> Gateway of the Eyes (First Draft)
>  by Drakalian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1
I woke up with the feeling of snow surrounding me.  The chill went straight through me and into my bones.  As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew that something was way off.
By the looks of things, I was apparently in a forest.  The forest was covered in lots of snow; about six inches give or take, with large trees all around.  For some reason, the forest gave off an intimidating vibe, like there was this evil presence just watching your every move.
I groaned as I tried to sit myself up.  As I did, though, a sharp pain suddenly ignited from my lower abdomen.  I moaned in pain as I felt the pain travel from my stomach all the way to my head, making me fall back on my back again.  I tried to sit up again, but slower this time, to avoid any unnecessary pain.  I looked down upon myself to see what could cause me such agony.
As soon as I looked, I could feel my face pale with shock.  Right on the lower left of my stomach, about three inches long, was a deep and ragged cut.  Said cut had blood all over it.
Lots of blood.
Instantly, my survival instincts kicked in, or at least what I knew from watching some survival shows.  As I looked around for something to bind the wound, I noticed that there were some leaves nearby that looked promising.  Not caring if they were a type of dangerous plant, I immediately tore a few of them off and place them on top of the wound.  As soon as they made contact with my wound, a new bout of pain spread across me, making me take a sudden gasp from the shock of it.  As soon as I covered the wound, I went to work cleaning up the blood around the gaping gash.  Thankfully, and surprisingly, the wound had ceased to bleed so much, so I was able to clean it off with ease.  Once that was done, I began to take stock of anything that I had on me at the time.
I was wearing my favorite sweatshirt hoodie, which was a fuzzy red with a deep hood that could cover my face if needed.  For some reason, I didn’t have anything under it, and my hoodie’s zipper was open.  Not only open, but broken, so I couldn’t zip up my hoody.  I was also wearing, for some odd reason, some tan cargo shorts.
‘Why am I wearing shorts in this kind of weather’ I thought to myself.  I shook my head, deciding that it was a moot point right now, just happy that at least I was wearing something in this cold weather.  Still, the lack of proper clothing was starting to get to me, and I knew that if I didn’t get to proper shelter in time, I would most likely die of hypothermia.  As I looked around for a makeshift housing area, I noticed that there were some items sitting next to me.
I slowly got up and walked to the items, all the while clutching the wound, making sure that the leaves stayed on it.  Once I got to the items, I realized what they were.  They were my weapons, which consisted of a Bo staff and a pair of sais.  I then realized another important detail that I missed, one that I thought was more terrifying then the gaping wound, or the fact that I’m in some random forest.
I had no idea who I was, or how I got here.
Now, I knew some of the basic things, like I’m a human; I’m male, and things like that.  But I didn’t know any of the specifics, such as how I got here, how I knew this was my favorite hoodie, or how I know that these weapons were mine.  The thought that I lost all memory of my very identity made me feel slightly panicky, but I quickly tried to calm myself down for the sake of my own survival and sanity.
I decided to gather what I did have and look for someplace to stay, maybe find civilization if I’m lucky.  I took the sais and tested the weight on them and to examine them thoroughly.  The were about one and a half feet in length, weighed about two and a half pounds, with the middle spike being the longest, and the two side spikes going only a quarter of the length and also curved slightly.  At the end of the handle was a solid ball.  The bow staff, however, was a few inches taller then me.  I guessed that the length was 5 feet 10 inches.  As I looked for a place to put my sais, I realized that I had a belt across my shorts, so I was able to put the sais into the belt.  With that taken care of, I used the staff as a crutch to walk with as a started my search for shelter.




I have been walking for about thirty minutes now and the forest still doesn’t seem to be letting up right now, making me even more worried.  The wound had started to clot a while ago, thankfully, and it didn’t hurt as much as before.  The longer I walked, the more certain I felt about that presence watching me.  After a few more minutes of complete terror, I finally heard something thing that shook me to my core.
A scream…
The scream was something out of a horror movie.  At first, I thought that it was some sort of wild animal, but then I heard a voice.  The voice was loud and high pitched, making the person either a girl or a high-pitched man, but it didn’t really matter to me at the moment.  Throwing caution to the wind, I ran as fast as I could without reopening my wound.  A few seconds later, I burst into a clearing and in that clearing was something that made me question my very sanity.
In the clearing were two figures.  The first figure was lying down in the snow staring up at the latter figure.  The creature appeared to be of an equine nature, the only odd thing was that it was an azure coloring, with a silver mane, tail and appeared to be wearing a wizard hat and matching cape.  It would have been a horse had it been taller but assuming that it was about chest height with me put it higher then four feet when standing, making it a pony.  I was able to take all of that in a single glace that I gave her (assuming it was a female) before I focused all of my attention onto the other creature.
This creature was something out of a nightmare.  It was the size of a lion, and even possessed some traits of one too, including a mane, face and paws of one.  However, that was were the similarities ended.  The mane of the monster was bright red, with an equally bright yellow body.  On its back stood a pair of giant bat-like wings, and in place of a normal lion tail was a giant scorpion stinger.  The creature looked like it had seen a fair few fights as well, for it sported a large scar on its face going across the right eye vertically.  For some reason, this creature looked familiar to me, but before I could figure out why, both creatures realized that they weren’t alone anymore.
Both creatures simply stared at me with unblinking eyes, the pony appeared to be in shock and seemed that my bipedal appearance did little to comfort her.  If anything, it made her more terrified.  The lion like creature, however, seemed to be pissed off at being interrupted before it could finish the kill and slowly turned to face me.  I readied my staff, waiting for it to make the first move.
The creature did not disappoint me, and jumped at me, using its wings to boost his jump.  Before he could hit me though, I swayed to the right and brought my staff in a downward stroke onto his head as he passed, which hit with a resounding “CRACK!”  With the creature now dazed, I decided to finish this fight quickly, so I dropped my staff and unsheathed my sais from my belt.  But before I could do anything, the creature quickly spun around and lunged its stinger over its back towards me.  I dodged it to the right once again, but this time, with my left sai, I stabbed it towards the ground, lodging the stinger in between two of the sai’s spikes.  With his tail stuck to the ground and awkwardly over his back, it began to struggle to free itself, but stopped as soon as I pointed my other sai against his forehead.
I looked at it dead in the eyes, trying to show him that I was serious and that I would not hesitate to kill him if I have to.  As I did, the creature felt something that it had never felt before, something that it hoped to never feel again.  It felt a sense of helplessness and something akin to awe.
But most of all, it felt fear.
Fear of this strange and deadly bipedal creature before it with the ability to simply end his life with a single stab through the neck or head.  But instead, said creature lowered its weapon and spoke.
“Leave now.”
Just two words, and yet those two words meant the world to him, because he knew that this strange creature was going to set him free and spare his life.  All he had to do was leave.
Slowly, the creature nodded.  I was surprised that it could understand me, but I decided not to question it.  I backed up slowly and grabbed the sai that was in the ground.  With one sharp tug, I yanked it out of the ground, freeing the beast.  I feared that it would try to attack me again, but thankfully it instead turned tail and fled into the forest.
I sheathed the sais back into my belt, picked up my staff, and slowly walked to the pony that was still on the ground were I first saw her.  I gave her an once-over to see if she was ok.  Thankfully, she only had a little bruising and nothing else major or life threatening.  Her figure also conformed the fact that she was indeed a female.  Then she did something that I would not have expected her to do in a million years.
She spoke
“H-how did you d-defeat a Manticore so easily?” she said in a quivering voice.
Now I was even more surprised and almost at the verge of shock when she spoke, but I was able to thankfully keep myself together.  Unfortunately, however, I was unable to prevent myself from bluntly asking my own question.  “You can talk?”
“Well of course I can talk, but I should be asking you that, even I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, has never seen anything like you before” she stated, her head tilted to the side.  Apparently she seemed to be calmed down from the fight she just saw.  I on the other hand, was still in shock.  Here I am, in the clearing of some random forest, having just fought off a fierce lion like mutant thing, and now talking to some pony that I just saved, which I learned was called Trixie.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but where I come from, ponies do not talk.  As for what I am, I’m a human.” I stated in a matter of fact kind of voice.  I saw a look of surprise come across her face.
“A human?” She asked.  I nodded.  “So, where do you come from, human?” Trixie asked me
I opened my mouth to respond, but then a sudden burst of pain swept over my left shoulder.  I looked over to it and saw two more large gashes that tore through my hoodie and was bleeding profusely.  The Manticore (at least that was what Trixie called it) apparently got me on its first jump, and I didn’t even notice.  I quickly glanced at the pony again and asked “Right now, I’m more concerned about getting to the closest town to get myself patched up.  Do you know were it is?”
“Yes Bu-”
“Then bring me there, please!” I cut her short, slight panic began to fill my voice.
Trixie looked at me, then to my ruined shoulder, then to me again.  When she looked at me again, I finally noticed her eyes.  They were bigger then mine, that was for sure, but the size wasn’t what struck me the most.  It was the color of them, a dark amethyst color to them that just made her eyes sparkle.  It literally made me gasp in surprise.
“What is it?” she asked, thinking it was a gasp of pain.
“Nothing it’s just that, well, your eyes…they…they’re beautiful.”
She blinked and blushed at my response.  Then, realizing what I said, I quickly tried to catch myself, even though it was already too late for me.
“I-I’m sorry I was just…w-w-well…” I quickly fell in silence, trying to think of some way out of this now embarrassing situation.  Thankfully the searing pain in my shoulder reminded me that I needed to get to a doctor.
“N-never mind, can you please bring me the town please?” I pleaded to her.  At this point my shoulder was rather covered in blood right now.
Trixie realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately stood up.  I was right when guessing her size, as her head only came up to my chest.
“R-right, just follow me.  I know somepony that can help patch you up.” She said, still blushing slightly from my previous compliment.
‘Somepony?’ I thought to myself.  Whatever the case, I didn’t bother to correct her grammar, for there were bigger things at stake here.  Using my staff as a cane, I followed her out of the clearing and through the trees.
“So, Trixie is it?” I asked.  She nodded to confirm my answer.  “Where in the world am I?”
“Well, first off, we are in the Everfree Forest, which is right next to the town that I’m bringing you towards”
“And what is this town called?”
“Ponyville.”

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

We walked together in silence, me following Trixie.  Honestly, I didn’t have anything to say, I mean, what was there to say in a situation like this?  Finally, Trixie broke the silence.
“So, you’re a human?” I nodded.  “Do you have a name?” she asked.
“Well, I…I’m not sure what my name is…”
She turned to look at me.  “You don’t have a name?”
I turned my head to avoid her gaze.  I have always found it hard to look people in the eyes, but for some reason I couldn’t remember why.
‘Story of my life’ I thought to myself.  “I do, I just can’t remember it right now.”
“Well, we can’t have the hero of the Great and Powerful Trixie have no name.” she exclaimed, puffing her chest out.
I was about to say something else when a sudden sharp pain came from my gut.  I looked down and noticed that my old wound has reopened itself and was bleeding just as badly as my shoulder was now.  The sight of this, along with the blood loss and due to my fight with the Manticore, I now began to feel light-headed.  I slumped down onto the ground and gasped in pain.
Trixie stopped walking as soon as she noticed I wasn’t following her anymore.  “Why did you stop?  We’re almost…”
Unfortunately, my brain finally decided that it had enough, and began to shut down.  I noticed this and tried to let Trixie know before I lost consciousness.
“G-gonna…f-faint…” was all I was able to say before I gave in to my wounds, sinking to the forest floor, going deeper into the darkness.

(Trixie’s POV)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The creature that I now knew as a human suddenly fell face first into the snowy ground, dropping his stick as he fell.  Luckily, I was able to catch him with my magic before he hit the ground.  I began to carry him, along with his stick, through the Everfree Forest.  I decided against bringing him to the hospital, as it was too far away at the time.  Instead, I opted to go to the closest pony that I knew who could help him.
A few minutes later, I finally came to my destination.  It was a small cottage, with a river flowing next to it, and there were all sorts of wildlife surrounding it.  As I came closer, I could hear the shy voice of the one that could help the human.
“Angel, why won’t you eat your salad?  It’s exactly how you like it.”
I got to the door, and knocked on it with my hoof.  A few moments later, the mare called Fluttershy opened the door.
“T-Trixie, what are y-you d-doing here, if I m-may ask?”
Too tired to speak, I simply pointed my hoof at the human.  As soon as she saw the wounded creature, her eyes lit up and she immediately went into doctor mode.
“Quick, bring him inside, I’ll get the first aid kit, you try to take its clothes off.”
As she quickly flew away with speed that could impress Rainbow Dash, I brought the human to the couch and placed him gently on it.  I began to take his clothes off, but as soon as I got the top part off, Fluttershy came back with the first aid kit.
“I think that is good enough for now.  Can you get the extra blanket from the closet please?” I nodded and went to fetch said blanket.  As soon as I was back, Fluttershy was already finishing with the bandages.
‘Damn, that mare works fast.’ I thought to myself.  Once she was done with the bandages, I placed the blanket on top of his still form.
“T-Trixie?” Fluttershy asked.  I turned to face her.  “W-what exactly is this c-creature that you brought?  I have never seen one like this before.”
“He said his a human before he fainted.” I told her.  Her eyes widened at that.
“A human?  B-but aren’t those a…a…”
“A myth?  Yes, and I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“H-how did he get the wounds?”
“I would rather not say.” I said, looking down at my hooves.  Fluttershy looked at me curiously, but thankfully, decided not to pursue with her question.
“I-I think you should go and get T-Twilight to help us with this.” Fluttershy said. I looked at her like she was crazy.  “What?!  There is no way I’m going back over there!  They all still hate me for what I did the last time I was here.”
Fluttershy hid in her mane from the sudden out burst.  “I know they might be upset with you still, but I n-need help w-with this creature, and Twilight is one of the few ponies that could help in this situation.”
I sighed in defeat.  In the end, I knew that she was right.  “Ok, I’ll be back in a few then…” 
“Good.  Um, I’m going to bring him to the extra bedroom to make sure he stays comfortable” Fluttershy says before carefully placing the human on her back and bringing him to the extra bedroom.
Defeated, I walked out of Fluttershy’s home and headed straight for Ponyville, and towards my rival, Twilight Sparkle.

(Human POV)

I groaned as I woke up.  The first thing that I realized was that I was on some sort of furniture, I assumed that it was a bed.  The second thing I realized was that my hoodie was gone.  When I opened my eyes, I noticed I was in someone’s house, which looked to be like a homey cottage.  I assumed that whoever owns this place must really like nature.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.  The others should be here soon.” I looked around the room to see who said that.  What I saw, while it shouldn’t have surprised me in light of what has happened, still came as a little shock.  The person, or should I say pony, was a mare with a pale yellow color coat and a light pink mane and tail.  She also had a pair of feathered wings on her back, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t care less.  When she noticed me looking at her, she gave a small ”squeak!” and hid behind her mane.
“Um, h-hi?” I said, unsure how to approach this situation.  “Um, w-who are you, if I may ask?” She peeked out of her mane a little and responded.
“F-F-Fluttershy.” she said.  “That’s a nice name, and also a beautiful voice.” Her voice indeed sounded like an angel.  ‘Wait, were did that come from’ I thought, shaking my head slightly.  She blushed at the comment.
“Oh!  Well t-t-thank you.” she said, peeking out of her mane some more.  “Can I ask what your name is, um, if that is ok with you?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but then I closed it and look down.  “I don’t know my name.” I said, on the verge of tears.  The fact that I didn’t even know who I was shook me to my core.
Her eyes widened in shock at my announcement.  “Oh you poor thing!” Fluttershy exclaimed.  She quickly walked towards me and embraced me in a tight hug, being careful not to put any pressure on my bad shoulder.  “I would hate it if I didn’t know my own name.”
This shocked me on many levels.  First of all, I was in a world full of talking ponies (I assumed.  I only saw two so far).  Second, I was lying in a bed, being hugged by a Pegasus (whose species I just remembered for some reason) that has just met me.  Not only that, but I could hear her crying into my unwounded shoulder.  Not just crying, but crying for me!  In this kind of situation, I did the one thing I could think of doing.  I simply hugged her back with my good arm.
As soon as I did, tears started to poor out of my eyes like I have been holding something back within me for years.  We simply sat there embraced in each other’s arms (or hooves), silently crying for the other.
After what felt like ten minutes of simply holding one another, we softened our hold on the other to look at each other properly, and what I saw blew my mind away.  Normally, and I still don’t know how I knew this, but I don’t look someone in the eyes if I can help it, but when I looked into her eyes, I sank into her deep baby blue eyes, and I began to feel immensely better.
“You feeling better now?” she asked.  I just simply nodded and said, “You have amazing eyes.”
“Oh!” she said, blushing even more then before, and looking away slightly in embarrassment. “Well, y-your eyes look n-nice too.”
This time I was the one who was blushing.  “Um, thanks.” I said, making a mental note to check my eyes in a mirror the next chance I get.
Before we could say anything else, we heard a knock on the door.  “Oh! That must be Trixie bringing Twilight” Fluttershy said.  She released her gentle hold on me and went to the door.  I was about to ask her who this “Twilight” was when in burst six more colorful ponies, including Trixie.
We were all silent at first, each party at a loss of words, then…
“Hi!  Do you like parties?”

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Pink.  All I could see was pink.  As my eyes focused on said pink, I realized that it was a pony, a very PINK pony.  Her coat was pink, her mane and tail was a lighter pink and also absurdly puffy.  She also had light blue eyes, but I could sense the difference between her eyes and Fluttershy’s eyes.   While Fluttershy had an aura of kindness and gentleness, this pony gave the sense that she would break into song or throw streamers in the air just for the sake of it.
I then noticed that said pony’s face was upside down.  When I looked to see where the rest of her was, I noticed that she was somehow balancing on my uninjured shoulder.  With a cry of shock, I did the only thing I could think to do at the time: I grabbed the pink pony and threw her off of me, grunting as I accidentally hurt my bad shoulder in the process.  When she hit the floor, she literally bounced back up and landed right in front of me.  As soon as she landed, she opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and began to speak at over a mile a minute without stopping.
“Hi-I’m-Pinkie-Pie-what’s-your-name-do-you-have-friends-do-you-want-to-be-my-friend-I-love-parties-I-can’t-wait-to-throw-you-a-party-oh-we-are-going-to-have-so-much-fun-there-will-be-cake-and-cookies-and-cake-but-I-already-said-that-cupcake?”  She spoke, suddenly producing a cupcake out of nowhere.
This sudden outburst caused me to slightly panic, so I did the next thing that I could think of: I took the blanket that was on me with my good hand and pulled it over my head, giving a small ”eep!” similar to the one that Fluttershy gave off before.  While I hid underneath the blanket, I could hear them all talking about me.
“Oh dear, I-I think you scared him Pinkie.”
“AAAWWWW, but I was just asking him some questions!  And I wanted to give him a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ cupcake.”
“You’re scaring him, though!  I want to ask him a few question too Pinkie, but that doesn’t mean you have to invade his personal space.”
“Darlings, I think the poor colt here has had a rough day today, what with fighting a Manticore and all”
“You still believe that Trixie was telling the truth, Rarity?  I still think that it’s a bunch of crap!”
“Hey!  You weren’t there with the Great and Powerful Trixie to know what did happen, and besides, why would I lie to you girls anymore?”
“Why let me think, ‘partner’.  Maybe cause ya lied to us before?”
“Yea, and nearly destroyed the town!”
“As well as puttin’ all of us towns folks into manual labor when ya kicked Twilight out.”
“I didn’t know that an Ursa Minor would come into town, alright!  And I apologized about turning all of you guys into slaves.”
This went on for a good few minutes, all the while I just shrank deeper into my blanket, trying to make myself seem smaller.  Finally, I heard something that surprised me, and apparently all the other mares in the room as well.
“GIRLS!  SHUT UP! YOU’RE SCARING HIM!”
Immediately, everyone quieted down, and looked at whom I presumed was Fluttershy.  I was shocked that such a seemingly timid pony could raise her voice to such a high level and with such intensity.  As I tried to collect myself in the silence, I felt the blanket shift slightly over me.  I looked up to see Fluttershy with a worried expression on her face.
“A-are you ok?” she asked me.  I shook my head in a negative manner.  “Did everypony scare you?”  I nodded.  “Would you like another hug?”  I hesitated at first, and then slowly nodded again.  She gave me another hug, smaller then the first, but with the same amount of feeling in it.  After a minute, she pulled away and asked, ”Do you feel better now?”  I slowly nodded my head.  “D-do you think you can come out now?”
I looked at her with a worried expression.  “C-can you s-stay with me please?” I asked in a small tone.  She gave me a small smile and nodded in response as she sat down next to me in the bed.  Feeling a bit more confident, I slowly lowered the blanket over my head.  I held it at my neck, though, to give me comfort and warmth.
As soon as I could see again, I took a look at all of the ponies that were here.  Like I said before, there were six of them in total, including Trixie and the pink pony.  I began looking at the other ones with anxious but curious eyes, taking in as much detail as possible.  The first one had a purple coat and darker mane and tail, with a pink and dark purple stripe going through the middle of her mane and tail.  I also noticed that she had a horn on her head as well, which made me immediately think that she is a unicorn, which was probably correct.  The next pony was also a unicorn, but she had a bright white coat and a deep indigo mane and tail that curled in a stylish sort of way.  The next pony was a Pegasus like Fluttershy, but this one had a cyan coat and an unruly rainbow mane and matching rainbow tail.  The final pony looked like a ‘normal’ pony, having neither a horn nor wings.  She had a bright orange coat and a blonde mane and tail. For some strange reason, her mane and tail were in a ponytail (which I thought was ironic at the time) and she wore a Stetson hat as well.
“Hi” said the purple unicorn.  “So, you can understand us?”  I nodded “Wow… so you really are…you’re a human?” I nodded again, wondering what was so fascinating about me.  Then the unicorn realized she had forgotten her manners.  “Oh, sorry, where are my manners, let me introduce ourselves, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends.” She points at the other unicorn “This is Rarity…” Rarity came up and gave a small curtsy “Charmed to meet you, darling” she said.  I nodded to her.
“This is Rainbow Dash…” Twilight continues, pointing at the cyan Pegasus.  Rainbow Dash looks at me with a critical look in her eyes.  “He doesn’t look tough enough to take on a Manticore.” She said, still giving me a once over.  I felt somewhat hurt that she didn’t believe me, and decided that I would speak up now.  “Well, I did, though I just wanted to save Trixie from that thing”
Rainbow puffs out her chest and looks me in the eye, which I respond by quickly turning away to avoid eye contact.  ”Oh yeah? Prove it then!” she stated, a smirk on her face.
With a sigh, I stripped the blanket off of me, and as soon as my chest and shoulder was revealed to the ponies, they all gave a sharp gasp with the exception of Trixie and Fluttershy, who have already seen my wounds.  As well as having the major slash on my shoulder, I also had the wound in my gut and a few cuts and bruises of unknown origin.
“Is this proof enough Rainbow?” I ask Dash, her mouth hung open in surprise. She closes it and gave a nod.  She then points at my shoulder and says, “That looks like it hurts a lot.”
I shrugged; wincing as I accidentally hurt my shoulder again.  “I hardly noticed it at the time.” I said, simply stating the facts.
“Also, why would you save somepony like her, anyways?” asked Rainbow, gesturing to Trixie.  Trixie glared at the cyan mare in offense at such a question.
“I just don’t like seeing innocents getting hurt for no reason.” was my simple reply, to which Rainbow snorted at in laughter and Trixie lowered her head, making herself seem smaller.  Before I could question her further on the subject, however, the orange pony stepped in.
“Dang it, sugarcube, ah don’t think even Big Mac could stand such a hit!” said the orange pony in a southern accent.  She then proceeded to walk up to me and put a foreleg up in a hand (hoof?) shake.  “By the way, the name’s Applejack.” She said.
I took her hoof and gave her a small handshake (hoofshake?) before withdrawing my hand back.  “And you already met Pinkie Pie.” said Twilight, gesturing towards the crazy pink pony, who for some reason seemed less crazy then before.  “Sorry for scaring you earlier.” Pinkie said in a mournful expression.  I simply nodded in a way of accepting her apology, which made her perk up immediately.  “So now that you know our names, can you tell us what your name is?” Twilight asked.
A feeling of sadness washed over me again, as I remember a few minutes ago when Fluttershy asked the same question.  I sank lower into the blankets, keeping my head down to prevent them from seeing a new wave of tears forming around my eyes.  Fluttershy noticed this, and gently places a hoof on my uninjured shoulder, rubbing it in small circles to comfort me.  “He can’t remember his name, girls, and he’s very upset with it right now” she said, explaining my reaction to Twilight’s question.
"Oh, the poor dear, unable to remember his own name, such tragedy.” Rarity swoons, a little too dramatic for the situation, but I was in no mood to argue.
“Can you not remember anything, anything at all?” Twilight asks, trying to be helpful.
I closed my eyes trying to remember something, anything, but I get nothing except the memories from fighting the Manticore in the clearing.  Suddenly, a massive pain erupts from my head, and I double over in pain.
“Oh my gosh!  Are you alright?” exclaims Fluttershy, clearly worried for my own health.  I am unable to respond do the massive migraine that is currently in my head.  As the pain recedes, small chunks of memories began to appear, though only a very small amount.  One of them included a name that suddenly appeared out from the foggy reaches of my mind.  I knew that it wasn’t my name, but for some reason, I couldn’t care less, for it was still a name, and it was one that appealed to me as well.
“I…I have a name…” I said slowly, still recovering from my massive headache.
“Oh good!  Can you tell us, that is…I-if it’s all right with you?” said Fluttershy, sounding happier that I might have a new name.
“It isn’t my true name, but I think I have used it before, so I might as well use it now as my real name.” I said.
“Well, come on, partner, what is it?” said Applejack.
I looked at the girls, still avoiding eye contact though.  “From now on, I’ll be known as…Drakalian.”

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4

“Drakalian?  Well, it does have a nice ring to it.” Said Twilight
“Indeed, darling.  It also sounds very heroic.” Said Rarity, nodding in agreement.
“I think so to.” Said Fluttershy, happy that I finally have a name for myself.  I looked at her and smiled, sharing the same happy feeling.  For some reason, I felt more comfortable with her around then with all the others.  Well, her and Trixie, but that was because Trixie was the first pony that I met.
Speaking of Trixie, I looked around to see if she was still here, but during our discussion, she had somehow slipped away unnoticed.
“Where did Trixie go?” I asked the others.
“Probably back to her ‘mobile home’.” Said Rainbow.
“Mobile home?”
“Well she is an entertainer of magic” Twilight said.
“More like too poor to afford a real home” Rainbow smirked.  I decided against saying anything at the moment, still too tired from recent events.
I went to ask some more questions, like what kind of magic tricks does she do, when all of a sudden, Pinkie interrupted our conversation.
“Boring!” she shouted, startling all of us.  “I’m going to go and get your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party ready.” She said.  She began to leave the building when I stopped her.
“Wait, a party for me?” I asked.  She nodded and began to take a breath for some big speech or something about my party, but thankfully I was able to interrupt her before she could say anything.  “Can…can we NOT have a party, please.  I-I don’t like being in parties.”
This apparently was unheard of for Pinkie, and she put on a mournful face.  Her tail and mane seemed to even loss some of its puffiness.  “No…no party.  But…but…but…but…”
“Uh, Pinkie?”
“But…but…but…but…”
“Pinkie?”
“But…but…but…but…”
“Pinkie.”
“But…but…but…but…”
“PINKIE!”
“But we have to have a party!  I always throw a welcome party for new ponies, or in this case, a new human.” Pinkie said, a sad tone in her voice.  I sighed at this, and decided to give in a little just to make her feel happy, but ONLY a little.
“Fine, we can have a party, BUT it has to be a small one, ok?” I told her.  As soon as I said that, her mane and tail puffed back to its normal self
“Okie dokie lokie!” she exclaimed, before rushing out of the room, leaving a Pinkie shaped cloud in her wake.  I blinked in surprise, thinking ‘Just how much energy does that pony have’
“I hope I didn’t do anything that I’m going to regret.” I mumbled to myself.  Fluttershy, however, heard my mumbling.
“Why do you say that Drak?” she asked.  I gave a very small smile to her, glad that they are already using my new name, and even giving me a nickname with it.  “Well, I just don’t really like parties, mainly because that means there will be a lot of people, or in this case, ponies, and…well…I don’t do…well…with crowds…” I told her, getting progressively quieter as I continued to speak.  Fluttershy continued to comfort me through out the whole conversation.
“Well, if you want to, you could hang out with me during the party, that is, if it’s ok with you?” she asked me.
“I think that might work, just as long as we stay away from the majority of the crowded areas, if that’s ok with you?” I asked her.  She gave me a smile and nodded.
“Wow, if ah didn’t know any better, sugarcube, ah would have said that you two were related, what with they way you two talk an’ all.” Applejack said, which caused us both to blush.
“Related, I would think that they would be more like a couple!” chuckled Rainbow, making us blush even more.
“Well, I think that’s fabulous, darlings, I mean, you two do look so adorable together.” Rarity proclaimed.  At this point, both Fluttershy’s face and mine were completely bright red with embarrassment.  Everypony else simply giggled at our shyness, thinking that it was just adorable.
Trying to get some of the attention off of Fluttershy, I decided to ask what kind of party was in store for me.
“Oh, nothing too crazy, dear, even if it is Pinkie.  I mean, you did ask for a small one, and she is the best at making parties, even small ones.” Answered Rarity.  “And since it is a small party, I would think that it should take only a few minutes to set it up.”
“A few minutes, really?” I asked, clearly questioning to abilities of the pink mare.  Rarity simply nodded in response.
“Well, we can take the time to ask some questions, and also answer a few if you want to” said Twilight, clearly interested in the prospect of talking to a new species.  All of a sudden, her horn began to glow a bright purple, and a notepad and quill came floating into the room.  All I could do was simply stare at the spectacle.  “So, do you want to start or should we?” she asked.
“Um, can I start, if that’s all right?” I asked.  She nodded and I said, “Well, my first question is, how in the world can you do that?”
“Huh?  You mean my magic?” asked the purple unicorn, moving the notepad and quill up and down as an example.  I simple stared at the scene in awe.
“Wait, you can use magic?” I asked.  Again, she nodded.
“So I’m assuming that humans can’t use magic then?” She asked.
“Well, we have magicians, but they are mostly performers like Trixie, and they don’t use real magic either, just some clever tricks” I simply stated.  Twilight meanwhile was furiously writing down everything I said in her notepad before looking up at me expectantly.
I was quiet for a few moments as I thought of a good question to ask to pass the time.  Finally, I asked, “So, what do you girls do here?”
“Well, that’s easy, sugarcube.  Me an’ mah family work over at Sweet Apple Acres bucking apple trees an’ making all sorts of apple treats to sell.”  Applejack said, a sense of pride could be heard in her voice.
“I take care of clearing out the clouds with the Weather Team.” Said Dash, an even bigger sense of pride coming from her as she once again puffs out her chest.  I looked at her with a questionable look.
“What do you mean ‘Weather Team’?” I asked, clearly thinking she was lying.
Dash looked at me with a curious look.  “It is exactly as it sounds like.  I clear out the clouds over Ponyville and make sure that the weather is doing what it’s supposed to do.” She said.  “Don’t they do the same thing where you come from?”
I shook my head.  “From what I can recall, the weather can manage itself without the need of assistance.” I said
Now it was Rainbow Dash’s turn to look at me in awe.  “Wow, you don’t have to control your weather were you’re from.  That must make it much easier to do what you want to do”
I sighed at her response.  “If only…” was my only response.  For some reason, I could still remember what humanity was like, and I very much wished that I had forgotten that instead of my own identity.  Before they could question me further on the subject, I decided to continue with asking them their occupations.
“So, Twilight, what do you do?” I asked the purple mare.
“Well, I’m currently the town librarian.” She said, a smile on her face.
I perked up upon hearing this.  “Really?” I asked, “Because I do remember reading lots of books, and I enjoyed them too.”
“You do?” she asked, happily surprised.
“Yup, maybe afterwards you can show me some books?” I asked.
“Oh, I would love to! I have never met somepony that loves to read as much as I do!” she said, the glee of it all practically brimming out of her eyes.  I simply smiled at this, glad that she approved of my reading, and also glad to have made her so happy.
I then noticed that all of the ponies here had some sort of mark on their flanks, which I decided to ask them about. 	“What are those marks on your flanks, some sort of symbol?“ I asked Twilight, pointing at hers, which was five small white stars surrounding a big red star.  She looked at what I was pointing at before she spoke.
“Oh, well these are our cutie marks.  Everypony gets one when they find out what their special talent in life is.”
“Wow, that would make it a lot easier for people-”
“Ponies.” Said Pinkie, who poked her head from the door for a second before pulling it out again.
I blinked and was silent for a few seconds before I continued to speak.  “Right, ponies.  Anyways, that would make it easier for ponies to find out what there calling in life is.”
“Why, don’t humans get cutie marks, Drak?” asked Applejack.
I thought about it for a sec, and then I shook my head.  “I’m pretty sure that we don’t, we normally have to figure it out one our own.”  Twilight, meanwhile, was writing furiously in her notebook at every little thing that I said.  I then decided to ask the rest of the girls what they do for a living here.
“So, Rarity, is it?” I asked the white unicorn.  She nodded.  “What do you do?”
“Well, dear, I make clothing for a living, and I am the proud leading fashion designer of Ponyville.” She said. She too said it with the same amount of pride as Applejack talking about her apples.  ‘Seems that these girls are ecstatic of what they do.’ I thought to myself.
“Well in that case, Rarity, do you mind if you make some clothes for me?” I asked, and then realized I might be intruding on some of her previous clients.  “T-that is, if you have any time for it.”
“Well, of course dear, it shall not be a problem.  I have been very bored lately, what with the lack of customers and all.  So, what is it you need?”
I pointed to my hoodie that I saw earlier hanging on one of the chairs.  The shoulder part of the hoodie was a complete wreck, with the hood itself practically falling off of the rest of the sweatshirt.  “I would like it if you could fix my hoodie, it is one of the few pieces of clothing that I have.  Also, I will need more casual clothing as well, like some t-shirts, pants, socks, and such.”
She simply nodded at the instructions, apparently memorizing it all.  “Of course, just come over to my house so I can get your measurements.  How does tomorrow sound?”
I agreed with her that I would be there tomorrow to get some new clothing.  “So, with that done, what do you do around here, Shy?”  Fluttershy blushed at the nickname that I gave her, but before she could say anything, a certain pink pony came zooming back into the room at hyper speed.
“The party’s ready!  Come on!  They’re all waiting for you!”  Pinkie Pie said, grabbing my good hand and yanking me out of the bed and out of the house.  I was able to grab my Bo staff on the way out; my sais was still in my belt for some reason.  The other mares simply followed us, with Rarity taking my hoodie along with her.
As we started walking, I was able to get a good look at all of the other girl’s cutie marks.  Rarity’s mark had three blue diamonds.  Fluttershy’s mark was one with three blue butterflies with pink wings.  Rainbow’s mark was a cloud producing a rainbow lightning bolt.  Applejack’s mark was three bright red apples.  Finally, Pinkie Pie’s mark was one with three balloons; the bottom two being light blue while the top one was yellow.  As we continued our walk into town, I was able to get free from Pinkie’s grasp and walk alongside Fluttershy, who I still wanted to talk to.  “So, Fluttershy, you still didn’t answer me from before.”
“Oh!  R-right.  W-well, I take care of lots of different animals at my house.  That’s really it though.” She said, stammering slightly.  The idea of taking care of animals sounded familiar, but it also sounded pleasant.  “That sounds like a nice job.”
“W-well, it’s not really a job, more like a hobby.” She explained.  Suddenly, I got the feeling of being watched, and when I looked up, what I saw was an amazing, and yet frightening sight.
During our talk, we appeared to have entered the town of Ponyville.  The town was of an average size, and seemed like a nice place to live.  There were also a lot of ponies walking around doing their daily activities.  And I mean, A LOT of ponies!  Unfortunately for me, the majority of them were staring at me, being a new species to them and all, but it still did not make me feel comfortable at all.  I quickly looked down and tried to make myself seem smaller to avoid their gazes.  Fluttershy quickly noticed this and wrapped a wing protectively over my shoulders.  I looked at her with a surprised look on my face.
“You…you don’t have to worry about them hating you here, you know that?” She said, in a comforting tone.  I nodded and said, “I know, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better.  What if they think I’m some sort of monster or something?  What if they chase me out for just being me?  What if the-” Fluttershy put a hoof to my mouth to stop my rambling.
“They will not do anything like that, we are a very open-minded group, especially since the Zecora incident.” She said, trying to calm me down.  Thankfully, it worked, and I just leaned into her embrace, feeling content for the first time since I got here, even forgetting that I didn’t have a shirt on in the freezing cold.  We both just walked the rest of the way there in a calming silence.

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

I looked at the giant tree that stood in the middle of the town.  Said tree was HUGE!  Not only that, but apparently, the tree is the library, and it still seemed to be alive.  I looked in awe at the amazing architecture.
“Y-you reside here?” I asked Twilight, who giggled at my surprised.
“Oh, it isn’t much, but it’s home.” She said.  I looked at her like she was crazy; thinking that living in a library was nothing special.
“Are you kidding me?  I would love to live in a library, I mean, what with all of the books and all.” I said, still in awe.  The rest of the girls giggled as well, with the exception of Rainbow, who simple gagged.
“Ugh, great!  Another egghead!” she said, clearly in a joking voice, however.
I just smiled at her.  “Hey, I can’t help it if I’m attracted to knowledge.” I said, walking up to the front door.
“Um, Drak?  I wouldn’t open it yet…” said Fluttershy, clearly worried about something.
I looked at her with a questionable look as I opened the door.  “What do y-”
“SURPRISE!” came a loud shout from inside.  I quickly whipped my head around to see what in the world made that noise.  What I saw was about 15 or so ponies inside, all clustered together and staring at the star of the party.
ME.
Instantly, all of my happiness and cheerfulness from before left me.  I simply locked up, wrapping my hands around me and stood there, frozen to the spot, dropping my staff in the process.  The only thing that was moving was my mind, and it was currently racing in a panic.  All of the ponies looked at me in confusion, either to what I was, or what I was doing.
“Oh dear, Drakalian, are you all right?” asked Fluttershy, her voice full of worry and shock.  I said nothing, just standing there like a statue, trying to make myself seem invisible.
“HELLOOOOOO?  Drakalian?  You look like the Princesses just put the same spell on you like the one on Discord.” Said Pinkie, tapping her hoof to my side, which for some reason sounded like she was tapping stone.  The whole room was quiet for a few staggering moments, until I was able to finally say something, anything, to get me out of this situation.
“Help…”
Immediately, Fluttershy knew exactly what was happening, remembering the conversation from before.  She quickly told Pinkie to get the attention off of me, and then gently grabbed one of my hands in her mouth.  She led me to one of the sides of the library that was barely crowded, while all the other ponies started to party, thanks to Pinkie.
She sat down on the floor, helping me down as well; all the while I could do nothing but follow her lead.  As soon as I sat down, I started to very slowly feel better, but it was taking its sweet time.  After a minute with Fluttershy comforting me, I looked at her, and saw that she was scared for me, not knowing what was happening.  “W-what happened, Drak?  Why did you freeze up like that?” she said.
I could only stare into her eyes, feeling a strange comfort in her presence.  As I stared, a single tear came out of my eye and slowly rolled down my cheek.  I closed my eyes to try and keep the tears in.  Soon, I felt a pair of hooves go over my shoulders and embrace me.  I opened my eyes to see Fluttershy giving me another hug, this one seemed tighter then the last one.  She then said something that made me melt inside.
“Go ahead and cry, it’s ok.  I’m here for you.”
And cry I did, I quickly embraced her back and I silently cried a river in a few moments, and my tears seemed to be nonstop.  Fluttershy, however, just took it all in stride, and just rubbed my back in small circles with her hoof to try and calm me down faster, whispering words of comfort the whole while.  After a few minutes, the crying slowed to a few sniffles, but she still didn’t loosen her hold on me a bit, nor did I want her to.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, but was more like another ten minutes, she released me enough to let me lean against the wall, but she still kept a foreleg around my shoulder in case I needed more comforting.  So there I was, with my arms around my legs, just barely holding myself together, with Fluttershy comforting me the whole time.  It was at this point that the other mares (with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who was still keeping the attention off of me) came back to check in on us.
“Hey, dude, you ok?  You look like you just saw Nightmare Moon.” Rainbow said, a worried look on her face.  In fact, they all had worried looks on their faces.  I just shook my head, clearly still shocked by the experience.
“I…I…I…” was all I could say.  Fluttershy tightened her grip on me slightly, and said, “Take your time.”
I took a deep breath, and I was finally able to talk in a somewhat calmed voice.  “It was my agoraphobia.” I said.
“Agro-whata?” asked Dash, tilting her head to the side.  I took another deep breath, preparing myself to explain exactly what it is.
“Agoraphobia is the fear of either open spaces, or crowds, or even both.  For me, it is the fear of crowds, and whenever I get into a crowded situation that I’m not prepared for, well, you all saw what happened.” I said, still in a sad voice.
“Oh dear, that must make it very difficult for you to go out ” Rarity said.  I nodded in agreement with her.  “Well, I usually don’t go out in public like this to prevent it from happening.”
“But then what do you do when you wanted to hang out with other ponies?” asked Twilight, still writing down my explanation of my phobia.
I sighed.  “I don’t.  I never got the chance really, the phobia made it too difficult for me to start anything in public.” This shocked the mare, probably not knowing what it was like to be so lonely.
“Is there any cure to it, or any way to stop it?” Asked Twilight.  I merely shook my head.  “No.  Once I get in a situation like this, the only thing I could do is ride it out, and I hate every damn moment of it too” I said, bitterness in my voice.
The other girls looked at each other, and then decided to go and join the other ponies in the party, knowing that there was nothing that they could do to help me at this time, leaving me with Fluttershy.  Applejack, however, still looked concern, and thought that I wasn’t telling the entire truth.
“So, you’re sure that there is not a thing we could do to help ya’ll out, sugarcube?” asked Applejack, who for some reason looked more worried then the others (besides Fluttershy).  Once again, I sighed.
“Well, if I had my hoodie, I would simply cover my face with it.  For some reason, covering my face makes me feel better.” I said in a depressed voice.  “But my hoodie is being repaired right now, which means that I won’t be able to do anything about it now.  So, no, I don’t know what you girls can do to help me right now, except to be with me and comfort me.  Thanks again, Fluttershy.” I said, looking at the yellow mare.  She simply blushed and nodded in response.  
“Sounds a bit like what Fluttershy does when she’s nervous, except with her mane, though.” Applejack said, glancing at Fluttershy, who at that moment was doing exactly that.  I then noticed that some of the ponies were starting to stare at me again, so I quickly looked down towards the ground, trying to prevent a new wave of tears from forming in my eyes.
There was silence from both of the girls as they took in the information.  Then, suddenly, I felt someone (or somepony, I will get used to saying that sooner or later) placing something onto my head.  I looked up and to my surprise; it was Applejack, placing her hat on me.  All I could do was stare at her, she just smiled at me and said, “It might not be the same as you’re there hoodie, but it should still do the same job.”
I could just sit there and stare at the orange country mare.  “T-thanks Applejack, w-when d-do you w-want it b-back?” She just continued to smile and shook her head.
“You can keep this one, ah got some more back at mah farm.” I was about to protest, saying I could not receive such a personal gift, when I looked into her eyes. What I saw in her eyes, confirmed the truth, that she was being completely honest to me.  In fact, I could sense the honesty practically pooling out of her beautiful emerald green eyes.  I was so tired and grateful at the same time, that I didn’t even bother correcting myself on being attracted to a pony (I was thinking about it the whole time, and finally said forget it, realizing that I was most likely the only human here, so who would give a damn if I became attracted to a pony, at least they were sentient).  Instead, I loosened my hold onto Fluttershy slightly and wrapped my free arm around Applejack, bringing her into an equally tight hug as mine was with Fluttershy.
“T-thank you so much, Applejack, you have no idea how much this means to me.” I said.  Applejack smiled and blushed at my response.  She nuzzled into my hug.  “No problem, partner, and for the record, call me AJ, it’s much less formal.”
I smiled at her and nodded.  “Ok, AJ it is then.”
I released her and she decided to sit next to me, talking all about apple bucking season.  Fluttershy was quiet most of the time, and I tried to get her to join in on the conversation, thinking that she might be feeling left out, but she said she was just happy that I was feeling better, and was ok just to sit there and listen to us chat.  We sat there for what I think was thirty minutes, when I noticed that most of the party goers were gone and it was just me along with Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack.
Realizing that the party was over, I was about to ask what we were going to do next, when all of a sudden, Pinkie shouts out “Surprise slumber party!” and produces sleeping bags for all of us.  I look at the other ponies with a questionable look, and they all just answered, “Don’t ask.”
Deciding to ignore the pink mare’s antics, I asked who was the one who decided a sleepover.  Surprisingly, it was Twilight.
“I thought that you wouldn’t want to go out there yet, seeing as you are still not comfortable around most of the other ponies, so I decided that we should have a sleepover, also, since Spike is on a royal trip in Canterlot, I thought we could have it here.”
I nodded my thanks, deciding to ask who Spike was at a later date.  I placed my sleeping bag next to Fluttershy and Aj’s bags, since they wanted to be next to me for some reason (For Fluttershy, it was probably to make sure I’m ok through out the night, but I didn’t know why AJ asked to be next to me).  As we were setting up, Dash noticed that I was wearing AJ’s hat
“Hey, why is Drak wearing your hat, AJ?”
AJ turned to her and said, “Well, he said that he would feel more comfortable if he had somethin’ to cover his head with, which is one of the reasons why he likes this here hoodie so much, so ah thought ah’d give him my hat.  Besides, ah do have more at the farm anyways.”
“Well, I for one, Drak, think that it looks marvelous on you.  I have never seen anypony be able to pull off that look with the exception of AJ, that is.” Said Rarity, giving me a once over.  “And don’t worry about your hoodie, for I will have it fixed up in no time, dear.” I blushed at her complement and thanked her for being so generous to me.
Once we were done setting up our sleeping bags, we all sat in a circle (with the order going as such: Me, AJ, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy) and thought of what we should do for a game.  Pinkie, unsurprisingly, was the one that thought up of one first.
“I know, since we have a colt with us now, how about we play spin the bottle!”

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6

I looked at her as she (once again) produced a bottle seemingly out of nowhere.  Fluttershy and Twilight seemed a little uncomfortable with this idea, while AJ and Dash were all for it.  Rarity, however, seemed to be nonchalant about the whole thing.
“I-I don’t know, I mean h-he did just recover from a traumatic experience.” Said Fluttershy, hiding behind her mane a little.
“Yea, and we don’t know if he knows enough about himself to play anyways” included Twilight, though she still looked like she wanted me to play anyways.
“I’ll play.” I said, surprising both mares.  I looked at them with a small smile on my face.  “Well, it sounds like it would be fun, and if it is just with you girls, then I feel comfortable enough to do a game like this.  Also, when I got my name, I was able to remember bits and pieces of my old life, so I think I’m still eligible to play then.” After giving them my reasoning behind it all, Fluttershy and Twilight seemed to be content with it.
“Alright, so who wants to go first then?” asked Twilight.  We all looked at each other, waiting for one of us to speak first.
“Alright, I’ll go first if none of you girls will go.” Said Rainbow, spinning the bottle.  The bottle spun around for a good amount of time before it finally landed on…
Me.  I sighed at this, but was determined to give it my best performance.  ‘W-well, truth, I guess.’“ I said, wondering what she might ask me to say.  Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment, and then asked, “Have you had a marefriend before?”
I looked at the other girls for an explanation, and Twilight said, “She means did you have a special somepony before?” Now, I knew what she meant by that, cause I was starting to get the hang of their grammar changes, saying things like somepony instead of someone.  I hung my head sadly and said, “Well, no, I have never had one before, or at least one that I can remember.  I-I don’t even think I have had my first kiss.”
“Oh, you poor dear!  I’m sure that there is somepony that is waiting for you.” Said Rarity.  I smiled at her.  I knew that if I were going to continue to pursue for a romantic relationship, it would have to be with a pony, since I was obviously the only human here.
“Thanks Rarity, I’m sure I will find the right woman…or mare in this case…it just has been very hard for me.  Who knows, maybe I’ll get fireworks with my first kiss like they do in those romance novels.” I said, chuckling at my own joke to help me cheer up.  This made the girls giggle as well, with Rarity nodding in agreement to what I said.  I assumed that she was into romance novels, and it seemed that I was right.
“I don’t feel like spinning the bottle, yet.  Is it ok for me to skip this one?” I asked nervously.
“Ok!  Just make sure that you do the next one whenever it comes up!” Said Pinkie, grabbing the bottle and spinning it. After a few moments, the bottle somehow, landed back onto me.
‘Oh you have got to be kidding me!’ I thought to myself.  I decided to go with a dare, since I have already gone for a truth, and wanted to mix it up a little.
“It might be the blood loss, but I think I’m gonna go for dare” The other girls looked at me like I was crazy, with Dash looking slightly impressed.
“Yay!  Ok, I dare you too…” Pinkie paused to think, (or for dramatic effect) “Eat your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ cupcake!”
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow ‘Really?’ “O…k?” I said slowly.  She produced the cupcake (Again, seemingly out of nowhere) and passed it to me.  I took it in my hand and looked at it.  “Well, bottoms up.” I said as I put the pastry treat into my mouth and took a bite.
As soon as the frosting hit my mouth, I could taste all of the amazing flavors of the treat.  In all honesty, no words could describe how sweet the cupcake was.  “This is amazing, Pinkie!  If you sold this you would make a lot of money.”
She giggled at the complement.  “Well, I already sell pastry treats at Sugarcube Corner with the Cakes, so you are welcome to come by and visit anytime you want to.”  I nodded in appreciation, quickly finishing the cupcake.  Once I was done, I took the bottle and spun it again.  After a while, it landed on Rainbow Dash.
“Alright!  I’ll pick dare!” she said.  I thought for a few minutes before I could think of a good one, but unfortunately, the only one that I could think of didn’t sound that good to begin with, but seeing as I had no choice, I decided to go for it.
“I dare you to not use your wings for the rest of the night.”  Apparently, I was wrong, thinking that it was a bad dare.  As soon as I said this, her face went to a look of complete shock.
“Oh, good one, Drakie!” said Pinkie, giggling.  I just raised an eyebrow, thinking, ‘Drakie?’
“What?” Dash said, not fully comprehending the dare.  “I will get you back for this just wait.” She said, glaring at me.  I just chuckled at her misfortune, telling her that it’s her turn on the bottle now.
Rainbow took the bottle and once again spun it, and it landed on Twilight.
“Well, I’ll go with truth, since I don’t feel up to a dare yet, especially one from you, Dash.” She said.
“Oh, your no fun!” Pouted Dash.  She paused to think up something to ask the unicorn librarian.  “Ok, then.  Do you…clop?”
I gave a questioning look at Dash, not understanding what it means to clop.  AJ noticed this and leaned in towards me.
“It’s slang for masturbation.” She whispered.  I blushed at that, and pulled slightly on the front of my hat, which made AJ giggle at my embarrassment.  Twilight, however, seemed to look even worse then me, a bigger blush on her face then the one on mine.
“W-w-well, I-I…”
“You’re stalling, that means you do clop!” Said Dash, a triumphed look on her face.  Pinkie giggled, why, I don’t even know.
Twilight finally gave in.  “Ok, I do clop.” She said, looking at the ground in shame.
I decided to step in at that moment.  “Hey, there is no shame in…clopping…it’s natural to have those feelings, even I clop” They all looked at me with surprised looks on their faces again.  “W-well, when you are alone like I have been, you need to do something to find…um…‘release’.”
Twilight looked at me in relief, happy that she wasn’t weird or anything like that.  “Thanks Drak, I needed that.” I nodded to her and gestured at the bottle.
“Your turn now, Twi.” I said.  She blushed again and then took the bottle, spinning it.
After a while, it landed onto Rarity.  “Well, seeing as how I don’t feel like doing anything unladylike yet, I think I’ll stay with truth.” She said, flicking her mane back slightly.
Twilight was quiet for a few moments before speaking up.  “Do you own any ‘Playmare’ magazines?”
Rarity looked shocked, like Twilight had just cursed at her.  “What!?  Do you girls really think that a mare of such high standards as myself would drop so low as to read a pornographic article?” she said, with much bumptious in her voice.
“Yes, we do, now tell us!” said AJ, clearly enjoying herself.  Rarity glared at her, before giving a small nod, confirming that she indeed owned this ‘Playmare’ that they were talking about.
“Oh, could I borrow it for a while?” Asked Pinkie.  We all looked at her and she said, “What?  It’s good reading material.” Without another word, Rarity took the bottle and spun it, landing on AJ after a few moments.
AJ grinned at finally getting her turn.  “Well, since ah’m always telling the truth, ah think ah’ll go with dare.”  Rarity thought about her dare for a while, clearly wanting to get some revenge for the comment AJ made earlier.  Finally, she spoke.
“I dare you to give us your sexiest moan.” Said Rarity, a grin on her face.  AJ face was now a much deeper shade of orange then her coat.
“Y-you want me to do what, partner?” AJ asked, clearly surprised that it came from Rarity, of all ponies.
“You heard her AJ!  Give us all you got!” Said Dash, clearly getting into this.  AJ sighed in defeat, and began to take a few deep breaths.  All of the girls leaned in a little, holding their breaths in anticipation.  Even I leaned in slightly, curious as to what it might sound like.
AJ finally exhaled, letting out the sexiest moan that I have ever heard.  It started out low, and only got slightly higher in tone, but it was long and drawn out.  Also, the voice behind it all was, arousing, to say the least.  AJ’s moan was surprisingly long as well, lasting for a good ten seconds before she slowly stopped.  My eyes were wide open with surprise, and a little… arousal (ok, it was a lot of arousal, but whatever).
“Wowie!  That was the best one yet!” Exclaimed Pinkie, who jumped in the air unusually high for some reason.  I then realized that I was staring at AJ, and I quickly looked down, lowering my hat over my eyes, and giving off the brightest blush on my face.  Unfortunately for me, it did not go unnoticed.
“Looky here, looks like somepony enjoyed your little show, AJ.” Dash said, a grin spreading across her face.  I just blushed even more deeply then before.  Both Pinkie and Dash laughed at my expression.  AJ smiled at me in a seductive look.
“You enjoy that, sugarcube?” she said softly, leaning in slightly towards me.  I was getting even more embarrassed when suddenly Fluttershy spoke up.
“AJ stop that, you’re embarrassing him.” She said, in a quiet tone.  AJ smiled sheepishly.
“Ah’m sorry, partner, ah was jus’ teasing with ya’ll is all.” She said.  I looked back at her, knowing she was telling the truth, and smiled.  At that point, I decided to have some fun of my own.
“It’s ok, AJ.  Beside, maybe later on tonight I could make you moan like that some more.” I said, winking at her slyly.  This time, it was AJ who was blushing like crazy.  Apparently, my comment caught everypony off guard, and they all stared at me.  Rainbow and Pinkie began to laugh at the comeback comment that I said.
“Nice one, Drak!” said Rainbow, giving me a big grin.  “I didn’t know that you had a playful side to you too.”
I shrugged, wincing as I moved my bad shoulder too much again.  “I do, it just takes me a while to get comfortable with showing it.”  I looked at AJ, who was still blushing.  “Your turn, AJ.”
“Oh!  Er…r-right.” She said, still flustered about my comment, she took the bottle and spun it, continuing the game.
After a while, it landed onto Fluttershy, who once again gave a small “squeak!”
“Umm, t-truth, I guess.” She said, hiding behind her mane.
“Hmm, lets see here…” said the country mare, tapping a hoof to her chin in thought.  “Who do you love?”  The question got an “oh” from Pinkie and another small “squeak” from Fluttershy.
The yellow Pegasus gave off the biggest blush of the night so far, and then looked down onto the floor, mumbling something.  “What was that sugarcube?” Said AJ, all of them leaning in, including me.  Fluttershy spoke up a little more, and this time we were able to hear from her, “I-I don’t know if it is love, but I don’t know if it isn’t either”
“Well, come on, Flutters, tell us!” Demanded Dash, clearly annoyed that she hasn’t said who it was yet.
Finally, she spoke.  It was very quiet, however, and almost no pony could hear her.  Well, except for me.
My eyes opened wide with surprise and in the heat of the moment, I just blurted it out.  “You like m-me?!” I said.  As soon as I said that, all of the other girls glanced at me in surprise, and then looked at Fluttershy for confirmation.  Fluttershy was quiet for a while, and then she again spoke, but slightly louder then before, so that everypony could hear her.
“W-w-well, l-like I s-said, I don’t k-know if it I-is l-l-l-love, but I s-saw something w-when we l-looked into each o-others-e-eyes, a-and I felt something but I don’t know what it is please-don’t-hate-me!” she said, finishing her sentence in a quick burst of sudden energy.
This shocked me, once again, on many different levels.  First, I was in a world full of talking ponies.  However, we have already gone over this so I don’t feel disgusted by having a pony fall for me.  Second, I never had a girlfriend, or marefriend before, so I didn’t know what to do in this kind of situation, so I did what I thought I should do: speak my mind.
“Fluttershy, I’m actually honored that you think you like me like that, but, well, why me?” I asked.  Fluttershy looked at me, but turned away quickly before she spoke.
“W-well, I just f-felt something, and I just saw so much k-kindness coming from your eyes, I know it doesn’t make much sense, but-”
“Actually, I do understand.” I said, interrupting her.  She looked at me with confusion and surprise on her face.
“Y-you do?”
I nodded.  “Well, I normally don’t look people…er…ponies, in the eyes, because to me, it is a very personal thing to do.  The reason being is because where I come from, some people think that the eyes are a gateway to the soul of the person, and are able to see the true feelings of the person.  I normal don’t believe in these kinds of superstitions, but when I do look someone, or in this case, somepony in the eyes, I can somehow feel what they are feeling at the time.  Of course, this is just my opinion, and I could be completely wrong, but so far it has been true.” I said, trying to comfort her.  It seemed to work, for I was able to get a smile out of her.  Then, she leaned into me and nuzzled me a little, getting a blush out of me and a giggle out of the rest of the mares in the room.
“T-thanks, Drak.  T-that made me feel a lot better now.  I’ll let you know when I get my feelings settled, I-if that’s all right with you?”
I nodded, slowly brushing her mane with my hand, making her hum with pleasure.  “For you, Flutters, you can take all the time in the world.”  This, of course, made Fluttershy blush and made the other girls ‘aw’ in delight (with the exception of Dash, who was looking bored at the whole affair).
“W-well, sugarcube, it’s your turn now.” Said, AJ.  I looked at her and noticed that while she was happy, she looked to be thinking hard about something.  Maybe she was upset, I didn’t know, but before I could ask her if she was ok, Fluttershy took the bottle and spun it.  As the bottle spun, I carefully wrapped an arm around Fluttershy.  She blushed when my arm made contact with her coat, but nevertheless, she leaned into my embrace.  Eventually, the bottle stopped, pointing once again at Twilight.
“Ok, Fluttershy, I choose truth.” She said with a smile on her face as she looked upon us holding each other.  All I did was tug on my hat in slight embarrassment as Fluttershy thought of what to ask her.
“Um, w-what would you h-have been if you weren’t a librarian, um, if that is alright?” Fluttershy said.  Twilight thought how to answer the question for a few moments, until she spoke.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to be a scientist before, so I guess I would have been that, but I’m still glad that I was chosen as Celestia’s student, otherwise I would have never met you girls.”  Everypony smiled at that.  I on the other hand was wondering who this Celestia was.
“Hey, Twi?” I asked.  She looked to me, though I still didn’t make eye contact yet, not being comfortable enough for it.  “Who is Celestia?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.  She and her sister, Luna, are the princesses of Equestria, which is the land that we are in.” She said in a matter of fact voice.
I blinked as I processed this new information.  “Does that mean I should bow to you?” I said, in a joking manner.  Twilight giggled at this and shook her head.  “No you don’t, I’m just her student, that’s all.” She said.  She then spun the bottle once again, and once again it landed onto Rainbow Dash.
“I think I’ll go for truth, since I don’t trust what will happen if I go for a dare.” Said the cyan mare, glaring at me.  I just smiled and nodded to her.
“Hmm…” thought Twilight.  “Oh, I know!  Have you ever thought of doing ‘it’ with a mare?”  Rainbow gave the purple unicorn a confused look.  “Do what, Twi?” asked Dash.
“You know, make, uh, love to another mare?”
At this point, everypony was staring at Dash, waiting for her response.  Dash was blushing so hard, even her face seemed like it would burst.
“W-w-w-well…” stammered the cyan mare.  “I guess…you could say…that I have thought about it…but of course I have never done it before.” She said, stammering till the end.  Before anypony could say anything else, Dash took the bottle again and spun it.
After what felt like forever, it once again, landed on me.
“You know what, I’m feeling lucky.  I’m going to go with dare again.” I said, a smug look on my face.  To my surprise, however, Dash began to rub her hooves together in a maniacal fashion, giggling to herself.
“Excellent…” she said, while giggling.  Before I could say anything to quell my fear, however, Dash is already making her dare.
“I dare you to kiss Fluttershy, on the lips, for 30 seconds!”

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7

The room was deathly quiet.  You could literally hear a pin drop it was so quiet.  Fluttershy’s face was like a tomato it was so red.  Me, on the other hand, was too stunned to even blush; I just had my mouth wide open.  Pinkie Pie, for some reason, began to bounce around the room in excitement.  Twilight was the first to break the silence.
“RAINBOW DASH!”
“What? This is revenge for not letting me use my wings for the entire night.”
“Still, with Fluttershy, of all ponies.  Why her?”
“Well, she did say she likes him, so why not?”
“She said, she ‘thinks’ that she loves him, that doesn’t mean that she is certain!”
“I-it’s ok, Twilight, I-I’ll do it.”
“See, even Fluttershy doesn’t want to...do…wait, what?”
As that comment came out of Fluttershy, everypony turned to look at her.  Even Pinkie Pie stopped her bouncing to look at Fluttershy.  She was still blushing like mad, but I could sense a determined look coming off of her.  She gave me a quick glance and with a soft “squeak!” turned her head away.
I decided to get straight to the point.  I gently cupped her chin in my hand and slowly turned it towards me.  Her beautiful eyes sparkled with nervousness and excitement.
“A-are you sure you want to do this?” I asked her.  I wanted to be sure that she would be completely all right with us doing this.  She gave a slow nod before she spoke.
“Yes, I’m more then sure, Drak.  This will help me figure out my feelings for you.  S-so, you ready?” she asked, nervously.  I nodded, just as nervous as she was.
Slowly, we brought our faces together.  Our lips getting closer inch by inch, painstakingly slow, getting ever so closer to they’re goals.  Finally, after what seemed like ages, our lips met.
To describe the feeling is like describing heaven; so amazingly good that there are almost no words to say that would suit the moment.  Needless to say, when our lips met, I indeed felt something that could only be described as fireworks going off in my mind (or it could have been Pinkie Pie, it was hard to tell).  Our lips flowed together like water on sand, a continuous motion that was not the same twice, and it was a motion that I could not get enough of as we deepened the kiss.  Our eyes were sealed shut as we continued our make out session.  She surprised me by sliding her tongue against my lips.  I instinctively knew what she wanted and immediately opened my mouth, letting her tongue enter.  As soon as Fluttershy made contact with my tongue, it instantly slid onto her tongue, each muscle massaging the other.  I could hear her moaning slightly into my mouth as her tongue flowed into my mouth, brushing against my teeth.  I let her continue this for a few more seconds before I pushed our tongues back into her mouth and I began to do the same thing to her teeth.  I rubbed my tongue against her palate, making her shiver in delight, or so I hopped.  The feeling of us kissing was so remarkable, that I never wanted it to stop.
After a while, though, we had to break apart due to a lack of oxygen in either of our lungs.  As we broke apart, saliva strands attached to our mouths were slowly broken apart as we separated.  Slowly, we opened our eyes, and as soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew at that instant she felt the same sort of fireworks that I have felt.  As we stared into each other’s eyes, we said one word, one word that described the whole thing perfectly.
“Wow.”
Suddenly, Fluttershy hugs me tightly, nuzzling her head against my head, and whispers in my ear, “thank you.”  I slowly rub her back, being careful of her wings.  Finally, after a few tense moments, I ask the question on all of our minds.
“So, do you love me?”
Slowly, she nods, still hugging me, and says, “I’m certain of it now.  I do love you Drakalian.”
I smiled.  “Good.” I said.  “Because I think I have fallen for you as well.”
As I said this, Fluttershy leaned out of our embrace for a moment, and looked deep into my eyes.  I did the same to her, feeling happier then I could ever remember being.  After a few moments of staring deep into the other’s soul, she asked, “C-can I have a-another, please?  I-if that’s all right with you?”
I just nodded and brought her head in to kiss her once more.  Once again, our tongues intertwined to our feelings, flowing into one another’s mouths.  A few seconds later, however, we were interrupted by the sound of somepony clearing their throat.  It was at that point that we remembered that we weren’t alone.
We suddenly broke our kiss and looked at the other mares sheepishly, smug looks on all of their faces.  The biggest one of all was the one on Dash, who had a look that could only be seen as somepony saying ‘told you so’.
“Uh, h-how long were we k-kissing?” I asked, another blush starting to form on my face again.
“About three minutes instead of the thirty seconds that I gave you.” Said Dash, the smug look still on her face.  “Hey, Twilight?”
“Yes, Dash.” Twilight sighed.
“Told yah so.”
“You sure did, Dashie!” Said Pinkie, giggling.
I then realized that AJ was the only one not looking at us; rather, she was looking down at the floor.  I decided to confront her now to see what is wrong with her.  I released Fluttershy from our hug (much to the yellow pony’s displeasure) and laid a hand on AJ’s shoulder.  She looked up a little and that was when I notice that she was crying.  But instead of looking at my eyes like all of the others, she quickly turned her head back towards the ground again.
“AJ, what’s wrong?  Why are you crying?”  She looked up a little and sniffed.  “N-no reason.” She said.  Even I could tell, however, that she was lying.
“AJ, you’re lying and you know it, so how about you tell us what is really on your mind.” I said, in a stern but still gentle voice.  At this point even Pinkie was starting to look a little worried.  AJ was quiet for a few moments before she spoke up.
“A-ah just…it’s just that…ah wanted to be your first kiss…”
I was shocked, once again, in revelation to this news.  “AJ, do you…love me too?” I asked her.  She was quiet for a few moments, and then, slowly, she nodded.
Not only did I get one mare to fall for me, but I also got two mares to fall for me.  This has never happened to me before, and I didn’t know if I should be feeling like the luckiest man alive or the unluckiest man alive.  At the moment however, I still felt the need to comfort her, so comfort her I tried.
“AJ, I’m sure that there is another colt out there waiting for you.  You just got to be patient.”  For some reason, this just made her cry some more.  Before I could say anything else, however, Fluttershy spoke.
“W-why is that, Drak?  She’s m-more then w-welcome to join us I-if she wants to.”
“Eh?” I said, confused.  “But I’m already going to be dating you, so…” At this point, Twilight decided to step in.
“Oh, that reminds me!  What are relationships like back were you come from?”
I looked at her with a questioning look.  “What do you mean?”
“I mean, are they monogamy or are they polygamy relationships?”
“Oh, w-well it is usually a monogamy, once we find someone, or somepony in your case, we stick with them and no one else.  There are a few cases that people have been in a polygamy relation, though.  Why do you…oh…you mean that…?”
“Well, I can see why you would be confused right now.  We ponies are usually a polygamy relation, due to the fact that we have a higher mare to colt ratio in our world, about a 70% difference, I would guess.”
As soon as she said that, it all clicked in my head.  “S-so what you are saying is that…”
“You can date both AJ and Fluttershy, it is totally acceptable here.”  As soon as those words left her mouth, I knew the mistake I made.  I quickly turned my head back to AJ again, who has put her head back down, facing the floor, a small puddle forming below her face.
“AJ, I’m so sorry for saying what I said before, can you forgive me?” There was silence at first, no one daring to say anything, until AJ spoke up.
“O-of course ah forgive you, sugarcube.  Ah should have known that it would have been different where you were from, so you wouldn’t have known how it worked here.”  She said, wiping her tears away.  Once she was done talking, an idea popped into my head.  I looked back towards Fluttershy, who looked at me at the same time.  No words were said, but we both knew, somehow, exactly what the other was thinking.  And, to my slight surprise, she nodded her approval.  I turned to look back at AJ again and spoke.
“AJ, would you like to join our…uh…what’s it called Twi?” I asked the purple unicorn.
“They’re called herds.” She answered, smiling, knowing where this was heading.  I nodded my thanks to her, and then continued my question towards AJ.
“Would you like to join our herd, AJ?” I asked her.  Instantly, she lifted her head up, her dried tears staining her cheeks and hope radiating from her face.
“Do…do you really m-mean it?” I smiled at her.
“Of course I do, sugarcube.” I said, using her own word for her friends to her.  As soon as I said that, she lunged at me, our lips colliding with one another.  Once again, I found myself making out with another pony (I could care less at this point, however).  And, even more remarkable, I felt the same sort of fireworks that I did when I was kissing Fluttershy.  AJ quickly took advantage of my shock to make things more intimate, and quickly slid her tongue into my mouth.  Our tongues clashed with each other, a bit more rough then the one with Fluttershy’s, but still just as enjoyable.  She quickly dominated me, obviously she has had more practice with kissing then me or Fluttershy did, but that just made it all the more enjoyable.  She moaned as we deepened the kiss, the same moan that she did the dare with, which just made the heat rise more as the seconds passed.  Eventually, we had to break for air, gasping as our lips separated.
Realizing that Fluttershy was still here, I glanced in her direction, and thankfully, she was just as happy as the rest of the girls around us.  ‘Well, I guess I’m the only one that needs to get used to this’ I thought to myself.  However, if I was going to date two mares, then I will get used to it, for their sakes.
I looked into AJ’s eyes to see if she felt the same thing that Fluttershy and I did, and surprisingly, I could tell that she did.  After a few moments of catching our breath, she hugged me tighter, making our foreheads touch, still staring into each other’s eyes.
“Thank you for letting me into your herd, Drak.  Ah promise that ah will be a good herd mate for you and Fluttershy.” said AJ, the honesty radiating from her very being.  I just nodded slightly, our foreheads still touching, and said, “I promise that I will be the best to both you and Fluttershy, AJ.  And that is a promise that I will keep.”
“Yay!  That means I get to make another party for Drakalian!” said Pinkie excitedly.  “It will be ‘Congratulations on Starting a Herd’ party!”
“Well girls, today has been a long day.” Said Rarity, yawning.  “I think that it is time for us to turn in for the night.”
“I agree, just don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do, you three!” Said Pinkie in a singsong kind of voice, making AJ, Fluttershy, and me blush.  We all got up and got to our sleeping bags, and got ready for the night.  As soon as I was lying down, both AJ and Fluttershy snuggled up to me and grabbed an arm in each hoof, placing their heads on me.  Fluttershy placed her head onto my chest, while AJ placed her head onto my good shoulder.  I gave a quick kiss to both of their foreheads and said, “Goodnight girls.”
“Goodnight, Drakalian.” Said the rest of the girls, all in their sleeping bags.  Then, quietly, I said to my two new herd mates, “I love you two.”
“We love you, too, Drakalian.” They whispered back.  As we snuggled closer to each other, we all slowly drifted off to sleep.

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8

I woke up with sunlight streaming onto my face.  I groaned silently as I tried to get up, but was pinned down by something, or rather, someponies.  I looked at my sides and saw that both AJ and Fluttershy were still snuggled up to me as tight as they were last night.  The memories of last night hit me like a truck, but I didn’t regret a single thing that I did.  Instead of trying to wake up the girls, I decided to snuggle closer to them and relax as the sun began its journey across the sky.  After a few more minutes, both AJ and Fluttershy woke up, and upon seeing me, nuzzled me closer.
“Morning, Drak.” Said Fluttershy, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Morning, sugarcube.” Said AJ, giving me an equally affectionate kiss as well.  They both stared at me while I stared back at them, our love flowing through each other with beauty and grace.
“Morning, girls.” I said, a smile on my face.  “So, any plans for today?”
“Well, ah gotta go and help Big Mac on the farm.  Need to make sure that everything is still in order for apple bucking season.” Said AJ as she got up and slowly stretched out her muscles.
“W-well, I have to go feed the animals soon, but first I n-need to take care of you, um, if that’s all right?” Said Fluttershy, blushing slightly.
I smiled and nodded.  “Of course it is, but what do you need to do with me?” I asked, curious.  The yellow mare pointed at my bandages as she got up as well, and said, “W-well, I need to help you change your bandages, and I also need to help…you…wash…up…” She said, getting quieter as she continued to talk.  I blushed when she said that she needed to wash me, and quickly tried to reassure her that I could do it by myself.  She gave me a questionable look, so I tried to prove it by lifting my arm up above my head.  Bad choice on my part, as I couldn’t even get it past my shoulders due to the pain making it too difficult for me.
“All right, I guess you got me.  So, you, uh, want to do this now?”
“Fluttershy blushed as she nodded.  ”Um, y-yes, now w-would be as g-good a time a-as any.”
I got up and began to follow her as she led me towards the bathroom.  AJ stopped us first before we could leave the room, and spoke to me in a whisper to avoid waking up the other mares.
“Ah shouldn’t have much to do at the farm, partner, what with it being winter and all, so when you’re done at Rarity’s boutique, just come on over, an’ ah’ll show you to my family, ok?” she said.  I nodded, happy to be able to meet her family.  With the planning done, Fluttershy and I silently went up to the bathroom to get my bandages changed and to get myself cleaned up.
As we exited the bedroom that we were all sleeping in, I was able to get my first real look at the insides of the library.  The only thing that I could say was that there were books, lots and lots of books.  Not only that but scrolls and letters as well, and a lot of ‘how to’ books as well.  I stared in awe at the sight of all the possible new reading that I could do.  Fluttershy saw this and giggled at my expression, before gently tugging on my hand to get my attention.
“If you want to, you can ask Twilight to borrow a book or two at a later date.” She said.  I nodded in agreement to her suggestion.
“I think I will do that when I find the time to read again.” I said, smiling at the prospect of reading again.  Fluttershy then led me back upstairs towards the bathroom.
As we got in, I checked to see how the bathroom was.  The bathtub, while a bit small, was still a reasonable size.  I placed my newly acquired hat onto the counter, and I was beginning to take my shorts off, when I realized that Fluttershy was still in the room.
“Uh, Shy.” I said.  “Can you, perhaps, turn around for a second, please?  I need to undress.”
She looked at me with a curious look on her face.  “Why is that?  You don’t have anything to hide under your clothing, d-do you?”
I then realized that they probably only wore clothing purely as an accessory and not as a necessary.  “W-well, we humans don’t have the luxury of a fur coat, as you can tell, only some small patches of hair on our head and…other places.”
“But that doesn’t seem like a good reason to wear clothes all the time.”
“Well, the other, more important reason, is that it’s considered indecent to walk in the ‘nude’ as it were, because…well…are ‘parts’ are always exposed.” I said, getting progressively quieter as I spoke.
Thankfully, Fluttershy realized what I was trying to talk about, and blushed as she heard those words.  “S-so, y-you mean t-that…”
“That we guys don’t have a sheath for our manhood’s?  Well, yea, that’s pretty much it.”
We were silent for a good minute or two before either one of us would speak to the other.  “W-well, I-I’ll wait outside, j-just let m-me know w-w-when you’re in t-the tub, ok?” she said, the blush still on her face.  I nodded, too embarrassed to say anything.  She walked out of the room and as soon as she closed the door, I began to run the water.  Once the water was at a comfortable temperature, I quickly stripped out of my clothes and got in.
“Ok, Shy, I’m in the tub, you can come in now.” I said.  The door opened and Fluttershy walked back into the room, the blush still evident on her face.
“Ok, l-let’s just take the old bandages off and start washing you up.” She said, still embarrassed from before.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable back then, it’s just that I-” I began to say to try and comfort her, but she quickly put a hoof to my mouth.
“It’s fine, Drak, I’m g-glad you told me about that.  Now, be quiet and hold still for me please.” She said, somehow managing to get a small smile to appear on her face.  I smiled in return, happy that she was feeling better from the conversation from earlier, and held still as she began to unwind the old bandages from me.  After a few minutes, she was able to get all of the old bandages off of me.  Fluttershy then began to lather me up in the body soap, rubbing it into my skin.  I had to admit, getting treatment like this was incredible, and I just relaxed as she continued to rub and rinse my body.  As she worked, she got lower and lower on me, from my chest and back to my stomach.  Her ministrations, to say the least, were having an arousing effect on my body.  After a few more minutes of her heavenly touch, I felt her suddenly stop.
My eyes were closed the whole time she was washing me, and once I felt her stop, I opened my eyes to see what happened to make her stop.  “Shy, you ok…” I became quiet as I realized that she was staring at my head, but not the one on my shoulders.
During her washing, I got excited enough for my manhood to get hard.  It stood at about 6 inches in length, which to me was about average, since I was not one of those guys who bragged about the size of their cock anyways (I could never understand those people either).  Fluttershy however, just stood there, staring at my erection, her hoof only a few inches away from it.
“It…it’s so big!” She said in a quiet tone.  I raised an eyebrow at this.  Apparently, I was of a good size.  Rather then question my good fortune; I decided to snap her out of her trance.
“H-hey Flutters.” I said, getting her attention off of my cock and back to my face.  “Y-you don’t have to wash that, you know.  I-I can do that part m-myself.”
She blinked.  “B-but are you-” this time, it was me who put a hand to her mouth to get her attention again.
“Really, it’s fine.  I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable doing with yet, ok?”  She looked back down at my erect cock and slowly rubbed her hoof around it, making my cock twitch slightly.
“I-I know that I don’t have to, Drak, but…I…I really want to though.” She said, in a whisper that I almost couldn’t hear, a sad look in her eyes.  My eyes widened in surprise, and a little excitement, as to were this might be leading, but…
‘No, no we are not going to do that yet.  I know that I’m ready when it does happen, but is she?’  “Fluttershy, listen.  If y-you really want to, then…well…you…y-you may, j-just don’t push yourself, ok?” I said.  As I spoke, I lifted my hand and stroked her mane, making her give a pleasant hum.
Fluttershy looked back at me and smiled, and then she brought herself closer to my face.  I knew instantly what she wanted and brought my face forward to meet her halfway, our lips touching in the middle.  As we kissed, I looked into her eyes again, and saw a look of determination, a little excitement and some nervousness before she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of our kissing.  I immediately knew that she did want to do this, maybe not all the way, but she still wanted to go through with what she had planned for me, anyways, so I just closed my eyes, and relaxed into the kiss as well.  As we kissed, I could feel her hoof travel closer to its goal, and soon, it brushed against my manhood again.
I gave a small gasp as we kissed when she touched me there.  She brought her hoof to the underside of my shaft, and slowly began to rub it up and down the length.  Our kiss deepened as she continued to stroke my member slightly faster, our tongues clashing with each other.  Finally, we had to break apart for some air, gasping as we stopped the make out session.  Fluttershy didn’t once slow down her rubbing on me, rather putting more pressure on me instead, making me groan in pleasure.  Suddenly she stopped, and when I opened my eyes to see why, I saw her slowly getting into the tub with me.  At this point, the water was basically a puddle now, only an inch deep.  Fluttershy got comfortable sitting between my legs, and then brought both of her hooves onto either side of my member, and began to jerk on it at a faster and harder pace then before, causing me to moan at the feeling.  As she stoked on my erection, she bought her mouth closer to it, and then stuck her tongue out and gave the tip a lick.  An electric pulse of pleasure shot right through me and to my brain, making me gasp suddenly.  She looked up with a worried expression on her face, thinking that she just hurt me.  Before she could say anything, though, I stopped her by stroking her mane with my hand saying, “C-can you d-do that again, please?”
Realizing that she did something good, she attempted at giving a seductive look, like the one AJ gave me from before, and while not as impressive as AJ’s, it was still enough for me, making me smile at her.  She slowly lowered her mouth to my cock again, and began to lick it once more; all the while she continued to give me a (Hoof job) ‘That’s a new one’.  I moaned in pleasure as she licked the tip and jerked the length, in a feeling of complete bliss.  After a minute of this, she brought her mouth closer and began to kiss my member like she was kissing my lips from before.  The feeling was incredible, and it only got more so when she stuck the head of it into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it like a lollipop.  Slowly, she brought more of my length into her mouth, using her tongue on the underside of the shaft, and she soon began to bob her head up and down on it.  I moaned louder, encouraging her to continue as I stroked her mane some more, and she began to suck on it, creating more pressure and more pleasure.  As she bobbed her head and sucked on it, she would take more of it into her mouth, till I could practically feel the tip hitting the back of her throat.  The first time Fluttershy did this, I heard her gag a little, and it got me worried about her, but before I could do anything, she did it again, this time with more force.  All I could do was sit there and groan at the treatment that she was giving me.  She kept on deep throating me, going just a little faster, and adding a lot more force to her sucking, the walls of her throat constricting my member every time she took it in.  I could feel the pressure building up in my nether regions, and I knew that I was going to blow soon.  Before I could say anything, though, she looked at me, her big, beautiful baby blue eyes looking right back into mine with nothing but love and affection in them.  Once she did that, I couldn’t hold the pleasure off any longer, and I finally let go into her mouth.
I thrust my rod deep into her, making her go wide-eyed in shock, spurting my seed into her throat.  She was surprised, to say the least, but then her eyes closed slightly as she drank my cum, seeming to enjoy the taste of it.  Fluttershy kept my length in her mouth the whole time that I was spurting my seed out, just drinking every single drop.  Finally, after thirteen seconds of spurts, she slowly took my member out of her mouth, and with a loud ‘pop’ it came out.  She looked at me with one of satisfaction.
“So, w-was it g-g-good?’ She asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.  I just smiled at her and brought her towards me into a hug.  She embraced me as soon as our bodies connected.
“It was the most pleasuring experience that I have had so far in my entire life.” I whispered into her ear.  We just sat there in the tub hugging each other for what felt like an eternity, me in the afterglow, and her just simply happy that she made me feel so good.  It was at this point, that life decided that we had enough time and needed to get back into reality.
There was a loud knocking on the door, which startled both Fluttershy and I.  “Yo!  Flutters, Drak, you in there?” It was Dash.  At this point, I knew that we were screwed, so I decided to just come out clean (no pun intended).
“Uh, y-yes, we are in here, Fluttershy was just helping me change my bandages and, uh clean up, is all.” I said.  I heard Rainbow chuckle slightly and said, “Well, when you two are done ‘cleaning up’ how about you two come on down stairs, Twi has breakfast made for us.  Pinkie even brought us some muffins as well.”  I then heard hoof steps as Dash went to go and have her breakfast.  I looked at Fluttershy, worried since we were pretty much caught in the middle of an intimate moment, and her face was just as red as mine.  We looked into each other for a few seconds before I attempted to break the silence.
I gave off a small chuckle of relief.  “W-well, I guess we both need to clean up now, huh?” I said, trying to get her to be a little more comfortable.  Still blushing she nodded and, without another word, we began to wash each other up.  Once that was done, I sat on the stool naked (In light of what just happened, I couldn’t have cared less) as she began to bandage me up again.  Once she was done, I quickly put on my boxers and shorts back on, and then placed my hat on my head.  Once finished, we both left the bathroom and began to descend the stairs to get us some food.
Downstairs, Twilight was currently placing the food onto the table.  The only other ponies that were here were Rainbow Dash and Pinkie.  As Fluttershy and I walked down the stairs, Dash looked at us and gave us a sly look.
“So, did Fluttershy ‘clean’ you well?” She said, a smug look on her face.  We just both blushed at the question, still too embarrassed to say anything.
“I thought I told you two to not do anything that I wouldn’t do!” Exclaimed Pinkie.
Dash looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  “And you wouldn’t have done that?” she asked.  Pinkie was quiet for a moment, and then she shrugged, giggling.
“Good point, Dashie!” She said, still giggling.  I was staying quiet the whole time, trying to calm myself down, when Twilight decided to step in.
“Well, regardless of what happened.” She said, glaring at Dash, who looked at her sheepishly.  “I need to ask you something.”
I nodded, giving her the go ahead.  “Well, what do humans eat?”
I froze, realizing that these ponies would be herbivores, and that the concept of eating meat would not only be alien to them, but also possible monstrous.  I looked down at the ground, trying to say something without hurting their feelings, when Fluttershy noticed my nervousness.
“Drak, what’s wrong?” she asked, once again trying to comfort me.  I looked at her and tried to smile, but it was hard cause I didn’t want to scare them, especially Fluttershy.
“W-well, I do eat m-most of the things t-that you girls w-would eat, but…” I said, and then quieted down, unable to finish the sentence.
“What, it’s not like you eat meat or anything!” Said Dash, laughing at her joke.  After a few seconds, she noticed that I wasn’t laughing with her, and then she suddenly had a look of worry on her face “…do you?”
I was quiet for a few more seconds, and then, finally, I nodded, saying, “We’re omnivores, so we eat both plants…and…m-m-meat.”
Everypony in the room was shocked, surprised of what my diet consisted of.  Fluttershy was the worst; her mouth was open in shock from my revelation.  I sighed and just sat down were I was standing, once again trying to hold my tears back in.
‘Great, now they’re all going to hate me.’ I thought, lowering my head into my arms and closing my eyes.  Nothing happened for a couple of seconds, and then suddenly I felt somepony put a hoof on my good shoulder.  I looked up, expecting Fluttershy, or even Twilight, but was surprised to see that it was Rainbow Dash of all ponies.
She looked at me with concern in her eyes.  “Hey, man.  We aren’t going to hate you or anything for what you have to eat.”  This caused the other girls to nod in agreement.  I sniffed, trying to hold my tears back, and looked around the room.  Eventually, I looked at Fluttershy, her eyes were still full of worry, but of what I couldn’t say.
“D-do you hate m-me, Fluttershy?” I asked.  As soon as I did, she just walked up to me and gave me a kiss in the lips.
“I could never hate you Drakalian, I have taken care of animals that could only eat meat before, so I guess I can kind of understand it.” She said, smiling.  Her smile, as well as her kiss, quickly swept away all of the bad feelings that I had, and instantly made me feel better.  I quickly embraced Fluttershy, who was surprised for a second, before hugging me back.
“T-thank you, Fluttershy, that made me feel a lot better.” I whispered into her ear.  She just nodded and hugged me tighter, not wanting to let me go.
“Well, I’m glad that you told us this, but just know that we are strictly a herbivore race, so that means no meat for you, ok.” Said, Twilight, glad that I was feeling better again.
I nodded.  “Honestly, I’m ok with this, since I do recall that I didn’t eat much meat in the first place, never really acquired the taste I guess.” I said, making us all chuckle.  We all sat down and began to eat the meal that Twilight made for us, which consisted of hay fries, toast, and eggs (I was going to question why they ate eggs, but then realized that they needed to put something into their pastry dishes).  We also had the muffins that Pinkie brought for us as well, though I decided to save mine for later.
As we finished eating, we heard a knock on the door.  Twilight was up immediately and heading to let who ever it was in.  “Oh!  I think Spike is back!”  I was about to ask who he was, remembering that she mentioned him being on some sort of royal trip. She opened the door, and in walked the most fascinating thing that I have ever seen.
It was a little baby (I’m assuming that it’s a baby) dragon; he was purple with a yellow underbelly and green spikes.  He wasn’t that large, either; rather he was about two and a half feet tall.
The dragon, which I assume is Spike, walked in carrying a lot of books, talking to Twilight, not having noticed me yet.  “…So then, Princess Celestia said that she wanted us to find out what it was that could have caused that power surge, and to tell her what we find right away.” He was saying to Twilight, who was walking next to him.
“Well, I think I have a hunch on who might have caused that.” She said.  Spike gave her a confused look, so Twilight just gestured to me, and when Spike turned around and saw me, his eyes went wide with fear.
“Uh, Twilight, w-w-why is there some sort of hairless ape in the library?” He asked.  I chuckled at the comment, not one to be so easily insulted when I’m in a good mood like the one that I was in now, and went up to meet the dragon.
“Spike, this is Drakalian, he’s a human that we just found yesterday, and he saved Trixie from a Manticore.  Drak, this is my number one assistant, Spike, the baby dragon that I hatched myself.” Said Twilight, introducing each of us to the other.  I crouched down to his level and held my hand out in a friendly gesture.
“Hi Spike, glad to meet you.” I said in a happy tone.  Spike looked warily at me for a few seconds before extending his claw out to shake my hand.  Once that was done, I got up and said, “Well, I’m going to go to Rarity’s shop, so I can get my clothes, and then its off to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack said that she wanted me to go there and meet the family.”
“Hey, can I join you?  Um, if that’s ok with you, that is?” Asked Fluttershy, a blush forming after she asked her question.  I just smiled at her and nodded
“Of course, Shy, I would love you to come with me.  Besides, I need a guide to get me to these places.  Also” I said in a quieter tone, “I still don’t feel quite comfortable with all of the ponies yet.”
Fluttershy just smiled, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.  “Don’t worry, Drak, I’ll always be here when you need me.”  She said, which made me smile, and which made Spike blink in confusion.  I was able to get my staff before we left, but l left my sais on the counter, and as we left the door, I could hear Spike talking with the other ponies that were still inside the library.
“Ok?  So…what the heck did I miss?”

> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9

Fluttershy and I began to walk to Rarity’s store (or boutique, as Fluttershy told me what it was) and along the way I was still getting some stares from the other ponies in town.  Thankfully, though, I was able to use my hat to get rid of most of the uncomfortable feelings of being watched.  The rest of the anxious feelings were vanquished thanks to Fluttershy, just by her being there made everything feel better.  One thing that I did find odd, however, was the fact that some of the mares in the village were talking about me, and how I got two of the most well known ponies to go out with me.
“I must say, that human must be such a gentlecolt if he was able to get such a gentle pony like Fluttershy to go out with him.”
“I agree!  And to get Applejack as well must not have been an easy task.” (I gave myself a quiet chuckle upon hearing this.)
“Indeed!  They also say that he is quiet the cutie as well!” (That specific comment made me blush.)
“He must be a noble soul as well, did you hear that he beat a Manticore off by just looking at it!  And it was all just to save that poor mare Trixie!”
“Pah!  I still don’t understand why he saved that mare of all ponies, especially with what she has done to us before.”
“Which, in my opinion, just makes him all the more nobler.”
“What’s the matter, Derpy?  You too stupid to even say anything else now?”
“Oh I hope th-”
At this point, I just stopped listening to the idle conversation, and began to listen who the poor soul was that was getting picked on.
“J-just leave me alone, you meanie!”
“And why should ‘eye’, you don’t have anything better to do, you walled-eyed freak!”
At this point, I had enough with the bully’s, well, bullying, so I decided to step in for once and see what the fuss was about.  Once I found the source of the location, which was right next to some sort of fancy building, I was able to see the culprit.
It was an Earth pony (Twilight was able to tell me a bit about the ponies of Equestria and what their abilities were during breakfast) with a long green mane and tail and a brown coat.  Its cutie mark was a pair of orange hooves pounding each other in what seemed like a bro-hoof of some sorts.  He seemed to be a pretty large fellow, but not the guy who took a chance, at least I assumed by what he chose as his victim.  The victim was a gray Pegasus mare, with blonde mane and tail, and white bubbles as her cutie mark.  She had a mailbag on her and it looked to be empty.  The most fascinating thing about her though, was her eyes.  The right one was normal, but the left one looked up towards the sky.  Both of her eyes were filled with tears.  Inside those eyes was a familiar feeling that I have come to hate.  It was not fear, anger, or even hatred.
It was hopelessness, the worst feeling that I could ever think of.
I decided that enough was enough and stepped in to help the gray mare.  “Hey!  How about you pick on someone your own size?”
“Someone?  What the buck is some-” he said, turning to face me.  He suddenly stopped what he was saying as soon as he saw me, his mouth hanging in horror.  I was curious as to why he was so scared of me, and then I remembered hearing the gossip about me beating the Manticore, so I decided to take advantage of it, just this one time.
“You recognize me?” I asked.  The Earth pony nodded, his mouth still gapping in terror.  “Then you know what I can do to you if you continue this charade?” I said, beginning to give him the evil eye.  He nodded again.  “So, I kindly suggest that you apologize and leave right now, before you make things even worse.”
He was quiet for a few moments, before turning around saying, “I’m sorry Derpy.” to the gray mare.  However this seemed to upset the Pegasus even further, so right as he was turning around to leave, I took my Bo staff, and pinned his tail to the ground.  This caused him to fall flat on his flank, with a large “OOF!” as he hit the ground.  He turned to look at me, with fear and confusion in his eyes.
“W-w-what, I apologized, now let me go!”  Instead of listening to him, however, I turned to the gray mare and said, “What’s your name, miss?”
She looked at me in confusion, and eventually said, in a shivering voice, “D-Ditzy…”
I looked back at the bully, and this time said, “Now, apologize correctly, or else you will be one tail shorter.”
“Ok, ok, ok, I’m sorry Ditzy, now please, let me go!  I don’t want to lose my tail!” he said, his voice in a panic.  I looked at him slowly, then, leaned down to whisper in his ear, “If I ever see you bullying anypony else around here, you will regret ever meeting me. Do. You.  Understand?”
The bully just nodded, and as soon as I lifted my staff off of his tail, he ran away as fast as his hooves could take him.  I nodded in satisfaction, and then went to put my attention to the poor gray mare named Ditzy.  She backed up in slight fear as I approached her, and then I carefully sat down next to her.
“So, your name is Ditzy?” I asked her.  She nodded, saying, “Yes, sir, Ditzy Doo”
“Well, are you ok Miss Ditzy?  He didn’t hurt you now, did he?”
She looked at me, then towards the ground.  “N-no, he didn’t.”
I was surprised that she said that, considering her eyes.  “Are you sure miss?”
Ditzy gave off a small sigh before continuing.  “It’s my eyes isn’t it?” she asked, to which I nodded.  “No, he didn’t do this to me, I…I was born like this.  And…and it’s these…stupid, ugly eyes that caused me lose my one and only job today!” she said, practically shouting the words at the end.  Once she said that, she started to cry.  Now, I just couldn’t bear to have none of this, so I decided to help comfort her some more; by embracing her into a hug and holding her as she cried into my bare chest.
She soon embraced me and began to bawl her eyes out.  From the looks of things, she has never had anypony hold her like this before, with the exception of her parents I’m assuming, but even so, she cried like there was no tomorrow.  As she cried, I noticed that we had appeared to have drawn a crowd, however, with the current situation that I was in, I decided to ignore the growing numbers and instead work on making this poor soul feel better.  I did recognize some of the ponies that were here, like a mint green unicorn from the party, a gray earth pony with a pink bowtie, a blue pony with a pink mane and tail, and Rarity, who was standing outside of the fancy shop doors alongside Fluttershy.
‘That must be her boutique.’ I thought to myself, still holding the sobbing mare.  After about five minutes of this, she calmed down enough for me to talk to.
“Hey, Ditzy, I’m sorry for what that jerk put you through, truly I am.” I said, getting her to look up at me slightly.  It was at this point that I was able to get a good look at her eyes.  They were breathtaking; her eyes were such a vivid shine of gold on them it literally made my heart melt by how beautiful they were.  “And if there is one thing that he got wrong. It was your eyes.  Those eyes of yours are like that of an angel.”
At this she blushed, a confused look on her face.  “Y-you really think that m-my eyes are beautiful?”
I smiled and nodded.  “Of course I do!  They are some of the most beautiful eyes that I have ever seen.”  This made her blush even more.
“C-can I ask what your name is, please?” she said in a pleading tone. I was about to speak when Rarity and Fluttershy stepped towards us.
“By Celestia, dear, that was truly such a heart warming experience!  It seemed like it was out of a romance novel, what with the knight in shining armor galloping in to save the damsel in distress from the treachery of a horrible monster!” Exclaimed Rarity, seeming to be bursting with excitement from what she just saw.  I blushed a bit at this, and then I listened to what Fluttershy had to say.
“Drakalian, that was one of the bravest things that I have seen you do since you got here, and I’m glad to be in your herd.” Fluttershy said, smiling as well, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, which made me blush even more.
Ditzy was listening as we spoke, and then finally decided to speak up herself.  “Wait, so are the stories true, then, you are a human, and that you defeated a Manticore?” she asked.  I smiled and nodded.  “Yes, they are true, if somewhat exaggerated.” I said, happy that she seemed to be getting better.
Then Fluttershy remembered something that Ditzy told me earlier.  “Wait, Ditzy, d-did you say that you lost your job?”
New waves of tears threaten to overcome Ditzy as she spoke about what happened.  Apparently, she used to be the mailmare in Ponyville.  However, due to some financial troubles that they are having, she was ‘cut loose’ as it were, and pretty much thrown to the curb.  After hearing her story, I was beginning to feel the need to cry too; instead I just hugged her tighter to help her feel more comfortable.  I then remembered that I still had my appointment with Rarity, but I didn’t want to leave Ditzy alone at the moment.
“Hey, Ditzy.  You want to come into the store with me?  I need to get some clothing from Rarity, and I think you could use some company right now.”  Ditzy gave a cute sniffle, and then nodded.  For some reason, I decided to pick her up in my arms and carry her into the store, which caused her to blush even more.  So, with Ditzy in hand, Rarity, Fluttershy, and I walked into Rarity’s store of fashion.
Once we got inside, Rarity said, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique!”  It was a pretty interesting store, to say the least.  I wasn’t able to recall if I was into fashion, but I did remember watching some shows about it.  The things that really captivated me were the dresses; they looked like they were made for the princesses themselves.  I even said as much to Rarity, which caused her to blush.
“Why, thank you, darling!  It’s so nice to have a colt that understands fashion, even if you aren’t a pony.” She said, which caused me to raise an eyebrow.  Once we got in, I put Ditzy, who was still blushing, on to one of the chairs.  I kneeled next to her so that I could talk to her for a second.
“Hey, Ditzy, I’m going to be right back, ok?  I just need to get my measurements done and then I will be right back here.  You ok with this?” I asked her.  She nodded as her answer, and I left her with Fluttershy, who I knew would help her if anything were to come up.
I walked into the changing room to get out of my shorts and hat.  Once I got back to the measuring area, I could see Rarity already ready with a notepad and some measuring tape.  She glanced at my direction and then gave me a curious look.
“Uh, darling, I don’t mean to sound rude, but you do need to take off all of your clothing.” At this, I mentally face-palmed myself, remembering that these ponies wore clothes for accessory purposes.  So, once again, I had to explain to her why we needed to wear clothing all the time.  Once I finished, she had quiet a large blush on her cheeks.
“W-well, that is indeed, um, interesting, to say the least, b-but I must insist that you take the rest of it off.”  I looked at her with a quizzical look.  “I promise not to stare, dear.”  With a sigh of defeat, I just took my boxers off of me and threw them to the side.  As I presented myself before her, her blush became even deeper.  She was, however, true to her word, and began to measure me without much staring.  Thankfully, it went by fairly quickly, and I was able to put my clothes back on, and I did so as fast, but as polite, as I could.
“Listen, Rarity.  I’m sorry that you had to-” but before I could finish, Rarity placed a hoof to my mouth.
“Listen, dear, it’s perfectly fine to be embarrassed in these sorts of situations.  Why, a few times before when I measured a stallion, they got a little…how should I say this…’excited’ to say the least.” She said.  I just stood there, thinking about what it would be like to suddenly get a hard-on in front of Rarity while she was measuring you, and in all honesty, the thought made me laugh a bit.  As I laughed, so did Rarity, and we were soon smiling, leaving the whole thing behind us.
Once we were done laughing, her horn glowed, and in came my hoodie, fully repaired.  I smiled at the scene and gave a big hug to the fashion unicorn, saying, “Thanks for fixing my hoodie, it truly is my favorite.  Also, if you need anything just ask.”  Rarity blushed as I hugged her, and then she seemed to remember something.
“Oh, I do have one thing that I want to ask you.” She said, I looked at her with a curious look, and than in floated a small electronic device of some sorts.  I took it from the magic field and examined it closely.  “This happened to fall out of one of the pockets that was in your hoodie, and I was wondering if you knew what it is.”
I stared at the device before I could remember what it was.  It was an iPod Touch, not only that, but apparently it had a lot of music on it, and I meant A LOT of music.  The battery symbol was the weirdest thing, though, because for some reason, it said that it was charging, when it wasn’t even plugged in.
‘Hmm, well it could be the magic of this area.  Oh well, makes as much sense to me as everything else I’ve seen.’  I explained to her what it was, and she just nodded, saying, “You should show that to Vinyl and Octavia, they would love to see something like this.”  I nodded and put it away into my right inner pocket of the hoodie, keeping those names in mind for later.  I then placed my hoodie on me, but kept the hood part down so that I could still wear my hat.
Before we left the room, however, I remembered that I told myself to look in a mirror to see how I looked like.  “Hey, Rarity?  I don’t suppose that you have a mirror on you, do you?”
“Why, of course, darling, I never leave home without it.” As she said this, a mirror floated towards me.  I grabbed it out of the magic field and gave myself a once over.  I was a pale fellow, with dirty blonde hair, and average looks (I hope).  When I looked at my eyes, I could see why Fluttershy thought they were beautiful, for they were a deep emerald green color.  My body was of average build; while I didn’t have any abs or anything like that, my arms, shoulders and upper chest area were almost what one would call ‘well toned’.  Glad that I could finally get a good look at myself, I handed Rarity her mirror back and we both left to go back to the waiting room.
As we exited the room and entered the waiting room, I saw that Ditzy was still here, but Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen.  “Hey, Ditzy.  You know where Fluttershy went?” I asked her.  She looked at me and nodded.
“She said something about having to take care of her animals.” Said Ditzy.  “Also, I got to go and pick up my daughter, Dinky, from school right now.”
I looked at the clock and noticed that it was thirty minutes passed two.  I apparently forgot to have lunch, but I didn’t mind it so much, for I wasn’t very hungry at the time.  Rarity did say that she was going to be a while to make my clothing and told me to come back sometime tomorrow, so I had some time to kill.
“Hey, you think that it’s alright if I went along with you?  I don’t really have much else to do until I go over to AJ’s farm” I asked her, which for some reason caused her to blush.
“S-sure, you can join me.  I mean you did just help me out, after all.” She said, saying the last part to herself mostly.
So with that, we both left the boutique, saying good-bye to Rarity as we left.  We were quiet for a few minutes, and then I decided to break the silence with some idle chitchat (Which I was never good at, by the way.).
“So, Ditzy.  What was it like, being the mailmare?” I asked her.  Bad move on my part, for I could begin to see tears forming from her eyes.  I quickly placed an arm around her, which got her to calm down a little.  “Hey, if you don’t want to talk about it…”
“I-it’s fine, I don’t really mind talking to somepony about this.  Really, I don’t.” She said, sniffling quietly.  I didn’t feel convinced by this; however, she insisted that she talk about her previous job anyways.  She then went on to explain how it was to be the mailmare around here, and how she traveled around and met with some great ponies, and unfortunately, some not so great ponies.
“I mean, I know that I crash into a few things every so often, but I always was able get the mail on time.” She said, a new wave of tears began to form.  It was at that moment, however, that a very loud rumble was heard.  It took me a while to process where it came from, but once I figured it out, I smiled at her.
“I think somepony didn’t have breakfast this morning.” I said to a blushing Ditzy, for it indeed was her stomach growling in hunger.  Thankfully, I was still carrying the bag that Pinkie Pie gave to me to hold onto the muffin, so I just handed it to her.  She was confused at first, but when she opened the bag up to see what was inside it, her face instantly lit up like a light bulb.
“F-for me?  B-but what if you get hungry?” I just shook my head, saying, “I’m not going to get hungry anytime soon, so just enjoy it.”
And enjoy it she did, for as soon as I said that, she practically inhaled the muffin in one bite.  Now it was my turn to look stunned at what I just saw.  Ditzy noticed this and giggled at my expression, saying “What?  Muffins are my favorite food.”  After a while, I too began to laugh with her.  Soon, we approach what appeared to be a red schoolhouse.
Upon reaching the building, Ditzy and I sat outside and talked some more to each other.  Soon, the bell rang, and all of the little fillies and colts were running outside to get back to their homes, with four of them running to us.  Before I could say anything, three of them quickly jumped up and tackled me to the ground.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Monster Hunters Go!”
“Yay!  We got it, do you girls got your cutie marks now?”
“I don’t see one, how about you, Sweetie?”
“No, you Scootaloo?”
“Nothing.”
“Aw, but we caught a monster, doesn’t that count for something?”
“Oh yea?” I said, preparing myself.  “If you caught me, then could I do…oh, I don’t know…THIS!”  As soon as I finished talking, I quickly flipped us over, causing them to squeal in surprise.  Eventually, I got them so that I was the one who was on top of them.  Once on top, I was able to get a good look at the so-called ‘monster hunters’.  The first one was a white unicorn filly with a dual pink tail and mane that were a bit curly.  The second one was a yellow Earth pony with a red mane and tail and a pink bow in her mane.  The finally one was an orange Pegasus with an unruly purple mane and tail.  They all looked at me with fear in there eyes.
“W-what are you going to do with us, m-mister monster.” Said the yellow filly with a southern accent like AJ.  I just grinned slyly at them.  “Oh, I’m going to put a curse on you three.”
They all went pale with fear before the white one spoke.  “W-w-what k-kind of curse, mister?”
“The worst kind of curse.” I said, getting into the moment.  I paused for a second for a climatic effect before I spoke again.
“The curse of the Tickle Monster!” And with that, I began to tickle all three of the little fillies, causing them to suddenly laugh and struggle in my grip to try and escape, but to no avail.
“N-n-no, p-p-please, s-stop t-tickling us!  We p-promise to be good l-little fillies, M-mister m-m-monster!” said the orange filly in between spurts of laughter.  I kept on tickling them for a few more seconds before I thought that they had enough, and with that I released them from their ‘curse’.  The stayed on the ground for a while, panting, before they got themselves up, shaking the dirt off of themselves in the process.
“Ha…ha…well, girls, that could have been better then I thought.” Said the yellow filly.  The other two simply nodded too tired to speak.  I smiled at them before I got up and gave off a fancy bow.  “The name of this ‘monster’ girls, is called Drakalian, and he is what you would call a human.”
The three fillies stood there in shock, looking at the living myth in front of them.  Finally, the yellow one spoke.  ”So, you’re the one that’s dating mah sister?” she asked.
“So, Applejack is your sister?” I asked back, to which she nodded.  “Well, in that case, yes I am dating AJ, as well as Fluttershy right now.”
“And you’re the one that beat the Manticore as well, right?” Asked the orange filly.
“Well, more like scared it off, but yes, I did ‘beat’ this Manticore that you do speak of.”
“That’s so cool!“ she exclaimed.  “Oh, by the way, the name is Scootaloo.”
“I’m Sweetie Belle.” Said the white unicorn filly.
“And I’m Applebloom.” Said the yellow country filly.
“And together we’re…” said Scootaloo, as they all bunched up together.
“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” they shouted,
I blinked at the loudness of the voices.  “Well, that’s interesting.  So, what do you girls do, exactly?”
“We do all sorts of things in search of our cutie marks.” Said Applebloom.  I realized then that none of them had a cutie mark.  ‘I guess cutie marks are something that you earn. ’  “So, what are you girls going to do now?”
“Well, I was going to go back to the farm, and Sweetie was going to see if Spike was back from his trip from Canterlot.”
I gave them a questioning look.  “Is he your coltfriend or something?” I said, laughing at my joke.  To my surprise, however, both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom nodded to this.
“Yup!  Me and Applebloom are both dating our little Spikey-Wikey!” said Sweetie, a grin on both her face and the country filly’s face.  I just nodded, deciding to go with it, thinking ‘Hmm, maybe the ponies here mature faster then humans, at least mentally wise.’  Realizing that they were in their own little world at the moment, I decided to go and speak to Ditzy and her daughter.
The fourth mare that was with the CMC was another unicorn, with a pink coat and a blonde mane.  She even had the golden eyes of her mother.  She also lacked a cutie mark.
I saw the little filly hug Ditzy, and I could easily see the resemblance in both of them.  As I got closer, both ponies separated from their hug and turned to face me.
“Hey, Mommy said that you were the one that protected her from that big meanie?  Is that true” She asked.  As soon as I nodded, she quickly jumped onto me and embraced me into a tight hug.  “Thank you for protecting mommy!  There are a lot of big meanies that always make fun of her because of her eyes, and I’m glad that you’re not one of them.”  I was frozen for a second, and then I finally embraced the little filly in a hug.  Once she released me, she went back next to Ditzy’s side, a huge smile on her face.
“T-thanks again for helping me out there, and thanks for the muffin as well.” Said Ditzy, a smile on her face.  I simply shrugged; a little embarrassed at the attention that she was giving me.  I then saw the pink filly, whom I’ve come to the conclusion was Ditzy’s daughter, Dinky, whisper something into her mother’s ear.  Whatever it was, it made her blush, and she seemed to be shaking her head against whatever Dinky was saying to her.  Finally, she sighed, and walked up towards me.  What happened next came as a surprise; she reached up and kissed me on the cheek.
I just stood there, frozen, with Dinky giggling like crazy at the scene.  Ditzy was still blushing like crazy, and she wasn’t the only one blushing this time, either.
“Um, I got to go home, now, so, uh, I’ll…I’ll see you later, I guess?” Ditzy said nervous.  I just nodded nervously, not trusting my own voice.  With a smile and a wave, both Ditzy and Dinky left to go back to where ever it was that they lived at.  I looked back at the CMC, and I noticed that the three fillies were getting ready to leave.  Luckily, I was able to stop Applebloom before she left for the farm.
“Hey, Applebloom.  I was wondering if you could bring me to the farm.  AJ said that she wanted me to come over once I was done with today.”
“Of course, Drak!  Come on, let’s go!” and with that, she began to gallop at full speed towards the farm, and I had to run as fast as possible to keep up.
For a filly, she can run really fast if she wants to.

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10

After what felt like hours, but was more likely a few minutes, we finally made it to Sweet Apple Acres.  There was a nice house and barn, as well as tons and tons of apple trees.  The number of trees boggled my mind, and I could just imagine what it would be like to see all of these trees in full bloom.  As Applebloom and I got to the house door, I was finally able to stop and take a well-needed breather.
“Geez, Mister.  You sure need help with your runnin’.” She said, not even winded in the slightest.
‘Must be her young age.  Oh well, I was never a runner in the first place anyways.’ “Well, I was never into much of the outdoorsy kind of stuff.  The most physical thing that I enjoyed to do with my life was karate.” At this, Applebloom’s eyes went wide-eyed.
“You do karate too, Mister?  Wow!  Rainbow tried to teach me how to do that, but I never really got the hang of it.” Now upon hearing this, my interest peaked.
‘Note to self: ask Rainbow Dash about her knowing karate.’  “Well, that’s interesting.  So, were do you think Applejack would be right-” Before I could say anything else, though, I felt something wet and hard hit me square in the back.  Luckily, it didn’t hit any of my wounds, so it didn’t hurt so much.  I turned around to see who the offender was, and there I saw AJ, along with a big red stallion hiding behind a little snow bank.  The stallion seemed to be calm about the whole thing, while AJ had another snowball in her hoof like the one that she threw at me, a smile on her face.  Both ponies seemed to be wearing a scarf around their necks, most likely to keep them warm.  I smiled, knowing were this was heading, and turned to face Applebloom. ”Hey, Applebloom?”
“Yes, Mister?” she said, a look of excitement on her face.  She seemed to know what was going to happen in a few seconds.
“First off, just call me Drakalian, or Drak.  Second…” I looked back at AJ and the stallion for a second before I shouted the finally part of my sentence.
“BATTLE POSITIONS!”
Immediately, Applebloom and I both launched our selves towards the closest snow bank that we could find, and not a moment too soon, for a hail of snowballs soon were being chucked at us nonstop.  We were able to get a few of our own shots out at them, but we were getting severely bogged down.
“Well, we seemed to be in a little situation here.  So, any plans?” I asked the yellow filly, who was crouching behind the snow bank that we were currently residing in.  She was quiet for a few moments, and then suddenly, her eyes got wide, and I could have sworn I saw a light bulb get turned on over her head.
“Just one, Drak.  An’ we better hope it works.” She said, a nervous but excited look on her face.  She motioned me to bend down a little and when I complied, she whispered her idea into my ear.  Now it was my turn for my eyes to go wide with surprise.
“Are you crazy?” I said to the filly.  She just smiled sheepishly and said, “You got any better ideas?”
Admittedly, I didn’t so I just shrugged and started to make the biggest snowball that I could.
Meanwhile, at the other snow bank, both AJ and the red stallion had ceased fire for a short time.
“Well, brother.  Think that we gave them enough?” asked AJ, looking at the stallion.
“Nope” he said.
“Well, let’s finish them off then.”
Suddenly, a huge snowball came sailing over the snow bank that they were hiding behind, but fortunately for them, it landed right behind them with a wet ‘Plop!’
“Is that ya’ll got, partner?” shouted AJ over the snow bank.  I just grinned there, a large pile of snowballs in my arms.
‘Just wait, AJ, cause we got a surprise for you.’  “Now, AB!”
As soon as I shouted, AJ and the red stallion looked over to were the large snowball had landed.  It shook for a few moments, and then suddenly, out popped Applebloom’s head, along with the rest of her, coming out of the snowball.
“Ambush!” she shouted, taking pieces of the snowball and throwing them at AJ and the stallion, while I came from hiding and began to pelt them with snowball after snowball.  We kept throwing them for a good minute or so until we heard AJ shouting, “Alright, alright, ya’ll win, now cease fire!”
I stopped throwing the snowballs and signaled Applebloom to do the same.  I walked up towards them as soon as the coast was clear of any snowballs.
“Well, it was a valiant effort, but in the end, you just weren’t able to beat the Drakalian Applebloom duo!” I said, Applebloom and I giving each other a high-five.
AJ was quiet for a moment, and then she just burst out laughing.  “Well, ah guess that’s true then, sugarcube.  Also, ah’m glad that you brought AB home for us from school.”
I shrugged, my shoulder not hurting so much as to cause me to wince anymore.  “Hey, it wasn’t a problem; I enjoyed walking her home, though she can run pretty darn fast.” I said.  AJ just laughed at this, and then she gestured towards the big red stallion.
“Drak, this here’s mah brother Big Macintosh, though we call him Big Mac.  Brother, this here’s Drakalian, the human that we met, and also, uh…my new herd mate.” Big Mac put a hoof up, and I took it, giving it a welcome shake.  The whole time, I could see him eyeing me up, seeing what kind of character I was.  This of course just made me a bit nervous, so I tried to start some conversation with him.
“So, Big Mac, is it?”
“Eeyup.”
“Well, you seem to be a pretty nice fellow.”
“Eeyup”
“Don’t say much unless necessary, huh?”
“Eeyup”
I chuckled at this, which caused him to give a small smile as well.  Finally, I asked the question that was on my mind.
“S-so, um…y-you don’t mind it that I’m d-dating your sister now, right?”
He was quiet for a few seconds, and then, he slowly nodded.  “Just make sure tha’ ya’ll treat her with respect, and ah’ll have no quarrels with you, understand.”
“Sir yes sir.” I said, giving him a salute as well.  Big Mac raises his eyebrow at this, and then just snorts with laughter.
“You picked a mighty fine one, sis.  You should be proud.”
“Trust me, ah already am.” Said AJ, who walked up to me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips, to which I responded in kind.
“Well, how about we all go in and eat some dinner, I’m starving.”  I said, taking a step towards the door.  As soon as I placed my leg down though, it gave way under me and I gave a quick cry in pain as I fell.  Luckily, AJ was next to me in a flash, quickly catching me with her back.  As I leaned against her for support, she quickly asked, “Are you ok, sugarcube?”
I looked at her with a small but weak smile.  “I think so, I just rolled my ankle is all.” I told them.  “Well, come on, dinner isn’t going to eat itself.”
And with that, the four of us, with me leaning on AJ for support, headed back towards their house to have an Apple family dinner.




A few hours later, I was in AJ’s room, sitting on her bed, trying to massage my muscle in my ankle, but so far it has been to no avail.  AJ insisted that I go to her room to wait for her while they were cleaning up the kitchen.  I tried to insist that I at least do something, but they were persistent.
I heard hoof steps coming closer to the door, and then the door opened, welcoming AJ into the room.
She placed her hat onto one of the hooks in her room.  “Hey, sugarcube, you all right?” she asked, concern on her face as she watched me try to massage my ankle.
“Kind of.  My ankle is still killing me.  Normally, when I do this for someone-”
“Somepony.” Said Pinkie Pie, from out of nowhere, before disappearing on us.
I blinked, and then, ignoring the strangeness of it, continued with my train of thought.  “O…k…somepony, it’s much easier, then just doing it on yourself.” AJ nodded at this.
“Well, we do have a spa here, so maybe you can go there tomorrow, I know that Rarity and Fluttershy go there once a week, and I think that they will be there tomorrow as well.” She said.  I nodded at this.  We were quiet for a few awkward moments before I decided to break the silence.
“So…” I said, giving up on massaging my ankle.  “Uh, what should we do now?”  
“Well, sugarcube, we could go to bed right now, since that is what everypony else is doing right now” She said.  “Or, we could…you know…” For some reason, this caused AJ to blush slightly.  I was quiet for a few moments, giving a curious look at her, before I asked, “Well, what do you have on your mind?”
“W-well, ah was just wondering, if, well…you remember last night, the comment that you said to me before.”
“Yes what about…oh” I said, finally getting the picture.
AJ was blushing even more now; she slowly walked up to me and sat down on her bed next to me.  “Y-you know, before ah left, when you were in the bathroom, Fluttershy talked to me.  She said that she was very sorry that ah didn’t get to be your first kiss, even when ah assured her that ah was over it.  That mare, however, can be insistent when she wants to be.  Anyways, she said that…well…”
AJ became quiet at this, unable to say exactly what Fluttershy told her.  I, however, was curious about what it was, so I asked, “W-what did she say?”
AJ was silent for a while, not making eye contact with me.  Finally she said, “W-well, she said t-t-that w-we c-could, um, do it, if y-you want to.”  Now once again, this shocked me.  Fluttershy told AJ that she could be my first, because she felt guilty of taking my first kiss from me.  I was quiet for a long time, neither of us willing to say anything to the other.  Finally, I tried to speak in order to break the awful silence.
“S-so, a-are you a virgin, t-too?” I asked, to which she just shook her head.
“T-that’s what ah don’t get.  Fluttershy is a virgin, but she insisted that ah should be your first.”  That got me thinking of a few reason of why Fluttershy wanted AJ to be my first, but the only one that I could think of was the one that AJ already told me: she was simply feeling guilty about it.
“I-is she ok with this?” I asked her.
AJ nodded, and then suddenly smiled, apparently remembering something.  “Ah actually met her before she got back to her cottage.  When ah asked her again if she was sure, she had the biggest smile on her face and said she was more then sure.  You want to know why?”
“Uh, w-why is that?” I said, fearing were this was heading.
At this point, I finally noticed that AJ’s hoof was on my leg and moving slowly upwards towards my crotch.  “She said that she was happy enough that she got her first kiss with you, as well as…” she leans in, and whispers, “…giving her first blowjob to you as well.”
‘Oh boy…’
Now, my manhood was getting harder each second that passed, and I was also getting more nervous as well.  “Um, AJ…are…are you ok with this?”
AJ stopped her hoof and looked at me for a second, saying, “Of course ah am, sugarcube.  Why, are you…are you regretting doing this with us?” At this point, she began to have a mournful face and tears were starting to show.  “Y-you’d rather have a human partner, wouldn’t y-” I didn’t even let her finish the sentence, and immediately placed my lips on top of hers.  As soon as I did that, her eyes widened in surprise, and then slowly closed, returning the kiss with passion, making her tears instantly vanish.  Our lips rolled off of one another, like synchronized swimmers, each of us knowing what the other is going to do.  Then our lips opened, allowing our tongues entry into each other’s mouths.  As we kissed, I brought AJ into a tight hug, and with her left hoof, she put it around my good shoulder.  As we kissed and embraced, we hugged tighter and tighter, never wanting to let the other go.
After a few minutes of making out, I slowly pulled back, though I did with regret, for I really wanted to continue it and never stop.  However, I still had my piece to say to calm our minds of this situation.
“Applejack, listen to me.  I don’t give a damn if you’re a human or a pony.  I love both you and Fluttershy for the way you are, not the way you look.  I rarely look in the eyes of others not only for the reason that I gave to Fluttershy yesterday, but also because I need to be comfortable with the person, or in this case pony, that I know. Otherwise I can only give a glance before feeling the need to look away.  Right now, the ones that I trust the most are you and Fluttershy.  You two are the world to me right now, and the best part of all is that I can look both of you in the eyes, for when I do, I see love and passion for me and for all of your friends.  I see a hard working mare that will do anything to protect the ones that they love.  And I’m glad that you have chosen me out of all the stallions in this world to be with.  So, if all you want is to make love with me tonight, then by all means, I will do my best to fulfill your fantasy.”  As I spoke, I looked straight in her eyes, and she stared back at mine as well.  We were quiet for a few moments, neither of us wanting to break this moment, until I had to say something to snap us out of it.  “The only thing that I ask of you is that you help me along, for like I said before, it is my first time.  So, do you think that you are up to the task?”
AJ looked straight in my eyes for a few seconds, before she could recover enough to respond.  “Ah will do my best, sugarcube.  Ah promise, that you will love every second of this.”  As the words left her lips, I couldn’t take the separation any more and immediately reunited our longing lips back together, starting our session from were we left off.
As we kissed, AJ slowly leaned into me, making us tip into her bed, with her still on top of me.  We stayed there for about ten minutes, simply making out with each other, my erection getting harder the further we went.  Finally, she broke the kiss, and with her free hoof, brought it down gently on the bump in my shorts.  I groaned slightly as I felt her hoof over the fabric of the shorts as she began to slowly rub against it.  I brought my hand down, and without another word, took off my shorts and boxers, my hoodie already off a while ago.
AJ began to rub the length of my cock with eager intent, making me moan even more.  She smiled at my expression, and then she turned herself around, so that her face was next to my crotch and her hips were next to my head.
“Let’s see if ah can do as good a job as Fluttershy can, huh sugarcube?” she said in a seductive voice, brushing softly on my erection.  I just simply nodded, and without another word, she just engulfs my entire cock with one fell swoop.  The pleasure was incredible, to say the least.  As soon as she had my entire manhood in her mouth, she began to bob her head up and down, going slowly at first though, just enough for me to keep myself together, but still enough to enjoy myself.  I thought that it couldn’t have gotten any better, when suddenly; she stopped bobbing, took the whole thing into her mouth, and sucked.  HARD.
My eyes widened in surprise at this, the feeling so incredible that I nearly came right then and there, but somehow I was able to hold onto myself, willing myself to keep going.  I could feel her throat literally constricting my cock, strangling the life out of it.  All I could do was put my right hand on her head and brush her mane, moaning the whole time.  As she serviced my dick, I brought my right hand further and further along her back, until I reached her flank.  Once I brushed her cutie mark, she suddenly moaned loudly, vibrating my cock inside her mouth.
‘The cutie mark must be a pleasure point then.’ I thought to myself.  So I continued to rub on her cutie marks, putting pressure were it was needed.  I traced the apples on her flank, first with one finger, then two, then three, each finger tracing an apple.  As I traced them, she continued to moan louder and louder, her tongue rubbing against my member.  After a minute or so of this, I decided to step up my own game; I took her flank with both of my hands, lifted it up high into the air, and placed her on my chest.  In this position, I got a good view of AJ’s marehood.  To me, the view was amazing; her pussy was a light pink color that was puffy and very, very wet with arousal.  Bracing myself, I gave it a tentative lick.
The effect was immediate; she gave a moan as she once again began to bob her head on my cock, still applying a sucking pressure on it.  As I licked her, I got a hint of apple in the flavor of her juices.  Eager for more, I pushed on, giving her long, hard licks along her outer walls, making AJ moan with delight.  I kept on searching for the little ‘clit’ that all of the romance novels mentioned about. And finally, my tongue managed to slightly graze over a swollen, round button of some kind.  As I touched it, it sent a shiver down her spine, and another vibration through my cock.
We kept on working on each other like this for some time, with me alternating between sucking her clit and licking her outer walls of her pussy, with her either sucking my cock or bobbing along its length at a now vigorous pace.  Finally, feeling myself starting to lose it, I began to pick up the pace, and I sucked on her clit with everything that I had, and then I put the tip of my tongue inside of her.
AJ shrieked in ecstasy and I felt her marehood clench tightly on my tongue as she came, juices flooding everywhere and getting on my face and in my mouth.  During her orgasm, she clenched tightly on my rod and sucked it like there was no tomorrow.  This was my last straw, and unable to hold it back any longer, I let myself go and burst after burst of semen came spewing forward and into her mouth.  I could feel her gulping each load as it came, and I would be lying if I said that it didn’t feel so arousing.  We stayed in that position for about five minutes, before we had enough strength to finally calm ourselves down from our epic high, but we both knew that we were far from over.
She slowly took my cock out of her mouth with an audible popping sound, before slowly turning around to face me, the sexiest smile on her face.  “Ya’ll ready for the main event, sugarcube?” she whispered seductively.  Too nervous for words, I just simply nodded.  AJ noticed my nervousness and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.  I could feel the very tip of my rod getting wet with the arousal that was coming out of her marehood.  She slowly lowers her hips over it and brushed the tip of my shaft with her lower lips, making us both moan in pleasure.  “Don’t’ worry about a thing, partner.  Just let me handle the first part.”  Once again I nodded, too nervous for words still.  Slowly, her lips took hold of the tip of my shaft, making us both groan.  AJ slowly took every single inch of my dick into her pussy, and soon bottomed out inside it.  My mind was literally blown, the pleasure just radiating all around my cock was so intense that it took even more effort to not blow my load then it did when AJ was sucking me.  Slowly, she placed her hooves onto my chest, being careful of the wounds, and said, “Now, let the real fun begin.”
She carefully lifted her hips off of my lap, until only the tip remained inside, and then in a sudden movement, thrust her hips back down, making a loud “Smack!” sound as our hips connected.  I gave off a sharp gasp of pleasure as AJ started to lift herself off again and bring it down with the same results as before.  She started off slowly, just using her own weight to bring herself down on me.  As we progressed, however, she began to move faster and faster, bouncing up and down on my throbbing shaft.  I could feel her marehood clench my member in a rhythmic fashion, tightening as she lifted herself off of me, and relaxing as she came down on me again.  Soon, I placed my hands on either side of her flank and began to thrust my hips in sync with her thrusting, both of us moaning as AJ rode me like a champ.  As I was thrusting, my hands slowly massaged her cutie marks, making her moan even more.  Soon, I could feel the pressure start to build up in me again, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold it in for long.
“A-AJ.  I’m…I’m…”
“Inside!  Please, I want you to come inside of me!” She practically screamed.  I quickly brought her head towards me and we began to kiss, our tongues once again flowing through each other’s mouth.  We began to thrust wildly into each other at a rapid pace, not caring about rhythm anymore, just caring for release.
Finally, after a few, almost painfully pleasuring minutes. We both found release.  AJ screamed into my mouth as we both clamped down on the others lips, my cock getting strangled this time by her pussy.  Her juices overflowed and covered my cock as I ejected my cream into her awaiting womb.  We lied there for what felt like hours, but in reality was a few minutes, just holding each other in a tight hug and kiss.  I was still moving slightly in and out of her marehood, just riding out my orgasm as she rode out hers.  After a few more spurts, I finally came to a stop, and just massaged her flanks slowly, our lips separated as both of us breathed heavily while we just basked in the afterglow.
“Wow…just…wow.” Was all I could say.  AJ smiled at me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “Glad you enjoyed the ride, sugarcube.”
I was about to pull out of her, when AJ stopped me.  “Wait, partner, just…leave it in there…please?”
I smiled at her and gave her another kiss.  “Of course, love.”
AJ smiled when I called her love, and said, “I’m glad that ah was your first, Drak.  An’ ah hope that we can do this a lot more often in the future.”
I just smiled at her and said, “I hope so too, Applejack, I love you.”
“An’ ah love you, Drakalian”
She slowly lowered her head back onto mine, and we began to kiss again, but with not as much enthusiasm as before, just kissing and cuddling each other, our tongues lazily rubbing against the other.  As we kissed, I was able to get the blanket over the both of us, to help keep us warm in the cold night.  Slowly, still kissing, we fell asleep in each other’s embrace.

> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11

I woke up with the feeling of soft fur on top of me.  I felt someone’s, or rather; somepony’s lips on my own, and I could feel them moving.  I opened my eyes to see AJ still kissing me from last night.  Her tongue was already in my mouth, indicating that she was awake before me and decided to have a little fun while I was still asleep.  I slowly rubbed my hands on her flank, getting a slight moan out of her.  She opens her eyes and sees me staring right back at her.  She breaks the kiss slowly and begins to breath deeply.
“Mornin’, lover.” AJ said to me, a smile on her face.  I couldn’t help but to smile back.
“Morning yourself, AJ.” I said, giving her a quick peck on the lips.  “So, you enjoy yourself last night?”
“It was the best time of mah life, sugarcube.  Are you sure you haven’t done it before?”
I shook my head.  “I’m pretty sure, otherwise I would have remembered something like this, memory loss or none.”
She giggled in response.  “Well, do you think you’re up for a little morning fun?”
I thought about it for a sec, and then I smiled, saying, “Oh, what the hay, I’m up for another round.”
AJ smiled back at me, and we began to kiss anew with more vigor, our tongues entwined with one another.  AJ began to slowly gyrate her hips on my cock, which was still inside her.  Slowly, my cock began to get hard again.  I was about to start thrusting into her when…
*Knock, Knock*
“Uh, AJ, is Drak in here?  I-I need t-to change his b-bandages again.”
The reaction was instantaneous; we both broke our kiss and looked into each other’s eyes, each of us thinking the same thing.
‘Oh, crap!’
“J-just a m-minute, Fluttershy.  We were just, uh, g-getting ready, is all” Said AJ, quickly getting off of me.  We quickly got out of the bed, and I began to put on my clothing.  As I was putting my shorts on, Fluttershy walked in, humming a wordless tune.
“Well, Drak, you ready to-” Fluttershy began, and then suddenly stopped when she noticed me putting on my shorts, and saw AJ putting her hat on, covering her blushing face.  Fluttershy quickly put two and two together, and began to blush along with the rest of us.  “Oh!  I-I d-didn’t know t-t-that you guys w-w-were…um…w-well…” she began, before quickly losing her train of thought.
Everypony was quiet for a few embarrassing seconds, before I was able to muster up enough courage to speak.
“So.” I said, clearing out my throat.  “You, uh, want to get started now?”  Fluttershy, still blushing, nodded slowly and with that we both headed towards the bathroom.
“Ah’ll be back soon, partner, ah just need to bring AB to school.  Hopefully ah’ll see you two before ya’ll leave, ok?” Said AJ.  We both nodded to her and then entered the bathroom, closing the door behind us.
We stood there, not moving for a good while.  Then, Fluttershy brought up the inevitable.  “S-so, y-you t-two…uh…” I just nodded.  “D-did y-you e-enjoy it?”  Again, I nodded.  Then Fluttershy did something that I didn’t expect of her: she pulled me into a hug and gave me a long, affectionate kiss.
My eyes widened with surprise before I slowly closed them and just enjoy the kiss myself.  After about thirty second, we broke apart.  Fluttershy, with a smile on her face, said, “I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves.”
“One question, Flutters.” I asked her.  “Why?”  I didn’t need to explain myself further into it, for I could tell that she knew what I was trying to say.  She just continued to smile, saying, “W-well, I felt bad when AJ said that she w-wanted to be your first kiss, and I was instead, a-among your first…o-other things…so I said that she could be your first…t-this.  Beside, it o-only mattered to me as long a-as we…you know…do it eventually, then I’m happy with the choice that I made.”
I thought about what she said for a second.  I guess that being someone’s first, while still important, didn’t matter as much as long as it was with the one you love.  I smiled at her and said, “I think I do understand now.  So…can we…uh…”
Fluttershy gave me a quizzical look, before she realized what I was implying.  “Oh!  R-right, well, l-let’s get started then, um, I-if you want to.”
I just smiled and began to strip down, not bothering to tell her to give me some privacy.  She blushed when she saw my manhood again, but nevertheless, as I went to sit on the floor, she still paid attention to taking off the old bandages.
As she was finishing, a thought came to me.  “Hey, Shy.” I said.  She looked at me.  “Well, I have b-been thinking, and…well…” I hesitated, not sure on how to say what I wanted to say.
Fluttershy quickly pulled off the rest of the bandages and said, ”It’s ok Drak, I won’t judge you.”
I took another breath and began again.  “Well, I was wondering, since you did…that…the last time we did this, I was wondering…if I could…uh…r-r-return t-the f-favor?  I mean, only if you want to of course.”
Fluttershy just stared at me, a huge blush on her face.  “Y-you m-mean that y-you w-w-want to…” I nodded.  “Oh…w-well…h-honestly…I w-was kind of…sort of…hoping…t-that y-y-you w-would s-say that.”  I looked, surprised that she was thinking about this too.  “O-of course, y-you don’t h-” I quickly stopped her with a kiss, knowing what she was going to say.  As we parted, I look straight into her eyes and said, “But I want to.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then she suddenly lunged towards me with new ferocity, our tongues battling each other, sometimes in her mouth, sometimes in my mouth.  As we kissed, I slowly and gently pushed us forwards, so that I ended up being on top of her with her back on the ground.  Not even pausing in our kissing, I moved my left hand onto her stomach and slowly began to massage it, causing her to moan.  As I brought my hand slowly south of her body, I brushed up against a couple of large bumps that I assumed were her teats.  I slowly rubbed them with the palm of my hand, causing her to moan even more.  After a few minutes of this, I brought my hand lower and finally reached my goal, her marehood, which was already moist with anticipation.
As soon as I brushed up against it, Fluttershy suddenly broke off the kiss and began to give loud groans of pleasure, her wings shooting out with a snap.  I just smiled at her, happy that I was making her feel so good.  I began to kiss her on her cheek before I slowly started to kiss along her body, adding even more pleasure for her.  As I continued to kiss her, she would begin to squirm under me, moaning at the pleasing feeling.  Soon, I got to her teats, and I took her left one into my lips and started to suck on it, making Fluttershy gasp in surprise.  I rolled her teat around my tongue for a good while before I switched to the other one, giving it the same treatment, while with my free hand I would massage the neglected one.  Finally, I brought my face down so I was looking at her marehood.  I looked up at Fluttershy to make sure that she was sure of it, and she nodded, panting in anticipation.  So without further hesitation, I simply placed my mouth over her lower lips and shoved my tongue deep into her in one go.  Fluttershy gave off a silent shriek of pleasure and quickly wrapped her rear hooves around my head while placing her fore hooves on top of my head and shoving me deeper into her pussy.  Her wings were fluttering every once in a while.  With my hands now free, I began to massage her cutie marks with one hand and her teats with the other, trying to give her as much pleasure as possible.  She gave off another silent shriek in ecstasy, loving the feeling of my tongue swirling deep inside of her.  My tongue would prod inside of her and piston her marehood.  As I used my tongue inside her, I would also use my lips to suck on her outer lips and her clit, creating more pleasure for her, trying to get her off as fast as possible while still giving her the time of her life.
After a few more minutes of this, Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open, and she gave a howl of pleasure, which was more like a soft mewl, her wings suddenly as straight as an arrow.  She quickly tightened her hold on me, making any convenient escape impossible.  I could feel her pussy sharply contract against my tongue as it tried to milk it for non-existing liquid.  I felt her own liquid pour out, splashing all over my mouth and face, her sweet nectar having an earthen taste to it.  All during her orgasm, I would keep twitching my tongue to keep her in it for as long as possible.  Finally, she started to relax, and she slowly released my head from her grip.  I slowly took out my tongue and gave her lower lips one last kiss before I brought my head back up to hers.  I could see the sweat glistening from her face as she panted from the exhaustion of her climax.
“T…that…that w-was…” Fluttershy panted, trying to get the correct words out.  I smiled and silenced her with a quick kiss of her lips, and said, “Glad you enjoyed it.”
Once again we just lay there, except this time it was Fluttershy who was in the afterglow, and me who was just happy for making her so happy.  And, just like last time, reality had to make sure that we were still here.
*Knock, Knock*
“Hey, Fluttershy, Drakalian.  Ah’m back from dropping AB at school.  Are you two done in there, cause Fluttershy still has to go to the spa with Rarity soon.” Said AJ.  “Also, ah kind of need to wash up right now.”
“Wait, AJ, We’re almost d-” but before I could finish, AJ opened the door and walked in.
“An’ why can’t ah come in-” she said, before she finally looked at us and stopped, her mouth wide open.  We were all silent for a few agonizing moments, before AJ opened her mouth to speak.
“So…uh…you two finished…’washing’?” Fluttershy and I were just quiet for a few seconds, before we both slowly shook our heads.  “So, then…what, uh, are you doing on top of her, Drak?”
I knew that I couldn’t lie to her, so I just said the truth. “Um, j-just…repaying her…I guess…” I said a little hesitantly.  There were a few more moments of quietness, and then Fluttershy cleared her throat, making me remember where she was.
“Oh, right, sorry Shy.” I said, getting off of her.  As soon as I was off of her, she got up and shook herself slightly, not saying anything, just blushing profusely.
“So, I guess we should all wash together then, huh?” Said AJ, trying to get us to feel more comfortable.  I just nodded and all three of us began to wash each other.  Somehow, AJ and even Fluttershy were quick to get over the initial embarrassment, while I was still in deep thought about the entire situation.  I was slightly surprised that they could have recovered so fast, then I remembered an important detail: Fluttershy already knew that AJ and I have already done it, and AJ knew what Fluttershy and I did in Twilight’s bathroom.  That, and the fact that I’m dating both of them, I guess these kind of situations are going to be a more common appearance, at least, between us, and maybe others that will join our herd.
‘Wait, how many are there usually in a herd?’ I thought to myself.  I decided to ask Twilight on a later date on it, for I still remembered Ditzy and how she blushed at me, as well as the sweet kiss that she gave me.  In all honesty, I thought that I might have some feelings for the walled-eyed mare, but I really wasn’t sure right now.  Also, I don’t know how AJ and Fluttershy would react.  As I thought about it, I realized that Fluttershy was saying something to me.
“H-hey, Drak.  Are y-you ok?  Y-you’re not too embarrassed about w-what just h-happened, right?”  I quickly smiled and gave her a quick pat on the mane, ensuring her that I was fine.  AJ, however, could sense that something was off on me.
“Come on, sugarcube, what’s on your mind?  You can tell us, we’re your herd mates, after all.”
I decided that I might as well tell them what I was thinking.  “Well, I was thinking that, um, how do I put this?  Well, what is the average size of a normal herd?”
“I think it’s around five to six, though we have seen some go up to ten.” Said Fluttershy.  “Why do y…oh!  You want to see if Ditzy wants to join?” I just stared at her, flabbergasted that she somehow knew what I was thinking.
“Are you sure Pegasai can’t use magic?  Because you pretty much just read my mind.” This got a giggle out of both of the mares, which in turn made me smile as well.
“I just remember her talking to me in Rarity’s boutique, and she seemed a bit curious when I mentioned that I was in a herd with you and AJ.  I think that you should bring her in with us, that is, if you want to.” Fluttershy spoke, blushing a little near the end.
“Ah agree, Drak.  That mare needs somepony to help her with her life, and ah think that you would be the perfect match for her.” Said AJ, nodding.  I just stared at both of my marefriends for a while now, thinking about what they just said.  Finally I nodded.
“I guess it can’t hurt to try.  But I’m still not sure.  Just give me a while to get used to the fact that I’m dating you two first before I ask, ok?” They nodded at this.  We continued to wash each other without any more interruptions.  Once we were done washing one another, we got out of the tub, and they both helped to put on the new bandages that Fluttershy brought for me.  Once that was done, they went downstairs to wait for me, since I had to get dressed still.  I decided to leave my hat here for the time being, since I thought it would be too cold for it right now, opting to wear my hoodie instead.  When I came down, I saw that they both had a scarf around their neck, presumably to keep them warm, since a fur coat can only do so much I suppose.  I got my staff from were I left it last night, and once we were all ready, we went out and began to head for the spa.
“Are you sure Rarity won’t mind us joining you two?” Asked AJ, who decided to join us as well.  Fluttershy nodded, saying, “Of course.  Besides, I think that Drak here needs to relax a bit to help him with the healing.  Did you see how tense his muscles were?”
“See them?  Sugarcube, ah felt them an’ ah still can’t believe how strong he feels.  There is no doubt in mah mind that he was able to beat that Manticore now.”
“Yet he’s so tender when it comes to…other things, it just makes me go fuzzy inside.”
“Oh, ah know what cha me.  He definitely knows how to treat a mare right.”
“Uh, girls…I’m still here…” I said, trying to get them to notice that I was still here.  Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, they just giggled at my comment, which just made me roll my eyes.
“Hey guys!  What’s up?” we looked up and saw a certain cyan mare perched on a cloud, which, seeing it for the first time was quite startling.  ‘Well, I guess Pegasai can interact with clouds then.’
“Hey, Dash.  We were just heading to the spa for some R&R, you want to join us?” I asked her.  She shook her head, saying, “Nah, I don’t normally go to that spot, But I did see Rarity heading over there.  I think she’s waiting for you, Fluttershy.”
“Ok, Dash, thanks for telling us.” said Fluttershy. We continued on our trail towards the spa.  It just took us a few minutes to get there, and we didn’t say much during the time, just happy to be in each other’s presence.  Finally, we reached the spa.
Once we got to the entrance, we saw that Rarity was waiting in the front of the building, wearing a fancy hat of some kind; I couldn’t really describe it well.  Once she saw us, though, she immediately approached us, a smile on her face.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could make it, darling.  And you even brought your herd mates, too!  Will they be joining us?” she said, gesturing to AJ and I.
Fluttershy nodded, saying, “I think that a good massage might be what Drak needs to help him relax, he has been so tense these few days that he’s been here.”
“Though ah don’t mind it, ah mean, it does emphasize his muscles quite nicely.” Said AJ, a smirk on her face.  This made the other mares giggle with glee.  I just raised an eyebrow at her response, shrugging it away.  I mean, why should I tell them to not compliment my body, it was a nice change of pace to…whatever I did before I came here.
As we walked in, we saw two mares standing behind a desk; both of them had a hair band in their manes.  The most interesting thing, though, was that they appeared to be nearly identical. The only difference was the color scheme; one had a pink mane and tail with a light blue coat, while the other had a pink coat with a light blue mane and tail.  They seemed to be twins, and there eyes just confirmed my reasoning, for they were both a deep sapphire blue.  Even their cutie marks were similar; both being a picture of a flower, a lotus it seemed to me.  The blue one’s lotus was pink, while the pink one’s lotus was blue.  They appeared to be talking about something and as we walked towards them, we could hear what it was that they were discussing.
“…And he just stared him down, then he said something to him and released his tail with that stick of his” Said the blue one, a sense of awe in her voice.  Her voice sounded like it was European of some kind, but of which country, I wasn’t sure, maybe Greek or even Romanian, possibly Scandinavian.
‘Wow, I can remember different countries of my own world, but I can’t even remember my own family or were I lived’ I thought to myself.  I then recognized the blue one from before when I was getting the bully away from Ditzy in front of the boutique.  She must be talking to her about the scene when I told the bully to not bother anypony else.  It amused me that they called my staff a stick, I guess they never seen a Bo staff before.  Before they could continue their conversation, however, I had to correct them on the name of my ‘stick’.
“It’s called a Bo staff.” I said, startling both of the mares.  They gave off a startled gasp as they turned to face us, their eyes widening as they saw me.  I could see that they were in awe of me, and sadly, a little fear as well.  I decided to comfort them and to let them know that their fear is unfounded.  “Hey, relax, I’m not going to hurt you girls.  I’m just here with these ladies to get a massage is all.” I said in a calm voice.  This did the trick, and I could see both of them visibly relax themselves, the pink pony straightening her hair band, while the blue one seemed to find something interesting in the floor.
“Well, welcome to the spa, Mister,” said the pink one, with a softer accent then the blue one.
“The names Drakalian, first and I assume the only human in Equestria.” I said, giving them both a warm smile.  The pink one smiled back, while the blue one…blushed?  Then, they seemed to notice the others with me, and began to get back into business mode.
“We are sorry for not noticing you ponies before.  So, Miss Rarity, Miss Fluttershy, do you want the usual?” asked the pink pony, looking at Fluttershy and Rarity.
“Yes, dear, that would be lovely.” Said Rarity, while Fluttershy just gave a nod.
“Well, if you girls…” I cleared my throat ”…and guy…follow us, then we will get your places ready.” Said the blue pony, a blush still on her cheeks.  We followed them into the building, and we got to a room that had a big bathtub in it, as well as some massage tables around it.  As we got closer, the pink pony led Rarity and Fluttershy to the bath, while the blue one led AJ and I toward two of the massage tables.  I placed my staff to the side as we sat down on them and waited for the blue pony to get our massages ready for us.
“So, who would like to go first?” She asked, looking at the two of us.  AJ pointed at me, and while I tried to say that I could wait, she was persistent to say the least. Finally, I gave in and agreed to go first.
I still wasn’t wearing a t-shirt, so I just had to take off my hoodie, which for some reason caused the blue pony to blush even more, and I went to lie down on my stomach while the blue pony walked towards me to get ready.  She paused as she looked at me, and said, “You need to take off all of your clothing sir.”
Once again, I gave myself a mental smack across my face, forgetting about the clothing rules here, or more like lack of one.  “I’m sorry miss, but I kind of need to keep my clothing on otherwise I’ll be…indecent, to say the least.”  Fortunately, she was able to catch on quickly, so I didn’t need to say any more.  
She blushed a little more, but she was persistent, to say the least.  “I’m afraid I must insist, sir.”
I sighed, and decided to agree with it, but only half way, stripping my shorts off but keeping my boxers on.  “This is as far as I will go, ok?  And please, call me Drakalian, or Drak.”
The blue pony thought about it for a second, and I could have sworn that she was checking me out, which made me begin to blush slightly.  Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice, and she slowly nodded in agreement.  She walked next to me and started my massage, beginning with my shoulders, while carefully avoiding the bandages, and began to slowly rub her hooves against my muscles, slowly relaxing them.  I sighed with the pleasure of it, happy that my muscles were finally relaxing after what felt like years of pent up stress.  I heard AJ giggle at my response to the message, but I chose to ignore it, instead I tried to strike up a conversation with my masseuse.
“So, may I ask…what your…oh…names are?” I asked, sighing in satisfaction during the massage.
“My name is Lotus, and my sister’s name is Aloe.”
“Those are…nice names.  Fitting, for…one as…gorgeous as you.” I had no idea where that came from, but nevertheless, I still said it.  Thankfully, all it did was cause AJ to laugh, and an awkward silence between Lotus and I.  We were silent for a little longer, the whole while she continued on my shoulders before moving onto my lower back.  She stayed there for a good ten minutes, working the kinks out of my spine.  It honestly felt like the best thing ever (right next to sex, of course) and I didn’t even notice when Aloe began to work on AJ until I began to hear her moan in pleasure.  I sighed with content as she worked on my lower back a little more, before she moved onto my…butt?
I was slightly confused by this, and I gave a start when her hooves touched me there.  “Woo…uh…”
“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, Drakalian, I didn’t know you were sensitive there.” Said Lotus, worry in her eyes, blushing furiously.  She was very worried that she might have offended me in some way, but I was quick to reassure her.
“Hey, don’t worry about it.  I’m not that sensitive there, it just…caught me by surprise is all.” I said, trying to comfort her.  It seemed to do the job, and she continued the massage, but she decided to avoid my rear for the time being, choosing to work on my legs instead.
When she got to the leg that I hurt my ankle on yesterday, I said, “If you could, can you…please…add a bit…more attention…to that ankle.  I…kind of…sprained it yesterday.”  Lotus nodded in response, and as she began to work on my ankle I continued to try and talk with her.  “So…where did you…two come from?”
“We come from far away, from a different country.  We decided to come here when we heard about Equestria.  Once we got here, my sister and I decided to open up a spa, making Ponyville our place to start.  And I’m glad that we choice this place, for it is so nice, and the ponies here are very kind and helpful as well.”  She said, finishing up on my leg.  “W-would you like me to work on y-your…uh…forelegs, Drakalian?” Lotus asked, once she was done with my legs.  I smiled at her, and extended my left arm first, being careful not to stress the wound on my shoulder too much.
“Yes, please, although they are called arms, not forelegs.  Just be careful with the left arm, due to the wound and all.” I said, to which she nodded.  She slowly worked out my arm, being careful with the wound like I said, and asked, “So, were did you get these wounds from?”
“A Manticore.  I didn’t even notice them until the fight was over.” I said, remembering that day clearly in my mind.  Lotus paused for a second, before she began again.
“So, the story was true then.  Are you also…um…?” She was hesitant with her question, almost like she didn’t even want to ask.  Thankfully, AJ decided to answer the question for us.
“If you mean if Drak here is in a herd, then the answer is yup.  As to who it’s with, well, that would be me an’ Fluttershy.” She said, somehow finished with her massage.  I looked towards her, and noticed that Fluttershy was just starting her massage right now.  She looked so happy that it made my heart melt.  I still didn’t understand how I was so lucky to get two such beautiful mares in just the short amount of time that I have been here.  I closed my eyes and smiled as I enjoyed the rest of the massage.  As I smiled, I felt a pair of lips touch mine for a brief second, before pulling away.  As I opened my eyes, I saw AJ’s alluring emerald eyes staring back into my own.
“Enjoying yourself, sugarcube?” She asked me.  I just smiled and nodded.
“Ok, I believe you are done now, Drakalian.” Said Lotus, lowering her forelegs back onto the floor.  As soon as they made contact, however, she gave a gasp of pain and quickly fell onto the floor headfirst.  I was quickly by her side and caught her before she could hit the ground, lifting her back up again by holding her around her chest.  She was blushing due to the position that we were in, but I was too concerned with her well being to care about embarrassment right now.
“You ok, Lotus?” I asked her.  Still blushing, she nodded, and I placed her on the table, making sure her forelegs stayed off of the ground.
“I-I think I might have…o-overdone it a little.” She said, stammering slightly.
I nodded in agreement.  “Makes sense.  After all, I doubt that you have massaged many humans, huh.” I said, grinning slightly, which caused Lotus to blush even more.  “I think I can help you, though.  May I see your foreleg, please?” I asked her.  She was a bit hesitant to do so, though, but eventually, she complied, giving me her right foreleg to begin with.
I stared at her hoof for a few seconds, looking for a certain spot, before I found it and then, without saying anything, placed my finger on it and slowly but gently, pressed into the spot.
“Oh!  Oh…oh my…” gasped Lotus, as she practically melted in my grip.  I ignored it for now, trying to concentrate at the job at hand (or hoof, take your pick).  I continued to look at her hoof and press my fingers in spots that I deemed needed attention, all the while Lotus continued to moan and sigh with content.  Once I was done, I asked her to hand me her other hoof, which she gladly did this time.  Once I had her other hoof, I began again, getting the same moans as before from her.  The whole time I was relaxing Lotus’s hooves, I could sense that her sister, Aloe, was staring at me, along with my marefriends, as I loosened Lotus’s muscles.
After another few minutes, I deemed that I was done, and I let go of her hoof, motioning her to try to walk again.  She slowly placed her hooves back onto the ground, and paused for a second to see if her hooves still hurt.  Thankfully, I seemed to have done a good job, for as she took a few tentative steps, she realized that not only her hooves seemed to be better, but also they felt even more relaxed then before.  Both of the spa sisters were now staring at me in wonder, as well as my marefriends, and Rarity, who had just come out of her bath to start her massage.  I just stood there, getting a little uncomfortable with the attention that I was getting.
“How did you learn to massage like that?” Asked Aloe, a sound of awe in her voice.  I just shrugged, saying, “W-well, I didn’t learn how to massage, I was just a natural, I guess.  All I did was put pressure on certain pressure points to relax the body.  It was something I learned in karate, though I was taught mostly how to disable someone, or somepony, but I still learned enough on how to relax them as well.”  They all just stared at me, not saying anything for a few moments, before Aloe broke the silence.
“So, uh, Drakalian-”
“Please, call me Drak, all my friends do nowadays.”
“Ok then, Drak.  A-are you looking for a job right now, by any chance?”
I thought about it for a few seconds.  I decided that I did need to get a job sooner or later, and by the sound of her voice, I had a hunch on were this might be leading to.  “Well, I’m currently unemployed, so I guess I would be looking for a job.  Why do you ask?” I said, with a smile.
“Well, I was thinking, since you have done such a good job on my sister…” she said, gesturing to Lotus, who blushed again.  “…I was just wondering if you were interested in getting a job here as a masseur?”
I was quiet for a few seconds, debating if I should do it, when suddenly, Lotus appears in front of me and, grabbing my good hand with both of her hooves, pulls me in slightly, saying “Please, please, please!”  I was startled for a second, and then I chuckled slightly, patting her with my free hand, saying, “How can I say no to a face like that.” Causing all the mares to giggle.  Lotus wasn’t done, however, and quickly brought me down onto head level, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.  Lotus began to blush as she realized what she just did, which made all of the other ponies giggle even more, which in turn caused me to blush as well.
“Oh this is wonderful, darling.  I can’t wait to get a massage from you” said Rarity.  AJ and Fluttershy nodded as well.  AJ leaned in towards me and whispered, “Ah already know how well you can do by just touching, now ah’m curious as to how well you are when you’re actually trying.” I blushed some more at her response, which caused her to giggle some more.
“Well, I for one can’t wait for you to start working with us, and I definitely know that my sister can’t wait either, though I think she might be a little more ‘excited’ then I am” said Aloe, giving a slight nudge to her sister.
“Aloe!” shouted Lotus, blushing even more furiously now.  I just raised an eyebrow at this, thinking ‘Well now I have another mare that likes me.  Hopefully this doesn’t get out of hand, or hoof, oh whatever.’
“Well, with that out of the way, when do I start?”
“How about tomorrow around 10:30 AM, does that sound good for you?” asked Aloe, Lotus being too nervous to say anything.  I was about to agree with her before I heard a familiar voice from the waiting room.
“He’ll have to start next week, cause we have to go to Canterlot.” I turned around and saw Twilight, along with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, walking inside towards us.
“What do you mean, Twi?” I asked her, getting nervous
“The Princesses want to see you now, and have asked for us to bring you to them.”

> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12

We were now on the train, on our way to Canterlot.  I was a little surprised that they even had this advanced technology, but I wasn’t one to argue.  As I relaxed in the booth with my new friends and marefriends, I began to think about what happened when Twilight brought up the news.  I was shocked at first, until they all assured me that they just wanted to see who I was, and not put me into some sort of dungeon.  I was still nervous, and I decided to bring my staff, just in case.  Luckily, Twilight also brought my sais along as well, although they were for emergencies only, since they were the more deadly of my weapons.  I chuckled slightly as I remembered how Rarity pouted a little for not being able to get her massage, since we had to leave pretty much right away.  We were finally able to convince her to come with us with the promise that I would let her be my first customer when I get to my job.  As I sat there, looking out of the window and watching the scenery go by, I felt a hoof being placed over my hand.  I turned to see who it was and I saw Fluttershy, a worried look on her face.
“Drak, are you sure that you’re ok?  You haven’t said much since we got onboard.” She asked me.  I sighed, knowing that I couldn’t lie to her, or anypony really, and said, “I still am nervous.  For some reason, I’m always nervous about doing things like this.  I just can’t help it, really.”
“Well, of course you can’t help it, sugarcube.  It’s normal to feel a little nervous.”  Said AJ, coming to join us.  “The Princesses are the most understanding ponies around, though, so you don’t have to worry so much.”  I smiled at them and gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, girls.  I’m sure that everything will be fine, I’m just still nervous, and I hate being nervous.” They looked at each other, and nodded.  Soon, I was trapped in a dual mare hug, with me in the middle.
“Well, we’re going to stay by your side, no matter what, ok?” said Fluttershy in a soft voice.  AJ nodded in agreement with her.  I looked at both of my marefriends and sighed, putting an arm around each of them.  We stayed there for about 5 minutes, before AJ spoke up.
“By the way, partner.  Have you decided to ask Ditzy to join us yet?” Asked AJ.  I looked at her, and then at Fluttershy, who was also looking at me, waiting for my answer.  I was quiet for a second, and then slowly, I nodded.
“I think so.  Once we get back from this royal meeting, I will ask her.  Once again, thank you girls for being so understanding with me.” I told them, hugging them even tighter.  As we cuddled, I could feel myself begin to drift off to sleep.  Shortly afterwards, I could hear my marefriends snoring, so I decided to join them into the dream realm.




“Drak, we’re here.” I groaned, and opened my eyes, seeing Twilight’s eyes staring back at me.
“Uh…I-I’m up, I’m up.” I said, getting myself up.  I noticed that Fluttershy and AJ were already up and waiting along with the other girls.  I groaned as got up and went to leave the booth.  As we exited the train, I made sure to keep my hood on and over my eyes, not to prevent them from being scared of me, but to prevent me from having another panic like the one at the party.  I assumed that there would be a lot of ponies, since this was their capitol, and low and behold, I was right.  There seemed to be hundreds of them, and the strangest part was that they were all wearing some sort of fancy suit or dress.  There were so many of them that I began to shiver even with my hoodie on.  Luckily, both AJ and Fluttershy knew that this might happen, since we did talk about this on the train, and were next to me the whole time, comforting me.  However, I could still see a lot of the ponies were staring at me, and unlike the ones in Ponyville, these ones were not so nice with their comments.
“Why, what a dreadful creature!  It looks like a mutated Diamond Dog.”
“Looks more like some sort of hairless ape to me!”
“How could they let something so disgusting into our city?”
“How repulsive!”
Now normally, these comments wouldn’t affect me in the slightest, but I was already being shaken by the amount of ponies that were already here, so ever so slowly, they began to grind away at my nerves.  I didn’t get angry, though, rather, I just tried to make myself smaller.  Even with my herd mates with me, I almost didn’t make it to the castle gates I was so scared.
Once we got to the gate, there were a couple of ponies in what I assumed to be guard uniforms, and they were each holding up a spear.  As we passed them, they crossed their spears right before I could get by them, and one of them said, “You will have to leave that thing outside until the Princesses say otherwise.”  Before any of my friends could object to this, however, I cleared my throat, slightly startling the guards.
“This ‘thing’ is the reason why were are here, sir.” I said.  If they were startled, they kept it well hidden.
“Oh, well our apologies, sir.  We just didn’t want anything that could be a possible danger to get by.” Said the other guard.  I smiled at them, knowing that there job can be tedious at the best of times.
“Understandable.  If I were in your shoes, so to speak, I would have done the same thing.” I said.  Apparently, this seemed to have relieved the guards.  I assumed that they didn’t want me to be offended, although I rarely get offended when somepony is just doing their job.  I just nodded to them and continued along the way with the others.
After a short walk through the hallways, we came across a pair of large doors.  One side of the door was white, while the other side was dark purple.  Once again, there were two guards standing next to the doors.  This time when we tried to enter, they stopped all of us and one of the guards said, “You need to leave your weapons here.”
I sighed at this, but knew that I should cooperate.  “I hope I get them back.” I said to them, handing them my staff and my sais.  Once that was done, we all headed through the doors and into a big room.
The room was enormous, and it had all sorts of murals depicted on the windows.  I assumed that they were about famous past events of their history.  In front of us stood two thrones, both of which were currently occupied.  Sitting on the thrones were the Princesses.  One was white with a diluted rainbow mane and tail that seemed to move on its own, while the other one was a dark purple, with a mane and tail of that like the night sky, which also moved on its own.  The white one’s cutie mark was the picture of the sun, while the purple one’s cutie mark was the picture of a crescent moon.  The most unusual thing, though, was that they both had a pair of wings and a horn.  I couldn’t think of what they might be called.  One thing that did strike me odd, though, was their eyes.  While I was only able to take a glance from each of them, for me it was still enough.
The white one’s eyes were a light pink color, and they radiated an authority not to be trifled with.  However, I could see that they held no malice; rather she produced a sort of motherly aura, giving the sense of comfort and caring.  The purple one, though, was a different story altogether.  Her eyes were a cyan color and I could sense a sort of…longing…a longing for something.  I couldn’t really describe it any more then that, for as soon as I tried to figure out what that feeling was, I saw that all of the other ponies were bowing done to the two.  Being the kind soul that I am, I joined them on the floor, bowing to the two Princesses as well.
“Rise, my little ponies, and rise human, for you are not one of our subjects, and therefore you are not required to bow to us.” Said the white one, in a motherly tone.  I did what she said, as did the others, but I kept my head down slightly, so they wouldn’t be able to see my face.  I noticed that they got off of their thrones and began to descend the platform that they were on, probably to get a better look at me.  I also noticed that Twilight was trying to hold something back, I assumed that she was trying to hold the urge to run up to the Princesses and give them a hug, which made me chuckle a little.  As they got closer, I saw that their size was much bigger then the other ponies, with the white one being a head higher then me, while the purple one was about my height.  Once they were next to me, I took a step back to try and ease the tension that was beginning to build up inside of me.  I saw them pause, a look of confusion and possible slight worry on their faces.
“We will not hurt thou, we merely wish to see thy face.” Said the purple one, in an old English kind of tone.  At this, I cocked my head, finding the accent to be rather curious, and said, “I do not mean to be rude, You Majesties, I just don’t like being crowded by so many new ponies at once.“
“Well, first of all, you may call me Celestia, and my sister Luna.” Said the white pony.  “And second of all, may I ask why you feel uncomfortable being so close to ponies?” the white one, now known as Celestia, asked.
“Well, it’s just new ponies, for a start.” I said, and then began to explain to them my phobia and how it worked, as well as why I wore my hood up.  After a while, I felt comfortable enough to show my face, but I still kept the hood on.  Once I was done finishing my explanation, they both had a look of sadness to them, more so from Luna than her sister, though.
“Thou must have had a terrible life, then.  Even we need to be with others.  We have never seen something like thou before.”  I raised my eyebrows, once again at her accent.  She appeared to have noticed before I could recover, and asked, “Doth thou find our accent amusing?”
“W-well, n-not to be rude, Your Majesty…I mean, Luna, but it is kind of distracting.”
“Well, we…I mean, I am sorry, for I have not been back here for a long time, and sometimes I just go back to how I talked before.  It is a habit of mine.  I do apologize if I have offended you in any sort of way.”
I chuckled at this, saying, “Actually, far from offending, I kind of find it to be rather cute.”  As soon as I said that, Luna began to blush.
“Y-you think m-my accent is c-cute?” she stuttered.  I nodded, and then I remembered something that Twilight told me on the train.  “I just remembered, you two both raise the sun and the moon respectively here, am I right?” I asked them, to which they nodded.  
“Yes, I raise the sun, while my sister raises the moon and stars.” Said Celestia.
“In that case, I must thank you, Luna, for doing such a wonderful job with the night sky.  Back were I was from, the night skies, at least what I can remember of them, were not even half as pretty as yours are.  Whenever I have a hard time sleeping, which is a lot usually, I’m always begging myself to try and go to sleep, for you see I have a bit of sleeping trouble, which always made it a pain to fall asleep.  However, I will be able to enjoy the nights much more now, thanks to your artwork, for it is truly a masterpiece.” I said, putting as much emotion as possible into my little speech.  The entire room was quiet for a few seconds, all of the ponies were looking at me with a little surprise, probably from me saying that I have a hard time falling asleep most of the time.  Celestia had a smile on her face, while Luna’s face was one of shock and disbelief.  After a few seconds, I started to get worried that I might have stepped over the line.
“I-I’m sorry if what I said was offensive, but-” I tried to explain, but before I could finish, Luna grabbed me around the neck and embraced me in a tight hug.  I was shocked, to say the least.  Not only was the Princess of the Night hugging me, she was crying into my shoulder as well.  Unfortunately, it was my wounded shoulder, and I gave a small hiss when she put too much pressure on it.  She didn’t seem to notice, however, and continued to sob into my shoulder.  Celestia did notice, though, and immediately said, “Luna, careful!”  Luna heard this, and finally noticed my pained expression on my face, and immediately removed her head from my shoulder and relaxed her grip on me, not fully releasing me though.
“I-I’m sorry.  I-it’s just that, n-no pony h-has ever said s-so m-much about my night sky a-and m-my work, a-and…I j-just…” Luna stammered.  She became quiet for a second, tears threatening to come out again before she looked back at me.  That was when I noticed the feeling in her eyes again.  It was that look of longing.  It was then that I knew what she was longing for.
She was longing to be loved and to have her work admired by somepony.
As I looked into her eyes, I could tell that she was looking at me right in my own eyes.  I smiled, knowing what I should do, and gently moved her head onto my uninjured shoulder.
“There, the other shoulder was just messed up.  You can continue if you want to.” I whispered to her.  She was silent for a moment before she immediately began where she left off, while the whole time I was just comforting her, saying words of comfort and slowly rubbing her back, being careful of her wings.  This seemed to do the trick, and she slowly calmed down to the point were she was just sniffling a little.  The whole time, not a single pony said anything.  I took a quick glance at my marefriends and saw that they were…happy?  Whatever the case, I noticed that Luna was lifting her head from my shoulder long enough to look me back in the face.  I looked in her eyes and saw that she was feeling a little better then before.
“Better?” I asked her, and she nodded.  I motioned for all of us to sit on the floor, since my legs were starting to feel like they were falling off.  As we sat down in a circle, Luna, for some reason, stayed next to me, while my herd mates sat on the other side of me.  She even leaned against me and placed her head onto my unwounded shoulder, letting off a sigh of content.  I tried to see if they were upset by what just happened, but AJ simply said, “Don’t worry about it, partner.  We’re more then ok with this.”  I simply nodded, then I heard Celestia ask me, “So, why is your shoulder ‘messed up’ as it were?” I sighed and began to tell them everything that has transpired so far, from when I first woke up in the Everfree Forest to when I got my job at the spa (minus a few intimate details, of course).  As I got to the Manticore attack, Celestia asked if she could see my wound.  I had to move Luna off of my shoulder for a second, which she did with great reluctance, and removed my hoodie, feeling comfortable enough to do so.  Once they saw my bandages, Celestia’s eyes went wide with surprise, while Luna was almost in tears again.  I quickly tried to comfort her before that could happen, though.
“Hey, don’t worry about it.  I didn’t even feel it at the time.” I said, to little effect, however.
“S-still, it must be painful to have such a wound on you.” Said Luna, a few tears in her eyes.  “I-if you want me to, I-I could heal it for you.  It will still leave a scar, but the pain will be gone.”
I didn’t even have to think before answering her. “I would love it if you did that, Luna” I said to her, which made her blush a little.  After a few seconds, her horn began to glow, as well as my shoulder and bandages.  After another few seconds, the glowing ceased, and with the help of Luna and Fluttershy, I was able to get the bandages off of me.  Once they were off, all that was left were two large scars running down my shoulder.  I moved my arm around to see if it was better, and to my surprise, it was in perfect working condition.  I smiled and gave a big hug to Luna, saying, “Thank you.”  She blushed even more at this and nuzzled into my hug, which made all of the others, even Celestia, go ‘aw’.  I just blushed at the attention that I was getting, so I continued my story from were I left off.  When I got to the part of the sleepover, and when I got my first two marefriends, Luna’s ears perked up at this, and I thought I saw something like excitement from her eyes, but it was so brief that I thought that I imagined it.
As I finished my story, Celestia had a smile on her face, and said, “Well, I’m glad everything worked out in the end, and you even got a couple of marefriends in the process, and they’re two of the Elements of Harmony, no less.  You should be proud, all of you.”  When she mentioned the ‘Elements of Harmony’, I got a curious look on my face.
“Uh, what are the Elements of Harmony, if I may ask?” I asked.
“Well, the Elements of Harmony are the most powerful known magic in the world, and they can only work when they are together.  There are six of them in total.  Your friends here each carry an Element, Fluttershy holds the Element of Kindness, Applejack holds the Element of Honesty, Twilight holds the Element of Magic, Rarity holds the Element of Generosity, Pinkie Pie holds the Element of Laughter and Rainbow Dash holds the Element of Loyalty.” said Celestia, gesturing to each of the respective Element Holders.  I was quiet as I processed this new information, and then I finally said, “Well, I guess that makes sense…kind of…” They laughed at this, and I joined them shortly afterwards.
Suddenly, Luna let out a loud yawn.  “Well, looks like somepony is tired.” I said, smiling.  Luna blushed, and she slowly nodded, saying, “If you don’t mind, sister, perhaps we can continue this discussion at breakfast tomorrow?”
“I agree, for it is getting quiet late.” Said Celestia, giving a yawn herself.  “You girls know were your old rooms are, right?” she asked the Elements.  They all nodded.  “Good, so the only problem is were will Drakalian be sleeping?”
“Thou can sleep with us!” Shouted Luna, then, realizing what she said, quieted down and said, “I-I mean…”
I chuckled and quickly patted her on the head, saying, “Don’t worry, I know what you meant.  And I think that it’s all right with me, as long as it’s all right with my marefriends.  AJ, Fluttershy, is this alright with you two?” I asked them.  They both nodded.  With that said, we all got up and began to head for our separate rooms.
As we went to our rooms, Luna would walk close to me, even making us bump into each other a few times.  Each time we did, I would quickly glance at her and I would see her blushing like mad.  I was curious as to what was going on, but before I could ask her about it, we arrived at the rooms.  The rooms themselves were pretty spacious and I thought that they looked like some of the best rooms that I have ever seen before.  As my herd mates and friends entered their rooms, Celestia, Luna, and I began to head out to their rooms; Fluttershy and AJ stopped me.  I looked at them, thinking what was up, before AJ spoke quietly so that only we could hear her.
“Ah just want to let you know, that if it comes up, she is more then welcome to join us.” This caused me to raise an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” I asked her.  This time, it was Fluttershy who spoke.
“W-well, she hasn’t been on the best of terms lately with most ponies.  T-they never really gave her much of a chance.  Also, y-you might have n-noticed that she seems to have taken a l-liking to you already.” She said, blushing slightly.  That was when I realized what they were talking about: they were saying Luna, the Princess of the Night, might actually have a crush on me, just because I complemented her beautiful nights.
“W-well, I’ll see where it takes us, but no promises, ok?  I don’t want to hurt her feelings, that’s the last thing that I want to do to anypony.” I said.  They nodded and began to walk to their rooms.
“Drak, w-why did you stop.  O-our rooms are t-this way.” Said Luna, stuttering almost as bad as Fluttershy.  I just smiled and patted her mane, which she seemed to enjoy immensely, and said, “Just some herd stuff.  You don’t have to worry yourself about it.”
“Oh, well, if you’re ready then.” She said, blushing a little again.  I raised an eyebrow, thinking, ‘Wow, she really does have a crush on me.  But the next question is, how do I feel about her?’ “Well, lead the way, Princesses.” I said in a playful tone, causing a giggle from Celestia and more blushing from Luna.  We began to head towards their rooms, with Luna still walking close to me.  We finally came to a room that had a pair of white doors; I assumed that it was Celestia’s room.  As she began to enter the room, she paused and turned around, saying, “One more thing.  Pinkie told me to tell you two something.”
“Well, what is it, Tia?” Asked Luna, curious as to what it could be.  I too was intrigued, for I didn’t recall asking Pinkie for anything.
“She said something along the lines of ‘don’t do anything I wouldn’t do’ or something like that.” This caused both Luna and I to blush profusely. Which in turn made Celestia chuckle a little.  As she entered her room, Luna nudged me slightly towards her room, and we began our walk there in silence.
We soon entered a room that had a pair of dark purple doors; the inside of the room was amazing; it seemed like somepony took part of the night sky and placed it into this room.  I also saw next to the door that my bow staff and sais were here; apparently somepony was told that I would be sleeping here for the night and brought my weapons back up here.  Luna apparently saw my look of amazement and giggled slightly, saying, “Doth thou like our room?” I just nodded, which caused more giggles to erupt from the Night Princess.  As we walked in, I decided to get myself comfortable by taking my hoodie off.  As I took it off, I sensed that I was being watched, so I turned and I saw Luna, staring intently at my body.  I smiled, and flexed my muscles slightly, saying, “Enjoy, the show, Luna?”
She blushed even more and quickly looked away.  I was worried that I might have offended her, so I tried to apologies to her.  “Hey, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, I was just-” before I could finish, though, she quickly placed a hoof onto my mouth, saying, “We did enjoy thou’st show.”  Now it was my turn to blush.  Before I could recover, Luna gestured towards the balcony just outside of her room, saying, “Wouldst thou like to see us raise and lower the sun and moon?” I nodded and followed her towards the balcony.  Once we were out, I had a grand view of the entire city.  I could even see Ponyville from here the view was that incredible.  When I looked next to us, I could see Celestia on an adjourning balcony, preparing herself like Luna was.
Slowly, their eyes and horns began to glow, and I swore I could have sensed a surge of power moving around me.  As I watched, I saw the sun gain a larger glow then before, and slowly, began to sink in the sky.  Once the sun was completely engulfed by the horizon, I saw the moon, with a similar glow on it like the sun, begin its steady accent towards the heavens.  As the moon moved, I could see stars beginning to blink into existence, first by the tens, then by the hundreds, before there were literally thousands of stars painting the night sky.  As I stared, I noticed that both Luna and Celestia were done, and as I went to look at Luna, a small gasp escaped my lips.
The moon had apparently stopped right behind her, making her form become outlined by it.  She seemed to have gained an alluring sense of beauty and passion around her, that I couldn’t even take my eyes off of her.  As she began to look at me, I saw her eyes filled with content for a split second, her amazing cyan eyes that seemed to glitter as if the stars themselves were trapped within.  She began to chuckle at me and with her hoof, she closed my gaping mouth that I didn’t even noticed was open, and said, “Didst thou enjoy our show?”
I shook my head for a second to clear it, and then said, “That was the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen.  You have to be a goddess to even attempt a feat such as that.”
She giggled at this, saying, “Well, technically, we are goddesses, my sister and I.  She is the Goddess of the Sun, while I’m the Goddess of the Moon.” I raised my eyebrows at this.
“So, what have you done during your time as the Goddess of the Moon, if I may ask, for I have never been able to talk to a deity before.” I asked her.  Suddenly, she gained a mournful expression on her face, and slowly she went to sit down on her bed.  Curious, and also wanting to help, I went down to sit next to her.
As I sat down next to her, I could see that she was beginning to cry again, so carefully, I brought her into another hug like before, and she embraced me back, taking deep breaths as I tried to calm her down.  “Hey, if it hurts you too much to answer…” I began to say, but she stopped me, saying, “No…I…I want to tell you.  A-after all, y-you have…been s-such a n-n-nice f-f-friend to m-me.” So she began to explain how, one thousand years ago, she became jealous of her sister, for all of the ponies would always walk around in her sunlight, but sleep during her nights.  It was around then that her jealousy grew so much that it became an entity of its own.  This new Luna, called Nightmare Moon, began a campaign to raise the night sky all across Equestria and to make it night for all of eternity.  The only way that she was stopped was when Celestia, her own sister, banished her to the moon.  For one thousands years, she lived there, with nothing, not a single soul, all alone on that cold bleak space rock.  She literally just came back because she was somehow able to escape the imprisonment, but was turned to normal when Twilight, along with the other Elements of Harmony, were able to turn her back into Luna.  This happened just a few years ago, yet she still remembers the day that her sister banished her to the moon like it was yesterday.
“I r-remember her looking at me, with sadness, regret, but most of all…disappointment.” She said, the tears flowing freely now.  It was one of the saddest stories that I have ever heard, and it even brought me to the edge of tears.  At this point, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I quickly embraced Luna, who did the same to me, and quietly we both began to cry.  We stayed there for what felt like thirty minutes until Luna felt well enough to loosen her hold on me, but she still held onto me while I did the same to her.  She sniffled a few times, before she nodded her thanks to me.  I just slowly rubbed her mane to calm her down even more, and said, “Luna, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t judge what someone-”
“Somepony.” Said Pinkie out of nowhere, before disappearing again.  Fortunately, I was already used to that so I just continued with my talk.  “-What somepony does in their past, but what they do to redeem themselves in the future.  You were not in a clear thought of mind during the time, even I could tell, and I still want to think of you as the Princess of the Night.  Not only that, but I hope that we could also be the best of friends.” I paused when I said this, expecting to see some reaction, and what I got was what I expected.  She began to look happier, but at the same time saddened when I said that I wanted to be her friend.  Before she could recover from it, though, I said, “…Unless, you want to be something more.”
She looked at me in surprise then realizing that I found out about it, she said, “H-how did y-you know?”
“Well, AJ told me, actually.  I was too thick headed to notice.” I said, getting a small giggle out of her.  “But in all honesty, can you tell me how you feel about me?”
She was hesitant at first, and then with a sigh, she began to explain her reasoning.  ”W-well, t-truth is, e-even though w-we just met e-each other t-today, I have been w-watching you ever s-since you first slept here in Equestria.  I must be honest, I was worried that you might bring harm to our subjects, but when I saw your dreams, I noticed that you had nothing but kindness in your heart, as well as a will to defend those that meant the most to you.” I smiled, for she perfectly explained what it was that made me, well…me.  “So, when I noticed that you were coming over here I became so nervous, because I really wanted to make a good impression so that you would think that…well…I’m not some sort of…bad pony…I guess.” as she quieted down, we both stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like forever, until I asked her, “Luna, m-may I kiss you?”
She was startled to say the least, and then she slowly nodded.  Slowly, our lips touched one another, and once again, I felt the so-called fireworks from the touch of her lips on mine.  It was a short one, for she was still very nervous about the situation.  Our lips just slowly brushed up against one another, sliding off of each other with ease.  After a few seconds, we slowly broke the kiss, and once again looked into each other’s eyes.
“So, what do you think of me now?” I asked her, a small smile on my face.  Luna was quiet, just looking into my own eyes, thinking.  After a minute, she finally spoke.
“Even though you just met me, I…I…I r-really think…I think I love you, Drakalian.” She said, still staring into my eyes.
I got a bigger smile when she said that.  “Good, cause I would love it if you would join our herd, Princess Luna.”
Luna was quiet, her eyes widened with surprise.  “D-do you mean it?” She asked.
“It would be thy own honor if thou’st would join thy herd.” I said, talking in her accent.  Once I said that, Luna just held me in a death hug, repeatedly saying, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”  I just chuckled and hugged her back.  After a few minutes of hugging, Luna released me a little, realizing something.  “W-wait.  What about your other herd mates?”
I shook my head.  “They were the ones who told me to have you join our herd, and trust me, I’m glad they did, otherwise I would have never noticed what a beautiful pony you really are.” That got another blush from Luna.  I decided that we were up long enough and motioned for us to go to bed.  I had to get out of bed for a second to take my shorts off, which caused Luna to blush even more.  We then crawled under the covers of her bed, and then we began to cuddle, finding warmth in each other.  We were quiet for a few minutes, before Luna broke the silence.  “Drak, c-can I ask you something?”
I looked at her, and she continued her question.  “W-well, I w-was j-just wondering if…well…we could…k-k-kiss again, please?” I smiled at her and brought my face closer to her, whispering, “You don’t even have to ask.”
She smiled, and once again, we were kissing each other, our tongues this time were slowly, almost timidly, touching each other.  Our hands and hooves caressed the other as we made out with each other.  We both moaned into the kiss as we slowly let sleep overtake us.

> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13

I awoke once again, with the feeling of somepony’s hooves on me, as well as their lips on me.  I opened my eyes and saw Luna still asleep, her lips softly pressed against mine as she slept.  I slowly removed my lips from hers and went to check the time.  Thankfully, they did have some sort of working clocks, and the time was pretty accurate (Though I had no idea how they kept time if they could just make it night and day whenever they felt like it).  The clock itself said it was five in the morning.  I groaned silently, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get anymore sleep.  Unfortunately, this woke Luna from her slumber, and groaning herself, she got up and saw me looking up at the ceiling with a look of nervousness.
“Drakalian, what’s wrong?” She asked.  I looked at her and gave a small smile, stroking her mane a little.
“Nothing’s wrong, Luna, I’m just a bit stressed out.  Also, well, you remember when I said that I have a hard time falling asleep?” She nodded.  “Well, I don’t think I will be getting anymore sleep tonight.”  Luna was silent for a few seconds, before she asked me, “So, would you like to do something while we wait?”
I thought about her question for a while, before I shook my head, saying, “I don’t have any ideas on what to do right now, do you?”  Luna was quiet for a while, before she got a sly smile.
“Well, we could just have some ‘fun’ if you know what I mean.” She said seductively, leaning in slightly.  I raised an eyebrow, liking were this was going, and began to lean in to join our lips together.  When I looked into her eyes, however, I noticed that there was nervousness in them, a lot of nervousness.  I quickly held her at arms length, and raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  Luna looked at me with a worried glance, saying “D-did I do something wrong?”
I shook my head, smiling, and said, “No, I was just wondering, well, why do you want to do this all of a sudden?”  Her eyes widened in surprise.
“W-w-well, I just wanted to…you know…make our love official.” She said, but I could still see some nervousness in her.  Suddenly, I was struck with a thought of what it might be.
“Luna, are you a virgin?” I asked her.  She was silent for a while, before slowly, almost hesitantly, nodding.
“P-please don’t hate me.  I was hoping that you would like it if you thought I wasn’t a virgin.  I just thought that you would think that I was weird, an over thousand year old goddess, still a virgin.  It shames me to no-” I didn’t even let her finish, for once again, I brought my lips to hers.  Her eyes widened in surprise, and she slowly closed them, enjoying the kiss as well.  After a few seconds of kissing, I broke us apart, and said, “I don’t hate you.  I can almost never hate somepony unless given a valid reason, and so far, I have none for anypony.”
She giggled at that, saying, “Well, you have yet to met Prince Blueblood.  He’s our nephew, but he treats all of the ladies like dirt, even Rarity when he brought her to the Grand Galloping Gala.” I raised an eyebrow, not quiet believing that there was possible a pony that could be that much of a douche, then I remembered the bully that teased Ditzy, and decided to judge him as I see fit when I do see him.
“In any case, I still don’t hate you, even if you are a virgin.  That just means you haven’t found the right pony yet.” I said, trying to get us back on track.
“W-well, I think that I have now, I’m just a little…nervous is all.” She said, blushing slightly.  I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on her nose, saying, “Well, we don’t have to do it right away.  I’m perfectly ok to wait for you to be ready.  Is that ok with you?”  She thought about it for a second, and then she slowly nodded.  Suddenly, an idea for a way to pass the time popped into my head.  “I got an idea.  If you want me to, I could give you a massage before we go downstairs for breakfast.”
“Oh, I would love that!” Said Luna in an ecstatic voice.  She quickly laid herself onto her bed on her stomach, saying, “Just start wherever you think you should.”
I smiled at this and immediately straddled her at the hips with my legs, saying, “Ok, just tell me if I’m doing alright, and if I accidently hurt you.”
“I have complete faith in you, Drak.” Said Luna, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.  I smiled, and proceeded to begin her massage.

(Celestia’s POV)

I awoke to the light of the moon, yawning as I got out of my bed.  I looked over at the clock and noticed that it would soon be time for Luna and I to raise and lower our celestial subjects.  As I got out of my bed and onto the balcony, I looked over to where my sister would be and noticed that she wasn’t at her own balcony yet.  I was about to give her a few minutes when suddenly I heard moaning coming from her room.  Curious, I took the quick flight from my balcony to hers to see what was going on, and as I got closer, I noticed that her curtains were drawn, and that I could hear voices coming from inside.
“Oh, Drak!  That feels…so good!”
“How about if I do this?”
“Oh, yes!  Please…don’t stop!”
“You feel so tense Luna.  You really need to relax more.”
“As long as…we can…do…more of…this…oh yes…then…I think…I will…”
The more I listened, the more I began to blush.  Then, realizing that it was my younger sister in there, I gained a slightly annoyed expression.  What was that human thinking!  I knew that she loved him, but to take advantage of Luna, my own younger sister.  I decided to interrupt their ‘fun’ and give the human a piece of my mind.  I walked in, moving the curtains aside, and said, “And just what do you think you’re doing, human!  Taking advantage of my-”
I paused as I finally saw what was going on in Luna’s room.  They were both on the bed, the human was in some sort of undergarments, and he was straddling her.  However, he was facing away from her, one of her rear hooves in his hands, and he appeared to be…massaging it?
They both looked at me, stunned expressions on their faces.  Finally, Luna got up suddenly, sending the human flying off of her back and onto the bed.  She stared daggers at me for interrupting her and Drakalian.
“TIA!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN MY ROOM!?” She yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice, the vibration of her voice sending me sliding a few inches back.  Once she was done yelling, I put on my stern face and said, “I was making sure that the human wasn’t forcing you to sleep with him.”
At this, the human, who had gotten up from the bed, and Luna, both…blushed?  After a few moments of silence the human known as Drakalian decided to speak up.
“If it helps, Your Highness-” he began to say, but I stopped him with a wave of my hoof, saying, “I already told you, call me Celestia, even in these situations.”
Drakalian paused for a second before continuing.  “Fine.  Celestia, we were doing no such things.  Also, the very idea of taking advantage of somepony like that is just…just…not even worth thinking about, for I would never even consider doing such a thing, especially to those that are the closest to me.” I thought about what he said for a few moments, both of them quiet with anticipation.
Finally, I nodded, saying, “Very well.  I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.  Now, Lulu, we need to raise the sun, so if you may please come with me.”
I began to head back to Luna’s balcony, with Luna following close behind.  Behind me, I heard Drak say, “Well, I’ll just go and wash up for breakfast then.  Oh, and don’t forget to tell her Luna.” I looked back and saw Luna blushing at the last comment.  I decided to ask her what that was about once our job was done.
As we got on the balcony, Luna’s horn and eyes began to glow.  I waited for her to bring down her moon and the stars before my own horn and eyes glowed as I raised my sun into the sky.  Once that was done, I looked at Luna with a questioning look, and she looked at me and said, “What?”
I just kept looking at her and said, “Well, what is it that Drakalian wants you to tell me?”  Luna began to blush and she looked at her hooves, kicking some imaginary dirt.  She was quiet for a moment before she mumbled something.  I leaned in closer, saying, “Can you repeat that?”
“I-I’m in D-Drakalian’s herd now.” She said quietly, but in a hearable tone.  My eyes widened in surprise.  She was already in his herd, after just meeting him for one night!  That was impossible, unless…
“Luna, did you and Drakalian do…‘it’…last night?” I asked her.  She began to blush even more at that comment.
“No!  Although…we…we did want to do ‘it’ with thy new herd mate.” She said, slipping into her old accent again.  I was silent for a little longer before I asked, “Well, why didn’t you then?”
My sister was quiet, apparently still hesitant to talk about this, even with her older sister.  Finally, she spoke, saying, “W-when we asked thou to take us in thy movements of love, he was about to, but he stopped us.” I looked at her with a quizzical look; however, I let her finish her short story before I asked her any more questions.
She continued.  “We were worried that we might have displeased thou, but he…he said…he noticed that we were too nervous to do it.”
My eyebrows rose at this, thinking, ‘He was able to see Luna’s feelings?  Interesting…’  “So, what happened afterwards?”
“W-well, when we asked thou if everything was ok, he asked us if we were a…virgin…and we said yes.” At this point, Luna had sat down on the balcony floor and began to cry.  I quickly draped a wing over her to comfort her, and said, “There, there, sister.  You don’t have to be sad.  If he isn’t the right one-” I began, before Luna interrupted me.
“N-no, sister.  T-that’s not what I mean.  These are tears of happiness.  I have never meet somepony that was as understanding as him.” She said, beginning to get a hold of herself.
I cocked my head to one side, asking, “What makes him so understanding, if I may ask?”
My sister looked at me, the tears starting to dry up on her face, saying, “He said that he didn’t care if I were a virgin or not, and just wanted me to be happy.  He even said that he would wait for me until I was truly ready for it.”  At this, she began to smile.  I could tell without reading her mind that she was thinking about the moment that had just happened.  Before she could get too into it, I coughed slightly, snapping her out of her daydream.
“If that was the case, then what was he doing exactly before I came in and…interrupted you two?” I asked her.
“Well, if you do recall, dear sister, he was hired by the spa sisters in Ponyville, and he asked me if he wanted me to get massaged by him.  I agreed, and after about an hour later, you came into my room and…well…you know the rest.”
I was quiet, simply digesting this information, before I said, “Well, I guess that nothing wrong was done.  So, I suggest that you go and wash up so that you can go join the others at breakfast.”  Luna beamed at me, and she immediately got up on her hooves and began to gallop towards the bathroom.  I shouted after her before she got in, saying, “Also, if you get down there before me, please tell Drakalian that I’m sorry for interrupting you two.”
“Ok, Tia!” Shouted Luna, before she closed the door to her bathroom.  I waited for a few seconds, expecting to hear some sort of yelp of shock from Drakalian when Luna bulled her way into the bathroom.  When none came, I assumed that he was already downstairs with the other Elements.  With a sigh, I flew back to my own balcony and began to head down to my own bathroom to wash myself up.  As I went to wash up, my thoughts drifted back to what my sister said, about Drakalian getting hired as a masseur.  I remembered how Luna was moaning during Drak’s treatment before I barged into her room.  Soon I began to imagine what it would be like to have those fingers pressing on my own body, slowly going over my back, rubbing my flanks, just slightly grazing his fingers over my cutie mark…
I shook my head, trying to clear it from these perverted thoughts, but the thoughts were still there.  Finally, I thought to myself, ‘Well, I guess I could go there later, when I get the chance.  I mean, it couldn’t hurt to try.’  The thought stayed with me through out my washing, and the more I thought about it, the more I got into it.
Once I got downstairs, I saw that the Elements were already having breakfast, along with Luna and Drakalian.  Drakalian was sitting next to Luna; I’m assuming that she convinced him to sit there at the head of the table.  His other herd mates were sitting next to him as well, and by the looks of things everything was going pretty well.  In all honesty, I was a little nervous, especially with what happened earlier, to confront him.  However, if Luna said that he is the most understanding pony (or human) that she has ever met, then I trust her judgment.  As I went and took my seat, I noticed that Drakalian was looking at me, but as soon as I tried to meet his own eyes, he simply looked away.  Curious, I made a note to myself to talk about it with him at a later date, but for now I decided to simply enjoy the breakfast meal that was bestowed upon us by the servants.  I was quiet as I ate, just listening to the rest of the ponies (and Drakalian) chat away.  I noticed that during the talking, Drakalian wouldn’t say much unless he was spoken to, though he did ask Rainbow Dash about something called ‘karate’.  Dash knew what he was talking about and even said that she was a black belt in it.  Apparently, Drak was also a black belt in this ‘karate’ as well as a few other techniques and Rainbow, being the brash Pegasus that she is, decided to challenge him to a ‘sparing match’ of some sort, to which he heartedly agreed to.  As well as talking about ‘karate’, he even made some interesting jokes at one point, even getting into a little joke battle with Pinkie.  Not surprisingly, he lost, though it was fairly entertaining; especially when Drak made a comment about somepony somehow exploding twice which made Luna accidently laugh as she was drinking her milk.  Thankfully, Drak was helpful and kindly cleaned up for her once the laughter slowed down enough to do so, even going so far as giving her a kiss on the nose once he was done, causing my sister to blush.
When the joking contest was over, Drak noticed that I wasn’t saying much during the whole time, and said, “Celestia, are you ok?  You haven’t said much during breakfast and usually that’s my job.”
I smiled at the small little joke that he made as I looked at him.  I noticed that even when looking at me, he still wouldn’t make eye contact with me.  “Nothing is wrong, Drak, I’m just thinking about a few things.  Besides, I don’t have much to add to the conversation right now.”
“Oh, I know, Tia!  You can tell him about how you want him to massage you and have his fingers flow over your body and cutie marks!”
Everypony was quiet, looking at Luna who had said the comment, and then looking at me, and I could feel a blush forming on my face as they looked at me.  I also noticed that Drakalian had a blush on his face, and he was also starting to put his hood back on as well.
After a while I mustered enough courage to confront Luna.  ”Luna!  Did you read my mind when that happened?”
Luna shrugged, seemingly oblivious to what she had said. “I was worried that you might be against me and Drakalian being together, so I decided to see if you were ok with it.  Turns out that you are, though in more ways then one I can see.” She said, which made me blush even more.
“Celestia, is this true?” I looked at Drak, who had asked this question, and noticed that his hood was fully up now and covering his eyes, so that I couldn’t see what he was looking at.  I was quiet for a moment, and then I slowly nodded.
“W-well, when I h-heard how w-well Luna was sounding w-when you was massaging her, I did get curious.” I said, stuttering slightly.  Drakalian was quiet for a while, and I became nervous that he might think of me as disgusting or even perverted.  What I didn’t expect, though, was for him to chuckle.
“Well, if you stop by at the spa in Ponyville, then I don’t have any qualms with massaging you, although it will have to be after Rarity gets hers, for I did promise that she would be my first customer.” He said, smiling.  “Also, I don’t think I would be feeling comfortable touching your cutie marks, since I kind of do know what they are, besides showing a pony’s talent.”
I stared at him, confusion on my face.  Finally, I was able to recover enough to give myself a small chuckle of relief, saying, “Well, in that case, I might be there at a later date.  And don’t worry I won’t have you touch my cutie marks.  Also, it looks like you were right, Luna, for he is very understanding.  You should be proud.”
Luna smiled and nuzzled up to Drak, who smiled and gave Luna a big hug.  “I know, sister, and I’m very happy of it as well.” She said, kissing the human on the cheek, causing him to blush.
Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I could sense that he was very happy as well, and gave a quick kiss to Luna on the cheek before he had to release her from the hug to continue eating.  With that out of the way, we began to finish our breakfast in earnest.
As we ate, Drakalian, who decided to bring his hood back down, said, ”I need to ask you something.  It’s not important, but it has been bothering me since I first saw you two.”
“Well, what is it?” asked my sister, curious.  I looked at the human as well, curious myself.
“Well, from what I can recall back of my life on Earth, I was into studying mythical beings and the sort, which is one of the reasons why I know a bit about unicorns and Pegasai, although the ability to interact with the clouds and create weather was new to me.” Said, Drak.  I nodded and he continued.  “Well, I don’t recall ever coming upon creatures such as you and Luna, so I need to ask, what type of pony are you two?  I-if that’s ok, that is.” He finished, stuttering at the end.
“Well, we are what you would call Alicorns, ponies with the abilities of all the other ponies.” Answered Luna, smiling.  “As I told you earlier, we are also considered gods, for we do have an ageless life.”
I nodded before continuing were my sister left off. “However, there are only three of us in existence right now, me and Luna being two of them, while our niece is the third Alicorn and Princess.” Drakalian nodded and thanked Luna and myself for this news and continued to eat his meal.
As soon as we finished, I was going to ask Drakalian about why he was avoiding my eyes, when suddenly, one of the guards entered the dining room and announced, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband the Captain of the Royal Guard are here to see you, Princesses.”
At this, Twilight was suddenly out of her seat, brimming with excitement.  “My brother is here?!” she said.  Before the guard could answer, however, a white unicorn with a blue mane and tail and a pink Alicorn with a pink, yellow, and purple mane and tail entered the room.  The white unicorn’s cutie mark was a blue shield with a pink star in the middle and three smaller blue stars above the shield, while the pink Alicorn’s cutie mark was that of a light blue crystal heart.
“Well, speak of Discord.” Said Luna, looking at our niece and her husband.  Twilight was soon running towards her brother.
“BBBFF!” She shouted, grabbing the unicorn in a tight hug and the unicorn hugged her back with equal affection.  The guard that announced them in, noticing that he wasn’t needed anymore, left the room to go back to his post.
“Twily!  It’s so good to see you again!” the unicorn said, while the Alicorn smiled at the family reunion.  I looked at Drak, and he had a look of confusion on his face.  I cleared my throat to get everypony’s attention, and said, “Hello Cadence, Shining Armor, I would like you to meet the human, Drakalian.”
Drakalian got up and walked up to meet them, stopping a bit in front of them, but still keeping a small distance between them.  As he looked at them, I noticed that he was still avoiding eye contact with them, which made me even more curious as to why he was doing that.  “So, you’re a Princess, right Cadence?” he asked my niece, to which she nodded, “May I ask what you are the princess of?”
“Why, yes you may.  I’m the Princess of Love.” Said Cadence in a happy voice.  I noticed that the human’s eyebrows went up at this, apparently surprised by the fact that we had a princess with that title, I’m assuming.
“Really, well, in that case, is it alright if I ask a few questions?”
“Sure, what questions do you have in mind?”
Drak hesitated at this, and then said, “W-well, if it’s alright with you, c-can I ask them in p-private, please?”  I gave a small smile; I knew what kind of questions the human wanted to ask her, while everypony else had a confused expression on their faces.
Cadence gave the human a questionable look that cleared up the instant she realized what he was talking about.  “Oh, of course you can, but I do need to get myself settled here again, for we are going to be here for a while considering some important issues, and well, that’s all I can say, really.”
Drak nodded at this, saying, “Understandable, country issues and stuff.  Curious, but like I said, understandable as to why you can’t tell me.”  Once again, I was surprised at how understanding he was, as well as how formal he could be.
I realized then that Rainbow had her planning face on, like the one she gets when she is about to prank somepony.  Before I could ask her what she has planned, she said, “Hey Drak, how about we change the challenge, huh?”
Drakalian looked at her, a curious look on his face.  “What do you have in mind, Dash?” he asked her, slightly curious.
“How about, instead of me sparing you, you can spar Shining Armor!”

(Drakalian’s POV)

Everypony in the room was quiet for a second.  Then, Shining broke the silence by clearing his throat, saying, “If I may ask, why would you want me to spar with the human, Dash?”
Dash shrugged saying, “Well, he said that he learned not only karate, but Shaolin and Kempo as well.  So I thought that it would be more interesting for him to spar you then it would to spar me.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, surprised that she would even think about stepping out of a challenge.  “Rainbow Dash, are you suggesting that I could actually take you on in a sparing match?  Is this why you don’t want to spar with me?”
“What? No!  I just…think it would be more interesting is all.” She said, a hurtful look on her face.
I still didn’t feel convinced by her answer though, and finally, Dash said, “Ok, how about this; the loser has to be the winner’s slave for one whole day.  So if Shining wins, then you become my slave for an entire day, and if you win, I’ll become your slave for an entire day.  You think you can do that?”
I thought about it for a second.  To be honest, the challenge did…intrigue me, though I don’t know if I could say the same thing to Shining.  I looked at him, and all I saw was a neutral expression on his face.
“Well…I would be lying if I said that the challenge wasn’t interesting.  Alright, you got a deal, Dash, but I don’t know if I could say the same thing for Shining.” I said, waiting for his answer.  He was quiet for a few more moments, then he nodded, saying, “I guess I could, I haven’t had a good training session in quiet a while, so this would be a good way to begin my training again.”
His wife looked at him with a curious look.  “Why would you need to train more, Shiny?  You’re already Captain of the Guard.”
Before he could answer, I answered for him.  “Well, you can never have enough training, and there is always more to learn to improve your skills.” I said, surprising both of them.
Shining nodded at this, saying, “Well, it seems that you do know a bit about training, but do you actually know how to fight?”
I grinned, knowing where this was leading.  “Only one way to find out.  So ‘Shiny’, you game?”
He was quiet for a few seconds, and then he nodded again, saying, “Well, like I said, it would be a good start to some more training.  So, when do you want to begin?”
“Why not right now?  I’m done with breakfast, and I don’t have anything else planned for the day right now.  Besides, I could use the exercise.”
Shining nodded his agreement, and with that said, “We can go to the training grounds.  There should be an ample amount of room there.”
“As long as there aren’t that many ponies around, then that’s fine by me.” Shining and Cadence gave me a confused look at this, but before I could say anything else, Celestia interrupted me.
“I will explain to you two what he means on the way there.” She said, smiling.  I smiled back at her, glad that she was willing to explain my certain ‘difficulties’ with crowds.  I noticed that during breakfast, she was silent about something, though of what, I couldn’t say.  I would have thought that it would have been the fantasy of me that Luna kind of blurted out, but she was still quiet even after that was mentioned.  I made a note to myself to ask her about it on a later date.
“Well, if everypony is ready, then let us go to the training grounds.” Said Luna.  We all nodded and began to go to these training grounds, following the princesses, with me and Shining walking behind them, followed by my herd mates and others.
I decided to try and get to know my sparing partner, so I asked, “How long have you been married, Shining?”
“Well, it has been a few years now, and I have been happy of every one of those years.” He said, staring at Cadence with loving eyes.  I chuckled at this, and gave him a nudge to bring him back to reality.  He blinked in surprise, and then he shook his head, clearing it, before giving a smug look of his own to me.  “You may be laughing now, but once you find your special somepony, you will be in the same situation as well.”
To his surprise, I still chuckled, saying, “I think I already am, and I sometimes still can’t believe my luck.”  Now it was my turn to stare at Luna.  I looked at her, her flowing mane, her magnificent wings, her lovely tail and lushes plot, her long, slim legs which made her rump shake ever so slightly as she walked…
I felt a nudge, and looked down to see Shining grinning at me.  I realized that he just caught me doing the same thing that he was doing, and I blushed, trying to tug on my hood, only to realize that I don’t have it up right now.
“So, you and Luna, huh?” he asked.  I nodded, saying, “Well, Luna, Fluttershy, AJ, and I, yes.” This made him raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“Oh, so you decided to start a herd instead?” he asked.  I nodded, saying, “Yup, and I’m proud of it, for I love them all with equal affection.”
Shining was silent for a moment, before saying, “Well, not that many ponies would be able to make such a herd and hold on to it so well, but it looks like you’re doing something right.  Keep up the good work and I’m sure that you’ll be one of the happiest ponies…or human…in Equestria.”
I chuckled, saying, “Well, considering that I’m the only human here, I think I already am.” That made us laugh, and even got everypony’s attention as well, giving us curious looks.  Once they realized that it was nothing important, they went back to their own conversations.
Once we calmed down from our laughing, I decided to ask him some details from his wedding.  “Well, it was going to be any normal royal wedding, you know, with the cake and the guests, which was over 500, by the way.” He said, describing his wedding.  I shook slightly upon hearing how many guests he had at the party, but was able to calm down before he noticed it.  He went into great detail about how fun it was, since Pinkie was the one who designed the party to begin with.  And then it took a curious twist.  “-And then, suddenly, Twily comes up and says that it isn’t Cadence but Queen Crysalis, Queen of the Changelings.” I looked at him curious, and asked him who this Crysalis was.  “Well, like I said, she is the queen of the Changelings, which are an insect like race that can change into anypony and they also feed off of the love of others.  Turns out that she was right, and before the actual ceremony began, we were invaded by hundreds of Changelings, and suddenly Crysalis appeared from her disguise as my soon to be wife.  You see, she was disguised as her so that she could feed off of my love, which in turn made her stronger, so strong that she was able to defeat Celestia.  The only way she was stopped was when we found the real Cadence and with her and my love, we were able to defeat her and push her back.  Since then, we have made it our duty to try and capture her and bring her to justice for what she tried to do to my Cadence.”
I was quiet the whole time, thinking about the whole situation, before I finally said, “Well, I can understand why she would do that, even if it was a little extreme.”
Shining looked at me, baffled.  “Understand?  What do you mean, understand?  There is nothing to understand about what she did to me and my wife, as well as to Celestia and everypony that was here!”
I shrugged, not bothered by his outburst in the slightest, saying, “Well, they were probably just doing it for survival purposes.  If I were in there shoes, so to speak, I would have most likely done the same thing if I were desperate to save my own people.”
Shining was quiet for a second, then suddenly, Cadence was right next to us, apparently hearing her husband’s outburst from before.  “You see, Shiny.  Even Drak knows that it was most likely a survival thing.”
“But she said she wanted to take over Canterlot, and the whole of Equestria, how do you explain that?” Said Shining.  We were quiet for a second, before I shrugged and said, “Well, the only way to know is if you spoke to this Crysalis fellow yourself, and I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.”
They were quiet for a while, and then Cadence spoke, saying, “I guess Luna was right, saying that you were the most understanding pony…or human…that she has ever met.”
I shrugged, blushing at the comment.  This got a giggle out of Cadence and even a little chuckle out of Shining.  Once they calmed down a little, Shining said, “I guess you’re right, but still, I wouldn’t trust them completely.”
I nodded, once again understanding why he wouldn’t trust them.  Then, curious as to why Cadence was here, I asked, “Cadence, why did you come over here to see us guys?”
She giggled at that, saying, “Well, I just heard what you two were talking about, and decided to pop on in.  Also, I wanted to give my condolences to you for having to live with such a dreadful phobia.” Shining was confused for a second before I explained to him what my phobia was.  Once I was finished, he had a look of concern on his face.
“So that was why you asked if there would be a lot of ponies at the training ground.” He said.  I nodded, and before we could say anything else, we made it to the training grounds of Canterlot.

> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14

I looked at the field with a discerning eye, making sure that it was up to the task of a sparing match, while at the same time making sure that there weren’t many ponies here that would make it a problem for me.  From what I was able to tell, it looked pretty darn good.  There was a barracks nearby, which I assumed that some of the guards would sleep there.  To one side of the field there were some training dummies, for practice purposes I assumed.  Next to them, the field became big and open and it seemed big enough for the type of sparing we were about to do.  Another surprising thing was that there seemed to be some sort of magical shield around the training grounds, and it appeared to keep the weather outside, keeping it warm inside so that the guards could train in good conditions.  One thing, though, was that we weren’t alone.
There were lots of guards all over the place, however, they were so spread out that it didn’t really affect me that much.  I noticed that some of them were stopping in their training to take a look at us as well as Shining.  I assumed that they didn’t see him that often, so they were probably excited to see him as well.
“Well, you think that this is going to be a problem for you with all of the guards here?” asked Shining, obviously concerned that I might start panicking.  I simply smiled and shook my head, saying, “This should be fine by me, the question is, are you going to be ok when I beat you in front of all of these guards?”
Shining grinned at me, getting the jib, and said, “We will see who is getting beaten today, won’t we?”
I just smiled; preparing my mind and body for the match that was about to commence.  I took my hoodie off, feeling comfortable enough to go on without it while also not wanting to get it ruined again.  We walked to the opposite sides of the field, and once we got there, Celestia came out to the middle of the field, and began to state the rules of the match.
“The rules of this sparing match are simple.  There will be no weapons, it will be hoof to hoof…or hoof to hand…combat only.  There will be no magic, since Drakalian here can’t use any magic.  Try to avoid doing anything too dangerous, and whatever you do, don’t hurt yourselves too badly.  The last thing I want is to bring one of you two or both of you to the hospital.  Do both of the contestants understand these rules?”
We both nodded in response.  Celestia looked at both of us, trying to see if she forgot anything.  When it was clear that she didn’t she backed up to the edge of the field and said, “You may start when you are ready.”
I got into a cat stance and prepared myself for the match ahead.  I saw Shining do something similar as well with the exception that he was on four legs instead of two.  I decided to let him go first, seeing as I probably had the edge in defending myself (though by the looks of his cutie mark, it might be difficult for me to break his defense as well).
Like I suspected, Shining made his move first.  He started by running at me at high speed, before jumping up in the air and coming down on me, both of his fore hooves heading straight towards my face.  I swiftly stepped to the side, and as he passed me, I grabbed his closest fore hoof with both of my hands.  Using his own momentum against him, I spun him around in a 180 and released my grip, sending him flying away from me as fast as he came at me.  He recovered quickly though; tucking himself into a roll as he hit the ground, rolling a few times before he fluidly righted himself back up.  Once back on his hooves, he began to charge back at me, though not with as much speed as before.  Once he got in front of me, he pivoted on his forelegs and bucked at me, aiming for my chest.  I blocked with my arms then before he could recover from his buck, I aimed a crescent kick for his face.  He blocked me easily by lifting one of his front hooves up, and before I could react, using his other hoof, landing a hit on the inside of my knee, making me buckle under the impact.  As I fell, I was able to bring my arm up and elbow him along the back, causing him to fall with me.  We both lay there on the ground for a second before we got ourselves back up.  Once we were up, we started to stare at each other, analyzing the damage that we just did to the other.
It went on like this for a good few more minutes, each of us trading blow after blow, counter after counter, hit after hit.  While Shining gave the majority of the blows, I was able to sneak in some hits on him as well.
After a while, we stood in front of each other, panting from the exertion that we made our bodies go through.  I knew that if I didn’t finish this soon, I would lose the match, and therefore, the challenge.  For some reason, I didn’t like the idea of becoming Dash’s slave for a whole day.  The injuries were beginning to accumulate, making it harder to go on.  The knee that he first hit was starting to ache, causing me to limp slightly, for he was able to hit it a few more times during our bouts.  I also had a few bruises and scratches on my arms, back, and chest from when I landed on a rock or pebble the wrong way.  Shining was in a better condition then I was, though he still sported some bruising that shone through his white coat.  He also had the forming of a black eye that I gave him when he least expected it, and it was beginning to swell.
As I stared at Shining, I could see that he was getting tired himself, though not as nearly as tired as me.  As I began to contemplate my next move, Shining suddenly reared on his hind legs, aiming his forelegs for my chest again.  As he lunged forward legs first, I ducked under him and, putting as much energy into my hand as I could, aiming a fist straight back for his chest.  As I was throwing the punch, though, something strange seemed to happen.  It was so brief that I could have sworn that it was a trick of the eye, but I knew that it had to be real.
My hand began to create a soft red glow.
As soon as it made contact with Shining’s chest, he let out a large “OOF! The punch sent him flying for a good twenty-five feet before he landed on his side.  I stood there, shocked with what just happened, before a wave of nausea came over me, and I sagged to the ground, clutching my stomach in pain.
Instantly, Fluttershy was next to me, a hoof around me, trying to hold me up.  “Drak!  You ok?”
I was about to answer, but then another wave of nausea came, and without another warning, I threw up on the ground in front of me, this morning’s breakfast meal exfiltrating my mouth and landing on the ground.  I threw up for a good ten seconds before I was able to calm myself down enough to take a few deep breathes.  Fluttershy was there by my side, comforting me, and by that time AJ and Luna were there too, with the rest of the girls coming to check on me, while Celestia and Cadence went to check on Shining.  As I looked up at them, I noticed that Shining was able to get up without much difficulty, though as they were walking towards me, I did see him limp slightly, seeming to favor his right foreleg more then his left.
“Drak are you ok?  Did you just use magic?” Said Twilight, excitement and worry on her face.  I then noticed that Rarity apparently fainted, I assume from my puke more then anything else.  As I looked upon the mares, I began to feel tired, and I slowly sank to the ground, thankfully avoiding the pile of puke.
“Drak, stay with us, come on!” shouted Luna, desperation in her voice.
“Com’on, sugarcube, don’t fall asleep on us now!” said AJ, with the same amount of worry in her voice as well.
As my eyes closed, the last thing that I saw was all of the girls looking down at me, with Shining just coming into view.
The last thing that I heard was, “Get a doctor!” from Celestia, before my ears turned themselves off.
Finally, the last thought that I had was ‘Well, so much for not going to the hospital.’ Before I completely blacked out.




I woke up to the sound of constant beeping, and the feeling of a soft bed under me.  I groaned as I tried to get up, but as I sat up, a wave of pain spread from my head and all over my body.  I then felt somepony’s hoof gently force me back down onto my bed, saying, “I’d advise against getting up anytime soon.  Right now, your body needs to rest.”
I groaned as I opened my eyes and saw Shining next to me, a cast around his left foreleg.  I tired to speak, but all that came out was a soft wheeze.  Shining hoofed me a glass of water, saying, “Drink some water, your body needs the liquid right now.”  I gratefully took the water from him and began to greedily gulp it down, not realizing how thirsty I really was.  As I drank the water, I notice that Shining’s horn was glowing; I assumed that he was contacting the others to come down and see me.  I could feel my energy slowly coming back to me as I drank the water.  I also noticed that the pain was starting to recede, lessening to a dull throb.  As the pain faded, I also noticed that I wasn’t wearing any of my clothes.  Fortunately, I did have a thin blanket over me, but it did seem a bit inadequate for me.
“How do you feel?” asked Shining, concern on his face.  I took a few deep breaths before I answered him.
“Tired, slight pain, and very, very thirsty.” I said, my mouth still feeling dry.  Shining hoofed me another glass of water, which I again happily accepted.  I felt that I had enough energy to sit up properly this time, and I was able to do so without much pain.  That was when I noticed that there were several more glasses on the counter next to me.  I guess they knew that I would be thirsty once I woke up.
“Yup, that’s what happens when you overexert on magic, it can have any number of effects on you, from dehydration to nausea.  Fortunately, you came out lucky, or so it seems.”
I blinked at him in confusion.  “D-did, you say that…I…I u-used…”
“Magic?  Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”
Before I could ask him any more questions, the door to the room burst open, and in walked Celestia, Cadence, and a very worried Luna.
“Drakalian!” cried Luna, practically tackling me back onto the bed, giving me a death hug.  I gasped in pain as she hugged me, which brought her attention back to me, and she quickly released her hold on me, but still kept her hooves around me, a worried expression on her face.  I smiled at her.  I then realized that there were dried tears on her face, with new ones threatening to come out.  I quickly tried to soothe her by gently placing a hand on the side of her face, caressing her cheeks gently.
“Sshh, it’s ok, Luna, I’m fine as you can see.” I said, trying to make her feel better.  It seemed to do the trick, but I was still able to see a look of sadness on her face.  Suddenly, a thought popped into my head.  “W-what’s the day t-today?”
Luna looked at me and said, “Sunday.  Today’s Sunday.”
I was quiet as I let the information sink in.  ‘Ok, so we got here on Thursday, and we sparred on Friday, which means I was out for…t-two days…’
I let the realization of it sink in, and when I looked at Luna, I could tell that she knew that I knew.  I quickly brought her into a hug and she just as quickly responded.  We just sat there, hugging each other, afraid that if one of us lets go, the other one we begin to fade into nothingness.
We stayed like that for what felt like hours, until Celestia cleared her throat to get our attention.  We slowly released each other from our hug, but Luna still kept a hoof around me, nuzzling her face into my shoulder, while I kept brushing her mane.
“So, Drakalian.  How were you able to use magic?  I thought you told me that humans weren’t able to use magic in the first place.”
I gave a one-shoulder shrug, since my other shoulder was occupied at the moment, and said, “Honestly, I have no idea.  I have some theories, but nothing certain yet.” The Sun Princess nodded, understanding my confusion, I assumed.  “If it’s all right with you, I really don’t feel like talking about it, for I still feel pretty tired.”
Once again, she nodded, saying, “I understand.  This usually happens when first timers use a higher-class spell without any proper training.  We can talk about this in the morning.  As for now, you should get some sleep.  Lulu, we need to go and lower the sun right now, I promise that you can visit him after we are done.  I also need to talk to you about…certain things…”
I raised an eyebrow at this, curious at what those certain things might be.  Whatever it was, it caused Luna to blush a lot.  Nevertheless, she did what her sister said to do, but not without first giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, to which I responded in kind.  Once they left the room, I was alone with just Cadence and Shining Armor.
I looked at the two; all three of us were quiet, unsure as to what to say, until I finally broke the silence.  Chuckling, I said, “Well, I think that you won the match, Shining, since I used magic…somehow…” This caused Shining to chuckle a little.
“Well, I’m just lucky that it wasn’t that strong of a spell, otherwise I would have more then a broken leg from it.” He said, gesturing to his leg that was in a sling.
I chuckled a little at this as well, saying, “Yea…sorry about that.”
Shining just waved off the apology with his good hoof, saying, “It’s not that big of a deal.  Besides, I’ve had much worse injuries when I was training some of the new recruits.  Why, I remember one time that I was teaching some of them how to properly buck an opponent that is charging them.  Well, one of the targets was loose, so when the recruit went to buck it, it went sailing right towards me.  I believed it gave me a few broken ribs as well as two broken legs.”
I raised another eyebrow at this, somewhat surprised.  “That must have been painful.”
“Trust me, it was so much more painful then the one that I got now.” He said, chuckling some more.
I then realized that my other marefriends, as well as my other friends, were nowhere to be seen.  “Hey, where are Fluttershy, AJ, and the rest?  I would have expected to seen them once they heard that I was awake.”
“Well, Celestia said that they had to get back to Ponyville, though it was pretty hard to get them to leave you by yourself, especially Fluttershy.  That poor mare had a death grip on you the whole time that you were out, silently crying for you.  We practically had to pry her off of your bed just to get her to follow the others.” The news made me feel bad for putting them through such pain, especially Fluttershy, of all ponies.  I made a mental note to apologize to them once I got back to Ponyville.
The whole time, Cadence was quiet, patiently waiting for Shining to finish, before she cleared her throat to get my attention.  “Well, now that you’re out of the danger zone, as it were, I was wondering, if you would still be up to asking those questions that you wanted me to answer for you?”
I was silent for a few moments before I realized what she was talking about.  Once I did, I blushed saying, “W-well as l-long as it’s n-not a problem…”
Cadence smiled and nodded, saying, “Trust me, its no problem at all.” I nodded at this, and then I notice that Shining was going to leave the room to give us some privacy, before I stopped him, saying, “Wait, Shining, if it’s all right with you, can you stay here with me as well?”
Shining looked at me, a curious look on his face.  “Really?  Cause usually, when somepony asks these questions to my wife, they prefer to do it in privacy.”
I shook my head, saying, “Well, I’m not like most others, in case you haven’t noticed.”  This brought a chuckle from Shining, as well as a giggle from Cadence.  Shining went back to his spot next to his wife and sat down, waiting for me to ask my questions.
I was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to ask the question, before I decided to just say it out loud.  “W-well, I w-was w-wondering…w-what are the…um…what’s the…best way to…’satisfy’…a mare?” I said, getting progressively quieter as I spoke.  I was embarrassed by my question, even if it is with good intentions.  Cadence, however, was smiling the whole time I was saying my question.
Once I finished my question, she spoke.  “Well, it differs for each race, so to start with, we will start with the Pegasus pony.  Now, they have certain spots on their wings that can act as erogenous zones, and if rubbed that right way, is a good place to start an intimate moment with your special somepony.  Now, the Unicorn pony’s horn is a very sensitive part of the body, and it has to be in order to correctly use the spells that are needed to perform.  This also means that it is very sensitive to pleasure, much like that of a stallion’s penis, and has been known to be used as such when two mares get together.  Next, the Earth pony, which have very sensitive hooves, since they are always working with the earth, so they need to have sensitive hooves as the unicorns need to have sensitive horns.  A good way to begin foreplay with them is to begin a good hoof massage, and since I have heard that you were hired to be a masseur at the local spa, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  Finally, we have the Alicorns, and since they have all of the properties of the others, the same things that would help stimulate any other race will also affect them.  Oh, and all of the ponies are sensitive where they get their cutie marks, which is another way to begin foreplay with your special somepony.”
“Don’t forget about the ears, Cadence.” Said Shining in between chuckles.
“Oh, of course, thanks Shiny.  The ears of the pony, especially right behind them, on the tip of them, or at the base, is also another way to get your special somepony into the ‘intimate’ mode.  So, with that all said, any questions?”
I was shocked that Cadence could talk about such intimate things with ease.  Shining was still silently chuckling the whole time that his wife talked, most likely from the expression on my face.  As I processed the words, a few things suddenly came to mind.  One thing that I remembered was the day that I massaged Lotus, and how she melted when I was massaging her hooves.  It definitely explained a lot about her reaction to it.  I then finally notice that Shining was chuckling before using his good hoof to close my mouth that had opened up during Cadence’s little speech.  I shook my head, and I could feel a blush forming on my face as I spoke.
“I-I-I t-t-t-think that I’m g-g-g-good n-now, t-thank y-y-you.” I said, practically tripping on my own words.  Shining Armor chuckled at this, while Cadence giggled slightly.
“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you seem to be taking this much better then other ponies that have came up to me with similar problems.” Said Cadence.  I just sat there, the blush still evident on my cheeks.  After a few moments of quietness, I was able to gain enough composure to get my mind back to the present.
“W-well, I g-guess I just wasn’t expecting such…uh…openness to the whole thing.” I said.  I looked at Shining, who was still laughing silently at my expression, and said, “I can see why other ponies normally don’t want you to be here when she explains this stuff to them, Shining.”
Shining stopped his laughing, grinning sheepishly, before he cleared his throat, saying, “Well, if that is all, then me and Cadence do need to be going, for we have quiet a lot of stuff to do right now.”
“Ok, Shiny.  See you later, Drak.  Hopefully you’ll be better when we see you again.”
“Yup, in more ways then one.” Shining chuckled, before getting a glare from his wife, making him grin sheepishly again.  Without another word, they both left the room, leaving me all alone to relax for a while, that is, until Luna came back in.
As Luna walked in, she closed the door behind her, and then quickly got onto the bed and laid next to me, embracing me in a big hug.  I was quick to reply, hugging her back with equal affection.  As we hugged, I could hear Luna crying silently onto my shoulder, so I tried to comfort her, saying, “Hey, it’s ok now, I’m awake, there’re no major injuries to me, and now I can even use magic.  If anything, things turned out for the better.”
Luna released her grip on me slightly to look me in the eyes, saying, “That may be true, but you worried all of us to death, especially poor Fluttershy.”
“I know, and I promise that I will apologize to them once I get back to Ponyville.”
“You mean, once we get back to Ponyville.”
I raised any eyebrow at this, saying, “But what about your duties as a princess?”
“Celestia deemed that this was important to be one of my new duties.  She told me that it was now my job along with Twilight to help you hone your magical abilities, so that things like this won’t happen again.”
I was quiet for a second, and then I smiled, giving a quick kiss on her nose, causing her to blush slightly.  “I think that it’s a marvelous idea, as Rarity would put it.” That caused us both to chuckle slightly, before we both became quiet, simply staring into the other’s eyes, holding each other the whole time.  Finally, after what felt like ages, Luna spoke.
“I…I think I’m ready now.”  Her statement confused me, before I realized what she was saying, and once I did, both of my eyebrows went up in surprise.  “Are you sure?  I don’t want you to do this without being completely ready.”
She nodded, saying, “Since the sparing match between you and Shining, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and now I’m certain that you are the one.”  She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for something.  Finally, she said, in her old accent, “Drakalian, will thou do thy honors of being our first in thy makings of love?”
I was quiet for a second, contemplating the situation.  Finally I said, in her own accent as well, “Twill by thy own honor if thou’st would allow us to be thy first in thy makings of love.”
Luna smiled at me, and I smiled back.  We slowly brought our lips together and once they connected, our tongues began to clash with each other, sometimes in her mouth, other times in my mouth.  As we kissed, we slowly leaned back onto the bed; our lips never left the other’s lips for a second. We part our lips for a second to get a breather, and she quickly got under the covers with me, before we began to kiss again with renewed vigor.  As we lie there on our sides, I could feel her slowly grinding her hips on my leg, getting my leg wet with her arousal.  I could feel her hoof rubbing my chest before descending lower onto my stomach.  Finally, she reached my manhood, which was already hard from her just dry humping me, and began to stroke it on the underside of it, causing me to moan into the kiss.  I remembered a few minutes ago what Candence said about pleasuring a mare, so I decided to try and use some of those techniques right now.  I got up on my elbow, and with my free hand, began to caress her closest wing, causing her to moan into our kiss as well.  I kept looking for the erogenous zones that Candence mentioned, and after a little more rubbing, my fingers felt a small bump on her wing right between the base of her wing and the first wing joint.  As soon as I brushed up against it, Luna broke our kiss suddenly and groaned loudly in pleasure.  I smiled, glad that I was doing well so far, and I quickly positioned myself so that I was over her, my hand still rubbing against her wing’s g-spot.  Luna kept on groaning and sighing in pleasure, her hoof still on my rock hard cock, rubbing it even faster now.  As I pleasured her wing, I gently lay myself on top of her, being careful not to put too much pressure on her.  I begin to kiss her along her neck; bringing out more moans of pleasure from her.  I brought my free hand to her other wing and I began to rub on that wing’s g-spot.  Next, I moved my other hand that was massaging her first wing, and slowly moved it onto her stomach, rubbing it in slow circles.  Luna groaned at the treatment, bringing her free hoof around my neck and caressing my back.  After a few more minutes, I brought my hand lower onto her and eventually reached her teats.  The size of them was obviously larger then Fluttershy’s, but if they were the same size, then so would their teat size.  I grasped as much of her teat as I could, rubbing her nipples in between the lengths of my fingers, causing more moans of encouragement from her.  As I rubbed them, she brought her other hoof that was around me down to my crotch, and then with both of her hooves on my shaft, she began to give me her hoof job.  As she continued to jerk my length, I began to sigh with content, and then I brought my fingers even lower, towards her marehood.  As soon as I touched it, I felt a shiver go down her spine, and I smiled as I kept kissing her neck, pleased at how well I was doing.  I slowly began to rub the outer lips of her pussy, before I slowly entered my middle finger into her. 
The effect was immediate.  Her eyes opened wide, and she gave a sharp gasp of surprise, as the pleasure seemed to rock her very body.  I smiled once again as I began to jilt her in a rhythmic fashion, making her give a small gasp every time my finger hilted inside of her.  After a few seconds, I placed my pointer finger into her as well, causing more gasps of excitement.  While I was finger fucking her, she kept on working on my dick, jerking it faster and faster.  I could tell that she was at the brink, and I had one more idea on how to get her to climax.  I hilted my fingers into her, brought my thumb, and ever so gently, pressed it onto her clit and rubbed small circles around it.
This caused Luna’s back to arch in pleasure, nearly hitting me in the groin with her rear hooves as she stopped her hoof job on me, a loud sharp wail came from her, which also caused me to pull my head back slightly.  I felt her juices flood all over my fingers and hand as I twitched inside her every so often to keep her orgasm going for as long as I could.  After about thirty seconds, her climax slowly receded, and she began to relax again, panting deeply.  I slowly pulled my fingers out of her pussy, causing a slight moan to come out of Luna, and out of curiosity, I brought my fingers to my mouth, and gave it a little lick.  The taste, while not unpleasant, was certainly new, and the only way that I could describe it, would be saying that it was liquid moonlight.
Luna panted from the release of her first orgasm, before saying, “T-t-that…that was…w-wow…”
I smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek, saying, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Luna then realized that she didn’t get to finish me off yet.  “W-w-wait…w-what about…you?” I smiled at her, and said, “I can wait, just as long as you’re happy, then I’m happy.”
“S-still, I…I think I’m…r-ready now.”
I looked at her, and even though we just went through with this, I was still worried for her.  “Are you sure that your ready f-”
Before I could finish, she quickly pushed me off of her and made me lie on my back, throwing the thin blanket off of us, my erection exposed to the world now.  Luna then got up from her position and, with her rear facing me; she began to rub her marehood onto the tip of my cock, causing pleasure to emit from the both of us.  “The question is, my love, are you ready for me?” she said seductively, looking back at me with half lidded eyes, a sly grin on her face, her wings partially open, making her look like the Night Goddess that she truly is.  I smiled back, and gently placed my hands on her flanks, rubbing her cutie marks slowly, causing her to moan again.
“I heard that the first time for the female is a bit painful, so just take your time with this, ok?” She nodded at me, and then slowly, she began to sink my manhood into her own marehood.  I gave a sharp gasp; her entrance was so tight around my shaft that it took all I had just to not go off on the spot.  As soon as the head was inside her, I felt a barrier blocking the rest of the way, and Luna gave off a slight whimper of pain once I touched it.
“Just relax, I’ll try to help you through it.” I told her, massaging her cutie marks some more.  It seemed to do the job, for she visibly relaxed under my ministrations, saying, “Just…just let me do it…ok?”
Before I could say anything, she suddenly slammed her hips right towards my own, ripping through her hymen and hilting me all in one go.  Luna gave off a gasp of pain and I could see tears coming out of her eyes.  I felt horrible that I couldn’t do anything about it, so I just kept on massaging her flank and cutie marks, trying to ease her through the pain.  After a few minutes, I could see that the pain had left her, and she began to breath deeply in anticipation.
“You feeling better now?” I asked her, and she nodded, saying, “Y-you’re s-so…big inside…me.”  I smiled, still massaging her flanks, saying, “You just move when you’re ready, ok?”
Once again, she nodded, and slowly, she moved her hips up on my throbbing shaft, until just the tip was inside her, before she slowly sank it back down, bringing out a long moan from the both of us.  She kept on rising and lowering herself on me at a glacial pace, and while I was eager to go faster, I held myself back, content on letting her set the tempo for now.  Luna moaned as she continued to hump my cock, and she began to move slightly faster.  After a few more minutes, she felt good enough to go at a reasonably fast tempo, starting to bounce on top of my cock, panting every time I hilted her.  Meanwhile, I was just massaging her flanks and cutie marks, trying to give her the best possible treatment that I could.  She moaned her gratitude; bounce harder on my dick as a sign of appreciation.  She began to lean back onto me, and as she did, I brought my hands from her hips to her shoulders, helping her with the bouncing.  We stayed like that for a few more minutes, and then suddenly, she stopped, laying her back on my chest, her wings splayed to the side, panting hard.
“Tired?” I asked her, and she nodded, still panting.  “Would you like me to continue?” Again, she nodded.  I brought my hands around her; one hand on her chest while the other one was lying on her teats.  Luna began to moan again as I rubbed her teats once again, and then I began to thrust into her in earnest.  She began to moan and gasp with pleasure as I got into a fast rhythm, plunging my cock deep inside her.  I could have sworn that every time that I hilted her, the tip of my manhood was just piercing her cervix.  As Luna moaned into my ear, I could feel the tell tale sign of my first orgasm beginning to build up, and said, “L-Luna…I’m…I’m…”
“Please, do it…inside!  I want to…feel your…warm, wet seed…fill me up!” She shouted.  Her dirty talk was all that I needed to finish, and with one last thrust, I plunged deep into her love cavern and exploded my seed inside of her, filling her up and having some of it overflow her pussy and onto my own dick.  As I came, so did Luna, screaming in pleasure as her juices flowed all over my dick and onto the bed.  We stayed there, panting, trying to catch our breath from the amazing orgasm that we just had.  After about five minutes, Luna was calm enough to lift her head slightly and kiss me on the lips, which I responded in kind.
As we broke our kiss, Luna said, “T-thank you…this was…the…b-best experience thou hath ever had.”
I smiled, saying, “I’m just glad that I was the one that you choose.”
I pulled myself out of her marehood, and as I did so, she moaned, causing me to get aroused again.  Once my cock was out, Luna noticed that I was still hard, and said, “If you’re up for it…we can try…something else…please?”
I looked at her, for I was still hard and I didn’t really feel like stopping quite yet.  “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I’ve heard that other couples…sometime do it…in their…tail hole…”
I looked at her, an eyebrow raised at this, saying, “You want to try anal?”
Luna blushed at this before she nodded, confirming my answer.  I thought about it for a second, before I said, “Well, I’m not so sure about it…” However, Luna began to give me the puppy eyes treatment, and it was slowly working.  I kept on trying to say something, but the words just died in my throat.  Eventually, I chuckled, saying, “All right, but let’s do it in a different position, ok?”
Luna cocked her head at me, saying, “What position do you have in-oh!”
As she was talking, I was able to roll her off of me and lay her right next to me, with her back still pressed against my chest.  I lifted her leg up, and began to rub the tip of my dick onto the entrance of her tail hole.  She moaned in anticipation, saying, “P-please, just…p-put it in!”
I smirked at this, kissing her on the cheek, saying, “Can you tell me how bad you want it?”
“How about I show you instead?” Before I could react, she quickly brought both of her hooves to my manhood and, with great precision, brought it into her ass.  Both Luna and I gave a sharp gasp as I entered her rear, me marveling at the new type of tightness that I was experiencing, while she found pleasure in being filled up in a new sort of way.  We stayed there for a couple of seconds, just enjoying each other’s presence, before Luna began to attempt to hump my crotch.  I smiled, and whispered into her ear, saying, “Just let me do the work.”  She nodded, and I began to pump her ass in earnest, both of us moaning at the new experience that we were getting.  Thanks to the juices from her orgasm, I was able to pump her rear with ease; the tightness of her plot hole was that of a different dimension to her pussy, the muscles would clamp on me as I pumped her, giving me a constant pressure as I speared my cock deep within her.  Luna was gasping every time I moved in, and sighing every time I exited her, loving every moment of it.  After a few more pumps, I noticed that I was getting close to the edge, while Luna had yet to reach her build up.  To bring her closer to the brink, I put an arm over her stomach, and placed a hand on top of her marehood, rubbing her outer lips with my fingers while my thumb worked on her clit.  This seemed to work, but she was still not close enough to her brink, and I didn’t know how long I could hold myself in, for I didn’t want to climax until she did as well.  I then remembered what Candence said about unicorns and Alicorns, so with my hand that was holding her leg up, I carefully placed it down and then brought it up to her forehead, and began to pump her horn as fast as I could.
This seemed to do the trick, and she began to cry out in pleasure.  The pumping of her horn, as well as the rubbing of her clit and pussy, and the constant pounding of her ass, was too much for her to handle.  After a few seconds, I felt her tail hole contract harshly onto my dick, nearly cutting off the blood flow to it.  Luna gave off a loud cry of pleasure, and then her juices began to once again overflow her marehood, getting it all over my hand and onto the bed once again.  With her orgasm, I was finally able to let myself go, pumping smaller amounts of cum into her ass, which in turn made her orgasm last even longer, the seed from my cock filling her up.  We just stayed in that position, seemingly frozen, just riding both of our climaxes out, breathing deeply in our afterglow, neither of us saying a word, for there were no words necessary that could be said to describe the feeling of what we felt at that moment.
Slowly, I took my now limp cock out of her ass, and as soon as I did, the seed began to flow out and onto the bed.  Luna quickly turned around in the bed to face me, saying, “Thank, you, Drakalian.  I know that I made the right decision by choosing you to be my first.”
I smiled, saying, ”And I’m glad that I was your first as well.”
We both looked into the other’s eyes, nothing but love and content shone in either of our eyes.  Eventually, we began to grow tired, and as we cuddled, Luna nuzzled her head underneath my chin, being careful with her horn.  Slowly, we closed our eyes, both of us simply enjoying the sensation of the other’s embrace, as we once again, fell asleep in the caresses of the one that we loved with all of our heart.

> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 15

It was the next day, Luna and I were just starting to board the train, and once we were on, the train began its journey to Ponyville.  Thanks to Celestia, we were able to get our own private booth, equipped with a bathroom and even a bed.  The booth itself was bigger then the one that I was on when I first came to Canterlot, and due to the size of the room, Luna decided that it was a good time to start my magic training, starting with the basic lighting spell.
“First, just concentrate all of your energy into one area on your body.” Said Luna, guiding me in the first steps of spell casting.  “Since you don’t have a horn, I suggest that you try your hands, since during the match, that was how you were able to cast your spell anyway.”
We were sitting on the ground inside the booth; my sais and bow staff both in between us.  I looked at my hands and began to concentrate on putting energy into my hands.  After a while, my hands began to create a soft yellow glow.
“Good, good!  You’re getting the hang of this quicker then most unicorns, which is surprising, considering that you are technically not a magical being in the first place.” I raised an eyebrow at her comment.  One thing that I noticed about Luna during our training; she can get a bit blunt during her teachings, saying things such as that, or comparing me to normal unicorn students.  Far from being annoyed, however, it just amused me.
“Well, I am a quick learner…at least…I think I am…” I said, trying to recall if I was indeed a fast learner.  Luna giggled at this, saying, “Well, at the pace that you’re going right now, then I would have to agree with you.  Now, try to increase the brightness on your hands by collecting more energy.”
I closed my eyes and began to try and collect as much energy as possible.  The light on my hands began to glow brighter, but after a few seconds, I had to let go of the energy, causing the light to fade away.  I sighed, saying, “Damn, this is harder than it looks.”
“Well, of course it is.  I’m guessing that the only reason that you’re doing so well right now is because you somehow have an intuitive sense of magic.  How this is possible, I don’t even know.” Said Luna, smiling.  “Now, let’s try the telekinesis spell, just concentrate on the object in front of you first.”
I began to collect the energy back into my hands, and concentrated on one of my sais in front of me.  This time, I produced a red glow like when I used the spell during the match with Shining. “Now, transfer some of your energy around the object of your choice.  Once you have done that, then it should be easy to move it around by just thinking were you want to move it.”
I imagined myself surrounding the sais with my energy, and slowly, it began to glow a slight red like the one around my hands.  Once it began to glow, I imagined moving it up off of the ground.  A few seconds later, it shifted slightly, and slowly, began to raise up into the air, getting up to around three inches off of the ground.  I was so surprised that I actually did it on my first try that I accidentally released the spell, causing the sais to drop.  I sighed, slightly annoyed at how close I was.  Luna noticed this and quickly placed a hoof onto my shoulder to comfort me, saying, “Hey, relax, you're doing a great job, you just got to remember to keep your concentration on the object.  Once you get it down, you will be able to manipulate multiple objects at once without much difficulty.” I smiled at her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, which caused her to blush slightly.
“I know, it’s just that it gets annoying after a while, you know?” Luna nodded, saying, “Just keep it up, and you will be as good as Twilight.” I smiled again, glad that she had so much faith in me.
“Thanks, Luna.  I’m glad to have both you and Twilight as my teachers.” I said.  Luna smiled, and then brought her face towards mine, kissing me on the lips.  I responded in kind, and we began to kiss each other for a few minutes, simply happy to be in each other’s presence.
After a few minutes of kissing, Luna parted the kiss, saying, “I think we should take a break right now.  Besides, you have been practicing since we have got on nonstop, and while Twilight and even Applejack would be impressed with your dedication, it is definitely not healthy to keep up.”
I raised an eyebrow, saying, “Well, we have a long ride ahead of us, and I don’t know what else to do to pass the time…unless you have another idea.”
Luna began to blush, saying, “W-well…I kind of do, actually.”
I looked at her, waiting for her to finish.  She took a deep breath and continued.  “Well, I still feel bad about not letting you finish during our…foreplay…and I really wanted to repay you for your treatment yesterday.  Especially for helping me during my first time.”
“Luna, I already told you, you don’t have to repay me for any-” I said, before she placed a hoof on my mouth.
“Who said that you had a choice?” She said, smiling at me seductively.  I gulped, knowing that it was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not, and to be honest, I really did want it to happen.
However, before I got the chance to say my own opinion, I felt Luna grabbing me in her own magical field and lifted me into the air, placing me on top of the bed.  Once I was on the bed, Luna pounced on top of me and forced her lips onto my own.  Her actions surprised me so much, that I didn’t even notice when she forced her tongue into my mouth.  Eventually, I mentally shrugged, and just went with it, kissing her back with equal force and massaging her wings as well.  As we kissed, I could feel Luna using her magic to pull off my shorts and boxers, exposing my already hard cock.  Once it was out, I felt Luna place both of her hooves on either side of it, and in no time, she was already jerking on it at a fast pace, causing me to break the kiss and groan in pleasure.  She grinned at me slyly, saying, “Oh, is this for me.” Before she dragged herself down my body until her head was leveled with my dick.  She then placed her mouth on the underside of the shaft and began to lick on it, dragging her mouth up and down the entire length.  I moaned, causing her to go faster, and said, “D-damn, Luna!  D-did you d-do this before?”
Luna stopped licking my cock and smiled, wrapping a hoof around my shaft and pumping it, saying, “Well, I did kind of practice this a little when you were unconscious.” Before I could even comment on her answer, she placed her lips right over the head, and began to lick the area just between the head and shaft.  I gave a sharp gasp, desperately trying to hold myself together.  She smirked at this, and then she slowly began to take my member into her mouth, wrapping her tongue along the length as she did so.  She kept on taking every inch of my dick, until her snout was pressing against my crotch, and I could feel her tongue lathering up the entire shaft, squeezing and licking it, giving me pleasure that I never thought was possible.  She kept at it for another minute, before she began to rapidly bob her head on it, still keeping her tongue wrapped around my cock the entire time.  I moaned, placing my hands on the sides of her head to help her.  Once I did that, I began to thrust my cock deep into her mouth, causing Luna to close her eyes and hum with pleasure, vibrating my cock and causing even more pleasure for me.
‘Well, two can play at this game.’ I thought to myself, bringing one of my hands to her horn.  I grabbed her horn, and began to squeeze it slightly, slowly pumping it up and down.  Luna gave a much larger hum of pleasure, further vibrating my manhood.  As I pumped my cock into her mouth, I could see that she was also pleasuring herself with her hoof as I slid my hand along her horn.  We stayed like this for I don’t know how long, but to me every second of it was heaven.  I soon began to feel the build up in my neither regions, and by the sound of Luna’s moaning; I guessed that she was close too.  I began to pump her horn faster and increased the speed of my thrust into her, hitting the back of her throat every time I hilted inside her mouth.
I was about to tell her that I was close, when suddenly, Luna stopped her bobbing, taking my entire length into her mouth again, and began to suck on my cock like it was a straw.  The force of her sucking made me cum, filling her mouth to the point of bursting.  I unload so much semen into her mouth that some of it even came out of her mouth, but she still drank as much as she could, the force of her drinking my seed causing me to squirt even more into her mouth.  Eventually, I stopped, the orgasm completely draining me, and I fell onto the bed, taking deep breaths as Luna began to clean off my manhood.  She gave it one last suck to get the last of my cum before she took it out with a wet pop, a satisfied smile on her face.  She quickly climbed into the bed with me, and by the sound of her breathing, I could tell that she came as well.
“Now, we’re even.” She said, a smirk on her face.  I gave a tired grin at her and kissed her on the cheek, too tired for words.  Luna giggled at my tiredness, before she too yawned.  She quickly put us under the covers of the bed, and in no time we were both sound asleep, a content smile on both of our faces.




The train has just stopped at the Ponyville station, and Luna and I were just getting off of the train.  As we got off, I noticed a certain group of ponies that were waiting for us on the platform.
Luna noticed this as well and said, “I think my sister must have sent a letter ahead of us to tell them of our arrival.”
Before I could agree with her, I was suddenly tackled by a yellow blur, dropping my staff in the process.  The next thing I know, I have a very, very sad and upset Fluttershy on top of me, crying into my chest.
“Drakalian!  Oh, I’m so glad you’re ok!” She said, giving me a death hug like the one Luna gave me in the hospital.  I just hugged her back, knowing that I was the one that caused her this pain, and I could feel my own tears starting to pour out of my own eyes.  As we hugged each other, I felt another pair of hooves go around my neck, as I looked up to see AJ, hugging me with equal affection, and nuzzling into my cheek as well.
“We’re all glad that you’re ok, sugarcube.” Said AJ, giving me a kiss on the cheek.  I smiled slightly and brought her into our hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well.
“We were all so worried for you, darling.  Especially poor Fluttershy here.” Said Rarity, gesturing at Fluttershy, who was beginning to calm down from her crying a little bit.  I looked at the yellow Pegasus and she looked back at me, her light blue eyes still filled with tears.
“Hey, Shy.  I’m so sorry that I made you worry about me so much.” I said to try and calm her down.  She sniffled a bit, before she slowly nodded and said, “C-c-can you…k-kiss me…please?”
I smiled, and slowly brought my head down, placing my lips gently onto her lips.  As we kissed, I could feel that the others were still watching us, but I couldn’t have cared less, for I was back with all of my friends, as well as my herd mates.  As we broke our kiss, I looked into her eyes, and said, “I’ll make you a deal, Fluttershy.  I’ll hang out with you for one day, and we can do what ever you want us to do.  How does that sound?”
She looked into my own eyes as she thought about this, and then she slowly nodded, saying, “C-can we s-start today?”
“Once I get settled at Twilight’s house, since the Princesses said that I will be living at the library for now, then we can do whatever you feel like.” She gave a small smile, and then she bought me into a deeper hug.  As I sat there hugging my two marefriends, I noticed a couple of things.  First, I noticed that Rainbow Dash was more quiet then normal, looking down at the ground, so I couldn’t see if she was all right.  Second, and the most worrying one to me, was that a certain pink pony was missing from the group.
“Uh, guys.  Where’s Pinkie?” I asked the others.
“She…uh…had to go for a while to…plan something, I think.” Said Twilight.  I could tell that she was lying, but I decided not to question it, thinking that it was probably for the best that I didn’t know what Pinkie was doing, considering her randomness.
After a few more seconds of hugging, I had to release both of my marefriends, got my staff back, and we began to walk back to the library.  As we walked, I noticed that Dash was still keeping her head down, and worried that she might be upset; I walked next to her and asked, “Hey, Dash.  You ok?”
She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, in low voice, “I challenged you to a sparing match with the Captain of the Royal Guard, and you almost die from magic exhaustion, how do you think I feel?”
I quickly placed an arm around her, and she looked at me in surprise.  I smiled, saying, “That my be true, but it was my decision to accept it in the first place, so don’t beat yourself up because of it.  Besides, you did win it, if I recall, for I did somehow use magic.  Just give me a few days and I’ll let you get your reward, ok?”
Rainbow thought hard for a few seconds, and then she smiled, nodding and saying, “I guess that makes sense, if you put it that way.”
“I appreciate it, Dash.  So tell me, what have you been-”
Suddenly, I was once again tackled down and once again dropping my staff, except this time by a pink blur.  I closed my eyes for a second and embraced for impact with the ground, and when I opened them, I saw a pink filly with golden eyes hugging me tightly.
“Drakalian!  Hi!  Do you remember me?” Asked Dinky, still hugging me.  I chuckled and hugged her back, saying, “How could I forget Ditzy’s daughter.” Which made her giggle.
“I’m sorry about that, Drak.  She just really wanted to see you again.  I think she might have taken a liking to you ever since you helped me with that bully.” I looked up and saw Ditzy herself walking towards me, a small smile on her face, making me smile back.  I then noticed that her coat was dirtier then the last time we met, and as I looked at Dinky, I noticed that her coat was dirty as well.
I got up, still holding onto Dinky, (Thankfully she was pretty light) and said, “Ditzy, what happened to your coat?  It’s all dirty, as well as Dinky’s coat.”
Ditzy was quiet for a moment, and then she looked down towards the ground, tears starting to form in her eyes.  That was when I noticed that as well as being dirty she looked a lot…thinner.  Not thinner in a good way either, I mean thinner like I can see the start of her ribs thinner.  I took a quick look at Dinky again, and thankfully she didn’t seem as thin as her mother was, though she did seem to have lost some weight the last time I saw her.  I quickly walked in front of her and got down to one knee, placing a hand on her shoulder, saying, “Come on, Ditzy, I’m here for you.  Please tell me what’s wrong.” Ditzy was still quiet, and after a minute of silence, Dinky was the one to finally speak up.
“We lost our home.”  I looked back at Dinky with shock, and noticed that she was starting to cry as well.  I heard several gasps at Dinky’s announcement, and I turned around and noticed that the other mares with me had shocked expressions as well.
At once, Fluttershy was next to us again, comforting both of the golden eye ponies.  “Hey, its alright, you’re with friends now, we’ll figure something out for you both.”
I nodded, and then brought all three of the girls into a hug.  I could feel the tears starting to form out of my own eyes, and soon, I was silently crying with them, the others just looking on with sympathy in their eyes.  We stayed like this for a good few minutes until I decided to ask Ditzy on how she lost her home.
Ditzy sniffed a few times before she began to answer.  Apparently, since she got fired from her previous job, the landlord decided to let her go as well, seeing that she would be unable to pay for the rent anymore.  Ditzy said that she wasn’t that nice of a pony anyways, and was just looking for a reason to kick them out.  Ditzy losing her job was just the opening that she needed.  Since then, she had been living around on the streets, just trying to make a couple of bits to get by.  That was three days ago, and both she and Dinky have barely had any food to eat since then, though Ditzy has been giving most of the food to Dinky, which is why she’s in a slightly less emaciated condition then her mother.
Once she was done explaining, an idea suddenly popped into my head.  I turned towards Twilight and asked her, “Hey Twi, I think we should let Ditzy and Dinky stay with us, how about you?”
Twilight immediately nodded, saying, “That is a great idea, except that there is just one problem.  We don’t have enough beds for them.  If we bring them in, we’ll be one bed short.”
I thought about it for a second.  “Well, we’ll figure it out once we get there, but for right now, let’s just bring them to the library.  You think that you two can walk there?” I said, asking the question to Dinky and Ditzy.  Dinky nodded, saying, “I can, but Mamma hasn’t been feeling well.” I nodded, and placed Dinky down gently before I picked up Ditzy like the last time.  As soon as I picked her up, I noticed the bags under her eyes.  I could only imagine the sleepless nights that she had just making sure that her daughter was safe during the night.  As she closed her eyes, I gave a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.  This caused Ditzy to blush a little, but she was too tired to say otherwise.  Thankfully, Luna was able to pick up my staff since my arms were full.  Once we got everything settled, we all began our trek once again towards Twilight’s home.
We were silent for most of the walk, none of us wanting to say anything.  After a few minutes, we finally got to the library, and my new home.  I was about to open the door, when Twilight stopped me.
“Wait!  Just…uh…just give me a sec.” She said, before she suddenly bolted through the door.  I raised an eyebrow and looked at the others, who all shrugged, just as confused as I was.  After a few seconds, Twilight opened the door again, her mane looking slightly frazzled.
“Ok…it’s…clear…now…” she said, panting deeply.  Curious, I walked in, and as soon as I got in, I was bombarded with loud techno music.  I blinked in surprise, before I thought, ‘Oh no, this better not be another one of Pinkie’s parties for me.’ I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable ‘surprise’ yell.  When one didn’t come out for a few seconds, I slowly opened my eyes, and noticed that, while it indeed was another Pinkie Pie Party (PPP), there weren’t as nearly as many ponies as there were last time.  The only ponies that I could see in the library were a grey Earth pony with a pink bow tie and black mane that I remembered seeing outside of Carousel Boutique, the DJ, who was a white unicorn pony with a neon blue mane, the CMC, the spa sisters, and Pinkie Pie, the latter of which was currently bouncing right towards me.
“Hiya, Drakie!  Do you like my ‘Welcome Back to Ponyville, Glad You’re Not Dead’ party?” she said, bouncing around me, a huge smile on her face.  I just looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a somewhat confused look, saying, “Um…care to explain?”
“Well I felt so bad that you didn’t like the last party, which also really confused me.  I mean, who doesn’t like a party.  Well, I guess the one at Shining’s wedding wasn’t one of my best, but it still was good even though the Changelings attacked.  I mean, they didn’t do that much…” before she could continue, Dash shoved her hoof into her mouth, saying, “Pinkie, just give him the short version.” Before taking her hoof back out.
“Ok, Dashie!  Anyway, like I said, I felt bad that you didn’t like the last party, so I decided to make a new one, with less ponies of course.” I was quiet for a few seconds, all of the ponies waiting in anticipation to my response.  Finally, I nodded, saying, “Well, I guess that makes sense, but why did you run into the library before we could get in, Twi?” I asked Twilight.  The purple unicorn smiled sheepishly, saying, “Well, I just wanted to check on Pinkie to make sure that she didn’t ruin anything in the library.  Also, I wanted to see if she remembered to not shout ‘surprise’ when you entered the room.”
I nodded my appreciation to her, saying, “Yea, that definitely wouldn’t have helped me.  Thanks, Twi.”  She smiled at my complement, and I could have sworn I saw a small blush on her face, but it was so brief that I brushed it off as my imagination acting up on me again.
“Well, now that everything is settled, lets party…I guess.” I said, with a half attempt at some enthusiasm.  This caused Pinkie to jump up high into the air, and as soon as she landed, she sped off to do god (or I guess Celestia now) knows what.
While all of the other mares started to party as well, I decided to hang out with Ditzy and her daughter, seeing as I’m not much of the party kind of guy.  I went to the couch that was in the room, Dinky following me, and sat down on it, with the pink filly getting next to me.  As I sat down, Ditzy opened her eyes and looked around.  She then noticed that I was still holding her in my arms, and said, “Um, Drak.  Y-you can p-put me down now.”
I gave a small smile at her and said, “I know, but do you want me to?”  She was quiet for a moment, before she quickly shook her head, nuzzling it against my chest.  She sighed with content, as she got comfortable.  I then noticed that Luna was walking towards me.  She also was holding some snacks in her magical field, I assumed that they were for Dinky and Ditzy, and when she came to where we were sitting, she gave the snacks to the two hungry ponies, who gladly took it and began to eat them, though they ate them slowly, to savor the taste, I’m guessing.  She then whispered to me so that neither Ditzy nor Dinky could hear her.
“So, you going to ask her now?” She asked, a curious look on her face.  During the breakfast before the match, my herd mates and I told her that I was going to ask to see if Ditzy wanted to join our herd.  Once we explained it to her, Luna heartedly agreed to it, for she remembers her whenever she delivered some mail to her and her sister.
I was quiet for a second, and then I nodded, whispering, “I will soon, but I want to try and make her feel better first.” Luna nodded as well, understanding what I meant, and went to talk with Twilight.  If I had to guess, I would say they were talking about my new training plan.  This caused me to chuckle slightly.
Next to approach me were the spa sisters.  They both had happy faces on them, while Lotus had a little blush forming on hers.
“We’re so happy that everything turned out all right, Drak.  We were so worried for you, especially poor Lotus here.” Said Aloe, giving a slight nudge to her sister, which caused her to blush more.
I chuckled a little at her shyness, saying, “Well, I’m not going to leave you girls that easily.”  Which caused them to giggle slightly as well.
“Oh, by the way, Lotus wants to ask you something.” Said the pink spa mare, gesturing at Lotus.  She began to blush even more now, her coat turning to the same color as her sister’s, and she said, “W-w-well…I was j-just w-wondering if that…um…maybe…” she then went quiet, unable to finish her sentence.
Aloe sighed at her sister’s shyness, and then turned towards me.  “She wants to know if she can give you another massage, since you might still be sore from your match with Shining.  And when I say a massage, I mean a more…’private’…massage.” She said, giving me a wink.  Now it was my turn to blush.
“Aloe!” shouted Lotus, still blushing.
“What, you were taking too long.”
“But still, I don’t want to scare him, or think that I’m some sort of creep.”
“I think that’s ok.” I said, surprising both of the spa ponies.  Lotus’s mouth was hanging open in surprise, while Aloe had a smug look on her face.  “To be honest, I am still a bit sore from the match, and I think a massage might be just the thing I need.  Also, we can talk some more to each other during it.  If you want to, we can do it after my first day working with you two.  How does that sound, Lotus?” Lotus was quiet for a second, before she shyly nodded in agreement.  Once that was down, the spa sisters went to go get some of their own food at the refreshment stand.
Next came the CMC, and as they came to me, they quickly gave me a group hug, nearly crushing Ditzy and I in the process.  Finally, they separated us from the hug, giving us enough room to breath again.
“So did you really fight against Shining?” Asked Scootaloo, an excited look on all of their faces.  When I nodded, she said, “Wow!  That’s so awesome!”
“Yea!  Maybe you could teach us about karate too, Drak!” Said Applebloom, a smile on all of their faces.  They all looked at me expectedly, and finally with a chuckle, I said, “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to teach you girls a few things.  Just give me a few days to settle back down here first, ok?”
“Ok, Drak!” They all said.
“I can’t wait!  Maybe we can get our cutie marks by doing karate.” Said Sweetie Belle in an excited tone.
“Yea!  Cutie Mark Crusaders Karate Masters!” shouted Applebloom.  With that, they both ran off back into the party to…well, party.
“Come on, Mamma, just tell him!” I looked back at the two ponies with me, and noticed that while I was talking to the others, both Dinky and Ditzy had finished their snacks and was having their own conversation.  Ditzy, who was still lying in my lap, was blushing, before she said to Dinky, “I want to, Muffin, but I’m just not sure how he will react.  I’m just…scared is all.  I just want this to end up being better then…you know.”
“But if you don’t tell Drak, then he will never know!” I raised an eyebrow at this.  Apparently they were talking about me, and at this point, I decided to butt in.
“What is it that you want to tell me, Ditzy?”  I asked her.  She gave off a Fluttershy worthy “squeak!” as she slowly turned to face me.
“Um…w-w-well…I just w-want t-to t-tell you t-that…it’s just that…um…well…”
“Mamma likes you, Drak!” shouted Dinky, getting impatient with her mom.
I was quiet for a second, before I said, “I already knew that, and I like to think of her as one of my best friends.” ‘Though I would really like to be more.’
Ditzy was quiet for a moment, before she said, “Well…that’s k-kind of it, b-but, um…I well…I…I…” I slowly stoked her mane, trying to calm her down, before saying, “Just take your time, Ditzy.”
“DRAKALIAN-I-LOVE-YOU!” Shouted Ditzy in a quick burst of energy, before she quickly placed her hooves over her mouth, a huge blush forming across her face.  I was quiet for a while, just absorbing what she said, a look of surprise on my face while Dinky was smiling a goofy grin, glad that her mom finally told me how she felt about me.  I then noticed that the music suddenly stopped, and that everypony was looking at us.  While there weren’t that many ponies to begin with, I was still uncomfortable at being the center of attention.  I was about to pull on my hood, when suddenly the music was back on.  The only difference was that instead of the techno music from before, it began to play some soft, slow dance like music.  I looked at the turntables and saw that Pinkie was there next to the DJ pony, holding something that seemed familiar.  I then realized that she somehow got my iPod, and when I went to check my pocket it just confirmed it that Pinkie Pie had somehow managed to pickpocket me without using any fingers.  Before I could even begin to think on how she did that, Pinkie took the mike from the DJ and said, “Now, everypony grab your special somepony and bring them to the dance floor.”
I then realized what she wanted me to do, and with a small but nervous smile, I looked at Ditzy and said, “Well, you think you’re up for some slow dancing while we sort this out?”
Ditzy could only blush and give a slight nod.  I gently got up and placed her onto the floor, before I took her closest wing in my hand gently, and led her to the dance floor.  Once we got there, I turned to face her, then hesitated, trying to figure out how we would do this.  Luckily, Ditzy answered that for us, by getting up on her rear hooves, placing her left fore hoof on my shoulder and her right fore hoof on my waist, while I, being the clumsy oaf that I am, just placed my hands right above her hips, causing both of us to blush even more.  We slowly began to sway from side to side, getting into the song as we slow danced.  I gave us a few seconds to calm ourselves down, and then I finally asked, “So, you love me?” She was hesitant for a second before she once again slowly nodded.  We were quiet for another few seconds before she spoke.
“E-ever since you saved me from that bully, I began to feel something for you, and it only became more potent when you complemented me on my eyes-”
“I complemented them because it’s true.” I said, interrupting her.
She gave a small smile.  “Still, it’s just that…no pony has ever been so nice to me, and it took Dinky to tell me what that feeling was, and honestly, I never thought that I would ever feel love, especially since…well…”
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t-”
“No, I…I need to tell you this.  Besides, you already know that I love you now.  Only a few others know what I’m about to tell you now, and this includes the other Elements.”
I stayed quiet, allowing Ditzy to explain.  “W-well, you know the bully that you got rid of when we first met each other?” I nodded.  “W-well, I would normally get that kind of stuff all the time…and…that wasn’t the worst of it.”
“Are you sure that you feel comfortable talking a-”
“Please, let me finish!” she said in a loud whisper.  She took a few more breaths before she started again.  “Well, t-t-the w-worst t-thing t-that h-happened to me…was…was…”
I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “Take your time.”
She took a few short breaths before she continued her story.  “Well, it happened in Manehattan…” she took another deep breath.  “…Nine months before Dinky was born.”
Now my eyebrows both went up when she said that, and I said, “Y-you mean t-that…”
Ditzy was quiet for a little while longer, before, ever so quietly, she spoke.
“I…I was…raped…”

> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 16

“I…I was…raped…”
The words echoed in my mind.  The admittance of this was so much for me, that it caused me to stop moving to the music.  All I was able to do was just hold on to Ditzy, looking at her in the eyes, praying to Celestia that she wasn’t telling the truth, that I might have heard her wrong.  But her eyes just confirmed what she said, and I could see the beginning of tears coming out of her golden globes as she looked back at me.  Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer, and I quickly embraced her, while she did the same to me.  We both began to silently cry on the other’s shoulder, letting out a torrent of tears the whole time.  We stayed like that for a few minutes, just holding each other and crying, until we felt somewhat good enough to move our heads slightly so that we could look at each other again while still holding each other.  We stayed like that, both of us staring into the other’s eyes, until I felt I had enough energy to speak.
“D-Ditzy…I…I’m so sorry…” I said, desperately holding back a new wave of tears.  By the looks of it, I could tell that Ditzy was doing the same as well.
“It…it’s not your fault.  I…I was …just at the w-wrong place…at the…wrong t-time…” she said in between tiny sobs.  “I just…the only good…t-that came o-out of it…was that I w-was…a-able to get such a nice daughter.”
“You should be proud of her.” I said, trying to cheer her up.
Ditzy gave a small smile, saying, “I’m…very proud of her.”
“Listen, Ditzy…you don’t have to tell me what-”
“I…I need to, for my own…sake…please?”
I was quiet for a few seconds, and then I nodded, saying, “Just stop whenever it becomes too much.” Ditzy nodded, took a couple more deep breaths to calm herself down, and then began her story.
“Well, I was on my way to bring the last mail of the day, which happened to be in Manehattan.  I was able to bring all of the mail without crashing into anything either, which made me very happy at the time.  On the way back from the last mail drop off, I was humming a tune, when I heard a noise in the alley close to me.  I tried to ignore it, but suddenly, I was grabbed from behind and pulled into the alley.  I tried to shout for help, but he put a magical field around my mouth, preventing me from making a sound.  Luckily, I was able to get a good look at the pony that had me, and I recognized that he was one of the ponies, a unicorn, that would keep bothering me on a daily bases.  I could smell that he had been drinking already, and he…he said to me…’you should be thankful about what I’m about to do’.  I didn’t know what he was talking about, and then suddenly, he shoved me face first into the ground.  When I tried to stand up, he got on top of me, and that’s when I…I…I felt it.”
I could see the tears flowing over her cheeks as she spoke, and I could tell that she was reliving the horrible memory as she told me her story.  I gently cupped her cheek, and I wiped away some of the tears that threatened to fall off her face, saying nothing, knowing that if I did, she would want to continue anyways.
Ditzy took a few deep breaths before continuing.  “He…he p-put it in me…and…and began to…do it…to me.  It hurt so much; s-since it was my first time.  I was so upset, because I wanted my first time to be with the one that I loved and whom loved me.  I kept on trying to scream for help, but…no pony…heard me…and…I began to feel him tiring out.  The next thing I knew…he was…h-he was…c-cumming inside of me, and…it felt…it f-felt so good, yet…s-so w-w-wrong.”
I began to feel a burning sensation in my chest, something that I could only explain as rage.  “W-what happened to him?” I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.
“L-luckily, when he was…done…somepony did finally find us, and she was able to knock him out.  She quickly went to bring me to the hospital, and she was able to bring some guards as well, and they arrested him on the charge of…you know.  The last that I heard of him was that he got killed in a prison riot a few months after it happened.” Once she said this, I could feel the burning sensation go away, and I was able to calm myself down.
At this point, I thought that we shouldn’t be standing any more, so I once again picked up Ditzy and brought her back to the couch.  Dinky had a smile on her face, but it quickly vanished when she saw our own faces.
“Did she…tell you…you know?” she asked me, a look of sadness on her face.  I nodded, saying, “I assume she told you about your father?”
“Yes, but I don’t think of him as my ‘father’.  No pony that mean deserves to be my daddy.  However…I think…I would like you to be my daddy…if that’s ok?”
I was stunned, confused as to why she would want me to be her dad, and said, “W-why do you say that?”
“Well, you are one of the few ponies that has ever been this nice to her, and she does like you.  So, if you two do go out, then that means I will finally get a dad.”
I was quiet for a few seconds, before I said, “Well, I guess…but…I never had a daughter before, so…I don’t know how well I would do.”
“I think you would make a great father, Drakalian.” I looked back at Ditzy, who was able to calm down enough to say that.  She had a small smile on her face and she seemed to be recovering pretty quickly from the story that she told me.  “I really do love you, Drak, and if you’re willing to give me a chance…”
I was quiet for a few seconds before I answered her.  “Well, funny thing about that.  I kind of fell for you when we first met as well, and I have already talked to my other marefriends about this, so…”
Both Ditzy’s and Dinky’s eyes went wide, and Ditzy said, “You…y-you mean…”
I smiled at them, and then said, “Well, we are hoping that you would join our herd, that is, if it’s ok with you.”
I was suddenly caught in between a dual mare hug, both Ditzy and her daughter giving me a death hug.  Ditzy then said, “I would love to join your herd.  C-can I ask for something, though?” I looked at her and she continued.  “W-well…I still…haven’t had my first kiss yet…so…I would like to give it to you, if that’s all right?”
I smiled and said, “Of course it is, just let me know when-”
Suddenly, Ditzy lunged at me, planting her lips right on top of my own.  As soon as our lips connected, I once again felt the fireworks, and I could tell without looking at her that she felt them too.  I was surprised for a second before I let myself go into the kiss, being as gentle as possible, letting her control how this dance would go.  After a minute of kissing each other, we slowly parted, and opened our eyes, looking at each other with a new deep love.  I slowly caressed her cheek and said, “Welcome to our herd, Ditzy Doo.”
“Don’t forget about me!” Shouted Dinky, getting in between our hug.  Ditzy giggled while I chuckled, bringing her into the hug as well.
“I can never forget about you, Dinky, and I promise that I will be the best father to you that I could possible be.”
“I know you will…Daddy.” She whispered, nuzzling deeper into our hug.  When she called me that, I felt a surge of warmth and happiness that I never felt before, and I simply embraced my new daughter and marefriend into a deeper hug then before, tears of happiness starting to form in our eyes.
As we hugged, I got the feeling of being watched, and when I looked up, I saw my other marefriends looking at us, all with smiles on their faces.  Once they saw that I noticed them, they all came up to congratulate the new herd mate.
“We’re happy to have you in our herd, partner.” Said AJ, giving the grey mare a small pat on the back.
“I know that you made the right decision.  Drak here is the nicest pony…uh, human…that I have ever met.” Said Fluttershy, blushing slightly.
“Indeed, and he makes for a great lover as well.” Said Luna.  We all turned to face her at that comment, blushes forming on both Ditzy’s face and mine.  “What. It’s true, at least I think it is.”
Knowing that this might be leading to some adult conversations, I told Dinky to go and play with the CMC for a while, who seemed to be bobbing for apples.  Dinky went to go join them, and I turned back to face my herd mates, all of which were still staring at Luna.
“You really have to mention that to us right now?” I asked her.
She cocked her head at me, saying, “Well, I really think that she should do it with you as soon as possible.  I think that it will help her with the problems of the… you know.”
“Well, that’s all up to Ditzy, but even so, I don’t think that it would be good for her to do something like this so soon, given the current…situation.”
“Actually, Drak.” Said Ditzy, causing me to turn towards her.  “I, well…I kind of want to…you know…at least…sooner rather then later, if that’s ok.”
I was surprised that she wanted to do something like this; especially considering her first experience wasn’t exactly…enjoyable.
“Are you sure, Ditzy, I really think you should-” I started to say, before she placed a hoof to my mouth.
“I’m more then sure, just give me a few days to sort things out, ok?” she said, giving me a small smile.  I just nodded, saying, “I’ll be ready for you whenever you are, just take as much time as you need, please.  I really don’t want you to rush it.”
“I won’t, just give me a few days and like I said I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”
I nodded, and glad that everything seemed to be sorted out for the time being, I gently placed Ditzy onto the couch, saying, “I’m going to take a walk around the library, see what things Pinkie set up for us to do, ok?” They all nodded, and then began to quietly talk amongst themselves.  I could have sworn that I heard AJ talking about how ‘tense’ my muscles were the day that I went to the spa, and then I heard all of them giggling.  I just rolled my eyes and began to head to the turntables, cause I really wanted my iPod back.
As I got to the turntables, I saw that the DJ and Pinkie were talking together, along with the grey mare with the black mane and pink bow tie.  As I got closer, I was able to see what their cutie marks were.  The unicorn’s cutie mark was a black-beamed note, while they grey pony’s was a light purple octave clef.  As I got closer, Pinkie noticed me and began to bounce towards me.
“Hiya!  So, you like what I did?  Huh, huh, huh?” she said, bouncing all around me.  I let the bouncing go for a few seconds before I gently grabbed her in mid bounce and placed her in front of me.
“While I think that it was a great and sweet thing that you did, I would really like to have my iPod back.” I said, holding my hand up for her to place it in.
Pinkie cocked her head to the side and said, “What do you mean, I already gave it to you.  It should be in your pocket.”
I gave a confused look as I checked my pocket.  “Pinkie, I just came here so that I-” I began to say, before I stopped in mid sentence, for I noticed that there was indeed something in my pocket now.  I pulled it out, and somehow it was my iPod.  I gave Pinkie a surprised look, before I started to say, “B-but…wha…how?”
“I can't tell you, it’s a secret, silly!” said Pinkie Pie, giggling.  She then began to bounce away, humming a wordless tune, and all I could do was stare at her, my mouth hanging open.  ‘That mare confuses me so much, over half of the things she does doesn’t make sense.’  Once I was able to pull myself together, I noticed that the other two ponies that were with her were beginning to come and greet me.
“So, you must be the human that I did the music for the last time, as well as for this party.” Said the unicorn.  I then noticed that she was wearing some purple striped glasses.  I nodded, saying, “Interesting glasses you got there.”
The unicorn smiled, saying, “Thanks, dude!  I usually wear them during my gigs, since most ponies are a little shocked by the color of my eyes.”
I raised an eyebrow at her comment.  “I doubt there that bad.”
“I doubt it, too, but a lot of other ponies think otherwise.”
“Well, can I see them?”
She was hesitant for a second, before she said, “Well, if you want to.” She then took off her glasses, and I saw the deepest magenta eyes in my entire life.  I was so surprised by it, that my mouth dropped open.  I apparently made her upset, since she quickly placed her glasses over her eyes again, frowning, and said, “See, ponies think my eyes are scary.”
I quickly got a grip of myself, saying, “Oh, no, no, no, you got it all wrong.  I think that they’re actually quiet beautiful, honestly.”
She was quiet for a second, before she slowly took her glasses off again, a very small blush on her face as well as a look of surprise.  “Y-you really think so?”
I nodded, saying, “I do.  Red is actually one of my favorite colors, in case you haven’t noticed.” I said, tugging a little on my red hoodie for emphasize.  This brought a giggle out of the two ponies and a chuckle out of me.  Once everypony stopped laughing, the unicorn DJ finally said, “Oh, I forgot to ask you, what’s your name?”
“The name’s Drakalian, first and I’m assuming only human in Equestria.  May I ask the same to you two?”
“Of course, my name is Vinyl Scratch, while my stage name is DJ Pon-3.  My friend here is called-”
“Octavia Melody, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Interrupted the grey mare, quickly raising a hoof up for a hoof shake, a small smile on her face.  I smiled back at her and brought my hand up as well, shaking her hoof.  “The pleasures all mine, Miss. Melody.” I said, causing her to blush slightly.
“Oh my, well it seems that Rarity was right, you are a gentlecolt.” Said Octavia.  I removed myself from the hoof shake, and then Vinyl said, “So, care to explain what that thing is that Pinkie used on my turntables.”
I nodded, showing them my iPod, and began to explain what it is.  “This, my friends, is called an iPod Touch, and it is used to store all sorts of music, from rock and roll, blues, techno, and even classical and slow dances, like the one Pinkie played, though I haven’t had the time to listen to any of them yet.”
“Why, do you need some headphones?” Asked Vinyl, a curious look on her face.  Octavia was also looking at my iPod in awe as well, and I saw her perk up at the mention of holding some classical music in it.
“Well, no, I don’t need headphones to play the music, but it helps to not disturb everypony around you, if you know what I mean.” I said.
They nodded their understanding, and then Vinyl got a sly smile on her face and leaned in towards me, saying, “Well, I can let you have one of my old headphones, if you want them, as well as some ’other’ things, if you know what I mean?”
I blushed, for I knew exactly what she meant.  Octavia didn’t seem that fazed by it, most likely used to her saying these things, though she still stared at her.
“Vinyl!  He’s in a herd, remember?” she whispered loudly to the DJ pony.
“I know, that doesn’t mean that he can’t have some fun with other ponies as well.”
I cleared my throat to get both of their attention, saying, “I would like to come over to visit you, Vinyl, just as long as you know that I am loyal to my herd mates, so we can’t do those, ‘other things’ that you want us to do, ok”
Vinyl sighed, and then she nodded, saying, “Ok, so, when do you want to meet with us then?”
I raised an eyebrow.  “Us?”
“Yea, me and Octavia live together, and NO, we are NOT a couple, though we used to go out a while ago.”  I looked at Octavia, who blushed and nodded, confirming the fact.
I was quiet for a moment before I spoke again.  “Well, I’ll let you know when I can come over, just tell me where you two live, and I’ll pop on in when I got the time, ok?” They nodded in approval, and told me where they lived.  With that all set, they began to leave, since the party was starting to end right now.  I heard them whispering to each other, and I could have sworn I heard one of them say, “I thought we agreed that I would get him first!” before they where out of earshot.  Shrugging, I just went to meet with the rest of the ponies that were left, which were just Fluttershy, Twilight, Ditzy, Dinky, and Luna.  As I got closer, I was able to hear the tail end of their conversation.
“But I don’t wanna go to bed!” pouted Dinky, which caused me to chuckle as I approached them.
“You need your sleep, Muffin, especially since this will be the first time in three days that we will have a proper bed to sleep in.” said Ditzy, in a demanding but playful voice.  Once I was with them again, I gave Ditzy a quick hug from behind, which surprised her.
“Oh, Drak!  I didn’t hear you coming back here.” She said, blushing from the fact that I got her by surprise.  I smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek before releasing her, saying, “Just checking back with you guys is all.  So, now that the party is over, we need to figure out who is sleeping where.  Any ideas?”
We were quiet for a while, before Luna spoke up.  “Well, I think that Drak here should sleep with his herd mates.” The others nodded in agreement, and then Fluttershy spoke up.
“Actually…I w-was w-wondering…well…” she said, before getting quiet again.
We all waited patently as she tried to finish her thought process.  “Well, remember that you promised me that you would spend the whole day doing whatever with me?” I nodded.  “Well, o-one of t-those things is that…I, um…I really w-want you to…s-s-sleep with me, t-tonight…t-that is, if it’s ok with y-you.”
I smiled at her, and I walked up to her, giving her a hug as well.  “I think that’s a great idea, and then afterwards, I’ll stay here with either Luna or Ditzy.  How does that sound, girls?” Everypony nodded their approval, and with that said, I got my staff, and then Fluttershy and I began to leave to prepare for our day together, since it was only around 4:00 PM.
As we walked, I gently placed an arm around Fluttershy, causing her to blush a little, but she still leaned into my embrace.  We were quiet for a while, until I decided to break the silence.
“So, Flutters, what do you have in mind for our day together?” I asked her.  She was quiet for a while, thinking up of something, until she finally spoke.
“W-well, I w-was thinking that w-we could, um…maybe go to a lake nearby and relax, if that’s ok with you?”
I smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Shy.”
We walked for a little longer, until we reached the lake, and we were able to clear some of the snow off of one of the benches there so that we cold sit down.  I placed my staff to the side, my arm still holding Fluttershy close to me.  She snuggled into my hug, and we just stared across the frozen waters, just becoming entranced by the simplicity of it.  We stayed there for what felt like a good thirty minutes, and then we heard some shuffling nearby.  We turned to the noise, and we saw a certain group of fillies approach us, all of them wearing scarves and holding something that looked like shoes in their mouths.
We smiled as they came closer, and waved at them.  “Hello, Crusaders, what are you girls up to now?” I asked them.
“We’re gonna go ice-skating!” said Applebloom, and once they were close enough, I was able to see that they were carrying ice skates.  I nodded, and said, “Well, I hope that you girls don’t mind if me and Fluttershy watch you three for a while?”
“Actually,” said Scootaloo, “We were kind of hoping that…well…”
“Scootaloo wants you two to join us!” said Sweetie Belle suddenly, causing the orange filly to jump from the surprise shout.  Fluttershy and I looked at each other, and then we looked at Scootaloo, who seemed to be blushing a little.
“Well, as sweet as that sounds, I d-don’t think w-we can, since we don’t have skates of our own.  S-sorry girls.” Said Fluttershy, a slight frown on our faces.  Even though I would have loved to join them skating on the lake, I made a promise with Fluttershy to stay with her for the entire day, and I keep my promises as much as possible.
They giggled, and then the unicorn filly said, “Don’t worry about that, we already brought some extras, and my sis even made some custom made ones for you, Drak.”  As she spoke, I noticed that they indeed had some extra ones with them, as well as two that seemed to be my size.
“So, is your sister Rarity then, Sweetie?” I asked the white filly, to which she nodded, saying, “Yup, she is!  So, what do you say, Drakalian, you two want to join us?”
I looked at Fluttershy, and then I looked back at the Crusaders and said, “While I would love to join you girls as well, I already made a promise to Fluttershy that I would spend the rest of the day with her, so-”
“A-actually, Drak.  Y-you can go and join them, if you want to.” Said Fluttershy in a quiet voice.  I looked back at her, a surprised look on my face.
“A-are you sure, Shy?  I did promise-” once again, she placed a hoof on my mouth, saying, “I would love to watch you play with the girls, Drak, really I would.”
I was quiet for a few more seconds, and then I got a smile on my face, saying, “Ok, but I would love it if you joined us.”
She was quiet for a few seconds, obviously nervous about going skating, when suddenly, the three fillies bunched up together, and began to give the biggest, cutest puppy eyes that I have every seen.  As we stared at them, I got the idea, and began to give my own puppy eyes to Fluttershy.  As we looked at her, she was quiet for a few seconds, and then she finally laughed silently, saying, “W-well, I guess I could join you guys, if t-that’s all right?”
I smiled, and gave her a quick peck on the lips, saying, “Thanks, Flutters.  And don’t worry about falling, I’ll stay with you as we skate, ok?” She nodded, and with everything settled, we began to put on the ice skates that the three fillies brought us.  As I was putting mine on, I noticed that they indeed fitted like a glove, and in a few minutes, we all had our ice skates on, and we slowly approached the edge of the frozen lake.
I was the first to go onto the lake, and as soon as I got on, I made sure that I was steady, before I placed my other foot onto the lake, saying, “Alright, Shy, just follow my-” before I could finish, however, I lost my grip on the lake for a second, and my leg flew out behind me, causing me to do a very painful split.  My eyes widened in surprise, and then I slowly brought my legs together, bringing my hands to my groin in pain.
“Oh my gosh, Drak!  You ok?” Asked Fluttershy, worry in her voice.
“Yea…just…give me…a…moment…” I wheezed, trying to collect myself from the unfortunate stretch.  After another minute, I was able to get myself back up, and by the time I was up, the Crusaders were already skating along the lake, doing all sorts of tricks.  Fluttershy stayed with me the entire time I was down, however she didn’t place a hoof onto the lake yet, and when I got up, I was quick to get her on the lake.  Slowly, she placed her right foreleg onto the ice, and then her left foreleg.  She began to slip a little, but I was able to catch her and steady her before she could fall.  She blushed when I held her, but didn’t say anything else as she continued to put her rear hooves onto the ice as well.  Once she got on the ice, I slowly led her across the lake, letting her get the feel of the skates on her hooves.  As we skated, we continued to go slightly faster, and soon she was beginning to do well all by herself, so ever so carefully, without her knowing, I slowly released her from my hold, but still stayed next to her, making sure she didn’t fall.
“Wow, Drak, y-you were right, this is-” she began to say, looking at me.  Her eyes went wide as she noticed that I wasn’t holding on to her anymore, and I smiled at her, saying; “You got the hang of it now, Flutters.”
“Yay, Fluttershy’s skating!” Shouted Applebloom, skating towards us, along with the rest of the Crusaders.
“Way to go, Fluttershy!”
“Woohoo!”
“You’re doing awesome, Flutters!”
Fluttershy blushed at all of the attention that she was getting, and soon, she began to skate a little faster, doing all sorts of graceful, yet simple moves, even doing a figure eight at one point.  The whole time, the three fillies were with her, skating alongside her.  I just stopped for a few seconds and watched her, mesmerized by her beauty, still trying to comprehend just how I was so lucky to get a mare such as her into my life, let alone into my herd.
“Hey, Drak, I bet I can skate faster then you!” Shouted Scootaloo, coming to a sudden stop next to me.
I smiled at her, and said, “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
The Pegasus filly smiled back, and with that, we both began to race each other across the lake.




