypes of many. Among these were robotic companions, androids, mech suits that could make a pony nearly invincible, laser-based weapons, and, most amazing of all, a time machine.

I tried to shake off my amazement and just grab Rift. I looked straight at the tank of mercury and walked slowly and calmly to it. I used my magic and slowly levitated the dagger out of the tank. I took the sheath from the side and strapped it around my chest, then slid the dagger into it. I turned around and slowly walked out of the room, still wanting to try out that time machine.

When I got back outside, I smiled at Luna, then took out Rift and opened up a portal. I took Luna by the hoof, and we stepped inside, hopeful.

.....

Luna and I floated calmly and slowly through the wormhole, holding eachother tightly. For the first time, I was curious what happened as we went through the portal, so I looked down at myself. I was amazed; I could see every part of my body morphing, my hooves to nubs, to fingered hands. I looked down at my front forelegs and saw them morph a bit to transform into arms. Finally, I felt up my mane and realized it was changing from it's long size to a shorter length, the length of my hair in my own world.

I looked over at Luna, and I realized she was changing too; Her shortening and morphing arms, her adjusting hind legs, her shortening mane, her face. Then, I noticed something. Apparently, as we morphed, our bodies morphed first, then whatever cosmic forced caused this to happen slowly threaded clothing around our bodies. For a few brief moments, Luna and I were simply nude, half human, half pony creatures floating through Zero Space.

"Amazing," I said out loud, still looking at Luna's morphing body. She giggled, then looked down at herself, realizing what I was talking about. "Oh my!" She cried out, shocked, but not upset. After a moment or two, her face returned to the same, smiling form as always. I looked ahead and saw that the exit was up ahead. I grinned. I leaned over and kissed Luna one time, then took her by the hand and paddled quickly through the antigravity. As we exited the portal, I grinned, glad I would soon be with my family again.

.....

As we finally exited the portal, we entered into the living room of my house. Sitting there on the couch was my mother, crying softly. I looked at Luna, and she nodded. I broke the embrace and walked over to Mom. "Mom?" I said, smiling as I tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up, eyes widening at the sound of my voice. "G... General?" She looked up. She just stared at me incredulously for a moment. Finally, I broke the silence, saying, "Yeah, Mom. It's really me."

Finally, she wrapped her arms around me in a great hug, still sobbing. "General!" She cried out, a grin spreading across her face. "General, son, I... I thought you were gone forever! What happened?!" I grinned at her and sat down on the couch beside her. Luna joined us, and I told her the story.

At the end of the tale, my mother just smiled and embraced me again, glad I was home. I returned the hug, and as I did so, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "I missed you so much, son..." She said, tightening her grip on me.
"I missed you too, Mama..."

.....

A few hours later, me and Luna were back into Equestria. Luna was in the castle, planning part of the wedding, while I was in Everfree, searching for the perfect place. As I flew through the beautiful place, filled with great pines and oaks, I finally found the perfect place. Resting in the very center of the great forest was a great dais, a beautiful altar with a Flame, a Trident, a Pegasus Wing, a Stone, a Flaming Blade, and an Orb with all five of the other images, all carved into it.

I descended towards the platform, showing homeage to it by landing a careful, respectable distance from it. I slowly approached it, then, when I was within 5 feet, I knelt down and prayed to God. "Dominus aeterna est, Deus universi, quia plura bona tibi ago dedisti mihi, tu dic quaeso uti hic. Obscero, Domine, dic ubi me diligo ducenda est. Gratias ago tibi renascitur. Amen."

As I opened my eyes, I saw an odd light fill in around me. I looked around in shock, and suddenly, there was Celestia standing in front of the dais. "Princess Celestia," I said, bowing my head and pressing my hoof against my chest in salute. She chuckled and shook her head. "Rise up, General," She said, smiling. "You need not be so formal with me. Now then, I must ask you, why are you at the Altar of Spirits?"

I looked at the dais, then back at Celestia. "Altar of what?"
She giggled. "The Altar of Spirits. It is the place where the first 6 ponies, each the first of the 6 different races of ponies, received their spiritual power from God. I could tell you the story, but that would take too long. I'll have to tell you another time."

She grinned and looked at me. "So then," She said. "I heard you praying before the altar. I know you want to marry Luna here. And, personally... I think that would be a good idea. Ever since she was a young filly, my sister has been fascinated by the story, and ever since she first heard it, even through her days of insanity as Nightmare Moon, she dreamed of being swept up by her knight in shining armor, and to be married to the stallion in this place. It was the one thing that she never gave up on, the one thing that kept her tied to reality... The one thing... That gave her even a hint of sanity through her pains. It is the only reason she was ever able to be brought back to her pure state... It was the one faint glimmer of hope, of love, purity, and innocence that rested within her tortured, corrupted soul."

I looked at the alabaster Alicorn, tears in my eyes at the speech. "So, I should marry Luna here?" She nodded. "You should, General. Luna will love that." I nodded and looked up towards the sky. The sun was getting low. "I guess we should get back to the castle, then." She nodded and I flew off, thanking her as I did so. I flew towards Canterlot as quickly as I could, though I watched where I was going this time, not wanting to repeat past mistakes.

I smiled; I never understood until now how truly important this all was to Luna. Her one hope - The one thing that made her pure again - And I was making it happen. I was fulfilling her dream.

.....

January 31, 2013

That morning, I woke up in the castle once more, Luna in my hooves. I slowly allowed my eyes to open as I yawned once. It was a quiet yawn, but Luna still woke up. "Mmm..." Luna mumbled, stirring. "Good morning, Seabiscuit."
"Good morning, Moon Pie." I replied, moving a stray lock of her hair back to the rest of her mane. "Hey, Luna, I know the perfect place in Everfree Forest for us to have the wedding."

"Oh?" She said, a happy, yet still sleepy expression on her face. I nodded. "Well then, where at?"
"Well, I was flying through the forest, and in right about the center, there was a dais." She perked right up at that, energy suddenly flowing through her. "A... Dais?"
"Yeah, a dais..." I replied. "Called the Altar of Spirits." Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized this. She looked right at me, eyes sparkling, bright as sapphires, with a grin as wide as the Bay of Bengal.

"Oh, General, do you mean it? You really want to be married THERE?" I nodded, looking at her lovingly. "Oh, General, yes, please, yes!" She exclaimed, pulling me tightly agaisnt her and kissing me deeply. Upon breaking the kiss, she pondered out loud, "But... How did you know what it was called?" She looked tenderly at me, a slight hint of befuddlement in those beautiful pools of blue.

"Well, you see, when I first saw the dais, I thought this would be a nice place for us to get married. I prayed to God for him to tell me if this was the right place for us to be joined together forever. And, the answer came in the form of your sister. Celestia appeared and told me the story of the platform, what it was originally used for, and about how you..." I blushed and looked down nervously. "...About how you loved it. About how it was the one thing that kept you sane, the one glimmer of hope, that lied within you when you were evil, when you were Nightmare Moon. It was the one glimmer of purity still within your corrupted form..." As I spoke, I saw tears of love streaming down her cheeks, and I noticed that her usually dark, two-colored mane and dark coat were beginning to lighten. Her long, flowing mane went from her average dark blue to a short length of teal, and her coat became virtually the same shade. This was her true form, her purest body. "...It was the one thing that kept you alive within your then-evil form, your sparkle of innocence, your shine of hope. She told me about how you dreamed to be married there."

I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "And I'm just so glad I can help make your dream come true. I'm just so glad... That I can help complete your vision." She was full-on bawling now, tears of joy and of passion. She threw her forelegs around me and kissed me passionately. Yes, this was the best thing. This was the best thing to show her how much I loved her.

.....

Luna and I had figured out where we would marry, so we decided to let everyone know. While she worked on deciding what we would have for the meal at the wedding, I went out to the finest jewelcrafter in all Equestria. And who else should it be, but the same pony who sold me the jewelry I had ordered for Luna's Christmas gifts from just a month and a half before.

As I walked into the store, he greeted me instantly at the door. "Hello, and welcome to - Ah, General, my friend," He said, realizing who I was. "How are you, sir?" He continued. I chuckled and nodded.
"Very good, thank you. And you?"
"I am just fine. What can I do for you, my friend?"

"Luna and I are getting married on the 14th of February, and I wanted to get the best possible wedding rings for us. Got anything for me?" He nodded and chuckled.
"Oh yes," He replied. "I've just the perfect rings for you. And, I will not even charge you for it."
I shook my head, confused. "You... Won't charge me? Why?"

"Hoho! Because, my friend, ever since people have heard that the fiance to the great Princess of the Night bought jewelry for his lover here, they have been placing all of their orders here, and I have been earning more than ever! I've had over 8,000 orders in the past 3 weeks! It wouldn't hurt anything if I gave two rings away to my celebrity clientele!" He chuckled and gave me a friendly hug, then turned around. "Wait just a moment, Mister Smiddy, I will grab a few rings that I think might be right for you and your Luna. Feel free to look around." I nodded as he opened up the door to the back room.

As he rummaged around in the other room, I looked around at the different necklaces he had on display. As I looked in the glass display container that formed the counter, I saw a large chunk of flame-blue crystal about the size of my head. By it was a card reading Newfound material; Yet to be named; 400 bits to have a ring carved from it, 500 to have a necklace charm carved, or 600 bits for a locket to be carved from the gem.

As I stared at the beautiful color, reminding me so much of Luna, I craved to have something made for us from it. A thought went through my mind. I decided what I would have. "Ah, my friend," The Greek pony said, opening the door with a small chest in his hooves. "Admiring Gem X, I see? Yes, it is quite a beautiful gem, isn't it?"
I looked up and nodded. "Yeah," I replied. "Yeah, it's just... Sublime..." As he noticed how I stared at it, he chuckled at my expression.

"Once you get the rings, might you, perchance, like something carved from the stone?" I nodded, happy. He chuckled and went on to show me the different kinds of rings. After about 20 minutes, I decided upon a single set of rings, each meant for a unicorn's or Alicorn's horn, made of blued silver and encrusted with seven-facet blue diamonds that had the Alicorn word for 'Eternity' carved into their main faces.

"So then," He said, placing the rings side by side in a velvet-lined box. "What would you like from the crystal?" I didn't have to take a moment to figure out. "I'd like two lockets. And for the chain, I would like blued silver." He nodded. "Very well then." He opened up the case and removed the stone, levitating it with his magic.

"I will be back in just a few minutes," He said, walking into the back room again. I heard sounds of hammering
coming from inside. Before long, I heard him muttering a few indecipherable words. After several more minutes of hammering and cryptic whsipers, the door finally opened, revealing the unicorn levitating two beautifully carved, heart-shaped gems, one with the shape of a crescent moon carved into the center, the other with the outline of a trident.

"Here you are, my friend." He said, carefully handing me the lockets. "And, eh... Here are the chains. Quickly, lace them through like that... and there, and... Yes. There we are." I took the lockets by the chain and held them up. They were absolutely gorgeous, from their basic color, to their facets, to the way the light glinted off of them. "Perfect." I commented.

I quickly pulled out the wallet that I always kept with me. I reached into it and fished out several coins. "Alrighty than," I said, counting the bits. "This should cover the lockets and chains both." He nodded as I handed him the bits, smiling. I turned around, rings and lockets in my saddlebags, and walked out as I waved good-bye to the kind old man.

.....

February 1, 2013

That morning, I woke earlier than usual. I cracked my eyes open and looked over at the beautiful mare beside me. I grinned at her and kissed her on the brow. I calmly, quietly climbed out of the bed and wrote a note. I set the note on the nightstand beside the bed, then silently left the room, closing the door behind me.

I had no problems with Luna, but, I wanted to make a life with her, and part of that was to live with her, in our own home. So, I knew what I would do: I would build a castle for her.

Being kind of like a god of water, I could control anything touched by fluid. So, I decided I would go out to the eastern coast, the place where I fought Dwarves to the brink of Death, and where I returned to Equestria at, and bring about from the surrounding lands a glorious palace, composed of pearl and gems, and all sorts of beautiful things. I would do whatever I could to make it comfortable, yet not softening. I wanted to make it a place where Luna would be happy, so I would fill it with so many things.

I flew swiftly through the Night, the Partial Moon overhead, waning and only half, yet beautiful nonetheless. Five minutes after I left the castle, I had reached the coast with no problems. I still surprised myself, I flew so swiftly; It seemed that as I learned more of my power, and as I took better control of it, the more powerful I seemed to become, the faster I became.

I knelt down before the Great Sea, Hope and Love in my heart, Joy on my mind. And thus, I spake, saying, "Mare Magnum, o pulcher tractu, exaudi orationem meam: ad te volo me cedere et concedere terras quas contingere, ut faceret me amare unum magnum palatium, ubi vivendum inter amorem et gaudium aeternum felices se libenter Deo habemus."

As the Deep Expanse of the Ocean heard my plea, it yielded before me, waves parting. I nodded, and wasn't sure what to do. Then, it came to me. I looked at the middle of the land right before me, moments before covered with water and now dry, then imagined it high above the ground, a small plateau. Thus, the ground obeyed and moved itself up, forming a large platform from stone.

As I lowered the earth, I thought of what the palace could look like. But, I didn't have long; Suddenly, I heard an odd sound coming from the Ocean, and moments later, three shadowy forms the size of an Alicorn appeared in the waters. I drew out Traum Silber, and stood my ground. Moments later, I was amazed at what I was staring at.

Bursting out of the water, the sea ponies stood before me. Each about 14 hands high, there were three different types of them, to the left a sea unicorn, to the right a sea pegasus, and in the center leading them was a base sea pony.

"S-Sea... Ponies?" I said, shocked. The three of them stood there a moment, then the side two kneeled down as the lead came up closer to me before kneeling. "O Great One," He began, eyes closed and hoof to his heart in salute. "Sea-Master, Child of Oceanus, we are amazed. Ye have graced us with your great presence, but we know not why. Whatever it may be, we, the Warriors of the Marianas Empire, the Great Nation of the Stars of the Sea, will serve you wholeheartedly and kindly to the end."

As I stared at him, still shocked, still confused, I thought a moment of what the fuck he might be talking about. "I... I'm sorry, but... Who are you, who do you think I am, and what in the name of God Almighty are you talking about?!" He looked at me incredulously at first, then realized what was wrong.

"I see," He continued, now understanding. "You have forgotten your blood, milord. Allow me to explain. You are part of an ancient group of the sea ponies called the Filii Oceanum, or, 'Children of the Ocean.' You are the only Sea Alicorns in existence. Or, rather, were..." He paused a moment, closing his eyes as a single tear slipped down his cheek.

"You see, long ago, over ten thousand years ago, a great beast known as Typhon rose from the tears of the Gods of Purity after they saw how twisted the world had become. Upon doing so, Typhon became a spirit of retribution. At first, he travelled the world, slaying the most wicked. But, before long, Typhon became corrupt. He realized that all feared and respected him, and so, he used the power to his advantage. He began threatening people with Death if they did not conform to his power and serve him. For a short time, he ruled over all the world."

The aquatic creature then stood straighter, pride in his pose and voice. "One day, the Great King of the Oceans, Oceanus, then just a peasant sea unicorn, heard about the things the beast did. He grew furious, unable to believe the bastard could do such things. He ran out from his home, furious and bleeding zeal. He ran a hundred miles to the coastline, then burst forth from the ocean."

"Oceanus was unafraid. He ran valiantly, not stopping. Everytime a boulder or a tree came into his path, he ran straight through it, smashing it to pieces that flew high into the air. Legend says that he destroyed an enormous mountain in his path to the Typhon Beast. As he strode valiantly forward towards the evil creature, he refused to stop, anger growing. He was unstoppable."

The pony's voice grew deeper, angry and powerful. "Oceanus finally reached the Mountain of Retribution, the place where Typhon's lair lay. As he stood before the Evil One, Oceanus was unafraid and angry. He roared out in anger, power in his heart. As he did so, the beast just laughed. Oceanus kicked the beast, but did no damage. His magic only served to anger Typhon. No matter what he did, Oceanus didn't do any damage, but still he fought on."

"He only furthered the beast's frustration, and before long, the best picked Oceanus up in his great palm, and threw him. The great king-to-be rose up from the grounds before the mountain, tears of pain in his eyes. He refused to surrender, and ran back up the mountain path. The beast continued to fling him away, not the least bit hurt. Finally, on the tenth time it happened, Oceanus stood up, scars and cuts covering his body, and cried out a great roar of anger and of pain. As he cried out, a great energy began suffusing his body, a beam of light coming down from the Heavens to surround him. Suddenly, two bulges appeared at his shoulders. He yelled out in pain as his skin slowly burst and revealed to beautifully feathered, muscular wings.

"The great warrior stepped back from the mountain, calm yet angry, then looked up towards the Heavens. He ran forth towards the mountain, then took off, flying towards Typhon. When he landed before the God-like spirit, he roared once more, and the beast began to quake with fear. It realized it was outmatched. Suddenly, Oceanus grew from his normal form into some kind of humanoid, anthromorphic creature."

"The warrior felt great energies charging into his hand. He balled his hand into a fist, then ran at the beast and punched him, breaking through into it's heart. The beast fell down to it's knees, and, with a great roar of power, Oceanus sealed the beast within the peak of the mountain."

"When he returned home, Oceanus was celebrated as a hero. The next thing anyone knew, the Gods came before him. The chief of the Gods, the great Pugnus Tonitrui, God of Lightning and Thunder, gave a gift to the man. He made Oceanus a God of the Ocean, and made for him from the stone another Sea Alicorn, a female, to be his consort and queen."

"Thus, their came about 5 kingdoms of ponies, the Sea Ponies ruled by the kind Sea Alicorns, and the land ponies ruled their own individual kingdoms by breed. Eventually, the unicorn, pegasi, earth ponies, and Alicorns melded into one kingdom, ruled by Alicorns. Then, about a thousand years ago, the beast Typhon regained his strength from the last members of his cult sacrificing blood and food unto him. Typhon woke, and came upon our kingdom. In a final attempt to destroy Oceanus, Typhon crushed and killed thousands of Sea Ponies before the great Sea Alicorn King, Lord Tridentus of the Ocean, finally destroyed the beast by using all his magic. He ran out of energy, and fell into a great sleep. He hibernated while his people still barely thrived. One day, he disappeared. Some say he was taken up by the spirits. Others say he simply awoke and left his people, having failed to lead them for over 500 years. But, now we see the truth! You are the great Tridentus, surely! You are his spitting image! You simply left, for whatever reason, and lost your memory. And now, you have returned! Not to lead us, I'm sure, but... We have come before you to ask you if you would lead us... If you would lead your people"

I thought a moment, confused, as I tried to process the story I'd just heard. He realized how confused I was, so he turned and nodded towards the Sea Unicorn. The creature nodded and walked up, levitating a piece of painted marble pottery. As I saw the image, I saw he was right.

There was a Sea Alicorn with alabaster fur, a fishtail covered in jade-like scales, red eyes, and a two-colored mane of sapphire and of ruby. But, most recognizable of all, there was a mark of a golden trident resting upon his flank. I nodded, now realizing that my form in this parallel universe truly was a major creature. I was, in truth, a God-figure. I finally nodded. "I will lead you, friend. But their is something I must do first."

He nodded. "But, what is that, milord?" He asked me.
"I am to be married to the Alicorn Luna, the Princess of the Night, in about two weeks, and I wanted to make a palace for the two of us to live in." He nodded.
"I understand. We will help you build that palace. But, first, we will take you to the Great Capital, the city of Atlanteia. Your people need to see you, to know you have not abandoned them." I nodded. He turned around, dismissing the others, and beckoned me to follow him.

The three of them dove into the Sea, and I followed. As we swam through the water, I saw so many beautiful things. Coral and stones of so many different colors and shapes and sizes. Fish the color and shade of the brightest, most beauitful and vivid gems, and flora the likes of which one could only see in a lucid dream.

As I swam through the waters, a beautiful dolphin the color of shining gold came up and glided past me, rubbing it's smooth, silky skin against my flesh. 'Master is back!' It said through it's mind to me in a feminine voice. 'The Master is back, friends! Rejoice, Master is back!' All the creatures of the Sea surrounded me and the other Sea Ponies, wanting to see for themselves. I heard them whsipering in my mind, amazed to see it was true.

"Yes, beautiful creatures of the Deep," I said out loud, wanting to assure them. "I have returned. I have come back to you. I have forgotten my past, but I hope to make it up to you." I continued to glide through the Ocean, the water yielding before me and making it feel like I was moving through thin air. Within about five minutes, I could see the city. It was a beautiful, glowing Utopia, glowing of golden gems and silver treasures.

"It's... It's..." I stuttered, amazed by the beauty. "Beautiful..." I heard the others chuckle, humored by my reaction to what was, apparently, my home. Within moments, we finally reached the entrance of the city. The warriors led me to a small chariot, drawn by a dolphin and a small shark.

I stepped up into the chariot, careful as I did so, not wanting to harm the craft. I sat down, surprised at how comfortable it was. The lead of the three sea ponies sat beside me, where as the other two simply checked the veichle before nodding. Then, we were off.

As the chariot went through the beautiful golden city, I noticed there was one building unlike the others. It was not a glorious tower, made of golden and silvered treasures. It was not a brazen place of glorious value. It was just a simple temple, a small building made of marble.

"What is that?" I asked the warrior, gesturing at the building.
He noticed where I was indicating. "That," He replied. "Is the King's Temple. It is the place where all of the kings of our empire have been born. It is where our first king, Oceanus, lived as a child. They rebuilt and remade his house as a great temple. It is where many of our people go and praise Oceanus the Great, as well as our current king, with our theocratic society and all. Legend has it that, in a time of great need, if the king should go into the temple and meditate, he will take on an anthromorphic form, much like our first king did, and will become much more powerful than his normal form. I've never really believed the legend, personally, but it's a fascinating story, and I've loved listening to it ever since I was a young colt."

I nodded. I probably wouldn't believe it either unless I experienced it myself. "Oh, by the way, what is your name?" I asked the man.
"My name is Mare Puerum. It means 'Sea Child'. My family thought I would make a great warrior, so they gave me the name of a great warrior of the olden days of our people. It is also the name of the fourth king of the empire." My eyes widened at the great legacy of his name. I nodded in respect, glad to be in the presence of one with such a revered name. "Well, I'm certain you will be a great soldier, if that is what you wish to be."

He shook his head. "I am a great warrior, yes, but... I've never really wanted to fight! I've always wanted to be a philosopher. I've wanted to show people the truth of words, and I've always wanted to make peace with nature. But, alas, I have never been so good with words. I realize now that I wouldn't make a good peacemaker, nor would I be a philosopher of honor." He sighed, sad. "I suppose I just... I was not meant to be such a thing. I guess I will become a solder."

He looked down sadly, depressed. I reached over and placed my hoof on his shoulder. "Hey friend," I said, causing him to turn his head. "It's alright. You may not be good with words, but I'm sure you're more than you think. Maybe you just need someone to teach you, to help you learn how to use words. I've never met a great person who thought little of themself, so you shouldn't doubt yourself just yet. Just have faith, and never give up." He thought on that a moment, then nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Lord Tridentus."
"And about that whole 'Lord Tridentus' thing... Just call me by the name I've taken... Call me General." He nodded.
"Very well than, L - I mean... General."

We stayed in silence the rest of the way. Finally, we reached our destination: A large dais in the center of the town. The chariot pulled to a halt and I stepped out of the chariot. Mare Puerum led me up to the dais, and he placed before me a large silver chest. As I stood at the platform, many people began to gather around. They all looked at me, as though they expected something. "Speak," Mare whispered.

"What?"
"Speak, I said. These are your people. You've been gone for half a millenium, and they want you to speak to them now that you have returned." I nodded, realizing what he meant. I took a moment to gather my thoughts. I couldn't. My mind was flustered, and I couldn't think straight. Finally, I thought of Luna, and how if she were here, I would be able to speak clearly and confidently. I imagined Luna was by my side, looking at me lovingly and reassuringly.

I could think clearly. I began talking. "Hello, my people. I am Lord Tridentus, as I have been told, but, I would like for you to call me by the new name I have taken, General. I am sorry I was gone for so long, and I am sorry that I left you, my friends. But, I just want you to know that I do not plan on leaving you again. I am amazed by this great kingdom. I lost my memory of my past, but I have been brought back to my home. I will do whatever good I can for this great empire. I will bring honor and glory to you all, to your friends, and your family. I also hope that maybe, one day, I can redeem myself for abandoning you the way I did. And, good people, I would just like to say that I am truly sorry."

Everybody began cheering as I walked away. "Mare Puerum?" I said, calling him to my side.
"Yes, milord?" He replied, coming instantly to me.
"Show me to the King's Temple. I want to figure something out."
He nodded, saying, "Yes, General!" He pointed southwest and told me to follow him. I nodded, and we calmly swam forth.

Within minutes, we reached the simple temple. I told him to stay outside, and I entered. Upon entering, I saw a small statue, depicting an anthromorphic creature. He had a human body, horse-like legs & cloven hooves, a face that lengthened into a short snout, two wings sprouting out of his back, and a horn coming from his forehead. In that very moment, I realized this was, indeed, Oceanus.

I walked up towards the small altar before Oceanus, and knelt down. "Hey there," I said, speaking to the statue, though I'm not one hundred percent sure why. "Oceanus, it's me. I guess. You know I'm General, but I GUESS I'm actually a pony named Tridentus. I still don't quite understand all this, but uh... Please help me. I'm going through confusing times right now." It was true. You see, Equestria had been having some troubles with a foreign nation of Gryphons known as Caligantis Amor. Equestria had always had trouble with the country, but recently, they had been taken over by a maniacal new king, the Dark Gryphon Scriosadh. The king, being insane and evil, declared war on Equestria.

Now, Equestria didn't have a very large army. It had been over a thousand years since Equestria had been in any true war, and so they had practically forgotten the art. I knew that Equestria would be conquered and destroyed without aid, and so I was considering enlisting in the Equestrian Military, but I didn't want to leave Luna again. I had thought that, maybe, just maybe, by trying to talk to my apparent ancestor of this world, I could figure out what to do.

Moments later, I opened my eyes, and everything was gone. There wasn't water. There wasn't sun. There wasn't air, or land, or anything. There was just darkness. As I floated amongst Chaos, I heard a voice speaking. "My child," It said aloud, a kind, caring voice. "My poor, confused child. Do not fear, I will aid you." Suddenly, a great light of blue was before me, and I saw the anthromorphic Oceanus before me.

His body was covered in glorious aquamarine fur, had two fangs peeking out from his mouth, and resting upon his right forearm was a tattoo of the Ocean Waves. "Oh my... Lord Oceanus?!" The king chuckled kindly.
"Yes, child, it is I. I know your history, and I know that your form now isn't your original form. But that is okay. You have taken the body of my child, my descendant, and so you are my child, Tridentus the Lost. I know your problems, and I will help you. Now, tell me your problem, boy."

I nodded. "Yes, Great-Father. You see, Equestria is at war, and I was thinking about joining the military of the country so that I could keep the land and my fiance safe. But, I just recently was reunited with her, and I don't want to leave her again so soon! Oh, Great Oceanus, what should I do?!" I was beginning to cry now.

He came closer and pushed a finger to my lips. "Hush, child." He whispered to me, smiling slightly. "Do not weep. I can help you." I nodded. "Now, I know you love your mare, Luna. And I know that you've come to love the people of Equestria as your own. I'm not going to make you do anything, and no one else will. But, if I were in your place, I would take the risks, and I would leave and join, to protect my friends and loved ones. But, I do not know all; I simply and giving what I believe out to you. Please, child, just do whatever seems right to you."

I nodded. "I will, Great-Father. Thank you for helping me." He nodded to me.
"Farewell, my child. And I will leave you with a gift."
"Farewell, great Oceanus! I will make good of your wisdom!" I closed my eyes once more, and blacked out.

.....

I dreamt. I saw many things. I saw blood, and death. I saw hope, and life. I saw contradictions. I saw so many things. I was engulfed by the deep darkness of the Dream-World, the abode of Hypnos, the center of Nyx. But, as Darkness rims the Night, so too does Light rim the Dawn. I saw light beginning to fill in around me. A faint, un-heard voice called to me. I couldn't hear what it was saying, but I knew what it meant.

I opened my eyes to look into those of Mare Puerum. Startled by the sudden happening, I jumped back, crying, "Good Gravy of God!" I hit my head on the statue of Oceanus, and reached my hand up to rub my aching head. Then, I realized: I had hands! I looked down at my body, and saw that I was nude, which, granted, wouldn't be so odd if I were a pony. But, I wasn't just a pony; I had been anthromorphosized.

I had cloven hooves and curving legs, similiar to those of a horse. My entire body was covered in alabaster fur. I looked at my arms and saw that, like Oceanus did with his cutie mark, resting upon my right forearm was my own symbol, the golden trident. And, resting beneath it, was another symbol: A small heart, with an image of the Crescent Moon inside. I knew what it meant.

"M-my... My lord..." Mare Puerum stuttered, shocked just as much as me by my transformation. "General... What in the name of Oceanus happened to you?!"

I looked down at my body again, going over every little feature. My hooves. My thighs. My stomach. My chest. My arms. Just to make sure I was seeing things right. I reached up and felt my horn; Yup. This was real. "This is awesome!" I cried out, jumping for joy. I swam upwards in the water, then out of the temple. I was able to go so very swift, my much more lithe, humanoid form allowing me greater speed.

I swam out of the city, fast as I could, going at speeds I couldn't calculate in my mind alone. I burst out from the Ocean, landing on the sand moments later. I knelt down and felt the sand, able to hold it in my hands, and yet still be in Equestria. I was amazed by the sensation. I laughed, joy lacing my voice. "General!" I heard Mare Puerum call out, splashing out of the Ocean. "What happened to you?"

I chuckled and danced around like a fool, amazed. "I received the gift!" I cried out in response.
"You... What?"
"I received the gift! From Oceanus, he gave me the gift! He made me like this!" I continued laughing, insane with glee. Mare's eyes widened. "He... He MADE you like this?" I nodded. "And... Did you actually SPEAK to him?!" I nodded, still laughing. "Amazing! Milord, this is glorious! But, now, what can we do for you?"

I looked at him a moment, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked him.
"You know, before, when I said we would be able to help you build this palace?" As I realized what he was talking about, I nodded, now understanding. "Um..." I thought a moment, then looked up at the sky. The Sun was up, near the middle of the sky. Probably about noon. "Okay. Let's get to work, then."

We started by rising up some of the land from the Ocean. I made sure it didn't agitate the local flora and fauna, and I made sure it was just stone. We rose it up about 30 feet from the Ocean. The landmass was about 300 feet in length and in width. Next, we began to give the stone shape. I used my magic to carve out some areas of the stone, while Mare Puerum and the others began building a bridge to connect the entrance to the mainland.

When we had carved out the outside of the stone, giving it shape and noticeable style, we carved out the inside. In the left wing, we carved out a long, wide hall with four rooms on both sides. In the very center of the building, we put a stone tunnel leading from the palace to Atlanteia. In the right wing, we basically repeated the left, but this time we only had seven rooms. On one side were four, on the other side were 2 regular rooms, and then there was a third room that took up as much space as two of the others. The large room we made into a chapel, carving a cross into the back, and raising up an altar of stone.