A few hours later, we were at the entrance to Fluttershy’s cottage, and it was beginning to snow again.  The moon was out, thanks to Luna, (who was still able to raise it even though she isn’t at the castle) and we entered the door, Fluttershy wearing my hoodie while I had nothing covering the top of my body.
“Drak, I really think you should have kept your hoodie, you looked so cold without it.” Said Fluttershy, giving me a worried glance.  While I did feel a bit cold (to the point that my teeth were chattering), I still wanted her to stay warm.
“Well, you were shivering, so I thought that it might warm you up.”
“You know, we Pegasai aren’t as receptive to the cold, cause we fly at high altitudes a lot of the time.”
‘Oh, didn’t realize that.’ “Well, you were still shivering, so I thought you might not be as resilient as the other Pegasai…I guess…”
She giggled, taking my hoodie off and placing it on one of her chairs.  At this point, a white rabbit came hopping through the door.  It stopped right in front of me, and I could have sworn that it began to give me a once over, like the one that Big Mac gave me at the farm.  Fluttershy noticed and quickly introduced us to each other.
“Hello Angel, this is Drakalian, my new herd mate, Drakalian, this is my bunny, Angel.”
I kneeled down to one leg and extended a hand in a handshake.  “Nice to meet you, Angel.”
Angel cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, before he slowly took my hand in his paw and shook it.  Once I released his paw, he continued to stare at me, and I started to get a little worried about his constant stare.
I whispered to Fluttershy, “Um, what is he doing, exactly?”
“W-well, he can be a little…protective of me, so he’s probably seeing if you’re any trouble, I think.”
I raised an eyebrow at this.  ‘Really, a protective bunny, well, I have seen weirder things since I got here, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.’ I looked back at the little white bunny, and an idea popped into my head, and I said, “So, you’re the one that makes sure she’s safe, I’m assuming?” I asked the bunny, expecting a response from him.  Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Angel nodded.  “Well then, let’s cut to the chase.  I can tell that you don’t fully trust me, since it must be hard to protect the ones that you love.” Again I got another nod.  “So, let me promise you something.  I promise that I will do my upmost best at making sure that no harm shall fall upon her, and be mindful that I never break my promises.”
Angel was quiet for a moment, absorbing what I just said.  Suddenly, he gave me a big hug.  I quickly got over my initial surprise and hugged him back, and after a few seconds, he released me from his grasp, and walked up to Fluttershy for a second, seeming to whisper something to her, before he left the room.
I was confused for a second, and then I looked at Fluttershy, and asked, “Um, did I do good?”
Fluttershy giggled, walked towards me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying, “He told me that I made a good choice choosing you as a herd mate, and he is not that easy to please.” I smiled, glad that I got on the good side of the bunny, for I don’t like to be on anyone’s, or anypony’s bad side, even if it is a bunny.
Suddenly, Angel came hopping back in and whispered some more things into the yellow mare’s ear.
“Oh, what’s that, Angel?  Pinkie was here earlier?  She wanted to tell us something?  Well, what was…oh…oh my…” she said, a blush beginning to form on her face.  I gave her a curious look wanting to know what it was, then I realized a possible reason for her blush, and instead of blushing on my own, I just sighed and looked at Angel, saying, “Let me guess, Angel.  Pinkie said something along the lines of ‘don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.’ Correct?” Angel nodded, and Fluttershy gave me a surprised look.
“How did you know that’s what he said?” asked Fluttershy.
I shrugged.  “Lucky guess?”
After that was done, we had some hot vegetable soup for our dinner (Fluttershy also had a side serving of daisies as well), and we talked about all of the animals in both of our worlds during dinner, though I made sure to keep it to the positives and not bring up things like animal abuse and such, frankly I didn’t want to ruin anything for our so called first date, which we both agreed that this was.  After a while, we finished our soups and began to clean up, and to Fluttershy’s disappointment, I was able to convince her to let me help her out.  Once we were done cleaning, we both opted to head off to bed.  I was about to head to the guest bedroom when Fluttershy stopped me.
“Um, Drak.  Y-you don’t h-have to sleep there.  A-also, I k-kind of want you to…you know…sleep in the same bed…with me…please?”
I raised an eyebrow, then I remembered the promise that I made and said, “Ok, Shy, I just thought you would have wanted a little privacy is all.”
She shook her head, saying, “It’s fine, Drak, really, especially since…you know…” I blushed at this, for I definitely knew what she was talking about.  Nodding my understanding, I walked with her to her bedroom, and once we were in, I took my shorts off, getting another blush out off her.  I smiled, and quickly got under the covers, with Fluttershy following me.  As we got under the covers, she quickly snuggled up to me, and laid her head onto my shoulder, sighing with content.  I carefully placed an arm around her and began to slowly stroke her mane, causing her to sigh even more.  We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of us saying a word, until Fluttershy suddenly spoke up.
“Um, Drak.  C-can I a-ask you s-s-something?” she said.  I smiled slightly and looked at her, who was looking at me back with her gorgeous baby blue eyes.  “W-well, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and…I think…I’m ready now, Drak.”
I was confused for a second, and asked, “Ready for what?”
“I w-want us to…y-you…d-do it t-tonight…please?”
I was quiet for a moment before I finally figured out what she was talking about, and I sat up in surprise, saying, “A-are you sure, Shy?  I’m ok if we-” Once again, I was interrupted with a hoof on my mouth.  She looked at me with a small smile, sitting up next to me, and said, “I’m sure, Drakalian.”
I was quiet for a second, and then I slowly removed her hoof from my mouth, and gently placed it by her side.  I then used the same hand to gently cup her cheek, slowly massaging the side of her face.  “If you sure then, I would love to be your first.  I promise that I will make it as easy for you as possible, ok?”
“I know you will, Drak, I trust you completely.” She said, placing her own hoof against the side of my face.  We both smiled at each other, and then we slowly brought our faces closer to each other, until our lips met in the middle.  We began the kiss gently, at first, our lips just smoothly brushed up against the other, until she licked my lips with her tongue, asking for permission to enter, which I heartedly agreed to.  Her tongue slowly entered my mouth, almost hesitantly, even though we already did this a few times.  I pulled her head closer towards mine, bringing us into a deeper kiss, as she placed her hooves around my neck.  She then carefully pulled herself onto my lap, and she began to grind her hips onto my cock, causing it to get hard and stretch out my boxers.  We continued to kiss, getting more lustful as we went on, our tongues in each other’s mouth, rubbing against our teeth and palate.  I could feel her arousal beginning to drip onto the front of my boxers, getting them damp.  As we kissed, she continued to dry hump me. I brought my hands around her back, and began to massage her wings, making her moan in our kiss as I found her erogenous spots.  I continued to rub her wings, and she began to hump me slightly faster, causing my shaft to throb in pain, aching for her marehood.  Soon, we broke the kiss, both of us panting in excitement, and I could see that she was quickly getting into it as much as I was.  Fluttershy stopped her humping and then brought her hooves from around my neck and placed them at the waist band around my boxers, getting her hooves underneath them, until she reached my dick, and began to stoke it in earnest, causing me to moan in pleasure.  I then brought my face down to her neck, and began to nibble it slightly and give it little kisses, causing more moans of pleasure to erupt from her.  After a few more seconds of this, I brought my left hand to her rump and gave it a little squeeze, making Fluttershy give a little “squeak” in surprise, her wings once again snapping open like the time when we were in AJ’s bathroom.  I smiled at this, and continued to kiss and nibble her neck as my hand that was on her rump began to massage her flank slowly, making her moan even more.  I then brought my left hand to rest on her cutie mark as my right hand held her by the back, and carefully put pressure on it, causing another small cry of pleasure to erupt from her mouth.  As she moaned, she stopped her jerking on my shaft, and quickly took my boxers off, causing me to feel the wetness of her pussy directly.  I moaned at the sudden change, causing me to stop kissing her neck, and she began to rub her marehood all over the underside of my cock in earnest, and I saw her give a small, seductive smile at my expression, and leaned into my ear, whispering, “I want you so badly inside of me…please…”
I gave a small smile, and lifted Fluttershy off of my lap a little, the tip of my rod just brushing her wet, dripping marehood.  I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “This will only hurt for a moment, love, but then it will be all pleasure.” She nodded, having complete faith in me, and slowly I began to insert my key into her paradise.
We both moaned at the feeling as I entered her, the tightness of her pussy was unbelievable, even tighter then Luna’s was, considering the size difference.  I kept on pushing in until my head was in her, and then I felt the tell tail wall of her hymen, causing a gasp of pain and a slight whimper of fear.  I kissed her on the cheek again, and said, “We can stop here if you-”
“No!  P-please…I…I w-want this!” she practically shouted, making my eyes widen slightly in surprise for a second.  I then nodded, and giving her another kiss on the cheek, said, “Just bear with me, Shy, ok?” She nodded in response, and then, ever so slowly, I began to break through her hymen.  This caused her to whimper more in pain as I went through her barrier, until with an audible pop, I was suddenly though it, and with the lack of resistance, I also suddenly hilted her in one go, causing her to gasp, as she wasn’t ready to take in so much so soon.  I quickly began to massage her cutie marks, and I brought her lips onto my own in a passionate kiss, trying to make her pain go away faster.  After a few more minutes, the pain receded, and Fluttershy broke the kiss, gasping as she finally felt the full pleasure of me being inside of her.
“Y-you…you can…m-move now…” She whispered.  I nodded and slowly lifted her up on my cock, until only the tip was inside her, and then I once again brought her down with the same speed, making her groan in pleasure now.  I continued this slow pumping, getting her more used to the presence of something inside of her pussy, both of us making quiet sounds of pleasure.  After a few more stokes of this, she quietly said, “C-can you…g-go…f-f-faster…please?” I smiled, and did as she requested, making her moan even more now.  Soon, I could feel her start to bounce on my cock, her walls clenching tightly on my manhood.  “G-go h-harder…p-please.” she said, a little louder then before.  I responded, and began to pound her pussy a little harder, making us gasp as I continuously entered her.  “D-d-deeper…p-p-please!” she practically shouted, and once again I responded, thrusting my cock as deep as I could into her, making her start to silently cry out in pleasure.  She then held me tightly, placing her head on my shoulder while I did the same to her, placing both of my hands on her plot now, my thrusting going faster and harder, my cock hitting her cervix every time I was fully in her, causing unbelievable pleasure to us both.  She continued to bounce on top of me, and I just held her along her plot, letting her take over, and soon I could feel her starting to reach her peak, and I could feel myself reaching my own as well.
As I continued to pump her pussy, I said, “S-Shy…I’m a-about to…c-cum…”
“C-can you…p-p-please…do it…inside of…m-me?” Fluttershy asked, still giving her silent cries of pleasure.  I could only nod as I began to go into overdrive, slamming my cock deep into her marehood, the tip of my dick just entering her cervix every time I hilted her.  After a few more short pumps, I felt her walls begin to tightly clench my rod, and she gave a silent scream of pleasure as her juices flooded all over my rod and onto the bed.  This was the last straw, and I pushed myself as deep as I could into her, shooting load after load of my seed deep into her womb, making her orgasm last even longer.  I could feel her pussy strangling my cock, beckoning every single drop to leave my rod and enter her.  We stayed frozen like that for a good few minutes, until I was able to calm myself down enough to open my eyes, for they were closed the entire time I was exploding inside of her.  I noticed that Fluttershy’s eyes were closed as well, and I gave her a gentle kiss on her nose, causing her to slowly open her eyes as well.
She panted heavily, saying, “T-that was…the b-best…feeling…e-ever…t-thank you…D-Drakalian.”  I smiled, giving her another kiss on her nose, saying, “The pleasure was all mine.”
She smiled, and said, “Uh, o-one last thing, Drak, if t-that’s ok, that is?” I stayed quiet, waiting for her answer.  “Well, c-can you l-leave it in f-for the n-night, please?”
I smiled, and said, “Of course, Shy.  I love you.”
“And love you, Drakalian.”
I slowly brought ourselves down to rest on the bed, so that we were lying next to each other on our sides, her facing me, with me still inside of her.  She snuggled up to me, placing her head under my chin, giving another content sigh of satisfaction.  I gave my own sigh as well, hugging her tightly but gently, caressing her back slowly.  We stayed like this as we slowly fell to sleep, each of use content with the fact that we both showed our love to the one that held a piece of our heart.

> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 17

I woke up to the beautiful sound of silence, and the feeling of a presence next to me, breathing deeply.  As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I wasn’t the first one awake.  I saw Fluttershy next to me shifting ever so slightly, her eyes still closed.  I then remembered what we did yesterday, and that I was still inside her.  I realized that she was currently grinding my cock, which was still inside of her, and had also gotten hard again from all her movement.  I gently cupped her cheek with my hand, and she slowly opened her eyes.  I saw slight confusion in her baby blue eyes, and then surprise and some nervousness as she noticed that I was awake, and that she was still humping my cock.
“D-Drak…I’m…I’m sorry…I-I j-j-just-”
I quickly quieted her with a kiss on the lips, holding her there until I felt her respond as well.  As we kissed, her humping got faster, and I placed my free hand on top of her round plot, massaging her cutie marks slowly, making her moan in our kiss.  As our lips separated, I gave a small smile and said, “It’s fine, Shy, I don’t mind.  Just next time wake me up first so that I could help you a little more.”
She blushed at my comment, and still humping me, said, “W-well, it just f-felt s-so g-g-good when we d-did it l-last night, that I…well…wanted some more, if that’s ok?”
“Of course it is, Shy.” Was all I said, and then being careful, I slowly flipped us over so that she was above me, still lying on my chest and still grinding my dick in her marehood.  We both moaned as we began to feel each other once again pulsing against the other, our hearts beating as one.  I continued to rub her cutie mark with one hand, while the other hand slide up her back and onto her wing, rubbing the wing’s g-spot, making her give more quiet moans of pleasure.  I gave Fluttershy another small smile and went to kiss her neck, but she stopped me and led my lips to her mouth instead, giving both of us sloppy wet kisses.  I began to slowly thrust my dick inside her, causing her to groan and making her start to bounce on me, a wet “slap” emitting from our hips every time they made contact with one another.  After a few more minutes of this, I noticed that she was beginning to get tired out, so I quickly stood up on my knees, causing her to “squeak!” in slight surprise.  As we rose, she quickly wrapped her hooves around me, causing her bouncing to stop.  Fluttershy looked at me with a confused look, and I smiled, bringing my hands to her plot again, and then slowly raised it up before quickly bringing it down again, causing her to gasp in surprise and pleasure.  I continued to pound her snatch even harder then before, constantly lifting her up and then quickly bringing her down again.  The sounds of our hips and the constant moaning from both of us was the only sound that we made as we continued our love making session.  From this position, I was able to get a lot more power into my thrusts, making Fluttershy gasp every time I entered her, the tip of my dick just entering her cervix.  My hands would squeeze her round ass as I speared my cock deep inside of her pussy, a constant silent wailing coming from her lips as I kept going faster and faster.  I could tell that she was getting closer, and I could feel myself reaching my end as well, but before I could finish both of us off, Fluttershy quickly slid herself off of my cock and brought it to her face, clamping on it with her mouth while at the same time pleasuring herself with her own hoof.  She began to bob her head on it as quickly as she could, sucking on it with all the force that she could muster.  I moaned in pleasure as I reached my limit, blowing my load into her mouth.  I heard her squeal in delight as she tasted my seed again, and she began to drink as much of it as possible.  I then heard her squeal change to a deep moan as she came too, dripping her pussy juices all over her own hoof and the bed.  We stayed like that for about a minute, with me just petting her mane and her just cleaning my cock off, sucking on it gently.  Finally, Fluttershy slowly took it out of her mouth with a large popping sound, giving me a look of complete satisfaction.  I just stared back into her own eyes, taking my own deep breaths at the incredible orgasm that she just gave me.
I quickly sat down next to Fluttershy and hugged her, and Fluttershy nuzzled into my embrace.  After a few minutes of cuddling, I said, “You really like the taste of me, huh?”
Surprisingly, she just giggled, saying, “W-well, I just can’t help myself.  You j-just taste so good.”
I chuckled at this, and gave her another passionate kiss, though with much less energy then before.  After about thirty seconds, we broke the kiss and looked at each other deep into the other’s eyes.  Finally, I decided that we had to start our day and get out of bed, even though I would have loved to stay in bed with her.
“So, Shy.  What do you have planed for today?” I asked her.
“Well, I just need to feed the animals first, and then I was thinking that we could go to Sugarcube Corner to get some breakfast, um, if that’s all right with you, that is?”
I smiled again and gave her a peck on the nose.  “I think that’s a great idea.  I also need to get ready for my new job today.”
Fluttershy seemed to remember something when I mentioned my new job.  “Oh, yeah…about that…have you noticed anything…unusual about Lotus?”
I raised an eyebrow at this, saying, “By unusual, do you mean that she keeps blushing when I’m around?”
She nodded.  “Yes, and, well, I already talked about it with the other mares in our herd, except for Ditzy, but we think she has a crush on you.”
I sighed, saying, “I kind of noticed this too, but I don’t want to take too many of you mares into my own herd, I mean, what about the other stallions that would want you g-” at this she placed a hoof on my mouth, saying, “In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t that many males in Ponyville.  How many stallions have you met that live here since you were here so far?”
I raised my hand, holding two fingers up.  Fluttershy was quiet for a few seconds, before she said, “The bully doesn’t count.”  With that said, I lowered my middle finger so that I only had one finger up.  “Exactly, so that means you don’t have to feel bad about having so many mares in our herd.”
I was quiet for a while, thinking about what she said.  She did have a point; there weren’t really any stallions in Ponyville.  The only one that I saw was Big Mac, and he didn’t say anything about meeting the right mare for him yet when I had dinner with him and the Apples (Though he did almost go out with the teacher, Miss Cheerilee, though it was ruined when the Cutie Mark Crusaders did something to there date, something about a failed love potion) so I guess that Fluttershy was right.  After a few minutes of me thinking, I finally looked back at my marefriend and said, “So, if she does ask, is it all right if Lotus joins our herd?”
Fluttershy nodded, saying, “I think that it’s a great idea, and all of our other herd mates agreed to it as well, though I still need to talk to Ditzy about it.”
I raised an eyebrow, for I just realized something.  “Wait a minute.  You girls already talked about this and already decided that Lotus was going to be in the herd before you girls told me?” I said, in a quiet but playful voice.
The yellow Pegasus giggled at this, saying, “I guess that’s one way to put it.”
I sighed.  “Will I ever get a say in my own herd?”
“Maybe…”
I couldn’t help myself at this point, and I began to laugh, along with Fluttershy, and as soon as we calmed ourselves down, I heard two large growls that went on for a few seconds before quieting down.  I smiled at the blushing mare, and said, “So, how about some breakfast?”




The bell ringed as Fluttershy and I entered Sugarcube Corner.  As we entered, I saw two ponies working behind the counter.  The first one was a blue Earth pony mare with a swirly pink mane and tail and three pink cupcakes as her cutie mark.  She also had a pair of pink earrings on as well. The second pony that was behind the counter was none other than Pinkie Pie herself.
As Fluttershy and I took our seats at one of the tables, Pinkie came to use in the blink of an eye and said, “Hiya, guys!  Glad you could make it to Sugarcube Corner!  What can I get you guys?”
After a few seconds of thinking, I decided to order three muffins, one for now and the others for later, while Fluttershy order a blueberry muffin.  Pinkie went to go and get the muffins, and while she was getting them, the blue pony walked up to us.
“Why, hello there.  You must be the human, Drakalian that Pinkie has been talking about so much.” She said.  I nodded.  “Well, my name is Cup Cake, but most ponies call me Mrs. Cake.”
I smiled at her.  “Well, hello there, Mrs. Cake, it’s a pleasure to finally meet one of the owners of Sugarcube Corner.  Is Mr. Cake around?”
“Not at the moment, no.  He’s busy doing some errands, right now, getting some supplies for our store, as well as getting some milk for the little fillies.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. ”Fillies?”
“Yup, we have two little fillies, called Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake, a unicorn and a Pegasus respectively.”
“Wait, is Mr. Cake also an Earth pony?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Well, not to be rude, but how do you have both a unicorn and a Pegasus foal if you’re both Earth Ponies?  It just doesn’t make that much sense to me.”
Fluttershy decided to come in at this point.  “Well, Drak, most ponies at some point in their history have had at least one of each type of pony in their ancestry, so their DNA would allow them to have any of the three types of ponies.”
“Well then, what about the Alicorns?”
Mrs. Cake spoke up this time.  “Well, dear, if my biology classes were of any use, I believe that they can be a random occurrence, though it is usually very, very rare, even if both of the parents are Alicorns, then the chances only increase slightly.”
I nodded, beginning to understand how they were able to have both a unicorn and a Pegasus filly even when they were both Earth ponies.  Before I could say anything else, Pinkie Pie suddenly zoomed back in, a platter holding our muffins on her back.  I raised an eyebrow at the pink mare, wondering how she was able to keep it balanced when she moves so much, while Fluttershy and Mrs. Cake both just giggled at my expression.  We gladly took the muffins off of Pinkie’s back while Mrs. Cake had to go back to the kitchen to bake some more pastry treats of some kind.  Once we got our muffins, Pinkie just zoomed away without another word to do Celestia knows what.
We ate in a peaceful silence, each of us enjoying our breakfast.  Once I was finishing my muffin, the bell rings, and in comes Twilight, followed by Ditzy and Dinky.
I smiled at the mares and waved them over to come and join us.  They smiled at us and came to sit with us.  As soon as they got their seats, I gave both Ditzy and Dinky a big hug, saying, “Morning, guys, how did you sleep?”
“I slept so much better, thanks to you guys.” Said Ditzy, blushing as I hugged her.  I smiled and gave her a kiss on the nose, happy that she was feeling a lot better.  Their coats were even cleaner as well.  I then turned my attention to my new daughter, asking, “And how about you, Muffin?”
Dinky smiled when I called her by her nickname, and said, “I’m doing great, Daddy, but I’m really hungry right now.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I got some extra muffins.” I said, handing her one of my muffins.  Her eyes went wide as soon as she saw the pastry treat, and she immediately took it out of my hand and took a big bite out of it, chewing ferociously.  I chuckled as I watched her eat, then I turned to our newest herd mate and said, “It seems that she has her mother’s love of muffins as well.” Ditzy giggled at my comment, and then I asked, ”Would you like one as well, Ditzy?”
Ditzy nodded, but before she could take it, I quickly pulled it away, saying, “Please, allow me.” She blushed, but nevertheless, she allowed me to hold the muffin while she took a bite.  She ate her piece slower then her daughter did, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the simple taste of the muffin.  As she ate, it gave me a sly idea, and when she went for another bite, her eyes still closed, I quickly replaced the muffin with my own mouth, and instead of taking another piece of the muffin she ended up placing her lips on my own.  Ditzy opened her eyes in surprised, and I gave her a wink as she saw my face with my lips on her own.  She quickly blushed, but she just as quickly deepened the kiss, enjoying the contact of our lips upon each other.  We stayed like that for a few more seconds, and then we broke our lips apart, me with a goofy smile on my face, while she still had a blush on her cheeks.
“Sorry, Ditzy, I just couldn’t resist.” I said, still with my silly grin on.  Dinky was looking at the entire thing and she also had an equally silly grin on as well.  After a few quiet moments, Ditzy asked, “Um, if it’s ok w-with y-y-you…c-can I h-have a-another kiss p-please?”
I smiled and without another word, leaned into Ditzy to kiss her again, our lips once again brushing gently on each other.  Before we could make our kiss any deeper, though, Twilight cleared her throat to get our attention, and we slowly separated, sheepish grins on both of our faces.
“Well, now that’s all done, I would like to tell you that Luna and I have been able to make a plan for your new training program, which, by the way, will start as soon as you are finished with your job tomorrow.”
I nodded, saying, “I think that’s a good idea, Twi, thanks for the heads up.”  I looked at the clock and noticed that I would be going to my new job in about 15 minutes, and I decided to go and start my new job, wanting to be a little early on my first day.  As I got up, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked down and saw Ditzy with a questioning look on her face.  I gave a confused look at her as she spoke.
“Um, if it’s not too much of a problem, Drak, c-could you please pick Dinky up from school after your job today, if it’s not a problem, that is?”
I smiled, and gave her a quick peck on the lips, saying, “It isn’t a problem at all, I would love to pick her up.”
Ditzy smiled, and then said, “Also, Fluttershy just told me about Lotus, and I agree with the others, so it’s ok with me.”
“Glad you agree as well.” I said, giving her another kiss on the lips, before giving a kiss to Dinky’s cheek, saying, “I’ll see you after school today, Dinky.”
“Ok, Daddy.” She said, giggling.  I smiled, gave the rest of the muffin to Ditzy, and went on out to begin my first day working at the spa.
As I was walking, I thought to myself how the past few days have gone.  ‘Geez, I went from absolutely nothing, no name, no friends, no memory, and in the past few days, I’ve not only gain some of my memory back and a name, but I’ve also gained new friends, marefriends, losing my virginity, getting a job, and even a daughter.  Things sure do move faster here then they do back where I came from, not that I’m complaining, of course.’  I was quiet the whole time that I walked from Sugarcube Corner to the spa building, deep in my own thoughts.
As I entered the building, I noticed a certain white unicorn waiting in the waiting room, and I smiled at her as I approached.
“Let me guess; you here for your massage by me?” I asked Rarity.  Rarity smiled, saying, “Of course, darling, I mean, you did promise after all, and I’ve heard that you tend to keep your promises.”
“Who told you that?  AJ?  Fluttershy?”
“Nope, it was actually Rainbow Dash.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised that it was her that told the fashion pony, and then I remembered that I still had my promise to her that I needed to keep as well.
‘Geez, so many things to do, and yet, so little time to do them all.’ “Well, just give me a sec while I talk to the spa sisters to get myself set up.”
“No need, Drak.” I looked up at the counter, and saw that Aloe was entering from the adjourning room.  “She is here for just the massage, and Lotus is waiting for you in the massage room, just go in there and she will tell you how to set up.”
I nodded my thanks to the pink pony and entered the massage room.  Once in there, I saw that Lotus was indeed setting up for me.  Deciding to have a little fun, I quietly snuck up behind her, and quickly grabbed her into a hug.  She gave a small “squeak!” in fear, then realizing that it was me, she began to blush furiously, and said, “Oh, Drakalian, I-I d-d-didn’t n-notice y-you c-came in.”
I smiled and released her from the hug, saying, “Sorry, Lotus, I just couldn’t resist surprising you like that.  I hope it didn’t scare you too much.”
She shook her head, saying, “N-no, it’s fine.  So…y-you, um…want to get started?
I smiled again and nodded, and we began to get everything set up for the massage.  I noticed that majority of the time that we were setting up; Lotus would occasionally give me a glance, but every time I looked back, she would quickly avert her eyes, her blush getting bigger and bigger.  Soon, we had everything set up, and Lotus called to her sister to bring in Rarity.  Rarity walked in, and she laid herself onto the table.  I was quiet for a few seconds before I asked, “So, anywhere specific that you want me to work on?”
“Nothing in particular, darling, just do your best.” She said, a smile on her face, I smiled back, and began her massage, starting with her shoulders, pressing my thumbs gently against her shoulder blades, causing the white unicorn to moan in satisfaction.  As I began to massage Rarity, I saw that both Lotus and Aloe were keeping a keen eye on me, probably to see how well I do with my first actual massage.  Once I was certain that her shoulder muscles were relaxed enough, I began to work on her spine and lower back, once again placing pressure were it was needed.  The whole time, Rarity was sighing with content.
“By Celestia, Drakalian…this is…oh…by far…the…ah…best massage…that I…ever…oh my…had.  Your hooves…I mean…oh…y-your f-fingers…are like…magic, just…getting at…ah…all of the…right spots…” she said in between groans of pleasure.  I just smiled, glad that I was doing a good job so far.  I took a quick glance at the spa sisters to see if I they were happy with my job so far.  While Lotus seemed to be anxious about something, Aloe had a neutral expression on her face, so that I couldn’t tell if she thought I was doing a good job so far.  I hesitated once I finished her back, wondering if I should do her flank as well, seeing as Lotus did try to do mine when I was here the last time.  Fortunately, Rarity seemed to know what I was thinking and said, “You may do my flank, if you want to, just be carful of-”
“Don’t worry, Rarity, I already know about the cutie marks.” I said, beginning on her flank, giving it soft but firm rubs, while also being careful of her cutie marks.  “I was just not sure if it would be appropriate to do your flanks, so…” I hesitated, not sure how to finish my sentence.
Aloe decided to speak up at this point, “It’s fine, we normally do the flank, unless the customer says otherwise, like with you.” I nodded, and continued the massage.  Once I was done with Rarity’s flanks, I went to her rear hooves and began to massage them similar to the way that I massaged Lotus’s hooves when she over did it with my first massage, only this time I concentrated more on the muscles and less on the pressure points, though I still placed a few pressure points where I deemed was necessary.  Once her rear hooves were done, I hesitated again, and asked, “Would you like me to do you forelegs as well, Rarity?”
Rarity smiled, and extended her right foreleg first, saying, “Of course, darling.  Also, if it isn’t too much trouble, could you give it the same treatment the you gave Lotus please?”
“Of course.” Was all I said, and I began to work on her foreleg, releasing the tension that was in her upper leg.  Once I got to her hoof, I began to press on her pressure points and the reaction that I got, while similar to Lotus’s reaction, didn’t seem as strong as hers was, most likely because she was a unicorn, so her hooves weren’t as sensitive.  I continued on it for a good five minutes, and then I began her other foreleg, doing the same thing and getting similar results.
Soon, I finished her other foreleg, and her massage.  “Ok, Rarity, I finished your massage.  You’re good to go now.”
Rarity got up and began to walk around a little, seeing if there were any spots that I missed.  After a few seconds, she looked at me and smiled, saying, “Drakalian, I believe that was the best massage that I have ever had in my entire life!  Why, I’ve never felt so relaxed before.  Your herd mates are some very lucky mares indeed.” I blushed at her comment, nodding my appreciation to her positive reviews.  I looked at the spa sisters to see if they agreed with me as well.  Aloe’s face seemed blank, while Lotus seemed to be giddy with excitement for some reason.
Finally, Aloe broke the silence, saying, “Well done, Drak, you did very well for your first massage, though I’m not that surprised by it.  I might even have to have you massage me, though it would have to be after my sister gets hers, of course.” Lotus blushed at her sister’s comment, and I gave a small smile, blushing as well.  Rarity bid her farewells and headed of to her store.  Before she left, though, she turned around and said, “By the way, Drak.  Your clothes should be ready soon, I’ll send them over to Twilight’s when I’m done, which should be by the end of the day.” I nodded my thanks to her, and she then exited the spa.  Aloe decided to go and wait at the counter for other customers that might come in, leaving Lotus and I alone with each other.
We stayed quiet for a while, neither of us knowing what to say, and then Lotus cleared her throat, and said, “So, um, Drak, about the massage…”
I looked at her and waited for her to finish.  “W-well, I w-was j-just w-w-wondering if that, w-well, if you want to, c-could you, um…m-m-massage m-me too, p-please?”
I smiled at her and said, “Of course, we can massage each other, though it will have to be a little later today, since I promised Ditzy that I would pick up our daughter from school.”
Lotus gave a look of surprise when I said ‘our daughter’.  “S-so, D-Ditzy’s in y-your h-herd now?” I nodded, and she seemed to gain a mournful expression, looking at the ground.  Thinking that I did something wrong, I quickly wrapped an arm around her, and she looked back up at me with a surprised look on her face.  Knowing the conversation with Fluttershy and Ditzy from earlier, I decided to see if she really did have feelings for me.
“Lotus, I need to ask you something, if it’s ok?” She was quiet for a second, and then she nodded, allowing me to continue.  “Well, I just would like to know…well…what do you think of me?”
Her eyes went wide in shock, and she turned her face to look at the ground, her hooves beginning to shake nervously.  I became nervous too, thinking that I might have gone too far, so I quickly began to comfort her.  “Hey, if you don’t want to talk about it-”
“I think I love you, Drakalian.” I became quiet when she said that, my mouth hanging open with surprise.  Like I said before, I had a feeling that she felt something for me, but I didn’t think that she would actually say it with such openness.  We were quiet for a few more seconds, neither of us saying anything.  Lotus looked at me and upon seeing my expression, she sighed, saying, “I knew it, you don’t like me like that, I guess it’s because of all the other mares that you have, so you don’t have enough time to find o-” Before she could continue, I decided to comfort her the only way that I could think of at this point: by placing my lips upon her own, giving her a passionate kiss.
Her eyes went wide with surprise, her mind not fully comprehending what was happening.  Slowly, she began to close them, and she returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion, both of our lips flowing against the other.  Once again, I could feel the fireworks going off, and once again, I could tell that she felt them too.  I held on to her as we kissed, and she began to place her hooves around my neck, deepening the kiss.  I decided to try and take it up a notch and insert my tongue into her mouth, which caused her to flinch slightly.  I thought that I might have taken it too far, but before I could remove my tongue, I suddenly felt her tongue brush up against mine, and soon, both of the muscles were massaging each other, causing both of us to moan softly.  After a good couple of minutes of kissing, I slowly broke it apart, strings of saliva slowly breaking apart from our lips, both of us breathing deeply.  We were quiet for a few seconds, her looking at my emerald green eyes, while I looked at Lotus’s own deep sapphire blue eyes.
Once I got enough energy to speak, I said, “Lotus, I will always have enough room in my herd for those that truly love me, and those that I truly love as well.  You’re no exception, for I believe that I love you too, and if you really want to, you may join our herd.”
Lotus was quiet for a little while longer, her eyes widening with every second that I spoke.  She stayed like that, just thinking about what I said, and then, clearing her throat, she said, “D-do you r-r-really mean it?”
I smiled at her again.  “Of course, and the others would love it if you joined us as well, they already talked about it.  Not only that, but I would love it if you would join us too.”
Once again, Lotus stayed quiet, and then, very quietly, she said, “I would love to join your herd, Drakalian.”
“I’m glad that you are, Lotus.  I love you.”
“I love you too, Drak.” She said, tears of happiness starting to form in her eyes.  Before I could say anything else, she suddenly lunged at me, placing her lips on my own again, and we once again began to make out, our tongues just simply rubbing against each other.  After a few seconds, I herd the bell to the spa ring, but I simply ignored it and continued to kiss my new marefriend.  After another few seconds, we heard somepony clearing their throat.
Lotus and I quickly separated from our kiss, and turned to look at Aloe sheepishly, a blush forming on our faces.  However, before we could say anything, Aloe spoke first.
“While I’m happy that you finally admitted your feelings to him, Lotus, and I don’t mind if you two give each other a simple kiss now and again during work, we have a very important guest here right now.”
I raised an eyebrow, curious as to whom it might be.  “Who is it, sister?” Asked Lotus.
“It’s Princess Celestia, and she has personally requested to have Drakalian as her masseur to massage her.”

> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 18

We were all quiet for a few seconds, just processing this information that the pink spa pony has just told us.  After a few seconds of silence, Lotus began to panic.
“W-w-what?  P-Princess C-Celestia?  B-but what is she doing here, w-why does she want a massage here, why-”
Before she could continue, Aloe quickly placed a hoof on her sister’s mouth, silencing her.  Once she was sure that she had her attention, she said, “It’s simple.  Celestia told me that Drak had offered to massage her when he was at the castle, and she decided to take him up on his offer.”
She removed her hoof from Lotus’s mouth, and Lotus look at me for confirmation, to which I nodded.  Lotus began to calm down, but then she gained a quizzical look, and asked, “Wait, why does she want a massage from you?”
I smiled sheepishly and said, “Well, it might have to do with the fact that I was massaging Luna back in Canterlot when she just joined our herd, and Celestia might have overheard the commotion coming out of her room and mistaken it for…something else…so, yea.”
They were both quiet at this, and even Aloe blushed at my explanation.  Before we could say anything, we heard somepony clearing their throat, and we turned and saw the Princess of the Sun herself.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” asked Celestia, an eyebrow up in amusement.  The three of us quickly shook our heads.  I was able to quickly gain my composure and said, “Well, I didn’t expect for you to be here so soon, is all.”
“Well, turns out that something turned up that required my sister to be a part of, and since I was around, I decided to take a quick stop here, for my muscles are quiet strained from a few thousand years of pent up stress.” I nodded, understanding her point, and said, “Well, if you’re ready, we can begin now.  Just lie on the table and we can start.”
Celestia nodded, and she placed herself onto the table.  I paused for a moment, and then asked, “Anyplace in particular that you want me to focus on?”
“If you could, could you try to relax the base of my wings, for they are very sore, especially since I flew all the way here from Canterlot”
I nodded again, and began her massage, starting with her shoulders, doing the same thing that I did with Rarity’s massage.  Celestia sighed in relief, saying, “Oh my, now I can see why Luna loved it so much.”
We were quiet for most of the time, me just massaging Celestia, while the spa sisters were watching in anticipation.  I assumed that this was the first time that they had any royalty in their spa, so it was most defiantly understandable that they would be nervous about this.  Once I finished her shoulders, I began to work on her mid back, paying extra attention to her wing bases.  As soon as I placed some pressure on them, I noticed that Celestia flinched slightly, and worried that I might have hurt her, I said, “Oh, sorry, was that too much?”
Celestia giggled, saying, “Not at all, please continue, you’re doing a wonderful job so far.”  I mentally shrugged and continued from where I left off, once again paying extra attention to her wing bases, kneading them with firm but gentle strokes, making her sigh in delight.  Once I finished with her wing bases, which took about ten minutes of solid kneading, I began to work on her lower back and hips, making her give small gasps every time I hit an especially stiff spot on her.  Once I was finished with that, I hesitated again, and then I realized that she was most likely expecting it anyways, I began to work on her flank as well, still avoiding the cutie marks.  She was suddenly quiet for a few seconds, but before I could respond, she said, “Um, if it’s ok with you, Drak, y-you may…um…y-you may massage m-my…c-c-cutie…m-marks…”
I was stunned for a second, even pausing in the massage while I just absorbed what she said.  I quickly glanced at Aloe and Lotus, and they had just as equally confused looks on them as well.  Everypony was quiet for a moment, and then I was finally able to speak.
“Um, a-are y-y-you s-sure, Celestia?  I don’t w-want to do it if y-you’re not sure.”
Celestia was quiet for a few seconds, before she slowly nodded, saying, “I’m sure, but only if you’re comfortable with it.  And don’t worry, I’m just curious about what it would feel like with a human doing it, is all.”
I stayed quiet for a little longer, and then I shrugged, and ever so slowly, I rubbed a single finger over her blazing sun cutie mark.
As soon as my finger made contact with it, she gave a sudden gasp, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she shivered with pleasure.  I continued to massage her cutie marks for another thirty seconds, until I decided that I should stop before it became too uncomfortable.  Celestia was gasping for air the entire time I was massaging her.  I began to quickly but still with careful attention to all of the muscles and pressure points massage her rear legs.  Once that was done, I noticed that Celestia extended her right foreleg as well, so getting the hint I began to massage her foreleg.  Once I reached her hoof, though, she began to moan in pleasure again, which confused me until a realized, ‘Oh, right, she’s an Alicorn, so her fore hooves are sensitive too.’  Nevertheless, I continued with the massage, and once I finished with both of her front hooves, I motioned for her to stand back up.  As she did so, she gave an experimental flap of her wings and took a few steps with her hooves, and giving a big smile, she surprised me with a kiss on the cheek, saying, “I appreciate the massage, Drakalian, I haven’t felt this good in over a thousand years.”
“W-well, g-glad that I could be of s-service, Celestia.” I said, blushing.  Celestia giggled at my expression, as well as Lotus and Aloe.  As she walked away, I noticed that she swayed her hips ever so slightly, her tail floating along behind her.  Realizing that I was staring at her plot, I quickly looked away, blushing even more.  Unfortunately, the spa sisters noticed this, and Lotus quickly placed a quick peck on my cheek, saying, “I don’t mind, for I know now that you have enough love for all of us.”
I was silent for a moment, and then I said, “I…I…I…” which just caused them to burst out laughing.  Once they calmed down, I said, “Well, now that she is done with her massage, what now?”




I left the spa a few hours later, a bag of bits attached to the belt of my shorts.  Lotus and Aloe told me of were they lived, which was a small duplex near the spa itself, so that I would most likely be there once I picked up Dinky, though knowing her, she would most likely want to do something with me.  Honestly, I was looking forward to hanging out with my daughter; it would be a new experience for the both of us.  After another few minutes of walking, I approached the school building, I noticed that all of the fillies and colts were already out and leaving the area.  Well, all except for a certain group of fillies that I was able to notice as the CMC.  As I got closer, I noticed that they seemed to be talking to another pair of fillies next to them.  I was able to tell that the other two fillies were both Earth ponies, one was pink with a dual light purple and white mane, while the other one was light grey with a silver mane.  Both of the ponies had their cutie marks as well; the pink one had a tiara as her cutie mark, while the grey one had a spoon as hers.  They also appeared to be wearing some sort of jewelry, the pink one had a tiara on her head that matched her cutie mark, and the grey one had a blue beaded necklace, and she also was wearing some light blue glasses as well.  Once I was close enough, I was able to hear what it was that they were saying.
“Why don’t you blank flanks just give up already?  You haven’t found your cutie marks and you never will.” Said the pink filly in a boisterous manner.  The grey filly nodded, seeming to follow her friend’s lead.
“We’re never going to give up on it, Diamond Tiara, and this time, we’re sure that we’ll get our cutie marks!”  Said Applebloom, a small frown on her face.  The other Crusaders seemed to be annoyed as well, though they were also slightly bored by it too.  My guess is that they dealt with these two before.
“Yea, so how about you two just leave us alone, you’re always picking on us for not having our cutie marks, and that is just so uncool.” Said Scootaloo, puffing her chest out to try and make herself more intimidating.  The pink Earth filly that I now knew as Diamond Tiara began to laugh, and soon her grey Earth pony friend began to laugh as well.
“And why should I, it’s not like you blank flanks have anything better to do.” Said Diamond, a smirk on her face.  The more that I listened, the more I became annoyed at these two myself.  I could tell that they were just a couple of bullies like the one that was bothering Ditzy when I first met her, and I was debating whether or not to step in, when suddenly, Dinky appeared out of nowhere and said, “You two should stop, you big meanies, or my new Daddy will kick your flank!”
The two bullies stopped their laughing and turned to the pink unicorn filly. “I’m not afraid of him.  All he did was scare off some brutish Earth pony from your mom, and I don’t think it was worth it, for everything that he said to her was true, right Silver Spoon?” Said Diamond, turning towards her friend.  The grey filly, now known as Silver Spoon, was hesitant before she nodded slowly, saying, “Yea…I guess…”
“What do you mean, you guess, Silver?  She is just some wall-eyed freak and the only pony that would go out with her isn’t even a pony at all!”
“Don’t you dare say anything bad about Drak!  He could beat you with both of his…uh…hands, behind his back!” Said Sweetie, giving them her best evil eye, which only seemed meh to be honest.
“HA!  I’m not afraid of him, in fact, I bet I could beat him up without even having to look at him!”
“While I normally don’t back down from a challenge, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline this one, for I don’t fight little fillies that are way over their heads.” I said, once I was behind them.  Once I heard them insult Ditzy, I had already made up my mind to intervene, and I put my hood up as well to increase my intimidating factor, for I really didn’t want to physically hurt them, even if they were being this mean.
All of the fillies jumped in surprise, giving little “squeaks” in the process.  Slowly, Diamond and Silver turned to face me, and once they saw me, they began to tremble slightly.  While I normally hate making others afraid of me, I sometimes made an exception, since I knew that these two deserved it.  I then took a couple of glances into their eyes to see if they really were being this mean just for fun.  What I found surprised me.
When I looked into Silver Spoon’s lavender eyes, I noticed that she was not only scared, but didn’t fully agree with everything that her friend was saying, though I could already tell that she was more of a follower.  When I looked at Diamond’s light blue eyes, though, I saw that while she was terrified, she still seemed to not be backing down, and she made this more clearly when she suddenly puffed her chest out, trying to make herself seem more intimidating.
“Why is that, human?  You scared?” she said, laughing at her own comment.  I saw that this time, Silver didn’t seem to laugh with her, still shivering in her own hooves.  I was quiet for a few seconds, debating what to say.  I then said, “I’m not scared of somepony like you, though I am curious as to why you would pick on these fillies simple because they lack a cutie mark.  If I recall correctly, you need to earn your cutie mark, which means at some point in your life, you must have been a so called ‘blank flank’ yourselves, am I right?”
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw a flash go across Diamond’s eyes, and I was able to notice what it was before it disappeared from her eyes.
It was fear from the past.
I then was able to connect all of the dots, why she bullied them, why she made fun of others, why she didn’t even seem to be that bad of a pony, and also why I saw here show some fear from the comment that I made.  She was doing this simply because she was bullied before for the same reason, and the reason that she picked on the CMC as well as Dinky was simple because she just wanted revenge for what she had to go through.  Once I figured it out, I began to pity her, and I knew exactly what I should do to solve this problem.
I sighed as I bent over to sit down in front of them, bringing me to eye level with them.  As I sat down, I took my hood down so that they could see my face.  I was quiet for a few seconds, before I said, “You know, Diamond, bullying isn’t the answer to your problem.”
Diamond looked at me like I was crazy.  “What do you mean, ‘problem’?  There isn’t any problem here, unless you’re talking about these-”
I covered her mouth with my hand, looking her in the eyes, and said, “Don’t lie to me, I can tell that you have been bullied before for the same reason.  Your eyes give it away.” This caused the others to gasp in surprise, including Silver, who was staring wide-eyed at the whole thing.  Diamond was quiet for a while, my hand still against her mouth.  Suddenly, I saw a few tears slowly sneak out of her eyes and drop on my hand.  I slowly brought my hand away from her mouth, and I noticed that she was at the burst of tears, most likely thinking back to her times of being bullied.  After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke.
“I…I just…they were so m-mean and…I don’t w-want that to h-happen to me e-ever again.” She said, more tears starting to poor out.  I gave a sad smile, and slowly I embraced her into a hug, which she just as quickly gave into.  I looked at the other fillies to see how they would react, and thankfully, they seemed to have similar sad faces on themselves as well.  After a minute of hugging, Diamond released her grip from me slowly, and sniffling, she looked back at me.  We were quiet for a few seconds, before I asked, “You feeling better?” She gave a few sniffles before she slowly nodded, saying, “I…I’m sorry for everything that I did.  I just…I just wanted to not have the s-same thing h-happen to me.”
“Well, I’m not the one that you have to apologize to.” I said, gesturing to the others.  She turned around and looked at the CMC and Dinky, a few tears still in her eyes.  After a few seconds, she said, “I’m sorry for bullying you girls all the time, and calling you blank flanks, and I’ll understand it if you girls don’t forgive me.”
The CMC looked at each other, and then huddled together, seeming to whisper to each other.  After about thirty seconds, they broke their huddle, smiles on all of their faces.
“We forgive you, just as long as you never do it again.” Said Sweetie.  I then noticed that both Silver Spoon and Dinky were still quiet.  I quickly brought them both into a hug, which caused them both to “squeak” in surprise.  Immediately, Dinky hugged me back, while Silver seemed hesitant to do so, so I said, “I know you were just following Diamond because she’s your friend, I just want to let you know that the next time she does something, or if anypony makes you do something that you don’t want to do, just tell them no.” She was silent for a while, and then she quickly nodded, embracing herself into the hug as well.  As we were hugging, Diamond came up to us and said, “I’m sorry that I insulted your mom, Dinky, will you ever forgive me?”
Dinky was quiet, before she spoke.  “I’ll forgive you if Mamma forgives you too.” Diamond was quiet for a second, before she nodded, saying, “Ok, I’ll go and apologize to your mom right now.  You want to come with me, Silver?  We can go to Bon Bon’s sweets shop once we’re done.” Silver nodded, and wiggled out of my hug.  Once she was free from my hug, she and Diamond quickly left us and went back to town.  We were all quiet for a few seconds, and then the three fillies suddenly tackled me while I was still holding onto Dinky, suffocating me in their group hug.
“That was awesome, Drak, how you just made Diamond turn from bully to friend.” Said, Scootaloo, a huge grin on her face.
“Well, I don’t know about friend, but she definitely isn’t going to be bullying us no more.” Said Applebloom, also with a huge grin.
“I just hope that she will actually apologize to Mamma.  You think she will, Daddy?” Asked Dinky.  I smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, avoiding the horn, and said, “I think so, she didn’t seem like she was lying when she said she was going to apologize.”
We stayed like that for a good while simply hugging each other.  Finally they released me, and I got up, dusting the snow off of myself, and said, “So, Dinky, you ready to go back home, or do you have some other things that you want to do first?”
Unsurprisingly, she shook her head, saying, “I actually want to hang out with the Crusaders for a while, they’re going to go see…well…they didn’t tell me yet, but I really want to join them. PLEEEEAAASSSEEE?”
I was quiet as my daughter began to give me the puppy eyes, and I said, “Well, maybe, but were is this pony that you’re going to meet?”
“They’re somewhere inside the Everfree Forest.” Said Sweetie.
My eyes widened as she said this.  “On second thought, I really think you shouldn’t go there, what would your families say if you girls got hurt in there?”
“They won’t say anything, especially if you join us.” Said Applebloom.  At this, they all began to give me the puppy eyes.  However, I was stubborn, and said, “I said no, now come on, let’s go home, Dinky.”
“…”
“It’s not going to work on me.”
“…”
“Come on, drop the act.”
“…”
“…Please…”
“…”
“Ugh, fine, you win.  I’m going to come with you girls though, ok?”
“Yay!” they all shouted, jumping up into the air.  I couldn’t help but smile at their happiness, and it was at this point that I noticed that we were being watched.
I turned around and saw a maroon Earth pony with a dual pink mane and three white daisies as her cutie mark.  When she noticed that I saw her, she seemed to blush slightly and then slowly approach me.  Once she was in front of me, she hesitated, and then, clearing her throat, she spoke.
“Um, h-hi, there.  You must be the human, Drakalian, right?” I nodded.  “Well, my name is Cheerilee, and I’m the teacher here at the school.  I must say, what you did there with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon was incredible.  I’ve been trying to get through to them for ages with no results, and yet you get her to open up like it was nothing.  Could you tell me how you did it, please.”
I smiled at her, and said, “Well, it’s kind of simple, but takes a while to explain it.  I would be happy to tell you how I do-”
“Come on, Daddy!  Let’s go!” Shouted Dinky in an impatient voice.  I gave a chuckle at this, and turned around, saying, “Ok, Muffin, just give me a second.”
I turned back to Cheerilee.  “Well, I’m kind of busy at the moment, as you can see, but I believe I have some free time tomorrow morning, if you would like to join me for breakfast.”
The Earth pony looked at me, a blush forming on her face.  “A-a-are you a-asking m-me out?”
My eyes widened at this.  “Oh, no, no, I just want to talk with you, is all.” She then gained a mournful face, and I quickly tried to recover from my blunder.  “I-I mean…not that I wouldn’t go out with you, b-but…um…”
Suddenly, Cheerilee giggled, saying, “Don’t worry, I know exactly what you mean, and I would love to have breakfast with you.”
I sighed with relief, glad that was over, and said, “Well, I better get going, don’t want those fillies getting into trouble without me.” Which caused us both to laugh.  I then began to walk with the CMC, waving goodbye to Cheerilee as we left.




It seemed like a pretty long trek through the forest, and I was starting to get numb, on the fact that I still wasn’t wearing any pants and only had my shorts on along with my hoodie.  The CMC and Dinky all had scarves around their necks to help them stay warm.  I was hoping that we were close to our destination.
“We there yet?” I said, for probably the tenth time during our trip.
“That’s like the tenth time you said that so far, and the answer is still the same; we will get there when we get there.” Said Applebloom, a look of excitement still on her face.
“Geez, Drak, I would have thought that Scootaloo would be the one to do that sort of thing.” Said Sweetie, glancing at the orange filly.
“Hey, what’s that suppose to mean?” Questioned Scootaloo, a look of playful hurtfulness showing from her face.  We all just laughed as we continued into the Everfree Forest, thankfully, we weren’t in a particularly forested area.  Soon, we hit a clearing, similar to the one that I found Trixie in.
Inside the clearing was something that I could only describe as a cross between a trailer home and an old time entertainer’s stall that seemed like it has seen better days.  As we got closer, the Crusaders went to the front of the door and then Applebloom knocked on it.  After a few second, the door opened, and there was Trixie herself, still wearing her hat and cape.
“Who dares interrupt the Great and Powerful Trixie from her magic casting?” She said in a strict but seemingly playful voice.  I was worried for a second, before I noticed that the fillies were still smiling at her.
“Hiya, Trixie!  Remember you said that you would teach us some magic tricks?  Well, we’re here to learn.” Said Applebloom, huge smiles on all of their faces.  Trixie was quiet for a moment, and then she noticed Dinky, and said, “And what is this one called?”
“Hi, I’m Dinky.  I decided to join the CMC and to try and get my cutie mark as well.” She said in a happy tone.  This caused both Trixie and I to chuckle, and then she said, “Well, do you girls think you got what it takes to become star performers?”
“Yes we do!” They all shouted.  Trixie laughed again, and said, “Well then, come on into my humble abode, for it must be freezing out here.”
“I’ll say.” I said.  Trixie apparently heard me this time, and when she looked up on me, I noticed that her eyes widened and I could have sworn I saw a small blush forming on her cheeks.
“Oh, I-I didn’t see you there.” She said in a quiet tone.  I just smiled, saying, “If you don’t mind, could we continue this conversation inside, please?”
She then noticed that I was shivering the entire time.  “Oh, of course, come in, come in.”
We entered her ‘mobile home’ as Dash would have called it (well, did call it) and the inside didn’t seem like it fared any better then the outside, the walls were in poor condition, and there was barely any furniture inside either, only a table, a couple of chairs, and a bed.  I looked at the entire place, a sad look in my eyes.
‘This is no way for a pony to live.’ We all found our spots, Applebloom and Sweetie sitting in the chairs, Trixie sat on her bed, while the rest of us just got comfortable on the floor.
We were quiet for a few seconds, as we got comfortable, then Trixie said, “So, what brings you here, human?”
I smiled, remembering that Trixie most likely left before she could hear my new name.  “It’s called Drakalian now, and I came because my newest daughter here wanted to join the CMC on whatever escapade that they were going to do.” I said, giving a hug to Dinky, who giggled and hugged me back.  Trixie was quiet for a moment, a sad look on her face, before she said, “S-so, you’re g-going out with Ditzy?”
I was about to reply, when Applebloom interrupted, saying, “And mah sister!”
“And Fluttershy!” Said Sweetie.
“And Luna!” Shouted Scootaloo.
“And…wait, that’s it.” Said Dinky, wanting to be a part of it, but then realizing that they already named them all.  Well, they did miss one.
“I’m also going out with Lotus, girls.” I said, causing an “oh!” from all of them, and then some more giggling.  Trixie seemed to brighten up when she heard that I was going out with other mares as well, giving me an idea of what might be happening, though I thought that it could be my imagination.
“Oh, so you decided to start a herd, then?” Asked the magician pony, to which I nodded.  She was quiet for a few more seconds, and then she said, “Well, all that aside, what would you girls like to learn from the Great and Powerful Trixie today?”
Overall, it was a pretty unique time with Trixie teaching the CMC and Dinky about all sorts of different magical acts, mostly simple ones, such as card tricks, though they were still enraptured by the entire thing.  Sadly, they didn’t earn their cutie marks from it by the end of the day, which turned out to be an hour later.  Once we were done, we began to say goodbye to Trixie, and as I was about to leave, the azure pony stopped me for a second.
“Um, Drak, is it ok if I call you that?” I nodded, wondering were this was going.  “W-well, I’ve been wondering…well…um…if you want to…w-we could, you know…h-hang out, sometime?”
I smiled, seeing what might be going on here, I think.  “Sure, though it might be in a few days, since my schedule is pretty packed right now.  Just come on over to the library whenever you have the time, ok?”
She seemed to pause at this, then she said, “Oh, s-so you’re living in the library now?” she said, a sad tone in her voice.  I raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was going.  After a few more seconds when she didn’t respond, I quickly knelt down next to her and wrapped her in a hug.  She looked up, startled for a second, before she slowly relaxed into it.  We stayed like this for a minute before I spoke again.
“Is there anything you want to say to me?” I asked her, hoping that she would open up to me.  She was quiet for a moment, and then she shook her head, saying, “N-no, not right now, anyways.”
“Are you sure, I’m here to help if you need it.”
“…Well, I’ll tell you when I meet you next time, ok?”
I smiled, nodding, saying, “Ok, just don’t hold it inside for too long, It can be bad for your health.”  Trixie giggled at this, and then suddenly, she kissed me on the cheek.
“Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me, to have somepony listen to me and help me.”
I raised an eyebrow.  “What about your parents?”
“They died when I was young, and I had to take care of myself at a young age.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.  Besides, I like to think that I turned out alright, well…sort of…” At this point, I noticed tears starting to form in her amethyst eyes, so I held her tighter, and she did the same to me.  We stayed like this for another few minutes, and then Dinky came back into the room, saying, “Come on, Daddy, let’s…” before she quieted down as she saw Trixie and I holding each other tightly.  I looked at her and whispered, “Trixie needs comforting.” Dinky nodded, and then went back outside for a second, before she came back in with the other fillies.  Before we knew it, the fillies surrounded us and gave us a giant group hug.
“We will always be your friends, Trixie.  We don’t care what you did before, for we know that you already apologized for it, and that you feel bad for doing such things.” Said Applebloom, with the others nodding in agreement.
Trixie was quiet for a few seconds, and then she began to giggle a little, saying, “Th-thanks, girls, I just wish that the others would be as understanding as you all are.”
I smiled.  “Well, I guess I could try to do that.”
Trixie looked at me in awe, and then said, “Y-you w-w-would do that for m-me?”
“Of course, besides, I don’t like seeing others in pain, physical, or emotional. Trixie was quiet for a moment, and then she once again gave me a kiss on the cheek, though it was a little closer to the mouth then the one before, and nuzzled into my chest and deeper into our hug, saying, “Thank you so, so much.”
We stayed like that for another few minutes, and by that time, we decided that we needed to head out.  So, with everypony in better spirits, Trixie decided to meet me by the library around tomorrow afternoon, and the CMC, Dinky and I began to leave to head back to our homes.

> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 19

Dinky and I entered the library, snow lightly covering us, for the Weather Team decided that it would be snowing tonight.  Luckily, we were able to get the CMC back to their houses, with the exception of Scootaloo, who decided to have a sleepover with Applebloom.  As we closed the door, both Luna and Twilight entered the main room, smiles on their faces.
“So, how was your day?” Asked Luna.  I smiled back, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, saying, “It was pretty fun, we helped the CMC try and get their cutie marks today, but so far they got nothing.”
“Oh, well, what did they try doing this time?” Asked Twilight.
“We went to see Trixie, to find out if they had what it took to be star performers.”
At the mention of Trixie, Twilight seemed to express a mournful expression.  “Oh, Trixie…well…I hope you had fun…”
I was confused for a second, then I asked, “What’s wrong, Twi?  You and Trixie had a bit of a misunderstanding?”
The purple unicorn gave a sad laugh, saying, “I wish that was all it was, but…well…it’s a bit hard to explain.”
Before I could ask, however, Ditzy came in, and noticing that Dinky was back, ran up to give her a big hug.
“Hello, Muffin, you have fun with Daddy?” she asked.  Dinky giggled, and then said, “Yes we did, Mamma, and he even got Diamond and Silver to stop bullying me and my friends.”
Ditzy’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she looked at me.  “Did you actually stop them from bullying her and the CMC?”
“Well, I just wasn’t going to stand their and let them bully, now was I?”
Ditzy was quiet for a moment, and then she carefully placed our daughter back down, and then wrapped me up in a hug, giving me a quick kiss, saying, “I appreciate that so much, Drak.  I’m so glad that you did that.  It also explains why Diamond and Silver were here earlier.”
I smiled back, giving her a quick kiss on the nose.  “I’m glad that they did apologize.  Maybe they will become good friends with each other.” We all smiled, everypony glad that things had gone so well for the day.  After a few seconds, however, I remembered that I still had one thing to do before I finished today.
“Hey, girls.  I’ll be back soon, I promised Lotus during the last party that I would go over to her house and have her massage me.”
“Did you ask her out yet?” asked Luna, quizzical looks on all of their faces.  I smiled, saying, “Yup, as of a few hours ago, Lotus is now our newest herd mate.” All of the mares in the room smiled at this, glad that it went so well.  With that said, I gave another kiss to both Luna and Ditzy, as well as a hug to Twilight and a good night kiss to Dinky on the cheek, who giggled with glee, and I left for the spa sister’s house.
I got there a few minutes later, wondering how tonight would turn out.  I approached the door and gave it a few good knocks.  After a few seconds, the door opened, and there stood Aloe.
“Oh, hello Drak.  Lotus should be in her room.  I was just here to get a few things before things…heated up, as it were.”
“Uh…o…k.” I said, a blush starting to form on my face.  Aloe just giggled at my expression, and then she led me into their duplex.
The building seemed pretty cozy, and just a nice place to live in.  Their color scheme matched their coats and mane, one side being primarily blue with some pink, while the other side was pink with some blue.  Aloe pointed me the way to Lotus’s side of the building, and then she went to go back to her room. I quickly walked to the door, and after taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down; I once again gave it a few knocks.
“Just a minute!” I heard from the other side of the door, and after a few seconds, Lotus opened the door, and my mouth nearly went open from the surprise of what I saw in there.
Her room was nice and cozy, with the same color scheme as before, but she also had some magazines inside with products of all sorts of relaxation tips, some of them were even open.  I assumed that she was reading a few before I came in.  Placed on a few of the counters were a few scented candles, and when I gave a sniff, I could sense the faint smell of lavender in the air.  The room itself looked like something that only a pony of royalty could have received.  Lotus noticed my expression and became worried, saying, “Oh, I knew it.  I should have done daisy-scented candles instead.  Oh damn it, Lotus, why do you have to-”
I quickly interrupted her with a quick kiss on the lips, and when I parted, I said, “Lotus, the lavender is perfect.  In fact, this entire scene is set up perfect.  I never would have thought that you would go through all of this, just for me.”
Lotus blushed a little, a shy smile on her face.  “W-well, I kind of wanted our, um…f-first date to go w-well, you know?”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.  “Wait, you think that this is our first date?”
She quick gained another mournful expression, and began to stutter.  “Um, w-w-w-well…I-I-I…I, uh…” I quickly silenced her again with another kiss, saying, “I was just asking, you don’t have to be so worried about it, that’s my job.” This caused her to giggle a little, and in turn she began to relax again.  “If you want this to be our first date, then by all means, this shall be our first date.”
Lotus gave a slightly bigger smile, and then she gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, saying, “Th-thanks for understanding, Drak.”
“Hey, it’s what I do best.  At least, that’s what I’m told.” I said, chuckling.  Lotus also giggled at my joke.  Once we quieted down a little, we just began to stare into each other’s eyes, getting lost in the ocean of green and blue.  After a minute of staring, I cleared my throat, breaking our trances, and said, “Well, are you going to massage me first, or should I?”
“Um, if it’s all right with you, c-could you massage me, please?” she asked, giving me the puppy eyes.  I smiled, saying, “Hey, no need for that, even though it makes you look extremely cute.  I have no problem massaging you first.”
Lotus smiled at me and blushed, and then she quickly went and lied down on her bed, motioning me to sit right next to her.  I placed myself next to her, and said, “So, anywhere in particular that you want me to do?”
“Only a few spots, really.” She said, blushing before she went silent.  I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Ok, were are these spots?”
Lotus was quiet for a little longer, and then she finally said, “W-w-well…I would like my front h-hooves again, as w-well as…um…m-m-my c-cutie m-m-marks…”
I was quiet for a second, absorbing what she said.  I chuckled a little, and then said, “Lotus, it’s alright to ask me this, I mean, we are in a herd now.”
“S-still, I just…I don’t know…”
“You’re just curious about what it would feel like since watching Celestia during her massage?” I guessed.  She nodded slowly.  I gave her a quick peck on the cheek, saying, “As long as it’s with my herd mates, then I have no qualms with it.  So, just relax and enjoy the treatment.”
She nodded, and I began to work on her massage.  I started with her shoulder blades, pressing my thumbs into the muscles, relaxing them.  Lotus began to moan as soon as I began, loving the feeling of my hands on her back.  I gave myself a small smile, happy with the job so far, and I continued on her shoulders for another five minutes before I moved onto her mid, lower back and spine.  I slowly rubbed up and down her back, getting more moans of encouragement from her.  After another minute of rubbing her back, I began to use the palm of my hands to slowly but strongly smooth out her spine, which in turn brought out a particularly long moan from Lotus.  I continued to bring my palms lower and lower down her back, keeping a constant pressure on her, getting all the tension to leave her body, making her nice and relaxed.  I then reached her hips, and grabbing them in another gentle but firm grip, I began to rub her hips from side to side, making her give a few gasps of pleasure.  As I worked on her hips, I took a quick look at the blue spa pony to see if her face matched her sounds, and sure enough, she had her head laying to the side, her eyes closed, her mouth open, panting gently, her tongue hanging partially out in satisfaction.  I smiled at her expression, for she looked so cute laying there, just relaxing, with not a care in the world but what was happening to her right now.  I continued to work on her hips for a little while longer, and then I began to move onto her flank.  As I was about to touch her cutie mark, she quickly said, “Um, if it’s a-all right w-with you…can you…do that for…last, please?”
I smiled, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “Of course, Lotus.” I continued to massage her flank, being careful of her cutie marks, I then began to work on her hind legs and hooves, once again getting her to moan in pleasure.  Once that was done, I moved up to her front, and holding up my hand, said, “If I may?”
Lotus smiled at me, and extended her right hoof first.  I carefully took it in my grasp, and began to slowly massage it, letting the feeling last for as long as possible.  As soon as I began, she suddenly became putty in my hands, literally melting like the last time I massaged her, except this time it gave her more intense pleasure, for I was trying to make her feel as good as possible, not just relaxing her hooves.  I began to work on her left hoof, when she placed her right hoof onto my chest, giving me a lewd smile, saying in a soft whisper, “I think that’s good enough, now it’s your turn.”
I gave a little smile myself, and then I realized, “W-wait, w-what about your cutie marks?”
Still giving her smile, she quickly got on top of me, making me remove my hoodie in the process.  Once she was on top of me, she brought both of her hooves to one of my hands, and carefully placed it on top of her cutie mark.
She then bent down so her face was right next to mine.  “I think you can do a good enough job like this, hmm?” she said, breathing into my ear.  I just simple nodded, placing my other hand on her other cutie mark, and began to slowly caress her pink lotuses.  She immediately gasped from the sudden pleasure that her body received, and still keeping up her sexy smile, she brought her hooves to my shorts, saying, “This time, I really do insist on you taking your clothes off, and I will not take no for an answer.”  Before I could say anything, she quickly pulled down my shorts and boxers in one go, not even getting them ripped in the process.  I was surprised for a second, and then my lust came back into gear, and I began to massage her cutie marks with a little more force, causing her to groan some more as she began to slowly gyrate her marehood onto my cock, which was already hard from her acting sexily.
I groaned as I felt some of the pressure being relieved from my crotch, but I still had the aching feeling of just wanting to sheath her to the hilt, but I kept myself back, knowing that neither of us wanted to finish this too soon.  I continued to massage her cutie marks as she dry humped my dick, getting it moist with her arousal, and she then slid slowly over my body, until both of our chest were touching each other, both of us once again staring into each other’s eyes.  We stared into each other’s eyes for a while, and then she said, in a husky whisper, “Now, get ready for your massage.”
She then gently placed her lips onto my own, and I slowly kissed her back, both of us beginning to moan from the steady stimulation that we were getting.  I then felt her place her hooves delicately onto my shoulder, and soon, I could feel her massaging all of the tension that was in them, causing me to moan even more into our kiss.  I was about to push my tongue into her mouth, but she beat me to it, sliding it in my mouth as we kissed, our tongues massaging the other like how she was massaging me.  I decided to step it up again, and I gave her petite rump a slight squeeze, causing her to give a small squeal in surprise into our kiss.  We stayed like this for another five minutes, both of us simply kissing each other, while she massaged my shoulders and arms, as well as humping my cock, and I was just massaging her cutie mark with one hand, while my other hand was giving slight squeezes to her plot.  Then, Lotus stopped her humping, and she slowly raised herself up on me, the tip of my erection just parting her lower lips.  She slowly broke our kiss, and gave me a look of lust, with for some reason, a little nervousness.  Worried, I asked, “You ok?”
She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “I’m j-just a l-little nervous.  T-this is m-my first time, so…”
I gave her another kiss on the lips, and when we parted, I said, “Just take your time.”
She nodded, and then, slowly, she began to lower herself onto my shaft, both of us moaning as she brought it in deeper and deeper.  Once the head was inside, I expected to feel her hymen, but instead, it just kept going, and Lotus kept on moaning in pleasure, until both of our hips touched, and I was fully inside of her.  She felt amazing, her wet folds caressing my member like her hooves were caressing me, causing me to grit my teeth in order not to blow too soon.  She saw my expression, and giggled, saying, “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.  You’re not so bad yourself.”
I smiled at her, then I asked, “I th-th-thought you s-said th-that you w-were a v-virgin?”
She gave a sheepish smile, saying, “W-well, I did u-use some, um…t-toys before to uh, see how it felt when I was younger, so…” she quieted down, unable to finish her sentence, though she said enough that she didn’t need to.  I smiled at her, giving her another kiss on the cheek, and said, “Thanks for telling me, I was just curious, is all.  Still, you can start when you’re ready.”
Lotus nodded, and then she slowly moved her hips up, causing us to both gasp at the feeling.  Once she had about half of it out of her, she then began to bring her hips down, causing us to gasp again at the feeling.  Soon, she was bouncing on top of me, giving a small moan every time I entered her.  I then began to thrust my hips in tandem with her, getting more moans out of the both of us.  I could feel her pussy clenching on my member in a rhythmic fashion, massaging my most sensitive tool, making it throb as I continued to piston her love cavern, groaning the whole time.  We kept on thrusting at each other, and then I began to feel the signs of my orgasm approaching.  Apparently, she could feel it coming too, and she quickly got off of me.  I raised an eyebrow in confusion, until I noticed that she simply wanted to move into a different position.  She quickly laid down on her back, spreading her rear legs apart, giving me a clear view of her wet pussy, saying, “Please, Drak, please buck me like there’s no tomorrow.”
I chuckled, getting above her, saying, “How can I say no to such a beautiful face.” She giggled at my response, and then, I quickly thrust my rod deep into her again, making us both gasp as we began to continue our love making in earnest.  As I rammed my pole deep into her, I could feel her adjusting her hips slightly, making it easier to move into her.  I grunted my appreciation to it, and began to move faster, making her give squeals of joy as I continued to buck her like there was indeed no tomorrow.  It felt so good, my dick just piercing her most precious of places, giving us a feeling of nirvana and utmost pleasure.  I could hear her nearly shouting in lust due to the pure pleasure that she was receiving through her marehood and to her brain, my cock just barely hitting her cervix every time I thrust inside her, plunging to her very depths.  I soon began to once again feel my orgasm approaching, and I said, “I-I’m g-g-going t-to…c-cum.”
“W-wait!  I w-want you to…c-cum inside m-my mouth!  I want to taste your delicious sperm as it flows from your cock and into my throat!” Said Lotus, tears of joy showing in her eyes.  I again grunted my acknowledgment to her request, and after a few more pumps, I quickly exited out of her, and crawled up to her face, where she quickly took it in her mouth and began to suck on it, her tongue getting at all of the right spots, gently massaging the most sensitive spots on my dick.  I groaned and began to slowly thrust into her mouth as my orgasm quickly approached.  Finally, after another thirty second of her sucking on me none stop, I gave a small gasp as I felt myself being rocked by one of the most incredible orgasms ever, shooting load after load into her mouth.  I could feel her tongue dance all around my cock, getting as much of my cum as possible, groaning as she did so, further massaging my rod, which in turn caused me to pour out more.  Lotus began to drink it up, and all I could do was slowly pet her mane, just taking deep breathes from the incredible orgasm that I just had.
She began to clean my cock, sucking on it gently, while I moaned my thanks to her.  Eventually, she took it out of her mouth, and began to give me a slow hoof job, keeping my dick erect.  “Now that I pleasured you, I need you to help finish me off.” Said Lotus, her lewd expression still on her face.
“Well, anything in…particular…that you…want?” I asked in between pants.  I was tired from the fucking and the blowjob that she just gave me, but I still wanted her to enjoy herself as well, and that meant that she also had to orgasm by the end of it all.
Carefully, she got out from under me, and turning around, she raised her plot up into the air, giving it an enticing shake, which made my cock throb harder from the sight of it.  “I want you to put it in my plot hole, and I want you to rut me as if I was a bitch in heat.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised that she could be so…slutty.  “I didn’t know that you were like this in bed?”
Lotus gave a shy smile. “Well, I’m normally not, I kind of just wanted to try something.  It’s…it’s not t-too much, r-right?”
I approached her from behind, giving her a hug, saying, “Not at all, it was just surprising is all.”  I then brought my hand down to aim my manhood into her tail hole, and rubbed it against her exit hole, causing her to gasp from the feel of it.
“I s-still w-want it, though, s-s-so please, j-just put it in!” she said, practically begging me.  I gave a small smile, and then I began to gently place it into her ass, making us both gasp at the tightness of it.  I gave us a few seconds to get used to the feeling, and then I slowly began to pump her rear, getting our pleasure to slowly come back.  Lotus soon began to moan in pleasure, the constant pounding of her plot hole making her feel light headed, my dick massaging her rear passage with ease, which in turn made me sigh in satisfaction, glad that I was doing such a good job.  I decided to move even faster, making her petite rump shake ever so slightly as it made contact with my hips.  Soon, she began to scream in ecstasy, her ass clenching tightly on my dick, nearly cutting off the blood flow to it.  I groaned as I began to move even faster, pumping her petite plot hole with sweet satisfaction, loving the sound of her giving small squeaks every time I entered her.  I hugged her tightly as I began to move even faster, rubbing her stomach and holding her up as I felt her front legs give way, unable to hold her from the shear amount of pleasure that she was experiencing.  I smiled and began to give her lots of small kisses on her neck, making her moan some more, and I also brought my hand down to rub her teats, gently pinching her nipples, while my other hand slid from her stomach, past her teats and began to rub her marehood, my middle and ring fingers getting in between her petals.  I began to feel my climax once again approaching, and I said, “I’m going to…c-cum a-again.”
“I want it in my ass, please, spurt your wonderful seed into my ass!” Lotus shouted.  I was once again a bit shocked by her lewd response, but nevertheless, as I began to go into overdrive, I quickly shoved the two fingers that were massaging her petals deep into her pussy, while my other hand continued to massage her teats and pinch her nipples lightly.  Lotus screamed in ecstasy as she finally came, her juices flooding over my fingers and hand, which in turn caused me to come as well, spurting my seed deep into her rectum.  We began to pant as our orgasms began to cool down, and ever so gently, I lowered both of us onto the bed, with me still in her plot, too tired to pull out just yet.
As I was about to move to the side, Lotus said, “Please, j-just…lie on my back.  I like the…feeling of…somepony on me.” I smiled and gave her a kiss; my arms still wrapped around her waist.
“Of course, my beautiful lotus.  Would you like me to pull out as well?”
Lotus hesitated, and then nodded, saying, “I-if you c-could p-put it…b-back into m-my…m-marehood, I would…like that…please.”
I smiled again, giving her another kiss on the cheek, and said, “I’ll do it for now, but I do have to get going soon, so-”
“At least…wait until…I fall…asleep…please?” she begged.  I was quiet for a while, and then I slowly nodded, saying, “I can do that.”
She nodded her thanks, and I slowly pulled my cock out of her ass and placed it back into her pussy, making her moan slightly.  I then gently placed myself on her like she wanted me to, and gently, I began to give her small kisses on the back of her neck, trying to get her to sleep faster.  I could hear Lotus beginning to breath deeper, and soon, I could hear her snoring in satisfaction, a big smile on her face.  I smiled myself, and gave her one final kiss on the cheek before I pulled out of her marehood, getting a slight moan from her as she slept.  I carefully lifted myself off of her, and placed the blanket over her still form, smiling at the beautiful pony under the bed sheets.  I then began to get myself dressed, and as I left the room, I quietly closed the door behind me, and then began to slowly leave the building.
“So, you have fun?” I jumped a little at the sudden voice, and turned around to see a smug looking Aloe.  I gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of my head with my hand, and said, “You could say that….”
Aloe was quiet for a moment, and then she said, in a serious tone, “I just came out to tell you something.  If you, in any way at all, treat her poorly, you will be hearing from me, for she has had a long case of bad relationships before we came here to Equestria.  In fact, it was one of the reasons that we left our country in the first place, to escape her latest ex, which was an abusive prick.  So just promise me, that you will do everything that you could to make her happy.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise, and then I spoke, saying, “I’ll do one better.  I promise that for as long as she is in our herd, she will be one of the happiest mares in Equestria, and-” Aloe placed a hoof on my mouth, giggling slightly.  I once again raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what was so funny.
Once Aloe quieted down a bit, she said, “I know that you’ll do your best at making her happy.  I don’t need her to be the happiest mare in Equestria, I just want her to live her life like she should have before we came here, ok?”
I was quiet for a few seconds once she removed her hoof from my mouth, and then I nodded, saying, “I promise that she will have a great life as long as she is in my herd.  And so far, I keep my promises, and I intend to keep it like that.”
Aloe was quiet for a few seconds, and then she nodded.  Suddenly, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, making me blink in surprise.
“I trust you, and so does my sister, so you better keep that promise mister.” She said, giggling slightly.  Her giggling caused me to chuckle, and with that, Aloe helped me to the door, and waved me off as I left, waving good-bye to her as I went to join my other marefriends at the library.
After a few minutes of walking, I finally reached the library, Luna’s moon already high in the sky.  I stopped before I entered to take a good gander at the night sky, marveling at the beauty that Luna did with it.  I stood there for a good few minutes before I heard a familiar voice.
“Enjoying my work, Drak?” Asked Luna, walking up from the library entrance.  I nodded, saying, “Remember when I said that the night sky here was twice as good as the night sky were I came from?” She nodded.  “Well, I take it back, for the night sky here is ten times better, not twice.”
Luna blushed at my complement.  “I’m glad that somepony actually does enjoy my night, and I’m even happier that I’m part of said pony’s herd as well.”
I looked back at Luna and smiled at her, bringing her into a hug.  We stood there for what felt like hours, just staring up at the night sky, enjoying the simple contact of each other.
“You know, you two are going to catch a cold if you guys stay outside any longer.” We turned around and saw Ditzy standing in the doorway, a smug look on her face.  Luna and I gave slight blushes as we entered back into the library.
“Anyways, Twilight is asleep right now, as well as Dinky.  We also decided that…um…t-that I’ll b-be s-s-sleeping with you f-first.” I was silent for a moment, noticing that she still seemed scared, and asked, “Are you sure that you’re ok with this, Ditzy?”
Ditzy nodded, and said with a new confidence in her voice, “I’m sure of it, Drak.  Now come on, it’s time to go to sleep.” And with that, she suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me along to the room that we were going to sleep in.  I looked at Luna, and noticed that she was trying to hold in her laughter from the scene that was unfolding in front of her: Ditzy with an eager face, while my face was completely blank with confusion, not knowing what to do.
Soon, we entered the room.  There was a nice sized bed in it, and it even had a small bookshelf as well, reminding me to read some books later on.  I began to take my hoodie and shorts off, when I felt the sensation of being watched again.  I turned around, and saw that Ditzy was staring intently at my body.  I chuckled slightly, and began to flex my muscles like the time I was with Luna, saying, “You like what you see?”
Instead of blushing and turning away like I thought she might, however, she walked up to me and quickly placed her hooves on my shoulders, giving me a long and passionate kiss.  I was surprised for a second, and then I regained my senses, and began to kiss her back with an equal amount of passion.  After a few minutes of kissing, we parted, and I looked into Ditzy’s beautiful unfocused eyes, and saw her love practically flowing out of her golden pools.
“I love what I see.” She whispered, her eyes half lidded in lust.  I smiled back at her, and went for another kiss, when suddenly, she yawned, making me realize that she was probably tired now.
“How about we just go to bed right now, we have a big day ahead of us.”  Ditzy nodded tiredly, and with that, we began to get under the covers of the bed.  As we were getting comfortable, I asked her, “So, you going to do anything tomorrow?”
“Not really.  I tried to look for a new job today, but with Hearth’s Warming Eve coming up so soon, no pony is really hiring right now.” She said, gaining a mournful expression.  “This really disappoints me, since there was this necklace that I really wanted, and I was hoping to buy it this year, but since we lost our home, I barely had enough bits to get enough food for us before you guys came along.”
I frowned at this, and once we were comfortable, I quickly pulled her into a deep hug, and Ditzy nuzzled back into it, placing her head onto my chest and sighing in contentment.  We were quiet for a few minutes, with me just slowly brushing her mane, making her hum with happiness, and then something that she said clicked in my head, and I asked, “Wait, what’s Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
“Oh, right, this would be your first holiday.  It’s a day when everypony celebrates the time when the three tribes, the Earth ponies, the Pegasai ponies, and the unicorn ponies, finally got together to live in peace and harmony, and it was also when Celestia and Luna first came into power.  We all sing carols and buy gifts for each other, as well as decorate the town and some trees.  I was going to buy Dinky something this year, but…well, you know.” 
I was quiet for a moment, and then I asked, “How about if you, me and Dinky head out to the market to see what we could buy tomorrow morning, right after my job tomorrow.  You guys could join me and Cheerilee at breakfast.”
Ditzy gave me a quizzical look.  “You met Dinky’s teacher?  When did you meet her?”
“Well, she kind of saw what I did with Diamond and Silver, and she wanted to know how I did that so easily, so I told her that I would tell her over breakfast tomorrow.  I did forget to ask her where we were going to meet, though.”
“Well, I think she usually goes to Sugarcube Corner.  That’s where most ponies go for their breakfast.”
I nodded my thanks, giving a kiss on her forehead, saying, “Thanks for the help, my angel.”
She blushed, and then said, “A-am I r-really y-your angel?”
“Of course, for only an angel could possible have such beautiful eyes such as yours, no matter what anypony else says.”
She blushed again, and then gave me a light kiss on the lips.  She held it there, as I began to kiss her back, making her hum with pleasure and happiness.  After a minute of kissing, she separated and I asked, “So, will you join us?”
Ditzy nodded, and said, “I would love to join you two, and Dinky would love to join you as well.”
I smiled, and we began to kiss again with a little more force, our tongues slowly rubbing against each other.  Soon, we could feel the warm felling of sleep taking over us, and slowly, we began to succumb to the sweet embrace of the dream world.

> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 20

I was dreaming that I was flying around, not a care in the world.  Below me was what seemed like the Everfree Forest, with the snow covering all of the trees.  As I flew, I came across a clearing, and I saw something that seemed familiar to me, buried under the snow, but before I could get a closer look, a sudden wind brought me to a halt, and I began to plummet to the ground.  As the ground got closer, I quickly closed my eyes, bracing for impact, which came as a large ‘thump!’
I opened my eyes, and noticed that I was back at the library, and that I somehow fell out of the bed.  I looked at the clock, and noticed that it was about five thirty in the morning.  As I went to get up, I noticed that Ditzy wasn’t in the bed anymore.  I thought that she might have gotten up early, but I then heard a noise coming from somewhere in the library.  I got up and, putting on my hoodie and shorts, I began to go search for the source of the noise.  As it got louder, I noticed that the noise was coming from the bathroom.  I walked up to the door and knocked on it.  Immediately, I heard Ditzy’s voice from inside.
“O-o-occupied.” She said, before I heard the same noise coming from the bathroom again, and this time, I knew what it was.
For some reason, Ditzy was throwing up inside the bathroom.
I quickly checked to see if the door was locked, and thankfully, it wasn’t, so I quickly opened the door, and the sight inside nearly broke my heart.
Inside, Ditzy was sitting on the floor, her head practically inside the toilet bowl, and I could hear the sound of her violently vomiting into the toilet.  Once she calmed down a little, she noticed that somepony else was in the room with her, and she weakly looked up and saw me, and she said, “I…I s-said that…t-the r-r-room was…” before she suddenly started to puke again.
I looked around for something that could help her, and thankfully, I found a washcloth, and I quickly soaked it in cool water and placed it on her forehead.  As I placed it on her head, I noticed that she had a fever running, and it got me even more worried then before.  I stoked her mane and said soothing words to try and make her feel better faster, but she still went on puking.  Eventually, after a good couple of minutes, she seemed to have calmed down enough to look up slightly, and slowly nodded her thanks to me.  I gave a small frown, and asked her, “You ok, Ditzy?”
She took a few deep breaths before responding.  “No…I feel…r-really…s-s-sick…m-my stomach h-hurts…as w-w-well a-as…m-my throat…”
“We need to take you to the hospital.” I said, worried for her health.  She nodded, saying, “O…k…”
I quickly cleaned her up, and once I finished, I picked her up with both of my arms, and began to carry her out of the library and to the hospital.  Thankfully, I saw the hospital building a while ago, so I knew where it was.  It only took a couple of minutes to reach there, and once we got there, Ditzy had already fallen asleep again.
I entered the building, shoving the door open with my shoulder.  Inside, there was a reception counter, and behind it, was an orange unicorn pony dressed in what seemed to be a nurse outfit.  She seemed to be busy with something, so she didn’t seem to notice me.  I quickly fixed this problem by walking up to her and ringing the little bell on the counter.
“May I h-” she began to say, and then she stopped in mid sentence, her mouth hanging open at the sight of me carrying Ditzy.  Before she could say anything, I quickly said, “I need a doctor, now!  Ditzy was just throwing up earlier, and she is running a high fever.”
The nurse then reacted with almost no hesitation, upon hearing of a sick pony, and she pressed a small button next to a mike, and said, “Nurse Redheart, please come to the front office.”
I waited there for what felt like forever, giving quick looks to Ditzy, who was still in my arms.  Her face seemed to have paled slightly, and all it did was get me more worried.  Eventually, another nurse came in, this one was a white Earth pony with a light pink mane and tail, her cutie mark was a red cross, and her mane seemed to be in a bun.
“Quick, follow me.” Said the white pony, and I followed her without hesitation.  Soon, we reached a room with a small hospital bed inside, and she motioned me to place Ditzy on the bed then made me leave the room, closing the door behind me.  With nothing better to do, I just began to pace in front of the door, worried about the grey Pegasus.
After what felt like hours, but was most likely thirty minutes, the white pony stepped back out, closing the door behind her again.  “”Well, is she going to be ok? I quickly asked, concern in my voice.
The white pony smiled, saying, “She should be fine, it’s just a twenty four hour bug.  It has been going around for some time, and she should be ok by tomorrow.  I do suggest that she stays here for the night, though, for she seems to be malnourished.  Do you know what could have caused this?”
I began to explain what happened to her, how she lost her home, and that we brought her in.  The nurse was quiet for a second, and then she said, “Hmm, I think that she might have caught it during the time that she was living on the streets.  That’s my theory anyway.  Still, she should be fine by tomorrow, but like I said, we will need to keep her here to monitor her health for the time being.”
I nodded my understanding.  We were quiet for a while, and then the nurse broke the silence.  “So, how close are you with her?”
“Well, she’s my marefriend, or at least, one of them.  It’s funny, cause were I came from, we normally have one special someone, or somepony in your case, not multiple, so I’m still trying to get used to the whole thing of dating multiple ponies at once.”
The nurse was quiet again, and then she said, “well, don’t worry, Mister Drakalian.  She will be better before you know it.”
I nodded my thanks, and then asked, “Can I see her?”
“She’s still sleeping right now, so I suggest that you let her be for the time being.”
I nodded, and began to leave.  Before I left, though, something that the nurse said finally hit me.
“Wait a sec.  How do you know my name?”
She smiled.  “Well, it’s not that hard to know who the only human in Equestria is called.  Word does get around, you know.”
“Well, may I ask your name, at least?”
“Of course, my name is Redheart.  It was a pleasure to meet you, and I’ll let you know of any changes that happen.”
Once again, I nodded my thanks, and then left the hospital.  I decided to go and head for the library, since everypony is probably awake by now, and they might be worrying about where Ditzy and I were.
As I entered the door, I saw that everypony was already having breakfast, along with Spike, who for some reason I didn’t see yesterday.  Shrugging it off, I closed the door behind me, and prepared myself for the bombardment of questions that they were inevitably going to ask.
Luna was the first one, giving me a worried look on her face.  “What happened, Drak?  Me and Twilight tried to wake you and Ditzy up, but when we opened the door to your room, you guys were gone.”
I sighed, and began to explain what happened.  After a few minutes of explaining, everypony had a saddened expression on their faces.  Dinky herself seemed like she was on the verge of tears.
“I-is M-Mamma g-g-gonna be ok?” She asked, giving a few sniffles.  I quickly picked her up and gave her a hug, as well as a kiss on the cheek, saying, “Don’t worry, Muffin, Mamma’s going to be just fine.  Nurse Redheart told me herself, and she said that she would contact us if anything came up.  In the mean time, I should probably take you to school once you finished your breakfast.”
Surprisingly, Dinky shook her head, saying, “There is no school today, with Hearth’s Warming Eve coming so soon, Miss Cheerilee gave us the last few days off until the actually holiday, so we could help our families with the decorations, as well as getting gifts for one another.”
I raised an eyebrow, and then looked at the other two ponies for confirmation, and they nodded.  I was quiet for a while, thinking on what we could do.  Finally, I said, “Well, in that case, you are going to have to hang out with me for the entire day.”
Dinky suddenly hugged me in a tight grip.  “Yay!  I get to hang out with Daddy!”  I smiled, and just hugged her back tighter before I had to put her down.
“So, Drak, you want anything to eat?” Asked, Twilight.  I shook my head, saying, “No thanks, I was going to go to Sugarcube Corner to get some breakfast again, since I did promise that I would talk to Cheerilee during breakfast.” The purple unicorn nodded her understand, and with Dinky in tow, I began to head on out.
Before we could leave, though, both Luna and Twilight stopped me.  Before I could ask them why, their horns began to glow, and in floated a couple bags of clothing.  I smiled, realizing that Rarity must have dropped them off yesterday when I was at Lotus’s, and the girls just placed it to the side until today.
“I suggest that you wear something a little more warmer, otherwise you might join Ditzy in the hospital as well.” Said Luna, a grin on her face.  I chuckled at her joke, and then took out one of the shirts, a red t-shirt, and removed my hoodie before I put the t-shirt on.  I then placed the hoodie back on, and took one of the pairs of pants as well.  I then said, “If you don’t mind…” to the mares in the room (and Spike), and smiling, they all turned around, with the exception of Luna, who still had a grin on her face.  I just rolled my eyes and took my shorts off, with the purple Alicorn staring intently at me.  I then put on my new pants, and said, “Enjoy the show, Luna?”
Luna just continued to grin, and she then placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, saying, “We did enjoy thou’st show.”
I smiled, unable to stay upset for something as trivial as this, and gave her a kiss on the cheek as well.  “Well, glad you did.” I whispered into her ear.
With that all taken care of, I took my bag of bits and placed it on my pants.  I then motioned for Dinky to come with me, and together, we headed out of the library.
As we walked, I decided to try and have a talk with Dinky to see what she might want to do, as well as what she had planned for the holiday.  “So, Dinky, you have any plans for this holiday?”
Dinky gave a big smile, and she began to explain how she and the CMC were going to go around and help all of the town’s folks with decorating Ponyville.  I smiled through out the entire conversation, glad that she seemed so happy for the up coming holiday.  She then suddenly became quiet, a sad expression coming on her face.
“What’s wrong, Muffin?  It sounds like you are going to have a blast.” I asked her, concern in my voice.
Dinky stayed quiet for a few second, and then she said, “Well, I was going to get Mamma something, but we don’t have enough bits for it anymore, so I can’t get it for her now.”  I was quiet for a second, and then said, “Well, It’s a good thing that I was going to go to the market after my job today, and since you are going to have to stick with me…” I quieted down, leaving the sentence unfinished.  Fortunately, Dinky knew what I meant, and she gained a happy expression again, saying, “You mean that I can buy the gift for Mamma?”
“Yup, and I can give you some of the bits for it as well, so you won’t have to worry about the price too much.  Just make sure it’s not too expensive.” I said, hoping to Celestia that it wasn’t too expensive.
“Don’t worry, Daddy, it isn’t that expensive.” She said, an innocent look in her eyes.  I was just quiet for a moment, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.  Not so long after that, we reached Sugarcube Corner, but before we could come in, Pinkie Pie comes zooming out, her tail twitching like crazy.
“Twitchy tail!  Twitchy tail!” Shouted Pinkie.  I just looked at her, a confused look on my face.
“Ok?  So you have a twitchy tail, is that supposed to mean something?”
“Whenever I get a twitchy tail, that means that something is going to fall.” Said the pink pony.  I then noticed that Dinky was nowhere near me, and before I could start looking for her, I felt a sudden force hit my chest, knocking the wind out of me.  I landed in the snow, gasping for air, and I could feel something on top of me.  As soon as I could breath normally again, I noticed that it was actually a pony, a cyan one to be exact.
“Oh, flank!  I’m so sorry, Drak!  You ok?” Asked a worried Rainbow Dash, looking over me.  I nodded, and slowly, I lifted her off of me, for she was still on my chest, and placed her down next to me.  I got up and checked to see if anything was broken.  Thankfully, nothing seemed to be, and everything seemed to be in one piece, more or less.  After a thorough search on me, I said, “Well, mind telling me what in Equestria you were doing that could have caused that?”
“Well, I was trying out this trick that I could show the Wonderbolts at the Young Flyers Competition for next year, but I kind of messed it up, as you can tell.” Said Dash, a small blush on her face.  I nodded, deciding to ask her who these ‘Wonderbolts’ were at a later date, and said, “Well, at least you didn’t do any permanent damage to me.”
“Hey, have you had breakfast yet?” Asked Dash.  I shook my head.  “Well, how about I pay for your breakfast now then, as an apology for using you as a landing cushion.  Does that sound fair?”
I was quiet, thinking about Dash’s offer.  I then nodded, saying, “Sure, I think that would be nice.”
With that all taken care of, both Dash and I entered Sugarcube Corner, where we saw both Dinky and Cheerilee sitting next to each other, and somehow, Pinkie was already behind the counter.  I just shrugged it off, and went to go join my daughter and her teacher.
As we got our seats, I asked, “So, does that normally happen with Pinkie?”
Dinky nodded.  “Yup.  She calls it her ’Pinkie Sense’, and no pony else seems to understand it either.  She has all different sorts of weird twitches and ticks that tell her what might be about to happen.”  I was quiet for a moment, absorbing the information, trying to figure it out.  Dash apparently noticed this, and said, “Don’t even try to figure it out, dude, trust me” I nodded, deciding to just put it with the other things that Pinkie does, and said, “Well, I can see how it could be helpful.”  The other mares began to giggle, and then we began to eat our breakfast that was at the table, since Dinky apparently ordered for us.  I was about to question how she could have ordered our food, and then remembered whom it was that worked here, and I just stayed silent.  After a couple of minutes, Dash spoke up.
“So, I’ve been thinking, and I think that you should be my slave tomorrow, since everything should be closed by then, so that you will have the full day with me.” I thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Sure, that can work.  I don’t have anything planned for tomorrow anyways.”
Dinky gave me a confused look, and asked, “Why does Daddy need to be your slave, Dash?”
Dash then began to explain about the challenge that I took on her about me sparing against Shining Armor, and she also began to explain how the fight went, Dinky becoming enraptured by the whole story.  I chuckled slightly, and then, noticing that Cheerilee wasn’t saying anything, I decided to speak to her.
“So, Cheerilee, you have any plans for Hearth’s Warming Eve?” This startled the maroon pony for a second, and then she calmed down, saying, “Well, not really.  I’m just going to head out towards Trottingham, to visit some family members.”
I nodded, becoming quiet for a little while again, an awkward silence hanging in the air.  I then remembered why I invited her to join us to begin with, and asked, “So, you still want to know how I was able to get Diamond to open up so easily?” This got Cheerilee’s attention quickly, and she nodded, saying, “Oh, yes please!  That is, if it’s not a problem with you?“
I shook my head and said, “It’s not a problem at all.” and began to explain how I can see a person, or pony’s, feelings just by staring into their eyes, and I told her that this was how I was able to tell that she had been bullied in her past, since I notice a flash of fear once I mentioned that she was once a ‘blank flank’.  Cheerilee nodded, intent during my entire conversation, listening to every word that I said.  After a while, I noticed that I had to get to work soon, and I quickly finished my breakfast.
“Well, It was nice talking to you, Cheerilee.” I said.
“Same here, Drak.  I hope that we can do this a little more often.” She said, blushing slightly.  I nodded in agreement, and said goodbye to Dash as both Dinky and I began to head on out to the spa to begin my job.
Before we left, Dash shouted to us, “Hey, just a heads up, the weather team has a blizzard setting up later today, most likely around eight PM, so you better be inside when it hits.”
“Thanks Dash, we’ll make sure that we’re all inside.” I said, thankful that she told me about the upcoming storm.  For some reason, the blizzard sounded familiar, but I just brushed it off, and continued walking with Dinky towards the spa.
I got to the spa building and entered.  As soon as I entered, I saw that the spa sisters already had everything ready.  Lotus was the first to see us enter the room.  She walked to great us, a smile on her face.
“Hello there, Drak!  And who is this adorable little filly that you brought with you?”  Asked Lotus, looking at Dinky with adoring eyes.
“Hi, I’m Dinky, Ditzy’s and Drak’s daughter!” the little pink filly exclaimed, a huge smile on her face as well.  This caused all of us to chuckle a little.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dinky.” Said Aloe, coming to greet us as well.  We began to converse in idle chitchat as we waited for the first customer to come in, which, as it turned out, was a few minutes later.
We heard the bell ring, and Aloe went to go and answer it.  While the pink spa pony was gone, Lotus asked, “Just out of curiosity, why is Dinky with you, not that me and my sister mind, of course.”
I gained a little frown and explained what happened this morning with Ditzy, and that she is in the hospital right now.  As soon as I finished explaining, Lotus gained a mournful expression as well.
“Oh, well I’m so sorry that your mom is in the hospital right now, Dinky, but I’m sure that she will be fine.  I remember when I got that bug, it wasn’t pleasant, but thankfully, my sister was able to take care of the spa while I was gone, and I was able to get better quickly, as you can see.” Said the blue spa pony to Dinky.
Dinky gave a big smile and said, “I know that Mamma is gonna pull through, she’s very strong.”
“That she is, Muffin, that she is.” I said, chuckling slightly, ruffling her mane a little.  Before we could say anything else, Aloe walked back in, along with our first customer, who was no other then AJ herself.
I smiled as my country marefriend came into the room, and walked up to her and gave her a big hug.  “AJ!  It feels like it’s been forever!”
“Aw, shucks, sugarcube.  It has only been two days.” Said AJ, a blush forming on her cheeks.  I just smiled, giving her a kiss on her reddening cheeks, and said, “Well, it felt like forever to me.”
Suddenly, we were both tackled down by Dinky, who gave us an equally big hug as well.  “Hi Applejack, you remember me?”
“Of course ah do, partner.  You’re Dinky, Ditzy’s daughter, and since your mom is in our herd, that makes you mah newest cousin as well.”  Giggled AJ, giving Dinky a friendly rub on her mane, making the filly giggle.
As we got up from the floor, Dinky said, “Wait, that means that Lotus is my auntie now too!”  Before we could do anything, Dinky suddenly runs up and grabs Lotus into another hug, making all of us laugh.  Once Dinky and Lotus were done hugging, Aloe cleared her throat and said, “Well, Drak, I think you might know why Applejack is here.”
I nodded, turning to face AJ.  “I assume you’re here for the massage by me, right?”
AJ nodded, and with that, I led her to the closest massaging table, with Dinky following me, while Lotus and Aloe went to the waiting room to wait for other customers.  I told AJ to lie down on the table, and then I began her massage, starting with AJ’s shoulders first, Dinky watching intently the whole time.
The massage was fairly normal, and it went as well as it should.  I decided to avoid touching the cutie marks, since this was a professional area and not private, (as well as Dinky watching us) and once I finished her rear hooves, I asked, “Would you like me to do your forelegs, AJ?”
AJ smiled, lifting her right foreleg first, saying, “Please do, sugarcube.”
I smiled and began to work on her foreleg.  When I got to her hoof, I hesitated, not sure if I should do her front hooves as well.  AJ apparently noticed my hesitation, and said, “It’s ok, sugarcube, you can massage mah front hooves as well.”
I was about to say something about Dinky being here, when suddenly the pink filly herself spoke up.  “Come on, Drak!  I want to see what it’s like when an Earth pony gets their front hooves massaged.”
I turned to face my daughter, wondering if she knew that an Earth pony’s front hooves were very sensitive to pleasure, and then, Dinky said, “I already know that their hooves are one way to begin foreplay, but I just want to see what it looks like.”
At this, both AJ and I looked at the unicorn filly, surprise on both of our faces.  Dinky noticed this, and blushed slightly, saying, “Well, w-we kind of l-learned it in…uh, sexual education.  You know…at school.” I raised an eyebrow, having it hard to believe that they taught sex ed. at such a young age here, but then realizing that they most likely had a different curriculum here then were I came from, I just shrugged it off, and began to do AJ’s front hoof, causing her to gasp in surprise, before she moaned in pleasure, practically melting in my grasp like Lotus did.  After a few minutes, I finished with both of AJ’s front hooves, and motioning her to get back on the floor, the orange pony took a few steps to see how relaxed she was.  After a few test steps, she smiled, and gave me a big kiss on the lips, to which I responded in kind, Dinky giggling at the scene.
When we separated, AJ said, “Thanks for the massage, sugarcube.  Also, ah was wondering…well…are you free anytime tomorrow?”
I was quiet for a few seconds, thinking what I had to do tomorrow, and then remembered the promise that I made to Rainbow, and shook my head sadly, saying, “I wish I was, AJ, but I promised Dash that I would give her the reward for the challenge then, so no.  Once again, I’m really sorry.”
AJ was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded, saying, “Well, ah guess that ah can understand.” I smiled, glad that she was ok with this, and gave her a quick peck on the lips, saying, “I might have some time after today, when I finish with my training with Twilight and Luna, so if you want a more ‘personal’ massage…”
AJ knew exactly what I was hinting at, and she gave me a seductive smile.  She leaned in slightly, and whispered into my ear, “I would love that, as long as you’re ready for another ride, partner.” Her whisper literally sent shivers of anticipation down my spine, and I quickly nodded, causing AJ to giggle slightly, along with Dinky, who I believe had a good guess as to what we were talking about despite not being able to hear what we said.
With that planning done, AJ left the spa building, leaving me to finish my work here with a giggling filly as company, not that I really minded, of course.




We left once again a few hours later, my bag of bits slightly heaver from the payment that I received today, and headed off towards the market.  We saw all sorts of different stores along the way, along with AJ’s apple booth, which we did stop by to get some lunch in the form of some apples and apple fritters, which were some of the most delicious apples that I have ever had.  We continued to walk as we ate our lunch, and then we reached a stall that had all sorts of different stuffed animals.  At this point, Dinky stopped and began to look at the stall with longing.  I quickly looked at what she was looking at, and notice that there was a stuffed muffin on display.  I chuckled, knowing what she wanted, and said, “You want the stuffed muffin, Dinky?”
Dinky was silent for a moment, and then she said, “Well, kind of.  I want to get it for Mamma.  I think she would love it as a Hearth’s Warming gift.”
I chuckled, nodding myself.  “I think so too, Dinky.  I think so too.”  With that, we went up to the stall, and purchased the muffin for 12 bits (thankfully, the stalls here did allow bartering, for it was 20 bits to start with.)  We began to walk again. Dinky held onto the muffin like it was a stuffed toy, except it was a stuffed…muffin…anyways, we soon approached a jewelry store, and I remembered what Ditzy and I talked about last night.  I asked Dinky, “Hey, you know what the necklace was that Ditzy wanted?”
Dinky nodded.  “Yup, she would sometimes take a peek at it in the store, and then sigh unhappy like.  Why, are you…oh, you are!” said Dinky, jumping up excitedly.  I smiled, and said, “Just don’t tell Mamma, ok?” Dinky nodded, making a zipping motion with her hoof across her mouth, and with that, we both walked into the store.
Inside the store, there were loads of different types of jewelry, arranging from hoof rings to necklaces, and even a few tiaras.  ‘This must be were Diamond got her tiara then.’ I went up to the counter and tapped the little bell, and a white Earth pony mare with a curly blue mane comes walking in, her cutie mark is the shape of a diamond ring.
“Hello, my name is Red Ruby, is there anything you are looking for?” she asked in a happy tone.  I raised an eyebrow when she said her name, giving another look at her cutie mark.  “Red Ruby?  I would have thought it was Diamond or…something.” I said, trying not to sound too rude.
Ruby giggled at this, and then said, “Don’t worry, you’re not the only pony who’s asked that question.  Ponies are always confused when they see my cutie mark, and then I say my name is Red Ruby instead of something like Diamond Ring.  So, what do you need?”
I was quiet for a second, and then I said, “Well, I’m looking for something for my special somepony, and-”
“And you’re going to give it to her during Hearth’s Warming Eve?  Oh, What a romantic thing to do!” She said, swooning a little like Rarity.  I once again raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.  “So, would you like to see our selection?”
“Actually, My daughter, Dinky, already-” I began to say, gesturing to my daughter, and then realizing that she was no longer next to me.  I quickly looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her staring intently at a certain object already.  Ruby and I walked up to her, and I noticed that it was a necklace, most likely the necklace that Ditzy wants as well.  It had a simple silver chain, and the main jewel to it was a good-sized topaz in the shape of a heart, with gold angel wings on the sides of it.
“This is it, Daddy, this is what Mamma really wants!” exclaimed Dinky.  I chuckled a little and patted her on the mane, before I said to Ruby, “Well, I think we found the one.  So, how much is it?”
Ruby was quiet for a moment, calculating the price, most likely, before she said, “Well, the design of this particular piece is called Angel’s Heart, and it is really popular with the mare’s at the moment.  I believe the price on this particular one is…159 bits.”
I gave myself a mental smack at the price, already knowing that I wouldn’t have enough for it.  I looked at Dinky with a sad look, saying, “Sorry, Muffin, but it looks like I can’t get it yet.”
“But I want you to get it for Mamma, she would be so happy.” Said Dinky, on the verge of tears.
“I know, Dinky, but we can get Ditzy something else this-”
“Wait, did you say Ditzy?” Asked Ruby.  I turned to her and nodded.  “Yes, why?  Do you know her?”
“Well, I knew her when she was the mailmare, and it broke my heart when she was fired.  Such a shame, for she was really good at it, even if she did crash every once in a while.”  At this point, even Dinky was quiet, listening to Ruby talk.  “So, wait, Ditzy is the special somepony that you want to give this to?”
“Yup Ditzy’s my mamma!” Exclaimed Dinky, puffing her chest proudly.  Ruby and I chuckled at that, and then Ruby seemed to remember something, and said, “Wait, I remember you now.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t already.” I said, a grin on my face.
“Well, besides that.  I mean I remember seeing you carrying her from the library to the hospital.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.  “I didn’t think anypony would be up that early.”
“Well, I had some things that needed to be taken care of at the store, so I had to get up pretty early.  As I was getting the store ready, I noticed that you were outside, and that you were carrying a grey Pegasus mare to the hospital.  I didn’t think much of it at the time, but if that was Ditzy, then I’m truly sorry about it, and I hope that she will feel better.”
“Yea, I do too. Nurse Redheart said that it’s a 24 hour bug, so she should be fine to come back tomorrow.”
“Yea!  Mamma’s stronger then any stupid bug!” Said Dinky, confidence in her voice, which once again made Ruby and I chuckle.  We became quiet for a little bit, before Ruby cleared her throat.
“Well, as a get well soon gift, I think I can half the price of the necklace then.  How does…74 bits sound?”
I thought about it for a second.  While it was definitely cheaper then the original price, it would still take most of my bits.  I then looked at Dinky, and noticed that she was once again giving me the puppy eyes.  I chuckled at her, and then, turning towards Ruby, I said, “I think I can do 74 bits.”
At this Dinky jumped in the air, shouting, “YAY!” before she landed, shaking with excitement.  This made both Ruby and I laugh again at the silly filly, and with that, I purchased the necklace and Ruby placed it in a bag before she gave it to me.  As we were walking out, I saw something that caught my eyes.  On one of the store mannequins, I saw a white hair band that had a pink lotus on it, and inside was a medium sized pearl in the middle of the flower.  As I was looking at it, I heard Ruby say, “Something else catch your eye, sir?”
I nodded, and said, “The hair band looks interesting, but judging by the size of the pearl, I think it might be too expensive for me right now.”
“Actually, the pearl itself isn’t that expensive, since it’s on sale.  I would say the whole thing would cost you…27 bits.”
I raised my eyebrow (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and asked, “How much is it usually worth?”
“45 bits.”
I was quiet for a second, and then I nodded, saying, “If it’s all right with you, I would like to buy this hair band as well.”
“Well, of course, sir, let me just take this and bring it to the counter.” Said Ruby, taking the hair band off of the pony mannequin.  Dinky noticed that I wasn’t following her, and when she saw the hair band, said, “Why are you getting that, Daddy?  We already got something for Mamma.”
I smiled at her.  “I know, but I have other marefriends too, remember?” Dinky made an ‘oh’ with her mouth, before she started to giggle again, saying, “I know who that’s for, now!”
I smiled at my daughter before I gave the bits for the hair band, and now that we were finally done, Dinky and I decided to head on out and back to the library.
As we walked, I began to think to myself about a few things, the biggest thought in my head was what was I going to get for the others?  It was easy for me to get one for Ditzy and Lotus, since these seemed to just scream that they were for them.  I decided to ask Twilight about what I should get them, and then, I noticed that we were already at the library.
I opened the door, and I could see both Luna and Twilight setting some things up.  I smiled, remembering that I was going to start my training today.
“So, Drak, you ready for some magical training?” Asked Twilight, both of them with smiles on their faces.  I smiled myself, and then proceeded on taking my hoodie off, since I was inside now.  I sat down next to Luna and Twilight, with Dinky sitting to the side, wanting to watch me with my training.  We began similar to what Luna and I did on the train, starting with the simple lighting spell and the telekinesis spell, which I was able to do better this time.  After a good hour, I was already able to hold the energy in my hands to make a light for a good five minutes, while I began to effortlessly hold onto my bow staff, not quiet getting the hang of holding multiple objects at once for a long period of time.  I even lifted Twilight by accident at one point, which brought a bout of laughter from everypony, seeing her flail about in the air for a few seconds before I lost concentration and accidently dropped her to the ground.  We continued this for a good while, and I even was able to learn a basic magical bolt for defense purposes, when we suddenly heard a knocking on the door.  At this point, the blizzard that Rainbow warned us about had already begun to pick up, and while it didn’t snow as much as I expected, it still snowed quiet a bit, as well as being very windy.  I went to open the door, and waiting outside was AJ, wearing her scarf.  I smiled, and welcomed her into the library.  AJ smiled back at me, giving me a kiss as she walked pass.
“So, AJ.  What brings you here?” Asked Twilight.
“Well, Drak here promised that ah could have a private massage after his here training, but ah kind of got inpatient, so ah decided to come and see how his training was going.” She said, a small blush on her face.  I smiled back at her and said, “I don’t mind it at all, AJ.  You’re more then welcome to join me during my training.”
“Speaking of training, Daddy, when are you going to teach the Crusaders about karate?” asked Dinky.  I was quiet for a second, and then I said, “Well, I think I might start it after Hearth’s Warming Eve, since I do want to take it a bit easy for a while.”
“And you haven’t already?” Giggled Luna, making us all laugh as well.
Once we calmed down a bit, I decided to show AJ how far I had progressed with my training.  After a few minutes of showing off, AJ said, “Wow, ah never saw somepony get that good at magic that quickly, with the exception of Twilight here.”
Before we could say anything else, we heard another knock on the door.  “Did you see anypony else behind you, AJ?” I asked the orange mare, who just shook her head, saying, “The only pony tha’ ah caught was mah sister, for she wanted to go and see that Trixie fellow again, which ah still don’t agree with her seeing her at all, but that mare can be stubborn sometimes.”
I chuckled as I went to open the door again.  “She most likely got it from you.” I said, making everypony giggle.  I opened the door, and there, shivering from the cold, was Applebloom, wearing only a scarf.
“Ah thought ah told ya ta stay home, Applebloom!” shouted AJ, anger and concern coming out of her eyes.  AB, however, ignored her sister, and instead, looked at me.  I could see lots of worry in her eyes, and when she spoke, I could hear her shivering from the cold.
“T-T-Trixie is in t-t-t-trouble.” Said the yellow filly, her teeth chattering.
“You know ah don’t like you going to tha’ mare, sis, especially since-” AJ began to say, before I interrupted her.
“I understand that you don’t particularly like Trixie, but does that mean that we shouldn’t help her?” I asked her.  AJ was quiet for a few seconds, and then she sighed.  Defeated, she said, “Ah guess not, sugarcube.”
I looked back at AB again and asked, “So, what’s wrong with Trixie?”
“H-h-her h-home j-j-just c-c-c-collapsed under a-a-a b-bunch of s-s-snow.  A-a-and s-s-she’s s-still inside.”

> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 21

Everypony was quiet for a few seconds, absorbing the information that Applebloom just told us.  I then snapped out of my trance, and immediately went to go get my staff, as well as put on my hoodie again.
As soon as I had everything, I said, “Ok, lead the way, AB.”
Before we could leave, AJ stopped us, and said, “There’s no way tha’ ah’m gonna let you guys go out there by yourselves!  You could die!”
“Applejack, I know that you care about me and your sister, but right now, there is a pony in trouble, and I don’t intend on sitting around doing nothing.  I’m sorry but that’s just who I am.” I said, looking directly into her emerald eyes.  AJ was quiet for a few seconds, and then she sighed, saying, “All right, partner, but ah’m gonna come with you, cause ah want to keep you both safe, ok?”
I nodded my understanding, giving AJ a kiss on the lips, saying, “Thanks for the help, AJ, and thanks for understanding me.”
AJ blushed slightly, and with that, we quickly began our trek towards the Everfree Forest.  During our walk, the blizzard didn’t stop once to let up; rather it began to pick up even more as we continued.  The farther along we got, the harder the wind blew, pulling at my hoodie and nearly pulling my staff out of my hands.
Eventually, after about a few minutes, we reached the edge of the forest, and right next to us was Fluttershy’s cottage, along with Fluttershy herself and the rest of the CMC.
I quickly ran up to them, giving them all a quick hug, before I said, “What are you girls doing here?”
Fluttershy smiled shyly, before she said, “W-well, I’ll t-tell you, b-but we should g-get to Trixie f-f-first.” I nodded, and once again, we began out trek into the forest.  After a few minutes, I began to talk with Fluttershy and the rest of the CMC to see what happened so far.  Apparently, the Crusaders wanted to try and learn some more magic tricks, and they were at Trixie’s home when the blizzard began to pick up.  Suddenly, there was a large cracking sound, and Trixie somehow managed to get the fillies outside before the entire home just came crashing down on her, burying her alive.  They first went to Fluttershy for some help, but the yellow Pegasus mare knew that they needed somepony else to help as well, so they sent AB to go and get me from Twilight’s house.
Once they finished explaining, we finally reached the clearing that we met Trixie in, and the sight was horrifying.  The entire cart was crunched down in the middle, all the windows were cracked and the roof was caved in.  Some of the walls seemed to be in the middle of exploding, while others were beginning to fall inwards.  I paused for a few seconds, getting a strange sense of déjà vu, and then I realized why this all felt familiar.
I remembered that I dreamt this before I was awoken from my fall last night, and the sight that I saw was what I was seeing right now.
I dropped my staff and began to run towards the ruined home, shouting out Trixie’s name to see if she was ok.  After a few second, I heard a faint sound coming from the house, near the entrance, or what was left of it.  I quickly began to dig under the snow and wooden debris, the others simply watching me.  Suddenly, I saw a pair of hooves next to me, and I turned to see who it was.  Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy, and she was helping me dig out the snow.  Another second later, AB began to help as well, along with the rest of the CMC and AJ, though she did so hesitantly.
Finally, after what felt like ages, my hand touched something that felt like fur.  “I think I found her!” I shouted over the wind, getting the other’s attention.  I quickly began to dig around the fur, and sure enough, there was Trixie, her eyes were closed and a large bruise was on the side of her head, most likely from some falling debris, her hat and cloak badly torn up.  When I went to pick her up, I noticed that she was freezing to the touch, and I quickly took my hoodie off and wrapped it around her to try and keep her warm, taking her own ruined clothing off in the process.  As I was wrapping it around her, she opened her eyes, and when she saw me, she gave a weak smile and said softly, “Y-you…you s-saved m-m-me…a-again…”
“Don’t talk now, try to keep your strength.” I told her.  Once she was thoroughly wrapped in my hoodie, I picked her up and motioned for one of the others to pick my staff, since I was holding the azure unicorn.  One we were ready, we quickly began to bring her to the hospital.  The whole time that we walked, I kept a close eye on Trixie to make sure that she was getting as much warmth as possible, and making sure that she stayed awake.  Every time I looked at her, I could see her amethyst eyes looking back at me, a sense of safety coming out of them.
We finally reached the hospital, and when we entered the room, we were greeted with warm air, as well as Luna and Twilight.  Next to them was Nurse Redheart, and she immediately gestured us to follow her.  As we followed, both Twilight and Luna followed, explaining that they came to the hospital as soon as we left to tell Redheart about the situation, and as soon as they explained it to her, she went and got everything ready for our arrival.
We soon reached a room that had a lot of blankets in the bed, and I placed her under the covers, not bothering to remove my hoodie from her, for she could use all of the warmth that she could get.  Once she was comfortable, I began to leave along with the others, but then Trixie suddenly placed a hoof on my arm.  I turned to her, and I saw a lot of nervousness in her eyes.
“W-w-wait, p-please.  I n-need to t-tell you something.” She said weakly.  “A-also, y-your h-h-herd m-mates n-need to s-stay, too.” I was quiet for a while, and then I motioned for my marefriends to stay here as well.  We all huddled up near Trixie, and waited for her to say what she wanted to say.  She was quiet for a while, and then she began to speak.
“Ever s-since you s-s-saved me from the Manticore, I f-felt something that I never felt before, and when you c-complemented me on my eyes, it got e-even bigger.  I h-had n-n-no idea what it w-w-was, t-that is, until you came with t-the CMC yesterday.  When I saw you again, I felt that weird feeling in m-my stomach again.  I still didn’t k-know what it was, and then…you h-hugged me…and said that…you’ll help me…and that was when I knew…that…t-that…”
“Trixie, you really shouldn’t be talking right now.  You need your energy.” I said, worried for her.  Trixie ignored me, and kept on trying to speak.
“Just…let me…I’m just trying to say…oh, buck it.”
With that, she suddenly wrapped my neck in her hoof and brought it down towards her face, and the next thing that I knew, the magician pony was kissing me.
I was startled to say the least, for I did not expect that to happen at all.  I did nothing as we kissed, too shocked in what was happening.  I felt the fireworks go off again, but I was too shocked to even notice at the time, and I was only able to notice it when I thought about it later on.  As sudden as it happened, it just as quickly stopped, Trixie gasping for air when we separated.  No pony said anything. And when I took a quick glance around, I noticed that all of my herd mates were just as shocked as I was, and AJ even had a hurtful expression on her face.
We were all quiet for another few seconds, and then, Trixie finally spoke.
“I…I love you…Drakalian.”
As soon as she said that, I finally was able to connect everything, and I berated myself for not realizing it sooner.  Before I could say anything, though, Trixie closed her eyes, and I could hear her begin to breath deeply as she fell asleep.

(Applejack’s POV)

Ah looked on with shock as that pony suddenly kissed mah stallion.  Mah Stallion!  Tha’ darn toutin lousy pony had the nerves to kiss mah stallion and say that she loved him?  Ah could feel mahself getting angrier the longer they kissed, and when they separated, ah was ready to buck Trixie from here to Appleloosa.  Before ah could say anything, though, Nurse Redheart came back into the room and motioned us out.  Once we were all outside with the rest of the ponies, she closed the door, leaving me with mah herd mates.
Not wanting to stay here any longer, ah decided to bring Applebloom and ah back home.  “Come on, sis, lets go.” Ah said, but before we could leave, Drak stopped me.
“AJ, I need to know what really happened when Trixie first came.” He said, confusion showing from his eyes.
“All tha’ ya need ta know is that she is not a nice pony, and she has done very bad things to our town since she first got here.” Ah told him, the anger still festering inside me.  Drak was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what ah said, and then he said, “Well then tell me what exactly happened.”
Ah was about to tell him no, when suddenly, Fluttershy spoke up.  “She came to our town a while ago, as a performer.  She was much more egotistic then she is now, always talking about herself in the third pony as the Great and Powerful Trixie.  She still does that, though not as much.”
“I don’t see how that can be such a bad thing.” Said Drak.
Ah decided to interrupt Fluttershy, knowing that he was going to be told with or without mah help.  “When she first came here, she bragged about doing all sorts of amazing feats, such taking down an Ursa Major with no help at all, and always one upping everypony.  Well, two of her fans decided to show everypony in town that she could do these things, and they somehow brought an Ursa Minor into town, and while not as big as an Ursa Major, it was still pretty large.  When everypony tried to get Trixie to help them, she said she couldn’t, and that she lied to them all.  The only way that we were able to get rid of the bear was by Twilight lulling it to sleep with her magic and a giant container of cow milk.  After that was taken care of, Trixie said that she was sorry and then she left.  Afterwards, she came back, and she challenged Twilight to a magical duel, which Trixie won due to her having some sort of magical item called the Alicorn Amulet.  When she won, she kicked Twilight out of the town, and made us all into slaves.  Thankfully, Twilight was able to come back and challenge her again, and this time, she did win.  Once again, Trixie said she was sorry, but this time, ah didn’t believe her, for ah knew that she was nothing but trouble.  Ah still don’t know why she came back here either.  Especially since what happened to her here.”
Mah coltfriend listened to me the entire time, not saying a word.  Ah tried to see what he was thinking, but he kept on looking away from me, not making eye contact.  Ah knew that he was thinking deeply about what ah just said, and a hoped that he would understand it too, since he has understood everything that we said so far.
After another minute of silence, Drakalian finally nodded, saying, “Well, I can understand why you guys did that, and I could also understand why she did what she did, and I think that it was wrong of her to make all of you into slaves.” Ah smiled, glad that he did understand me.  What he said next, however, came as a total surprise.
“However, what you girls did when she first came here was wrong, I think.  Having an Ursa Minor attack the town wasn’t her fault.”
“WHAT!  Now listen here, partner.  How is it not her fault that the town nearly got destroyed?  That makes no sense.” Ah shouted, confusion and anger in mah voice.  Drak, however just ignored mah outburst, and calmly said, “Cause, she didn’t bring out the bear from the forest in the first place.  If your story holds true, then it would be the fault of these so called fans of hers.  I admit, she shouldn’t have been bragging about those things in the first place, but that doesn’t mean she was the one at fault when an Ursa Minor came through. Everypony expects her to do something, and then blame her when they figure out that she lied.  It’s no wonder that she reacted how she did, though I do admit it was extreme, she still had every right to be upset with you guys.  I would be mad too if I got blamed for something that was out of my control.”
Once Drak finished speaking, ah became quiet, thinking about what he just said.  Ah guess he was right, in some respect.  Blaming Trixie just because she was lying for those things that she said she did didn’t make her the one ta blame, though ah still felt like it was her fault all along.  Ah looked back at my herd mate, and I noticed tha’ he was staring back into my eyes, and I could see that he was upset with the story, as well as what happened to not only us, but to the magician pony as well.  He leaned down next to me and placed a hand on mah shoulder, and ah could almost feel the emotions coming from his eyes, which were full of sadness.
“Now, I know that it must be hard to trust somepony that has done so much to you, but please, for me, can you give her one more chance?”
Ah stayed quiet for a little longer, not knowing what ta say.  Drak noticed this, and said, “How about this, if she can look you in the eyes, and you do see her lie, then I will never talk to her again.  BUT, if you see her tell the truth, then I suggest that she should join our herd, since I do believe I felt something when we kissed, though I will only let her join if it is ok with the rest of you.  And since you are the Element of Honesty, then it should be easy for you to know if she is lying or not.” I was quiet, debating on his offer, when suddenly; we all heard a voice coming from behind us.
“Drak, as long as…you’re happy…then so…am I.  She is…more…then welcome to…join our…herd.” We turned around, and there stood Ditzy, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, shivering slightly, while also swaying from side to side.  Immediately, Drak and Dinky were next to her, with Drak giving her some support, the concern flowing out of his eyes.
“Ditzy, what are you doing out of bed?  You should be resting.” Said Drak, worried for our grey Pegasus herd mate.  Ditzy was quiet for a moment and then she said, in a quiet tone, “Well, It’s hard to…sleep when there is…so much noise...coming from outside.  I heard…what you said…and I agree with you.  Please…Applejack, give her one more…chance.”
Ah was quiet, and then ah began to look at everypony else, and they all had the same expression on their faces.  Ah was getting ready to say something to defend mahself, when suddenly, Applebloom stepped up.
“Come on, sis, just give her one more chance.” She said, her eyes beginning to get all teary eyed.  I was quiet again, and then I suddenly remembered the Zecora incident, when no pony would go near that zebra, except for mah sister.  It all turned out that she was an ok pony, and that our fears of her were unfounded.  I began to slowly see the wisdom in my coltfriend’s words.  I looked back at Drak, who was still holding onto Ditzy, and slowly, ah nodded, saying, “Well, ok, but if she is even lying a tiny bit, then ah’m gonna buck her from her to the other side of the Everfree Forest, ya got me, partner?”
Everypony was quiet for a second, and then Drak walked up to me and gave me a big hug, saying, “It’s a deal, partner.” He then looked at our other herd mates and said, “Is everypony ok with this?” There was nothing at first, and then everypony nodded their agreement.
I then remembered that we were down one herd member.  “What a darn tootin minute.  What about Lotus?” Suddenly, Luna’s horn began to glow, and a few seconds later, it stopped, and the Princess of the Night said, “She agrees with it to.”
“Wait, how did you talk to her if she isn’t a unicorn?” asked Drak, confused.
“You don’t need to be a unicorn to accept telepathic messages, Drak.” Said Twilight, getting into her teaching mode.  “Also, it was most likely that Lotus was asleep right now, since it is pretty late, and Luna, being the Princess of the Night, most likely just talked to her through her dreams.”
Drak was quiet again, and then he nodded.  At this point, the door to Trixie’s room opened, and Redheart walked back in.
“She is awake now, if you want to see her.” She said.  She then noticed that Ditzy was out of her room, and said, “And, you, miss, need to get back to your room and sleep, otherwise you won’t be able to go back to your herd mates tomorrow.” Ditzy blushed at this, and with the help of Redheart, they both went back to her hospital room.  Ah looked back at Drak and he looked back at me.  He nodded, and with a sigh, we all walked back into Trixie’s room.
There she was, the pony that ah was about to let into mah herd.  The pony that ah still didn’t believe was really sorry for everything that she did, and yet ah was about to let her into the herd just if she was lying or not.  Once we entered the room, the azure unicorn gave a small smile, saying, “Well, at least you guys didn’t just leave me here.”
“You better be grateful that ah don’t just buck you straight to-” Ah began to say, before ah felt somepony place a hand on me, and ah looked to see Drak looking back at me, a concerned look in his eyes.  Ah sighed and took a deep breath, and then ah walked up to her and, looking right into her eyes, said, “Now, Trixie, ah’m gonna ask you two simple questions, and ah want you to answer them as honestly as you can, ok?” She was quiet for a second, and then she nodded, saying, “I promise to say the truth and nothing but the truth.”
“Ok, so…are you really sorry about what you did to us when you kicked Twilight out?”
Trixie was quiet, not saying a word, even looking away from me for a second.  Ah was about to smack her across the face with mah fore hoof, when she suddenly looked back into my own eyes, her amethyst ones glowing with determination.  “While I believe what you girls did to me was wrong when I first came here, I have recognized the folly of what I did when I kicked Twilight out and made all of you into slaves.  I didn’t know at first, for I was engulfed with anger for what you girls did to me for something that I didn’t cause, nor that I didn’t have any control over.  While I am still upset with what you girls did to me, I am truly sorry for what I did back to you, for it was wrong of me, and I just wish that you girls would let me live here now, since…no pony else wants to see the Weak and Pitiful Trixie, since they heard about what happened here.  If you give me a chance, I will show you that I will be one of your best friends, and…possible more…if you let me.”
Ah was quiet the whole time she spoke, staring into her eyes, trying to find the slightest bit of lying, of anything, but all ah found was the truth, just like Trixie said.  Just like Drak said.  I was quiet for another few seconds, and then ah said, “Ok, last question.  Do you really love Drakalian?”
“I do, and…I would really like to join your herd…if you permit me, that is.” Once again, ah saw nothing but the truth coming from her eyes, and ah sighed, knowing that Drak was right.  Then again, ah already knew it, but ah just didn’t want to admit it.  I then realized the horrible things that ah said about this pony, and ah began feel sorry for saying such things, especially for what we did to her when she first came to Ponyville, even if she was a bit of an egotistic at the time.
‘Oh, buck it.’ ah thought to mahself, and then ah suddenly grabbed Trixie into a tight hug.  Trixie was surprised for a second, and then she hugged me back, and ah could feel tears starting to flow out of her eyes and landing on mah shoulder.
“Welcome to our herd, partner.” Ah said softly to her.  She released her hug on me and stared back into mah eyes, surprise and confusion in her own eyes.
“Y-you mean…” She said.  Ah nodded, saying, “Ah didn’t see you lying at all, so ah trust you now, and ah’m also sorry for all of the bad things that ah have said to you over the past, as well as blaming you for something that you had no control over.”
Trixie was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “Thank you, Applejack, and I promise that I will be the best herd mate that I could possible be.”
“Just as long as you girls are happy, then so am I.” Said, Drak, coming towards us.  We both smiled at him, and then we brought him into a dual hug.  Soon, the other mares in the room grouped around us, and then everypony was hugging each other, glad that everything was solved for the time being.  We stayed like that for a little while, and then, Redheart came back into the room.
“Ok, everypony, you’re going to have to leave now.  Trixie needs her rest.” We all smiled, and we began to leave, but then Trixie stopped Drak one more time.  She whispered something into his ear, and he smiled before he kissed her on the lips again.  As they were kissing, ah thought that ah would still feel some sort of resentment to the pony, but all ah felt was happiness.  Happiness that ah knew she wasn’t as bad of a pony as ah though she would be, and happy that she was happy too.  After a good few seconds, they broke the kiss, a smile on both of their faces, as well as mah own.  Once that was done, we all left to go to our homes, with Applebloom and the other Crusaders following me, since ah decided that they should stay at our place for tonight while the blizzard was going on.
A few minutes later, we reached the house, and as the fillies went up to AB’s room, ah noticed that Granny Smith and Big Mac were still up, most likely worried about me.  Ah walked up to them and gave them a big hug, and then Granny asked, “So, what took you girls so long?  You have some more ‘fun’ with your coltfriend?”
Ah blushed at the green pony’s comment before ah said, “Granny!  We didn’t do anything of the sort!”
“Really?  Cause when ah was your age, ah would do that stuff with your grandpa almost every day.” She said, causing me to shiver as ah thought about it and causing Big Mac to slowly shake his head.  After a few awkward moments, ah finally said, “Well, for your information, we had to go and save Trixie from her own home that collapsed on her.”
Surprisingly, both Big Mac and Granny got a sad expression on their faces, and Granny said, “Well, ah’ll be a Timberwolf’s mother!  An’ ah thought that you hated that pony.”
“Ah do…or, rather did, but…Drak convinced me otherwise.” Ah said slowly.  Granny was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “Well, when ah saw him during dinner, ah thought that he had a good head on his shoulder, but ah didn’t think he had that kind of wisdom.”
Ah looked at her with a quizzical look.  “What do ya mean, Granny?”
“Well, ah’ve been trying to tell you about how you misunderstood Trixie for a long time, but you were always too stubborn to notice.”
“Eeyup” said Big Mac.
“Ya see, young one, she didn’t deserve to be treated as she was, or at least, ah think so.  Ah mean, why should we blame somepony on something that they had no power over.”
“That’s what Drak said.” Ah said quietly, hanging mah head in shame as ah realized that mah own family has been trying to tell me the same thing for years, but once again, ah was too stubborn to notice.
“Well, did ya at least apologize to her?” Asked Granny, to which ah nodded.
“Well, at least you’ve learned from your mistakes, Applejack.  An’ ah’m glad that you apologized to her, an’ the only way tha’ you could make her feel even better was if ya let her into your herd.”
Ah blushed at this and said, “Well, funny ya’ll should mention that…” before ah went quiet.
Thankfully, ah didn’t need to explain it any more then that, for Granny started to chuckle when she figured it out.  “So, she IS in your herd now, an’ are ya ok with this?”
“Ah am, since Drak was the one that convinced me to do it.  Ah checked to see if she was lying, but it turned out tha’ she was telling the truth, so…yea.”
We were all quiet for a second, and then Granny and Big Mac smiled, and Granny said, “Well, ah think that you made the right decision, right Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.”
“Well, with that said, ah think we should all go to bed now, since it’s passed mah bed time.” Said Granny, getting up slowly before hobbling on to her room, Big Mac following to his own room.  Ah stood there, thinking about what has been said today, as well as what has happened today.  Ah began to think about Trixie, and the honesty that ah could see flowing through her eyes.  Ah then smiled to myself, knowing that somehow, ah made the right decision, and it was all thanks to mah herd mates, especially Drakalian.
‘Thank you, Drakalian, for ah’m lucky to have a coltfriend like you, and now, so is Trixie.’ Ah thought to myself, before ah headed off to my own room for some sleep mahself.

(Drakalian’s POV)

I was back at the library, both Dinky and Twilight were asleep in their beds already, and it was just Luna and I up.  We both were looking outside at the blizzard; neither of us able to sleep in light of what has happened.  We just sat there in our bed, cuddling each other for warmth as the blizzard raged on outside.  After a few minutes of us just cuddling, Luna finally broke the silence.
“So, Drak.” I looked at her, and she continued.  “Well, Hearth’s Warming Eve is coming up soon, in four days, actually, and I was wondering if you got our gifts for us yet?”
I looked at her, a smug look on my face, and said, “And here I thought that it was a holiday about celebrating it with the ones that you love?”
“Well, it is, but the presents don’t hurt either.” She said, giggling.  I chuckled with her, and then I said, “Well, don’t tell anypony, but I was only able to get a gift for Ditzy and Lotus, and I’m honestly not sure what to get for the rest of you girls.  And now I need to get something for Trixie, since she is in our herd now.” As I mentioned Trixie, I realized that the current number of marefriends that I have was six, and I wondered if that was all of the mares that I would be dating.  For some reason, something inside me said that we only just scratched the surface.
Luna was silent for a moment, and then she said, “Well, I know that Applejack would like to have something like hard cider as a present, even if they make their own, I heard that she still likes other brands as well, such as Equine Cider, and Fluttershy would like to have something that has to do with nature, or something that comes from the heart, though I believe that most of your presents will come from your heart.” I smiled, giving Luna a kiss on the cheek before she continued.  “As for Dinky, I heard that she has been getting into reading lately, thanks to Twilight, I’m assuming, and she has begun to read the Daring Doo series, who is an adventurer that goes on all sorts of adventures and collects all sorts of different treasures, so you could get one of those books that isn’t in the library.  Funny, since Twilight also got Dash into that series as well when she was stuck in the hospital for a couple of days.  Finally, well…I’m not really sure about Trixie, but I’m sure that you will figure something out.”
“And what about you?” I asked.  Luna smiled and leaned in, whispering, “I already have my gift.”
I smiled, and gave her a kiss on the lips, to which she responded.  Soon both of our tongues were flowing through each other’s mouth, and after a few more minutes of making out, I found myself underneath Luna, with my boxers already off, and she was already grinding the underside of my cock with her pussy.  We both moaned into our kiss, and she then lifted herself up, and then brought herself down on my cock, inserting it into her marehood.  I groaned, for she still felt as tight as before, and she broke our kiss and leaned back slightly, and she began to bounce on top of me without any hesitation.  I brought a hand to her cutie marks and began to massage them while my other hand went for her teats, gently pinching her nipples in between my fingers, making her moan even more.  My dick would get constricted as I left her warm tunnel, and then be caressed gently as I entered her again, and again, and again, the constant pressure of her tunnel once again bringing me to my brink.  I tried to hold myself together as I could feel Luna coming to her orgasm as well.
“Oh…L-Luna…y-you f-feel so…good.” I moaned, going a little faster, every thrust making her give a silent wail of pleasure.
“That’s it…keep thrusting that big, throbbing dick inside me!  Keep doing that!  I love how you feel as you pierce my very depths!  It feels so good!” Shouted Luna.  Worried that she might wake the others up, I quickly sat up and placed my lips onto hers, both of us kissing each other sloppily, our tongues getting tangled with one another.  Our thrusting got faster, and I began to caress both of her wing’s g-spots, making her moan into our kiss.  My mind was beginning to go blank with all of the pleasure that we were receiving, and I could tell that Luna was feeling the same way, the tip of my manhood just entering her cervix, making her scream with the pleasure.  We separated the kiss, and I began to go into overdrive as I felt myself beginning to lose it, and as I got closer to the brink, I said, “I…I-I can’t h-hold on…any m-more, L-Luna.  I’m…g-gonna c-cum.”
“Please, fill my womb!  Fill it until it bursts!” Shouted Luna, her mind completely lost in the bliss of it.  She locked me with her hooves, making escape impossible, but I wasn’t looking for escape; I was looking for release, and with a few more deep thrusts, I finally found it.
I quickly brought Luna into another deep kiss, muffling her scream into my mouth as I came into her, filling her womb with my hot seed, my cock painting her insides white.  The force of me cumming inside of her made her cum as well, her juices mixing with my own as they began to overflow her pussy and onto the bed.  We began to calm down from our epic high, just breathing deeply into each other’s mouth, sharing our oxygen supply.  Eventually, we broke for some real air, gasping as we separated, strings of saliva once again bridging our lips together, and then slowly separating.  We stared into each other’s eyes, both of us filled with love and contentment.  We were silent for a while, and then I said, “I think I’m getting you girls addicted to sex.”
Luna giggled.  “We only enjoy it cause it’s with the pony that we love.”
I raised an eyebrow.  “In this case, it would be a human, but I know what you mean.” I said, chuckling.
We were silent again, each of us caressing the other, her hooves on my back, massaging my shoulders, while my hands gently slid on her wings, massaging the stress from them.  We stayed like that for another ten minutes, and then I asked, “So, besides having sex with me, is there anything else that you would like to have?”
Luna giggled again, saying, “Well, there is this wine that I have been dying to try, called Cabernet Sauvignon, and if you could get that…”
I chuckled, giving her another kiss.  “I think I got it.  I’ll look for that for you.”
Luna smiled.  “Thanks, Drak, and I hope I’m not too…wild…during our intimate moments.”
“You, wild?  I’ll never dream of it.”
This caused us both to silently laugh, and once we quieted down, we began to look at each other in the eyes again, and then we slowly kissed, Luna leaning into me, making both of us fall onto the bed with her on top of me.  We continued to caress each other, my cock still deep inside her, my hands still massaging her wings as well as her cutie marks, and we slowly but pleasantly fell asleep in each other’s embrace.

> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 22

I walked downstairs to the dining room to get some breakfast, dressed in some new pants and a new t-shirt.  Everypony else was already eating their breakfast.  As I went and sat down, Twilight asked, “So, what do you have planned for today?”
I was quiet as I thought about what I had today.  I then remembered what I said to Dash yesterday and said, “Well, I believe today I’m going to be Rainbow’s slave, and I have no idea what she is going to make me do.”
“I have a few ideas.” Said Luna, giggling.  Everypony else giggled along with her, even Spike and Dinky, whom I thought would be too young to understand it.  I just sighed and sat down and began my meal.  During the entire time, we had some idle chitchat, just talking about random things.  Well, they talked, I mostly listened, but I said a few things when necessary.  Once I finished eating, I said, “So, does anypony know where Dash lives?”
“Oh, I do, I do!” Said Dinky, jumping up in excitement.  I chuckled and asked, “Well then, care to show me?” 
Without another word, Dinky suddenly ran outside, leaving me to hurry on and put on my hoodie.  Before I left, I was able to take Dinky’s scarf as well, since she forgot to put it on.
I was able to follow her without much of a problem, since she wasn’t as fast as Applebloom was, but she still had me gasping for air once we reached our destination.  As I slowly caught my breath, I handed Dinky her scarf, which she took with a sheepish smile.  I grinned back, saying, “Next time, don’t forget your scarf, cause even ponies need to stay warm in this weather.”
“Yes, Daddy.” She said, wrapping the scarf around her neck.
“So, where is her house, cause I don’t see it anywhere.” I asked.  Dinky then pointed her hoof up.  I looked up, and what I saw was not only surprising, but breathtaking as well, for right there, up on the sky, was a house made up entirely of clouds.  The style was something that I would describe as Greek or Roman architecture, and there was even a rainbow waterfall.  I just stood there, my mouth gapping open, amazed at the entire scene.
“I know my house is awesome.” We turned around, and there was Rainbow Dash, hovering right behind us, a smug grin on her face.  
“How come you’re up so early, Dash?” Asked Dinky, a confused look on her face.
Dash continued to smile, saying, “I went to finish my job early, so that we could have the entire day off.  I hope your ready for a busy day, Slave.”
‘Well, this should be fun.’ “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I said, a nervous grin on my own face.
“Cool, now follow me!” Shouted Dash, and then she zoomed away, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.  I sighed again and said, “Well, I’ll see you later, Muffin.  I hope Dash isn’t a taskmaster.” Dinky giggled, and then we both left, Dinky heading back to the library, while I started to jog after Dash, too tired to run anymore.
After a minute of jogging, I came across a small clearing on top of a hill on the outside of town.  From here, I could see a good amount of Ponyville, all the way to Sweet Apple Acres.  As I reached the top, I noticed that Dash was already there (not surprising) along with another Pegasus.  I smiled as I recognized Scootaloo, and said, “So, what are you going to have me do, Dash?”
“Well, the first thing on our list is to practice out these new moves that I have been working on, and you’re here along with Scoots to watch me and judge on how I do.” I nodded, and with that, Rainbow suddenly zoomed up into the air, and began to do all sorts of different moves, from loops to barrel rolls, and even something that Scootaloo said was called the ‘Blazing Buccaneer’ (Which she also said wasn’t a new move, so I assumed that she was just showing off at this point).  While Dash was doing her tricks, Scootaloo also talked about the group called the Wonderbolts that I heard Dash mentioned from before, and from what I learned, they are a group of Pegasus that perform all sorts of aerial dynamic moves and are some of the most talented Pegasus flyers in Equestria.  After hearing about them, it was no surprise that Rainbow decided to try and join their ranks.  After a good ten minutes, Dash landed back down to earth and said, “So, what you guys all think?”
I was quiet for a while, my mouth hanging open, and then I said, “That was one of the most incredible things that I have seen since I got here.  I’m surprised that the Wonderbolts haven’t let you join them already.”
Dash blushed at this, saying, “Well, I’ve tried, but things always seem to go…astray, I guess.”
Before I could say anything else, Scootaloo shouted, “That was awesome, Rainbow Dash!  I think you were about 20% cooler than yesterday!”
“That’s what you said last time, silly.” Said Dash, scuffing up Scootaloo’s mane a little, causing the filly to giggle.  I smiled at the two, and said, “Out of curiosity, are you two sisters?”
Dash laughed at this, and then said, “Naw, were not, although everypony always thinks that, though I wouldn’t mind having a sister like Scootaloo.”
“Do you mean that, Dash?” Asked the orange filly, awe in her eyes.
“Of course, you’re like, one of the coolest fillies out there, and I mean it.” Said Rainbow, giving the filly a big hug, to which she responded in kind.  I just stood there, watching the two, a smile on my face.  I could see that they were both very happy with each other, the happiness just flowing from their eyes.  After a while, Dash stopped, and turning towards me, she said, “Well, now that we finished with all of that mushy stuff let’s go do some other stuff.  We still have a big day today.”




Turns out that she was right, for we didn’t finish until almost 7:00 PM, and we were almost done at that point, but we still had one last thing to do, and that was to pull a prank on a certain pink mare.  Her idea was to get a ton of snow on top of Sugarcube corner, lure Pinkie out, and then she would push the snow on top of the pony.  My job was to lure Pinkie out of the store, how I was suppose to do that, I had no idea, nor did Rainbow give me any help with it.
The bell ringed as I walked into the store.  I looked around, and there was Pinkie Pie, doing…something.  I quickly got the pink pony’s attention by shouting, “Hey, Pinkie!  I got something to show you!”
“OH!  Is it cupcakes?  I love cupcakes!” Pinkie was suddenly next to me, an excited look on her face.  I blinked in surprise, and then I shrugged, deciding to go with it.
“Uh…sure?” I said.  I proceeded to walk outside the store, Pinkie closely following behind me.  Once outside, I waved to Scootaloo, who signaled to Rainbow who was on the roof.  Once Dash noticed, she began to beat her wings at a fast pace, trying to blow the snow off.
Suddenly, Pinkie’s tail starts to twitch.  “Twitchy, twitchy!  Twitchy, twitchy!”‘ she began to shout.
‘Oh, I forgot about that.’ “It’s probably nothing, Pinkie.” I said, though the lie sounded bad even in my ears.
“No way, my Pinkie Senses-” she began to say, when suddenly, with a loud “Poof!” the snow fell on top of her, burying her completely.
Scootaloo began to laugh, along with Dash once she flew back down to us.  Admittedly, I laughed a bit too, since it was kind of funny.
“Hahahahahaha!  We got yea good, Pinkie!” Said Dash in between bouts of laughter.
“You sure did, Dashie.” We turned around, and there was Pinkie.  Before I could do anything, the pink pony suddenly pushed me into the snow pile, and I fell head first into it.  When I pulled my head out, I saw that all three of the ponies were now laughing at me.  I was quiet for a second, starting to get a little embarrassed with the situation that I was in, when an idea popped in my head.  Smiling, I said, “Hahaha, nice one, Pinkie, nice one.”
“I know, I was like ‘hi there’ and you were like ’what?’ and then I…” Pinkie began to say.  As she was talking, I was beginning to collect my magic in my hands, and picking up some of the snow behind them.  At this point, the only pony that noticed what I was doing was Scootaloo, and she was desperately trying to hold her giggles in.  Once I got enough snow above them, I released my magic, and let the snow fall on top of Dash and Pinkie, once again burying them.  A few seconds latter, both of the ponies popped their heads out, and looked at Scootaloo and I whom were both laughing to death.
“Hahahahaha!  Now that was good, right Scoots?” I said to the orange filly.
“It sure was, Dad.” She said in between giggles.  Everypony was suddenly quiet and looking at Scootaloo, who suddenly stopped laughing, realizing what she just said.  After a few second, I asked, “D-did you just call me dad?”
“Uh, n-no.  I said, uh…rad, you know, like it was rad…he…he.” The orange Pegasus said, blushing slightly.  We were all quiet for a little while, and even Pinkie seemed to be quiet for the moment, and then Dash said, “Well Drak, I think that is good enough for today.  I appreciate you doing all of this for me.”
“Yea, it wasn’t a problem.  I think I’m going to go back to the library, maybe I can read a little right now.” I said.  I then looked at Scootaloo, who was trying to leave the scene unnoticed.  “Hey, Scootaloo, you want to join me?”
Scootaloo jumped when she heard me, and slowly, she turned to me and said, “Well, I do, but…um…my parents need me for…um…something.”
“Are you sure that-” I began to say, when the filly said, “Oops-gotta-go-see-ya!” and then zoomed off.  I was quiet for a moment, and when I looked around, I noticed that everypony else had already left.  Shrugging to myself, I went to go back to the library.
Once I reached there, I noticed that Twilight was busy reading a book, which reminded me to read one as well.  I gave Twilight a hello, and then asked, “Hey, Twi.  You know any good books on the animals of the Everfree Forest?”
Twilight smiled at me, glad that I was finally going to read something, most likely.  “Yup, let me just get Spike.” She said, getting up to go get the baby dragon.  I waited a few minutes, and then Twilight came down, along with Spike, who seemed to be yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and while the purple unicorn went back to her reading, Spike went to the shelves to look for a certain book.  After a while, he came back with a big encyclopedia-like book entitled, ‘Creatures of the Deep, a guide to the creatures of the Everfree Forest.’  I thanked Spike, and before he left, I said, “Hey Spike, is it all right if I talk to you for a second?”
Spike froze where he was, and then he slowly turned towards me.  When I took a glance in his eyes, I noticed that there was some nervousness in them still; I assumed it was because he was still a little scared of me.  He slowly walked back to me and said, “Um, w-what do you want to t-talk about?”
“Oh, nothing in particular, just want to get to know you better, is all.  We really haven’t talked much since we first met, and I was hoping we could right now, if you don’t mind?” Spike shook his head, and so I asked, “So, how has it been, being Twilight’s assistant?”
“Oh, it’s pretty good, I like to think of her as my mom most of the time, you know?” He said.  I nodded, and then asked, “I heard that you’re going out with two of the Crusaders.”
He smiled at that, and seemed to lose some of his nervousness as well, before he began to talk about them.  It apparently happened after he tried to go out with Rarity, whom he had a crush on ever since he got to Ponyville.  Rarity, however, respectfully tried to decline the offer, saying that even though she thought that it was sweet of him to like her like that, she just wanted to stay friends.  Unfortunately, this didn’t make it any easier for Spike, and he began to get into a pretty nasty depression, not even eating his jewels that Twilight gave him (which I learned that dragons apparently love to eat, to keep their fires going strong, or something).  After a couple of weeks of him moping about, both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom came to the library, asking if they could talk to Spike.  Spike was quiet for the most part, while the two fillies tried to cheer him up.  It seemed to be working, for after a while, the baby dragon began to feel a lot better, and even started to join the Crusaders on his free time.  Eventually, he asked if Sweetie Belle would go out with him.  The unicorn filly thought that he was just asking her at first because she looked a lot like her sister, but when Spike confirmed that he really did like her for who she was, not for who she looked like, she said she would, on the condition that AB joined them as well and they formed a herd.  Spike agreed, and they have been dating ever since.
I listened throughout the entire story, and when he finished I asked, “So, you happy with the choice that you made?”
Spike nodded happily.  “Yup, I have never regretted my decision, and I never will.” He said, puffing his chest out a little with confidence.  I chuckled, saying, “Well, I’m glad that you do, for I do believe that those fillies really do love you.”
Spike nodded, agreeing with what I said.  We were quiet for a while, a comforting silence falling on us.  Then Spike said, “W-well, I have b-been thinking about…you know…expanding my herd.”
I raised an eyebrow at the purple dragon.  “Really?  Do the other two know about it?”
He nodded, the nervousness from earlier showing in his eyes again.  “Yea, they do, but they want me to ask the parents for permission first.  While they think that it will be a yes, I’m still nervous, you know.”
I nodded myself, understanding were he was coming from.  “I understand, it can be hard to ask them for permission to go out with their daughter.”
Spike nodded again, and we were quiet for a while, and then he said, “S-so, w-what s-should I d-do?”
“Well, honestly, I think you should just ask them.  First of, does the filly know about this?” He nodded.  “Then all you have to do is ask the parents, and all should be well, especially if the parents understand the situation, and the daughter is there as well.”
Once again, Spike was quiet, and then he slowly said, “Well, in that case…um…I…uh…I need to ask you something.”
For some reason, little bells started to ring in my head, like my subconscious knew what he was about to ask; yet my conscious didn’t.  “Go on.”
After another moment of silence, the dragon asked, “Well, the filly in question is…um…its…D-Dinky…”
I was quiet, absorbing what he just said.  As I was thinking, I finally figured out why he was so nervous about me.  It wasn’t just because he was scared of what I was; he was scared of what I might do if he told me what he said just now.  After a few moments of tense silence, with Spike nervously tapping his claws together, I said to Twilight, “Hey Twi.  Where’s Dinky?”
“She should be upstairs.“ She said, not even looking up from the book.  I nodded my appreciation anyways, and then began to go up stairs, Spike nervously following me.
Once I was upstairs, I opened the door to Dinky’s room.  Inside, I saw Dinky reading a book, the title on it said, ‘Daring Do and the Emerald Cup’.  Upon seeing me, she gained a big smile, and then her smile vanished when she noticed that Spike was with me, still with his nervous expression.
“Yes, Daddy, what is it?” she asked.  I stayed quiet for a while and then I asked, “I just what to ask what do you think of Spike?”
She was quiet for a moment, and I could see her golden eyes gain a worried look, so to comfort her, I said, “You two aren’t in trouble, I just want to know how you feel about him.”
After a few moments, the pink filly took a deep breath and finally said, “Well, I think he’s smart, funny, cool, and, well, all in all, a nice guy to hang out with, and when he asked me to join his herd, I got these little butterflies in my stomach, and I wasn’t sure what to say, for I do like him, but I really wanted it to be ok with you and Momma first, so…Can I join his herd?”
I stayed quiet, thinking about the entire situation.  I looked at Spike, who was still nervous, and then I looked at my daughter, who was just as nervous.  After a few more tense moments, I sighed, bend down on one knee, and said to Spike, “Listen here Spike.  I trust you, I really do, but I want my daughter to go out with the best that life can give her, and that means that she needs to go out with somepony that loves her.” As I spoke, the dragon began to gain a mournful expression, and Dinky said, “But Daddy-”
“Let me finish.” I said, interrupting my daughter.  She went quiet again, and I continued.  “So, Spike, what do you think of my daughter?”
Spike was quiet for a few seconds, and then he spoke, saying, “I really like your daughter, sir, and I really want her to join my herd, for I believe that I have the same feelings for her as well as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, but if you won’t let me-”
“Who said anything about not letting you?” I said, a sudden smile on my face.  Both Dinky and Spike looked at me, confusion in their faces, and then, Dinky said, “Y-you mean…I…I can…”
I nodded.  “Yup, you can join his herd, as long as you’re happy with your choice, then so am I.” At this, Dinky suddenly lunged at Spike, giving him a big hug, and Spike responded in kind, hugging her with equal affection.  I smiled at the show of emotions, and then I herd a certain voice from behind.
“Does my Muffin have a special somepony now?” I turned around, and there was Ditzy, along with Fluttershy, letting the grey Pegasus mare lean against her side for support.  I smiled at them and said, “Yup, I just said that it was ok by me that she could join Spike’s herd.  I hope you’re ok with this too.”
She nodded.  “Of course I’m ok with it!  I’ve been waiting for somepony to ask my little Muffin out, though I am surprised that it’s Spike.  Surprised, but not upset, cause I know that you will treat her with care.” She said, saying the last part to the dragon.  Spike nodded his thanks, and then said, “So, you want to go tell the others that your part of the herd now?”
Dinky nodded excitedly, and with that, both the dragon and the unicorn filly left the room to tell the other Crusaders about the good news.  Once they left, I turned my attention to the grey mare and asked, “So, you feeling any better, Ditzy?”
She nodded.  “Yup, thanks to Nurse Redheart, I’m feeling a lot better now.  I hope I didn’t worry you guys too much when I was gone.”
“Naw, though Dinky was worried at first, but then I told her that you would be fine, and she perked right back up.” I then looked at Fluttershy and asked, “So, what brings you here Flutters?”
The yellow Pegasus blushed slightly, and then said, “Am I not a-allowed t-to s-see my c-coltfriend for n-no r-r-reason?”
I smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the nose, saying, “Of course you can see me when ever you like, I was just curious is all.”
“Oh, w-well, I knew that you were busy fulfilling your promise to Dash, so I decided to help bring Ditzy back to the library.  W-we’re not b-bothering you, a-are we?”
“Of course not, I was just going to read a little when me and Spike began to talk, and well, I think you know where that led to now.” I said, chuckling slightly.  “It was actually pretty fun, helping out Dash, and Scootaloo even joined us as well.  We talked about a lot of things, and Scoots told me about the Wonderbolts, which for some reason sounds familiar to me.  I also asked Scootaloo to see if she wanted to hang out with me afterwards, but she said that her parents needed her for something.”
Fluttershy frowned at this and said, “B-but, Scootaloo is an orphan.  They both died when she was young, her mother from child birth, and her father when she was only 5 years old.”
When Fluttershy said this, I too gained a frown on my face, and then I asked, “Well, why would she lie to me then?”
We were all quiet for a while, trying to figure out the possible reasons for Scootaloo’s lying, but we came up with nothing.  After another few minutes of silence, I said, “Maybe we should just go and ask her?”
The Pegasai were quiet for a moment, and then they both nodded, Ditzy saying, “Well, I still need to rest for right now, but can you tell me what happens when you come back?”
I smiled and gave her a big hug, saying, “Of course, Ditzy, we’ll tell you everything that happens.” This made her smile, and she went to kiss me on the cheek, but I stopped her, saying, with a sad tone in my voice, “I would let you, but you’re still sick right now.”
Ditzy blushed, and then said, “W-well, actually, Nurse Redheart said that I wasn’t contagious anymore, so that, it’s ok to…you know.”
I smiled upon hearing this, and said, “Well, in that case, let me kiss you instead.” Before she could say anything, I gently placed my lips on her own.  She was surprised at first, and then she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of our lips once again flowing against one another.  After a good few seconds of kissing, we parted, and then, blushing, she said, “I can’t wait to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve with you, for I got something that I bet you will really like.”
I smiled at her.  “As long as I’m with you girls, then I’m content with whatever you girls give me.”  We all smiled, everypony happy with one another, and then Fluttershy and I both left to go and find Scootaloo.
Once we left, I asked Fluttershy, “So, you know where she lives?”
Fluttershy shook her head, saying, “No, but I bet I know somepony that does.”
We were quiet for the most part, neither of us saying a word.  As we walked into town, we saw all sorts of ponies getting ready for the upcoming holiday.  As we passed them, they would give us a friendly wave or nod in our direction, and we would respond in kind.  Thankfully I brought my hoodie with me, so I was able to keep the hood on, though there weren’t that many ponies outside to begin with, and I was starting to get used to the residents of Ponyville, for they were indeed a nice group of people…er…ponies.
After a minute of walking, we came across Carousel Boutique, and we found Spike and his herd mates currently decorating the building, under the careful eyes of Rarity, of course.  As we approached them, I noticed that Spike would every once in a while give a kiss to one of the little fillies, making them giggle slightly, and when he kissed Dinky, she blushed and kissed him back, making him blush as well, which in turn caused all of the fillies, including Rarity, to giggle at his embarrassment.
“Glad to see that everypony is getting along so well.” I said, getting their attention.
“Darling, it’s so nice to see you!  How are you this fine evening?” Asked Rarity, a smile on her face.
“Well, we were just wondering if one of the girls knew where Scootaloo lives.” Asked Fluttershy.  Rarity nodded her understanding, and then she said to the fillies, “Do any of you girls know were Scootaloo lives?”
They were all quiet for a few seconds, and then, Sweetie spoke up, saying, “W-well, she told me one time, b-but she made me Pinkie promise to not tell anypony, so…” I was quiet for a few seconds, and then I said, “Well, can you show me were she lives then?” The unicorn filly was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded, saying, “I guess I could do that.  Is it ok that I go help them, sister?”
“Of course, Sweetie, just come back in time for dinner, ok” Said Rarity, a smile on her face.
“Ok, Rarity!” Said Sweetie, a smile her face as well, and with that, she walked to us and said, “Just follow me.” And with that she began to trot towards the destination, with Fluttershy and I following close behind her.
It took us a couple of minutes, but eventually, we reached what looked like to be an abandoned house.  On the outside, I was able to tell that it would be only a single story house with one room most likely, no electricity and no plumbing; at least, I assumed that’s what it would be.  The walls were all rotten and falling apart, the windows were cracked, and part of the roof seemed like it was starting to cave in.  We approached the door, but before we could knock on it, we heard a soft noise coming from inside.  After a few seconds of silence, we heard it again, and I was able to recognize it as somepony crying.  Worried, I decided to forego knocking and just open the door, the rusty handles creaking as it opened.
What I saw inside might as well have broken my heart in two, for sitting inside the middle of the room, wrapped in a thin, worn out blanket, was Scootaloo, looking down at something that she was holding in her hooves, silently sobbing, the tears leaving trails across her face.  She seemed to also be wearing her scarf, which was understandable, since it didn’t seem as she had much of anything else to keep her warm: I could see her breath as if we were still outside, it was that cold.  I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like to live in such coldness, even if you were a Pegasus.
Apparently, Scootaloo didn’t hear us walk in, for she continued to stare at the item in her hooves, giving a little sob every once in a while, and when I got a closer look, I noticed that it was a photo of some sort.  In the photo was a picture of two ponies, one was a small orange Pegasus, who I assumed was Scootaloo, while the other one was a large black unicorn with a grey mane and tail, the cutie mark was a picture of a hammer and stone.  I assumed that the bigger pony was her dad.  As I was watching her, the orange filly began to speak, and I thought she was talking to us, but then realized that she was talking to herself, still not having noticed us yet.
“H-happy…h-happy H-H-Hearth’s Warming E-Eve…D-D-Dad.  I…I k-know t-that it isn’t t-time y-yet, b-but…I r-r-really n-needed to t-talk t-to y-you.  I…I-I w-wish that y-y-you w-were h-here with m-me.  I…I miss…m-miss y-you s-s-so m-much…*sniff*…you w-w-would be…p-proud of m-me…I t-think.  I-I’ve m-made lots of f-f-friends, and I e-even f-found somepony t-that is l-l-like y-you a b-bit.  His n-name is D-Drakalian, a-a-and he isn’t e-even a-a p-pony, b-but h-he…he s-s-still a-acts s-so m-much l-l-like you.  He’s understanding, k-kind, p-playful, and h-he even w-went s-skating w-with me l-like w-we used t-to…*sniff*…he’s…h-he’s just t-the n-nicest pony…or…h-human…t-that I’ve e-ever m-met, b-b-besides F-Fluttershy.  H-he e-e-even g-got Diamond and S-Silver t-to s-s-stop b-bullying me a-and m-my f-friends, a-and it w-w-was s-so c-cool t-to see h-him d-d-do that.  And…and a-after t-t-that, he…he joined m-me and m-my f-f-friends to go to Trixie’s t-to l-learn a-about magical t-tricks, y-you know…f-for our c-c-cutie m-marks.  You r-remember w-w-what you s-s-said, in the h-h-hospital, t-that I would f-find s-s-somepony that c-could be m-m-my new dad, b-before you…y-you k-know…*sniff*…well, I…I think t-that I m-might h-have found h-him.  I just…I j-just…I w-w-wish that…he could b-be my new f-f-father, but…I doubt he will a-accept me a-anymore-”
At this point, I had enough of this, and I decided to interrupt her.  “Why do you think that, Scoots?”
Scootaloo jumped high in the air from the sound of my voice, and when she turned around, the surprise was evident in her eyes, and I could see her shaking even more, and this time I didn’t think that it was from the cold.  Everypony was quiet for a few seconds, nothing but the wind from outside could be heard, along with the creaking of the house.  Finally, Scootaloo seemed to be able to recover a little from her initial shock, and instead became irritated, saying, “H-how d-d-did you f-find me?”
“Sweetie showed us.” I said simply.  At this point, Scootaloo noticed the white filly next to Fluttershy, and I could see the orange filly start to get angry with her friend.  “You said that you Pinkie-”
“She kept her promise, for she didn’t tell us were you lived, instead she showed us were you lived.” I said, once again interrupting her.  “And, for the record, even if she didn’t, I still would have gone looking for you, since I was worried as to why you lied to me about your parents.”
The Pegasus filly was quiet for a moment, and then she sighed, sitting down on the cold wooden floor again, her breath appearing in small clouds.  “Well, n-now you know t-that I’m an orphan, so now what?”
I was quiet for another second, and then I sighed myself, also sitting next to her on the cold floor.  “Well, I just want to know why don’t you think that I would take you as my own?”
Scootaloo once again gained her mournful expression, and looked back at the photo, saying, “Cause…you have Dinky now, and you wouldn’t want anypony else now.”
I was quiet again, mulling over what she just said.  Finally, I carefully placed a hand onto her shoulder.  Scootaloo looked up in surprise, her face still stained with her tears, and as she looked at me, I looked directly into her light lavender eyes, so that I could hold her attention, and said, “Scootaloo, you couldn’t be farther from the truth then you really are.  I love everypony with an equal amount of feelings, admittedly I love my herd mates and friends a bit more, but my point still remains.  These past few days, I have been thinking about you girls not only as some of my closest friends, but also a part of my new family, and even though Dinky is my daughter, I would love to have you as my own daughter as well, for you are smart, athletic, funny, and just so darn cute as well.  I guess what I’m saying is, will you let me adopt you to be my newest daughter?”
Scootaloo was speechless for a moment, unable to say any words, her mouth just gapping open.  “You…y-you r-r-really m-mean it?”
At this point, Fluttershy decided to join us, coming to sit down next to us as well.  “I would love to have you as a daughter as well, Scootaloo.” She said, a small smile on her face.
Once again, Scootaloo was quiet for a second, absorbing everything that was happening at the moment.  Finally, she lunged at both of us, grabbing us in a death hug; and we both hugged her back with equal affection.  After a minute of hugging, the filly finally released us slightly, enough so that she could see our faces, and said, “I w-would l-l-love t-to be y-your d-d-daughter, Drakalian.  A-and y-your daughter a-a-as well, F-Fluttershy.”
I smiled at this, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, making her giggle slightly, and said, “Welcome to the family, Scootaloo.”
“Thanks…Dad.” She whispered, tears of happiness starting to flow from her eyes.  Both Fluttershy and I smiled, and we all began to hug each other again, chasing the cold away from us, keeping ourselves warm in the broken down house.  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I decided that we needed to go back now, so I picked up Scootaloo, which caused the filly to squeal in surprise before she began to snuggle up against my chest, and the three of us began to leave the old house and to bring our newest daughter to her new home.
It was at this point that I realized that Sweetie Belle wasn’t with us anymore, and when I asked Fluttershy were she went, she said that she left when I was asking Scootaloo if she wanted to be my daughter, so I assumed that she went to spread the good news to everypony that she met.
After a few minutes, we eventually reached the library, Luna’s moon already high in the sky.  We opened the door, and inside, everypony had already begun their dinner.  As soon as we opened the door, everypony looked up at us, and upon seeing us, Ditzy asked, “So, I’m assuming that that everything went well?”
I smiled at the grey mare.  “You could say that.” I said, placing Scootaloo down so that she could join the others.
“So, is Scootaloo going to spend the night here?” asked Twilight, looking at the orange filly.  I nodded, saying, “Yup, tonight, and every other night as well.”
“What do you mean, Drak?” Asked Luna, a confused look on her face.
“Well, as of a few minutes ago, I decided, along with Fluttershy, to adopt Scootaloo into our family.” At this, everypony gained a surprise look, and turned to face the Pegasus filly, who was beginning to blush at all of the attention that she was getting.
Suddenly, Dinky ran next to Scootaloo and hugged her, saying, “YAY!  That means that were sisters now!” Scootaloo was quiet for a second, and then she looked back at me.  I just smiled at her, and motioned her to go with it, and so she hugged Dinky back as well.  We all stood there, just looking at the two fillies hugging each other, smiles on all of our faces, and when they separated, we all went to the table to have our dinner, with Scootaloo sitting next to me.  We all talked and had some idle conversation during our dinner, everypony just enjoying his or her meal as well as each other.  Once we all finished, we began to clean up, and after that, Spike then walks up to me, a nervous look on his face again.
“Um, Drak.  I was just wondering if, well…Applebloom invited Sweetie and I to go over to her house for a sleep over, and she wanted me to invite Dinky as well, so…” he then became quiet, unable to finish his sentence.  I smiled at him, knowing what he was going to ask, and said, “She can go with you, just as long as you behave nicely during the sleep over.  Oh, and also…” I said, bending down a little to look at him a bit closer, a serious look in my eyes.  “…Don’t go too far with anything either, got it?”
Spike gulped, and he began to shake a little.  I kept giving the stern stare for a few more seconds, and then, unable to hold it any longer, I burst out laughing, saying, “I’m just messing with you Spike, I trust that you will be on your best behavior.” Spike smiled at this, seeming to have calmed down a little.  He then motioned to Dinky to join him, and once she reached him, he told her that they were good to go.  She nodded, and with a final wave good-bye, they both began to head out to Sweet Apple Acres.  With that all settled, I decided that it was time for us to go to bed, and that was when I realized that we might be out of room.  When I mentioned this to Twilight, she said, “Don’t worry about that, anymore, for I was able to clear out a few of the rooms to make room for some of the others that might be joining us.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, for I was unaware that there were extra rooms in the library.  “Were did the extra rooms come from?”
She blushed at this, and then said, “W-well, I was using them to store some extra…stuff, you know, furniture and things like that.”
“She means that she stored all of the books that she finds in the extra rooms.” Said Luna, sneaking up on us, giving both Twilight and I a start.  When we calmed down, I noticed that Twilight was blushing even more now.  “Um, n-n-no, I d-don’t keep extra books, what kind of nerd would do that.” she said, laughing nervously.
I smiled at her, and said, “I don’t think it’s nerdy at all, and if it is, then I think that it’s pretty cool then.”
Twilight blushed even more at this, and said in a soft whisper, “Oh, w-well, t-thanks…I guess.”
We were all quiet for a second then, none of us saying anything to break the awkward silence, and then Luna said, “So, when are you going to ask him?”
Twilight then gave a Fluttershy worthy “Squeak!” and began to blush so much that her entire face turned red.  “Um, well…I…I-I’ll tell him when I’m ready, ok Luna?”  Luna just nodded, a look of disbelief on her face, and then she said, “You better, or else I’m going to have to tell him.”
“No!  I mean, I’ll tell him soon, ok?” Twilight said, nearly shivering in her hooves.  I began to get concerned for the purple unicorn, and bending down, I placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to make her blush even more, and said, “Would you like to tell me, maybe I could help.”
“Oh-would-you-look-at-the-time-gotta-go-night!” Said Twilight, and then she quickly ran up the stairs, leaving a Twilight shaped cloud in her wake.  I blinked in surprise, and then said, “I thought Pinkie was the only pony that could do that.” Which caused Luna to giggle.  At this point, the only ponies that were left downstairs were Scootaloo, Luna, and Ditzy, Fluttershy having already left to go and take care of her animals.  We were all quiet for a while, and then, I said, “Well, I hope that you girls don’t mind if I decided to sleep in my own bed for now, is that ok?” Thankfully, they all nodded, though Scootaloo seemed a little disappointed by the fact, but I was too tired to clearly notice.  At this point, we all decided to head upstairs and go to bed, each of us heading into our separate rooms, with Scootaloo taking Dinky’s room while she was at her sleepover.  Once in my room, I quickly got out of my clothing until I was only in my boxers, got under the covers, and started to relax as I fell asleep.
A little while later, I was woken up by somepony knocking on my door.  Yawning, I got up and went to open it, and what I saw surprised me.  Outside of my door was Scootaloo, and she seemed to be nervous of something.
“Um, hi, I was, uh…I had a bad dream and well…could I stay here with you, please?”
I was quiet for a second, looking in her eyes, and I noticed that she seemed to become more nervous upon mentioning her dream.  “Well, what was this dream about?” I asked.  She went quiet for a moment, and as I looked into her eyes, I noticed that she seemed to become even more nervous then before, but instead of being nervous of her dream, it seemed to me more like she was more nervous about…something else.
I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that she was lying, and I asked, “Scootaloo, are you lying to me?”
She froze for a second, and then with a sigh, she nodded, saying, “I just want to stay the night with you, cause…well…me and my other dad used to do that, and it made me feel…loved.”
I sighed, and then bend down to her level, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention, and said, “Scoots, you will always be loved here, never tell yourself otherwise, alright.  And I’m perfectly fine with keeping you company throughout the night if that is what you want, though I don’t see how it can be that hard to ask.”
“Well, I just don’t want to sound like…some sort of sissy, I guess.”
“Scoots, you’re not a sissy, I think that you’re one of the most courageous fillies out there, and I mean that.”
She looked at me, awe in her eyes.  “You really mean that?”
I smiled.  “Of course, now, how about we get some shut eye, ok?” She nodded, and we proceeded to go back to the bed.  We crawled under the covers, and Scootaloo immediately snuggled up next to me.  I smiled, and gently placed an arm around her, making her give a small sigh of happiness.  As we were lying there, Scoots said, “Hey, Drak.  Thanks for understanding me.”
“Hey, it’s what I do best.” I said, smiling at her.  I then gave her a kiss on the forehead, saying, “Now, goodnight, sweet filly of mine.”
“Night…Dad.” She whispered, giving me a small kiss on the cheek.  With our good nights said, we both closed our eyes, and slowly, we once again began to drift off to the dream realm.
> Chapter 23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 23