Next, in the very back of the center room, we carved a small throne room. There was one throne with the shape of a trident carved out and coming up from the back, with a Crescent Moon carved out and coming from the back of the other. This was where me and Luna would stay.

Finally, to the left of the throne room, we made a bed chamber where Luna and I would stay. I carved out from the stone a small bedstand to the side of where the bed would lie. And thus, we were finally finished.

I stepped back from our work, to examine a job well done. It was beautiful. The way we had built it made it appear Hellenistic. We had a small amount of earth around the palace, some room to walk around. Carved into the ground immediately in front of the entrance to the palace was a ring in the stone, with carvings of a trident and a Crescent Moon inside of it.

I looked up and saw that the Sun was getting low. I nodded at the ponies who had helped me out, dismissing them for the day. "I'll be back to you all tomorrow!" I shouted to them before turning and flying off into the Falling Sun.

Minutes later, I arrived back at the castle. I ran quickly to Luna's room. I opened the door, saying, "Guess who?" As Luna looked at my morphed body, she wasn't sure what to make of it. "I... Wh-wha... What ha... How did you... What..." She just stumbled over her words, dumbfounded. I chuckled at her, then embraced her, bringing her head against my chest. "General... What happened to you?" I looked into her radiant eyes, smiling.

"That's a long story, Moon Pie, one for another time. I just want to see how your day went." Her ears perked up and she nodded. I closed the door, and we both walked over to the bed. She climbed up on it, as did I. We laid down side by side, and began talking. "So how was your day, love?" I asked her, eager to hear. She smiled, snuggling in a bit closer to me and laying her head on my chest. "It was good," She replied. "Nothing special has happened. I planned a few things for the wedding, thought about what it might be like, nothing more." Her smile widened. "What about you, love? What was your day like, and what caused you to become... This?"

I smiled at her. "Well, I was out making... Something, for the two of us, this morning, when suddenly, out from the ocean burst three sea ponies. They told me a fascinating story, and, long story short, I'm the king of the sea pony empire! And then, I went to a great temple in the capital, and, after speaking with the Sea-King Oceanus, my apparent ancestor here in Equestria, I turned into... This." She stared at wonder, amazed to discover that I was actually a king.

"And Luna," I continued looking her straight in the eyes. "You know how Caligantis Amor delcared war on Equestria?" She nodded. "And how they're recruiting for the Equestrian Military?"
"Yes. General, I don't like where your going with this. Are you saying..."

"Luna," I said, stroking her mane. "I'm going to join."
"No!" She cried out.
"Yes, Luna," I continued. "Yes. I'm sorry, but... I've come to love the people of Equestria as my own, and they need help. They have no chance as things are, but... If I join... Look, Luna, I know how to fight, and I've even got amazing powers, so at the very least, Equestria might have a fighting chance if I join!"

I looked straight into her eyes. They were beginning to tear up. "Please, General... Don't go." The tears of her pain began to stream down her face. "Please... Don't leave me again." She buried her face in my neck, nuzzling me and weeping. "I'm sorry, Luna, but... I need to do this. Equestria is as much my home as Earth. I want to protect my home, Luna, and I... I want to protect you." She looked straight at me, tears staining her cheeks. I brought her against me and continued stroking her mane.

"I'm going to be leaving on the 20th. We'll have the wedding, have a few days left here with you, then I'm gone." She nodded. "Alright, love. If you truly feel you need to do this, then I will not stop you." She sniffed once, then smiled sadly. "But you better not die." I chuckled, then nodded.
"I promise you, Luna, I'll come back safe and sound. I wouldn't leave you all alone, never to return. I would never do such a thing." She nodded. "But, Luna, for now..." I smiled as she turned her head to look at me. "Let's go to bed for the night." She nodded. I turned out the, and brought the covers around me and Luna. "Good night, Moon Pie." I said to her, smiling. "Good night, Seabuscuit." She replied, kissing me on the cheek. I wrapped my arms around her, and within minutes, we were both asleep.

Author's Note

You may have noticed that many times during the story when I have my characters pray or make a plea of some kind, it's in a different language. For those that don't recognize it, it is Latin. For those who do, I'm glad you know an epic langauge. Also, for those of you who don't know Latin, let me know and I'll send you the translation.

As This World Keeps Turning

l February 2, 2013

The rest of the time up until the wedding would be fairly normal. Me and Luna would wake up together. We'd both do something to plan for the wedding. We would come home. We would spend a few minutes kissing eachother, showing our love. We'd go to bed.

Okay, maybe that's not entirely true.

Yeah, our day on the 2nd started out normal enough. I remember waking up next to Luna, grinning as I did so. My eyes slowly cracked open, casting themselves upon the same glorious sight as I always had. I grinned, and reached my hand over and caressed her teal locks. She didn't wake, but she smiled in her sleep. I chuckled gently, finding the way she looked when she smiled adorable.

Finally, after laying there several minutes, I backed away from her and rose up from the bed. I walked from the bed into the bathroom. I opened the door and quietly shut it. I took a towel and placed it beside the shower before stepping in. I turned on the hot water full blast.

As the burning water hit my flesh, heating my body to near-feverish temperatures, I reached over and grabbed the soap. As I scrubbed the lye against my body, I allowed myself to relax in the warm stream. After several moments of scrubbing my body, I moved over and rinsed the lathered soap off. After that, I took the same oak musk as I always used, squirted some of the fragrant gel into my hand, and went on to lather it through my hair.

I chuckled; I still couldn't believe that I had become anthro. My hair was noticeably shorter than my mane, but it was the same mixture of ruby and sapphire. I once again savored the feeling of the suds flowing through my hair, cleansing it and relaxing me with the scent.

I rinsed the shampoo out from my hair, then stood there for a few moments. I savored the heat of the shower a minute more, then turned off the water. I stepped out onto the mat, then proceeded to drying myself. Being more humanoid and having hands instead of hooves, it was much easier. I wrapped the towel around my waist.

I walked back out into the bed chambers. Luna was getting up, stretching herself a bit and yawning. She looked over at me from her position beside the bed, and said, "Good morning, love." I smiled at her.
"Morning, my little Crescent Moon." She giggled. I came over and hugged her. She snuggled against me and kissed my neck. I chuckled at the feeling that gave me. Warm, inviting.

"Luna," I began, kissing her upon the brow. "I have something special for you."
She looked into my eyes. "What, dear?" I smiled at her as I looked into those beautiful, sparkling teal eyes.
"Well, Luna, you see... You know how I said I was out making something for the two of us?" She nodded. "Well... I was making a home for the two of us." She looked at me, puzzled.

"What do you mean, love?" She asked me. I grinned.
"Well, you see... I was making a palace for the two of us to live in. I was hoping that we could move in there together." I looked at her, hopeful. As she realized what I was saying, she nodded. "So you'll leave the castle, and live with me by the Ocean, below the Moon?" She nodded ever-more eagerly, smiling and deepening our embrace. I smiled at that; I was glad we would be able to live in our own home together. And yet, I was still amazed by this all. I mean, I was 16 years old. In a couple of days, I would be 17. I had a beautiful fiance, I was going to get married in less than two weeks, and I was having a child. And yet, at this age, I had no regrets.

.....

After telling Luna about the palace, the two of us went flying together. We were going to go to the palace later, so that she could view it and tell me what she thought, but until then, I wanted to spend some alone time with her, both of us doing something we love. Ever since I was a young child, I'd wanted to fly, and loved it now that I could, and Luna, ever since she first came off the ground, loved flying.

So, we enjoyed it all we could. The wind flowing through our hair, whistling through the feathers on our wings, the cool, brisk feeling on our faces. We flew together, joy, passion, and love in our smiles, and with every part of our body. I looked over at her as we soared high through the great blue, and smiled. She returned the expression. As we did this, I felt great joy overtaking myself.

Within a few moments, I closed the 15 yard gap between the two of us and wrapped a wing around her back. She grinned a bit wider and looked over at me. "Oh, you," She mouthed, though I couldn't hear it over the wind. I smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

We were flying high over the Ocean. We weren't near the mainland at the moment; Instead, we had flown out a bit from the east coast. I was loving the salty spray of the Sea's wind. Luna and I were happy about being with eachother and feeling the wind. Finally, we returned to the coastline. We flew over where the palace lay, and when we did so, I pointed over at the top of the Acropolis-like building. She followed my finger, and smiled.

We descended towards the beach slowly and calmly. Moments later, we touched down. I walked with her over to the beginning of the bridge that connected the land to the palace. She smiled as she looked at the building. White marble columns, great granite walls. She smiled. "What do you think, honey?" I asked her lovingly. She looked back at me. "What do I think?" She asked, beaming with a great smile upon her face. "Love, I think this is wonderful! Oh, this is so beautiful, and the fact that you did it yourself is just..." She ran from where she was standing at the beginning of the bridge over to me, and peppered my face wtih kisses.

"So... You're willing to leave the castle behind, and live here, and help me rule an empire?" She looked straight into my eyes, and, with tears of joy in her own, she nodded. I leaned down, and kissed her upon the brow. She nuzzled my neck lovingly.

I took her by the hoof, and led her into the palace. We took a quick walkthrough of the beautiful castle, me telling her about certain aspects of the various rooms. When we got to the center of the castle, where I had the tube to Atlanteia, I stopped her. "Hold on a second," I told her. I wanted her to see the kingdom for herself. So, the night before I read some of the book that the Dragon-Born Warrior, and in it I found a lost Dragon-Born spell, the Spiraculum Mare. It was a spell that would allow whoever used it to breathe beneath water anytime you touched the waves.

I touched my horn to her heart and spoke the spell, chanting, "Bonum Dei gratia et virtus omnis spiritus in caelis est, dabit virtutem spiritus mortali mare quo loco vivere non potest." Slowly, a golden glow spread from my horn to her chest, slowly engulfing her, first with her breast, to her neck and head, slowly to her front legs and midsection, and, slowly, ever so slowly, to her rear.

The golden coloration over her lasted a moment, then disappeared. "Oh my... What was that?" Luna asked me. I smiled at her. "A spell. You'll be able to breathe underwater for a while." She looked a bit puzzled. I chuckled. "So you can see the empire, and everything down there." Luna looked at me for just a moment, then her eyes widened in what I assumed was fear.

"Um... I, I uh... Well that's not... Necessary, love..." She looked down nervously, blushing.
I looked at her, confused. "What's wrong, Moon Pie?" I asked her.
"Oh, nothing," She replied. "I just... Um... I... Don't know how to swim..." She began mumbling.
"What was that?"
"I... I... Don't know how to swim..."
"Luna," I continued. "You obviously have some kind of problem, and whatever that problem is, I want to help you with it. But to help you with it, I need to know what it is, love. Now then, will you tell me? Please?"

After several moments looking down, blushing, she smiled slightly, then looked back into my eyes. She nodded. "Well, General," She continued, still blushing but not looking away. "My problem is that... I... I don't know how to swim..." She looked away then, very embarrassed. I didn't want to laugh, but, I was unable to stifle a small chuckle. "Luna," I said lovingly to her. "Don't be upset about that. It's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't know how to swim, Moon Pie. But, there is one thing I must ask you."

"What?" She replied, curious.
"Um... Well, how do you not know how to swim, love? I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but I would expect you to know how to swim." She smiled coyly.
"Well, you see... Celestia and I were even younger when I was banished than most think. Our father died when we were just a few months old, and our mother, well... She disappeared before I was old enough to remember her. Sometimes I see little snippets and pieces of her in dreams and in visions, but I've never seen her in person. And then, shortly after Mother disappeared, Celestia and I began raising and lowering the Sun and the Moon ourselves. Mother left us with only some ancient tomes and Celestia's skills to learn how to. And, we never truly had the time for anything, because as soon as either one of us rose our own celestial body, we would feel so weak we would need to rest, and the other would watch over everything to make sure nothing bad happened."

A few tears slipped from her eyes. "And then, when Celestia reached the adolescence at the age of a hundred, and I was a few years younger, it happened. Me and Luna were slowly beginning to become more powerful, and we had been having tutoring sessions with our nursemaid. I was starting to realize how much people loved Celestia's Daylight, but how much they disliked my Night. You know what happened shortly after that. And, because me and Celestia never got a chance to be children when we were young, I never learned how to swim before I was banished."

I nodded. "I see the issue. Well, hon' I'll tell you what: When we get under the water, just wrap your hooves around me and I'll help teach you." She nodded. "Alright then. Let's go." She came up behind me and put her forlegs around my stomach and chest. She blushed a bit as she did so, but was still smiling. I slowly approached the tunnel, the down we went.

Now, the way the tunnel was designed, it was just stone protected from the water, down for about 30 feet. Then, the tunnel opened up into the open sea. As we touched the water, Luna took on a golden hue. I began paddling my arms and kicking my feet to propel the both of us through the water. Within a few moments, we could see the great city, Atlanteia. As she looked upon the great city of golden and silver treasures, a great smile came upon Luna's face. I chuckled. "Do you like it, Luna?" I askee her, smiling.
"Yes, it is... Beautiful..." Her grin became even wider.

As we approached the domed city of gems, I thought of something. "Luna, bring your forelegs up and hold onto me by my shoulders."
"What?" She said, confused.
"I want to help you, just, take me by the shoulders." She nodded, and slowly brought her hooves one after the other over my shoulders. "Now, straighten your body and start kicking your hind legs, slowly." She calmly straightened out and began slowly kicking her legs. We cut through the water slowly.

"Now close your eyes, Moon Pie."
"Why?" She replied, much bewilderment in her voice.
"Just do it, please. You'll find out why soon enough." I looked back at her and smiled.
"Okay, love." She obeyed. After several moments, I slowly edged my way out of her grasp. I swam away a few yards, and there she was. Luna was swimming.

"Open your eyes now, Luna. Oh, and don't be afraid!" I yelled to her.
"Why would I be afra-" She opened her eyes, and saw she was moving. Her back legs were kicking, and her front legs were also slowly moving her through the fluid. "See Luna?" I said. "I told you I would help you." She nodded once, then smiled and began to swim around a bit faster. She swam in different patterns, making shapes in the water. She smiled and laughed as she did this. Finally, she slowed down a bit and swam over to me.

She threw her forelegs around me in a hug. "Oh, General," She cried out, a great grin upon her face. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She tightened the embrace until I could barely breathe. She kissed me deeply and passionately upon the lips before letting go of me and slowly backing away.

"Thank you so much for teaching me!" She giggled once more, then swam beside me. We were just a few yards from the entrance of the city, and we continued forth. We both smiled lovingly, and we entered into the city. Everypony there stared in amazement and bewilderment at their king and who he had brought. I heard them whispering to each other, probably trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ah, General," Mare Puerum came from the left and waved at me as he swam over. "Good day, milord." I nodded. "Good day, friend. How are you, Mare?" He grinned.
"I am just fine, thank you. And you?"
"I am fine. Oh, and, Mare, this is my fiance, Luna." I gestured at Luna, smiling.

He saluted. "Good day, Queen Luna." He voiced
"Hmm?" Luna replied, surprised at the title used. "Um... I am not a queen, but you flatter me, sir."
"Oh, hoho, I see the problem," He chuckled. "You arenot a queen yet. Once you have married General, though, you will become queen to us, the sea ponies." She nodded, understanding.

"Well, thank you. But, just know that you mustn't be so formal. It will be fine if you simply call me Luna."
"Very well than, ma'am." He replied. "In any case... Lord General, you must come with me, quickly." I was confused. "Come with you? Why?" He chuckled.
"Well, you see, you fell from us a thousand years ago. But, you see... When you fell, you were only of the age of 160, the age of adolescence among sea ponies. You weren't old enough to be king, though your father had died a few years before, so you were still the Prince. So, the coronation ritual was never performed on your 210th birthday. You're not the king yet."