“Awe, isn’t that just the cutest thing that you ever saw?” I heard as I was waking up from my slumber.  I could feel soft fur in front of me and in my arms, and then I remembered that Scootaloo was sleeping right next to me.  With a yawn, I opened my eyes, and noticed that Scoots and I were not alone anymore.
Standing right next to our bed was Luna and Twilight, adoring smiles on both of their faces.  I smiled back at them, and said in a low tone to avoid waking the sleeping orange filly, “Morning, girls, any reason why you’re in my room?”
Luna nodded, saying, “Well, long story short, I have been summoned back to Canterlot by my sister to deal with some royal matters that have turned up, and also, she has requested that you come as well.”
I raised an eyebrow at that, saying, “Why does she want me?”
“I’m assuming that she has some feelings for you, too.” Said Luna.  I blinked in surprise, not fully comprehending what she said to me, and said, “I’m sorry, I must be more tired then I thought, for I could have sworn that I heard you say that your sister has a crush on me.”
However, Luna nodded, saying, “That is exactly what I’m saying, though I don’t think that she fully knows it herself yet.”
Now I was really confused, for I already had one of the Princesses in my herd, but to have two, I was left speechless, my mouth hanging open.  I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just said nothing.  The two ponies noticed this, and they became worried at my expression.
“What’s wrong, Drak, aren’t you excited about having my sister want to join our herd too?” Asked Luna, concern showing in her eyes.
“Well, its just that, I’m not sure how I feel about having your sister join us as well, I mean, you’re already in our herd, so…” I said, trying to explain my reasoning.
Twilight cocked her head to the side, a confused look on her face.  “That doesn’t’ sound like a good reason, Drak.”
I opened my mouth to try and defend myself again, and then closed it, for then I realized that I really didn’t have a good reason for her to not join our herd.  I stayed quiet for a while, just thinking about everything that they had said to me so far.  After a few more moments of complete silence, I slowly nodded to myself.  “I guess you girls are right.” I said.  “I really don’t have a good reason for not having her to join our herd.  However, are the others ok with this?”
Luna smiled when I said that I would agree to it, and she said, “Why don’t you ask them, they’re all waiting for you downstairs.”
I blinked in surprise, and then I said, “Wait, everypony is downstairs?”
“Well, our friends and your herd mates, at least.  Except for Trixie.  I think she is still in the hospital at the moment” Said Twilight.  I nodded my understanding, and then said, “Well, might as well get up now.” And with that, I gently nudged Scootaloo from her slumber, saying, “Hey, Scoots, time to get up now.”
Scootaloo mumbled something, and then she rolled over, saying, “Five more minutes.”
“Come on, Scootaloo, we got pancakes downstairs.” Said Twilight.  At the mention of food, Scootaloo was immediately up, saying “Pancakes?”
I chuckled, saying, “Well, that’s what Twilight said, so I’m assuming that there are pancakes.  You hungry?”
“Starving.” She said, a smile on her face.  She then proceeded to jump out of the bed, but before she left the room, she turned towards me, and said, “Um, t-thanks for staying the night with me…Dad.”
I smiled at her, and said, “Hey, it wasn’t a problem, Scoots, I enjoyed keeping you company.” Scootaloo blushed at my comment, and then she went downstairs to enjoy her meal.
I sighed, and then turned to the other two ponies in the room, and said, “Alright, I’ll see what the others think of this first, and then I’ll think on what to do next, ok?” they both nodded, and with that, I got out of bed and got dressed as they both went downstairs to eat as well.
Once downstairs, I saw that everypony was downstairs, and this included my marefriends as well as my other friends.  The only pony that I didn’t see was Pinkie Pie, and I thought that was fine by me, since there is only so much craziness I can take from the pink pony.  I took my place at the table, and then AJ asked, “So, partner, you goin’ ta ask another Princess to join our herd?”
I was quiet for a few seconds, looking at all of them, and then I said, “I guess, but first I want to know if it’s alright with the rest of you girls, ok?”
They were all quiet for a second, looking at each other, and then they turned towards me and nodded.  I was quiet for a few seconds, and then I sighed, saying, “Well then, I guess it’s just up to Celestia herself if she wants to join or not”
“Yay!  That means I get two Princesses as my aunties now!” Shouted Dinky in joy, jumping in the air excitedly.  I couldn’t stay upset after something like that, so I chuckled, saying, “Well, if she says yes, Muffin, then you will.”  Everypony smiled as well, and then we all began to eat our breakfasts.
As we were finishing, Luna said to me, “Oh, by the way, Twilight wants to ask you something.” At this, the purple pony herself froze, and she slowly turned to Luna, saying, “I told you, I’ll say it when I’m ready.”
“Well, I think that you’re ready now.” Said the Princess of the Night.  Everypony was quiet in anticipation, waiting for Twilight to say what she wanted to say, and then, slowly, she mumbled something, but it wasn’t audible to the rest of us.  I leaned in, and said, “Um, can you repeat that?”
“I…uh, I-I w-w-want to j-j-join your herd, Drak.” She said, still in a low, but this time hearable tone.  I blinked in surprise, and then I realized that this was what she wanted to tell me last night, and that it must have taken a lot of courage to tell me just now, especially in front of all of my other herd mates.  I took a quick look around, and surprisingly, everypony didn’t seemed as surprise as I was.
“Well, it’s about time, partner.  Ah was wondering when you were going to join us.” Said AJ, a big smile on her face.  I looked at the others, and I noticed that they all had smiles on their faces.  I was confused for a second, and apparently, so was Twilight.
“W-what do you mean, AJ?” Asked the unicorn librarian.
“It was obvious that you had some feelings for Drak, darling, we could all tell that it was a matter of time before you finally asked him yourself.” Proclaimed Rarity.
“Indeed, though if you had waited any longer, then I would have told him myself.” Said Luna, a smug grin on her face, making Twilight blush even more.
“Plus, you’re not the best at keeping a secret for long.” Said Dash, a smug look on her face.
We were all quiet for a while, none of us saying a word, and then Lotus said, “Well, Drak, are you going to accept her, knowing that the rest of us girls are ok with it?”
I was quiet again, looking at all of the ponies in the room.  They all were looking at me, waiting with anticipation.  Finally, I said, “Well, I would, Twi, I really would, but I don’t know if I feel the same way with you.  I’m sorry.” At this, Twilight gained a mournful expression, as well as the others in the room.  Finally, Fluttershy was the one to break the silence.
“W-well, w-what if y-you kissed her?  If y-y-you feel the same thing that you felt by kissing us, then would you let her join?” I was quiet again, thinking about what Fluttershy just said.  She did have a point, so far, with all of my marefriends I have felt those so-called fireworks going off, and I always fell for them afterwards.
I shrugged, saying, “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to try.  You ok w-”
Before I could finish my sentence, Twilight suddenly jumps on me, making me topple to the ground.  I grunted as I hit the ground, but before I could say anything, I could feel the fireworks beginning to go off, and when I opened my eyes, I noticed that the purple unicorn was already kissing me, her eyes tightly shut.  I was stunned for a second, and then my instincts took over, and I began to kiss her back.  Everypony was quiet in the room, looking at the two of us kissing each other.  I then felt Twilight slip her tongue into my mouth, and I began to caress her muscle with my own.  We stayed like this for I don’t know how long, but every second of her heavenly touch was amazing.  Even though I loved the feeling of Twilight’s lips on my own, I was starting to get a little light headed, and after another good while, I heard somepony say, “Twilight, he needs to breath!”
Immediately, I felt her lips leave my own, and as soon as she did, I began to gasp for air.  As soon as I began to breath normally, I looked at Twilight and noticed that she had a very big blush on her face.
“I…I’m so sorry Drak, I just…I just had to try and, well, see if I felt anything.” Said Twilight, a nervous look on her face.
“Well, did you, feel anything?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath.
The purple unicorn was quiet for a while, and then she slowly nodded.  I smiled at this and said, “Good, cause I definitely felt the fireworks as well.”
Everypony was quiet for a moment, not daring to say anything, and then, slowly, Twilight spoke.
“S-s-so, I can…I can join your herd?”
I smiled and nodded, saying, “I would love you to join our herd, Twi.”
Twilight was quiet for a while, and then she gently gave me a hug, and I hugged her back with an equal amount of affection.  All of my other marefriends looked on at us, all with smiles on our faces.  After a few seconds, Luna cleared her throat, and when we separated from our hug, she said, “While I’m glad that Twilight is part of our herd now, we still need to go and get my sister to join as well.” I nodded, and then looked back at my newest herd mate, and she looked back at me, and I could see the happiness and love flowing through her dark amethyst eyes.  I smiled, and then said, “Ok, Luna, but first, I need to do one more thing.”
Before anypony could say anything else, I brought Twilight back into another passionate kiss.  Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she slowly closed her eyes.  We stayed there like that for a while, and then we heard somepony clearing their throat.  We separated, and when we looked to see where the noise came from, we were surprised to see Trixie standing in the doorway, not wearing her usual hat and cloak.
No pony said anything while Trixie stood there, her face was unreadable to me, and then, the azure unicorn slowly walked towards us, and when she was right next to us, she stopped, and looked at both of us silently.
“So, Twilight Sparkle’s in the herd?” She asked.  I nodded.  “I understand that you and Twilight have some bad blood between the two of you, but is their any way that you both could forgive each other?” I asked, concern in my voice.
“I’m willing to forgive what happened between us if you are, Trixie.” Said Twilight, approaching the magician pony.  Trixie was quiet, apparently thinking hard on what she said.  After a few painstakingly long moments, she nodded, and said, “Trixie forgives you, as long as you can teach Trixie a few things about magic casting, since…since I only know simple tricks and illusions.”
Twilight was quiet, and then she nodded.  “I would love to teach you some things, Trixie.  You can learn them during Drak’s classes, if you want to.” She said, extending her hoof in a friendly gesture.
“Trixie accepts!” Exclaimed Trixie, placing her hoof next to Twilight’s and shaking it, making everypony smile.  Once that was done, I asked, “So, Luna, when are we leaving?”
“We’re leaving right now, for she wants us there as soon as possible.” Luna said.  I nodded and went to get my stuff ready.  For my second trip to Canterlot, I decided to bring some extra clothing, my hoodie (obviously), and my bag of bits, leaving my weapons here since I doubt that I would need them.  When I came back down from packing, I noticed that everypony was already gone, and the only ones here were Luna and Trixie.
“So, what are you going to do today, Trixie?” I asked the azure unicorn.  The unicorn blushed at this, and then she said, “W-well, remember that you promised me that I could hang out with you before, but it kind of got…canceled.” I nodded.  “Well, I was wondering if I could come and join you in Canterlot.  I just…I really want to get to know my hero more, you know?”
I smiled, and gave her a kiss on the nose, which made her blush.  “I would love to have you join us, as long as Luna is ok with it.”
“She already asked me, and I said that it’s fine.  Also, I told her about Celestia possible joining our herd.” Said Luna.
I hesitated when she mentioned Celestia again.  “Yea…about that.  Are you sure you’re ok with your sister joining us?”
“Of course I am, in fact, I very much hope that she does join us.” She said.  I thought about it for a second, and then, shrugging, I said, “Well, I guess I just need to see if I feel the same way, and then we will see what happens from there.”
They nodded, and with that, I began to head for the door to the library.  When I reached it, I noticed that they didn’t follow me, so I stopped and said, “I thought you said that your sister wants us as soon as possible?”
Luna nodded.  “She does, so we are going to teleport there.”
I raised an eyebrow in disbelief and then I remembered that I now lived in a world of magic, so it shouldn’t be that hard to believe in teleportation.  I just shrugged, and I noticed that Trixie seemed to be holding something back, and when I took a closer look, I noticed that she was trying hard not to giggle.
“Well, I forgot I lived in a world of magic, ok.  Everypony forgets things every once in a while.” I said, a slightly pained expression on my face.  Needless to say, Trixie was unable to hold in her laughter, and she began to laugh her heart out, tears of laughter pouring out of her eyes.  I just sighed, and then turned towards my other marefriend and asked, “So, how does this teleport stuff work?”
“Well, first off, I need you to take a hold of me.” She said, extending her wing slightly.  I nodded, and went to gently grab her wing.  When I took hold of it, though, I saw Luna shiver slightly.  I was confused, and then I noticed that I was holding Luna’s wing by her g-spot, and I quickly switched my grasp closer to her wing tip.
“He, he…sorry.” I said, giving a sheepish grin.  Luna raised an eyebrow, and then gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying, “Next time, warn me when you do that.”
I blushed at her comment, and then, with me ready, and Trixie holding onto Luna’s other wing, I saw her horn glow, and then a big flash of light.
The next thing I know, we are inside the main chamber were we first met the Princesses.  I suddenly felt very sick, and I bend down, trying not to throw up.  Trixie was immediately by my side, a worried look on her face
“You ok, Drak?” she asked, concern in her eyes.  I tried to speak, but I then felt another wave of nausea rock me, and I doubled over, groaning in pain.
“Oh, I forgot to mention, first time teleports sometimes make the pony…or human, in your case…have a slight bout of nausea.  It should go away in a few seconds, though.” I slowly nodded, and I could indeed feel the sickness starting to fade away.  I then heard another voice speak.
“Lulu, what did you do to Drakalian?” I looked up, and noticed that Celestia was bending her head to stare right back at me, her pink eyes seeming to pierce my very soul.  I was speechless for a second; for at that moment, I could see that she indeed had strong emotions for me, but, going by what Luna said, I’m assuming that she didn’t quite notice it herself.  I then also realized that I was only inches away from the Sun Princess’s lips, and blushing, I quickly got myself up, dusting my knees and clearing my throat, saying, “Oh, hi, Celestia, I, uh…I didn’t see you there.  I hope we’re not intruding on anything.”
Celestia giggled, and said, “No, you're not, Drak, though I do have my nephew that I’m going to be meeting shortly, so you’re welcome to stay and meet him, if you like.”
I was quiet for a moment, and then I said, “I guess I can.  Is he this Blueblood that Luna told me about?” Both of the Princesses nodded.  “Well, I can now see if what Luna said was true, then.”
Celestia cocked her head to the side, a confused look on her face.  “What was it that she told you?”
“She said that he isn’t exactly the worlds nicest pony.”
Celestia sighed, and then she said, “True, but he is my nephew, and, well, it can be hard to try and correct him, sometimes.”
I nodded my understanding.  “Well, I’ll just see what he’s like when he gets here.”
“When who gets here?” We all turned around to the voice, and standing by the doorway was a white unicorn with a blonde mane and tail.  He appeared to be wearing the top part of a tux with a purple bowtie and a rose tucked to the side of his tux as well, and his cutie mark was a picture of a yellow and blue star.
“Well, speak of Discord.” Whispered Luna, her eyes narrowing a little.  I took a glance at Trixie, and noticed that she seemed to be hiding behind Luna, shivering slightly.
“Hello, my nephew, I’m glad that you could join us today.” Said Celestia, a small smile on her face, though it seemed to be a little forced.  The unicorn, now known as Prince Blueblood, simply stared at me, his eyes giving me a once over, a look of disgust could be seen in his eyes, and I could already tell that he didn’t like what he saw.  After a few seconds, he slowly walked up towards us, however he stopped a good few feet away from me, though I thought it was best that he did so anyways.
“And what is this mutated…thing, Auntie?” He asked in a regal like tone, disgust in his voice.  I raised an eyebrow at that, but decided to keep my mouth shut for the moment.  Before Celestia could say anything, Luna spoke first.
“This ‘mutated thing’ that thou speakests of happens to be our coltfriend, Blueblood, and we doth hope that thou respects him as such.” She said, slipping into her old accent, a hint of annoyance in her voice.  Blueblood, however, simply ignored her, and turning to the Sun Princess, asked, “So, Celestia, why did you invite me here?”
Celestia hesitated, and then said, “I invited you here because I wanted you to meet the newest member of the family.”
The unicorn raised his eyebrows in disbelief.  “Surely, you jest, auntie, for I could never accept such a horrid monstrosity into our family.”
“I’m not exactly too thrilled myself after seeing what I’ll have as a relative.” I said, unable to hold myself back any longer.  Everypony was deathly quiet, the silence so thick that you could cut it with a knife.  After a few tense moments, I heard a small giggle, and turning around, I noticed that Trixie was apparently trying hard not to laugh at what I just said.
Unfortunately, Blueblood heard this as well.  “Who else is here?  Show yourself!” He demanded.  Trixie froze when he said that, and then, slowly, she stepped out from behind Luna.  Once she was in view, the white unicorn’s eyes went wide eyed, and he said, “What is that criminal doing here, Celestia?  Shouldn’t she be in jail for what she has done?”
“I have already pardoned Trixie for the crimes that she has committed a long time ago, and it would also be rude of me to place one of Drakalian’s herd mates into a dungeon.”
“Drak-who’s herd mate?” said the unicorn, cocking his head slightly to the side in confusion.
“That would be me.” I said, trying to keep myself calm.  Thankfully, years of martial arts training helps with your self-control, though this ‘Prince’ was starting to test my patience.
“Oh, so you started a herd, instead of doing what a proper pony should, huh?” he said, a look of disgust in his eyes.  I just stood there, arms crossed, not saying a word.  “Well, if there is nothing else that needs to be done, I need to go and see if that old fool did what I requested of him to do and fire those ponies at the mailing department.” He said, before he turned and began to walk away.  However, when he mentioned the mailing department, something inside my head clicked, and I said, “What a minute, what ponies did you tell him to fire?”
Blueblood paused for a second, and then he turned towards me, saying in a smug voice. “Well, I may have told the old stallion that his business would go out of commission and be replaced by a more reliable one if he didn’t fire some of the ponies there.  Let’s see, if I recall, the ponies that I told him to fire were Trusty, Hazel Eye, Rusty, Derpy Hooves, Flint Lock, Jagged-”
“Wait, you’re the one that got Ditzy fired?” I said, my anger starting to rise in heat, but I brought it down again, knowing that it wouldn’t be good to hit him, even if I did want to.
He cocked his head to the side again, this time in amusement, and then said, ”Well, most ponies call her Derpy, cause of her eyes.  They’re just so ridiculous, I mean, she’s always crashing into things anyways, and I had to clean up after her more then once, which was just a pain in my flank, do pardon my language.  Also, she is just such an ugly Pegasus, she puts the name of those ponies to shame, with her messed up eyes, and that daughter of hers, I mean, she should be happy for what that unicorn did to her in Manehattan, even if she did get pregnant with a filly, for no pony in their right mind would even think about going out with her.  In my honest opinion, what that unicorn did was a merciful thing to do, though it just pains me that I was unable to personally congratulate him before he died.  Such a shame, for I even knew that unicorn before he got-”
At this point, I couldn’t take it any more, and I quickly gathered as much energy into my hands as I could, lifted Blueblood into the air, and then slammed him to the wall.  The unicorn gasped as he made contact with the wall, the air getting knocked out of him, and then he sank towards the ground as I released my hold onto him.  He slowly got up, gasping for air as I approached him.  Once I got to where he landed, I took a hold of him by the neck with both hands, and slowly raised him up, my hands still glowing red, the magical current flowing hotly through me.  I stared at him, trying to get all of my emotions my hate, anger, and rage, to show through my eyes.  It seemed to work, for when he looked at me, I could see him begin to shake with fear, his eyes staring back into mine, unable to look away.  I was quiet for a few seconds, and then, I spoke to him in a low voice full of my rage.
“What that pony did to my Ditzy was unacceptable at the highest of levels, and the fact that you want to personally thank him…that just sickens me.  What kind of pony in their right mind would even think about another with such ignorance and such uncaring emotions?  The fact that you’re actually related to two of Equestria’s Princesses makes it even worse.  I hope, no, I pray that one day, you will find yourself without a home, no bits, no anything, and that somepony comes up and treats you like how you treated others, for only then would true justice be served.”
After my ranting, I was unable to hold onto my spell any longer, my hands ceased their glowing, and I slowly lowered him onto the floor.  I could see the disbelief in his eyes, the fact that, at least, how I thought he saw it, some low life actually touched him, actually talked to him in such a fashion, the shear anger that he saw in my eyes, made him speechless, making him only capable of just opening and closing his mouth in horror.  I stared at him for a few more seconds, letting the message sink in, and then I said, “Now, I want you to leave, and if I ever see you treating somepony badly, then prince or no prince, I will give you something to truly be afraid of.”
Blueblood was quiet for a moment, and then, he slowly got up and began to stagger towards the door.  Before he left, though, he turned back to face me, anger in his eyes, and said, “You have any idea what I could do to you, you filthy animal?  I could make the rest of your life here a living hell, coltfriend of the Princess or not, and there will be nothing that you could do!  Now, I might be willing to forgive you if you start to beg for your life, maybe even give me a few bits as a start of your-”
I ignored the rest of what he said, shocked that he could still be like this, even after what I just did to him.  Unable to contain myself anymore, I began to take a deep breath to tell him to get lost, but when I opened my mouth, something unexpected happened.
“I SAID LEAVE NOW!” I shouted, the vibration of my voice literally shaking the entire room to the very core.  Blueblood took a few steps back, a shocked look in his eyes, and then, without another word, he shakily left the room, leaving me to deal with three very shocked ponies.
I looked at the two Alicorns and the unicorn, afraid of what I might see, and what I saw was what I expected.  All three of the ponies had shocked expressions on their faces, and I didn’t blame them, for I did just assault a royal member of the family, and even if I am Luna’s coltfriend, I knew I would receive dire consequences.
I sighed, and then slowly approached the two monarchs.  I kept walking until I was in front of them, keeping my head down to avoid eye contact.  “So, mind telling me were the dungeons are?”
There was silence for a good while, and then Luna finally broke the silence.  “W-w-why do you want to go to the dungeons, Drak?”
“Well, I did just assault a royal member of the family, so I assume that I would be arrested for my actions.”
“But what he said was cruel, and it was understandable that you acted how you did.”
“While it might be understandable, it is still unacceptable, and I still expect something to correct my actions.”
Luna was finally quieted, unable to think of anything else to say.  I then looked to Celestia, who was quiet the entire time I was talking with her sister, thinking about everything that has been said so far.  As she was thinking, I took a moment to look at Trixie, and I noticed that she seemed to have recovered quickly from her initial shock of what has happened.  She looked at me, and I could see the worry in her eyes, so I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it didn’t even make me feel reassured, for I had no idea what Celestia might do to me.  I looked back at the Sun Princess, waiting for my judgment.  Finally, after what felt like a century, I saw a slight flash of emotions go across her eyes, but it was so brief that I thought it was just the light playing tricks on my eyes.
Celestia looked back at me, and I noticed that she was trying to make eye contact with me.  Something told me that I shouldn’t look away like I normally do, so I held my place, looking back into her eyes.  After a few seconds of both of us looking at each other, she finally spoke.
“While what my nephew did was unacceptable, what you did was just as bad as what he did, and I do believe that you should indeed be punished for what you did.  However, instead of a dungeon sentence, I suggest that I keep an eye on you for the rest of the day while my sister handles the royal affairs of today.  Is this acceptable to you?”
I didn’t even think about my answer, for anything would be better then staying in the dungeons for an unmarked period of time.  “I gladly accept, Celestia.  You truly are too kind to me.”
The white Alicorn blushed at this.  “Well, I don’t know about that…”
“I have to agree with my sister, Drak, for I believe I know why she decided to ask you out instead of just placing you in the dungeon.” Said Luna.  Celestia blushed at her younger sister’s comment, and it took me a second to figure out what she meant by that, and when I did figure it out, I too blushed.
Trixie didn’t quiet understand what was going on, however, and she asked, “What do you mean, Luna?  Wasn’t your sister just being nice?” Luna bent down and whispered something into the unicorn’s ear, which caused Trixie to blush as well once she was told.
“I was just giving him an ultimatum, nothing more, Lulu.” Said Celestia, her blush still on her face.
“We knowest that thou was asking thy on a date.  You just don’t knowest yet.” Said Luna, slipping into her old accent once again, causing her sister to blush even more.  We were quiet for a few more seconds, and then, I decided to break the awkward silence.
I cleared my throat to get everypony’s attention.  I smiled at Celestia and said, “Well, be it an ultimatum or a date, I still would love to hang out with you for the day, Celestia.”
Celestia was quiet for a while, and then she slowly nodded.  “J-j-just l-let me g-g-get myself r-r-ready.” She said, blushing, before she began to quickly exit the room.
We were quiet for a while, no pony saying a word, and then, Luna said, “Told you that my sister likes you, Drak.”
I just shrugged, too tired to say anything else due to all of the activity that has happened so far.  “So, what do we do now?“




I waited by the castle entrance, with two of the guards there to keep a watchful eye on me, since this was supposed to be my ‘punishment’.  While I waited, I began to think about my feelings for Celestia.  I have to admit, having two Princesses in my herd would be…awesome, to say the least, but I wasn’t one to brag about my skills or status, like a particular Prince.  I could also tell that she indeed liked me, but if she would join our herd, then I would like for both of us to be in love, not just her.  As I was deep in thought, I began to get sidetracked, and started to listen in on the guard’s conversation.
“While I think that Celestia made a good decision, I still think that she should have sent him to the dungeon for a good few days.” Said the first guard, a brown Earth pony.
“Why would you think that?  I think that the human did good, what Prince Blueblood said to him was definitely uncalled for, and he had every right to do what he did.” Said the other guard, a tan Pegasus.
“And how would you know?  I heard from one of the other guards that he threatened to kill the Prince, and even if he is a…well, prick, no pony should threaten another one in such a fashion.”
“You weren’t the one waiting outside the throne room when it happened.  I was able to hear a bit about what they were talking about.  I believe it had something to do with the fact that Blueblood somehow fired somepony that was close to the human.”
I decided to interrupt them at this point to correct them.  “Close.  It was actually one of my marefriends.  And I didn’t threaten to kill him, just to severely scare him, maybe injure him a little, though I would have preferred not to, even if he is a prick.”
Both of the guards looked at me for a second, neither of them saying anything.  Then, the Earth pony spoke.
“Well, do you regret doing what you did to him?”
I hesitated for a few seconds, unsure on what to say.  Before I could say anything, however, all three of us were interrupted.
“Whether he regrets it or not, I would appreciate it if the two of you would concentrate on your duty rather then in other ponies business.” We turned to the voice, and there stood Celestia, an eyebrow up in what looked to be slight amusement.
“Yes, Princess Celestia.” The said in unison, before they went back to silently staring at the empty space ahead of them.  I was quiet for a few seconds, and then I asked Celestia, “So, what will we be doing today, Celestia?”
“Well, I was hoping that we could go to the market for a while, since I would like to see how all of the decorations are going.”
I shuddered for a second, for I still knew how crowded it was there, and I wasn’t looking forward to going to a place that would have a lot of ponies in such a small area.  Celestia noticed this, however, and she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that we stay clear of most of the crowded spots.”
I took a big sigh of relief and said, “I appreciate that.  So, if you're ready, Tia?” The white Alicorn blushed a little when I called her by her nickname, and I even caught the guard’s snicker slightly as well, but she didn’t seem to notice it, or if she did, she choose to ignore it.  With a slight nod, she began to walk towards the market, with me following close behind her, putting my hood up, just in case.
As we walked, I once again began to see if I had any feelings for the Sun Princess, glancing at her a few times.  She was beautiful, that was obvious, but to me, the looks were only half of what I looked in for a woman…or, mare, whatever.  I already knew that she was a very wise and capable mare, which I did like, but I also like a mare that had a lot of emotions to them, and while I didn’t want one that was too clingy, I still like to help others with their problems, so that was something to look for as well.  As I was thinking about this, I noticed out of the corner of my eyes a wine stall, and remembering what I promised to Luna a couple of nights ago, I quickly got Celestia’s attention and said, “If you don’t mind, Celestia, could we go to that stall for a second, please?  I need to get something for Luna that she would like for a Hearth’s Warming Eve gift.”
Celestia nodded her agreement, and we both went to the wine stall.  Once we were there, the pony behind the stall, which was a brown unicorn stallion with bright orange mane, notice us walk to him, and when he saw the Princess of the Sun, he went to take a bow, but Celestia stopped him before he could, saying, “Please, there is no need to bow down to me, we are just customers right now.”
The stallion paused for a moment, and then, nodding, he said, “So, what is it that you are looking for?”
“There is this wine that I was hoping to get my special somepony for Hearth’s Warming Eve, and I was wondering if you had it.  I believe it is called… Cabernet Sauvignon.” I said.
The pony was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded and said, “Yes, I do have that, but it is quiet expensive, 75 bits I believe.”
I sighed, knowing that it would be too expensive for me right now, since I already spent most of my bits on Ditzy’s present, and said, “Oh, well, thanks for telling us anyways.”  I went to leave, but stopped when I noticed that Celestia wasn’t following me, and confused, I asked, “Aren’t you coming, Celestia?”
She was quiet for a while, looking intently at the small rack behind the stallion, and I noticed that she was looking at the wine in question.  After a few more seconds of silence, she said, “I’ll take two, please.”
The stallion nodded, and took two of them from behind the stall, and then said, “That will be 150 bits please.” The Alicorn nodded, and floated some bits from behind her mane onto the counter.  I raised an eyebrow in confusion, and then realized that they need to put their money somewhere, so I guess the mane would work.  Celestia then took her purchase, and began to walk up with me.  As she passed me, she lifted one of the bottles out of the bag and levitated it towards me.  Confused, I slowly reached out for it and took it out of the magic field, saying, “Um, any reason why?”
“Because my sister deserves to have a great Hearth’s Warming Eve, just like everypony else, and just because you don’t have enough bits shouldn’t be an excuse, so I thought that I might as well buy it so that you could give it to Luna.“
I was quiet for a second, stunned that she would do something like that, and then I asked, “Well, that makes sense, but why did you buy the other bottle.”
At this, she gave a small, shy smile, saying, “Well, I thought that after our tour around the market, we could just hang out in my room for a while and…enjoy ourselves…if that’s alright, that is.”
I raised an eyebrow once again in amusement this time, and then, realizing what she just said, she quickly said, “I-I mean…um, j-just to talk, t-t-that’s all, really.  I uh…just h-have a f-few questions to ask you, t-that’s all.”
I chuckled a little, and said, “Don’t worry, I understand, it was just a little amusing to me, is all.”
Celestia nodded, saying, “Well, I’m glad that you do understand.”
I nodded my agreement, and then I did something that I didn’t expect myself to do; I leaned in and gave a kiss to Celestia on her cheek, in front of a huge crowd, but for some reason, this didn’t stop me from doing what I did, which in turn caused me to blush, along with the Princess.  I continued to blush furiously and I pulled down on my hood to cover up my face, as well as the huge blush that was forming on my cheeks.  I took a quick glance at the white Alicorn, and noticed that she too was blushing like mad.  We were quiet for a few moments, and then, clearing my throat, I said, “Um, well…now were should we go?”




We both entered Celestia’s room a few hours later, both of us with nervous smiles on our faces.  During our trip into the market, I was able to check and see if she did like me by trying to pick up on subtle clues that she might occasionally drop.  This, however, turned out to be much harder then it looked, and in the end, I decided to just throw all my findings away, deciding to stick with my old method of looking them in the eyes when necessary.
As we entered her room, I took a quick glance around, and noticed that it was quite similar to Luna’s room, with the exception that it was more light based then night based, but still, it looked just as beautiful.  We both decided to sit on some of the chairs in the room, placing Celestia’s wine on a table, while I placed mine right next to me.  We were quiet while Celestia got the drinks ready for us, and then she levitated a glass to me.  I took it in my hands, and just stared at it.  I took a quick glance at Celestia, and noticed that she was already drinking from her glass.  I looked back at my own glass, debating if I should drink it, for I was still technically underage, though by only one year of age.  Then, realizing that I was in a different world (more like a different universe, but I digress) I mentally shrugged, and took a sip of my glass.  While the taste was interesting, it wasn’t something that I would go crazy over.  It also had a slightly spicy taste to it, which I actually kind of enjoyed.  We were quiet for a while, neither of us saying anything; just taking small sips from our wine.  After a few minutes of awkward silence, I decided to be the one to start the conversation.
“So, Celestia, what is it that you want to ask me?” I asked, trying to get to the point.
She was quiet for a moment, just sipping on her wine, and then she said, “Well, I noticed that, during the breakfast before the match, you didn’t hold eye contact with me or most of the others, and I was curious as to why.  Also, when I talked to Luna after I accidently…interrupted you massaging her…my sister told me that you were somehow able to notice her nervousness, which got me curious as well, for the way that she talked about it made it seemed like you noticed her emotions in an…unusual way.  So, care to explain?”
I was quiet while I tried to process her questions, and then, I began to speak my answer.  “Well, this kind of all ties into one answer, so I’ll start with the first part.  I normally don’t look someone-”
“Somepony” said Pinkie Pie, peeking her head out of the balcony curtains; before she slipped her head back through again.  We were quiet for a second, before I said, “I swear, I will figure out how she does that one of these days.”
“Good luck with that.  There are some things in this world that just can’t be explained, and Pinkie Pie is one of them.”
I just shrugged and decided to continue my conversation from earlier.  “Anyways, I normally don’t look somepony in the eye because…well…I can somehow see what that pony feels at the moment, though I can’t tell why they are feeling like that; I need to figure that part for myself.  It has come in handy many times before…I think.” I was quiet again as I remembered that I couldn’t even remember if I had used it before I came to Equestria.  After a few seconds, Celestia cleared her throat, snapping me out of my thoughts.  “Anyways, it kind of makes me feel uncomfortable when I do look at somepony in the eyes if I’m not that comfortable with them at first.  Basically, I can look at my marefriends in the eyes, as well as my family members and other ponies that are close to me.  Otherwise, I’m only able to give a quick glance, before I start to feel nervous from the eye contact.
Celestia was quiet for a few seconds, debating on her next question.  Finally, she said in a sad voice, “So, you don’t trust me enough then, that’s why you didn’t keep eye contact with me.  I’m sorry if I did anything wrong, I-”
“Hey, hey, relax, you did nothing wrong at all, that’s just who I am.  And if it makes you feel any better, I think that you are a very beautiful pony, and I have the highest respects for you.” Apparently, this was able to calm her down a little, and she looked back at me with a small look of hope in her eyes, and said, in a small voice, “Well, thanks, Drak.”
We were quiet for a while, both of us sipping on our wine, and then I decided to ask her some questions myself.  “So, out of curiosity, have you had any coltfriends, royal or otherwise?”
Celestia shook her head.  “No, I wasn’t one to look for a special somepony, though I had my share of one night stands, in the guise as another pony, of course, since I doubt anypony would go out with one of their rulers, well, at least that was what I thought about, until I met you.” I raised an eyebrow at this, but otherwise I stayed silent, letting her continue her story.  “When I first saw you, I thought that it would be just like any other meeting with a foreign dignitary, for that was what I kind of thought of it as.  And then, you complemented on my sister’s nights, and it made me feel so happy that there was at least one pony…human or otherwise…that appreciates her nights as much as I do.  And then…I heard you…’hic’ excuse me…I heard you massaging her in her room, and well, I kind of gotten a little…jealous of her, cause she was able to find her special somepony, while I was stuck with being alone making sure that everything was ok in the royal department and…’hic’…it just made me feel so upset.”
At this point, I could see the start of a flushed face on Celestia’s cheeks, which made me think that she was getting a little tipsy, for I did see her gulp down three more drinks right after her first one.  I assumed that she wasn’t that good at holding he liquor.  I was also a little surprised that she got this drunk this quickly, and it made me think for a second about how strong the alcohol was here.  I placed my glass down after my second drink, deciding that at least on of us needed to keep a straight head in this situation.  The last thing that I needed was to accidentally sleep with her, especially if it turns out that I had no strong feelings at all in the first place.
“So, two things.  One, I think that you have drank enough wine for tonight.” I said, taking her wine glass away from her.
“I’m…’hic’…fine.” She said, slowly getting up on wobbly legs, before she began to fall towards the ground.  I went to catch her, but she was heavier then she looked, and I ended up being her cushion instead.  I closed my eyes as we were falling, and when I opened them, I noticed that Celestia’s face was mere inches away from my own, and I cold feel my own blush coming along.  Apparently, Celestia was sober enough to notice the situation that we were currently in, and she too blushed, saying, “Oh, I’m…I’m so sorry, Drak, let me just-”
Before she could do anything, I quickly wrapped my arms around her, placing my hand on the side of her cheek.  She gave a surprised look, and I could see that her blush got bigger as I touched her cheek.
I decided that enough was enough, and to just come out with it and ask how she felt about me.  “Celestia, I need to know something.  I need to know if you have any feelings for me.”
The Alicorn was quiet for a second, and then she began to giggle, saying, “What, me, have feelings for a human like you?  Why would I want to be with somepony that could distract me from my royal duties, become a burden to ruling a kingdom, make me…make me feel…not alone.” She slowly began to quiet down, and I could see the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.  I quickly began to rub her back in small circles to try and calm her down, which apparently was working.  After a while, I said, “You know, Luna noticed that you had feelings for me a while ago.”
She sniffed a few times before she began to answer.  “W-was it that o-obvious?”
“Not really, for I didn’t notice until she told me herself.  She would like you to join our herd as well.”
Now, this surprised Celestia, and she gave me a look of shock and hopefulness, and then her expression saddened a little, and she said, “Well, what about you?”
I shrugged, “Well, I’m honestly not sure how I feel about you, and I don’t want you in the herd if I don’t have the same feelings for you as well.  I’m sorry, Tia, but that’s just my view on it.”
“I…I understand.  No pony wants to go out with an all powerful goddess, anyways.” She said, starting to cry again.  She was apparently still drunk enough to forget that I already was dating her sister, who was also a goddess, even when I was just talking about it a few seconds ago.  I was quiet, for I didn’t want this day to end up with her being upset, and I really wanted to help her in any way that I can, as well as see if I do have any feelings for her.  Suddenly, I remembered what me and Twilight did just this morning and, with a small grin on my face, I said, “You know, there might be one way to figure it out.”
Celestia’s eyes once again went up with hope.  “R-really?  What is it?”
“Well, I could kiss you, and we can see what we feel afterwards.” She was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about my proposal, and slowly, she nodded, saying, “I guess that could work.”
I gave her a small smile, and said, “Well, care to try now.”
Once again, she nodded, and slowly, we brought our lips closer, closing the already small gape between us.  At first I felt nothing, and I was a little worried that this might be one of the times that I really don’t feel anything, but then, suddenly, I began to feel a small spark form.  It grew brighter and brighter until it became full fledged fireworks bursting in my head.  I kept on kissing the Sun Princess, and she kept on kissing me, both of our eyes tightly shut, both of us enjoying the simple contact of our lips on one another.  After a while of our lips just floating on top of one another, we both slowly separated, and then we opened our eyes.  I stared deep into her pink eyes, seeing if anything about the way I felt for her changed, and to my surprise, it did, and I could feel a new form of love for this other Princess.  After a few minutes of complete silence, the Alicorn was the first one to break the silence.
“Wow, that was…that was amazing.  I never felt this with anypony else.  Did you…did you feel it too?”
I slowly nodded, and said, “If you permit me, I would love you to join my herd as well, for I know that your sister really wants you to join us.”
Celestia was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “I…I guess I could, but…I’m really tired right now.  Can I…can I tell you my choice in the morning?”
I nodded, saying, “I’m ok with waiting.  Just take your time, there is no rush.”
She nodded her thanks, and then she slowly got up off of me, her legs still a bit wobbly.  I got up myself and held her steady as she slowly walked back to her bed.  She got onto her mattress, and I placed the blanket over her tired form.  She mumbled her thanks, and then as I was leaving to go to my room, she placed a hoof on me.  I turned around to look at her, and she said, “Could I…could I have a good night kiss, please?”
I smiled, and slowly bent my face down next to her, saying, “Of course you can, Tia.” She smiled at me, and then she wrapped her foreleg around my neck, drawing my face closer to her own face.  Soon, we were once again kissing each other, and after a good thirty seconds of kissing, I began to hear her making these strange moans.  After another second, she moaned again, and curious, I opened my eyes and noticed that she apparently fell asleep as we were kissing.  I gave a small smile as I removed my lips from hers, taking her foreleg from around my neck and placing it by her side.
“Goodnight, Tia.” I softly whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.  I saw the ghost of a smile appear on her face, and I smiled again myself, before I took my wine from the ground and slowly left the room, closing the door quietly behind me.  Once the door was closed, I began to head towards my room, since it was decided before the guards escorted me to the castle entrance that I was going to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms with Trixie, Luna having to go on her royal duty that she was brought here for.
It was at this point that I noticed that the moon was already up.  ‘Hmm, Luna must have lowered the sun and raised the moon then, since Celestia was with me the whole time, and I didn’t see her do it while we were talking.’ I shrugged to myself, and after a minute of walking, I finally reached the room that I was sharing with Trixie.
> Chapter 24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 24

I opened the door to our room, and I noticed that Trixie wasn’t in the room.  I thought that I might have gotten here first, but then I could hear running water, and I thought that she might be washing up.  I then remembered that I forgot to wash up myself at the library, so I decided to go and see if she was going to finish up soon so that I could wash myself up.
I knocked on the door and shouted, “Hey, Trixie, you gonna be done soon?”
“No, I just got in.” I heard from inside.
“Well, did you have fun with Luna while I was on my ‘punishment’?”
“Yup, Luna even gave me a few tips on some of the magic that we will be learning, as well as a few…other interesting tips.”
“Um, ok.  I’m glad that you had fun.”
“Same here, though it was hard with some of the other ponies staring at me.” (I shivered upon hearing this, but I quickly calmed myself down.)
“Well, why were they staring at you, surely they all can’t hate you for something that you were already forgiven for.”
There was silence at the other end, and then I heard Trixie say, “Um, if you don’t mind, Drak, could you come in here please, so that I could talk to you easier.”
I was quiet for a moment, and then shrugging, I opened the door and entered, and then closed it behind me.  The bathroom was quite roomy, and it even had two separate tubs, one for a bath, while one was for the shower.  The shower one was the one that was currently occupied, and I could just see Trixie’s form through the slightly opaque glass.  She seemed to be currently sitting down, just staring up, letting the water flow down her mane.  The thought of her in there, with her coat and mane all wet, was kind of arousing, but I kept myself together for the moment, and said, “Ok Trixie, I’m in here, now what?”
I saw her silhouette shift slightly, and then the glass panel slides away, letting the azure unicorn stick her head out, her mane dripping with water, the sight of it making me blush.  Unfortunately, Trixie saw my blushing, and she giggled, saying, “Does the sight of the Great and Powerful Trixie all wet…excite you?”
“Um…maybe?” I said, causing her to giggle again.  We were quiet for a few moments, neither of us sure on what to say, and then I cleared my throat and asked, “So, why do you want me in here?”
Trixie was quiet for a few seconds, and then, hesitantly, she asked, “Um, I was, well…I was wondering, if you don’t mind, that is, if you could…um…come in the shower with me?”
I was quiet for few seconds, and then I said, “You know that will involve me taking my clothing of, right?” she nodded, and then said, “I’m well aware, and the others told me as to why you humans wear clothing all the time, and it was rather…interesting, to say the least.”
I was quiet for a few more seconds, and then I said, “Um, can I ask you why you want me in there with you?”
“Well, I just really want to…see what you look like without all your clothing.  So, will my hero please do this one thing for me please.” She said, suddenly getting some confidence in her voice, and she began to give me the puppy eyes treatment.
‘Damn, why do they always do that, it makes it so hard to say no to some of these things that they ask me to do.  Then again I’m not really complaining about the things that they do ask me to do, so…whatever.’ “Ok, just, give me a sec.” I said, taking my top part off first.  She was quiet the entire time I was undressing, staring at my body as I stripped it out of my clothing.  After a few seconds, all I had left was my boxers on, and I hesitated for a second, before I thought to myself, ‘Well, she is going to see it all sooner or later, might as well be sooner rather then later.’ And with that, I took my boxers off as well.  So there I was, exposed to her, with her staring intently at my body, though I could see her eyes paying the most attention to my crotch.  After a few seconds of her staring, I cleared my throat to get her attention and said, “Well, mind making some room for me in there, please.”
Trixie blushed when I spoke, seeming to realize what was going to happen in the next few seconds, and said, “Oh, r-right.  C-c-come in.” With that, she moved to the side a little, and I entered the shower with her still in it.
The hot water rain over my cooling body as I stepped in, letting the heat sink into my skin.  I took a glance at Trixie and saw her entire form soaked in the water, her coat clinging to her skin and outlining her body nicely.  I could feel my arousal increase as I stared at her slender, yet curvy form, my member starting to rise up.  Apparently, Trixie noticed this, and she blushed a little more, saying, “Am I really that attractive to you?”
I quickly nodded, saying, “Of course you are, Trixie, you just look so…beautiful.”
She blushed some more and looked away slightly, saying, “Well, I appreciate that you did this for me, I really wanted to…see what you look like.” I nodded my understanding, and then as I started to wash myself, I asked her, “So, what was the deal with all of the other ponies staring at you?”
She looked back to me and sighed at this and said, “Well, most of the ponies know about what happened to me when I first came to Ponyville, and they didn’t want to see my shows anymore.  I actually had to get a job at a rock farm to earn some bits, which surprisingly was the farm that Pinkie’s family owns.”
“I didn’t know she came from a farm.” I said, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“I didn’t either, but then again, it makes sense that she moved from there since she was most likely bored by the whole deal.” She said, a small smile on her face.  I noticed at this point that she was apparently starting to breath a bit deeply, though I didn’t pay any attention to it.  
“So, was that why you came back to Ponyville after your second…incident?” I asked her, curious as to her reasoning.
Trixie nodded.  “Yes, Ponyville was my last resort as you can call it, I guess.  However, the only ponies there that would even talk to me were Fluttershy and Zecora, a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest, and she could understand what it was like to be shunned by others, though they did become more friendly to her later on.  I was actually coming back from her place when the Manticore attacked me, and I would have died too, but then you came along, and…well, you know the rest.” We became quiet for a few seconds, unsure as to what to say to the other, and then I smelled something.  It was very faint, but I could still smell it, and it smelled…enticing to say the least.
“Hey, you smell that?” I asked her.  The unicorn froze upon hearing me say that, and quickly said, “Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and then, I noticed something that I didn’t see before.  I saw that her legs were crossed in front of her, blocking the view from her neither regions.  Though I already saw her cover herself when I first got into the shower, this time I saw that she had a foreleg behind her hind legs, and it was moving every so slightly.  I then put one and one together, and said, in a confused voice, “Um, are…are you…”
She was silent for a moment, a confused look on her face as well, and then she looked down to were I was staring at, and as soon as she saw what I saw, she began to blush even harder, and she stopped her movement, saying, “Um, that, I wasn’t…doing that…uh…I was…well…”
She went silent for a few moments, looking down to the floor, before she said, “Ok, I was clopping while I was watching you, but I can’t help it, you are just so…enticing, I don’t know how else to put it.  It just…it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, like there’s this fire that only you can quench.”  She began to slowly rub herself again, and as she rubbed herself, she spread her rear legs slightly, just barely giving me a view of her lower lips.  I began to get a little excited myself, and I could feel my manhood reacting to the sight of her rubbing herself, getting harder and longer.  I began to get an urge to touch myself as well, but I decided to hold back for the moment, even though it was very difficult, with Trixie clopping right in front of me.  We were silent for a moment, and then, after a good minute of her clopping in front of me, she said, “Um, Drak.  If it is all right with you, I would like us to…you know…make love right now, if that’s ok.  I’ll understand if you don’t want to, I mean, who would want to have sex with Trixie, the pony that has made so many mistakes, that turned a whole town into slaves, just for some petty revenge, and-”
I quickly stopped her by gently placing a hand on her mouth, getting her to stop her rambling.  I went down to one knee and looked straight into her lavender eyes, seeing the confusion as to what I was doing.  I was quiet for a second, my hand on her mouth, while my other hand stroked her wet mane to calm her down.
“Trixie, it would be an honor to make love with you, for I feel for the pony that I’m staring at right now, and I love her as much as any one of my herd mates.  I don’t hate you just because you made a few mistakes, everypony makes mistakes, no pony is perfect, even the Princesses, hell, even me, and I prefer it like that, for if everypony was perfect, then the world would be a very boring place to be.” I said, causing me to chuckle slightly, which also caused Trixie to giggle under my hand.  Thinking that she was going to listen to me now, I removed my hand from her mouth and cupped her cheek instead.  I noticed that the entire time I was talking to her, she kept on rubbing herself a little more, spreading her legs out farther, making it easier to see her hoof just parting her marehood as she pleasured herself.  “So, if it makes you feel any better, I am just as nervous as you are right now, just as I am nervous of all of my times with each of you, for each one of you girls is special to me, and I am always scared that I would do something wrong and…well, the thought of me messing up something of this emotional caliber, it just makes me shiver with fright.  The only question that I will ask you is this: do you really want to do it right now?”
Trixie was quiet for another few seconds, just staring back into my emerald eyes, and then, softly, she spoke.
“In all honesty, I would love to make love to you.  The only experience that I had was with my hoof, as well as a few…toys, but I am hoping that you can show me how you really feel about me, even though I already know how you feel, this would…I just…um…argh, just bucking kiss me already!”
And with that, she suddenly lunged forward, placing her lips right on mine, her body crushing my cock in between us.  We were soon kissing with an equal amount of emotion, out lips flowing off of one another, our tongues in each other’s mouth.  My hands went around her back, and I began to search for her wings.  For some reason, I couldn’t find any, and I was confused for a second, and then I remembered that she was a unicorn, and I thought to myself, ‘Hmm, forgot about that.  Well, this is my first time with a horned pony, besides Luna.  Might as well try a few of those tricks that I still need to do then.’ I continued to caress her back, just rubbing it in small circles, and I brought my right hand down to her plot, giving it a squeeze.  She broke contact with my lips, gasping as she felt the unexpected grab from my hand, before she gave me a lewd smile, saying, “So, you want a piece of the Great and Powerful Plot?”
“You have no idea.” I said, giving her a grin before I placed my other hand right on her cutie mark, which is a crescent moon and wand, and began to apply pressure to it, making her moan.  I smiled at the expression that she made, and then I began to kiss her nose, bringing my kisses up across her face, until I reached her ears.  Once I reached them, I gently blew across them, getting a little gasp from her in the process.  I could feel her squirming in my grip, and with another grin, I began to gently nibble on the tip of one of her ears.
She gasped at the feeling, and I could feel her body go rigid with the pleasure that was coursing through her, making me smile a little more.  I then decided to fully concentrate at the job at hand, and began to continue to nibble her ears, making her squirm some more under the intense pleasure.  As I was nibbling her ears, I could feel her slowly gyrating her marehood on the underside of my shaft, making me moan a little as well.  We continued this for a few more minutes, both of us just enticing the other to continue what they were doing, me playing with her rump in one hand, while my other hand was caressing her cutie mark, and I continued to nibble and tease her ear tips, while she just moaned in pleasure, only able to grind her marehood on my shaft, going faster as the pleasure intensified.  After a while, I felt her shift slightly as she got off of my lap.  I was confused for a second, and then I saw her turn around, raising her plot into the air, giving it an enticing shake similar to the one that Lotus gave me, and said, “The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you eat her Great and Powerful Pussy.”
I smiled at her, before I raised her plot up in the air a little more, getting her rear legs over my shoulder.  I looked at her pussy, which was already swollen with desire, and without any hesitation, I began to give it long hard licks, getting a taste that was enticing, making me eager for more.  As I licked her, she groaned some more, saying, “Yes, Trixie loves that.  Keep licking Trixie just like that, it makes her feel so good.” I smiled and did as she told me to, kissing her lower lips as I continued to lick her petals, making her give silent moans of delight.  After a while, I began to flick her clit with my tongue a little, causing her to gasp in surprise and pleasure.  I then felt a strange sensation go across my dick, and when I paused to look down, I noticed that Trixie was currently licking my cock, getting it wet with more then just the water from the shower.  She apparently noticed that I stopped her treatment of her marehood, and so she stopped licking my cock, pumping it with a hoof, and with an annoyed stare, she said, “Keep licking my cunt, human.”
“Of course, my Great and Powerful Trixie.” I said, giving her a little smile.  I went back to her pussy and began to continue my treatment on it, while the entire time the unicorn would keep a constant pressure on my cock with her slow pumping, giving it long, hard licks all along the entire length of it.  It felt so nice, her tongue just getting at all of the right spots while I kept on licking her, and then I could feel her start to engulf my cock slowly, causing me to moan into her pussy at the feeling of it, which in turn made her moan as well, vibrating my cock.  I continued to lick her cunt and give little sucks on her clit, making her moan even more, making my cock vibrate with pleasure.  Soon, I began to loose it, and to speed things up, I decided to place my tongue inside of her, rubbing the inside of her pussy, making her cries of pleasure go louder.  As my tongue began to piston her love cavern, she began to slowly suck me, bobbing her head at a steady pace, making me groan at the treatment that I was getting.  I realized that I would soon blow my load, but before I could do anything, Trixie suddenly deep throated me, making my cock get strangled by the muscles in her throat.  As soon as I felt it, I couldn’t hold myself any longer, and I removed my mouth from her pussy, giving a sharp gasp as I blew my load inside her throat.  As soon as I was coming, she began to drink it up, her throat muscles constricting and relaxing around my cock as she drank my cum, making me even more aroused, and making me want the azure unicorn even more.  After a good few more seconds of spurts, I slowed down to a trickle, and then finally stopped, and she began to clean my cock off.  After a few more minutes of her tongue licking around my shaft, she finally pulled my manhood out, a smug look on her face.
“What, you came already?  Trixie expected more from you, human.” She said, wiping a bit of cum from her face.
I gave her an equally smug smile and said, “Well, in that case, let’s see how fast you come.” And before she could say anything, I quickly replaced my mouth on her lower lips and thrust my tongue deep inside her.  She gasped as she felt my tongue wiggling in her marehood, and then she moaned as she began to give a slow hoof job on my dick, keeping it erect, and then she said, “You…y-you w-w-w-will have t-t-to…d-do b-b-better t-then that, h-human.”
‘Oh, don’t worry, I am going to do much better than this.’ I thought to myself.  I continued to move my tongue deep inside her pussy, still making her moan, and then I brought my right hand to her stomach, and slowly began to caress it, making her moan some more, before I brought it down to her teats.  I gently rubbed and pinched the nipples, making her give small gasps of pleasure as my tongue continued to piston her pussy.  After a good while of this, I brought my hand further south of her body, and I began to play with her clit, gently rubbing it between my fingers, making her give a very sharp gasp.
“T-T-Trixie…c-c-can…t-t-t-take…m-m-more…h-human.” She said, desperately trying to hold herself together, making me smirk a little.  I decided that enough was enough, and I brought my free hand up to her forehead, and I began to gently pump her horn, giving it a sight squeeze every time I was at the tip of it.  It turns out that she was unable to hold onto herself any more after that, and she gave a loud cry of pleasure as she came, filling my mouth with her sweet, delicious nectar.  I began to greedily drink it down as she sighed in relief, the feeling of her afterglow making her light headed.  After a good few minutes, we both had enough energy to move onto the next step.
“Well, now comes the real fun.” Said Trixie, a hint of nervousness in her voice.  I smiled, and gave her plot a small comforting kiss, since her crotch was still in my face at the moment, and said; “You may choose the position if you like to.”
“Ok, just…move my hind legs off of your shoulders, please.” I did as she asked me to, and then she slid her body forward, kneeling on the shower floor, her chest and face lying on the ground, her plot once again in the air, her marehood still swollen with anticipation.  I smiled as I slid to her, getting into position, the tip of my dick just grazing her swollen lips, making us both moan in anticipation.  I began to slowly slip it inside of her, her pussy slowly taking every inch of my cock until I hilted her, my hips up against her plot.  I groaned in satisfaction, and then noticed that Trixie had an uncomfortable look to her, and worried, I said, “You ok, Trixie?”
She was quiet for a second, and then she said, “Y-yea, you’re j-just…a b-bit thicker then the t-toys that I used.” I raised an eyebrow, and said, “Well, just tell me when to move.” She nodded, and as she slowly adjusted to my size, I began to massage her cutie marks, making her moan a little more, getting her used to the feeling of my cock buried deep inside her.  After about thirty seconds, she nodded, and I began to slowly pump her marehood, making us both moan as we began our love making session.  I slowly rocked my hips back and forth, my cock getting straggled by her pussy, and I kept a close eye on her, making sure that she was enjoying it as much as I was.  Thankfully, she was, and she began to moan even louder as I increased my speed.  I kept on thrusting inside of her, my hips making a wet smacking sound as they constantly came into contact with her plot.  As I pumped her pussy, I would use my hands that were on her cutie marks to help me with the thrusts, making my manhood go even deeper into her, the tip of my dick just piercing her cervix.  As I kept up with my thrusts, she would back up into me, making me go just a little deeper when I enter her, making us both gasp with delight.  We were both in a new kind of high as we continued to buck each other, making us cry out with the pleasure that we were receiving.  We both moaned as the feeling in our neither regions began to build up, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before one of us would blow.
“Keep doing that, keep bucking Trixie’s Great and Powerful Pussy, Trixie loves her pussy getting rammed with your dick.” Said the azure unicorn, her mind blank with the pleasure that she was feeling.  For some reason, the way that she talked just made me more excited, wanting her more, and I began to buck her even faster now, my hips making her move slightly forward every time I came into contact with her ass, making us shiver with delight.  I noticed that I was getting close, and this time, wanting both of us to finish at the same time, I brought one of my hands forward, and began to pump her horn as fast as I could, making her give a sudden cry of pleasure as she came.  Her juices flowed all over my cock, and I grunted as I began to thrust into her as fast as possible, wanting to get myself off right now.  After a few more short, swift thrusts, I finally ejected my semen deep into her womb, mixing it with her own juices.  We panted for a while, letting the water from the shower grip over our tired bodies.  The water from the shower had already lost its heat, but we were too tired to notice, as well as too tired to care.  All I could do was slowly move myself inside of her, just breathing deeply in the afterglow.  I could tell just by looking at her that Trixie was feeling the same emotions that I was at the time as well, and loving every moment of it.
I slowly pulled myself out, and once I left her marehood, the mixture of our cum started to slowly flow out of her pussy, dripping onto the shower floor before it got carried away by the water and into the drain.  Once I was out, she quickly turned to face me, and embraced me in a tight hug.  I was a bit surprised at first, but I quickly recovered from my initial shock and hugged her back.  I was confused for a second, and then I could hear her crying onto my shoulder, and worried, I pulled us apart a little to look at her face, and asked, “What’s wrong, Trixie, I thought you said that you wanted to do this?”
She was quiet for a moment, sniffling a little, and then she said, “I’m j-just so…happy that we did it.  It was…t-the m-most…incredible experience ever, and I’m just so g-glad that…you w-were…the one that I g-got to…s-share it with.”
I smiled at her, and then gave her a kiss on the lips, which she just as quickly responded.  We stayed there for a good while, both of us enjoying the simple touches of our lips on one another, and then I separated them, and said, “Well, after all of that incredible sex, I feel really tired right now.  Would you like to head off to bed right now?”
Trixie smiled at me, and said, “I would love to, Drak, but we should first finish up on our washing.”
I nodded my agreement, and we both began to wash each other off.  After a good few minutes, we both exited the shower and dried ourselves off.  Once we were dry, I went to place my boxers on, but Trixie stopped me, and said, “Um, if it’s all right with you, can you just…keep your clothing off for the night, please?”
I was curious as to why she wanted me to do that, but nevertheless, I nodded, and together, we both headed back into the bedroom, with me carrying my clothing with me instead.
I placed my clothing next to the bed, so that I wouldn’t forget about it tomorrow and Trixie jumped onto the bed, swaying her hips from side to side, making my manhood get hard again, though I was too tired for another session, and I could tell that Trixie was too tired for anther one as well.  I smiled at her, and got into the bed and under the covers with her.  Once comfortable, I felt her snuggle up next to me, both of us facing each other, and then, surprisingly, I felt her hoof reach for my dick, and she quickly placed it back into her marehood, making us both moan a little at the feeling.
I gave a small, tired smile at her, and said, “You know, you could have just asked.”
Trixie gave a tired giggled at this, and said, “I know, but I’m too tired to ask right now.”
I nodded, understanding her completely, for I was just as tired as she was right now.  I just held onto her tightly, and then, she gently placed her lips onto my own, leaving it there, and soon, I could hear her snoring as she fell asleep.  I smiled, closed my eyes, and began to fall asleep along with her, my lips not at once leaving her own lips as we both relaxed under the gaze of Luna’s moon.

> Chapter 25
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 25

Trixie and I were just leaving the room, me with a new change of clothing, and carrying my bag of gear; the wine bottle hidden inside the bag, since I didn’t want Luna to know it was there.  As me and Trixie were walking down the hall, We came across Shinning Armor, his leg still in a cast and sling, and he was currently talking to some of the guards about something that we couldn’t hear.  As we got closer, he finished his talk and began to leave, but he spotted us out of the corner of his eye, and he smiled upon seeing me.  He then noticed that I wasn’t alone, and when he saw Trixie, his smile faded a little, making me slightly worried as we approached one another.
“Hey, Shining, how are you recovering from the sparing match?” I asked him, indicating his broken leg.
“I’m doing pretty good, actually, doc says that I should be good to go back to normal duty in about ten days.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, finding it a little hard to believe that he could completely heal a broken leg in only two weeks.  I vaguely remembered breaking a leg before, and it took me about eight weeks to even let me take the cast off, and even then, I think I still had to go through some sort of physical therapy to recover from the muscle loss…or something like that.
I questioned him about his speedy recovery, and he chuckled, saying, “Well, normally it would take much longer, but you forget that we have magic, so we are able to speed up our recovery time, though it can take a lot of strain if the user is untrained.”
I nodded my understanding, and then I heard a small burst of giggles, and turning around, I noticed that once again, Trixie was holding back her laughter.
I raised an eyebrow in my own amusement and said, “You just love it when I forget that I live in a world of magic, huh?” Unable to speak, she just simply nodded, a huge smile on her face, which in turn made me smile, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek, saying, “You really need to smile more, it makes your face so much more beautiful.”
She blushed at this, but before she could comment further on the fact, Shining said, “Hold on a sec, am I missing something here?”
I realized that he probably didn’t know about the other herd mates that I have gotten since I came back, so I began to explain what has happened since I left Canterlot.  Near the end, when I got to the part when Twilight admitted her feelings to me, and asking to be in my herd, I got nervous, not sure what his reaction would be.  He was silent as I began to speak about it, and then once I was finished, he surprisingly chuckled, and said, “Well, I’m glad that she has decided to chose you as her coltfriend, though to be honest, I was hoping that she wouldn’t join a herd, but if it’s you, I guess I could let it slide for now.”
I smiled at him and nodded my appreciation.  He then turned towards Trixie and, gaining a serious expression, he said, “Now, if what Drak here said was true, and I doubt that he would lie to me-”
“Or anypony.“ I said, interrupting him.
“-Or anypony, I’m still left unsure as if I should trust you.  However, since my sister was able to forgive you, then I believe that it is only right that I should forgive you as well, and I do hope that we could also become great friends.” At this, he raised his hoof in a hoof shake, and Trixie hesitated slightly before she raised her own hoof as well, both of them shaking each other’s hoof, both of them smiling at each other.  I smiled as well, glad that most of the ponies here seemed to be so forgiving when they noticed that they were in the wrong, and I wished so much that humanity could live among them, for they could be taught a thing or two about living in peace, though due to our violent nature, it might not go that way.  At this point, I noticed that we weren’t alone anymore.
I looked up and saw that Celestia was staring at us, a look of anxiety and surprisingly slight fear in her eyes.  I quickly became worried, wondering what in Equestria could possible worry the Sun Princess, and quickly walked up to her, leaving Trixie and Shining to talk to each other.  As I got closer, I noticed that her fear seemed to increase, and it looked like she was trying her hardest not to bolt right now, which made me even more worried.  Once I got up to her, we were both quiet for a few seconds, neither of us unsure of what to say to the other.  Finally, Celestia cleared her throat and spoke first.
“So, about…last night.  I’m so sorry if I did anything that could have offended you, or made you feel uncomfortable, it’s just that I have been feeling…off, lately, and my emotions have been everywhere, and I have no idea as to what to do with them.  I don’t even know why I’m feeling like this, and it makes it so much harder to do my royal duty as well.”
“Well, when did it start?” I asked, wanting to help her, thought I already had a good feeling as to what she was going to say.
“Well, I believe it started when my sister and I first saw you here, and when you complemented her on her nights.  I immediately knew that she would fall for you right there, since that was the first time in forever that somepony has complemented her on the task of raising and lowering the moon.  At first I felt happy, but then, I began to feel a little…empty, upon seeing her snuggling with you, and it began to grow even more when I saw her leave to Ponyville with you.  I just wish I knew what-”
“You’re lonely.” I said simply.  She was surprised for a second, just looking at me with utter confusion, so I said, “It’s obvious, since the most prominent emotion that I could remember before I came here was that…loneliness, and I didn’t like it either, so it’s easy for me to see it when someone…or somepony, is feeling like that.  If you want to fix it, all you have to do is find your special somepony, and then you will feel better again.”
She was quiet, thinking about what I said, and then she said, “Well, when you put it that way, it does make a little more sense…I think.”
I sighed, knowing that I wasn’t always that good at explaining things.  She noticed this, and quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek, and blushing slightly, she said, “I still appreciate the help, though.”
I smiled, glad that I was at least of some sort of help, and then, remembering what we said last night, I asked her, “So, did you make up you mind yet?”
She once again gained a mournful expression on her face, and looking at the floor, she kicked some imaginary dirt and said, “Well, I would, but I don’t want to get distracted by having a lover, I mean, everypony needs me and Luna, or at least one of us.  Luna is the youngest, and I want her to live a life that I can’t live, and that means having friends, having a lover, having…having everything that I can’t have, but so desperately wish that I do.  I wish I could, but-”
I quickly embraced her in a tight hug, and her eyes went wide I as I hugged her, and then, slowly, she leaned into my embrace, resting her head gently on my shoulder.  I slowly brushed her flowing mane and said, “Tia, I can take a guess that eternity can be a burden, and that it might seem impossible to find a lover that would love a goddess, but just look at me and Luna.  We both love each other deeply, and we would also like to have you join our herd, for she knows that you have feelings for me, and I now know that I have feelings for you as well, so why not join our herd.  If you weren’t the ruler of Equestria with your sister, would you join us?”
“Of course I would, cause then nothing would stop me from being with you, but-”
“No buts, Tia.  You may be one of Equestria’s rulers, but you still have your own life that you need to attend to, otherwise your ponies will get worried about your health if they see you upset and dreary, even if you try to hide it.”
She was quiet for a second, and when I pulled us apart a little I could still see in her eyes that she was unsure about it.  Running out of ideas, I decided to do what we did last night: I quickly placed my lips on top of hers.
She was surprised, to say the least, and I could feel her starting to fight back slightly, but I held on, determined to show her that I truly do feel for her as much as she feels for me.  After a few seconds of struggling, she slowly relaxed into the kiss, moaning in pleasure and happiness.  After a few seconds of us kissing, I separated our lips, small strings of saliva bridging our mouths together before breaking apart.  I gently cupped her burning cheeks with my hand to get her attention, making her eyes stare right back into mine.  Once I was sure I got her attention, I said, “Now, tell me that you didn’t like it, that you didn’t feel anything from that kiss, and if you are telling the truth, that you felt nothing at all, that you have no feelings for me, then I will leave and never bring this up again.  However, if you do have feelings for me, and you do love me, which I know that you do, then I would love to have you join our herd, and your sister agrees with me as well.”
She was quiet for a second, her confusion only growing in her eyes.  I guessed that she hasn’t been in any sort of social situation like this before in her life, due to the amount of confusion that was showing in her eyes.  After a few more seconds of silence, I could see the beginning of tears flowing down her cheeks.  Finally, she quickly placed her lips back onto my own and began to kiss me fervently, almost as if I was a watering pool in the middle of a desert.  I kissed her back with an equal amount of passion, and I could feel the tears on her cheeks slowly running down our faces and onto the floor as we kissed.  Finally, we separated, and looking back into each other’s eyes, I was finally able to see a good emotion coming out of her that I haven’t seen since I first saw her.
It was happiness.  True, utter happiness.
After a few moments of both of us staring into each other’s eyes, she finally spoke.  “Will you accept my love, Drakalian?” she asked in a soft whisper.
I nodded, saying, “I do accept your love, Tia, and I would love you to join our herd.  I promise that you will never regret this decision.”
She smiled at me, and then we began to kiss each other once again.  After a few seconds, however, we heard somepony clearing their throat, and breaking from our kiss, we turned to face Luna, Shining, and Trixie, all with smug looks on their faces.
“So, it’s a yes then, Tia?” Asked Luna, a hopeful look on her face.
Celestia nodded, saying, “It’s a yes, I have decided to join Drakalian’s herd.”
“Well, Trixie is glad to have you in her herd, Celestia.” Said Trixie, a smile on her face.
“As long as you are satisfied with your decision, then so am I.” said Shining, a smile on his face as well.
“Oh, I can’t wait to show you what he is like in bed, sister!  You will not regret it, I promise.” Said Luna.  At her comment, we all began to blush, Shining giving a slight cough in embarrassment.
We were all quiet for a few seconds, none of us saying anything, and then I finally decided to break the awkward silence.  “So, with that all done, now what?”
“Well, I believe that we are all set here, and we can go back to Ponyville right now.” Said Luna.
“Are we going to be teleporting again?”
Luna nodded, and I gained an uneasy feeling in my stomach.  Celestia noticed this, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “Don’t worry, Drak, you should be fine now, since you have already teleported.”
I gave a slight nod, though I was still a little nervous.  With that, both Trixie and I took a hold of Luna’s wings (I made sure to avoid the wing’s g-spot this time) and with that, Luna’s horn began to glow, and then all I could see was white.
The next moment, we were all back in the library in Ponyville, and I was happy to notice that Celestia was right; for I felt fine once we landed on the floor.
As we materialized, I saw that Twilight and Ditzy was here, along with both of my daughters.  They all smiled as they saw me, and before I could say anything, both of the fillies tackled me in a big hug.
“Hi Daddy, I missed you.” Said Dinky, a smile on her face.
“I missed you too, Dad.” Said Scootaloo, who was also smiling.
I smiled at my two daughters, and gave them both quick kisses on the cheeks, making them giggle.  As soon as they released me, Twilight asked, “So, any plans for the day, Drak?”
I was quiet for a second, and then I shook my head, saying, “Not really.  I guess I could walk around town for a bit.”
“Um, if it’s ok with you, could I join you please?” ask Ditzy, a nervous look on her face.  I smiled at the grey mare and gave her a kiss on the nose, saying, “I don’t mind having you join me.”
Ditzy smiled, and with that, we both walked out of the library and began to walk around town.  I pulled my hood up as well, but mostly because it was cold, not because of the crowds, for I was getting used to the ponies in Ponyville.  Ditzy and I looked around, looking at all of the decorations and things, and we commented on the ones that we liked.  After a while, we reached Carousel Boutique, and I thought that Spike and his herd did a very good job on decorating the building, for it did look very beautiful with all of the Hearth’s Warming Eve decorations.  Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, and with Ditzy in tow, we both walked into Rarity’s building.
As soon as we opened the door, a little bell rang to announce our presence, and I heard a “Coming!” from the next room, and in came Rarity, wearing some kind of red designer’s glasses.
“Oh, darlings, it’s so good to see you guys again!  To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I was quiet for a moment before I could get my thoughts into place, and said, “Well Rarity, me and Ditzy were just walking by your shop, when I suddenly gained an idea for some gifts for some of my marefriends.”
“Oh, how exciting, darling.  My I ask what it is?”
I was about to tell her, but then I realized that I had one of my marefriends here with me, though before I could say anything, Ditzy said, “How about the two of you go and talk in Rarity’s work place, so that I don’t overhear what my gift is going to be?”
I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss, saying, “I think that’s a great idea, as long as Rarity is ok with it.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem dear, now come along, let us hear about your idea.” Said Rarity, leading me to her work area, with me following her.  Once we got inside, she closed the door behind her, and turning towards me, she said, “Oh, this is so exciting, dear, helping you with gifts for your loved ones.”
“Yea, I just hope that they will like it.” I said, a little nervous.
“Oh, don’t fret over it, dear, I’m sure that they will love whatever it is that you have for them.” She reassured me with a smile, making me smile a little as well.  “So, what is this idea that you have, darling?”
I began to explain my idea to her, hoping that she could do it.  Rarity listened with great intent, making sure to remember every little detail.  After a minute or so of explaining my idea, she said, “Oh, this is going to be so exciting!  Don’t worry, Drak, I’ll make sure that everything will be ready for Heart’s Warming Eve.”
“I appreciate it, Rarity, I was really running out of ideas.” I said, a smile on my face.  I then asked, “Just one more thing, if it isn’t any trouble.  Could I borrow some sewing equipment and fabric?  I promise to bring it all back when I’m done.”
She was hesitant about this, though understandable since I didn’t really tell her what it was for.  I quickly reassured her that I wasn’t going to ruin any of the things that she lets me borrow.  After a few minutes of telling her what I needed, I eventually had it all in a bag, and with a smile and a big thank you, I went back to the waiting room with to meet Ditzy.
With everything settled here, Ditzy and I both left the boutique and began to walk aimlessly in town, neither of us saying anything, just enjoying the silence.  Finally, after a while, Ditzy asked, “So, how was your second trip to Canterlot?”
I shrugged.  “It was ok, to be honest, though there were a few difficulties, it was still rather fun.  After having to hang out with Celestia for the day, I was finally able to figure out that she did indeed have feelings for me, and I just had to figure out if I had feelings for her, and at first I thought I didn’t.  But then, I got an idea and, well, you remember what me and Twilight did to figure our feelings for each other?” She nodded.  “Well, I basically did the same thing with Tia, though it wasn’t as instantaneous as the one with me and Twilight.  Anyways, the next day, I was able to talk to her about it, and well, after a little talking and a little comforting, Celestia finally decided to join our herd.”
“Well, I know that there will be a certain filly that will be happy to have two princesses as her aunties now.” Ditzy said, giggling.  I chuckled at this as well, and then we stayed silent for a few moments, neither of us sure as what to say.  At this point, we reached the hill that I went to when I was Dash’s slave, and we both decided to sit down, clearing as much snow for ourselves as possible.
At this point, Ditzy seemed to realize something, and asked, “What a minute.  You said that you had to go with Celestia, why is that?”
“Well, it was that or either the dungeon.” I said in a calm voice.  The grey Pegasus mare looked at me with a shocked look, and said, “The dungeon?  Why would you have to go to the dungeon?”
I sighed, knowing that I would have to talk about this sooner or later.  “Well, the reason why Celestia wanted me to go with her sister to Canterlot, besides wanting to see me, was also to meet some…family members.”
Ditzy was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what family members would be so bad, and then she said, “Oh, you met Prince Blueblood, didn’t you?”  I nodded, and then she said, “Well, what could you have done that was so bad as to have Celestia make you choice between a day with her or a dungeon sentence?”
“Well…I might have…used my magic on Blueblood a little and…thrown him against the wall, as well as saying a few…things to him.  I also did it in front of everypony else.”
Now Ditzy was truly shocked, her mouth hanging open, and she said, “Why would you do such a thing?  I mean, even if he isn’t the best pony in the world, he’s still a Prince, and he could get you into serious trouble, and in front of the Princesses as well?  What in the name of Equestria could have possible possessed you to do such a thing?”
At this, I hesitated, unsure as to how she would react with what Blueblood told me.  I stayed silence, Ditzy looking at me with a worried expression on her face, while I was unable to keep eye contact with her, for I was too ashamed to do it at the moment.  Finally, after what felt like forever, I softly said, “He’s the reason why you lost your job.”
I heard a small gasp come from her, once again shocked by this.  After a while, I began to feel all my emotions starting to bubble to the surface again, just thinking about it just made me so angry and upset.
“I mean, so what if he is a prince, he made your boss fire you and all of those ponies for no good reason, and it just makes me so mad.  Not only that, but he insulted you, calling you a disgrace to Pegasai everywhere, as well as insulting our daughter.  He even went so far as to saying that he was happy that you got raped.  When I heard that, I just…I just snapped, and I couldn’t take any more of his insults, Prince or no Prince, and I…I just…” At this point, the words began to get lost in my throat, and I was unable to continue to talk about it, my emotions were too strong.  After a while, the angry faded away, only to be replaced by guilt and shame.  I lowered my head into my hands, and I could feel the tears coming out of my eyes as I silently cried into my arms.  There was silence for a while, neither Ditzy nor I saying anything, and then, I could feel a pair of hooves go around my shoulders and embracing me into a deep hug.  I didn’t look up, for I knew that Ditzy was giving me a hug, but instead, I embraced her without looking, placing my head onto her shoulder, her wings slowly wrapping us together.  We stayed like that for a while, me silently sobbing into her shoulder, while Ditzy stayed silent the entire time, just rubbing her hoof on my back for comfort.  Finally, she removed my head from her shoulder in order to look me in the eyes, which I did so with hesitation this time, for I was too tired to do otherwise, and she gently placed her lips on top of my own.  I was slightly surprised at first, but then I just slowly embraced her back, kissing her with just as much emotion as she was kissing me.  We kissed each other for a good few minutes before we slowly separated, looking into each other’s eyes again.  After a few moments of silence once again, Ditzy finally spoke.
“Drakalian, I know how it feels to be insulted by everypony almost on a daily basis, and there are only a few ponies that actually treat me like a normal pony, and I’m happy to say that you are one of them.  While I understand that what Blueblood said about me was insulting, and what you did wasn’t the brightest of things to do at the moment, I still love you, no matter what, and I will always love you, Drak.”
I was quiet for a while, absorbing what she just said, and then I nodded my thanks, unable to say anything.  It was at this point that we noticed that Luna’s moon had come out, the stars sparkling in the beautiful night sky.  Ditzy then got up and slowly brought me up as well, and then she took my hand in her mouth, and began to lead me back to the library.
As soon as we were back, Twilight was setting up for dinner, along with Luna’ Trixie, and both of my daughters.  Everypony smiled when they saw us, but they soon began to frown when they noticed that I wasn’t smiling back.
“Drak, you ok?” Asked Twilight, a concerned look on her face.  I shook my head, saying, “Not really, but I don’t want to talk about it.”  I then felt a tug on my hand, and I looked to see that Ditzy was giving me a stern look, saying, “Drak, you should really tell them.” I was about to argue with her, and then she said, “Please Drak, for me?”
I sighed, and then, defeated, I began to tell them what happened during my second trip to Canterlot, and everypony gained a surprised look upon hearing my story, with the exception of Trixie and Luna, for they were there when it happened.  Once I was done speaking, I looked down at the ground and said, in a quiet voice, “If it’s all right with you girls, I think I’m going to go to bed early, since I’m not really hungry right now.” And before anypony could stop me, I went upstairs and into my room, gently closing my door behind me.
I quickly got undressed and went under the covers of my bed, but it seemed that this time my sleeping problems finally showed themselves in their fullest, for I didn’t even feel tired enough to fall asleep.  After a good hour of hopelessly struggling to attain sleep, I heard a knock on my door, and I went to get up and see whom it was.  When I opened it, I saw that it was Ditzy, a nervous but determined look coming out of her eyes.
“You need anything, Ditzy?” I said in a tired voice.  Ditzy hesitated, and then I noticed that her determination grew even more before she spoke.
“Well, I was getting a little tired myself, and I decided to come upstairs and join you, if that’s ok.  Besides, I really think that you could use the company.”
I gave myself a small smile at this.  The thought of having somepony sleep with me made me feel better already.  I nodded, and lead Ditzy into the room with me, and once we got comfortable under the covers of the bed, she quickly snuggled up to me, wrapping her rear legs around my closest leg and placing a hoof on top of my chest, giving it slow rubs.  I sighed, wrapping my arm around her, and we laid there for a good thirty minutes, neither of us saying anything.  I then noticed that her hoof seemed to have moved lower on my body, but I decided not to pay any attention to it.  After another few minutes, Ditzy began to place her lips onto my neck, giving it small kisses.   I gave her a confused look, wondering what she was doing, and all she did was wink at me, and that was when I felt her place her hoof right over my boxers, were my manhood is.
I quickly got up in my surprise, making her stop her advances on me.  Giving her a questioning look, I asked, “Ditzy, what are you doing?”
Ditzy gave a slightly embarrassed look, but I could still see the determination in her eyes, and she said, “Well, I just want to make you feel better, Drak, and…and I want to show you that I really love you, even when you act like that.”
I sighed, for I realized that I might have made Ditzy scared for me when I began to tell her what happened with Blueblood and I.  I began to open my mouth to tell her that she didn’t need to do this, but she quickly placed a hoof on it, shutting me up immediately.
“I know that I don’t have to, Drak, but…I really think that you need it, even if you don’t think so.  Besides…this will help me for when I really want to…do it with you.  So please, will you let me do this…for you, as well as for me?” Once she finished speaking, she took her hoof off of my mouth, and waited for my response.
I was quiet, mulling over what she said.  ‘She does have a point, this would help her in the long run, but I don’t want her to do it if she’s not ready for it.  Then again, she did say that she is, so…argh!  Why can’t everything just be simple in life?’ I began to get a little upset with myself, unable to come up with even a simple answer to her question.  Ditzy began to get a worried look as I continued to stay silent, and I decided to ask her if she really wanted to do this.  When I went to look into her eyes, however, I noticed the determination again, as well as the love that she shared for me.  I could tell at that point that she really wanted to do this, and just refusing would hurt the both of us.
With a sigh, I brought her closer to my face, and whispered into her ear, saying, “While you don’t have to do this to show me that you love me, if you really want to, then I would love to do this with you, Ditzy.”
At this, Ditzy smiled at me, and said, “Thank you, Drak, just let me know if I’m doing well, ok?” I nodded, and with that, we gently began to kiss each other, our lips slowly rubbing against one another.  I felt her remove her hoof from my crotch and onto my hand, and then she led my hand onto her cutie mark.  Getting the idea, I began to slowly rub the bubbles on her cutie mark, slowly stimulating her.  The grey mare moaned into our kiss, and I decided to try and make thing more intimate by licking my tongue against her mouth, asking for permission to enter, and she readily accepted it, letting out tongues brush up against one another.  I then felt her hoof rub the top of my boxers again, and I moaned as she began to stimulate my cock from inside the clothing.  We stayed like this for a while, her just slowly rubbing my cock from the outside of the fabric, while I just massaged her cutie marks with one hand.  Ditzy then broke the kiss, and with an attempt at a seductive smile, she slowly slid her body down on me until her face was at my crotch, her hoof still rubbing on my hidden shaft, and when she was comfortable, she then brought her other hoof alongside it and began to slowly rub harder on my length, making me moan even more.  Ditzy continued to do this, and the whole time, I kept a close eye on her, making sure that she was still comfortable with this, trying to see if at any point she wanted to stop.  However, she didn’t stop at all, not even slowing down her rubbing on me, and then after a good few minutes of her rubbing the outside of my boxers, she brought her hooves around the waistband and pulled it down, freeing my dick from its entrapment.
She gave a small gasp when she saw it, and I could see a look of slight fear in her eyes.  I began to worry, and I said, “Ditzy, if you want to stop at-”
“No!  I mean…I…I-I want this, I really do.” Said Ditzy, the look of determination returning into her eyes.  She then slowly brought both of her hooves to either side of my shaft, and she began to give me a slow hoof job, once again slowly stimulating me, making me give out silent moans of pleasure.  The Pegasus continued to rub my length, giving it a steady feeling of pleasure to course through me, and while she was doing a good job, I thought that she could do a little better, even though I still loved the feeling of her hooves slowly caressing my manhood.
I asked her, “Um, would you…would you be alright if I helped you, Ditzy?”
“Am…am I not doing a good enough job?” She asked, worry in her voice.
“What, no of course not, you’re doing a very good job, I just wanted to make sure that you would be ok if I helped you.” I quickly tried to reassure her.  She stayed silent for a moment, still giving me a slow hoof job, and then she slowly nodded.  I quickly took her hooves in my hands and began to move them up and down on my dick, showing her how it is done.  She quickly caught up, and began to increase the amount of pleasure that she was giving me, and soon, I released her hooves from my grasp, slowly sitting up so that I could stroke her mane and look her in the eyes.  Her right eye kept on looking at my cock, making sure that she continued to do a good job, while her other eye seemed to be looking at me, making her face even more adorable then before.  I gently cupped her cheek so that she could look at me, and then I began to kiss her again, our tongues slithering against one another, her hoof job not slowing down in the slightest.  We both moaned as we continued, her hoof job getting faster and harder, making me begin to breath deeply.  After a few minutes of this we broke the kiss, and looking into my eyes, she asked, “Have you ever had a wing job yet?”
I cocked my head in confusion, and she just giggled at my expression, saying, “I’ll take that as a no.  Well, let me see if I can do it then.”  With that, she slowly lowered her face so that she was staring back at my shaft again, and then I saw her bring her wings around her body, and ever so carefully, she began to brush lightly on my cock head with her feather tips.  I gave a sharp gasp at the feeling, for it was one of the most incredible feelings that I have ever felt, and my expression once again caused Ditzy to giggle before she began to fully concentrate at pleasuring my dick, keeping her hoof job at a steady rhythm while her feathers just tickled the head, making me feel light headed with the pleasure that she was giving me.  I could feel the friction of her hooves on my cock, making it pulse in pleasure, and then she began to increase her pace, which in turn increased the pleasure.  As she continued the hoof job, she would bring her feathers around the head of my dick, just brushing up on it, wrapping her feathers all along the head, making me gasp and groan at the new sensation that I was experiencing.  After a good while, she removed her hooves from my shaft, and she replaced them with her feathers, bringing them down lower on me, engulfing my shaft in a soft downy sensation, causing me to gasp again at the touch of her feathers.  Now that the head was being unused, she slowly brought her face lower to it, and then, taking a deep breath, she began to slowly lick the tip of my shaft.  I once again began to feel those electric pulses going through my dick and into my brain, making me gasp as she continued to give me such great service.  I moaned a little more, encouraging her to go a little faster and harder, which she did, wrapping her tongue around the head of my dick while I could feel her wing tips beginning to put some pressure on my shaft, stimulating me even more.  I gently placed my hands on her head and began to stroke her mane, giving silent moans of pleasure as her tongue went on with its magic.  She then slowly inserted the tip of my dick into her mouth and began to suck on it a little as she continued to lick it, covering the head in her saliva.  I moaned, and began to feel the build up from her treatment.  Knowing that I wasn’t going to last much longer, I told her, “I…I’m g-g-going to…c-cum, Ditzy.”
I thought that she would move her head away from me saying that, but instead, she began to suck on me harder, seeming to be eager for my cum, and without any more warning, her coaxing paid off, and I fired shot after shot of cum into her mouth.  Ditzy kept my head in her mouth the whole time, not once stopping her sucking on me, her wing tips seeming to massage my length, trying to bring out as much cum as she possibly could.  All I could do was just sit there, staring at her with amazement and bliss as she drank it all up.  Finally, after a good fifteen seconds, the spurts slowed down, and finally stopped, but she didn’t finish with her treatment yet, wanting to make sure that I was clean, and after another good minute of her sucking and licking, she slowly brought the head out of her mouth with a large pop, and brought her wings back to her body, giving them a ruffle before she closed them.  We both just stared into each others eyes, and before I could say anything, she said, with a small blush on her cheeks, “I thought that it might be disgusting, but I…I kind of liked it.”
I chuckled slightly at this, saying, “Well, I’m glad that you did.  I guess I’m going to have to return the favor then, huh.” But before I could do anything, she pushed me back down onto the bed and snuggled up on me, getting into the same position that we were in when we first got in bed.  Once she was comfortable, she said, “Tonight, this was all for you, to show you how much I love you, as well as to show myself that I could do something like this.  I’m just glad that it all worked out in the end.”
I was quiet for a moment, and then I gave her a soft kiss on her lips, saying, “Ok then, but I will have to repay you for your treatment that you gave me.”
“I know, but for now, can we go to sleep, please?`	1”
I smiled and nodded, saying, “Of course, my angel.” She smiled at her nickname, and gave me another kiss on the lips, before resting her head on my chest, giving a sigh of contentment.  We were silent for a while, neither of us saying anything, and then I decided to say, “Hey, Ditzy.”
“Mm?” She said, looking at me with her golden orbs of beauty.
“Thank you, and I love you.”
“I love you to, Drak.” She whispered.  She snuggled her head right up to the underside of my chin, and soon, I began to hear her snoring with happiness.  I smiled as I looked upon my angel, and then I closed my own eyes and I was finally able to let sleep overtake me as well.
> Chapter 26
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 26

“Come on, Dad, wake up!” Shouted a certain filly, bouncing on top of my bed that Ditzy and I were sleeping in.
“I don’t think it’s working, Scootaloo.” Said another filly, who was also bouncing on our bed.
“We’ll, we just have to try harder, Dinky, I mean, it is Hearth’s Warming Eve, and they should be up right now”
It has been two days since I told Ditzy about what happened at Canterlot, and things have been going pretty good since then.  Since most of the stores were closed, I didn’t have to go to the spa to work, so I spent most of my time reading, hanging out with my friends and marefriends, or working on gifts to get my herd mates.  All in all, it was a pretty relaxing day, though I still didn’t really know what we do during Hearth's Warming Eve, and hopefully, the others will tell me this morning.
I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes, and saw both of my daughters jumping up and down on the bed that Ditzy and I were sleeping in.  “Yes?” I said in a tired voice.
“About time, Dad, everypony is waiting for you right now.” Said Scootaloo in an annoyed voice.
“Well, not everypony, but all of our friends and family.” Said Dinky, an excited look on her face.
I gave a big yawn as I collected my thoughts, and then said, “Ok, can you girls give me and Ditzy some time to get ready then?”
“Ok, but you better hurry up, Daddy.” Said Dinky, and with that, both of the little fillies left the room and went back downstairs.
I gave a small smile as I saw them leave the room excitedly, for I could understand what it was like to be a little kid during the holidays…I just wish I could remember my own moments during the holidays back were I came from.
‘Well, no need to think like that, Drak, I just need to make some knew holiday memories, starting with Hearth’s Warming Eve.’  I was quiet as I lied there, contemplating my thoughts, when I suddenly heard a yawn next to me, and turning my head around, I saw that Ditzy was just starting to wake up, her golden eyes staring back at my emerald ones.
Ditzy smiled upon seeing me, and with a kiss on the cheek, she said, “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Drakalian.”
I smiled back and gave a kiss to her cheek as well.  “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve to you too, Ditzy.” I said.  We then both stared into each other’s eyes for a while, both of us just enjoying the mere presence of us being next to each other.  After a few minutes, I decided to speak up.
“The fillies were in here earlier.  They’re really excited about today.” I said, a smile on my face.
Ditzy giggled, saying, “Well, I’m not surprise.  They have been talking about it non-stop since you’ve been busy with whatever you were doing yesterday, and they are not the only ones curious either.  So, when are you going to tell us what you have been up to?”
I just chuckled and said, “Tonight, I’ll tell all of you girls what I have been doing yesterday, ok?” Ditzy nodded, and with that, we both got out of bed and got ready to go downstairs.
As we walked downstairs, I noticed that everypony that I know was already here, and this included Fluttershy, AJ, Rarity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Luna, the spa sisters, my daughters, Trixie, and Rainbow Dash.  Everypony smiled when they saw us walking down the stairs, and we smiled back before we both sat down with them and began to eat breakfast along with them.  Everypony was happy this morning, being Hearth’s Warming Eve and all, and we all talked about what we were going to do today.  Well, they talked; I stayed silent for the most part, saying a bit when necessary.  From what I was able to gather, we were going to help the fillies and Spike go caroling, which mostly involves watching them and giving them encouragement, and then we were going to go ice-skating at the lake that Fluttershy, the Crusaders, and I were skating at last time.  After that, we all decided to go sledding.  Finally, we were all going to head on back to the library to have dinner and give each other presents, which would signify the end of the day.
Everypony finished eating pretty quickly, since we were all eager to start the day.  Once we were all done eating, everypony got their scarves on and then got ready to head on out.  As we were walking, I decided to talk to them and ask what the last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve was like.  From what they were able to tell me, they were all invited to Canterlot to be a part of a play that depicted the story of how the three tribes got together with the power of friendship.  To me, it seemed like a fantasy, but then again, everything has seemed like a fantasy since I got here, from the citizens of Equestria, to the stories that they all had.  Of course, I loved every moment that I was here, even though I had some bad times I was still determined to have the best possible Hearth’s Warming Eve day today, and I was hoping that the rest of my friends, as well as my marefriends, would have a great day as well.
The first house that we stopped at was a rather large house that had a picture of a record depicted on the top of the door.  The fillies knocked on it, and when the door opened, out came Octavia.  Once the grey Earth pony saw the fillies and Spike all ready to sing, as well as the rest of us smiling behind them, she grew a big smile and yelled back inside, saying, “Hey, Vinyl, we got some carolers at our front door, come on down.”
“Give me a sec, Tavi, I’m a little busy.” I heard from inside the house.
“You’re not working on anything right now, Vinyl, All, you’re doing is just napping, and besides, there is a certain pony outside that you will really want to see.”
We then heard a bit of shuffling from the inside, and then out came Vinyl, seeming to be rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, her glasses currently off.
“What pony could I possible be wanting to see right-” she began to say, looking at us.  She then suddenly grew silent, and I could have sworn that I saw a faint blush go across her cheeks.  I was confused, for I had no idea what could have caused such a reaction, but before I could even say anything, the fillies along with Spike began to sing their carols.
Once they were done singing, Everypony began to applaud, saying things like, “Well, done!” and “Magnificent!” causing the fillies and Spike to blush a little.  I just chuckled at the reaction, glad for such a good performance so far.  During the applause, I noticed that Vinyl still seemed to be a bit distracted by something.  I walked up to her and said, “So Vinyl, anything on your-”
“Wow-would-you-look-at-the-time-I-got-to-go-seya!” and with that, the white DJ unicorn suddenly zoomed back into the building, leaving a giggling Octavia and a very confused me.
We were all silent for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened, before I said, “Um, what was that all about?”
Once I said that, the grey Earth pony gave me a surprised and amused look, saying, “You really don’t know what that was about?” I just shook my head, completely confused as to what was going on.  Suddenly, Pinkie Pie began to jump around, saying, or more like singing, “Vinyl’s got a crush, Vinyl’s got a crush!”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise, and then said, “Really, how do you know that?”
“It was obvious, Drak, her facial features gave it away.” Said Octavia, the amused look still on her face.  I just raised an eyebrow, still as confused as before, and said, “Well, it may have been easy for you, since you lived with her for so long.” Before she could say anything, however, Rainbow spoke up.
“It isn’t just that, Drak, I could see it as well, in fact we all could see it.” I look at everypony that was with me, and to my surprise, they were all nodding in agreement.  I began to get a worried look, nervous as to why I was unable to see such a simple facial cue.  Before I could say anything again, though, Octavia spoke to us again.
“Well, regardless of that, I think it is rather funny, since she usually tries to flirt with everypony that she likes, stallions as well as mares, but when she actually sees somepony that she likes, she freezes up, unable to do anything, and like I said, it is all rather amusing.”
I nodded, listening to everything that she said, and then I asked, “Ok, so who is this pony that she likes?” Everypony was quiet at this, all of them staring at me, which started to make me feel uncomfortable.  “What?  Am I still missing something?”
I felt a tug at my hand, and looked down to see Spike, with a slightly confused look on his face.  “Drak, think about it.  There are only two males here, me and you, and since I’m a bit too young for her, that means that it has to be you.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.  “No, it could be one of the other mares behind us, I mean, she does like mares as well as stallions.”
“Maybe, but YOU were the one that complemented her eyes, silly!” Said Pinkie, coming to a sudden stop right in front of me.  Her speaking, as well as her sudden appearance in front of me, made me jump, for I kind of toned her out once she started her bouncing, but I quickly recovered, and said, “How did you-” before she quickly placed a hoof on my mouth.  I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to say something, but after thirty seconds when she still said nothing, I carefully removed her hoof from my mouth, saying, “You wanted to say something?”
Pinkie just shook her head, saying, “Nope, I just wanted to see what it was like to place a hoof on your mouth.” I just raised an eyebrow, and everypony began to laugh, even I began to chuckle a little, for it was indeed funny.
“It’s a shame that she likes you, that means that she won’t be able to help me to try to get in your herd then.” Said Octavia, a slight frown on her face.  I nodded my understanding, and then the full impact of what she said hit me, and quickly shaking my head, I said, “Hold on, what?”
Octavia noticed her blunder, and she quickly covered her mouth, a huge blush going across her face.  Before I could say anything, Octavia said, “Hold on, I think I hear Vinyl calling for me, see you guys later.” And with that, she quickly went back into her house, closing the door behind her.  I blinked in surprise, wondering what that was all about.  After a few moments of silence, I heard Luna say, “Well, it looks like we’re going to have two more members in the herd then.”
I turned around and opened my mouth to say something, but I closed it, unsure as to what I should say.  After a few more seconds of silence, I just slowly shook my head and said, “I honestly don’t know what to say at this point.”
“Cupcakes!” Shouted Pinkie.  We all turned towards her, and Pinkie said, “What?  Drak said he didn’t know what to say, so I helped him with saying cupcakes.” We all just stared at the crazy pink mare, and then after a while, Twilight cleared her throat to get our attention and said, “Well, with all of that aside, shall we continue caroling?”