I reeled a bit, in shock. "Oh. Wait, so then... How old would I be now?"
He grinned a bit. "Well... you're about 1,500 years old now. In fact, by my count, your 1,500th birthday is two days from now!"

Well, that made me grin. "So, when will I be crowned?"
"Today, my lord, today!"

.....

He took Luna and I to the largest building in the city: The remains of the Old Palace, where the royals would stay before I apparently disappeared. It was perhaps the secondmost plain building in the city, rivaled only by the temple. I was led up to the front steps before a circle of runes on the ground. From what I knew, in clockwise order the runes read Birth, Honor, Love, Life, Truth, Justice, and Death.

I grinned; These runes were probably going to imbue into me the full power of the Sea Alicorn, the power to truly be as the king. Now, I would know my true potential. Now, I would find the truth. Now, I would find myself. Now, I would find the hole within my heart and fill it, a hole that couldn't be filled by anything, not even by Luna's love for me.

Following the directions of the priest there, I knelt down in the center of the circle. He then adorned me with a crown of golden glamour, a blue stole of sapphire gleam, and brazen pauldrons with silvered edges. "Now," The priest continued. "You pray. You may pray to any God you please, in any language you please. Tell us when you are done."

I nodded. I thought long and hard of what I would pray for and about. Finally, I decided. Aloud, I prayed, "Misericors Deus magnus et sanctus, laudo. Donari me vobis gratias ago pro omnibus et cum omnibus viribus constituisti me affectus es, Deus. Facies me, quaeso, forti et constanti opera mea, dabo tibi et ducam in nouo populo, ut est genus benignus dux crudelitas iniquae spurium. Deus, succurre mihi in omnibus et virtutis ades. Sed tua voluntas mea non fiat. Amen."

After I said Amen, I paused for a moment, then said, "I am done." The priest nodded.
He then went on to continue the ceremony. "Do you swear to lead your people well to the greatest extent of your ability?" He asked. "I do."

"Do you swear to vanquish evil if you should come across it in the name of your people, your family, your friends, and your Gods?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to live fast, like the dolphin, strong, like the shark, kind, like the ocean breeze, and calm, like the whale?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to, if need be, join battle and lay down your life for your loved ones and your people, to be sharp like a razor, and be willing to destroy without mercy, yet be honorable?"
"By my Blood, my Sweat, my Tears, and my Honor, I do."

The priest grinned. "Then by the power gifted unto me by our last king and the God's Themselves, I herby declare you, Lord Tridentus Marinas XV, King of the Empire of the Sea!" Upon saying that, he touched the head of his silver staff to my horn. I felt an odd sensation spread through me. Power flooded through my veins. Visions came into my head. Visions of things that happened to me, that I didn't remember. Me as a young baby in my home. Pony versions of myself in this world growing up. Then, the weirdest thing.

It showed the young colt version of me in this universe. I didn't look like much, just a foal, but still at least as old as Luna said she was when she was banished. I was maybe a little taller and longer. I was in the palace here, back before it's destruction. I was staring out a window. There was a great beast, larger than anything I'd ever seen before, charging towards the city. I jumped up high, then swam out of the palace. I flapped my wings to help me swim faster, speeding towards the beast. I kicked the beast multiple times, ripped flesh from it's throat, and shot magic at it. Finally, I stopped it. I came down to the ground. I drew up all the magic I could, from my own body and from the earth and sea round me. I charged this life into my horn, building up a great charge.

I felt what was happening in the vision. I felt my horn begin tingling, as well as the rest of my body. Finally, I released the charge; A great golden beam of energy burst forth, fire lacing it's edges. It zig-zagged, hitting the beast head on. It first hit the beast's flesh, then lanced through the creature, destroying the black hole where it's heart would be. The beast was disintegrated. I stepped back, wobbling a bit, and smiled a weary grin. I looked once at the corpse, then fainted.

I saw myself during my great slumber. Decades passing each second. I saw people come, pay homeage to me, gather gifts of food and drink around me in case I should awake. I saw them salute me, pray to me, and thank me. Finally, on the 500th year, it happened. A figure in a dark cloak, I couldn't tell who, came before me. He knelt down, and drew out an amulet. The amulet was resting upon his slightly-scaled, human hand. The Dragon-Born Warrior.

He placed the amulet before me, then made a symbol in the air with his fingers before walking away. Moments later, I was gone, as were the gifts and offerings around me.

The next thing I knew, I was in a dark forest. It was back on Earth. I was just a foal this time. I was wrapped in a blanket. I was asleep a moment more, but then I looked up. I was in a dark, frightening forest. I had no problems. I guess I had a little amnesia then, 'cause I started looking around. I suppose I was looking around for my 'parents'. I walked into a wolf.

The canine growled at me, but I was unafraid. I growled right back at the beast. When it tried to pounce upon me, I dodged it and bit into it's side. The wolf yelped in pain then as I came around and kicked him in the ass. It yelped again, looking at me. It stared for just a moment, then turned and ran. I began walking East.

Following the Full Moon, I slowly walked that way, not looking for anything, just walking. I walked for hours, and it was still dark. About an hour in, it began raining. I got very cold. I saw a small house up ahead, so I walked to it. I stumbled up the porch steps. I stood up on my hind legs and pressed my hooves against the front door. I let out a quick whining sound before fainting.

The door slowly opened. My parents stepped out, and saw me. They were shocked by what they saw. They considered what they were supposed to do with me. Finally, they decided to bring me inside. My mother picked me up and kissed me on the brow. The door closed behind them as they stepped back inside with me.

.....

I woke up from the vision, tears in my eyes. I looked around, at the priest, at Mare Puerum, at Luna, and at the crowd surrounding the spot I was at. I was confused, and I had several questions for my parents. I remembered a spell I had learned, and used it. "Recipe me ad patriam amore!" I cried out. Moments later, I was in Luna's bed chambers.

I quickly found some paper and pencil, wrote Luna a note, and took out Rend from the nightstand by the bed. I slashed open a portal to my house on Earth, and stepped through.

Upon arriving in my house, I went into my mother's bedroom and walked up to her furiously. "Mom," I said. "We need to talk. NOW." She nodded.
"What do you need, son?" She asked me.

I was angry, then. "Am I your son?!" I asked her, angrily. I looked up and glared right at her. "Are you sure you didn't just find me? Are you sure I didn't just show up on your doorstep 15-and-a-half years ago?!" She took on a nervous look. "What do you mean, General? Of course that didn't happen..."
"I know the truth, Mom. I'm not really your son." She looked at me in shock.

"What, where did..." She sighed, realizing I couldn't be swayed. "How did you find out?"
"That's not important," I growled. "What's important is that I know, and I demand that you tell me the full story, right, the fuck, NOW!"

"Alright," She said. "I'll tell you the truth."

Disturbing Revelations

"It all started 16 years ago," My mother began. "Your brother and sister were both very young, four or five years old. They've known about this the entire time. You see, it was a dark and rainy night. Your brother and sister had gone to bed, and your father and I were still up. We were sitting on the couch. I was reading, and he was just sitting there. Then, suddenly, there was some kind of whine at the front door, a bit like a dog's yelp. We walked up to the door and opened it, and there you were: A small, white-furred cartoon horse, a red and blue mane, a fish's tail, and ruby eyes. Your only protection against the cold and rain was a thin, fleece baby blanket tied around you. You were laying there, dirty and probably sick. We weren't sure what you were, but... We picked you up and took you inside. We waited a little while for you to wake up. You were unafraid when you saw us, and you walked up and started nuzzling me."

"You just made my heart explode. You were the cutest little thing I'd ever seen, even with the dirt covering you. I picked you up and took you into the bathroom. I turned on the bathtub faucets, making the water nice and warm. When it was about half-full, I put you in. Your father was watching while I did this. I scooped up little water in my hands and released it over your head, rinsing some dirt and mud from your mane and coat. I took a little shampoo and squirted it into your mane. I did a few other things, cleaning you up, then lifted you out of the tub and dried you off. I kissed you on the forehead, and you started licking my cheek. I chuckled at that, and then I took you into the living room."

"I wasn't sure how we would have you sleep, so, we just decided to put down a few blankets over the couch, put down a pillow for you to lay on, put a cover over you. I kissed you one more time on the forehead, and you nuzzled me. You laid your head down, smiling, and fell asleep. And, the whole reason we never told you, was because we were worried you wouldn't be able to live the same way after we did, and you'd just feel insane. So, we decided we'd only tell you after you decided to move out. But, now..." She looked at me, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said to her. "I'm sorry that I... That I was so angry towards you. I just... I didn't understand." I turned around. "Wait!" She said, stopping me. "We found this in a pocket in the blanket that was tied around you." She handed me a piece of paper and some necklace. The necklace was a silver medallion with the Greek letter Pi carved into it. The paper was a note. I took the note and opened it up. It read, This is Lord Tridentus Marinas XV, descendant of the Ocean Spirit Oceanus. Treat this child well, and beware his abilities, as he is of a different world. He will slowly begin to take on your attributes, and eventually become human in form. But, his abilities will remain. He will be very fast, strong, and intelligent. He wil be the greatest mortal creature this world has seen besides the Son of God Himself. He will even be able to use magic, though he will not know it when he does. He will be a great warrior. Just be prepared for anything he might do, and expect the unexpected.

I took the letter and folded it up. I put it in my pocket, and placed the cord of the necklace around my neck. I wore the silver proud and true. "Thank you, Mama." I said, tears in my eyes. "Thank you... For finally telling me the truth." I took out Rift, cut open a portal, and was gone.

Frozen In Time, Drowning In Blood, Living In Love

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of sex between a
humanoid/anthromorphic character and a pony, as well as an outdoor sex scene.
If these things offend you, then go fuck yourself, you limp-dicked, weak-stomached pussy.

Upon exiting the portal, I arrived back in Luna's bed chambers. She was sitting there on the bed, and from the look on her face, she was definitely NOT happy. No, on her face were many different emotions: She was angry, sad, distressed, confused, embarrassed, and hurt. "General," She yelled out at me, standing up. "What in God's name is wrong with you?!" She was glaring at me, a great frown upon her face.

"Luna, I'm so-"
"WHY DID YOU RUN OUT?!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs. "You embarrassed yourself, you confused your people, you... I do not even know where to start! What happened? Why?" She was looking at me dead-on, tears beginning to form in her sapphire orbs. "Luna," I began. "Honey, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have just run out like that, I know that now, but... I just, something happened that confused me. And I just couldn't stop myself, Moon Pie-"

"Don't you 'Moon Pie' me!" She growled.
"Luna, look, I know what I did was inexcusable, but... I have a reason why I did that. Listen, just hear me out, and I swear you'll understand."
"Fine." She said.

So, I went on and told her the story. As I went on, her eyes and the emotions on her face began to soften. She finally realized my issue, and she nodded. "I understand," She said. "And I am sorry I got angry at you, love. I never would have if I knew what was going on. I am sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain." I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"No," I replied. "Don't be sorry. I really should have explained to you the whole thing before I left like that. I'm so sorry." I drew her into a deep kiss, caressing her teal locks and coat. I broke the exchange, and looked straight into her eyes. Her teal orbs were sparkling. Her form was changing again. Her mane became longer, and it's color slightly darker. Her coat also changed it's shade. Finally, she was almost back to her form that she was before, but her mane wasn't it's old, flowing, two-colored hair. It was just cyan, and maybe 3 inches shorter than it's original length.

I smiled. It seemed that when Luna had great emotional turmoil, that's what caused her mane and coat to change. "So... You are actually a pony, than?" She asked me.
"I guess so. My mom and dad aren't really related to me, not by blood anyways." I sighed. "But that's alright. They raised me. They took good care of me, and they loved me. So they are my parents. The only ones I've ever had that I can remember. They are my parents, really." Luna smiled.

I looked over at the window. I saw the Sun was settling itself into it's bed while the Moon was rising itself up. I decided me and Luna could do something together right quick. "Come on Luna. Follow me." I said. She looked confused. "Where are we going?" She asked.
"Just trust me." She nodded, and I took her by the hoof. We ran quickly out of the castle. When we got outside, we took off flying.

As our wings beat through the air, carrying us swiftly on the wind, I listened carefully to the whistling of the wind between our feathers. I led her over to Everfree Forest, still holding her hoof. We kept on soaring for about half an hour. Finally, we came upon the center of the forest. I descended with her towards the Altar of Spirits.

As she saw where we were going, she smiled a wide grin. She looked over at me. I just grinned back. When we reached the ground, Luna leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. She looked all around. She looked at the trees around, especially healthy and strong from where they were at. She looked at the ground before the Altar, bright and slightly glowing. And she looked at the Altar itself, gray stone painted red and blue in different areas.

She walked over to the dais, and touched it gently. She shivered. "It is ice cold," She said. I touched the stone for myself. She was right. "That's so odd..." I replied. "There hasn't been a cold day since Christmas. How does that work?" Luna shrugged at first, then spoke up.
"It is the spirits. They place a shield over the dais, protecting it from anything that could harm it. The only way it can be used for anything is if the spirits give their blessing over whoever is wanting to use it."

I asked her how we could get their blessing. "Well, if we make a prayer under the light of the Crescent Moon, and should the one who prays be pure of heart, then the spirits will accept and bless the one who asks." I nodded.
"Then you should make the prayer, Luna." She looked confused.
"Me? Why me?"
"Because, Luna, you're pure. I'm not perfect, you're not perfect, no one is. But you are pure of heart. You've never intentionally had bad, evil thoughts. You've done good things for all people. If anyone's pure of heart, it's you." She looked down a moment, then nodded. "Alright," She replied. "I will do it."

She walked right by the Altar and knelt down. She put a hoof agaisnt the stone. "Omnipotens Deus, Sanctus super omnes nomen sanctum tuum et gratias ago tibi quod dedisti mihi. Munus quaeso me diligo et qui iuxta hanc rem. Obsecro, Domine, spiritus tuus in nobis dicat bene, ut in unum redeant unitatem magna hac Subgestum. Quaeso, Domine. Amen."

As she prayed, her breathing slowed a bit. She was very calm and serene-looking. Suddenly, a spiral of light came down and enshrouded Luna, and the Altar began glowing. "What's... Happening?!" I asked, shocked. Suddenly, there was a flame lying upon the Altar, a flame of silver fire. The fire lifted up from the platform, and came unto Luna. It burned her upon her cutie mark, but didn't hurt her. Then, the flame moved on over to me. It burned my own flank, and then returned to the dais. When I looked at Luna, I saw that there was a mark of a silver blade where the fire burned her. The symbol was on me as well.

When the silver flame returned to the Altar, it disappeared. Luna touched the stone of the reliquary, and smiled. "It is warm." She said. I grinned. I walked up and hugged her.
"You did it, Luna," I continued. "You did it..."

.....

February 3, 2013

Luna and I woke early that morning. My eyes creaked open, and I smiled. Luna was still asleep, but her head was lying on my chest, and she was smiling. I chuckled, and I reached my hand down to stroke her mane. I know I've said this a million times over, but, it's silky feel made me smile. There's just... No way to explain how happy I feel when I'm able to hold and stroke my mare.

I wrapped an arm around her and kissed Luna on the brow. I laid my head back, and enjoyed the feeling of the pillow beneath me, the blanket overtop me, and Luna leaning on me. I loved how she looked, the way her mane was draping just over her face, covering her left eye. The way her beautiful horn glistened in the Light of Eos. I just loved it all, everything about her.

I laid there for several hours before Luna woke up. She slowly opened up her beautiful lids, yawning gently as she revealed her wondrous orbs. She looked up at me, still grinning. "Good morning, beautiful." I said to her.
"Good morning." She replied sleepily. She kissed my bare chest, and snuggled up closer to me. I enjoyed the deep, loving embrace we were sharing. She made me so very happy, and I her.

After half an hour more of holding her, we both got up. I walked into the bathroom, and she followed. We closed the door behind us, and I placed a neatly folded towel right by the shower. She stepped in while I removed my clothes. I followed her into the shower.

I turned on the water, and allowed Luna to change the temperature until she liked how it felt. She levitated a bottle of shampoo over and rubbed some of the sweet-smelling gel through her coat and mane. She scrubbed it thoroughly through her luxurious mane, smiling as she did so. With her eyes closed and her mane sopping wet, Luna looked so very beautiful. I chuckled.

I took the soap and scrubbed my chest with the lye while she cleaned herself. I was glad I was happy to share this moment with Luna, and I'm sure she felt the same way. I leaned over and kissed Luna gently on the cheek, causing her to blush, eyes still closed. I handed her the soap, and I grabbed a bottle of oak musk.

I squirted the gel into my hair and scrubbed softly. I cleansed my hair with the soap calmly, glad with this very moment in time, Luna's sweet scent intermingling with the scent of the oak musk. It made my smile widen evermore. I put the shampoo back, and stayed there several moments more. Luna and I were just sitting there in the shower, not washing anymore, just enjoying the heat of the waters. Finally, after several minutes, she nodded, and I turned the water off.

We stepped out from the shower onto a bathroom mat. I took a towel and quickly dried myself, rubbing the cloth over my entire body. I did so for Luna too, helping swab off her body. After several minutes, I opened up the door for Luna and allowed her to step through. I put the towel away, and stepped out beside her.

"So Luna," I began, kissing her on the cheek. "Are you ready to pack?" I asked her.
She looked down a moment, then nodded. "I suppose," She replied, smiling shyly. She knew what I meant. We had discussed it at length the Night before, and we decided we would move out from the castle this day. I understood how she felt. She had lived here literally her entire life, except for when she was on the Moon. So many things had happened to her here. This was her home. It would be a while before she was ready.

"I'll start packing, Luna. You just sit down and rest for a while." She nodded and sat down on the couch, a single tear falling from her eye. I turned around and started on personal possesions. I had truly become stronger since I had become king, so I knew greater spells than before. I shrank down the bedstand, television, games, and television stand that were in the chambers, then placed them in a box. The pillows and blankets went alongside those, and, finally, the bed.

I packed up the dresser Luna had in there, her few dresses and other articles of clothing (Among ponies, even princesses don't have much clothing), and was done. In just 1 short hour, I had actually managed to do this alone. I looked over at where Luna had been sitting, and realized she was gone. I was a bit shocked, but not concerned. I knew she was probably just taking a last look around. I turned my thoughts to Luna, and, in my head, I spoke.

Luna, I began. Sweetie, where are you?
I am in the Western Wing, love, She replied.
Taking a last look? I asked, curious. She didn't respond, but she nodded. I could sense it, so great was our bond.
Well, just come back when you're done. I've finished packing. Again, she nodded, and again, I felt it in that strange, celestial way.

I decided to have a look around myself. I started over in the Royal Gardens. It was a beautiful place, filled with so many beautiful plants and animals, glorious, a true home of Mother Nature. I inhaled the sweet scents of the flowers and fruits surrounding me. I stayed for several moments, then turned and left.

I went by the Royal Catacombs & Temple. Here, for the last hundred eons, they had buried the late leaders of Equestria, the great kings, queens, princes, and princesses. I respectfully and slowly observed the graves. Not only did they have the leaders of all Equestria, but they also had past leaders of relative nations and empires.

Soros, last Good King of the Crystal Empire before Sombra. Astraea & Conpunctum, the Queen and King of Equestria before Luna and Celestia ruled. Amoros, Father of Cadence, Late Ruler of the Gens Amor. And, finally, him.

My true father, Lord Sinum the Great. He was the Last King of the Sea. The Last of the Sea Alicorns. The Last of my People, besides me. He was... He is... My Father. Inscribed upon his tomb was a great honor, as well his last words.

He was a hero. He was in no war, and he was no intellectual. He was no warrior, and gave Us nothing great. But, he did do one thing: He brought peace. Despite what many think, We were not always so peaceful, our two nations. We were constantly fighting, threatening war. Then, he brought about peace. He brought about love, and brotherhood, through a few simple words: Stop fighting. Just two words were all he said.

-Disciple of the Bay.

He fought with words, but only once. That was all he needed to bring peace. He was a hero, not in deed or in words, but in existence. He did nothing, but was a hero.

-Queen Purus, Wife of the Bay.

He loved his people, he loved his friends, and he loved his family. He made mistakes, as have all creatures in this world. He was a hero, but he was a mortal, and therefore imperfect. But, through his great imperfection, he helped us. He made us.

-Friend of the Bay.

'I have done nothing in this World. The fact that people honor me so is foolish, and if people continue to do so, I shall think them foolish still. I am but a fool who managed to do one good deed. The only thing I hope that comes about from me is that my son, my wonderful baby boy, will make everyone proud some day. I know he will. I just know it.'

-Last Words of the Bay.

I smiled slightly, a single tear dropping from my eye. I put my hand against the cold stone of the granite tomb. I felt his essence, and I was happy knowing that right here, right now, was the closest I had ever come, the closest I ever would come, to meeting my real father. I didn't know him, but I still loved him. I could tell he had high hopes for me, and if it was the last thing I did, I would make this hope reality.

"I'll make you proud, Dad..." I muttered under my breath, pressing my brow to the coffin. "I swear I will..." I rose up, turned around, and walked back to Luna's bed chambers.

Luna was there when I got there. She was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, with a sad smile on her tear-stained face. Her lids fluttered open when I opened the door. "Ready to go, Moon Pie?" I asked her, smiling. She nodded.
I am, Seabiscuit. I am." I nodded, and kissed her once on the cheek before picking up the single box it took to carry all of the items we were taking. Luna walked out the door and I followed, shutting the light off as I went. I closed the door, and Luna & I were gone.

.....

We arrived in our Palace by the Sea by 5:00 that evening. I quickly unpacked everything into our bed chambers, and made sure it was all in order. Luna came in and checked on me about halfway through, smiling. I looked over, and grinned. For whatever reason, she had decided to put her mane in a ponytail that day (no pun intended). She looked so cute that way, and I chuckled. "You look adorable," I said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Oh, who, me?" She said, giggling and acting oblivious. She knew how she looked. I pulled her into a deep kiss, chuckling as I did so. Caressing her teal locks, I drew her closer and closer to me. I softly ran my hands through her beautiful mane, just wanting to feel her.

I broke the kiss, still standing. I pushed a stray lock back into her mane, then went back to work. She began to help me out now. At first she had just been checking out the castle, to see what it was like, but she had wanted to help me. She put the bedstand and dresser in, while I slowly unpacked and grew the bed. When we were done, Luna and I stepped back and took a look, proud. In just a few short hours, we had done this. We were in our own home.

I looked over at Luna, smiling. She returned the look. Her mane and coat againt lightened a bit, back to the old, very light teal color.

I closed the distance between us and drew her into a hug. She grinned, leaning her head on my shoulder. Kissing her on the brow, I spoke. "This is working."
"What is working?" She replied, looking into my eyes.
"I mean... 'We're' working. Our relationship - Our life together - Is working, despite everything. I mean, a few months ago, if you told me I'd be going out with Princess Luna, Princess of the Night and co-ruler of the cartoon nation of Equestria, I would have called the Funny Farm! Honestly, at first, I had thought I would do something to mess this all up and ruin everything, but now-" She brought her lips against my own, interrupting me. I chuckled into the kiss, bringing her closer against me.

My tongue pierced her lips, intermingling with her own. We loved on eachother, each of us holding the other tenderly. I slowly caressed Luna, feeling every inch of her body. I broke the kiss, and looked her right in the eyes. "You are just so beautiful, Luna," I kissed her on the brow. "I'm really going to miss you when I leave in a couple weeks." She nodded. "But, let us not think about that now, love," She replied. "Let us just think of each other, right here, right now. Let's just be together."

I nodded. We kissed again, even deeper than before. It felt almost as if we were melting together, as if we were becoming as one. The feeling gave me great joy, and I didn't want it to ever end. A bit of Luna's mane had draped itself over my shoulder as we kissed, allowing me to smell her. Her scent made me smile wider than ever.

We broke the kiss, and I looked over at the clock we had brought a clock with us. "11:45," I whispered. "It's even later than I thought!" Luna nodded.
"Are you tired?" She asked me. I just chuckled in response.
"Luna, you know I almost never get tired. But, if I can be next to you, than you know the answer to that question." She giggled. She walked over to the bed and beckoned me over. I obeyed.

She got into the bed, as did I. She snuggled up against me, coming so very close. I wrapped my arms around her, sighing as I did so. "Good night, Moon Pie,"
"Good night, Seabiscuit," Moments later, I was asleep.

Anticipation. It is a cruel thing. For some situations, like a wedding, or the birth of a child, it makes them so tantalizing, yet all the more pleasing when the event comes. But, than, there are other events that destroy. Events like, a person's death. Being sent away to a war. A planned fight. A certain failure. All of these things, people dread. And Anticipation is just the worst of the events.

.....

February 4, 2013

That morning was my birthday. I woke early that morning, expecting to see Luna by my side. But, she wasn't there. I looked around for Luna, and I saw her standing by the door, smiling and putting packing some saddlebags. I got out of the bed, grinning back at her. "Good morning, Moon Pie," I said to her. I kissed her once on the cheek.
"Good morning, love," She replied, returning the kiss. "How did you sleep?"

I grinned. "I slept very vvell. And you?"
"I slept well, also." She kissed me again on the cheek. "Are you ready for today?" She inquired, an ever present grin upon her face. "What's today?" I replied.

"Well," She continued. "Today is your birthday, and I had planned a surprise for you." I gently caressed a lock of her blue hair. "Oh Luna," I buzzed. "You planned something? Why do you go to so much trouble on my behalf?" She nuzzled me lovingly. "Because I love you, General."

I chuckled. "And I love you, Moon Pie." I drew her into a loving kiss, locking lips with her as I held her tightly in my arms. I broke the kiss. "So, what did you have planned, 'hon?" I asked her, a great smile still upon my face. She grinned back, teasing me with her look. "It is a surprise, love," She replied. "You will just have to wait and find out." I shrugged and drew her into a loving embrace.

"Follow me," Luna said. I obeyed and followed after her after she ran out of the room. We ran out from the palace. When she got to the edge of the isle we had formed, Luna took off into the air, wings flapping hard. I copied the action. Soaring high through the air, we cut through the wind like spirits. Beautiful, powerful, invincible.

Just like our Love.

.....

We flew for hours, both of us at our top speed. Luna was panting heavily, out of breath, as was I. "Luna," I began. "How much longer is it gonna be?" I smiled at her beautiful form.
"Not much longer," She replied, looking back at me and returning the grin. "It should only be a few more minutes yet." I simply nodded to her.

I really wasn't sure where we were going. We had traversed at least a hundred miles of Ocean early on, and were now just over a Great Desert. As time went on, I realized these were the Dreadlands of Conpunctum. I knew that there were Equestrian legends saying that, in the Dreadlands, a great Tower of Knowledge once stood. According to the legends, when the mortals began to abuse the knowledge, it's master, the Celestial Father Conpunctum, withdrew it to the Sands of Time, saying, 'When the time is right, and a heart, pure and true is born, only then, shall the Tower rise again'.

I knew there was nothing else in the Dreadlands as far as any legends said, so I was worried this was what Luna had planned. I didn't want Luna planning for us to do anything as dangerous and foolish as trying to find the Tower, especially not if it might harm her. "Luna," I began. "I think I know what you were planning. And I have to say, if it's what I think it is, I'm not sure if it was the smartest thing you did this, going this far."

Luna took on an angry look then. "What do you mean by that?" She asked in a calm voice.
"Well, it's just... I don't like doing anything that takes a chance of hurting you, Moon Pie. I just... If we're doing what I think we are, than I'm not sure it's the smartest thing." Luna just sighed in exasperation.
"Why are you always so worried about me, General?!" She asked, annoyed. I just grinned ever-wider.

"I'm worried because I love you, Luna. I know some people show their love in different ways than other people, and this happens to be my way to show my love. To be concerned for you, and do whatever I can to make you happy. Because I feel best when I see you safe and happpy. That's why I'm so worried." As I finished, I saw Luna was smiling my way. She giggled lightheartedly. "I understand, I suppose." She said, rolling her eyes a bit.

Mintues later, she yelled to me, saying, "General! VVe're here! Descend tovvards that spot!" While she pointed towards a relatively darker patch of sand, about half a mile in diameter. I nodded and obeyed. As my wings slowly carried me down, I realized that the patch wasn't just darker sand; No, rather, the sand was within a crater, making it deeper and appear darker.

VVhen my hooves touched the ground, I saw I was at about the center of the crater. I walked around a bit, curious. Before long, I saw an odd structure peeking out of the sand.

In the center of the crater, I saw the rounded tip of some kind of terrace. It was a simple ball-like shape made of silver, with a single brazen spike coming from the center of the sphere. Carved into the silver were some runes that I had never seen before. I couldn't read them, but they seemed similiar to the Cuneiform language of the Sumerians back on Earth. Luna glided down to my side.

"Hey Luna," I said, still scrutinizing the structure. "Take a look at this." I motioned at the piece.
"Hmm," She said, curious. "It appears to be the ancient Hieroglyph language of the Rebel Kingdom, the language Verbum." I thought that odd. A language called Verbum. Knowing a bit of Latin, I knew this meant 'VVord', but what were the odds that a language would actually be named Word?

"Do you know any of it?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "No, but I brought a translator with me." She reached into her saddlebags and brought out a scroll of parchment, yellowed with age, alongside a ruby lens. She handed them both to me. I looked at the objects, confused. "Why me?" I asked.

"Well," She began. "According to legends, Verbum can only be read by one who's birth is of two worlds." I shrugged. "Alright than," I said, grinning.
"Well... That, and you have hands, so you can actually hold the lens." I chuckled, and nodded.

I wasn't quite sure how to translate the language, but I figured it out soon enough. I took a bit more parchment from Luna, and placed it down on a moderately-even surface. I took a quill and a small bottle of ink. I looked through the ruby lens at the writing. I sketched down every signifigant-looking figure onto the parchment in proper order. Finally, I had finished reading off the structure. "Alright, I think I've got this."

I looked back onto the translator scroll and quickly translated the figures in my head. "It says, 'Agamemnos karah, qu'run chupe fugahl, nofu keia. Kar'ano chuvegus rahn faow, wegawey.' " Luna looked at me, confused.
"Well," She said. "What does that translate to?"

I smiled. "It translates to say, 'By the Love of the Glistening Silver Moon, the one Pure of Heart, and of the Sparkling Green Ocean, the one Wise of Mind, and Only by the Love of the Two, shall the Tower of the Wizened Ones raise. Only by the Love empowering Itself on this sight shall it rise the Tower, and bring about Wisdom, Evermore.' "

Luna still appeared confused. "Well... What in the name of the Moon does that mean?!" She asked, chuckling a bit. I chuckled right on back. "I think it means... Well, Luna, you represent the Moon,"
"Yes."
"And I represent the Ocean."
"Yes..."
"And by, 'Only by the Love empowering Itself', I think it means that we have to do something to prove our love - The Love between the Moon and the Ocean. And, I think I know how." I looked at Luna lovingly. As the thought ran through my mind, a slight blush came to my cheeks.

"Well, what is it, love?" She asked me eagerly. I chuckled slightly, still blushing.
"Well... I think we're supposed to make love... You know, here." When she heard those words leave my mouth, she jumped in shock, and looked down, blushing. "Oh my..." Here eyes were widened in shock, and she continued to look down.

I chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Luna. It was just a stupid suggestion. It probably wouldn't work anyway. Let's just try and think of something else..."
"No." She whispered, still blushing.

"Hmm?" I responded, looking up at her suddenly.
"No, I mean... Why not? It couldn't hurt to do it, if only to see if it would work. And besides, there is not a single person around for miles in every direction. It's not like anyone would... See..." She was blushing furiously. "And, besides... I would kind of... Like it..." Her face was red as a cherry. I chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

"You really want to do this?" She nodded. "Then, let's do it." I took off my shirt and drew Luna into a loving embrace. I kissed her on her silken lips, smiling brightly. As we kissed eachother, slowly making love, I removed each article of my clothing. I reached my hand down to her vagina, slowly fingering her sweet crescent.

She began gasping a bit, as she always did when we made love. I massaged the folds of her beautiful nethers, softly kissing her as I did so. She shivered, slowly relaxing into the sensation. I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. She smiled. As we sat there, mid-coitus and exposed in the Desert Sun, we simply looked into eachother's eyes. I softly kissed her once more, pushing slightly into her with my tongue.

She accepted my entity gratefully, pulling me more tightly against her. Our tongues wrestled, caressing eachother. As our bodies copied the action, I tripped over a rock, throwing me to the ground with Luna on top of me. I chuckled. As we laid in the hot sands, we smiled at eachother. I slowly pressed the tip of my penis against Luna's soft, ebony cunt. She shuddered.

She grinned widely at me, not saying a word as she happily accepted my throbbing member into her body. I slowly pushed into her body as I broke her lips. Her walls welcomed me in with vigour, a strong pull that made the experience more pleasurable than anytime before. I grunted and gasped a bit, amazed by the sensation. Luna wrapped her front legs around me, holding me into her body tightly. After allowing my spire to lie within her for a few moments, I slowly began thrusting in, and out.

I deepened our kiss evermore, pushing my tongue in a bit further. I reached my hand down and rubbed her soft, violet teats while I pushed in and out of her. She whimpered slightly, a quiet, ecstatic, yet seemingly-pained sound. I wrapped an arm around Luna and tenderly caressed her sparkling mane. She made an odd, coo-like sound when I did that. The strange sound made me smile at her. I continued thrusting into her tender body, careful not to hurt her by going too fast or hard.

After several minutes, Luna and I both gasping, I burst. My cum intermingled with Luna's own sweet juices, mixing inside of her body. As I pulled myself out from her body, I popped again, leaving a trail of semen across her crescent and lower belly. We both laid down next to eachother, panting tiredly, in the warm sand. I looked over at Luna, and kissed her on the brow.

Suddenly, an odd sound disrupted our moment of peaceful bliss; There was an odd trembling all around us as the ground below us began to rise. We were already a hundred feet in the air by the time we succeeded. There were winds suddenly whipping up all the sand around us. I couldn't see anything at all, when I heard Luna cry out, "Augh!" Her voice appeared pained.

"What's wrong, Luna?" I asked, worried. She cried out again.
"I-I think a rock hit me in the wing!" She said.
"Well, it can't be that bad, let me have a look." She gritted her teeth and nodded, lifting her injured right wing. Sure enough, there it was; Where the rock had hit her, right in the center of the wing, there was a large mass of feathers missing, as well as a patch of mangled flesh and blood. I cringed at it, worried about my poor Luna. "Can you fly still?" I asked her, hopeful.

"I don't think so! I can barely even move my wing without it hurting!" I looked around through the sand, as best I could, trying to find a way down. Finally, I sighed, and gave in. "Luna," I said. "Close your eyes, hold on tightly to me, and don't look down."
"Why shouldn't I-"
"Dammit, Luna, if you want to make it out of here alive, then just do as I say, love!" She nodded. I felt her wrap her front legs around my neck and press against me. I wrapped both arms around her and kissed her on the brow. "You're gonna be alright..." I whispered. I looked straight forward, and jumped off of the structure. I spread my wings on the wind, flapping as hard as I could to move through the Sky. I slowly flapped down towards the Earth, gritting my teeth and glaring towards the sands.

Sand and stones were hitting me all over, testing my skin of iron to it's very limit. Finally, my feet touched the ground, and I gave up. I turned a bit so that when we fell, I cushioned Luna's tumble. I gasped as she knocked the air out of me. I panted, trying to catch my breath. Luna crawled up to my side. She panted and gasped, but managed through the lack of air and kissed me on the cheek.

"Th-thank, you... General... You... Saved... M-My life..." Luna whispered, still gasping for breath. I slowly breathed in and out. Chuckling, I said, "Heh heh... I-I.. It wasn't a... It wasn't any p-problem... A-Anything... For you, Luna..." When I finally managed to catch my breath, I rose up as best as I could. I helped Luna stand as well, then gazed upon the great structure that had nearly killed us.

I was amazed; It was the Tower of Knowledge. It was a glorious tower, at least three thousand feet high, carved entirely of stone in such an intricate manner. The tower went straight up at first, then near the top it, it curved a bit to the right and widened out into a spherical top. To the left of the tower, there was a large, apexed stone pillar, about a fourth of the tower's size, several words in the Hieroglyphic Verbum carved into the figure.

Luna and I walked up to the Pillar. At the bottom of it was a small, 2x1.5 plaque of silver. It was also in Verbum. "By the Light of the Desert Sun, and the Awakening of the Tower, He and She Who hath risen the Knowledge of The Broken may enter the Tower of the Knowledge, and partake of It if They should wish, assuming He may defeat The Broken, and that The Broken might proclaim Him worthy," I read the plaque aloud. Luna looked at the metal in confusion.

"What does that mean?" She asked.
"Well," I said replied. "This is Conpunctum's Tower of Knowledge... Conpunctum is the Latin word for 'The Broken', so I guess the plaque is talking about your father, Conpunctum, and ruler of this Tower. So, I guess we need to defeat Conpunctum in something, Luna. But, I don't know why it says that. I mean, isn't he dead?"

"Well... Only his body. I never experienced it myself, it happened long before I was born, and Celestia only knows because of what Mother said to her, but... Celestia says that it was just Father's body that died, because he broke the seal between his body and his soul, and used his soul to keep shut safe and hidden the Tower."

My eyes widened in shock. "So... He's been alive for over a thousand years vvith his soul uncontained by any physical, mortal shell?!" She nodded. "Svveetness!" I chuckled. I walked towards the front of the tower. There was a single stone tablet where a door would be. I saw no vvay to enter the building. I read the characters on the tablet.

"Love has been proven, but now, prove who you are. Now is a test, for She who is Pure of the Heart. She must Smile upon the Sand, and Kiss upon the Sky, The Moon must Soar with no Wings. Fly not with Spell, Fly only by Love." I read out loud. " 'Soar with no wings?!' " Luna said in disbelief. "What does that mean?" I chuckled.

"Well, your wing is injured, so you can't fly with your wings. That is, if you fly, than you 'must Soar with no Wings'. You can't use any kind of spell, either. But, I don't really know how you can fly by love..." I scratched my chin, completely unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Luna chimed in, seeming to have thought of something. "You have to believe!" She said.

"What?!" I replied.
She giggled. "I mean, I can fly on my wings. But, I have to believe I can do it, and you have to believe I can do it, if I'm to fly. Otherwise, I will just go crashing to the ground!" I looked at her incredulously.
"Luna, 'hon, with all due respect... Are you fucking nuts?! You'll never even make it off the ground, and even if you do, nothing could keep you in the air, not with your wing like th-" She kissed me upon the lips, interrupting me. She looked into my eyes. "General, please. Just believe in me."

She stared into my soul. "Luna," I said. "No amount of belief would help you-"
"Please?" Her beautiful little orbs were full of tears and sparkling, begging me to listen.
"Luna-"
"Please?"

After several attempts to convince her, I sighed and gave in. I smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Be careful," I told her, concerned. Luna turned around and slowly unfurled her glorious wings. The beautiful blue mare took a running start, then lept into the air, beating her wings hard.

She somehow managed to fly through the air, barely making it, but still going through the air. I grinned. I didn't believe what was going on. She was actually flying. She might actually make i-

"Ah!" She cried out, a surge of pain shooting through her wing. She suddenly fell several meters before she caught herself. I gasped in fear. "Are you okay, Luna?" I called out.
"Yes, I am okay, but... You have to believe in me, General! If you don't, I can't fly!"
"What?!"
"Please, General, just believe! It is the only way I can do it!"

I sighed. "Alright." I looked up at Luna, worried. She continued soaring, a slightly-pained smile upon her face.
After several minutes, I began to truly believe in her. I realized she could do it! I grinned. I turned around and saw the tablet slowly moving out of place. Moments later, the Tower was open!

"Luna!" I cried out. "You did it! The door's open! We can get in!" She looked back and nodded. Suddenly, as she began to descent from her position, three hundred feet up from the ground, a great surge went through her wing. Her entire body trembled, and she fell. I looked on in horror as she fell down, down, down. At the last moment, I ran as fast as I could, certain I wouldn't make it in time. I jumped, sliding in to where she would land-

-And just in time, I caught her. I was holding her in my arms, tears flowing from my eyes. I held Luna against me, sobbing. I looked into her eyes. "Oh, Luna..." I whispered, crying. "Luna... Luna..." I kissed her upon the brow. I looked right into Luna's eyes. "Are you okay?" She nodded weakly, a grimace of pain twisting her face. "Oh, thank God..." I whispered. "Oh, thank you, dear, sweet God..." I held her head against my chest, trying to calm myself.

When I had finally calmed down, I got up and and set Luna back on the ground. I let a few tears more slip from my eyes. "Luna," I said. "Promise me that you will NEVER do that again, please!" Luna nodded weakly, giggling a bit. I looked nervously at Luna. "Are you okay, Luna?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine. A bit lightheaded, but... Fine." I smiled.

"Good," I whispered. "Let's go." I said, taking her by the hoof. Seconds later, we stood before the Tower, now open to us. I kissed Luna on the cheek, then walked inside, Luna just behind me.

As we passed through the entrance of the Tower, I noticed there was just a single, curving path. I shivered a bit, an odd sensation going down my spine. I guess Luna felt it, because she looked at me with concern. "I'm fine," I said. "Let's just... Keep going." She nodded, and obeyed. Within about 5 minutes of walking, I noticed that the shivering feeling had returned, and that I could hear some kind of odd, insensible whispers in my head. I shook my head once, and kept going.

Within a few minutes, the whispering and shivering stopped as an eerie, silver glow appeared from up ahead. I was unsure of what it was, but I just shrugged and kept going. Moments later, the glow faded from sight, and we were in near-total darkness. I cast a spell that brought about a great light, allowing us to see. I fell to my knees in shock when I saw what was upon the walls.

Upon the walls were all sorts of different statements of different dialects and forms of different languages, from Earth and from Equestria. All of them said the same thing: Beware The Broken, for He cometh. He awaiteth ye beyond the steps. He awaiteth ye, for thy great battle. Beware him, lest ye be destroyed by His strength. Only He who is Pure of Mind, in Love with She who is Pure of Heart, shall be able to defeat Him, or have even a chance. Take up The Blade of The Pure Soul, and He shall battle you.

I was shocked by all the different languages, and what they said. It frightened me, just a bit. But then, after a moment's fear, I looked over, into Luna's eyes, and hardened myself. I closed my mind, heart, body, and soul, off to everyone and everything else in the world but Luna. I put on a brave, almost cocky smile, and marched on, Luna at my side.

Moments later, I felt an odd pain in my chest. It was for but a split second, but it was enough for me to take action. I put up a magical shield, protecting me and Luna both from any magical attacks. Then, I used a minor attack spell that shocked any potential enemies in the heart, just enough to to warn off the foes. I heard an angry cry off to my right, and I shot off a burst of energy in that direction.

I heard the angry cry again. But only long enough for it to turn into an odd, dimented chuckle, then vanish. I growled, and directed the entire shield around Luna alone. I ran off towards whatever there was in that direction, and, upon sensing the nearby entity, I bit down into a fleshy mass. "Aaaaaarugh!" The creature growled, groping around angrily in an attempt to grab me and throw me off. I just bit down deeper, anger in my eyes. Suddenly, the entire area lit up in a flash of silver. Suddenly, we weren't in the tower. We weren't anywhere. We were just in an eternal white, an emptiness. Just me, Luna, and...

...A misshapen beast of red and black! The great creature roared out again, in Fury and in Blood. I kept my teeth sunk deep into it's arm, infuriated by it's insolence. As it's blood flowed upon my tongue, so sweet and coppery, I grinned a twisted, sadistic smile. I released my bite, then forced the creature to the ground. I laughed in a dark manner. "You dare to attack us?!"I yelled out, furious, yet happy. "You dare to attack me, and my beloved fiance? Who are you, what are you, to even CONSIDER such a thing?!" The creature growled once, then, to my shock, it responded.

"I am the Father of the Moon and the Sun, Mate of the Universe, and King of the Galaxy. I am He Who is Not. I am The Broken. I am... Conpunctum." The great Star King shifted his form, and shrank down in size. Moments later, instead of a ferocious, intimidating beast of fangs and claws, I was staring at a alicorn no more than 6 hands high, legs pointed in impossible angles, with at least a gallon of blood dripping out of his body. The Broken appeared ethreal in form, as though it was not a physical creature, but, rather, just a spirit.

I knelt down at the side of the former king. "Are you okay, milord?" I asked, trying to touch his wound. I realized he wasn't corpreal. I couldn't even touch him. "Hehe," He chuckled. "There isn't much you can do to hurt a Body-less Soul, but what you just did... That'll do it." He coughed, bringing up a bit of phlegm and blood. I just looked on in horror.

"Are you okay?!" I cried out again, fearful. He just laughed again.
"Yes, I'll be fine... My Soul will finally pass on. I will finally be with my beautiful Astraea again. And I... I will be with my Ancestors in the Great Beyond. I will finally... Be happy again." I just looked at him in shock.
"What do you mean? How could you not be happy here? You've had a thousand years in a great Tower of Knowledge, able to learn of anything you want! I mean, you were the very Guardian of the Knowledge! I mean-"

"What is knowledge," The broken king interrupted, "Without your loved ones? What is intellect without someone to share it with? What is the purpose of knowing something... If you've no use for it?" Conpunctum smiled sadly. "Yes, I had all the knowledge in the World - And more! But, I had no purpose for it. I read every book, scroll, and parchment here a thousand times once, and a thousand times again. I've spent an entire LIFETIME learning, finding out more. And yet, what is the point?"

I looked at down, ashamed. "Oh..." I whispered. "But, than... You're dying?" I asked him. He nodded.
"By the time you leave this Tower, I will be gone from this Life, and on to God's Judgement. I will be-"

"No!" Luna cried, running to his side. "No, Father! You cannot die!" There was a flood of tears coming down her face. "No, please, Father! You cannot go, not yet!"
"Ah, Luna... My beautiful, baby girl..." He looked right at her, love and wisdom in his old eyes. "How very good it is to see you, in person... For the very first time..." His eyes seemed sad, and his entire body weak. And yet, there was a sudden pride, and strength, deep within him, just barely noticeable.

"Daddy... You cannot die..." Luna whispered. "This is the first time I have ever met you... I do not want it to be the last!" She nuzzled Conpunctum's arm sadly, like a scared little filly. She yet continued to weep, just so unbearably sad. "Do not cry, Little One," He buzzed. "I know. I wish it were not like this either. I wish that, just for once, I could be with you. I wish I had not been so arrogant, so long ago, and left my family, for these dusty old books. I wish I had stayed, so that I might have had the chance to... Hold, my beloved little daughters..." He weakly lifted up his old head, and kissed Luna on the cheek.