We were all soon finished with our caroling, our last stop being Sweet Apple Acre, and giving a Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve to the Apple family, which at the moment consisted of Granny Smith and Big Mac.  Once we were finished, we began to walk toward the lake.  On the way there, I quickly walked next to Rarity and said, “So, is that order done yet?”
Rarity nodded, saying, “It sure is, darling.  I had to work almost all night last night to finish it, but they are all done, and I have to say, it was a rather…unique experience making such interesting clothing.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, concerned that she was up for most of the night.  “I’m sorry that my work made you lose some of your sleep, Rarity.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it, dear, for even I think that it was worth losing a couple hours of beauty sleep just to get these gifts ready for you.”
“I still can’t believe that you would do this and still not let me pay you for your services.”
“Nonsense, dear, nonsense.  The challenge alone was enough of a payment for me, and I wouldn’t be the Element of Generosity if I didn’t help my friends out from the goodness of my heart.”
“Well still, thank you, and if you need anything from me, all you have to do is ask.”
Rarity nodded, and then we finally reached the lake.  Once we were there, everypony placed their skates on, and soon, we were all skating on the lake.  Some of the ponies, like Fluttershy, Lotus, Twilight, Aloe, Rarity, and Ditzy were just slowly skating, just letting the breeze flow through their manes.  Others like Rainbow Dash, AJ, the Crusaders, Dinky, Spike, Trixie, and Luna were doing all sorts of cool and unique tricks, Dash and AJ having a skating contest to see who could do the best moves, while the Crusaders and Spike just skated around each other.  I also saw that Twilight was having a little trouble skating, and she seemed to be trying to keep her balance for the most part then anything else.  I just went around the lake, doing one thing with one of the ponies here, then moving on to join another pony over their.  Eventually, everypony was tired out, and we moved on to the hill that was close by to have a sledding race.  We all split into teams, so it was Ditzy, Rainbow, and Pinkie vs. Trixie, Luna, and Twilight vs. Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom vs. Aloe, Lotus, and AJ vs. Scootaloo, Dinky, and I.  I tried to get Fluttershy to join us, but she decided to just stay at the sidelines for this one, happy enough to just watch us sled instead, along with Rarity, who for some reason didn’t want to get snow in her coat.
“Ok, so the first one to the bottom wins, ok?” Said Dash, making sure everypony knew the condition to win.  Along with a scarf, she was also wearing some kind of goggles.  We all nodded, and with that, Dash began the countdown.
“Ok, here we go, in 5…”
“4…”
3
2…”
“1-go!
And with that, Dash and her team quickly sped off, leaving a trail of snow in their wake.  They were soon followed by AJ’s team, which in turn was followed by Trixie’s team, then Spike’s team, with my team taking the back for the moment.
“Come on Dad, go faster!” Shouted Scoots, urging me to catch up to the rest of the teams.
“Well, I’m trying, but I don’t remember sledding that much, if I ever did.” I said, leaning my body forward to try and create less air drag.
“Hey, Scoots, why don’t you use your wings.” Asked Dinky.  This confused me, not understanding what she meant, but apparently, the orange filly knew what Dinky was saying, for she then began to furiously beat her wings.  As she flapped her wings, I began to hear something that sounded like an engine, and soon, we rocketed past Spike and Trixie’s teams, who had very surprised looks on their faces when we passed them.  We soon reached AJ’s team, and we stayed neck and neck for a few seconds, and then we began to pull ahead of them, finally reaching up to Dash’s team.  Once we reached them, I noticed that Dash was also beating her wings as well, and somehow, Pinkie was holding a fan attached to the back of the sled, and she was also wearing goggles similar to Dash’s.  I ignored it for now, since I have seen her do weirder things (like pickpocketing without any fingers) and concentrated at the race at hand.  I took a quick glance at Dash’s team, and saw Ditzy waving at us, so naturally I smiled and waved back.  Suddenly, our sled hit something, and we were suddenly a foot in the air, and our sled was starting to flip over.  Both of the fillies began to scream in terror, and my mind began to go into overdrive, trying to figure something out.  Getting a quick spur of the moment idea, I quickly grabbed both of my daughters into my arms and held onto them as we began to fall back towards the earth.  Once we made contact, I began to do a roll, making sure to keep them away from the ground, which was much harder then it looked.  Unfortunately for me, the sled that we neglected came falling back down with us, and it hit my left leg in mid roll, making me give a shout in pain.  We rolled for a few more seconds, and then we slowly stopped, landing on my back, both of the fillies on my chest, gasping at the sudden adrenalin rush.
All three of us just lay there, wide-eyed at the event that just happened, and then Scootaloo began to laugh, along with Dinky, and then finally joined by myself.  Once we were done laughing, I noticed that Dash’s team had already beaten us to the bottom of the hill, and they were currently running towards us.  The first pony to reach us was Ditzy, a very worried look in her eyes.
“Oh my Celestia, Dinky, are you ok?!” Shouted Ditzy, coming to a sudden stop next to us and quickly taking the unicorn filly out of my grasp and began to search all over her to see if she got any bruises or cuts from the fall.  I looked up to the top of the hill and saw that Fluttershy was currently flying down to us in a hurry, with Rarity close behind.
Dinky sighed at this, most likely a little annoyed by her mother’s worry, but nevertheless, she still smiled at her, saying, “Yes, Mamma, I’m fine, Daddy protected us for the most part.”
“Are you ok, Scootaloo?” Asked Fluttershy, once she reached our crash site.  Scootaloo nodded, before she said, “Did you see that, Mom?  Me and Dad were going so fast!”
“I know, and you really scared me.” Said Fluttershy, her worried look getting deeper.  Scootaloo blushed a little, realizing how much she worried her, and said, “Yea, sorry about that, Mom, I just really wanted to win the race.”  At this point, the rest of the ponies had already reached the bottom of the hill, and everypony was either saying congratulations to Dash’s team, or checking to see if my daughters and I were well.
“Well, at least no damage was done.” I said, beginning to get up off of the ground.  Unfortunately, I seemed to have spoken too soon, for as soon as I tried to move my left leg, a very sharp pain exploded in my lower left leg, causing me to cry out in pain and fall back down onto the snow.  Immediately, Fluttershy, Ditzy and the rest of the ponies were soon by my side, worried looks on all of their faces.
“Oh my gosh, Drak, are you ok?” Asked Fluttershy, the worry in her face showing again.
I was quiet for a moment, trying to hold myself together as everypony else started to gather around me.  I may be very close to them, but in this situation, I was starting to panic anyways.  Fortunately, Fluttershy noticed this, and she motioned for the rest of the ponies to back up a little, which thankfully helped me relax a bit.
I winced as I felt the pain in my leg not going away, and said, “I…I don’t know, b-but…m-my leg really hurts r-right now.”
“Sister, you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lotus asked Aloe, who nodded.  Everypony was looking at the two in curiosity, wondering what they were thinking.
“Drak, can you try to move you leg again, please?” said Aloe, both her and her sister moving closer to take a better look at my leg.  I nodded and tried to move my leg again, but all I got was more pain, making me gasp as it coursed through my body.  The spa sisters were silent for a while, and then, with a nod, they both said in unison, “Your leg is broken.”
I was quiet, stunned at this news, and just blankly looked back at my leg again, not quite comprehending what they just said.  After a while, I looked back at the others, who also had worried expressions on their faces, and I just gave a small worried chuckle, saying, “Well, at least it’s just my leg.”
“Still, we should get you to the hospital.” Said Twilight.  I nodded, and with the help of Lotus and AJ to lean on for support, we all slowly began the trek to the hospital.




We all reached back to the library, me having to use AJ as support, since they didn’t have any crutches my size.  When we got to the hospital, Nurse Redheart was there, and she thankfully was able to get everything sorted out pretty quickly.  She took an X-ray of my leg, and we found out that it was only a fracture on my tibia, which was weird, cause my fibula was perfectly fine (Thankfully, the skeletal structure of humans was pretty similar to the ponies here, at least with the legs, so it was rather easy to figure out which bones were which).  All she did was put a cast on my leg, and told me to come back tomorrow, since all of the unicorn doctors were out during the holiday.
Once everypony was inside, we all sat down in a circle, while Spike and the fillies went to the kitchen to make hot coco for the rest of us, with Twilight keeping a careful eye one them.  While they were doing that, everypony else went to go and get the presents.  I tried to help them, but they all just forced me to sit down, so sit down I did.  Eventually, everypony was done, and we all had our mugs of hot coco in our hooves (or hands for me) with everypony’s presents in the middle of the circle that we made.
Once we were all settled, the gift giving began in earnest.  A lot of them got some interesting presents (at least, interesting to me), such as a small bag of gems to Spike from his herd mates, a new sewing set for Rarity from Fluttershy, some books from Twilight to all of us, and an autographed Wonderbolts picture for Rainbow from Luna, which cause her to give an unusual fan girl scream.  Then there were some others, such as a starters spell book for Trixie and I, which we later learned that it would be what we would be learning later from Twilight and Luna, but we were happy to get it nevertheless.  Aloe and Lotus gave each other some relaxation tip magazines and scented candles, and strangely enough they were the same magazine and candles, which made us all laugh a little, including the spa sisters.  I smiled when Dinky gave her stuffed muffin to Ditzy, which she loved immediately, saying how happy she was and that she would always hold on to it.  Another gift that I thought was good was when Rarity gave Trixie her hat and cloak back, fully repaired and with a silver outlining to it now.  Trixie was stunned that somepony actually fixed it, and she thanked Rarity profusely for repairing her stuff free of charge.  One that I found quiet amusing was when Pinkie gave a box to Dash, and when she opened it, streamers came flying out.  We all laughed at this, and then we all laughed again when Dash gave the same ‘present’ to Pinkie as well.  Once we were all calmed down from that, they gave each other the real presents, and we continued on from there.  It generally proceeded as such, with the ponies giving gifts to each other.  After a while, I realized that, besides the book from Twilight, I haven’t gotten any other gifts from them, not even from Pinkie, not that I cared, though, for being here with everypony was a gift onto itself.  I then realized that while I was thinking about this, Twilight was talking to me.
“Hey Drak, you there?” She asked, concern in her eyes.  I quickly shook my head to clear it and smiled, saying, “Yea, sorry, just thinking about stuff.”
“Oh, well, you might have noticed that you haven’t gotten any other gifts from us yet.” I nodded.  “Well, since you came to us at such short notice, we knew that you wouldn’t be able to get a lot for us, and vise versa, so we all decided to pitch in and get at least a few gifts for you.  I hope you don’t mind.”
I smiled at them and said, “Of course not, girls, but you didn’t have to, I mean, I would have been happy enough just being here with all of you.”
“Still, you’re just super duper awesome, and we want to show you how super duper awesome you really are!” Said Pinkie, bouncing excitedly in place.  I just looked at everypony to confirm this, and they all nodded, smiles on all of their faces.
“Well, I guess it’s ok then.” I said, blushing slightly at all of the attention that I was getting.  Everypony giggled at this, and then they all started to give me my gifts, starting with the Crusaders.
The three fillies both brought a crudely wrapped box and placed it in front of me, with Applebloom saying, “You kind of left this back at the farm, Drak, so me and the other Crusaders decided to…’spruce it up’ as Rarity would call it, and give it back to you as a gift.  Hope ya’ll like it!”
I smiled at them and unwrapped the box before I opened it.  Inside was the hat that AJ gave to me, but it was much different then I last saw it.  The main difference was that it was red instead of the usual light brown, and on the front of it was a big D all in glitter.  I smiled and placed it on my head, saying, “So, how do I look now?”
“You look awesome, Dad!” Said Scootaloo, giving me a big hug, along with the rest of the fillies.  I laughed with them and hugged them in return, and we stayed like that for a few seconds before separating.  Next came Fluttershy, and she gave me a unique looking plant that seemed like a cross between a daisy and a rose.  She said, “I k-know it isn’t m-much, but I hope you like it.”
I smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “I love it, Shy, and I’m going to put it on the window sill in my room so that I can see it every morning I wake up.” The yellow mare blushed at my comment and nodded her appreciation, and then came Applejack, carrying a corked bottle of liquid.
“Here yah go, sugarcube.  This here’s some of Sweet Apple Acres’ best apple cider, an’ ah hope that ya’ll enjoy it.” She said, placing it next to me.
“May I try it now?” I asked.  AJ smiled and said, “Ah was hopin’ that you would say that.” She then pulled out a pair of cups, and uncorked the bottle, pouring us both a drink.  I took mine and said, “Cheers” before I took a sip.  The taste of it was strong, for a lack of better words, but it was also sweet at the same time, and I enjoyed the taste immensely.  I smiled again and gave my country marefriend a kiss on the cheek, saying, “This is certainly some of Sweet Apple Acres’ best.”  AJ blushed at my comment before she poured us another, which I drank just as greedily.
After her came Rainbow Dash, carrying a pair of red-rimmed goggles and placing them in front of me.  “I want to thank you for doing all of that stuff for me, and I got this for you to use when you learn how to do a flying spell.” She said, a smile on her face as well as a small blush.  I smiled at her and hugged her as well, saying, “Thanks Dash, and who knows, maybe we can race once I learn that spell.”
“Just as long as you’re ready to lose to Equestria’s fastest Pegasus.” She said, a small smirk on her face.  She then went back to her spot, and Rarity stood up next, bringing with her a medium sized box.  She gave the box to me and I opened it, revealing a tuxedo, complete with dress shoes and a red bow tie.  I smiled at the fashion unicorn and said, “Thank you for this, Rarity, now I’ll have something to wear to during the Grand Galloping Gala that Luna and Celestia told me about.” Rarity smiled at this, and then went back to her seat, and when she sat down, Twilight said, “Well, that’s all of them, I hope that you liked them, even though it wasn’t much.”
“I loved them all, Twi, and this means a lot to me, since I came here with nothing, and not only have I gained a name for myself, but I have also gained some of the best friends here, as well as the most loving marefriends that I could ever ask for.” I said, being completely honest with them.  “Now, I think it is my turn to give you girls some of the presents that I was able to find, though I wasn’t able to get a lot for all of you girls, but-”
“Drak, dear, you don’t have to worry about getting all of us stuff, as long as you are here, then we are all happy, right girls?” Said Rarity, looking at all of the ponies in the room.  They all nodded their agreement, and I smiled again, saying, 	“Well, even so, I was able to get at least one thing for all of you girls, well…Rarity made them, so I guess it is more her present then mine.”
“Nonsense, darling, you were the one with the idea, I’m just the one that brought it to life.” She said, blushing at my compliment.  Her horn began to glow, and in floated a bunch of boxes, one for each pony in the room, including herself, and once each one of them had a box, they all began to open them, and inside was a pony styled hoodie, colored coordinated and everything (The colors going as such: Rarity: light purple, Twilight and Luna: dark purple, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle and Aloe: pink, AJ and Scootaloo: orange, Fluttershy: green, Rainbow Dash: rainbow, Lotus: light blue, Ditzy and Dinky: yellow, Applebloom: red, Trixie: silver).  The hoodies also had extra holes in them for the ponies with wings or a horn (or in Luna’s case, both).  Everypony smiled at this and said thank you to me, with some of them, such as the Crusaders, Dinky, and Spike (who got one that was more similar to mine, and his was a similar purple as to Twilight’s hoodie) trying them on right away, while the rest just placed them aside for the time being.  I smiled as they all examined their new clothing, and said, “I know that you girls won’t really wear them as much as I wear mine, but it might be useful to wear during the colder times of the year, you know?”
“Drak, I think that they are lovely, and you should be proud of this idea.” Said Rarity, examining the work of her own hoodie that she made.  Still smiling, I said, “Well, with that all done, let me get the other gifts that I was able to get.” I went to get up, but before I could, Luna’s horn glowed, and in floated the few presents that I had boxed up.  I gave a curious look at Luna, wondering how she knew where they were, and she said, “Well, I kind of saw them when you were placing them over there, but I promise that I didn’t peek.”  I continued to look at her, and then shrugging, I said, “Well, in that case, I’ll give you your first one then.”
I pointed the one that was hers, and she took it and opened it, revealing the wine that I got with Celestia in Canterlot.  “Oh, how did you know, Drak?” She said in an overly dramatic way.
“Oh, just a lucky guess.” I said, in an exasperated manner, making us both giggle.  Next came AJ’s, since it was right next to Luna’s, and she opened hers to reveal Equine Cider, which was the apple cider that Luna told me that AJ likes (besides her own), and I was able to find it yesterday during a trip to the market.  Thankfully it wasn’t that expensive, but it wasn’t exactly that cheap either.  AJ smiled and opened it up before she took a swig of it.
“Oh we! That is as strong as ah remember from before, partner!” she said, giving me a kiss on he lips.  When I broke the kiss, I smacked my lips a bit, for I could taste the cider on her own lips, and said, “Wow, you’re right, that is strong cider.” Which caused all of the ponies to erupt with laughter.  I smiled at the reaction that I got from them and even chuckled a little before I moved on with the gifts.  Next came Fluttershy, and I was rather nervous about this one, since I didn’t think that she would like it.  Fluttershy took her box, and while she was carefully opening it, I began to say, “I wasn’t able to find you anything that you might have liked, so I decided to make something for you instead, though I don’t know if I did any good…”
Fluttershy opened her box, and gave a small gasp, for inside was a hand made yellow quilt with a picture of her cutie mark on it, though it was rather crudely made, the butterflies looking distorted to the point that it left my skills to be questioned.  Fluttershy looked at it for a while, and I became more nervous, thinking that she hated it, but then she quickly came up to me and hugged me, saying, “I think that this is one of my favorite gifts that I have ever gotten, Drak.  Thank you so much.”
I was stunned for a second before I quickly got myself together and hugged her back, saying, “Th-thank you, F-Fluttershy, that really means a lot, especially with the work that I did on it, which is to say…not exactly Rarity quality.”
“I would have to agree, darling, for your work definitely leaves…something to be desired, that is for sure.” Said the white unicorn.  I just raised an eyebrow, but otherwise I said nothing, just holding onto my yellow Pegasus marefriend.  After a while of us hugging, we separated, and I turned to my two daughters, a small frown on my face.  I then said, “I’m sorry to say, Scoots, but I was unable to find you something for a gift, maybe tomorrow we can-”
My mouth was quickly covered by Scootaloo’s hoof, and with a smile, she said, “I already got my gift, Drak, and that was to get a family again.  You don’t have to get me anything for this Hearth's Warming’s Eve.” I saw a tear starting to drop from her eyes, and unable to contain myself either, I quickly grabbed the orange filly into a big hug, and we both hugged each other.  We stayed like that for a while, and then we separated as I turned to my unicorn daughter and said, “I was, however, able to find a certain book that you might have been looking for, Muffin.” And with that, I handed her the book.  She took it and looked at the cover, which read ‘Daring Do and the Diamond Skull’ which brought a smile on her face, and she said, “Thanks, Daddy, now I can finally continue to read the series.”
“Oh, that’s a good one, Dinky, you’re going to enjoy that one a lot.” Said Dash, looking at the book as well.  I smiled, and then I turned my attention to Lotus, and said, “I kind of found this by chance, but as soon as I saw it, it made me think of you, so I hope that you like it.”
The light blue Earth pony smiled and took the box from me, and slowly began to unwrap it.  Once it was unwrapped, she opened the box, and inside was the hair band with the pink lotus that I found at the jewelry store.  Lotus’s eyes went wide, and her sister who was sitting right next to her looked at the item in awe as well.
“Wow, I’m a little jealous of you, Lotus.” Said Aloe, a grin on her face.  Lotus was speechless, and without another word, she quickly ran to me and gave me a big hug, saying, “This is one of the most beautiful things that anypony has ever done for me.  Thank you so much, Drak.”
I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “It wasn’t a problem, Lotus.  You want to try it on now?”
“Oh, yes please!” Squealed Lotus with glee, making me chuckle.  With a little help from me, she quickly took her old hair band off and placed the new hair band on.  I smiled as I watched her straighten it a little before being satisfied with it, and then turning towards the rest of the ponies in the room, she said, “So, how do I look?”
“You look simply marvelous, darling!  It just looks exquisite on you.” Exclaimed Rarity, swooning a little.  If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that she was going to faint.
Finally, there was one box left, a small one, with no wrapping around it either.  I smiled as I remembered which one this was, and said, “Ok, I’m going to have to ask everypony to close their eyes for this one, please.” Everypony smiled before closing their eyes.  I looked around the room to make sure that they all had their eyes closed, and then, turning to Dinky, I gave her a small tap on the shoulder.  She opened her eyes, and I whispered into her ear, saying, “You care to do the honors, Muffin, since my leg is kind of busted at the moment?”
Dinky smiled, knowing what I meant, and nodded, and then she quickly took the box and opened it, and then placed the Angel’s Heart necklace around her mother’s neck.  Ditzy didn’t even seem to notice it happening, her face all scrunched up in a cute sort of way, like she was concentrating hard on something.  Once Dinky was sitting back down, I said, “Ok everypony, now open your eyes and tell me if you girls see anything different.”
All of the ponies in the room opened their eyes and began to look around, but they were unable to see the necklace at all.  After a good thirty seconds, Ditzy said, “Ok, I give up, can you tell us please, Drak?”
I just smiled and asked my unicorn daughter, “You want to tell her, Muffin?”
“Look on your neck, Mamma!” Exclaimed Dinky, giggling.
Ditzy gave a confused look and looking at her neck she said, “What’s around my-” but before she could finish, she saw the necklace, and gave a small gasp, her mouth hanging open.  At this point, everypony in the room was looking at her with the necklace, and they all had surprised looks on their faces.
“Is…is tha’ wha’ ah think it is, partner?” Asked AJ, a look of awe in her eyes.
“It is!  Oh-my-gosh, that’s an Angel’s Heart necklace.  AAAAHHH!” Exclaimed Rarity, and this time, she really did faint, in an over dramatic sort of fashion.  Ditzy slowly took it in her hoof and held it to her face to get a closer look, seeming like she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Everypony was quiet in the room, and then Ditzy looked back at me.  I just had a big smile on my face the entire time, and then when she looked at me, I just said, “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Ditzy Doo.”
At this point, Ditzy just launched herself at me, giving me a tight hug and a passionate kiss.  I just chuckled a little, or at least as much as I could with the grey mare’s lips on my own, and then began to kiss her back.  We stayed like that for a good while, everypony with smiles on their faces, and then we finally separated, Ditzy starting to breath deeply.
“But…h-how d-d-did you…how d-d-did you…how?” Ditzy asked, unable to get a proper question out.  I just smiled and said, “Well, I did have a little help, right Dinky?”
“Yup!  He wanted to get the necklace for you for a gift, so I showed him which one it was.” Said the pink filly, a goofy smile on her face.  Ditzy was quiet for a moment, and then she hugged me deeper, and I thought I could feel tears starting to poor out of her eyes and onto my shoulder.  I just held her there, rubbing her back in small circles, and said, “So, I’ll take it that you enjoy it?”
Ditzy nodded, saying, “Th-th-thank y-you so m-much, Drak.  You h-h-have n-no idea h-h-how much th-this m-means to m-me.”
I smiled again and said, “I think I do.  So with all of the gifts given, now what?”
“Actually.” Said Ditzy in a small tone.  I looked back at her and I could see a small blush forming on her face, and then she said, “I have one last gift for you, but you’re going to have to wait for later tonight.  Can you do that for me, please?”
I just smiled and gave her a kiss on the nose, saying, “For you girls, I’ll wait for as long as it takes.” Ditzy smiled at that, and with that all settled, we began to talk and just have a good time, enjoying everypony’s company, all of us happy to be with the one’s that we loved.




After a good few hours, everypony had to go back to their homes; all of us tired after today’s festivities.  I smiled as I sat in my bed that I was going to be sharing with Ditzy.  She said that she would be back in a second with my gift, and I was kind of excited about it, for I had no idea what it could be.  I was just lying there, only in my boxers, since she wanted me out of my clothing for some reason, thinking about everything that has happened so far today.  Sure, I may have broken my leg, but it was still one of my best days here.
As I was sitting there, I heard the door open a little, and then I heard Ditzy’s voice from the other side.  “H-hey D-Drak, c-c-can you c-close y-y-y-your e-eyes for a s-second, p-please?”
I smiled and closed my eyes, wondering what it could be, and said, “Ok, angel, my eyes are closed.” I then heard the door squeak open a little more before it closed, and then heard hoof steps as Ditzy approached the bedside.
“O-ok, you can…you c-can open y-your e-eyes.” She said.  I opened my eyes, and what I saw just left me speechless.
There was Ditzy, looking as beautiful as ever, but the only difference was that she seemed to be wearing some kind of lingerie. Her…’underwear’ was a lacy pale yellow, with her tail leaving the top of it open, so that I could see a little inside it.  Right above her underwear was a small bra that just covered her teats, which was the same color as her underwear, as well as being lacy.  The next and final part of her new clothing was the pair of long socks on her rear legs, they were also a pale yellow, as well as going all the way up to her flank, outlining her rear quiet nicely.  I was stunned for a second, not sure as to what I should say.  After a while, Ditzy gave a worried look and blushing, she asked, “So, do you…d-do you l-like it?”
I stayed quiet for a few more seconds, and then, finally finding my voice again, I said, “Well, I, uh…I d-do, it’s…it’s a-amazing, but…well…why?”
Ditzy began to blush some more at my stuttering, and then she said, “Well, it’s my gift to you, and I wanted for us to finally…make love, as my gift, which was kind of why I did that with you a couple of days ago.  I also kind of asked the girls how I should present myself to you, and well…Rarity’s was the best one in my opinion, so…yea.” She began to attempt at striking a sexy pose, her tail swishing from side to side in a hypnotic fashion, while she crossed her forelegs in front of her, tilting her head to the side, and she tried to make herself seem more confident as well, but her blush never left her face once.
I just stayed quiet, unsure as to what I should say, for here was this mare that I held close to my heart, who had a bad first experience, and she was dressed as this, wanting for us to have sex.  Now, I knew I should go with it, but I wanted to do it her way, even if this was pretty…hot, to say the least.
“Ditzy, I’m flattered that you did this for me, but-” I began to explain, when she closed my mouth with her hoof, giving me a small smile, and said, “I know that I didn’t have to, but I wanted my first time…my real first time…to be something that the both of us will remember, so, even though I kind of find this a little…embarrassing, to say the least, I still am willing to do it, so…if you want to…will you let me be my first true love Drak, please?”
I stayed quiet, and I looked into her eyes, and what I saw spoke magnitudes of what she felt for me.  At that moment, I knew that she truly did love me unlike anypony that she has met before.  Slowly, I took her hoof in one hand and removed it from my mouth, and then took my other hand and gently cupped her cheek, saying, “Ditzy Doo, I would truly love to be your first true love in this, and I promise that you will love every second of it.”
Ditzy smiled at this, and then she leaned in closer, our lips barely touching at this point, and whispered, “Just let me do it at my own pace, if that’s all right?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my angel.” I whispered back, staring into her eyes.  With all of that said, we slowly closed the distance between ourselves and began to kiss each other gently, closing our eyes in the process, our lips just smoothly flowing across the others, both of us silently moaning as we got more and more into it.  Ditzy then leaned back into me, pushing us both into the bed, and then she got on top of me.  We continued to kiss each other for a good few minutes; the whole time we were kissing she would grind my cock that was trapped in my boxers.  I groaned as I began to feel my dick throb in pain, wanting nothing more then to tear both of our clothing off and to buck each other senseless, but I knew that neither of us wanted that, for we both wanted this to last, so that we could remember it for years to come.  She then slowly broke the kiss, and as we both opened our eyes, she looked at me with a sexy smile, and then ever so slowly, she slid up my chest, saying, “You remember when you promised that you would repay for my treatment last time?” I nodded.  “Well, I was wondering if you could do that now, if that’s all right.”
At this point, her stomach was right by my face, and she continued to slide upwards until I was at eye level with the her bra.  I stopped her there and said, “Whatever you wish for, Ditzy, I’m more then ok with doing it.  Just relax and let me do all of the work for this.”  With that said, I began to kiss her stomach, caressing her soft grey coat with my lips, making her give a soft moan as I began to slowly stimulate her.  I gave myself a small smile, and then moved onto her bra.  I was able to see her teats through the fabric, and bringing my hands forward, I began to gently pinch and tease both of her nipples through the fabric, causing her to moan at the treatment.  I kept on working on her through the clothing, getting her more excited as time went on.  After a while, I gently took her bra off, thankfully without breaking the strap, and teased her teats some more before I took the right one into my mouth and began to suckle on it like a little foal, making her pant with anticipation.  As I suckled her, my other hand continued to work on her left teat, and my free hand began to massage the area right above her underwear, before I slowly moved it down onto the top of her fabric, massaging her marehood right behind the lacy clothing.  I could feel her arousal starting to stain her underwear, causing my fingers to slide between her petals while my thumb somehow managed to find her clit through the fabric, causing a little gasp to erupt from her cute mouth.  As I continued with her teats and pussy, she would give loud moans of pleasure, and gently placed her hooves at the head of the bed to support herself from the bouts of pleasure that she was experiencing.  I then decided to switch hands and teats, so I began to suckle on her left teat as my right hand began to tease her left one, while my now free left hand began to caress her pussy.  Ditzy panted in anticipation, wanting more, and I, who was willing to give her more, decided to move her undergarments to the side so that I could rub her pussy lips directly, causing a small gasp and an increase of moans to erupt from her.  After a good while of this, I deemed that she was wet enough to continue, and so I ever so gently pushed my forefinger into her.  This caused a particularly loud moan to erupt from her, and her wings popped open with a snap while I slowly began to jilt her marehood in a slow, rhythmic fashion, increasing the amount of pleasure that I was giving her.  Ditzy moaned as I finger fucked her, and it only got more intense for her when I placed my middle finger into her as well, both of my fingers spreading her pussy and exploring the wet cavern of her love tunnel.  I then released my hold onto her teats, and I brought my face down so that I could see the work I was doing, my fingers pumping her pussy with ease, her liquid flowing freely from her vagina and down my hand, making it easier to pleasure her.  I then brought my face closer to her nether region, and began to flick her clit with my tongue, causing a loud gasp followed by a longer moan of pleasure from the grey mare.  With my now free hand, I began to caress her sock covered thighs for a while before I moved to her plot, and then finally to her cutie mark, massaging her bubbles with practiced ease, making her moan and relax into my grasp.  Both of us knew that we loved every minute of it, and we both knew that sooner or later, we would have to move on.
We stayed like that for a good 20 minutes, though, both of us in a different kind of bliss; Ditzy was up on cloud nine, while I was just simply happy that I was making her feel so good.  Finally, I felt Ditzy move off of me, and confused, I gave a quick look to her, but she just smiled and panting, she said, “You did a…really good job, Drak, almost…too good, for I want our…first time to be together…if that’s…all right.”
I just smiled and said, “Of course it is, Ditzy.” The Pegasus mare smiled at me, and then began to kiss me again, though with a bit more force into it, wrapping both of our tongues into each other’s mouth.  After a good while, I could feel her shifting over me as she adjusted herself to remove her undergarments.  I broke the kiss and giving her a small smile, I asked, “Would you like some help?”
“Yes, please.” She said, painting hard from the kiss that we just broke.  Smiling again, I brought both of my hands down and slowly rubbed her covered plot, making her moan a little, before I brought my fingers around the waistband and gently pulled it down over her clothed legs, making her naked once again.  I smiled and then pulled down my own clothing as well, exposing my shaft to the chill air.  I felt both of our respected privates brush up against one another, making us moan in anticipation.  With a soft, reassuring kiss, I asked, “So, would you like me to help, or do you think that you can do it from here?”
“I’ll…I’ll do it, if that’s ok.” She said, a blush growing on her face.  I nodded, and then released my hold on her rear, letting her take full control of the situation.  I looked into her eyes, and noticed that while she was very nervous about doing this, she still had the look of determination that I saw from her only a couple of days ago.  With a deep breath, she lowered herself down on my manhood, and slowly began to impale herself in my rod, causing her to give a sharp loud moan at the feeling.  As she was inserting herself onto me, she brought her face down onto mine and began to kiss me again.  After a while, I felt her stop halfway down my shaft, and I felt a tear drop on my face, and looking at her, I saw that she was beginning to cry, so I quickly parted our kiss and asked, “You ok, Ditzy?”
The grey mare was quiet for a second before she slowly nodded, saying, “I’m f-fine.  This is…much d-different then t-the last time, that’s for s-sure.” I smiled, glad that she was fine so far, and said, “Well, you can move now, if you want to.” Ditzy nodded, and then slowly lifted herself on me before she slowly brought it back down, creating a gasp from the both of us.  She kept on the slow pace, being content with going at this for the time being, and not wanting to rush her, I decided to try and make her feel more comfortable by gently massaging her wings, finding the wing’s g-spot and massaging them, making her moan even more.  As she slowly bobbed her marehood on my dick, I began to slowly thrust into her as well, making us go even deeper then before, causing a gasp from her, and eager for more pleasure, she began to move a little faster, starting to bounce on me.  I gritted my teeth as I tried not to blow my load too soon, for her walls were incredibly tight, surprisingly so to me, but it just made things all the more pleasurable, and soon, she was riding me at a fast past, the full length of my cock getting buried into her moist tunnel, loud moans of pleasure erupting from the both of us.
“Oh, Drak...this feels…so…g-good.  Keep…k-keep d-doing this, I d-don’t ever want to stop, I…I love you Drak.” Said Ditzy, in between moans of complete bliss.  As I kept thrusting into her, she placed her hooves on my shoulders to support her, the pleasure making her mind go white.
“I love you too, Ditzy, but…I…I c-can’t hold on much longer.” I said, on the verge of an orgasm.
“Then come with me, please…COME WITH MEEEEEEE!” She shrieked, going into overdrive as her climax began to overcome her.  As she came, her juices began to flood the area, making me gasp as her wall constricted my dick, wanting to milk it of its semen, and succeeding as well, for a second later, I came too, my cum mixing in with hers.  We both slowed down our lovemaking, neither one of us wanting to stop yet, for we were still enjoying the high that we were experiencing.  After a good few minutes of our light headed state, she slowed her bouncing completely and then finally stopped, panting deeply, while I looked at her with all the love and affection that I felt for her.  We both just stayed like that, looking into each other’s eyes, and for a second, I could have sworn that both of her eyes were staring at me, but then she blinked, and the moment was gone.
“Wow, that was…that w-w-was…thank you, Drak.  This…definitely helped me a…a lot.  I…I really, really love you.”
I smiled at her, saying, “I love you too, Ditzy, and I hope that I will be here with you girls for as long as I live.”
With that, she gently placed her head on my chest, not bothering to remove herself from me, and sighing, she said, “Somehow, I know that you will be with us for a very long time.  I don’t know how, but I just know it, I can feel it, right in my heart.”
I smiled and gave her forehead a tired kiss.  “Night Ditzy, sweet dreams. And I love you.”
“Night, Drak, and I love you too.” She said, closing her golden eyes.  With that, I closed my eyes as well, my arms protectively holding my grey mare around me, her wings splayed to the side of the both of us, and we both slowly drifted off to sleep.
> Chapter 27
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 27

It has been a few days since Hearth’s Warming Eve, and it was currently the morning of a shining day.  I was in the library, studying on my new homework assignment, which was to use elemental magic to create a small cloud and move it around for a few seconds before dispersing it.  We were able to go through the basic elemental magic since it was easy to do, however this one combined air with water, making it a little harder for me.  Trixie already passed it with flying colors, for apparently, she had an inborn ability for it, while I was struggling to maintain a simple fluffy cloud.
I sighed as I reread the part about cloud manipulation; even after reading it for the fourth time, I was only able to understand about half of it.  After two more times reading it, I finally thought that I had it down, so closing the book, I placed it on the table and went outside to try and attempt it again.
As I walked outside, I began to scan the sky, and thankfully Dash did a pretty good job today (as of most of the time she does it) and taking a deep breath, I began to collect the energy into my hands again.  My hands began glow red as the energy began to build in my hands, and I smiled.  It was getting progressively easier to start my energy build up, and I was having no trouble with the early beginner spells any more.  I was able to hold the light spell for an indefinite amount of time, and I could manipulate multiple objects at once with little to no discomfort.
Once I thought that I had enough energy, I began to collect the water particles in the air, bunching them together and forming a cloud out of them.  After a few seconds, a cloud was starting to form, but I could already feel the strain from it build up inside me, and I knew that I would have to release the spell soon.  I began to move my cloud around, and this time, instead of it evaporating on me like every other time, it slowly began to move.  I did a silent cheer as I finally passed it, and then, unable to hold it any longer, I released the spell, letting the cloud hover there.
“Wow Drak.  That was some impressive stuff there.” I looked up and saw Dash hovering over me before she landed on the newly made cloud, seeming to make herself comfortable.  I smiled at her and said, “Hi to you too, Dash.  So, what have you been up to?”
“Oh, nothing much, just finished on clearing the sky, then I realized that I had forgotten to leave a cloud for me to take a nap on.  Thankfully, you seemed to solve that problem.”
“Well, glad I could be of service.” I said, chuckling slightly.  We became quiet after that, neither of us saying anything.  After a few minutes, Dash asked, “So, how’s the leg?”
I looked back down at my left leg, which was currently in this magic brace that was able to at least let me walk like normal.  Thankfully, the unicorn doctors were able to do a good job at speeding the healing process of my leg, so that I only had a few days until I was able to finally take off the brace and walk without it.  “It’s going pretty well, Dash.  The doc says that come tomorrow I will be able to remove the brace.”
“Well, you’re lucky that you aren’t stuck in a hospital bed, like I was.”
“Yea, I heard about that, what exactly happened?”
“Well, I was practicing some stunts, when I kind of made a mistake and…crashed to the ground.  Luckily, the only thing that I hurt was my wing, though I may as well have been in a body cast for all I cared about, for it was just so boring!  I thought that I was never going to get out of there.  Thankfully, Twilight was able to introduce me to the Daring Do series, and it was one of the most awesome things that I have ever read.”
“I thought it was one of the only things that you’ve ever read.” Said a voice from behind me, and turning around, I noticed that the Crusaders were coming up to greet me, as well as Dinky.  I smiled at them and said, “What do you mean by that, Scoots?” for it was indeed the orange filly that said the comment.
“Well, I have never seen Dash read anything besides the Daring Do series, so I was just curious as to why she said that.” Said the orange filly, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.
“Hey, I have read more then just the Daring Do books, I’ll have you know!” Exclaimed the cyan Pegasus, puffing her chest out.  This caused everypony to raise their eyebrows in disbelief, including me, for I have never seen her read anything besides Daring Do.  After a few seconds of silence, she deflated a little and said, “Ok, fine, I have only read a flight manual or two and that’s all.”
“Hey, it’s fine that you don’t read as much as other ponies, reading isn’t for everypony.” I said, giving her a smile.  This seemed to cheer her up, and she smiled back, nodding her head in thanks.  I then turned towards the fillies and asked them, “So, what brings you girls here?”
“Well, you did promise to teach us some of them karate moves, Drak, so we were hoping that you could teach them right now, if you’re up to it.” Said Applebloom, a look of excitement in her eyes.  In fact, they all look excited at the prospect of learning some karate from me.
I was quiet for a while, thinking about their request.  I did promise them that I would teach them some karate moves, but with the condition of my leg, I doubt that I would be able to teach them much at the moment.  I then realized that I would have trouble teaching them even some of the basic moves that I know, for the things that I know were meant for bipedal creatures, not for four legged ones.  As I was thinking, Rainbow Dash spoke up, interrupting my thoughts.
“Hey, I just realized something.  Wouldn’t it be difficult for you to teach them anything, since you were taught by other humans, and probably don’t know how to train ponies?” She said.  I nodded and said, “I was thinking the same thing.  I just wish that I knew a way around it.”
“Well, how about I help you teach them?” I looked at the Pegasus in confusion, unsure as to what she meant by that.  “Well, you can teach them the moves, and I could show them how it translates to pony style karate.  You think that would work?”
I was quiet as I thought about this for a second, and then I nodded, saying, “I guess it could work, but how will you translate it into your style?”
“Well, I just thought that I would wing it.  I mean, you were a pretty good judge for me when I was doing my stunts, and you don’t have wings, so how hard could it be?”
I was quiet again, and then I shrugged, saying, “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to try.”  I then turned towards the fillies and smiled, saying, “You girls up to the task of becoming possible Karate Masters?”
“Yes, Drakalian!” they all shouted, smiles on all of their faces.  I chuckled at this, and then said, “Well, I think we should start easy first, so we will start by teaching you girls some stances.  The first one I’ll teach you is a horse stance.” With that, I got into a horse stance, my feet at shoulder length apart, toes pointing forward, knees slightly bent.  They all looked at me for a second before they tried to copy my stance in their own way, though of course there were a few things that they were doing wrong.  I smiled at them as they tried to position themselves correctly.
“Um, why do we need to do this, Dad?” Asked, Scootaloo, a quizzical look in her eyes as she shuffled her hooves to get in the right stance.  I smiled and said, “Well, if you do it correctly, then I won’t be able to push you over.”
“Ok, ah think ah got it.” Said AB, a confidant look on her face.  I smiled, for even from were I was standing, I could tell that she certainly did not have it, for her legs were too far apart, and her knees were straight to the point that it seemed painful.  I walked up to her and said, “Well, lets see if you can stand this then.” And before she could say anything, I gently shoved her to the side, causing her to stumble a little.
“The hay, Drak?  Why did you mess me up?” She said, a hurtful look in her eyes.  I just smiled and said, “I didn’t mess you up you did that by yourself.  If you were doing it properly, then that shouldn’t have happened.” I said, giving her a bemused look.
“Then show us how it’s done.” She said, a look of annoyance in her eyes.  I smiled and said, “Ok well, try to push me down then.”  I got into a horse stance, and the country filly immediately tried to push me over, but she was unable to move me, not even in the slightest.  After about a minute, she stopped, panting deeply, and said, “Well, that just proves nothing, ah mean, you’re bigger and stronger then me.”
I raised an eyebrow in amusement, and then said, “Hey, Dash, try to push me over.” Dash nodded and smiled, knowing what I was trying to do now, and flew down from her cloud before she placed both of her hooves onto one of my shoulders and began to push at me with everything that she had.  Once again, I barely even moved, the only thing that did move was the top of me swaying a little, but otherwise, my feet stayed put, though my hurt leg was starting to ach a little with the exertion that I was dealing with at the time.  Finally, after a good few minutes, Dash stopped her pushing, breathing heavily.
“And that, fillies, is how you do a proper…horse stance, right?” she said, looking at me for confirmation, and smiling, I nodded.
“Yup, that’s how you do it.” I said.  I took a look at the fillies again, and surprisingly, I noticed that while they were trying to do it again, Sweetie Belle was the closest one out of the four. I walked up to her and with my help, adjusted her a little, before saying to AB, “If you still don’t believe me after that, then I bet that Sweetie here could hold me up right now if I lean on her.” This caused the unicorn filly to go wide eyed in surprise, and the other fillies to look at me with disbelief, before Scoots said, “Um Dad, I know that you’re awesome and all, but I doubt Sweetie could hold your weight.”
I just smiled and said, “Well, then this will prove you wrong.” Before I placed my hand on Sweetie’s shoulder and leaned on her with my entire weight.  The white filly’s shoulders shifted a little under my pressure, but otherwise she remained firm, her legs not moving an inch.  Everypony just looked in awe at the scene in front of them, and after a while, I stopped leaning on Sweetie and said, “Now, that is a proper horse stance, so, you girls willing to try it again?”
The rest of the morning went like this for a while, me teaching them all the basics of karate; while Dash helped by watching me and translating it to moves that the fillies were able to do.  We went through stances, blocks, and even a few punches (or in their case a foreleg kick) and I was a little impressed that they were able to learn so fast, and I was also surprised that once the day hit afternoon, they still didn’t get their cutie marks.
I was panting slightly from all of the exertion that I went through, and I could tell that the fillies were tired as well, even Dash looked a little out of breath, though she tried to seem like she wasn’t as tired as she looked.  After a few seconds of catching our breath, I smiled and said, “Well, I think that will be all for today.  How about we go to Sugarcube Corner for a bit, my treat.”
“That…sounds…nice.” Panted Sweetie, who, besides me, seemed to be the one that was exhausted the most.  With a smile, I began to walk to the bakery with the fillies following, and then realizing that I left somepony out, I turned to Dash and said, “Hey, you want to join us, Dash?”
“Yea, I guess I could.” She said.  Before she went to join us, though, she went to the cloud that I made and bucked it, making it disappear in a puff.
I sighed as I saw my work fade to nothing. “Well, there goes all my work for nothing.”
“Hey, relax, I’ll tell Twilight that I saw you do the spell, ok?” Said Dash, chuckling a little.  I smiled and nodded, and with that, we all proceeded to the bakery shop.
The bell ranged as we entered the building, and as we walked in, I was able to see some other ponies that I have recognized from before.  At one table was the minty green unicorn that I saw outside Carousel Boutique, and with her was an Earth pony with a cream colored coat and a dual dark purple and pink mane.  Strangely enough, the mint unicorn seemed to go in shock when she saw me, which went unnoticed by her dining partner.  I just shrugged it off, assuming that she wasn’t used to a human living in Ponyville yet, and continued to scan the room.  The next pair of ponies kind of surprised me, for it was none other then Octavia and Vinyl, both having not noticed me.  The fillies, Dash and I both sat down, and in no time, Pinkie was already next to us, with food on a platter already on her back.  I was curious as to how she knew what we were going to order, but decided against asking her, and just nodded my thanks before I gave her the bits for payment (Luckily, I keep my bag of bits on me almost all the time now) and in no time, we began to dig in, all of us enjoying our meals.  We all chatted to each other, talking about random things that have been going on, and then I heard a small cough coming from behind me.  When I turned around, I saw both Vinyl and Octavia looking at me with embarrassed looks on their faces.
“Yes, is there something that you need?” I asked.  They were quiet for a moment, before Octavia was the one to speak first.
“Um, well, hi Drak…um, I just…I just want to apologize for the incident that me and Vinyl caused you two during Hearth’s Warming Eve, especially in front of all of your herd mates as well, and we were just hoping that…if it’s all right, you could come over to our house for some…um…d-d-dinner tonight, if that’s ok?”
I was quiet for a moment, thinking about what I had planed for today.  Coming up with nothing, I smiled and said, “Well, I don’t have anything planned for today, so how about after I finish my training with Twilight, then I would be happy to join you two.”
The grey mare smiled with relief, and she turned around to leave with Vinyl following her.  It was at this point that that the white unicorn hesitated for a second then, looking at me in the eyes.  She had her glasses on, so I was able to look back without that much trouble, cocking my head in curiosity, before saying, “Anything else you want to sa-”
Before I could finish, Vinyl quickly places a kiss on my cheek, and then runs out of the bakery, leaving a bemused Octavia in her wake before following her.
I was quiet, stunned at what just happened, and I thought to myself, ‘So, I guess everypony was right, Vinyl does have a thing for me.  I’m not sure how I feel for her though.  I also remember Octavia saying that she wanted to be in my herd as well.  I guess I will just have to figure everything out tonight.’ With a shrug, I turned to the other girls at the table, and noticed that they all had smug looks on their faces, more so on Dash then the others.
“What?” I said, unsure as to what was so amusing.  Instead of explaining, everypony just went back to their meals.  I just sighed and shook my head, deciding to just finish my meal as well, all of us in an awkward silence.  Once we finished, I was about to head on out and leave with the others, but then we were again stopped by another pair of ponies, this time it was the mint unicorn and the cream Earth pony.
“Uh, yes?” I said, unsure as to what they wanted.  They were quiet for a moment, and then the Earth pony spoke.
“So, I’m assuming that you’re a human?” Said the cream mare.  I nodded and said, “Last time I checked I am.  Why do you ask?”
The Earth pony was quiet for a moment, a look of surprise on her face, and then she sighed and, turning to the unicorn, she said, “All right, Lyra, you win, humans do exist.”
“See, I told you that I was right!” exclaimed the mint unicorn, jumping up and down in excitement.  I just raised an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what was going on, and then, seeming to realize her forgotten manners, she said, “Oh, by the way, the name is Bon Bon, and I own the sweets shop here in Ponyville.  I must say I never expected to see a living human in front of me before.”
I smiled, saying, “Well, the pleasures all mine.  The name’s Drakalian, and may I ask who your friend is?”
“Well, her name is Lyra, and she’s my roommate, and she can be a bit of a…hoof full.” She said, glancing at the unicorn.  Lyra smiled and extended her hoof to me, and smiling, I took it her hoof to shake it with my hand, but suddenly, she grabbed my hand with both of her hooves, and brought it closer to her, seeming to examine them.  I raised an eyebrow at this, but otherwise didn’t pull away, letting her look closely at my hand, and turning towards Bon Bon, I asked, “Uh, what is she doing?”
Bon Bon sighed at this, and said, “Well, she has always had this fascination with humans, particularly…their fingers.  I never figured out why, so…” She said, looking at the unicorn, who was still examining my hand, and has started to move my fingers individually with her magic, seeming to be entranced by it.  While it did feel a little nice having her move my fingers with her magic, I was getting a little embarrassed by the whole situation at the moment, so I cleared my throat to get Lyra’s attention, which worked, for she looked up at me, her magic and hooves still holding my hand.
“If it’s all right, Lyra, I would like my hand back please.” I said, giving her a small nervous smile.  Realizing what she was doing, she started to blush madly, and released her hold on my hand.  We were quiet for a few seconds, and then, I said, “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you two around then.” They both nodded, Lyra was still blushing, and with that, I proceeded to walk outside, where the fillies and Dash were waiting for me.  Before we could get back outside, though, I heard Lyra call out for me.
“Hey, uh, Drak.  If it’s ok with you, maybe we could…you know…hang out a little more?  It has been one of my dreams to talk to and hang out with a human.”
I was quiet for a second, and then I said, “Sure, that’s fine by me.  If you ever want to talk with me, I’ll be at the library.” With that, Dash, the fillies and I began to leave the store.  As we were leaving, I could hear Bon Bon saying, “Now hold on, he just told you were he lives, and you’re going to go there now?  I don’t think so, I mean, at least give him a day to get ready.”
‘Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to tell her were I live.  Oh well, too late for me to do anything about it now.’ I thought to myself.  I then realized that the others were looking at me with strange looks, and upon closer inspection, I found out that they seemed to be amused by the whole scene that happened, all of them with smiles on their faces.
The biggest smile was Dash’s, who seemed to be giving me a smug look as well, which confused me, so I said, “What’s with the look, Dash?”
“Oh, nothing.” She said, looking away from me, just smiling to her self.  I was quiet for a while, and then I heard Applebloom whisper to Sweetie, “Hey, ten bits that Lyria asks to join Drak’s herd.” Sweetie smiled at this and nodded, before both fillies proceeded to give each other a hoof shake.  I just raised an eyebrow at this, but otherwise stayed quiet, unsure as to what I should say or do to that.  We walked around for a while, none of us saying anything, until suddenly, we wound up at the spa, and with nothing else to do, I decided that a nice hot bath would help me out immensely, for I was feeling a bit stressed out as of late, especially with the work that Twilight and Luna were giving Trixie and I.
We walked into the spa, the bell ringing as we entered the building, and inside, we saw both of the spa sisters chatting to each other at the front of the desk.  As we approached them, they noticed us, and smiling, they stopped their chatting to patiently wait for us to reach them.
“Hello Drak.  Why are you here, we let you take the time off for you to heal your leg.” Said Lotus, a curious look in her eyes.
“Well, I thought that I would like to have a little bit of relaxing, so I decided to pop on in.”
Aloe nodded at this, and she then looked at the others and asked, “Will they be joining too?”
I looked at them and waited for their answers.  After a while, the fillies nodded, and Dinky said, “Well, I always wanted to try a hoofacure, so why not.”
I smiled at them, and then turning to Dash, I asked, “I know that you normally don’t hang out here, but you want to give it a shot?”
Dash was quiet for a moment, and then shrugging, she said, “Well, I guess I could try it.”
“Excellent, if you all will just follow us.” Said Lotus, and with that, both of the spa sisters went into the room, with the rest of us following them.  Once inside, I looked at the fillies and said, “Now, I’m going to go into the hot tub, and I hope that you girls will behave yourselves with the spa sisters, ok?” they all nodded solemnly, with Dash and the spa sisters giggling at the response.  I just nodded myself, content with the answer that I got, and with that, Dash and I headed to the tub to get us ready.
I began to strip out of my clothing, but I then realized that Dash was here, and she was staring intently at me, making me hesitate.  I was going to say something, when Dash said, “I don’t mind you getting undressed in front of me, don’t stop at my account.”
I chuckled at this and said, “I’m sure you don’t mind this, but I do.” With that said, I still was able to get down to my boxers (with difficulty, cause of my brace), but before I got in, Rainbow said, “Wait a sec, what about the rest of your clothing?  Won’t it get wet if you go in with it?”
I smiled at this and said, “It will, but Rarity enchanted my boxers so that they can dry pretty quick when they get wet.”
“Gee, I wonder why.” Said the cyan mare, chuckling at her own joke, I just rolled my eyes at her and then proceeded to go into the tub, making sure to keep my brace out of the water, which made it a little uncomfortable for me, but otherwise it was fine, and then Dash followed suit, giving a content sigh as she slipped into the water.
“Ah, this feels really good.” Said Rainbow, closing her eyes at the feeling.  I chuckled at her expression, and then closed my own eyes as well, letting the feeling take me over.  After a few minutes, I felt somepony place their hooves on my shoulders and begin to massage them, and giving a sigh of relief, I said, without looking, “Is Aloe keeping the girls company, Lotus?”
Lotus, who was indeed the one massaging me, giggled and said, “Yes she is, I just came over her to see how the two of you were doing, and you just looked so tense, so I thought it would help if I gave you a little massage.”
I opened my eyes and looked up at my marefriend, smiling.  She smiled back at me, and, leaning towards me, she whispered, “Besides, I love massaging your muscles.”
“I’m sure you do.” I whispered back, before I gently placed my hand on her cheek, caressing the side of her face and looking into her eyes as she continued to massage me.  Without breaking the massage, she placed her lips on mine, and we slowly began to kiss each other.  Our lips flowed across one another, and I felt more then heard her moan as she licked my lips, asking for entry.  I parted my mouth and slid my tongue between our lips to meet her tongue, both of our muscles flowing in our mouths.  Before we could do anything else, though, I felt something clamp onto my foot, making me break the kiss with Lotus.  The spa pony gave me a curious look, pausing in her massage, wondering why I broke the kiss, but I just stayed quiet and reached down with one of my hands to grab whatever was holding my foot.  After a few seconds of searching, my hand got hold of something scaly, and then I felt it release its hold on my foot and clamp on my hand.  Starting to panic slightly, I pulled my hand out, and when I did, I was staring at a very unusual sight.
Holding my hand, well, more like biting on it, was a small green gator with purple eyes.  As soon as I saw it, I began to panic, and I started to shake my hand to try and get it off, but the gator was persistent, not releasing its hold on me.  I was starting to get very worried, for I didn’t want to lose any of my fingers, but before I could do anything else, I heard laughter, and looking around; I saw that both Lotus and Dash were laughing.  I was even more worried that the girls weren’t taking this seriously, but before I could say anything, Lotus, who noticed my panicking expression, said, “Relax Drak, does it actually hurt?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, but then paused, for I realized that it actually didn’t hurt at all.  Now I was more curious then worried, and I took a closer look at this gator.  As I looked at it, I saw that, to my surprise, there wasn’t any blood around the mouth, making me even more curious.  After a few more seconds of careful looking, I noticed that not only was the gator not hurting me, but he seemed like he was unable to hurt me, for at this point I realized that he didn’t have any teeth, and was just seeming to hold on me by just it’s gums.  I began to breath a little easier, and then I saw some bubbles forming from the center of the tub, and out popped Pinkie Pie, wearing a pair of goggles and a snorkel.  No pony said anything, and then, looking at me, Pinkie said, “There you are, Gummy, I have been looking for you everywhere!”
I raised an eyebrow at this, not sure as to what I should say at this point.  Pinkie then took the gator that I now know as Gummy from my hand, and once he was off of me, he proceeded to clamp down on the pink pony’s mane, making her giggle with glee before she got out of the tub and said, “Sorry for that, he can be a hoof full sometimes.  Well, seeya!” and with that, she began to bounce out of the spa, humming a wordless tune.  I just sat there, unsure as to what in Equestria just happened, and then both Dash and Lotus began to laugh again.  After a while, I too began to laugh, for it was indeed a bit funny.
“Well, I can see why she has the Element of Laughter.  No matter what happens, she is always there to put a smile on everypony’s face.” I said, once I calmed down a bit.  Both ponies nodded in agreement, and with that, I proceeded to relax in the tub again, letting Lotus continue to massage my shoulders, and I sighed, content with life so far.




We soon reached back to the library, everypony relaxed and happy with the treatment that we all got at the spa.  As we entered the building, I noticed that we had a guest, for there was Twilight, sitting next to a hooded figure, both of them chatting with each other.  I didn’t see Luna, so I assumed that she was still at that royal meeting that Celestia called her over for.  Both ponies turned when they heard the door open, and Twilight smiled upon seeing me.
“Drak!  How was today?” Asked Twilight, walking up towards me.
I smiled as I hugged the purple unicorn and said, “It was pretty good, thanks for asking.  I was finally able to get that spell up and running, and then I taught the fillies here a bit about some karate, with the help of Dash, of course.”
“Hey, it was nothing, dude.” Said Dash, blushing a little.
“Well, I still appreciate it.” I said.  Twilight smiled at this and then gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying, “Well, I’m glad that everything went so well.  Oh, by the way, have any of you seen Ditzy around lately?” I shook my head, for I haven’t seen her since yesterday.  Then Dinky spoke up, saying, “I think she went to look for a new job, though I don’t know were she went specifically though.”
At this point, I heard some shuffling from upstairs, and looking up, I saw Trixie coming down the stairs, wearing her hat and cape that she got at Heart’s Warming Eve.  I smiled at seeing the magician pony and said, “Hey Trixie, how have you been doing?”
Trixie smiled, and gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying, “Well, I have been doing pretty well, though it has been a little bit boring, waiting for you to catch up with me.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes at her.  “Well, sorry if I need a little more time then you to learn my magical abilities, geez.” This cause everypony in the room, including me, to laugh, and when we calmed down from our laughter, AB said, “So Twilight, What is Zecora doing here?”
Twilight was about to open her mouth to say something, but was stopped by the hooded figure shaking its head.  The purple librarian seemed to understand what it wanted, and said, “Well…I can’t really say anything until Ditzy comes here.  I also sent Spike to get AJ, Rarity and Fluttershy as well, since I think that this is important.”
“Well, you don’t have to wait for us anymore, Twi, cause we’re back.” We all turned our heads, and there stood Spike, along with my other two herd mates.  I smiled at them and proceeded to give them a big hug, to which they responded in kind.
“Hi guys, how are you?” I asked them.  They both smiled at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek before Applejack answered.
“Well, ah’m doing fine, sugarcube, though ah have been a bit lonely, and was hoping tha’ ah could have ya come over for a bit just ta…ya know…hang out.”
I smiled at the country mare and gave her a kiss, saying, “Sure, I think that I can come over, but it will have to be after my dinner with Octavia and Vinyl.”
“Oh, well, w-why are y-you going over their h-house for dinner, Drak?” Asked Fluttershy, a confused look in her eyes.
“Well, they said that they were sorry for embarrassing me like that in front of all you girls, so that wanted to apologize to me by having dinner with them, though I do have a feeling that it might end up being something…more, you know?” They both nodded at my question, and then Fluttershy said, “Well, they are very nice ponies, so if that does happen, then it’s alright if they both join…if that’s ok with the rest of you, that is.”
“Well, ah’m ok with it, partner, so if they ask, then let them join.” Said AJ, a smile on her face.  I nodded my agreement.
“So Spike, where’s Rarity?” Asked Twilight.  Spike looked at her and said, “Well, she said that she would be here later.  Something about finishing something.”
Twilight nodded her understanding, and then, AJ said, “Hey Drak.  Ah’m glad that you will be able to come on over to the house, for I have really been missing you.
I smiled and said, “I don’t mind it at all, AJ, for it has been a while.” AJ smiled at this, and then I said, “Well, with that out of the way, now we only have to wait for Ditzy and I’m assuming Pinkie Pie and Rarity.”
“Why are you waiting for us, Drak?” I looked at the entrance, and there stood both Pinkie Pie and Ditzy.  I noticed that they grey mare seemed to be particularly happier today, but that could mean anything if she was hanging out with Pinkie.  I smiled before I hugged Ditzy and gave her a kiss on the nose, saying, “Well, somepony looks very happy today, can I ask why?”
Ditzy nodded, and then said, “Yup, with Pinkie’s help, I was able to get a job at Sugarcube Corner to help bake the muffins.”
“YAY!  Mamma’s got a job!” Shouted Dinky, tackling the both of us into a big hug.  We all laughed at this and brought our daughter into the hug, before I released us from it and said, “Well, congratulations, Ditzy, I knew that you could get a job sooner or later.”
“Well done, sis.” We all turned around at the voice, and I was surprised that it came from the hooded figure in the room.  By the sound of their voice, I was able to figure out that they were at least female, as well as probably being a bit tomboyish (I’m assuming).  At the sound of her voice, Ditzy seemed to freeze up in shock, though in surprise or fear, I was unable to tell.
“What happened to your voice, Zecora?  Did you take a bad potion?” Asked Sweetie, cocking her head slightly.
“Sweetie, I don’t think that’s Zecora.  When was the last time that you heard her not speak in rhyme, or say that she was Ditzy’s sister?” asked Scootaloo.  Sweetie was quiet for a moment, and then she shrugged, saying, “Well, if it isn’t Zecora, then who is it?”
“You guys really don’t know me?  I’m surprised, cause I would have thought that you would have told them about me, Ditzy.” Said the hooded figure, cocking her head to the side.
“Well, I had my reasons not to tell everypony that I met about you, and when I was going to talk to them about you, it kind of…slipped my mind.” Said Ditzy, blushing slightly.
At this point, the hooded figure turned towards me and said, “So, I’m assuming that you are the human that I have been hearing so much about?” I nodded, wondering were this was going.  “Well, I heard about my sis joining a herd with you, and I was going to come on over for Heart’s Warming Eve to check for myself, but I kind of got a little delayed by some…old acquaintances.  May I ask for your name?”
“Of course, the name is Drakalian, and it is a pleasure to met you, Miss…” I said, waiting for her to say her name.  This caused the figure to chuckle a little.  “Well, I guess I can tell you who I am now, just as long as Dash doesn’t have a freak out, then we should be good.” She said, starting to take her hood off.
Dash gave a confused look, saying. “Why would I freak-” but before she could finish, she saw who it was under the hood, and her mouth dropped open, along with Dinky, both of their eyes bulging out with surprise.
Underneath the hood was what I would say was a tan pony, possible dirty yellow, with what appeared to be a mixture of greys for her mane, making me think that it was grey scale, her mane in the same style as Dash’s, and they even had the same colored eyes, both of their eyes were red wine colored.  I thought that she looked familiar, and I could have sworn that I saw her from somewhere, and then I remembered were I saw her from.  I remember seeing her on the cover of the books that Dinky has been reading, and once I made the connection, I knew exactly whom this pony was.  After a few moments of silence, the mystery pony spoke up.
“Well, the reason I say that is because I know what you are like when you met an idol of yours, Rainbow Dash.” Said Daring Do, a bemused look on her face.

> Chapter 28
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 28

We were all quiet, nopony dared to say anything.  Rainbow was just staring at Daring, her eyes wide with disbelief, as well as Dinky’s, while Daring seemed to be amused by the situation in front of her.  Finally, after what felt like years of waiting, Dash finally said something.
“You’re real!?  And you’re Ditzy’s sister?!  Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!!” She said, jumping up and down in excitement.
“Of course she’s real, I thought I told you that Dash.” Said Twilight, a confused look on her face.  Everypony in the room shook their heads, however Dash didn’t seem to hear her, though, for she just continued to bounce around, just saying “Oh-my-gosh!” over and over again.
“Wow, is that what I look like when I do that?” Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the side.  I just chuckled at this, and then I saw that Dinky was currently walking up to the adventurer before she spoke.
“So, all of those things in the books…the treasures, the bad guys, the adventures…it was all true?” she asked, awe in her eyes.
Daring nodded.  “Yup, all of it was mostly true, with the exception of the house cat…my publisher wanted to put that in for some reason.”
After my initial shock from her reveal, I took a quick look around the library to see everypony’s reaction, and while they all did seemed to be surprised, they didn’t seem as excited about it as Dinky or Dash, the latter of which was starting to give me a headache from all of her bouncing.  I quickly caught the Pegasus in my magic and placed her down next to me, and then when I released my magic, I placed a steady hand on her shoulder and said, “If you don’t mind, Dash, could you stop your bouncing, it’s kind of giving me a headache.”
At this, Dash seemed to realize what she was doing, and she smiled sheepishly at me, saying, “Oops, sorry about that.” I just smiled and nodded my thanks, removing my hand from her.  Once that was done the cyan pony walked carefully up to Daring and, once in front of her, she said, “So…can I ask you a question, please?”
Daring just smiled, and then took a pen from a hidden pocket in her cloak and said, “Let me guess, you want my autograph?”
Dash paused for a moment, and then she quickly left the library in a rainbow streak, only to return ten seconds later with a Daring Do book in her mouth.  I just chuckled at her eagerness as Daring signed her book for her before giving it back to her.
“I have so many more questions for you, like what is it like, going in all of those temples, and finding all of those treasures, as well as-” Before she could go on, she was interrupted by Twilight, who said, “We can ask her as many questions as we want to later, but first, can we all sit down please?”
I nodded in agreement and sat down, and was soon followed by everypony else in the room.  Once we were all settled down, the questions began in earnest.
“So, why are you here?” asked Ditzy.
“Like I said, I heard that you finally found your special somepony, and I was coming along to check it out, though I am on a little bit of a tight schedule, since I’m taking a small break from my recent search.”
“Oh, which one is it?” Asked Dinky, an excited look on her face.
Daring chuckled at this.  “Well, I could tell you, but that will spoil my next book.”
“How do you write your stories, anyways?  I mean, you don’t seem like the kind of pony who just sits all day and just writes, no offense.” I said, curious about it.
“Don’t worry about it, besides, you’re right about me not being the kind of pony that likes to sit around all day just writing, but you forget that I have something that every good adventurer needs.” She said.  Before I could ask what it was, Dinky interrupted me.
“Oh, I know, I know!  It’s a journal.” Said my unicorn daughter.
Daring nodded, and then pulled out a small book that I assumed was her journal.  “Yup, and this is it.  This is were all the magic happens, so to speak.” She said, before placing it back into her cloak.  Before we could ask her any more questions, the door opened, and in walked a rather distressed Rarity.
“Hello dears, I’m so sorry that I’m late, but I forgot to feed Opal, and I was so worried about her, the poor dear was pale with hunger.  And then I forgot to do my mane, so I had to do that, and-” She paused at this, seeming to notice Daring here, and then said, “Oh my, that cloak looks dreadful on you, darling.  It doesn’t match your eyes at all.  And the way it just drapes on you body, it makes you look like you gained ten pounds, ugh!  I think a good dress would help emphasize your curves much more, maybe if you had a bow tie in your mane as well, possibly green…” Rarity continued to drone on about the different kinds of dresses that Daring would look good in, while the rest of us just watched on with amused looks.  After a while, I gave the white unicorn a little nudge to get her attention and said, “Rarity, this is Daring Do, the adventurer that Dash and Dinky read so much about.”
At this, Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she said, “What, you mean to tell me that all of those books that they read are true?”
I just shrugged, saying, “Apparently so.” Everypony smiled at this, and then I asked, “Ditzy, if she’s your sister, then why didn’t you tell others about her?”
At this, Ditzy gave a small smile and said, “Well, I wanted ponies to like me for who I am, not for what my sister does.  I even changed my name a bit to prevent others from recognizing the similarity, though in hindsight I should have done more then just add one letter.  Besides, if I told anypony, then I was afraid that they would just use me to get closer to my sister, since she is…you know…a famous adventurer.”
I nodded, understanding what she was saying, and said, “Well, I think it’s cool that you are Daring’s sister, and I promise that I won’t use you to get closer to her.”
“You better not, Mister.” the grey Pegasus giggle, before placing a kiss on my lips.  At this point, I noticed that I had to get ready for the dinner with Octavia and Vinyl, so getting up, I said, “Well, I need to get going now.  I’ll see you afterwards, AJ.” AJ nodded, and with that, I proceeded to head on out to their house.
The building wasn’t that far, and I already know were it was since I seen it during Heart’s Warming Eve, so I was able to get there with relative ease.  As soon as I reached the door, I knocked on it, and then I heard a “Coming!” from the inside.  A few seconds later, the door opens, revealing Vinyl without her glasses this time.
“Oh…hey Drak.  I thought you might be here a little later.” She said, a small blush on her face.  I just smiled and said, “Well, I had some time on my hands, so I decided to come over early.  I hope that’s all right?”
“Yes!  I mean…of course it is.” She said, managing a small smile before motioning me in.  I walked in, and the first thing that I noticed was that the rooms here were very expansive, like we were in some sort of mansion.  Vinyl noticed my surprised expression and giggled a little, before saying, “Well, this is our house.”
“This…this is amazing!  How are you able to afford all of this stuff?” I asked, the awe in my voice.
“Well, when you work for the Canterlot Orchestra, in turns out that you can make a lot of bits to spend on whatever you like.” We turned to the voice, and saw Octavia entering the room, caring three bowls of soup on her back.
“That looks delicious, Octavia.” I said, for it indeed looked well, the steam coming out of the bowls. 
Octavia blushed at my compliment, saying, “Oh, it’s nothing, I mean, one of us does need to know how to cook here.” She said, glancing at the white unicorn.
“Hey, I do to know how to cook…I just don’t do it often.” Said Vinyl, making us all laugh slightly.  With that said, we all sat down in what looked like a common area, all of us eating our soup.  As we ate, we started to have some small talk, just talking about how our day went so far.  Eventually, we began to talk about other things, such as our pasts (or at least what I could remember from mine, which wasn’t much to begin with).  I asked about how they first met, and apparently it was at a music college.  The just happened to pass by each other one day and decided to talk.  I found it a bit funny when Octavia said that Vinyl would flirt with her whenever she got the chance, and after a while, she asked her out, and Octavia decided to try and go out with her.  Well, one thing went to another, and after a few years, they both decided to see other ponies, though they still remained good friends (obviously) and even decided to live together once they finished college.  Vinyl went on to begin her career as DJ PON-3 while Octavia went to join the Canterlot Orchestra as a cellist.  After a while, they made enough money to buy all sorts of things to spruce up their house, though they are still unsure as to whom it is that makes the most bits.
“I’m telling you, Tavi, being a DJ is the only reason why we are able to afford all of these things.” Said Vinyl, trying to convince her friend.
“And I think that being a cellist in an orchestra, let alone the Canterlot Orchestra, pays way more then any two bit DJ would.” Responded the grey Earth pony.
“Yea, yea, just keep telling yourself that, Tavi.” She said, waving her hoof away nonchalantly.  I just chuckled at their playful bantering.  With that, the white DJ got up and took all of our bowls in her magic, saying, “Well, I’m going to go and clean up the dishes, so you two have fun without the low paying DJ.” She said, before leaving the room.  We were quiet for a few seconds, and then to try to break the silence, I said, “So, I’m assuming that you’re into classical, Octavia?”
Octavia nodded, saying, “Yup, and I was just wondering, well…did you happen to bring your iPod thing with you?”
“I don’t think I ever took it out of my pocket.” I said, taking the device out.  “Let me guess: you want to listen to some human classical music?”
At this Octavia nodded, saying, “Yes, please.  I would love to listen to it.”
I smiled and began to search through the songs that I had.  I couldn’t remember any of the songs, though some of them did seem familiar.  As I was searching for a song to play, I barely noticed that Octavia was inching her way closer to me, eventually sitting right next to me, her coat brushing up against my hoodie.  I eventually found one that said ‘1812 Overture’, and hit the play button before placing it on the coffee table in front of me.  The iPod began to play some music, and the song was most defiantly a classical song.  We stayed silent as we listened to the song, letting the music carry over us.  I turned to look at the Earth Pony and saw that her eyes were closed, her hoof tapping to the beat.  At this point I began to notice that she was definitely a beautiful pony indeed, and I was starting to think that I should ask her to join my herd.  After five minutes, I began to wonder what was taking Vinyl so long.  After another five minutes, the song began to intensify, and she opened her eyes, her violet globes looking back into my emerald ones.  We just stared at each other for a while, neither of us saying anything, the music from the iPod seeming to get louder and louder, our faces slowly inching closer.  Then, the music hit the crescendo, our lips touched, and the fireworks started, the sound of canons blasting in the background.  It was a closed lip kiss, but a kiss nevertheless, and one of the most intense kisses that I have ever experienced.  We stayed like that for a while, neither of us willing to break the kiss.  After a while, the music stopped playing, and we slowly broke the kiss, looking into each other’s eyes with a newfound emotion.  After a few minutes of silence, I finally said, “So…that was something.”
“Mmhmm.” She said, still staring in my eyes.  After another few seconds, Octavia said, “Um, Drak…I know that Vinyl really wants to join your herd…more then I have seen from her in a long time, and well…I really want to join your herd too.  I’ll understand it if you don’t want me to join, since you already have so many herd mates, and you probably don’t want any more, but I beg you; at least take Vinyl.  She’s a good pony, and it would break her heart if you said no.”
I was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what she said.  ‘Well, I guess we come to the main choice now.  Should I let them join my herd?  Well, I can already tell that Octavia likes me (obviously), and I trust her enough to believe that Vinyl likes me too, so…I guess they can both join my herd, though I should really think about putting a cap on the number of herd mates that I should have.’ “Well, I know that I should have a limited amount of herd mates, but for now, I would love it if you both joined my herd.”
At this, the grey mare’s eyes went wide, and then she said, “You really mean it, Drak?”
I nodded.  “Of course I do, Tavi.”
With that, Octavia suddenly hugged me, saying. “Thank you so much, Drak.  This will be so much like the times when me and Vinyl used to date.”
I smiled at her, and then brought her into another kiss.  We kissed for a few more seconds, and then just as I was about to make things more intimate, we heard hoof steps coming from the kitchen.
“Hey, you guys ok if we have some ice cream for-”
*Crash!*
We both broke the kiss suddenly, looking at the kitchen entrance, and there stood Vinyl, a look of horror and betrayal in her eyes, ceramic and ice cream lying on the floor where her magic failed her.  None of us said anything for a while, and then Vinyl finally spoke.
“You…y-you said that you would h-help me g-g-get in his herd, Tavi…” said the white unicorn, tears starting to appear in her eyes.
“Wait Vinyl, you don’t under-” began Octavia, but Vinyl just shushed her with a wave of her hoof, before angrily saying, “Oh, I understand, you would just rather have him all to yourself, huh?  This is the same reason why you broke up with me last time, just because of some random stallion that you thought looked cute, and when you did ask him out, he said that he was gay.  And even after that, you didn’t want to get back together with me.  Well?” As she spoke, her voice began to rise in anger.
“Hold on, Vinyl, this is actually good n-” I began to say, trying to help, but Vinyl just shushed me by yelling, “Bullshit!  You would rather have some highborn classical pony then some sort of tramp like me, is that it?  Well then buck you, buck you both!  Go and take her, and just leave me here like the last time you broke up with me, Octavia, just leaving me here like the trash I am, is that it?”
Vinyl, please-” Tavi tried again, but to no avail.
“I said no, now I’m going to go to my room, and when I come back down here, I don’t want to see either of you here, alright?  Now just buck off, both of you!” With that, the unicorn turned around and began to walk away, but I decided to have none of that.  Getting tired of her interrupting us, and not letting us tell her what really happened, I quickly picked her up with my magic, brought her to me, and placed her down in front of me.  She looked up at me, the rage evident in her eyes, but before she could yell at me again, I quickly placed my lips onto hers.
She was stunned for a second, her brain not quiet comprehending what was happening, and then she slowly leaned in, closing her eyes as she began to enjoy the kiss.  After a good few seconds of kissing, we parted, and then I said, “Vinyl, if you let us finish, we were trying to say that I wanted both of you to join my herd.” At this, her eyes widened in disbelief, and I said, “I don’t like it when somepony doesn’t let me finish something that I was explaining, especially when that pony thinks that I did something wrong to them.  Now, I understand that you love me, but I also believe that I love Tavi here as well, so I would love to have both of you in my herd, if you are ok with this, cause I know that the others are.”
Vinyl was quiet for a while, absorbing what I had just said.  Finally, she whispered, “I would love to join your herd, Drak, and I’m…I’m sorry for going on a rage like that, it’s just that I really do like you, I mean, you’re the first pony that I actually got these feelings for, let alone the first pony to complement my eyes, besides Tavi, and I didn’t want to lose you so easily.  I hope you can forgive me.” She then turned towards Octavia and said, “I hope you can forgive me for yelling at you as well, Tavi.”
The grey pony nodded, saying, “Of course I forgive you.” With that, we all began to hug each other, letting the silence overtake us as I hugged and was hugged by my two new marefriends.  After a good few minutes, something hit me, and I parted, saying, “Wait, I forgot that I didn’t feel any fireworks.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Asked Vinyl, cocking her head in curiosity.
“Well, I usually know if I like the pony if I get fireworks when I kiss them, but you’re the first pony that I didn’t get the fireworks, so…”
The white pony began to get teary eyed, saying, “So, t-that means that-”
“Wait a sec, Drak, I think I know what went wrong.  Let me see you iPod thing.” With that, Octavia took my iPod from the table and began to try and search for some songs.  Keyword, ‘try’ since her hoof didn’t let her use it well.  “Oh, why does it have to be so hard to work.” She complained to herself, rubbing vigorously on the touchpad.
I quickly took it from her grasp, so that she didn’t do any damage to it, and said, “Mind telling me what it is that you are looking for, Tavi?”
Tavi was quiet for a second, and then she said, “Well, I was looking for some…music, or at least music that Vinyl would like.” She said, looking over my shoulder to see the music selection.  At this point, Vinyl looked over my shoulder as well, curious herself.  She then spotted something that seemed to catch her interest, and said, “Oh, try that band…Linkin Park, I think it says.” I tapped on the name, and then tapped on one of the songs that seemed the most interesting, which happened to be a song called ‘New Divide’, and at once a hard rock kind of music was playing from the device.  Vinyl immediately started to bob her head to it, liking the song immediately.  After a few seconds, I asked Octavia, “Ok, now what.”
“Now try to kiss her again.” She said.  I was confused at first, but Vinyl seemed to understand her, and she placed her hooves on either side of my face, pulling it towards her face and began to kiss me again.
I was a little surprised at first, but then I noticed that I could feel the fireworks this time, like it was just waiting for the right moment to show itself.  As we kissed, the DJ pony didn’t waste any time on making things more intimate, and she quickly slid her tongue into my mouth.  I was a little slow on the uptake, but I still responded nevertheless, and began to kiss her with an equal amount of enthusiasm.  After a good few minutes of us making out, the music finally stopped, and then Vinyl and I slowly separated our kiss.  We were quiet for a few seconds, and then Vinyl said, “Wow, that was…that was the sexiest kiss that I have ever had.”
I chuckled at her response, saying, “It was pretty darn good, I have to agree.” I then turned towards Octavia to thank her.  “Thanks for the help, Tavi, I guess you were right a-” As soon as I looked at her, though, I noticed that she was panting heavily, and after the incident with Trixie in the shower room, I had a guess as to what she was thinking about.
“Wha…uh, y-yea, that was…that w-was…hot.” She said absently, her hoof beginning to travel down to her lower regions.  Thankfully, she caught what she was about to do, and blushing, she stopped the movement of her hoof and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry Drak, it’s just that…well…I haven’t had any…release…in a long time, so…just watching the two of you kiss like that makes me…well…makes me want you, want you both.“
I was speechless, for I had no idea as to how I should respond to that.  Vinyl, however, knew exactly what to say.  Walking up to the grey mare, she wrapped her up in a hug before nuzzling unto her neck, and then giving me a lewd look, she said in a sexy voice, “You know, Drak…that kiss kind of got me all riled up as well so…care to release a couple of mares from their…stresses?”
I looked at the scene, my mouth wide open, two thoughts going in my head at the time.
The Immature side: ‘Score!  We get a threesome finally!’
The Rational side: ‘As much as I would like to, I still have a prior appointment to go to.’
“Sorry ladies, while your offer is really tempting, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to decline for now, since I did promise AJ that I would hang out with her after our dinner tonight.  But perhaps we could do it some other time, if that’s all right?”
They both looked at me, deep in thought.  After about a minute of silence, Vinyl said, “Are you sure that you can’t just-”
“Actually, I’m ok with waiting for a while.  Beside, Vinyl we need to get ready for when we do go at it, since I feel like I have been a little…rusty.” Interrupted Octavia giving the bed eyes look at the unicorn.  This caused Vinyl to stiffen up, and if she had wings, I would have guessed that they would be straight as arrows in the infamous wing-boner that Pegasai and Alicorns got (Rainbow Dash told me at one point, and it helped to explain the reactions that I got with some of my herd mates).  I chuckled, and then, getting myself off of the couch, I said, “Well, I think that is a good idea, but I really do have to go right now, so…”
“Well…all right, but the next time you come over, we are going to have some proper fun, ok?” Said Vinyl, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.  I smiled and nodded, and then said my good byes as I left myself from their house, since they seemed to be getting busy doing…other things.