"Luna, remember... I love you. I have always loved you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, Daddy..." Luna was still weeping, a racking cough beginning to go through her as she choked on her tears.
"Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving you before you were born, Luna?" She nodded, weakly.
I realized only now how truly sad she was. And I have to say, I couldn't blame her.

Luna looked so very weak, and innocent in this moment. Suddenly, I couldn't believe my eyes. She was suddenly so much smaller, no larger than a filly. Her mane was the lightest I had ever seen it. Her tears flowed as freely as bitchiness from an angry Regidar.

"Good," Conpunctum whispered. He looked over at me. "You." I looked right at him. "You seem unique, son. Come closer." I nodded, and obeyed. He examined me a bit, looking closely at every aspect of my body, then nodded. "Yes, you will do." He whispered. "You will inherit my knowledge." Suddenly, his horn began glowing, and I felt a great surge of energy go through my body. Suddenly, I saw all manner of things. I knew not what they were, then I did. They flew through my mind at a million miles an hour. Suddenly, we were out of the alternate reality, and Luna was screaming my name.

"General! We have to get out of here!" I snapped out of my trance, and realized she was right; The entire Tower was coming down. There was no way we could get out of there in time by just running, and I saw no openings in the structure. So, I wrapped a single arm around Luna. My horn glowed once, and I cast one last spell.

And suddenly, everything was Dark.

Author's Note

On that part about Regidar, I was just using past experience. If you read this, I'm sorry, Regidar. I just used that as a joke. Meant nothing by it.

Without Hope

There was only Darkness.
Complete. And utter. Darkness.

Luna and I just floated in empty space, nothing around us at all. I wasn't at all sure what I was going on, and I was a bit afraid. "Luna," I said, looking over at her. "Do you have any idea what the fuck I just did?" She was visibly shaken, trembling with fear. She simply shook her head no, giving the answer I feared.

"Damn..." I closed my eyes and attempted to clear my mind. I put my hands to my head, and felt nothing. I opened my eyes up in fear. I brought my hands before me, and saw that they were, indeed there... But I couldn't touch anything. My hands just went through everything. I looked over at Luna, and saw she was making this same discovery.

New fears were beginning to register. I began trying to figure out where we were through other tests. I held my breath, and never ran out of the air in my lungs. I tried throwing coins and dirt from my pockets, but they just floated in space. It was almost impossible for me to even move through the Darkness.

Finally, I knew what had happened.

We were outside of the universe. Somehow, I had cast some kind of spell that had sent the two of us to some place in between dimensions. I cursed myself and facepalmed. "Dammit!" I yelled out. "What in God's Name is wrong with me?!" I thought of any possible way I could get us out of here - But nothing came to mind.

There was so much pain, physical, emotional, and spiritual,going through me. I just couldn't take it any more. I just fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. My ungroomed, uncut hair fell over my eyes as I slumped over. "Why? Dammit, Why..." I cried. I didn't care about anything at that very moment in time. Luna and I were outside of the universe, literally in the middle of Nowhere. I dug my hands into my forehead, burying my fingernails in the flesh. I felt blood drip down my face.

As my tears and blood mingled, I felt a small bit land upon the corner of my lips. I stopped a moment, and licked off the mixture. It had a sweet taste, coppery and invigorating. I calmed myself then, and felt nothing. Not love, or joy, or anger, or sorrow, or hope, or trust, or faith, or anything. I felt nothing. Only by having no emotions, and by abandoning Hope, did I have a chance of getting us out of there.

I cleared my head of every single thought. Of every single idea. Of every single hope. Of every single dream. Everything that had ever been in my mind, was suddenly gone. I felt Darkness begin to invade my mind, but I pushed it away. The same with what little Light tried to push it's way in. For a single moment, I was completely empty.

Then, my inspiration came. A single thought came into my head, that I just couldn't push away: Luna. I heard her saying something, but I don't know what. All I know is that it was a single word, filled with Love, Hope, and Joy. And it gave me an idea. I swore I would give my life for Luna if I had to, and I was certain that was about to happen.

"Luna," I said. "Come here." She nodded and obeyed. She came to my side. I looked down at her. She just looked so sweet, so innocent. For just a moment there was a smile on my face.

I kissed her on the cheek, my lips lingering on her flesh for just a moment. Then I wrapped a single arm around her. "Luna, whatever happens, know that I love you." I looked straight forward, and closed my eyes. I spoke then, casting a powerful spell that might well destroy me. "Deus animam meam, ut spem amorem. Deus animam meam, ut nos ad patriam. Deus apponat mea, vita mea... Dare nobis casum."

With that, I sent out a great charge of power into the Nothingness. Suddenly, it tore a rift in space, forming a great portal. Luna and I were propelled into it, and I felt a surge of pain go through my chest. I gasped once, and everything was gone.

A Disturbing Secret

I saw nothing around me. Just utter Darkness. Then, they came; Visions appeared before my eyes, hazy Dreams and haunting Images, taunting me with how close they were, yet how they remained disturbingly distant. I was completely Lucid, fully aware of everything, but I could not control them. I could not move. I was just... Paralyzed. I couldn't even move my eyes from the scene, could only stare straight ahead. I saw a thousand galaxies rise and saw a million worlds fall. I saw the birth of the universe, and the end of God Himself. I saw the Ultimate Darkness, the Abyss beyond the very End. I even saw the Ending of Infinity, an impossible existence. The whole thing was so odd, it was if I had... Divided by Zero, and suffered the consequences.

I tried to cry out, call for help from anyone; But nothing came out. I had no voice. I... I wasn't even in existence. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. In my prison, both physical and mental, I yelled out in Fury. "Dominus, occidet me! Finis haec! Occidet me, Domine, animam meam perdere!" I cried, praying for God to smite me down and end these disturbing visions. But still, nothing came. Suddenly, another form appeared before me, staying a longer time and understanding me: The Dragon-Born Warrior.

"Warrior!" I yelled out. "What has happened to me?Tell me now, and aid me!" The figure chuckled, as if he found a sadistic pleasure in my suffering. "You ask God to slay you, milord; Why would you ask the Maker to slay himself?" I looked up at him, shocked by what he said.
"What does that mean?!" The figure just laughed.

"Do you not know by now? Your ancestor, the Great Oceanus; He WAS the Maker, and you are just His reincarnation!" I looked at him in shock, still unsure of what in God's Holy Name.
"What in the Hell are you talking about?!" He laughed again.
"You are God!" And with that, there was nothing but Darkness.

Complete. Utter. Darkness.

Awakening of the Soul

The images began flowing once more. But, I heard something this time; Whispers. Whispers, like souls of The Undead, crying to be taken free, and set unto their Afterlife. Whispers, like souls of some dark, primordial God, demanding to be freed, demanding to destroy a tainted world, and a tainted race. Whispers, like the souls of a million orphan children, crying and praying for their parents, who will never come.

Whispers... Like a dark secret, now known by the one who wanted to know it least.

I cried out. "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!" I yelled, clawing at my flesh. Blood dripped down my face, and I felt it, even in this ethreal form. I roared. "GOD HELP ME!" And yet, I still heard the whispers, evil, dark whispers, lies that I could tell were the complete truth. They said, You are a God, you can help yourself, embrace the Truth... I couldn't believe what they said, and I just wanted them to STOP.

"No... No, you're lying! LYING! YOU ARE JUST VOICES! GOD, HELP ME! FREE ME FROM THIS DARKNESS! FREE ME, OR CAST ME INTO THE DEEPEST PIT OF HELL! EVEN ETERNAL DAMNATION WOULD BE A BLESSING IN PLACE OF THIS!" I cursed the place I was in, I cursed my state of being, I even cursed God Himself! I was screaming so long, and hard, it could have been a single second, or it could have been a trillion years. In the place I was in, Time might not even pass; All I knew was that I would be here until the Rapture came... Or maybe longer.

Then, I heard another, familiar voice, completely different from the others. General... It buzzed sweetly.
"L... Luna?" I whispered.
General... Love, you have to wake up... Please... Wake up...

Suddenly, Luna appeared beside me, in the form of a human. Her dark, flowing hair spilled beautifully down her back. She wore a silver gown, emblazoned with the Crescent Moon. Her beautiful blue eyes were decorated with a sapphire color around them, and she wore a silver crown in her hair. She appeared like a Spirit of the Night, a true Goddess of the Moon.

The beautiful Queen offered me her hand. I took it, and she drew me into a deep kiss. Suddenly, we both began to fade away. "Thank you, Luna," I whispered. "Thank you..."

.....

I awoke in a cold sweat. Luna's forelegs were wrapped around me, her lips pressed against my cheek. I was laying upon a hard, cold surface, covered by a blanket made of a thin silver. "L-Luna..." I whispered.
"Shh..." She whispered, holding me tightly. Her face was tear-stained and weak. Luna backed away from me, and I tried to rise up. "No," I heard another, familiar voice say firmly, but soft.

I chuckled weakly. "Calypso, how are you?" She pushed me back down against the surface, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "You must rest. Used so much energy, almost died. Only a God could have so much power." My eyes suddenly went wide, disturbed. I remembered what the Dragon-Born Warrior had told me in the vision, and I was afraid. "That's so wierd..." I whispered without knowing.

"What is?" Luna asked, having apparently heard me. I looked at her, and I knew not what to say. She grew suspicious. "General," She said kindly, yet with authority. "What happened to you?" I sighed, and just looked away. "Nothing happened, okay? It's... It's fine." She sighed, surrendering for the moment. But, I knew this wasn't the ending. No, not that easily.

"So... How long was I... Asleep?" I asked them both, directing it more towards Luna than Calypso. The Princess of the Night looked down. "You... You weren't asleep." She responded. "I know... You had no Dreams. You were... In a coma." I nodded. "Figures. But, how long?!" I was nearly snapped at Luna, but caught myself just in time. She sighed glumly. "Seven days. We spent an entire day in the Tower, and you were unconscious for a full seven." I sighed, part relieved, part upset. On the bright side, I hadn't missed the wedding, but on the down side... I hadn't been able to live for an entire week. I just couldn't believe all this, but I just sighed and shrugged it off.

"Well," I buzzed. "Looks like I'll just have to live through this all." Luna nodded, and leaned down next to me. I couldn't feel anything at all in my body, and it was a bit hard for me to breathe at times. "Uh, what, exactly, happened to me?" I asked them both, more towards Calypso this time.
"When you and Luna appeared, you were about a hundred meters above the ground," Calypso responded. "Luna didn't recognize the situation at first, and barely brought her wings up in time to catch the air. You... You hit the ground, and didn't bounce once. The fact that you're even still alive surprises me."

My eyes widened. "So, am I paralyzed, or something?!" Calypso shook her head, laughing slightly.
"No, your legs and arms were broken, and two of your ribs were fractured. Right now, you are just in a special mold that will reform your bones and heal you, perhaps stronger than ever. It should only take a few more hours." I sighed iin relief. "Thank God..."

.....

February 14, 2013

The Wedding Day

As I watched Luna coming up the aisle, beautiful in her midnight-dress, I felt my heart burst with joy, passion, and love. I was sincerely worried they would need a doctor there before long. But, I never felt pain, never got hurt, and everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

At first.

The Setting Sun and the Rising Full Moon appeared in the sky at the same time that day. Standing on the Altar of Spirits were 5 Representatives of the different kinds of ponies: Upon the symbol of the Flame was a Unicorn. There was a Sea Pony on the Trident. A Pegasus, Earth Pony, and Alicorn stood upon the Wing, Stone, and Flaming Blade, respectively. Only the the symbol of the Orb holding the others was empty.

Luna and I were to stand upon the Orb. This was the first true marriage between rulers of different nations Equestria had seen in over a millenium, so a special Wedding Ritual was to be performed. Each of the Representatives were to give us a blessing in their respective traditional languages, and then allow some of their energies to flow into us.

The Sea Pony Representative was Mare Puerum, and Celestia was the Alicorn, but beyond them, I recognized none of the people. There were two females and a male, but beyond that, nothing truly stood out. I ignored that, and looked back at Luna. She was truly stunning.

The Sunlight was afraid to shine upon the black silk of Luna's dress, and the Moonlight lusted after the fabric all the time. The lights all flashed from it, somehow turning into Darkness and shading the area. She had a calm face, eyes closed, movements slow, steady, and graceful. She had a small, sweet smile playing with her lips. Her eyes were decorated with a traditional paint the color of silver. The necklace I had made by our Greek friend back in Canterlot hung around her neck. She had shoes upon her hooves made from sapphire and blued silver. She wore a crown of an Ebony metal whose name I forget.

She finally reached the Altar, the veil over her face obscuring it a bit. We approached the Orb, and stood together. I smiled at her and, thought I couldn't quite see it, I knew she smiled back. The individual Representatives all gave us their blessings, allowing a moment for me to translate something to Luna if she didn't understand. Mare Puerum made good use of what he had learned from me and others in training as a scholar.

He said, "Eternal Joy unto you both. May you be blessed by all the Gods and Spirits in this Great Universe, Eternal. May you be together 'til Kingdom Come." As his blessing, the last, fell upon us, I heard a slight twang to the south of us.

And that was all she wrote.

The next thing I knew, my brother was on the ground, blood pooling from the wound surrounding the bolt through his throat. I looked, and realized the arrow had been going straight for Luna. My brother jumped in front of it just in time.

This was an assassination.

As Chaos erupted and all Hell broke loose, I looked over, and saw the assailant. I snarled, and ran after the figure. I didn't even need to fly, my Blind Fury making me a thousand a thousand times faster than my wings ever could. Before I knew it, I was holding a Gryphon with a cracked beak by the throat, clawing at my arm.

"Who do you think you are?" I growled at the foul beast, pure Hatred in my voice. The bastard didn't answer, still trying to claw up my arm. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" I repeated, shouting at the top of my lungs. The piece of shit gasped, then answered. "I am Dorcha, the one who was meant to be the Doom of your 'precious' Luna," The beast sneered, contempt in his voice when he said Luna's name. "I was sent to kill her, and capture you, for The Master. But then, that FOOL had to get in the way!"

I tightened my grip on the beast's throat, nearly crushing his trachea. "That FOOL was my fucking brother!" I spat in the Demon's eye. "Who sent you? Was it that bastard, Scriosadh?" The winged monster laughed, wasting what little air he had. "Scriosadh! That is just an Equestrian fairlytale! And if you really think you would get anything out of me, than you are wasting your time!"
I growled, "Then you are useless to me!" And it was all over.

Author's Note

To be continued in Book 4, and concluded in Book 5.

Amare Interrumpitur

January 12, 2013

We woke together early that morning. I brought my head up to see her come in, levitating two small trays of fish, hay, and lettuce. "Good morning, sleepy head." She playfully said, giggling as she did so. "Are you hungry?" I nodded and gratefully took a tray. She sat beside me and we ate together. I noticed that this was a different kind of fish. It's scales were dark on the top of it's body, light on the bottom. The colors alternated from ebony-blue to ruby-red.

"What kind of fish is this?" I asked as I took a bite of it. It tasted sweet and savory instead of tangy and spicy.
"Moonscale Minnow Grouper." She replied, taking a bite of her own. I chuckled at the silly name and took another bite of the delicious creature. "Ridiciulous names for so many things in this world..." I mumbled through a bite of lettuce. Luna nodded as we continued to eat together.

I enjoyed the various flavors I tasted. The hay had been cooked, so it tasted a bit sweeter than usual. Even the lettuce tasted better, though I couldn't tell why. As I crunched another bite, I noticed Luna sneeze. "Bless you." I said, pulling my hoof across my mouth to wipe off the juices of the food. "Thank you, love." She replied. Then, she sneezed again. I repeated the gesture. She repeated her thanks. She sneezed a few more times, and I noticed that her eyes were drooping a bit.

"Luna... Are, you okay?" She nodded, though she sneezed yet again.
"I am fine, love." She replied with a stuffy voice. I noticed that she was sniffing a bit as she ate. I grew concerned for her welfare. "Luna, are you sure you're not, sick maybe?" She looked down for a moment.
"I suppose I could have a bit of a headcold, perhaps." She replied. "But don't you worry. I will be fine." She sneezed again and coughed a few times. I shook my head. I couldn't just let her go on sick. "Luna, you're sick! I can't just leave you like that." I put my food down. "I need to take care of you, love. I am going to take care of you."

She thought for a few moments. Finally, she surrendered. "Very well." She said. I took her tray and set it to the side. I helped her into the bed and tucked the blanket in beneath her. I smiled at her. "Ok, do you need anything?" I asked her, grinning. "No, love." She replied. I nodded and sat down by the bed.

I knew she needed steam, but I wasn't sure if there was anything to help with that in the castle. So, what I did was fill a bowl with water and put heat into it using the magic I had learned. I slowly let the steam come into her. When I decided the temperature of the water was optimum to keep it steaming for a while, I left for a moment to get her some warm tea.

Upon entering the kitchen, I came upon everypony's favorite royal douche-hat: Blueblood. I bumped into him as I heated some tea for Luna. "Oh, you." He said arrogantly, a frown of discontent upon his face. I simply chortled at his conceited actions and said, "Eh! It's Blueblood! Wassup?!" He spat at my feet and walked away. "See ya latah, mothah fuckah!" I humorously said as I finished heating the tea. I poured a bit of it into a small cup and carried it to Luna's chambers, keeping it warm with my magic.

A few moments later, I entered Luna's room. "Here you are, Moon Pie." I whispered, placing the tea on her nightstand. "Oh, thank you my love." She said. She levitated the tea over to her mouth and gently tilted the cup over, allowing some of the liquid to fall into her mouth. Her magic didn't appear weakened by her sickness, but I stayed nearby in case something happened, so as to make sure the cup didn't fall.

"Mm..." She mumbled. "Thank you love. That feels wonderful going down." I nodded and sat down. Before long, she fell asleep. I kept the steam from the bowl of water going, occaisonally refilling it, and I heard her talking in her sleep again. "Uh..." She murmured. "General... So kind... Take care... Me... Take care... Foal..." I chuckled. I knew I ran the risk of catching her cold by doing so, but I kissed her upon the brow after hearing her mumble that.

She simply stayed asleep the rest of the day. I sat there and watched her resting form, her chest slowly rising and falling as she breathed. As she slept, I thought of what I could do. "Hmm..." I mumbled. I thought of all sorts of things. Finally, I decided to draw Luna. I found some paper and a pencil, and, using my magic to levitate the pencil, I drew.

I drew every curve of her. I drew her beautiful face, her angelic wings, her divine body. I erased and redrew areas time and again, assuring it was as perfect as possible. Finally, I finished hours later. I stood back and looked at my work. "Marvelous." I said. I had drawn her form perfectly. I had her eye placement just right, her horn placement perfect, and the way her wings slightly poked out from under the blanket covering her was perfect.

I looked at the sketch. "Beautiful, just... Beautiful." I was glad I was able to draw her so well. Normally, I was a terrible artist. But, when I looked at it... The drawing looked exactly like her. She was so beautiful, and the illustration... I don't know, I guess that just knowing it was of her made me want to make it perfect, and... It worked out.

"My beautiful Queen of the Moon, my delicious little Moon Pie." I smiled towards her. I saw her slowly opening her eyes. "Mmm..." She mumbled.
"Feeling better, Moon Pie?" I asked her, smiling softly.
"Mm hm." She whispered, sitting up a bit. "Much better. Thank you for caring for me, love. You've done so many things for me, and this is just another kindness." I giggled a bit and sat beside her. I kissed her upon the brow and looked into her sparkling eyes. "I didn't do you a kindness. I just repaid you for your love. You would do the exact same thing if I were sick, if not more." She blushed and looked down.

"Oh Luna," I whispered, coming closer to her. "What am I going to do with you?" I giggled as she looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Excuse me?" She said.
"You can't take a compliment, Luna. Anytime I compliment you, or love on you, or anything, you blush or you look down or both. You get so embarrassed if I even try to compliment you. I just... I don't know what I'll do with you." She giggled and blushed again. I rolled my eyes comedically at that.

But then, she changed it a bit. She brought her lips against mine in a loving gesture, cocking her head slightly. I leaned into her, penetrating her lips to meet her tongue with my own. She moaned as we made out, pleasured and overjoyed. Slowly, I pulled her closer and closer towards me during the kiss. I broke the kiss once, saying, "I love you so much, my beautiful Queen of the Moon..." Her eyes sparkled in joy and I noticed a few joy-filled tears escaping her orbs.
"I love you, my handsome King of the Seas..." She replied, smiling lovingly.

We continued the kiss, pushing back & forth and moaning as we did so. "Luna..." I moaned.
"General..." She moaned back at me. Finally, we broke the kiss once more. I looked outside and saw that Celestia's Sun had set. "Mmm." I said, grinning. "Let's get to bed, why don't we." She nodded and laid down upon the bed. She pulled the covers up around her neck as I laid down beside to her. I kissed her cheek once. "Good night, my delicious Moon Pie." I said as I brought her against me.

.....

The next morning, I woke up to see she was still sleeping. I smiled at her sleeping body and kissed her upon the brow. "Beautiful," I whispered. "Just beautiful." I looked at the calendar and realized that I had work that day. I only had a 5 hour shift from morning to noon, but I had to do this. I quickly wrote her a note saying that I had work, then left for Sweet Apple Acres.

I arrived a few minutes early. "Mornin' sugarcube." Applejack said as I landed myself next to the barn. "How're you doin'?"
"Oh, good morning Applejack." I replied. "I'm doing fine. And you?"
"Ah'm doin' good. Lost a couple a' piglets to some coyotes last night, but Ah reckon we can make up for the loss." That made my blood start to run cold. "P-pigs? Which ones?"
"Uh, Ah think it was Leroy an' his sister, Daisy Mae." I was mad. I had gotten to start liking some of the animals at the acres, and those two piglets were my favorites of the animals.

I began to look around the pigpen. Before long, I found some relatively fresh coyote tracks leading off to the west. I flew down the trail, slowly picking up speed as I did so. Finally, I came to the end of the trail. I saw two canine forms growling and barking at two lumps, one limp and silent, the other running and squealing.

I actually don't remember quite what happened next. All I know is that five minutes later, I was looking at two dead coyotes and cradling a baby pig in my hooves. "Well," I started, tears in my eyes. "At least I was able to save you, Leroy." I looked over at the mangled corpse of Daisy Mae. I saw every gash, every tear. But, other than a few bites out of her back, the body was intact.

I quickly dug a shallow pit and placed the poor creature's body in. I placed some dry gras over top of it, and set the creature ablaze, burning the corpse in a ceremonial fashion. Finally, after an hour or so, the flame had died down. I gathered up the ashes of the creature and, using my magic to carry them, returned to the main part of the farm.

As I came up to the barn, I saw a worried Applejack. "Ah, good." She said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Ya got Leroy. But whe-" She saw the ashes. "That's Daisy Mae?" She said, looking at the ashes. I nodded. "Oh, gosh. Ah can't believe this! She was one of our best 'lil piglets! Well, at least ya got Leroy back." She fondled Leroy's ears, making him squeal slightly in joy. "Cute 'lil feller." I nodded and sighed, as I was glad we still had him, though I was still upset about the recent loss of Daisy Mae.

I handed Leroy to her and went over to the apple groves. I flew high overhead, then released the ashes and allowed the wind to spread them. Though the piglet was dead, she would still help the acres. The ashes would work as fertilizer for the plants on the farm, enriching the soil. "Good bye, little pig." I flew back down and continued the work day. Nothing else happened, and it remained relatively plain for the rest of the day. Finally, at 12:00 that afternoon, I left.

I flew to the castle as quickly as I could, images of Luna in my mind. As I flew, I didn't mind where I was going. The next thing I knew, I'd flown into the side of a cliff.

We all fear Death and the Embrace of Death. We know not what shall truly happen when it comes, but we pray to live a long time. Even so, we also pray for something greater. But, we must always remember this: We do not fear death. We fear uncertainty. If we do not know what will happen in response to something being done, we fear it. We all fear uncertainty, but there are those of us who look uncertainty into the eye and say, "I am afraid of you. But I shall not cower. I hold fear for you, but I shall face you." We must simply ask ourselves: Who am I? Shall I cower in the face of Death? Or shall I look into the face of uncertainty and march on hopefully?

.....

I felt absolutely nothing at all. There was darkness all around me. I was floating, that much I could tell, but where, I wasn't sure. Suddenly, there was a pounding pain in my head. Slowly, it weakened, but it never went away. 'Where am I?' I thought. 'What happened to me?' Finally, I opened my eyes. I looked around, and I saw that I was in the water. I was too deep down to see any light, but I could see all manner of things around me. Seaweed, rocks, seashells...

Suddenly, it hit me: I could breathe. I looked around, and sure enough, I was in water, and I was, in fact, breathing. I turned onto my belly and put my hooves down upon a solid stone. I looked around a few times more. Crustaceans surrounded me and squid stared at me. Finally, I looked up, and swam upwards towards the surface of the water. "Dammit!" I said, somehow able to talk beneath the water. "I need to get to the castle! I... I need to get to Luna!" Even as I thought this, the water seemed to carry me forward, as I felt myself becoming swifter than what should be possible.

I stopped. I looked at the currents surrounding my body, slowing down as I did. I moved to the left slightly, and sure enough, a jet of water burst through there. I chuckled with slight glee at the exciting happening. I started playing with water, making all sorts of shapes. I shaped water into tridents and threw the liquid weapons into rocks. Everytime that happened, the rocks would shatter. I would mess with schools of fish by scattering them with jets of water. I even messed with some passing squid.

'Could you stop that please?' I heard a voice whisper into my head.
'Huh?' I responded. 'Wh-what? Who was that?' I couldn't tell who, or what, said it, but then I turned to look into the eye of a large squid. 'Oh, dear me,' It said in my mind. 'Pardon me, milord. Didn't know it was you, didn't know it was you.' I thought about what it said, then it occured to me.

'What did you just call me? Did you say... Milord?'
'Why yes, sire. I should have been able to tell. What, with that tail, and that mark upon your flank, you are OBVIOUSLY a member of the Royal Family, the Line of Oceanus.' I was shocked by that. I just... I couldn't believe what he said to me, and to this day, I still think back to it and hold some surprise. 'So... I'm like, the, Lord of the Ocean, or something?'

'Lord of the Ocean, the Seas, Lakes, Rivers, Gulfs, Sewers... Basically, your the Lord of Water! You have command over all things water, and all things that live in water! You can cause typhoons, waterspouts, tsunamis, all sorts of things, all sorts of things!' As I looked in shock at the squid, it did some kind of motion that appeared to be a distorted bow, then it swam off.

"I need to find land." I said. I swam further towards the surface and I burst out of the water, flying 15 feet into the air. I looked around from where I was, and my eyes landed upon a small island. I shurgged and flew towards the landmass, hope and desperation in every flap of my wings.

Hope. Faith. Ambition. No matter what word you use, it means dreaming. Longing. You see a better future coming, and you fight for it, you strive for it. You know bad things will happen, but you continue to move forward, working to make things better then they are. Hope. Faith. Ambition.

.....

I had been flying for hours on end. I flew long and hard, not minding what happened. Just minutes in, it began to storm. It never stopped raining for the entire time I flew. Finally, I came upon the landmass. My wings, they gave out. I fell to the sand, and the world began darkening. As I faded from the world of the waking, I saw a blue blur walking towards me. Finally, I passed out.

.....

"Wake up..." I heard a beautiful, honeyed voice say. "Wake up, you." My eyes fluttered open, and I was looking at a blue coated mare. "Oh!" I heard her exclaim. "You are awake! Good!" An enormous smile burst across her face as she sat back on her haunches. I sat up a bit from beneath a blanket and surveyed her.

Now I could tell what she was supposed to be. She was a light-blue earth pony. She had a slightly darker mane and tail, and upon her flank was the alchemist's symbol for silver, a small crescent. I was surprised by this. "Oh, Lord," I said as a splitting headache took me. "Argh! What happened?!" I pushed my hooves against my temples, but the attractive mare drew them away. "Wh-what are you-"
"Shh..." She whispered, taking my face in her hooves.

"It's alright, don't panic." Her mellifluous voice whispered to me, and I couldn't help but let myself become like putty in her hands. I nodded and let her do as she would. She set my head down upon a soft pillow that appeared to be made of nothing more than leaves, then heated up some kind of liquid overtop a small fire. I looked around my environments, and realized I was in some sort of hut, made of bamboo and leaves of some kind.

A few minutes later, she came to me with a bowl, and sat down by me. "Lift your head." I obeyed her happily. "Open your mouth." I obeyed, and she put the bowl to my mouth. Slowly, she tipped the bowl over and allowed some of the liquid to trickle into my mouth. "Swallow." I nodded and took my lips away from the bowl just a moment to obey her orders. As the liquid dribbled down my throat, I noticed it had a sweet flavor, some slight tang, and a bit of a pungent aftertaste. It wasn't all that bad, and I was happy I obeyed her.

The blue mare giggled and gave me a slight smile. Oh, how her laugh sounded, so sweet and beautiful. I couldn't help but let my jaw lie slack, leaving me with a dumb expression. As she continued to aid me in consuming the liquid, I started to regain some of my strength. Finally, the bowl was drained, and I felt stronger than ever. I rose up out of the blankets, but the mare stopped me.

"No." She said, making me sit back down. "Can't go yet. Don't have your strength. Must rest..." I needed to get to Luna, needed to get home, but... God, she looked good, and I couldn't help but obey her. I got beneath the blankets, and she stepped away for a moment. "Good... Let me tell you who I am." She gave me a light smile, and I nodded.

"I am a cursed woman. I have been here since I was very young, condemned by the cruel Gods to live here, just because I am the child of an enemy of theirs..." I shook my head at that, not able to believe such a thing
"Curse you? How could any punish such a beautiful mare..." I knew my cheeks were flushing a bit, but, like I was under a spell or on a drug, I didn't think a thing about it.

She giggled and blushed at the compliment. "How kind of you, but, yes... Punished by the chief of Gods, I was, because I am the daughter of the Sky-Holder... My name... My name is Calypso." This made me sober quite a bit. I realized something: She was the child of a Greek Titan. In a world filled with magical talking cartoon ponies, there were Greek Gods.

"What is your name, stranger?" I wasn't sure what to do. I needed to leave, and in the Greek myths, I learned that Calypso was a nymph, a spellcaster. A woman who could do MANY things with a person's name. "M-my name?" I stuttered, unsure how to answer. "My name is... Oudeis." I hoped I had tricked her, using the Greek word for "Nobody."

"Nobody?" She replied. "Your name is Nobody? Odd name... But, it is a nice name. A pretty name..." The way she swooned as she felt it upon her tongue, I couldn't stifle a grin. "Well, Nobody, let me take care of you, at least until you are healed. I am so alone on this island, by myself always, so at least I will have some companionship... For a time." I nodded, and she pushed me down gently, making sure I laid down all the way. "Now, sleep, Nobody, sleep..." Her voice was like a lullaby, a nursery rhyme that one's parents would sing to them when they were young and couldn't sleep. Before long, I fell asleep.

Author's Note

The meaning of the name of this chapter, "Love Interrupted" in Latin, won't become apparent until later on in the chapter. When you get to the turning point of the chapter, you'll understand.