I eventually reached the farm, the snow still covering the apple trees.  As I got closer, I noticed that Big Mac and Applebloom were outside, along with…Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?
Curious, I decided to walk on over, and as I got closer; I heard what it was that they were saying.
“So, you two have tried to do all of these things, just to get your cuties marks?” Asked Diamond, giving a stunned look.  At this point, I noticed that AB was holding a long list in her hoof.
Applebloom nodded in confirmation.  “Yup, though we haven’t done any of the earlier ones yet, but hopefully, we will be able to now that the two of you are going to help us.  And since you’re going to help us, that means that Big Mac doesn’t have to help us as much, right brother?”
“Eeyup.” Said the big red stallion, a small smile on his face.
“Well, I’m sure glad that you guys have already started to become fast friends.” I said, as I got closer, getting their attention.  As they saw me, they all smiled, and all three of the fillies jumped on top of me, grabbing me into a big hug.
“Hi, Drak.  I want to say thanks to much for helping me, for if it wasn’t for you, I would have never noticed that even though they are blank flanks, they are still pretty cool to hang out with.” Said Diamond, Silver nodding in agreement.  I just chuckled a little before I said, “Hey, it wasn’t a problem.  I’m just glad that the three of you are doing so well right now.” With that said, I released them from their hug, and asked, “So, what are you girls up to?”
“Well, we were just going to go to the library to meet up with the rest of the Crusaders, and we were hoping that with Diamond and Silver’s help, we will be able to find something that will help us get our cutie marks.” Said AB, the excitement evident in her voice.  I then looked at Big Mac and asked, “And what about you?  Do you have any plans this evening?”
Big Mac shook his head.  “Nope.”
I was quiet, trying to think up a question that he would have to answer without saying Eeyup or nope, and then getting one, I said, “So, what are you going to do then?”
“Well, ah think that ah’m just going to go ta Berry Punch’s bar, since AJ wanted me to leave the house for a while.  Ah don’t suppose that you have any idea why that is, right?” He said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
I just chuckled nervously and said, “Uh…yea…no idea.”
The stallion just looked at me, and then snorted in amusement, saying, “Just behave yourself, ok Drak?”
I nodded, and with that, Big Mac took the three fillies with him and began to walk towards town.  I watched them leave for a while, and then I turned around and went inside the house.
Once I was inside, I took off my hoodie and placed it on one of the chairs before I ventured upstairs to see AJ, for I assumed that she was in her room.  As I got closer to her room, I began to hear some voices, and after a while, I was able to determine that they were AJ and Fluttershy’s voices.
“A-are you sure that I c-can join you two?” Asked Fluttershy, worry in her voice.
“Ah’m positive, partner, in fact, I really want you ta join.”  I heard AJ say to the Pegasus.
“B-but what if he doesn’t want to.  M-maybe he decided to stay with Vinyl and Octavia, I mean…they are very good at being…well…you know, persuasive.”
“Of course, ah know, but ah trust that Drak will remember his promise.  Besides, so far he has always kept them.”
“And I attend to keep it like that.” I said, opening the door and startling both of the ponies, causing Fluttershy to “squeak” in surprise.  Upon entering, I noticed that both of my marefriends were sitting on the bed, facing each other, and once I entered, they turned towards me and smiled.
“Well, glad you made it sugarcube, would ya like ta join us?” she asked, patting the space between them.  I smiled and went to sit down, but then AJ stopped me for a second, saying, “Hold on there, partner.  Ya need ta take your clothes off first.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, but I still listened to them, taking off everything besides my boxers, which caused Fluttershy to blush.  As I sat down, they both immediately cuddled up to me, giving me a kiss on either cheek.
“So, what’s the plan tonight, girls?” I asked them.  Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy that answered me.
“Well, we were hoping that we could…hang out, you know, since we haven’t in a while.” She said.
I smiled and gave her a kiss on the nose, saying, “Of course I don’t mind, in fact, I’ve been missing hanging out with my two first marefriends.” At this, they both smiled, and then AJ placed a kiss at my chest, saying, “Well, ah was hoping that you might also want to have some…fun with us.”
I gave a confused look, not quiet understanding her for a second, and then realizing what she meant, I said, “Well, I don’t mind doing those things with you, but it might have to wait once Fluttershy leaves, cause-.” Before I could say anything else, Fluttershy spoke.
“A-actually, Drak, I came here because…well…I w-wanted to join as w-well.”
I gave her a stunned look and said, “Wait, what?”
“Well, when AJ told me that you were going over her house, I kind of thought that you two might be doing…that again, and well…I really loved it when we did it last time, so…I kind of got curious as to…other…forms of…l-l-love m-making.” She said, getting quieter as she spoke.
“And ah had no qualm about having her join us.  Of course, it has to be alright with you, Drak.”
“So, w-will you d-d-do this…with both of us…p-please?”
I was quiet, stunned with what I was hearing.  I had just left Octavia and Vinyl from a possible threesome, only to get into another one with AJ and Fluttershy.  I was quiet for a while, and then I said, “Are you two sure a-”
“Ah, pony feathers, Drak, of course we are!  Now, if that is all, then get ready for the ride of your life, partner.” Said AJ, getting a little annoyed with my hesitation, and with that, she suddenly pounced on me, forcing me onto the bed and placing her lips on my own.  I was shocked at first, of course, but I went with it nevertheless, and began to kiss her with an equal amount of passion.  After a few seconds, I felt my boxers starting to move, and looking down, I noticed that Fluttershy was already taking the last of my clothing off, nuzzling my dick with her cheek to get it ready for the fun that was about to come.  I was a bit surprised by their reactions to this, especially Fluttershy’s, but since this wasn’t the first time that we had sex; I just shrugged it off, and continued to kiss my country marefriend.  After a while, my cock was fully hardened, and the yellow mare began to kiss along the shaft, making me break the kiss with AJ and moan with pleasure.  AJ smiled at this, and then got off of me to face my erection as well.
The orange pony looked at Fluttershy, checking to see how good of a job she was doing.  “Dang, sugarcube, have you been practicing?” she asked, looking impressed at how well Fluttershy was teasing me.
Fluttershy took her lips off of my manhood and replaced them with her hooves, beginning to give me a slow hoof job.  “Um…n-not r-really, I g-guess I’m j-just a…n-natural.” She said, blushing a little.  AJ just chuckled at this, and said, “Well, is it ok if ah join you?”
Fluttershy nodded, and then both ponies leaned towards my dick, placing delicate butterfly kisses all across the length.  I moaned even more, my mind getting fuzzy with the pleasure that was building, and said, “D-damn girls!”
This caused them both to giggle, and then AJ leaned in to whisper something to Fluttershy, who blushed at whatever she said, but nodded her agreement and then turned herself around and placed herself on my chest, giving me a nice view of her pussy.  After a few seconds of hesitation, she said, “Um…h-how is it, D-Drak?”
“It looks beautiful, Shy, you both are beautiful.” I said, being completely honest.  Fluttershy blushed at my comment, while the entire time AJ continued to service my dick, already bobbing it in her mouth at a slow pace, sucking on it gently, and then the yellow mare said, “Um, c-could you…you know?  Please?” I simple nodded, knowing what she wanted me to do, and placing my hands on her cutie marks, I began to slowly stimulate her, causing her to emit a low moan.  I smiled at this; for some reason, hearing them moan and knowing that I am the one that is making them feel so good just makes me feel so happy, and then I breathed gently over her folds, causing her to shiver.  I gave myself a small chuckle, and then deciding that I teased her enough, I began to lick her petals gently, making her gasp with the sensation of it, her wings snapping open into a wing-boner.  As I licked Fluttershy, AJ was speeding up her service on me, and then, upon seeing me treating Fluttershy so well, she nudged her plot next to my head and, getting the idea, I place my closest hand on her flank, and began to rub her cutie marks as well, making her moan and vibrate my cock.  I gave a sigh of happiness, wondering just how I was so lucky as to get such beautiful mares into my life, and then, I began to double my efforts on my Pegasus marefriend, getting in between her folds, just grazing her clit with every lick, making her moan and gasp even more.  Fluttershy panted with the excitement that she was receiving, and then, looking at AJ sucking my cock, she lowered her head and began to fondle my balls with her tongue and lips, occasionally touching the base of my shaft, increasing the pleasure that I was receiving.  The hand that was on AJ’s plot began to descend lower on her, slowly reaching her marehood, and then, just as I was about to touch it, I moved around it, causing her to moan in disappointment.  I didn’t leave her unsatisfied for long, though, for before she could say anything, I quickly but gently began to play with her clit, causing a huge gasp from her, and she then began to deep throat my dick, causing me to gasp as well.
We kept at this, all three of us just playing with each other, for a good few minutes, making us get closer to our brink.  Deciding to try and hurry things along, I slid my tongue into Fluttershy’s pussy, while I inserted two of my fingers into AJ’s marehood, my thumb still on her clit, teasing her even more.  This was the breaking point for AJ, for she released my cock from her grasp, giving a small gasp as she came, her juices flowing over my fingers and hand.  Once I was sure that she was done for the moment, I began to fully concentrate on Fluttershy, trying to get her off next.  She was panting very hard, and I could tell that it was only a matter of time before she released, so deciding to do something a little ballsy, I took my hand that was soaked with AJ’s fluids and inserted a finger into her tail hole, while at the same time I sucked hard on her clit.  This seemed to do the trick, for she gave a large gasp as a rush of her mare juices flooded my mouth, and I began to drink as much as I could, savoring the taste.  We were all panting with the exertion of our foreplay, but AJ seemed to have recovered enough to move onto the next stage.
She gently nudged Fluttershy off of me, and the yellow mare rolled onto her back, giving soft moans of pleasure in her afterglow as she slowly rubbed her marehood.  AJ chuckled at this and said, “Damn, sugarcube, you really know how ta treat a mare and make her feel all special.”
I just smiled at this and said, “I know, you said that already.” The country mare giggled at this, and then she placed herself on top of me, her plot facing me while her marehood began to lube up my manhood with her juices, making us moan even more.
She then gave me a lewd smile and said, “Well, I hope you’re ready for the ride of ya life, sugarcube, cause you still need ta release your…stress as well.”
I nodded and began to help insert it into her marehood, but before I could do anything, she shifts her hips slightly, causing me to slip my lubed up cock onto her awaiting plot hole, the tip just pressing into her.  Before I could say anything, she said, “Giddy up, partner” and slammed herself down, making me gasp at the tightness of her ass.  AJ moaned as well, and without hesitation, she began to bounce on me at a very fast pace, making me almost lose myself right then and there.  I gave sharp gasps as she slapped her plot onto my hips, her rectum strangling the life out of my cock.  As she bounced, I was able to somehow place my hands on her cutie marks, massaging them as she continued to ride me.  I took a quick glance at the orange pony, and saw that she was also rubbing her pussy as she bounced on me, trying to speed up her second orgasm.
I then took a quick glance at Fluttershy and noticed that she had gotten up and was watching us, a look of lust still in her eyes.  She saw that I was watching her, and she crawled up to me, and without saying a word, wrapped me into a tight hug, placing her lips on my own and quickly pushing her tongue into my mouth.  I didn’t hesitate at all, for I was just as horny as she was at the moment.  Our kiss soon got sloppy, and I placed my closest hand on her back and began to massage her wing’s g-spot, causing her to moan into our kiss.  We stayed like that for a good while; AJ bouncing on my dick while Fluttershy and I were making out with each other, with me massaging her wings and while I also massaged AJ’s flank and cutie marks.  After a while, AJ stopped her bouncing and began to slowly grind herself on me, my manhood throbbing from the pleasure that it was receiving from inside her plot hole.
I broke the kiss with Fluttershy to get a breath, and moaning, I said, “AJ…I’m a-almost there.”
AJ smiled at this, and then began to bounce even harder on me, bringing me to my brink, and said, “Fill my ass, Drak, I know you want to.” She was right, for I did want to release it inside of her, so with that said, I gave a sharp gasp as I finally released my pent up orgasm, my hot seed filling her rectum and causing her to orgasm again, her juices flowing over her own hoof as she shrieked with ecstasy.
She continued to hump my crotch slowly, riding out her after glow, and soon, she finally stopped and slowly removed herself from me, clenching her ass so none of my seed fell out of her.
AJ panted hard, saying, “Wow, sugarcube, that was incredible.”
I just gave a tired smile and nodded, too tired to say anything.  AJ then said ”Well, ah need to go to the bathroom now, so how about you take care of Fluttershy while ah’m busy.” I nodded, and she then left to clear her rectum in the bathroom. I then noticed that Fluttershy was still panting with anticipation, and I looked at her and asked, “Y…you want another…r-ride a-as…well?”
Fluttershy nodded, and then she placed herself on the bed, spreading her legs out, giving me a good view of her dripping wet pussy, still swollen with desire.  I smiled and slowly got up, positioning myself above her, rubbing my still hard shaft against her swollen lips, making us both shiver with the slight stimulation.  As I was about to place it in, however, Shy whispered, “Um…c-could you…p-place it in m-m-my…t-tail h-hole, p-please?”
I gave her a surprised look, and said, “Are you sure, Shy?”
The shy mare looked at me, and she didn’t say anything.  She didn’t need to, for I could see the determination and willingness to go with it, making me sure that she was ok with this.  With a nod, I lubed my cock up with her juices, and then placing the tip at her plot hole, I began to push myself into her.
Fluttershy gave a small, cute gasp as I entered her, and I could see a few tears poring from her eyes, and to try and comfort her, I placed my lips on her cheek and neck, while my hands went to her teats and began to play with her nipples, making her moan and help her pass the initial pain of her rear being stretched out.  After a minute or so, I stopped my kissing and looked at her.  She gave me a small nod, allowing me to proceed, so I began to slowly shift my hips against her, making her gasp at the new sensation that she was experiencing.  I gave a small smile, glad that she seemed to be enjoying herself, and I began to move a little faster, my hips starting to make a slapping sound as they came into contact with her ass.
“Oh, Drak…th-this f-f-feels…s-so g-g-good.” Fluttershy gasped, starting to rock her hips to increase the pleasure for the both of us.  “G-go…f-faster please.  G-go…f-f-faster.”
I nodded and began to pump her faster, her tight rear tunnel constricting my entire shaft, coaxing me to my second and final release of the night.  I looked at her, and she had a look of bliss on her face, her eyes half lidded and staring at me, her wings splayed to the side, giving a slight flutter every once in a while.  I took a hold of her waist, and began to pump her rear even deeper, making her moan even more.
Fluttershy looked at me with half lidded eyes, and in a whisper, she said, ”D-Drak…I…I-I l-love you.”
I smiled at this, still pumping her, and said, “I love you…t-too, Fluttershy.”
She gave a small smile at this, and then suddenly gasped, followed by a loud moan, and said, “I…I n-need you t-to…f-fill me u-up…p-please…f-fill my p-plot up.”
I was a little surprised by her talk, but I still acknowledged her request and I began to speed up my thrusts.  I continued to pound her tail hole, and also wanting her to get off at the same time, I quickly began to play with her clit with my thumb, while I rubbed her petals with my fingers from my other hand.  This caused a loud shriek from her, and in another few seconds, she came again, squirting her juices all over my hands.  I grunted as her tail hole tightened its hold on me, and before I knew it, I began to go into overdrive, and with a final few shoves, I began to shoot my first loads inside of her plot hole.  I was going so fast, however, that I accidentally left her tight hole, and the rest of my cum landed on her stomach, chest, and lower face.  We both began to breath deeply as we came down from our high, and then Fluttershy placed a hoof on her face, wiping the cum from it, before she brought it to her mouth and began to tiredly lick her hoof, getting as much of it as she could.
I just stared, too tired to say anything, other then, “Wow, you really…do like…the taste…of me.”
Fluttershy blushed at this, and said, “Th-that’s not a bad thing, though…r-right?”
I just smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, saying, “Of course, not, Shy.  I like the taste of you.”
Fluttershy giggled at this, and then she slowly got up, saying, “I think I’m going to wash myself up with AJ, I’ll be back in a sec.” and with that, she hopped off of the bed, leaving me to my thoughts.
I placed myself on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, tired from all the fun that we just had, the only thoughts going through my head were happy ones.  After a few minutes, both of my marefriends came from the bathroom, smiles on both of their faces.  Before I could do anything, they quickly hopped on the bed and got on either side of me, snuggling up to me, grabbing an arm in their hooves.
I gave a small chuckle as I realized the position that we were in, and said, “Now, doesn’t this seem familiar.”
They both giggled at this, and then AJ said, “We sure came a long way, huh partner?”
I just nodded, saying, “We sure have, and I hope that it continues to stay like this.”  With that, I began to close my eyes, both of my marefriends snuggled up to me, and with a big sigh of happiness, I let myself drift off to sleep.

(Ditzy’s POV)

I sighed as I watched the Crusaders, along with Diamond and Silver, read all of the books that they choose from the library.  The books that they choose were mostly some how to books on random things.  It was nighttime now, Luna’s moon high in the sky, and I was in charge of the library until Twilight and Spike came back.
“How about this one?” Asked Silver, holding a book on fishing.
“Na, besides, fishing seems more like something a griffon would do.” Said Applebloom, shaking her head.
“Yea, plus, I doubt my sister would like for me to get my coat all wet and muddy.” Said Sweetie, though I doubt that would have stopped her anyways.
“Oh, I got one!” Shouted Scootaloo, holding another book.  This one said that it was about building boats.
Diamond gave it a good look, and then she shook her head, saying, “That sounds like it would be boring.”
“No way, Diamond, I’ve always wanted to try and build things.” Said Silver, surprising the rest.  I smiled at this, for Silver really seemed to be leaving the shadow of her friend to become her own pony, but she was still agreeing with her on most things.
Diamond was quiet for a second, and then she slowly nodded, saying, “Well, I guess I could try, but I am not looking forward to it.”
“Hey, you don’t have to do it, you already got your cutie mark.” Said AB, pointing at her tiara cutie mark.
“I know, but I really want to help you girls.  It’s the least I could do for you having to deal with me and Silver.” She said, and the grey filly nodded in agreement.  I smiled again at this, for they came so far from their bad selves and are now being much better ponies, especially helping out with the Crusaders on there crusades.
I then noticed that Dinky was trying to get my attention, and looking at her, I said, “Yes Muffin?”
“You seem a little sad, Mamma, what’s the matter?” She said, concern in her voice.
I sighed at this, and said, “Nothings wrong, Dinky, I’m just a little bored, since Luna is at her meeting with her sister, and Twilight took Spike to the Everfree Forest to talk with Zecora, and Daring went out to explore the town for a while, not to mention that Trixie is off doing Celestia know what, so I’m just kind of stuck here, watching you girls.  Not that I mind, of course.” I said, smiling.
Dinky smiled at this, and then her horn began to glow and she levitated a book over to me.  Since we began to live at the library, Dinky has been listening in on Drak’s classes, and has even been trying participating in them a little.  She has gotten very good with the lighting spell, and was even starting to experiment with it by making different color lights, though with careful watching of either Twilight or Luna, of course.  As the book approached me, I took it out of the magic field and gave it a once over.  I smiled as I read that it was a cooking recipe about muffins, and said, “I already know a lot of muffin recipes, Dinky.”
My daughter still smiled, saying, “I know Mamma, and I love your muffins, but you can always learn new recipes, especially since you will be working at Sugarcube Corner.”  I was quiet about it, and nodded, saying, “I guess so, thanks for the advice Muffin.  Sometimes I wonder how you got to be so smart.”
“Well, I have a great Mamma, and now I also have a great Daddy.” She said, smiling as well.  I giggled at this, but before we could say anything, we heard a knocking on the door.  Well, not really a knocking, more like a scratching sound.
Everypony paused what they were doing upon hearing the noise.  “I thought you said that they were visiting Zecora for a few hours?”
“They are.  I don’t know who it is.” I said, a little worry in my voice.  It could be a thief, or a monster, or-
I shook my head, clearing it of these ridiculous thoughts.  Why was I thinking like that?  This is Ponyville, one of the most peaceful places in the most peaceful land of Equestria, and here I am thinking that we’re in trouble.  It was most likely some random pony returning an overdue book.
I got up and said, “Now girls, just stay here for a second, I’ll see what’s up.” They nodded, and continued to read their books.  I just smiled and looked at them for a second, and then I went to open the door.
“Hello, welcome to the-” I began to say, and then stopped, my mouth gaping open at who it was outside of the door.
Or more like, what was outside the door.
Standing right in front of me was a large cat, at least a good half a head taller then me.  Its coat was orange, with black stripes running through it, and it had bright yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.  I stood there, shocked and unable to do anything.  After a few seconds, I could have sworn that the large cat smiled at me, before lowering its head and producing a low growl.
I began to slowly back off, wanting to get away from it and to try and warn the fillies, but suddenly, the cat raised its paw in the air, and then brought it down on me, bashing me across my face and sending me careening across the room, only to be stopped when I hit the back of the couch.
“Mamma!” Shouted Dinky, as she and the others came running to me from the sound of the crash, and upon seeing me they all gave shocked looks.
“Girls, run, there’s-” I began to say, but was interrupted by another growl, this one louder and longer then the last one.  The fillies snapped their heads around at the noise.  The large cat was inside the library now, and its long tail was swishing from side to side as it stared at us, baring its teeth.
No pony said anything, the silence so intense that it made it hard to breath right, and then…
“Run!” The fillies shouted, just as the cat jumped up at us, claws unsheathed.  We all moved quickly, and thankfully, the cat missed us, landing right where we were a few moments ago.  It looked back at us and instead of giving a growl like the last time it gave a large roar.  This was the last straw for us, and we all turned before we quickly ran up the stairs, the large cat in hot pursuit of us.
Once up the stairs, we all ran into Dinky’s room, closing the door behind us.  While Silver, AB and I held the door to prevent the huge creature from entering the room, the other fillies pushed the drawer and a chair in front of the door to prevent it from opening.  We all panted as we started to catch our breath, the large cat beating on the door to try and get in, and then Dinky gave a gasp, and when I looked at her, I saw that she was looking at me.  I was confused for a second, and then I felt a wet sensation on my cheek were I was hit by the creature.  Wiping my cheek with my hoof, I took a closer look, though I had a feeling that I already knew what it was.
It was blood.  The creature apparently had its claws out when it hit me, and scratched me on the cheek.
“Mamma!  Are you ok?” Asked Dinky, worry in her voice.
“Yea, I’m…I’m fine.” I said, still shocked from my experience with the cat.
“What was that thing?” Asked Diamond, looking at the others.  They all shook their heads, having no idea what it was, with the exception for Dinky and Sweetie Belle.
“I think I remember talking about something like this in class.  I believe Miss. Cheerilee called it a tiger.” Said the white filly.  Dinky nodded in agreement, saying, “Yes, that is a tiger, though they are normally in the jungle, not in towns.  Why is there one here?” We were all quiet as we thought about this, and then suddenly, Scootaloo said, “Um, do you guys feel a draft in here?”
We all were quiet wondering what the orange filly meant, and then Silver said, “Hey, was that window open before?”
We all looked at were she was pointing, and sure enough, there was a window that was swinging open on its hinges.  We all stared at it for a while, and then I was able to notice something else.
The pounding on the door from the tiger had suddenly stopped.
I was wondering why it the tiger suddenly stopped trying to get in, but then we heard Diamond scream in fear.  We all turned around, expecting to see the tiger baring over the pink Earth filly, but instead of the tiger, it was another large cat, this one was harder to make out, for it was as black as the night.  Instead of the yellow eyes like the tiger, this one had glowing green eyes, and seemed more sleek then the other large cat.  I then noticed that it wasn’t staring at us, but rather at Diamond, who it already had under one of its paws.
“Hey, you leave her alone!” shouted AB, running up to her, along with Scootaloo.  As soon as they reached the black cat, they turned around and bucked it in the leg, making it give a sharp roar as it pulled its leg back, releasing Diamond.  As soon as she was free, she quickly scampered away from it and next to Dinky, Silver, Sweetie and I.
“Yea, nice one, AB.” Said Scootaloo, a smile on her face.
“Uh, I don’t think we did much, Scoots.” Said Applebloom, worry in her voice as she continued to look at the large cat.  Scoots looked at it too, and her smile dropped from her face as she saw that instead of hurting the beast, they only pissed it off.
With a mighty roar, the black cat raised its paw and hit them with the back of it, sending them flying into the wall, knocking them out.
“Scootaloo!  Applebloom!” Shouted Sweetie as she tried to run after them, but was stopped when the black creature looked at her, paralyzing her were she stood.  Instead of attacking us like I thought it would. It instead went to the door and moved the furniture that we placed there, and once it was moved, the door opened, and the tiger walked in, seeming to give a nod to the other cat before they both turned to face us.  I watched as they approached us slowly, and then deciding to do something, I quickly stood between the fillies and the giant cats, saying, “S-stay b-back.”
The cats just looked bemused at the situation, and instead, the tiger just raised its paw and swiped it at me again, however I was prepared this time.  I ducked under the strike, but as soon as I moved, the other cat leapt over me and right next to the fillies, which gave loud screams of fright.
I looked at them, horror in my heart and shouted, “No!  Leave them-” but before I could finish, I was suddenly blind sided, knocking me to the wall right next to the other two unconscious fillies.  My vision blurred as I watched both cats approach the other remaining fillies, the girls shivering with fright.  As I watched, the black one seemed to slip something off that was around its neck and placed it on the floor before it took a bag that it was holding from somewhere and grabbing the fillies, it stuffed them inside.  I watched the bag squirm for a while, and then the black cat growl at them, making them stop their movement.  As the black creature was paying attention to them, the tiger walked up to me, and it raised its paw again before it brought it down on me again.  As I watched the tiger, I saw out of the corner of my eye a pink blob pop out of the top of the bag, two gold eyes looking back in my direction.
The last thing that I heard was my daughter shouting “Mamma!” before the paw came in contact with me and I lost consciousness.

> Chapter 29
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 29

(Drakalian’s POV)

Fluttershy and I walked down the streets of Ponyville, just taking in the scenery.  We just woke up from our slumber together, and after a good breakfast, AJ had to do some things that she had neglected to do around the farm, which surprised Fluttershy, since she had always known AJ to be on top of her game, as it were.  I decided to leave the brace back in AJ’s room, and she said that she would be wiling to bring it back to the hospital when she was done with her chores.  I tired to tell her that she didn’t have to, but she insisted, so after a while of bickering with each other, I reluctantly agreed to it, and with a goodbye, both me and Fluttershy began to head back to the library.  As we were walking, we came across Twilight and Spike, the latter who was riding Twilight like a…pony?  Anyways, when we saw them, we smiled and waved hello, to which they responded, and Twilight walked up to us.
“Hi guys.  So Drak, you have fun at AJ’s house.” She said, smiling.
“You could say that.” I said, blushing from the memory.  Thankfully, Twilight seemed to know what I meant, and just chuckled at my embarrassment.  We began to walk back to the library, and as we walked, we both began some idle chitchat.  After a while, we saw a rainbow streak go by us, followed by a tan streak, and after a few seconds of confusion, I was able to recognize both Dash and Daring racing each other throughout Ponyville.
I stared at the two Pegasai racing each other at break neck speed, feeling worried about them suddenly crashing into a building.  The others looked at my expression, and with a careful nudge, Fluttershy said, “Don’t worry about them Drak, Dash is normally careful when it comes to these things.”
“Well, except the time Dash made that mistake that cost her a few days in bed.” Said Spike.
“And I believe Daring said that she made the same mistake as well at one point.  In fact, it had happened in the story that I gave Dash.” Said Twilight.  I was quiet at this and then just nodded, understanding a little of what they were saying.  We watched the two fly some more, and after a good few minutes, they stopped and landed next to us, talking to each other about who won.
“I’m telling you, if that cloud wasn’t in the way, I would have so beaten your flank, Dash.” Said Daring, a slightly hurt look on her face.
“Yea, yea, just keep telling that to yourself.  There’s a reason why I’m the fastest flier in Equestria.” Dash boasted, puffing her chest out in pride.  Once again, I was stunned at the similarities between the two of them.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that the two of you were related, besides Daring being related to Ditzy.” I said, causing both of the ponies to stop talking and stare at me.
Daring chuckled at this.  “Yea, I had no idea that there was another pony like me, and even when my sis told me about her, I still was unsure, thinking that she might have been exaggerating.”  The tan Pegasus then turned to the purple unicorn and asked, “So, what are you doing out of your library, Twilight?”
“Well, I went to get some things from Zecora, and she asked me to stay with her for the night, wanting me to test one of her newest potions.”
“Which you made me drink instead.” Said Spike, a little hurtfulness in his voice.
“Oh, relax, Spike, the potion was a dud anyways, so there is nothing to worry about.”
As we continued to talk, we began to walk to the library again, and upon reaching the door, Daring stopped us, looking closely at the door.
“Why did you stop-” Twilight began to asked, before she saw what it was that stopped the adventurer.
Right on the door was three long scratch marks going across the top part of the door.
I started to get a little nervous, wondering why there were scratch marks on the door, and asked the unicorn, “Um, why did somepony scratch your door, Twi?”
Twilight shook her head.  “I have no idea, but it is very irritating that they did something like this.”
“Wow Twi, that was the most calming response I have seen from you in a situation like this.” Said Spike, a look of amazement in his eyes.
Twilight blushed sheepishly as everypony began to enter the door, “W-well, I have been reading some books about how to relax under a stressful sit-” she stopped suddenly as she saw the inside of her library, her eyes bulging out.
I looked at the chaos that was the main library room.  There were books scattered everywhere, and a few scuff marks on the floor as well.  Daring was already running up the stairs, a look of fear in her eyes.  I was equally worried myself, and when I took a quick look at Twilight, I noticed that her eyes was twitching, her mouth hanging open, making me raise an eyebrow in slight amusement, and then I remembered that Ditzy was her last night, along with the fillies.
I quickly broke into a run, following Daring close on her heels.  We soon entered the next floor, and the room to Dinky’s bedroom was wide open, making me worry even more. As the tan Pegasus and I entered the room, I was able to see the remains of a small scuffle in the room, as well as an open window, indicating that something else had also broken into the library and caused a bit of a fuss to the ponies that were here at the time.  I began to look around the room, looking for any clues as to what has happened here, when I spotted a small container on the floor.  It seemed intricate in design, with red ruins on it, and what seemed to be a small cathead bust on the top.  The cylinder shaped container looked like something that a messenger pigeon would carry.  I picked it up and showed it to Daring, who quickly took it out of my hands and popped open the top of the cylinder.  She took out a scroll of paper that was inside and began to read its contents.  At this time, the rest of the ponies have reached us, and were looking at us in confusion, wondering what in the world happened here, Twilight seeming to have calmed down from her initial shock.  When they looked at me, I just shrugged and waited for Daring to finish her reading.  After a while, Daring lowered the paper down, a look of dread on her face.  Before I could ask what was in it, she said, “Ditzy and Dinky have been fillynapped.”
The look on my face went from confusion to horror in a second.  “What!  Who would want to take them at all?”
“Ahuizotl, the…thing that has always tried to take the treasures that I find for himself.  I think he sent his cat minions to take them, and since the fillies were here with them, they must have taken them as well.” Said Daring, a look of anger in her eyes.  She wasn’t the only one, for I was beginning to feel my anger starting to rise as well.
“Well, where is he?  Who is he?  Why does he-” I began to question her, but she shoved a hoof in my mouth and said, “I have no idea right now, the only thing that I know is that whatever it is, he is up to no good.”  As Daring and I talked, the rest of the ponies stared at us in shock, still unable to realize that one of their friends (and herd mate, for Twilight and Fluttershy) was just taken hostage, along with the fillies, and my daughters…my daughters…
I began to feel tears running down my cheek as I realized that some evil thing had them hostage, and who knows what sick, twisted things he might do to them.  I slowly sank to my knees, my legs unable to hold my weight any longer, and placing my head in my hands, I softly began to cry.
“J-just…just w-w-why?” was all I was able to say, silently crying.  I then felt a few pairs of hooves go around me, and looking up, I noticed that everypony in the room was hugging me, even Spike.  I was quiet for a second, and then I brought my arms around them, bringing them in tighter.  We stayed like that for a good while, and then once we released from the hold, Daring said, “Well, I got to go now, before the trail gets cold.” She went to go and leave, but before she left, I quietly said, “I’m coming with you.”
Daring whipped her head around to look at me, but my head was bending over so she was unable to see my rage filled eyes.  “No way, Drak, I know that this must be very painful and all, but-”
“No buts, Daring.  I’m coming with you, and that’s that.” I said, lifting my head up so that I could look in her eyes, showing her that there was nothing in Equestria that would stop me from getting my marefriend and daughters back.
Suddenly, Dash stepped up and said, “Well, if he’s coming with you, then I’m coming too!”
Twilight nodded her agreement and said, “And so am I.”
“Um, I g-guess I could come as well…if you want me to, that is.” Said Fluttershy, hiding behind her mane a little.
I looked back at them and was going to say no, but I then realized that they would be very helpful if they came with us.  I sighed and nodded, saying, “Well, I guess you girls can come, but-”
“But nothing!  That bastard messes with our friends, then he is in for a beating!” Said Dash, pounding her hooves together.
I wanted to argue, to tell them that I didn’t want them to go and get themselves in danger, but I was too tired from the recent shock of the news, and just nodded, walking downstairs with Daring, the rest following us.  As we entered the main room, I saw my Sais and my Bo staff to the side, and using my magic, I picked them up and brought them to me.  I placed my Sais in my belt, and holding onto my staff, I nodded to the ponies, and we all walked out of the library and ready to go and save the fillies along with Ditzy.
‘I’m coming for you girls, just hold out for me.’ 




Once we left the library, we all went to get the rest of the Elements of Harmony, deciding that they should all be here to help us.  I was now waiting on the hill for Daring to bring her ‘airship’, as she called it, along with AJ, Fluttershy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, all of us waiting on the hill, none of us saying anything.  As we were waiting for Daring, we were able to figure out exactly who else it was that got fillynapped by his minions besides Ditzy and Dinky, and we came up with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Scootaloo.  Just hearing that they had Scoots, even though I already guessed that he had her, just made me even angrier, and I had to separate myself from everypony else to calm myself down.  At this point, I was just leaning against my staff, my mind wandering towards the fillies, my daughters, and my marefriend, hoping that we could make it to them before anything really bad will happen.
I took a quick glance around the hill to see how everypony else was fairing.  They seemed to be handling it surprisingly well, though they also seemed to be nervous as well, just not nearly as nervous as I felt.  I just sighed and lowered my eyes, trying to keep my mind calm in all of my inner turmoil.  My mind then wandered to Spike, and I remembered how Twilight nearly had to tie the baby dragon to her bed just to get him to stay at the library.  He was very upset that his herd mates were fillynapped as well, and the feeling was mutual.  When we left the library, Trixie had just come back from whatever she was doing, and when she returned, we filled her in on what has happened so far.  After a few minutes of explaining, the azure unicorn decided to come with us too, but Twilight said that she needed somepony to look after the library and Spike for her, which Trixie reluctantly volunteered for.  As I was thinking, I felt a small tug on my hand, and turning my head around, I saw Fluttershy, AJ, and Twilight looking at me, concern on all of their faces.
“Um…y-you ok, Drakalian?” Asked Fluttershy in a small voice.  I stayed quiet, not in the mood to talk.
“Come on, sugarcube, please speak ta us.” Said AJ, a hint of worry in her voice.  I decided to remain silent.
“Drak, please.  We understand that you are in a lot of pain right now-” began Twilight, but then I felt something click, and I interrupted the unicorn, my eyes wide with anger as I looked upon the three ponies.
“Understand?  No, you girls do not understand what it is like to lose someone so close to you, someone that is not only a part of your life, or your heart, but a part of your soul as well.  You girls understand nothing about what I’m going through!  NOTHING!  I would rather lose a limb then to never see them again.  And when I find this Ahuizotl prick, I will show him to never mess with my family or me.  I’ll make sure that he suffers so much pain, watching himself be torn into bloody pieces, his arms being ripped from his sockets, and-”
Before I could say anything else, I felt a fore hoof smack me across my face hard, making me flinch at the sudden outburst and leaving a red mark on my cheek.  After a few second of confusion, I realized to my surprise that it was Fluttershy who was the one that hit me.
We were quiet for a few seconds, no pony daring to say anything.  I turned my head around, ready to bare my anger on the yellow Pegasus, when I suddenly looked into her eyes.  They were full of fear, sadness, and even a small amount of anger, but that wasn’t what surprised me the most.
What surprised me the most was that all of her emotions were directed toward me.
“How dare you.” Fluttershy whispered, before she went quiet for a few seconds, and then yelled out, “HOW DARE YOU!  How can we not feel what you are feeling right now?  Everypony here is feeling scared for Ditzy and the fillies, and you have the audacity to say that we aren’t as worried as you are?  She isn’t just your herd mate, but she’s our friend as well, and we are all scared for her and the fillies, but we also know that Ditzy is with them, and she will make sure that they remain safe, no matter what happens.  So don’t you dare say that you are more worried then us, for we are all just as worried!” As my marefriend yelled at me, I could feel her raw emotion literally scalding my soul, seeming to tear it up.  Once she was done yelling, I was only able to stare at her, my mouth hanging open.  I then slowly sat down on the snow-covered floor, and wrapping my arms around myself, I began to cry, and as soon as I started to cry, I felt a pair of hooves go around me, and then I heard Fluttershy whispering, “I’m sorry” over and over again in my ear.  I said nothing, letting my arms do the talking for me as I wrapped them around her, running my hand through her mane with my fingers, while the other two simply looked on with shock and a little fright.
We stayed silent for the most part; the only sound we made was silent sobbing.  After a good few minutes, I was able to relax my hold on her so that I could look her in the eyes again, but not fully releasing her either, and said, “I…I’m s-so sorry, Fluttershy I…I…I-I j-just…”
“Sshh, I know, Drak.  I’m worried about them too, and so is everypony else, but the only thing that we can do about it right now is to just pray for their safety.  I know it isn’t much, but please, for my sake, as well as everypony here…just believe that they are going to be fine.  Please.” She whispered.  Her words soothed me, and nodding, I said, “I’ll try, but it will be hard for me.  I just don’t want to lose any of you girls.”
“And you won’t if I have anything to say about it.” We turned to the voice, and there was Daring Do, along with her airship.
The first thing that I noticed was that Daring had a change of clothing.  She was wearing the clothes that I have seen her wear on the covers of the books, as well as her pith hat.  The next thing that I noticed was the ship, and the only thing that I could say about the airship was…“big”, for that thing was huge!  It looked like a flying ship the size of the library, with a pair of oval shaped balloons holding the weight of it.  The left one was red, while the right one was blue.  On the sides was a pair of long wings, most likely meant to act as a stabilization of some sort.  There were also a pair of propellers behind the ship as well, and what looked like the top of a Pegasus on the front (I couldn’t remember any ship lingo, so I didn’t know what was port, starboard, aft, and so on) and it seemed like it could easily house a few dozen ponies with no trouble at all.
We all stared at the ship in awe, making Daring chuckle a little and she then said, “Well, this is the S.P. Cloudstreak, the airship that helps me get to where ever I need to go, and I don’t know about the rest of you ponies, but I’m ready to go save my sister and niece, as well as the rest of the fillies.  All I ask is if the rest of you are ready as well?  Cause if you guys aren’t, then I won’t hesitate to leave you all here.”
“As ready as we will every be!” Stated Dash, puffing out her chest in confidence.  I looked around the area and saw that everypony else was ready as well, even Pinkie seemed to be quiet for once a look of determination set in her eyes (I had a feeling that it wouldn’t last for long)
I took a quick glance at Fluttershy, and she looked back at me.  We were quiet for a while, and then I placed a gently kiss on her lips and said, “Thank you for the help, Shy, and I’m sorry for losing myself like that.”
Fluttershy just nodded, saying, “I know that you feel bad, Drak, but we are all here for you, and we will find them, I promise you that.”
I smiled and gave her another kiss on the lips, before I got up and with an attempt at some enthusiasm, I said, “Well, times a wasting, lets go!” and with that, we all went to the S.P. Cloudstreak to get ready to save our friends and family.




A few minutes later, we were flying at a reasonable speed away from Ponyville and towards a northern direction.  We were sitting at the captain’s quarters (or the Adventurer’s Room, as Daring called it) and began to plan our course of action.
“So, any ideas of where these cat minions of his are bringing them?” Asked Twilight.  Along with Twilight, there was Dash, Daring, and I.  Thankfully, I had calmed down enough from my outburst so that I was able to join them and help them on where we would be going.
Daring shook her head, saying, “Not a clue, though if I know Ahuizotl, then he will be looking for the treasure that I was looking for before I came to Ponyville for my visit.” With that, she reached under the table and pulled out a large map, spreading it out on the table so that everypony could see it.  She then pointed at a spot on the map that had a picture of an old building on it and said, “Before I went to visit you guys, I was going to go here, to Templum Constringit.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow and said, “Hmm, the name sounds familiar, almost like it’s…Oh!  Is that Ancient Equestrian?”
Daring nodded.  “Yes, and it means-”
“Frozen Temple.” I interrupted them.  They both looked at me in surprised, and Twilight asked, “How do you know Ancient Equestrian, Drak?”
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Well, back at my world, we had the choice to study the different languages of our world.  I studied two of them, one was called French, and another was called Latin.  Apparently Latin just happens to be nearly, if not exactly the same as your Ancient Equestrian.”
Twilight looked at me in awe of this, and then shaking her head to clear it, she asked, “Hmm, you said the other language you learned is French?” I nodded and said, “Well, yes, but I don’t know it nearly as well as my Latin”.
“Sounds a bit like Prench.  I wonder it they are the same…” Said Twilight, lost in thought.  The unicorn grew silent as she got lost in her thoughts, and then I cleared my throat, bringing her back to reality.  She realized what she was doing and blushed, saying, “W-well, I guess we can talk about that later.”
I smiled a little at this, and said, “Of course, Twi, but I would like to save Ditzy and the others first.  So, this Frozen Temple; I’m assuming that it is going to have the usual in it, such as traps, puzzles, etc.”
Daring nodded, saying, “It would be safe to assume so.”
“Oh, this is so exciting, being on an actual treasure hunting adventure with the one and only Daring Do!” Said Dash, nearly shaking with glee.  During our talk, she seemed to be glued to everything that was going on, which surprised me, since I have seen Twilight attempt to talk to Dash about certain topics of similar aspects, but with those she just fell to sleep, bored out of her mind.
Twilight apparently noticed this too, and said, “You know, I can’t figure out why you are so much more interested in these things when Daring is talking about them, rather then when it is me.  Why is that, Dash?”
“Well duh, it’s because it’s with Daring Do, Adventurer Extraordinaire.” Stated Dash, gesturing to the tan Pegasus.  This caused Daring to chuckle a little, while Twilight just seemed to do a face hoof.  We all chuckled at this a little, and once we calmed down, Daring said, “Well, before we can go there, we need to take a stop at the Crystal Empire, since we do need some supplies.  We will be staying there for about a day, before we-”
“A day?” I interrupted, shocked by how long we were going to wait.  “Daring, in a day, they could all be dead.  We need to get there as soon as possible.”
Daring nodded, undeterred by my interruption, and said, “I agree with you, Drak, which is why we are going to get some supplies first.” I opened my mouth to say something, but she waved a hoof in front of me and said, “I know you are worried about them, but I have a strong feeling that he won’t harm them yet.  I think that the only reason he captured them was to bring me to him, so that I could give him the treasure in exchange for their lives, which I would gladly do, because I would rather have them alive then some stupid artifact.  However, I don’t have this treasure yet, nor do I know where it is.” I closed my mouth and nodded slowly, understanding her point, before I looked down on the floor, my thoughts filled with Ditzy and the fillies.  Twilight noticed this, and while Dash and Daring were talking about some of the supplies that they were going to need, Twilight scooted up to me and placed a hoof on my hand.  I took her hoof in my hand and squeezed it slightly, glad for the comfort, however small it was.  We were quiet for a few seconds, before she said, “Don’t worry so much, Drak, I believe that Daring is right.  Ahuizolt won’t let them come to harm as long as he needs them.”
I nodded, turning my head to face hers, her amethyst eyes looking back at me, and I gently kissed her on the cheek, saying, “I know, Twi, but it’s jut so hard, and…I just…d-don’t want to lose them.”
“Well, we won’t, you have my word.” And with that, she placed a quick kiss on my cheek, and then turning towards the two Pegasai, she said, “Well girls, I’m going to go and check on the others, you want to join me?”
They shook their heads, and Daring said, “Maybe later, but right now I need to think up possible strategies to come up with.”
“I thought that you usually wing it?” Asked Dash, a confused look on her face.
“Well, yes, but it always helps to plan ahead, especially when the stakes are this high.” Responded Daring.
Twilight then turned to me, but before she could ask, I shook my head as well and said, “I think I’ll pass as well.  I’ll just go and take a nap.  I’ll catch you girls later.” And with that, I headed out of the room and to my own quarters, which had a small bunk.  I quickly lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, letting myself fall into a rough sleep.  As I was dozing off, my thoughts once again shifted to Ditzy and the others, and I prayed to both Celestia and Luna that wherever they were, that they would be fine.

(??? POV)

I turned the artifact in my hands, trying to see how it would work with this puzzle in front of me, which was a table, or altar, along with a bowl.  I had a fair idea on what I had to do, but if it were what I think it is, then I would want my rival to bear witness to the deed itself.
I sighed and placed the object in my hand onto the altar, still unsure as to how it will actual work with this puzzle.  Even though I had a very strong guess as to how to work it, I didn’t know how to replicate the process, but if I did, oh, the things that I could do with it-
I was interrupted by my thoughts as I heard some shuffling from behind me, and turning around, I saw that both of my cat minions have returned from their mission, the panther carrying a bag in his mouth, while the tiger was carrying an unconscious grey Pegasus in his.  Once they reached me, they both bowed to me and the tiger dropped the pony on the ground while the black cat dropped the bag at my feet, and the bag squirmed for a while before the cat opened it, spilling out the contents, which were a group of fillies, who were groaning from being in the bag for so long.
I blinked at the fillies and stared at them for a while, before I turned to the tiger and panther and said, “You idiots, I said the Pegasus and the filly, not the Pegasus and a group of fillies, we only needed the one.”  The cats’ ears flattened as they lowered their heads in shame, but I just shrugged it off, deciding to ignore them and to think about my next step.  I was going to have to adjust it considering the extra…baggage, but it was only a slight nuisance.  Even if it was an annoyance at most, I still hate to make changes in my plans, preferring to make sure that everything went as it is supposed to.  As I was thinking, I realized that a few of the fillies were trying to speak to me.
“Hey, I said release us, you weird mutated…monkey…dog…thing.” Said the orange Pegasus filly, flapping her undeveloped wings in anger.  I noticed that she, along with three of the other fillies had looks of determination in there eyes along with the usual fear, though the other two, which were both Earth pony fillies, just had the normal expressions of terror.
I just raised an eyebrow at her and said, “And just why would I do something like that, hmm?”
“Because it’s, uh…nice?” Said another one, which was a white unicorn filly.
I chuckled at their naivety and said, “Well, I would, but that would go against my plan, and I hate it when I have to make changes in my plans.”
“But didn’t you just say that you didn’t want us?” asked the other unicorn filly.
“Well, yes, I didn’t want the others, just you and your mom.” I said, giving myself a small grin.
This caused the filly’s eyes to go wide with shock, and then she said, “Why do you want me and Mamma?”
“Because, if I didn’t, then her sister wouldn’t bother to try and do anything to save you guys.”
The filly was about to speak some more, but then there was a groan, and turning around, I noticed that the grey mare Pegasus was already waking up.
“Ah, well good morning Miss Ditzy Doo, or should I say…Ditzy Do?” as soon as I said that, I had an urge to smack myself across the face.  “Seriously, when you change your name, you have to do more then just add a single letter, I mean, come on!  It’s just so ridiculous!”  At this, the two cats began to chuckle, but were silenced when I glanced at them.
“I changed it so that I could protect the ones that I love, and the ones that love me.” Said Ditzy, slowly getting up to her hooves.
“What, do you mean that there are ponies that could actually love a misfit like you?  Oh, don’t make me laugh.” I said, chuckling.  As Ditzy got up, I walked up to her, and caressed her chin with my tail hand, making her look at me.  Once I had her attention, I said, “We both know that no pony truly loves you.  Not your parents, who left you and your sister to go somewhere far away when you two were little.  Not your friends, who all think that you are a little slow.  Not even your older sister, Daring Do, who I heard her say that she was happy when you finally left her alone so that she could do what she always wanted to do instead of babysitting you poor excuse of a pony.”
“Hey, don’t make fun of my Mamma!” I turned to the pink unicorn filly that yelled at me, and smiling, I leered at her and said, “Oh, and why shouldn’t I?  She has no pony to go to, and no where to stay, as I recall, the only thing that actually showed any affection to her was some sort of mutated thing, I believe it was a Minotaur, if my information is correct.”
“Well, your information is wrong.” I turned again and looked at the pony that spoke, which was the yellow one, and she continued to speak.  “Drak is not some weird Minotaur mutated sort of thing, he’s a human, and our friend as well!”
At the mention of the word ‘human’, I froze, and I looked at the filly, who was starting to lower her head in slight fear.
“Did you say that he’s a…human?” I said, to which the filly slowly nodded.  I was silent for a moment, and then I turned around to look at the wall in front of the altar, which contained some sort of crystal.  The crystal was rather large (for a pony, at least), at least two and half meters tall and a meter wide, the crystal glowing a fine sheen of yellow.  While it looked like any normal crystal, inside was something that was beyond normal, for inside was a rather strange creature, one that I have been researching.  The creature was bipedal, and it was wearing some rather dark clothing, though what kind of color I was unable to tell due to the glare from the crystal.  While its feet were covered in some sort of bindings, the fore arms were uncovered, giving me a good view of its appendages that were similar to my own.  On the sides of the crystal were depictions of the creature in the crystal, and while they were all different variations from each other, there was still one thing that they all shared.
The creatures in the paintings were holding two strange looking blades, one of which I was examining before the ponies showed up.
I once again took the blade, which was small in my hands, and examined it once again, lost, in my thoughts.
‘So, there is already a human here.  I wonder if it’s the human that I was looking for.  No, that’s impossible, for the human that I’m trying to get is still in the crystal, and there is only one way of getting it out of there and to make it serve me, and that’s-’
I was suddenly interrupted from my thoughts when I felt a couple of small pricks on my heels, making me turn around to see what just tried to attack me, and I raised an eyebrow upon seeing the two unicorn fillies rubbing their horns in pain.
“Well Sweetie, that didn’t work.” Said the pink filly, making the white one nod in agreement.  Before they could do anything else, I quickly grabbed the pink filly and brought her to my face, glaring into her eyes.
“Silly pony, you should know that a unicorn’s horn doesn’t work like that.” I said, still holding the blade in my other hand.  Before I could say anything else, I heard the grey mare yell in fear.
“No, Please!  Leave Dinky alone!  She’s done nothing to you, she’s just an innocent filly!” she shouted, running towards me to save her daughter.  I just causally swatted her away with my tail hand, causing her to slide on the floor a couple of feet until she landed next to the other fillies.
“Now, now, Ditzy, it is rather rude to interrupt somepony when they’re talking, and it really upsets me when somepony is being rude.” I said, bringing the blade closer to Dinky.  “And when I get upset, I might do some…unfortunate things.” And with that, I gently placed the blade on the filly’s throat, my eyes never leaving Ditzy’s eyes for a second, before I slowly began to press it in, causing the filly to squeak in terror.
This caused the other fillies to try and help their friend, while my two cat minions held them back, and throughout it all, Ditzy was only able to stare in horror before she finally shouted, “No, don’t!  Leave…l-leave her b-be…p-please.” At this, she began to cry, and I could see the tears running down her face, making me smile with glee.  For some reason, it always made me feel better when I brought a pony into their place, such as now.
I slowly removed the blade from the filly’s neck, making Dinky sigh with relief, and I said, “Well, I guess I could let her be for now, but if you or any of your friends here try to escape, or try to interrupt my plans, then I will have no choice but to slit that tiny throat of hers, and trust me, it will be easy to cut it wide open, and to see the blood flow from her jugular.  Who knows, I might even have a little…fun, with your daughter before I end her miserable life.” With that, I flicked her ears with my tongue, causing a gasp from the filly, as well as a look of shock from the rest.
Ditzy was shaking in her hooves so much from what I just did that I thought the pillars that were around us would collapse.  “No…please, not that…anything but that.” She whispered, her face beginning to pale.
“Then you better do as I say, and I promise that I won’t harm your daughter.  At least…for now.”  With that, I began to chuckle to myself before I motioned for my cat minions to take them to the cells that we found while exploring this place, and with no fuss, they followed them, while I brought my whistle that I keep on myself and blew on it, summoning another one of my cat minions, this one was a lynx, and it walked up to me, some rope in its mouth.  I took the rope, and then proceeded to tie the filly up before I tied her to one of the legs on the altar.  Once I made sure that the knots were secured, I reached into the bowl with my tail hand and pulled out another crystal, one that I found during one of my exploratory travels in the Crystal Empire, though this one was small and green.  I slide the blade across my finger and dropped some of the blood onto the crystal.  Once the blood made contact with it, it was absorbed into it, and began to glow.  I waited a few seconds to let the magic take effect before I started my little speech.
“Greetings, Daring Do.  I, Ahuizotl, have a proposition for you…”

> Chapter 30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 30

(Drakalian’s POV)

I was walking down the streets of the Crystal Empire, along with Rarity, the others were currently looking for some of the supplies that we were going to need, Rainbow and Fluttershy went to go get supplies for the ship, such as cloth, rope, and such, while AJ and Pinkie went to go and get supplies for us, such as food and water.  While they went to get their tasks done, Twilight said something about seeing if Cadence and Shining were back from Canterlot yet to inform them of what has happened at the library, since we did forget to send a letter to Celestia and Luna (anger is a bitch when it clouds ones judgment).  Daring went to the local library, (much to the disappointment to Twilight) to search up information on the Frozen Temple.  Rarity wanted to go and see the crystal ponies again, and asked me to accompany her.  While I tried to decline her offer, she was persistent, and it was even harder when Daring agreed with her, saying that I should go out and stretch my legs.  So with a sigh, I decided to join her, and while I was bored out of my mind as we walked, I had to admit that seeing all of the crystals here was quiet fascinating, though Rarity was going over the top with the excitement of seeing all of the crystal.
“I mean, just look at all of these beautiful crystals, Drak!  Don’t they look so dashing?” She swooned, currently looking at a crystal house, which was a nice shade of blue.
I took a glance before I brought my head back down, my hood up and covering my eyes, saying, “Yea…I guess it is…” As we walked, we, or more accurately, I was getting a lot of attention from the residence here, which to my surprise were ponies that seemed to be made out of crystal.
“You guess?  Darling, do you have any idea how amazingly breathtaking it all is, why, if I could only make dresses for these ponies, well the possibilities are endless…” I started to zone out at that, deciding to look around and see if there was anything that might be at least a little interesting.  After a few minutes of us wondering around, we came across a building that was slightly different from all of the others.  It seemed to be made out of rubies, and it had a sign on the front with a picture depicting a crystal cup.  I noticed that this seemed to be more of a public building, and curious, I was able to get Rarity pulled away from all of the crystals to follow me into the building.
As soon as we opened the door, we were bombarded by a smell of alcohol and strong drinks.  When I saw the interior of the building, I was able to figure out that we were in some kind of tavern.  Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be a lot of ponies here to begin with, only a couple groups of stallions, a couple that seemed to be on some kind of date (Interesting place to go on a date, as well), and the bartender himself.  Once we got our seats at the bar, the bartender came to us, a white pony with an orange mane, and said, “Hello, and welcome to the Crystal Cup Tavern.  What would you like?”
“Well, what do you have?” I asked, curious as to what they might have.
“Well we got Equine Cider, Apple Family Cider, Dandelion Ale, the Sunflower Mug, Ginger Ale, Prench Wine, for the sophisticated ones, and-”
“I’ll take the Ginger Ale.” I said.  For some reason, the name of it sounded familiar, so I decided to go with it.  The bartender nodded, and then turned towards Rarity and said, “And what about your beautiful marefriend here, sir?”
This caused us to chuckle a little, confusing the crystal pony, and then once we calmed down, Rarity said, “While I appreciate the comment, dear, I’m not his marefriend, even though he would be quiet the catch.  As for a drink, I think I will go with the Prench Wine.” The bartender nodded, and then went to get our drinks.  Once he left, it became quiet for a while, the tension building between us, neither of us unsure as what to say to the other.  I then turned to the white unicorn and asked, “So, you got any stories to pass the time”
This caused her to chuckle, and she said, “Well, I guess that is one way to start a conversation.”
I shrugged.  “Well, I was never one for starting them, so…yea.”
We became quiet again, and then Rarity said, “Well, darling, how about I tell you when we first came to the Crystal Empire.” And with that, she began her story as to how a while ago, she, along with the other Elements of Harmony, came to the Crystal Empire to help it from the evil clutches from the dead king’s ghost, Sombra, and all of the adventures during it.  It started with how it was a test for Twilight that she had to do on her own, and when they came here, the place was a lot drearier (according to Rarity) then it is now, with all of the crystal ponies seeming to have a dull glow to them, all of them sad and with a collective selective amnesia.  Since they were unable to ask the residence here about how they kept themselves safe before hoof, they went to the local library, and with a while of intense searching, they finally found a book that explained about something called the Crystal Fair, The fair was apparently used to raise the happiness of the ponies, and with their happiness, they powered something called the Crystal Heart, which was able to protect the Empire from evils that may try to invade it, like the spirit of Sombra.  The rest of the details that she gave me were quite vague, since she said that she, along with everypony else were busy keeping everypony entertained, while Twilight went to go and get the Crystal Heart.
During the middle of our conversation, the bartender came back with our drinks, and we began to drink as I continued to listen to her story.  While it was interesting, it seemed to me that for some reason, she seemed to be more interested in the crystal ponies then trying to save the Empire, which she did learn about and apologize for later.
“I mean it’s just so hard to ignore how beautiful these ponies are, just look at them!  So dazzling.” At this, she seemed to smile and her eyes glazed over, a look of glee could be seen in her eyes.  I just chuckled at her and nudged her a little to get her out of her trance.
She blinked a few times before she realized what she did.  “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, Drakalian, that was such an unladylike thing to do, and I do apologize for my lack of behavior.“
I chuckled some more before I said, “It’s perfectly fine, Rarity.  I’m just happy that you’re having a good time.”  At this point, I noticed that the pony couple in the room seemed to be watching us for a good time.  I was ignoring it for a while, believing that it was because they were curious about me.  After a few minutes of Rarity and I talking to each other, they both got up and walked towards us.
I turned around and waited for the two crystal ponies to join us, and Rarity did the same once she noticed them approaching.  Once they were in front of us, they hesitated for a second.  I gave myself a mental sigh, expecting them to be asking questions about me, and before they could say anything, I said, “All right, before you guys say anything, I’m a human, yes the one from myth, the name’s Drakalian, or Drak for short, our species normally doesn’t use magic, but for some reason I can, and yes I have fingers instead of hooves, and no, you can’t examine them now.” While the first few questions were automatic, the last two were something that I was recently getting asked about, and overall, it was starting to get a little annoying.
The two ponies looked at me curiously, and I went to drink as I waited for their response.  As I was drinking, the stallion said, “Um, that’s great and all, but that’s not why we came here”
My eyes went wide with surprise and I did a spit take, fortunately avoiding Rarity in the process (The last time I did that, she didn’t take to it particularly well, and I found it hard to sit down properly for a good couple of days.)  I looked at them and said, “Wait, you two are not here to see me?”
They nodded, and then crystal mare said, “Most of Equestria knows about the unique alien creature that has been here for a few weeks now, especially since we heard that you have taken both Princesses as your herd mates.”
All I said was “oh” before I went silent, a small blush on my cheek for my embarrassment, finding the ceiling suddenly interesting to look at.  After a few awkward seconds of silence, the stallion cleared his throat and said, “Well, the reason why we are here is because of you, Miss.” He said, looking at Rarity.  This caused the white unicorn to look at them in surprise, before she said, “Why me?  I mean, I know I am a very famous fashion designer and all, but-”
“Well, that’s exactly why we are here.” Said the mare.  Rarity’s eyes went even wider, her mouth hanging open in surprise (and in a very unladylike manner).  The mare took this chance to explain things further.  “Well, my coltfriend here has just recently proposed to me (the stallion placed a fore hoof around her at this and gave her a small hug) and we were discussing plans for the upcoming wedding.  One of them was clothing, but unfortunately, we were unable to find any suitable ones that fit our choice, and then he went on talking about how he wished that he could have talked to a certain mare that was a fashion designer that was here for a while, who was also with five of her friends at the time.  Not only that, but she was one of the six Elements of Harmony that helped us get free from the clutches of Sombra’s ghost.  As he was telling me this, we couldn’t have helped but overhear your own conversation, and we were surprised when we found out that not only were you one of the Elements of Harmony, but the one that we were hoping to find, since we weren’t sure where it is that you work.  So, if you aren’t too busy…” she said, leaving the rest unspoken for.
Thankfully, Rarity was able to collect herself during the talk, and she quickly nodded, saying, “Oh, of course darlings, of course!  In fact, we could start now if you-” I cleared my throat at this to get her attention, and when I got it, I said, “I’m not trying to be rude here, but we do have a mission to go on right now.”
This caused rarity to gain a somber expression, and with a small frown, she said, “Well, I guess it could wait.  But listen you two, just come down to Ponyville in a few days, and hopefully, I will have some time to help both of you, how does that sound?” they both nodded, and with that, they both headed out of the tavern.  It was at this point that some of the stallions in one of the groups noticed the conversation from earlier, and said, “So, you are one of the Elements of Harmony?”
“Yes, I am the Element of Generosity.” Stated Rarity as she gave herself a more ladylike poise.
“So, you and the others are the ones that saved us from Sombra?” asked another, causing another nod from the white unicorn.
“Well, on behalf on all of us here, we would like to say thank you so much for saving us from that horror which was Sombra.” Said another stallion, causing Rarity to blush.  During all of this, I began to pull my hood lower onto my face, my anxiety starting to rise up to unhealthy levels.
“In fact, why don’t you let us buy your drinks for today?  On the house!” said another stallion; this one seemed to be already a little tipsy.
“Well, I don’t know…” Rarity said slowly, but they persisted, and eventually Rarity said, “Oh well, I might as well, besides, it would be rather unladylike of me to refuse such a generous offer.” With that, they all cheered, and began to pay their bits to the bartender, demanding that he gets some of his finest drink for their ‘Lady of the Hour.’
I sighed and turned to the bartender as well, saying, “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll have another one, but this time make it the Apple Family Cider.”
The bartender pony raised an eyebrow at me, and then asked, “Why the sudden change in drinks?”
“Because I don’t do well with crowds, and I believe that we are going to be here for quite a while.”




I was slowly walking up the gangplank that made the connection from the ground all the way to the deck of the Cloudstreak, carrying a pretty drunk white mare, who was singing a song out of tune (Strange, since I have heard her sing before, and it wasn’t nearly as bad, but I guess alcohol will do that to a pony).  My prediction was accurate for once, and we didn’t leave the tavern until Luna’s moon was well over the horizon.  As we approached the deck, I was able to hear voices from up top.
“Are you sure that they will be back soon?  I mean, it has already been a couple of hours past the time we expected them to be back.” Said one of the voices, which I was able to recognize as Twilight.
“Ah’m positive.  Besides, even Rarity wouldn’t want to stay down there looking at crystals or crystal ponies for all day.” Said another voice, this one was Applejack’s.
“AJ, this is Rarity we are talking about.  Do you really think that she’ll be bored by just a few hours of looking at all the crystals there?” said a third voice, Dash’s.
There was a pause for a second, and then I heard AJ sigh and say, “Good point, maybe we should go and send a search party for them.”
“Yay!  Search Parties are super!” I could tell automatically that the voice was Pinkie Pie.  At this point, I made it at the top of the plank, and was able to see everypony siting in a circle on the deck, most likely waiting for Rarity and I to join them.
“No need to send a search party, guys, though we might need a bed for Rarity.” I said, getting them to turn around.  They all smiled with relief upon seeing me, and then their smiles turned into ones of complete surprise when they saw the condition that Rarity was in.
“Why, hi friends!” Exclaimed Rarity in her drunken stupor.  “Fancy meeting you here.  Me and my friend Drakie here were just having a nice drink, along with some cry…hic… crystal friends.  We were just singing, or more like I was singing to…hic…to them a little singy song, when Drakie here said that we had to go, and I was so miserable that we had to go so soon, with the fun was just starting…” She continued on like this for a while, mumbling about some random nonsense or another.
“Oh dear, is s-she going to be a-alright?” Asked Fluttershy, concern all over her face.
“Let’s just get her into her bunk for tomorrow, and somepony better place a bucket next to her as well.  I don’t want her to be puking on my deck.” Said Daring.  I nodded, and with Fluttershy’s help, we were able to bring Rarity to the bunk, the white unicorn continuing to mumble about somepony that she kept calling her ‘Prince Charming’.  Once we got there, I gently placed her on the bed, Fluttershy placing a bucket that she found next to her, and then I asked, “Hey, Flutters?  Could you keep an eye on her for a while?  I need to check with Daring to see what she found in the library.” Fluttershy nodded, but before I could leave, she stopped me with a hoof and said, “Um, b-before you g-go, could I…um, h-h-have a k-kiss please?”
I gave a small smile and nodded, placing my lips on top of hers.  I was going to make it a quick kiss, but the Pegasus quickly wrapped her fore legs around me, deepening the kiss.  I decided to go with it for now, and began to kiss her a little more as well.  Soon, I felt something wet running across my face, and when I parted the kiss and opened my eyes, I noticed that Fluttershy was crying.
I gave a worried look at her and began to stroke her cheek, and said, “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?”
“I’m j-just…I j-just…I don’t want to lose you, Drak!” she suddenly shouted, bringing me into a deep hug, burying her face deep into my chest.  I hugged her back, a bit confused as to why she thought she was going to lose me.
“What do you mean, Flutters?” I asked her in a soft tone.
“W-we’re going into a possibly dangerous situation, and there is a chance that none of us might make it out alive, let alone you, and…and I can’t stand the thought of losing you.” She whispered, rubbing her hoof on my back in comfort.
I parted us a little so that I could look into her eyes, and said, “Fluttershy, I promise that for as long as I live, I’ll make sure that I’ll always come back to you girls.”
Even when I said this, she still found it hard to believe me.  “Still, I’m just…s-so worried, and so is everypony else here.”
I stayed quiet after that, unable to respond to that, for I had no idea what I should say now.  I just brought us closer until our foreheads were touching each other, and after a few moments of silence, I said, “I don’t know what else to say, honestly, all I just ask is that you trust me.  I know that it isn’t much, but it is all I can offer right now.”
She became quiet after this, and then slowly nodded, not removing her forehead from mine, and said, “I do trust you, I just…I just…I don’t know.” With that, she closed her eyes and sighed, trying to relax herself in my presence.  I was about to do the same thing, but we were suddenly interrupted by Rarity.
*BBLLLAAAAAHHHH*
We turned to face the noise, and noticed that Rarity was already starting to throw up into the bucket.  This caused me to chuckle a little, and turning to Fluttershy, I said, “Well, I believe there is a certain pony that needs your attention right now.” I was able to get a small giggle out of her, and she nodded, saying, “Just one last thing.  Could you sleep with me tonight, please?  It would make me feel a lot better if you do.”
I smiled and nodded, placing a kiss on her nose, saying, “It won’t be a problem.  In fact, I’ll join you once I’m done talking with Daring, ok?” She nodded, and with one last farewell kiss, we parted and I went to go and see Daring to see what she found at the library.
I entered the room, and as I closed the door, I noticed that along with Daring, Twilight and Dash were also inside with her.  They were quiet when they saw me come in, and once I sat down, I asked, “So, what did you find at the library, Daring?”
“What, no hi Twi, how have you been Twi, no were you successful with finding Shining and Cadence?” Said Twilight.
I raised an eyebrow at her, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t know it would bother you that much, Twi.”
“Don’t mind her, she’s just a little pissed that she didn’t get to go to the library again.” Said Dash, a smug look on her face.
“No I’m…well, maybe a little.” Said the purple unicorn, blushing a little.  I chuckled at this, and then gave her a kiss on the cheek, saying, “Well, just don’t be too worried about it, ok?”
Twilight nodded, and with that all settled, Daring began explaining what she found at the library.
“Well, I looked up as much as I could on the Temple, and what I did find was quite…unpleasant.  Thousands of years ago, before Celestia and Luna ruled over Equestria, the there were tribes of Earth ponies that found out an unusual way to preform magic.”
“Wait, Earth ponies learned how to us magic?  Oh, now if only I could figure it out, it could revolutionize our history.” Said Twilight, the excitement of finding a new kind of magic making her shake with glee.
“Not this kind.” Said Daring, making Twi give a curious look at the adventurer.  “The kind of magic they learned to us was called blood magic.”
Twilight seemed to pale at this, while I had a worried look on my face.  While I was still a novice in the ways of magic, just the name of it didn’t sit well with me.  Even Dash seemed worried, but not as worried as the others, by what I could tell.
“Um, what exactly is blood magic?” Asked Dash.  Before Daring could answer, Twilight was already answering it for her.
“Blood magic is a type of magic that lets non unicorns use magic, but with the price of blood as a type of conduit, instead of a horn like a normal unicorn.  I do admit, it is a bit useful at certain small tasks, but after a few years, ponies all around were already banning the use of big blood magic spells.”
“Why is that?” Asked Dash, for once seemingly interested in what Twilight was saying.
“Well, the bigger the spell, the more blood one needs to fuel the spell, so when they needed a large amount of blood, they would often…sacrifice a pony to get the blood that they need for the spell.”
At the mention of ‘sacrifice’, both Dash and I recoiled in horror, having a hard time believing that somepony would actually kill somepony, let alone sacrifice them.
I heard Dash give an audible gulp, and she said, “You mean…somepony would willingly kill just to get a spell to work?”
This time, Daring took over, and said, “Well, not always, most of the time they were able to store the blood that they needed in small frozen containers, not unlike the refrigerators and freezers that we have today.  In the rare circumstances that they did perform a sacrifice, it would normally be on a criminal or an enemy tribal member.  There were some places that did do sacrifices like that, but not all of them.”  At this, I began to relax a bit more, though not much.
“So, what spells did they use when they needed a lot of…blood?” I asked, almost too scared to hear the answer.
At this, Daring became a little nervous and said, “Well, each temple was built for a different purpose, and they all were usually built around a certain tale, story, legend, and so on, and this one…well…” she became silent at this, which made me even more worried.
“Well, what is the purpose of this one?” I asked hesitantly.
The tan Pegasus was quiet for a little while, and then she finally said, “Well…it’s about…the story is…something about, um…waking up an unusual creature from its slumber”
“And?” Questioned Dash, starting to get a little impatient with Daring.
“Well, the creature in question is…a warrior of some type…”
“Do you know what the creature is Daring?” Asked Twilight, getting a little impatient herself.
Daring took a deep breath, and slowly released it, before she said the last part.
“The creature is said to be a…human warrior.”
Everything went silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the creaking of the ship.  Everypony in the room was staring at me, but I was too stunned by this news to even notice the stares.
After a good thirty seconds of silence, I was able to pull myself together, and slowly said, “Did you say…human?” Daring gave a slow nod, and at that moment, I began to feel really weak, not sure as to what I should think.  So many questions were brought up in my head, but the one that was the loudest was: was I part of some sacrifice to awaken me?  Did they kill a pony just to bring me to life?  The thoughts were so earth shattering that I slumped into my seat, placing my head in my hands, taking deep breathes as I tried to collect my thoughts.  Everypony in the room was scared for me, unsure as to what they should do.  After a few minutes of nothing but silence, I felt a hoof being placed on my back, and when I looked up, I noticed that it was Twilight trying to comfort me.  A few seconds later, we were joined by both Daring and Dash, both of them also placing their hooves on me.  I began to calm myself more, and after a while, I felt the need to say something.
“So…I was…I was just a…just some warrior that was awakened by the blood of an innocent?” I said, desperately trying to hold myself together.
“No, don’t believe that, Drak, and hey, even if you were, it wouldn’t have been an innocent.  Daring said that they were usually criminals.” Said Twilight in a soothing voice.
“Well, you forget, they also used other tribes to sacrifice, as well as some used regular sacrifices, so…” said Daring, before she was silenced by a glare from the purple unicorn.
We stayed quiet for a good while again, and then with a sigh, I stood up and said, “I think I’m going to turn in early.  You can tell me the rest later, ok Daring?” Daring nodded, a somber look on her face, and with that I left the room and headed on towards Fluttershy’s bunk.
As soon as I got in, I saw that Fluttershy was sitting in her bed, apparently lost in thought.  When she saw the door open, she looked up and smiled, but the smile quickly vanished when she saw my face.
“W-what happened, Drak?  W-w-why are y-you s-so upset?”
“I would rather not talk about it right now, Shy, can we just go to bed for now?” I asked, and before she could even respond, I began to take my clothing off until I was just in my boxers, and went to lie down on the bed.  Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, and then she also lowered herself onto the bed, placing her head gently on my chest.  We were laying there for a good ten minutes, and then we heard a knock on the door.  Fluttershy went up to get it, and when she opened to door, waiting outside was Twilight, a worried look in her eyes.
“Is Drak in here?  I checked his room but he wasn’t in there.” Asked Twilight.
“Yes he is, though he seems to be really upset, could you tell me what happened, if that’s all right, that is?” Asked Fluttershy, blushing a little.
Twilight nodded and began to explain what happened in the Adventurer’s Room.  Fluttershy gave a small gasp upon hearing what blood magic is, and I noticed that she paled a little when she heard about the sacrifices.  When the librarian got to the point that the temple that we were going to was dedicated to the waking of a human warrior, she was silent, and once Twilight finished, she quickly turned around and hugged me.  I stayed quiet, too tired to hug her back this time.  After a few minutes of her hugging me, I felt another pair of hooves go around me, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out whom it was.
“Drak, listen to me.  Daring said that each of the temples were unique, and even though there were some replicas found, they were very rare, and I doubt that somepony in our age would do something as a blood sacrifice to wake you up and then place you in the middle of nowhere.” I stayed silent, and after a while, both Fluttershy and Twilight got into bed with me, never releasing their hold on me, Fluttershy getting next to me, while Twilight got on top of me, placing her head on my chest.
We were quiet again after a few minutes, and then with a sigh, I said, “I just wish that I know where I came from, or how I got here.”
“Well, whatever it was, I’m still glad that you came into our lives.” Whispered Fluttershy.
“And I am too, Drak.  No matter what happens to you, we will always be here to make you feel better.” Said Twilight, rubbing herself against me slightly to try and relax me.
I sighed at this and said, “Well, good luck with that, for it can take me a while to make me feel better.”
“Well, I can already feel you getting better now, Drak.” Said Twilight in a slightly seductive tone.  I couldn’t help but chuckle at this, for she was indeed getting my body aroused with her constant rubbing, my manhood was now rubbing against her lower stomach from the inside of my boxer.
With a sigh, I wrapped my arms around both of my marefriends and said, “That’s cheating, Twi.”
“It still worked.” ‘Giggled Twilight’, which caused Fluttershy to giggle as well.
I chuckled again, and then Fluttershy said, “Well, how about we get some sleep right now.  If what Daring said was true before you and Rarity got here, she said that we should reach the temple by noon tomorrow.” I nodded, and with that, we all closed our eyes and began to fall asleep, letting our minds wander into the dreamscape.
> Chapter 31
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 31

“We’re almost there!” Shouted Daring over the wind as the S.P. Cloudstreak was flying over the snowy landscape.  She was currently at the helm of the ship, steering it towards the slowly approaching temple.  We all looked at it as we got closer, and I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t beautiful.  The entire temple looked like one from ancient times, with two spires on the sides, and a middle one towering over the smaller two.  There were also what seemed to be large glass panels on the front of the building, though on closer inspection, it was revealed to be made of ice instead of glass.  The entire building was a deep blue that blended in with the surrounding countryside, making it hard to see unless you are right in front of it.  As we got closer, I was able to make out what appeared to be an entryway, though I also saw a couple of darker spots near it as well.
“Whoa, that is a lot of blue.” Said AJ.
“It looks so fascinating, I wish I brought some paper to write down some notes.” Stated Twilight.
“It l-looks a-awfully b-big.” Shivered Fluttershy.
“This is so much better then reading any of the books combined!” Stated Dash.
“I wonder if we can wake the human up?  Oh, if we do, then I can throw it a party!” Declared Pinkie, throw streamers in the air.
Everypony was quiet at that, just looking at the pink party pony.  “What?” she asked, confused as to what she did wrong, if she did anything wrong.  She then looked at me and saw my tired and non-amused expression on my face.  “Oh, right, forgot the whole…blood and sacrifice…thing…” she said softly, her mane deflating a little.  I just shrugged it off, too deep in thought to care at the moment.  When everypony woke up this morning, Twilight and Daring took it upon themselves to tell everypony (Except for Rarity, who was still asleep) what Dash and I learned in the Adventurer’s Room.  Needless to say, none of them took it lightly
“Hey, you ok Drak?” asked Twilight.  “You’re still not thinking about last night, are you?”
I shook my head and said, “No…well, maybe a little.”
“Drak, I thought we agreed this morning that we won’t be worrying about that for now, and we can try to find out how you came here after we saved the others.” Said the purple unicorn, concern in her eyes.
“I know, I’m just…I’m just…I don’t know.” I said, unable to make up my own mind.  I then felt a small tug, and looking down, I saw that Fluttershy was looking me in the eyes again, like the time before we boarded the Cloudstreak, only this time her eyes were filled with compassion, not anger or fear.
“Drak, you promised us that you won’t think about it anymore until we get back home.” She said, keeping her hoof on my hand.
I sighed as I bend down to look her at eye level, and with a sigh, I said, “I did, and I’m not thinking about it, I just…I’m just worried, is all.  Worried for Ditzy, the fillies, everything.”
“You shouldn’t have to be worried, Drakie, all we have to do is just go in there, beat up that Ahui-whats-its-face, save our friends, and then when we come back, I’m going to throw us the biggest smallest party ever!” Exclaimed Pinkie, who somehow popped up behind me, wrapping me in a hug.
I was surprised at first, and then I started to chuckle a little, and said, “You know what, I’ll hold you to it.  You promise me that you will throw all of us a special party when we get back?”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She said, crossing her heart with her hoof, then flapping her wrists like a bird flying, and ending it off by placing her hoof onto her eye.  I blinked in confusion, and then Twilight said, “That’s the Pinkie Promise that Pinkie made herself.  When anypony makes that promise, then they will never break it.”
I was silent for a moment, and then I shrugged, not saying anything.  We were all quiet for a while, and then we all heard the sounds of hoof steps walking up some stairs, then the door to the bunks opens, and out pops a somewhat sick looking Rarity.
“So, you feeling any better, Rares” I asked.
She looked at me and said, “No, I f-feel…h-horrendous d-darling.”
“Well, next time, don’t drink so much, silly!” Said Pinkie, giggling.  Everypony else giggled as well, with the exception of the white unicorn, who just stared daggers at us.  We then felt the airship suddenly stop, and then Daring comes up to us and says, “All right, we’re here, let’s get a move on everypony.” We all nodded, and with that, we began to leave the airship.
Daring landed the ship a good few hundred meters away from the entrance, and once we got in sight of the temple, we soon found out why.  Standing outside was a couple of Earth ponies, dressed in what looked like tribal gear, as well as holding a couple of spears.  We all hid behind a snow bank, and then Daring began to discuss her plan.
“Ok, so this is what we are going to do.” She said, and then she began to point at us while telling us what we were going to do.  “AJ, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, I want the three of you to make a distraction, and while you three are distracting the guards, I want the rest of us to sneak up behind them and take them out.  Everypony got it?” We all nodded, and then proceeded on with the plan.
The guards were both shivering in the cold, not used to these temperatures.  One of the Earth ponies, the one with a tan coat, said, “Geez, when is Ahuizotl going to begin the damn ceremony?  I’m freezing my tail off in this weather.”
“I know.” Said the other one, who had a bright yellow coat.  “I still don’t understand why he brought us out here, it’s so much warmer in the jungle.”
“Do you think that the thing will even work?”
“Doubt it.  If it does work, then the other ponies who made this would have gotten it to work a millennia ago.”
“Also, why would we need guards here, I mean, it’s not like anypony will be coming out here in this cold weather.”
The yellow one was about to agree with him, and then he saw a few shapes move across the closest snow bend, and said, “You may want to hold your thoughts on that one.”  The tan one gave a curious look before he looked in the direction his friend was looking at.  When he saw the strange ponies, he readied his spear, expecting trouble.
The two guard’s ponies waited for the three mares (at least, they looked like mares) to approach them, and once they were within a couple of meters from the guards, they stopped.  At this distance, they were able to see that they were indeed mares; two of them were Earth ponies, while the third was a Pegasus.
“This place is under lockdown, and no pony is aloud to enter.” Stated the tan guard.  The yellow one nodded in agreement, before he lowered his spear at the three strangers.
“Whoa there, partner, we mares are just a little lost, is all.  We’ve been wandering this here place for a good few hours now, trying to find our homes, but then this big blizzard came along, and when we were finally out of the worst of it, we had no idea where we were.” Said the orange Earth mare.
“Yea, and we are all really hungry, as well as thirsty, and we were hoping that a couple of big, strong stallions like the two of you would like to help us poor mares out.” Said the pink Earth pony, giving them the bed eyes.  This caused the guards to relax a bit, and then the yellow one noticed that the Pegasus seemed to be a little more closed in then her friends, staring away from them, hiding behind her long mane.
He lowered his spear, deciding that they weren’t a threat, and walked up to her, before saying, “Hey, gorgeous, how about you let us strong stallions help you poor mares out.  After all, you do look quite cold out here in this weather.” This caused the mare to emit a small squeak, before she turned her head slowly.  When he saw her eyes, he thought that they were eyes from heaven, and his mind began to wander.  Since he left the normal temple from the jungle, he hadn’t had any action, of either kind, and at the sight of these mares, he was already thinking about a plan to try and get them into his bed.
“Um, a-are you sure, I mean, we are v-very c-c-cold, and…h-h-hungry.” Shivered the Pegasus.  The yellow guard gave her a sweet smile, before placing a hoof on her cheek, making her blush.
“Of course, we can bring you girls inside, and if that isn’t enough, we could always huddle for warmth.” He said, bringing his muzzle closer to her lips.  “And I promise to be gentle.”
Their lips were mere centimeters apart now, and just when he was about to make his move, he felt something hit him between his legs.  Something hard.
He paused for a second, his mind trying to register what just happened, and then a sudden burst of pain spread from his nether regions and to his brain.  He didn’t cry out, rather he gave a small whimper of pain as he sank down in the snow, covering his crotch with his fore hooves.
The tan guard barely had time to noticed what just happened when a rainbow streak flew by him, hitting him in the back of the head and making him drop his spear, followed by a tan streak which hit him in the side, sending him flying towards Pinkie and AJ.  He landed with his face in the ground, facing the two earth ponies.  He then got up slowly, and shaking his head to clear it, he turned around and saw a couple of Pegasai, one with a cyan coat, and another with a coat similar to his, as well as a grey scale mane, making her look a lot like…
“Daring Do!” He growled, lowering his head as he got himself ready to charge them, when he suddenly felt a pair of hooves connect with the back of his head, bringing a flash of white in his sights before he fell down face first into the snow again.  He looked up in time to see the strangest sight of all: a tall bipedal creature, holding what looked like to be a large stick.  For some reason, the creature looked familiar to him, then he recognized what it was.  It looked like the human that they all had seen inside the temple; only this one was very much alive.  And by the looks of its eyes, it seemed be very pissed off.  As the human raised its stick, the last thing he thought was ‘So, somepony did figure out how to wake up a warrior.’ Then the stick came down, and he blacked out.
I took a deep breath once I knocked the guard unconscious, and I said, “Nice buck, AJ.” When I didn’t hear a response, I turned around and looked at the others to find them all looking at me with a little alarm, with Daring looking a bit annoyed.  Curious and confused, I asked them, “What?”
“You didn’t wait for my signal, Drak!” Exclaimed Daring, shaking her head in dismay.  At this point, Twilight and Rarity were coming out of the hiding spot that we were hiding in, looks of shock on their faces.
“Well, if I waited any longer, Daring, then that colt would have kissed Fluttershy!” I yelled back, the anger burning in my eyes.  We were all hiding behind the guards, and the three mares were doing a good job of distracting them.  We even had to stifle a few giggles when Pinkie gave the guards a lewd look.  However, it started to get a little uncomfortable when the other guard walked up to Fluttershy.  I tried to calm myself down, saying that he wouldn’t dare to try and make a move, but I was mistaken, and once he placed his hoof on her cheek and started to pull them together, I was unable to keep myself together, and I quickly leapt out of hiding, much to the dismay of the others, and ran up to the guard, where I swung my staff in an upward stroke, getting him right in the nuts.
“Still, don’t you think hitting him there was a bit…brutish?” said Rarity, wincing a little when she saw the groaning guard there, still whimpering in pain.
I shook my head.  “No, I believe he deserved it.” I said, walking up to the groaning stallion.  “So, anything you would like to say for trying to kiss my marefriend?”
The pony was quiet for a second, and then he whispered, “B…b-buck y-y-you.”
“Well, that was a stupid thing to say.” I said, raising my staff up to knock him out.  Before I could bring it down, though, AJ came in between us with a determined look in her eyes.
“Whoa there, partner, relax, don’t let him get to you!” exclaimed AJ, trying to calm me down.  However, I had already set it in my mind to do harm to him, and I tried to say as much to my country marefriend.
“But AJ, you saw what he was about to do.”
“Yes, and Fluttershy wouldn’t have let a small thing as a kiss bother her, as long as she knew she was going to be fine.”
“It w-was k-kind of s-s-scary, though.” Fluttershy said softly.
“See, she wasn’t comfortable with it!”
“That don’t make it right for you to just go and hit him were the sun don’t shine.”
“Trust me, hitting him there was the least amount of pain that I would have inflicted on him given the chance.  And when I find this Ahuizotl, I’m going to give him an even worse beating.”
“Now, don’t go back to that, partner!  Daring already warned you to keep a cool head, otherwise she is going to make you wait at the airship.”
During our argument, the stallion was slowly trying to get himself up.  With a small groan, he raised his hoof to place it on the nearest elevated object that he could find.
Unfortunately, the object that he placed his hoof on was AJ’s cutie mark.
With a gasp, AJ suddenly bucked her legs reflexively at the unexpected touch, hitting the guard straight in the jaw.  With a loud crack, the guard’s head was snapped back, and he careened head first into the ground, knocking him out instantly.
Everypony was quiet for a few seconds, looks of shock and surprise on their faces.  My mouth was hanging open from what I just witnessed, and then, with an audible gulp, I said, “Ok, I’ll keep a cool head, just as long as you don’t do that to me.  How the hell did you get so strong, anyways?”
AJ blushed a little, before she nodded, saying, “W-well, w-working on an apple f-farm really works out those thigh muscles.”
“I’ll say!  You nearly knocked him out into next week!” Said Dash, a huge grin on her face.  This caused the rest of us to laugh, while AJ continued to blush in embarrassment.
Once we were all calmed down, Daring said, “Well, if that is all done, would you guys mind getting a move on?” We nodded, all of us a little bit in a lighter mood from the recent scene, and then we entered the temple.
When we opened to door, we were expecting a big room to meet our gaze, but instead we found ourselves staring at a big hole, with stairs leading down into the darkness.
“Echo!” Shouted Pinkie, her voice bouncing off the frozen walls of the tunnel.  We all looked at her and she said, “What?  I’ve always wanted to try that.” We were all silent for a moment, and then we began to descend the stairs, both Twilight and Rarity lighting the way for us.  I was about to us my own spell, but decided against it, thinking that their lights would be enough for now.
Everypony was silent as we walked down the tunnel, even Pinkie stayed quiet for the moment.  A total of ten minutes passed without a natural light at the end of the tunnel.  As we continued deeper, I was beginning to sweat for an unknown reason, and said, “Um, is it normally this hot in an ice cave?”
“Not that I know of.” Said Twilight, starting to sweat as well.  I looked at the others, and everypony else were sweating just as badly as us.  I even went so far as to take my hoodie off and wrap it around my waist, though it did little to relieve the heat.
“Uck, this is so dreadful!  The sweat is getting into my coat, and is completely ruining my mane.” Stated Rarity, desperately trying to keep her mane the same as it was before we entered the tunnel, with little success.  We continued to walk a little bit more, and then we began to see a small light at the end of the tunnel
Suddenly, Pinkie began to slow down her walking, and soon she was dragging her hooves just to keep up.  We all began to worry about her, and then AJ said, ”What’s the matter, sugarcube?  You alright?”
Pinkie was quiet for a moment, and then she said in a soft tone, “No…must…not go…towards…the…light.” Once she said that, she was unable to contain herself and began to laugh at her own joke.
We all stared at her, not sure what to make of it, and then Daring asked, “Uh, is she always like this?”
We all just nodded, and then Dash said, “We just usually ignore it, though”
Daring was quiet for a moment, and then she shrugged, and turning towards Pinkie, she said, “Pinkie, please don’t do that when we get closer to Ahuizotl, otherwise you might give away our position, ok?”
“Okie dokie lokie.” Whispered Pinkie, and then she zipped her lips.  Literally.  We ignored the pink pony’s antics and continued to the light at the end of the tunnel.  As soon as we reached the bottom, we were blinded for a second by the intense light, and when our eyes adjusted, we couldn’t believe our eyes.
There, right before us, was an underground jungle.  There were tall lush trees and giant bushes, as well as large vines that seemed to sway in the ominous breeze.  I was wondering how there could be wind in a cave, when I remembered reading something like this in one of the books at the library.  The book said that different wind fronts of different temperatures usually make it windy, which is one of the things that the Pegasai do to keep the place cool during the changes of season, though it was hard to understand exactly how they did it.  The area was lit up by hundreds of crystals that were attached to the ceiling, making it look like it was always high noon.
“Wow, never thought I’d be in an underground jungle.” Daring said.
I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  “Your not disappointed to be back in your element, are you?”
“Hell no, in fact, I prefer it like this, compared to the freezing winds outside.” She said, a large grin on her face.  “How about we stop here for a few and gather stock of what we brought with us.”
We all nodded, and so we settled down for the moment to rest and figure out a plan.  The items that we brought with us were some food, water, medical supplies, and rope.  While it wasn’t ideal for a long journey, we hoped that it would last us long enough for us to save the girls.
We hope.
As we were taking stock, Daring began to tell us what to expect with Ahuizotl and his minions.
“Alright, so the first ones you guys need to know are the tribal Earth ponies, like the ones that we took out outside of the temple.  They are a bunch of tribe members that he was able to convert to his side, and they are rather decent in a brawl, though not very well coordinated.  Just stay out of their reach and you should be fine.  Next are his cat minions.  He has four of them, not five like in the book.  I still don’t understand why my publisher made me put a house cat in my stories.  Anyways, the ones that he does have are a tiger, cheetah, panther, and lynx.  They are normally easy if we can take them out one by one, but most likely Ahuizotl will send them at least two at time, and they are unusually well coordinated with their attacks when they are together.  The main thing about them is their strength, speed, agility, and reflexes.”
“So everything?” AJ asked, causing me to chuckle slightly.
Daring sighed.  “Yes, basically, they are well balanced.  Finally, we have Ahuizotl himself, and he is no pushover, as much as I make him one in the stories.  He is way bigger then all of us, even you, Drak, and he may not be the fastest one here, but I believe he is the strongest one here, as well as being surprisingly agile, and he will surprise you with his tail hand, so be careful when fighting him, though if it does come down to it, I don’t want any of you to fight him, especially you, Drak.”
“What?  But, why?” I asked, confused.
“Well, several things.  One, you don’t know him like I do, so you don’t know how he fights.  Two, I’m going to want somepony to deal with the cats, and if we have two of our heavy hitters on the big guys, then there won’t be enough of us left to deal with the rest.  And finally, you’ll get easily distracted, especially with the way you have been acting recently.”
I was quiet for a while, before I nodded, understanding the reasoning behind it, even though I would really rather fight Ahuizotl myself.  After a few moments of silence, I said, “Fine, but I’m not going to like it.”
“Duly noted.” Stated Daring.  “Now, I’m going to go and see where in this place the treasure that he wants is, and then-”
Before she could continue, we began to hear some rustling in some nearby bushes.  We all froze at the noise, and then Daring motioned us to stay quiet before slowly walking towards the bushes, ready for anything.  Once she was in a reachable distance, she quickly pounced into the bush.  The bush shook for a second, and then it was still.  A few seconds later, a very embarrassed Daring came out of the bushes, tipping her hat over her eyes to prevent us from seeing her blush.
“So…what was that?” Asked Twilight, confused.
“Well, I thought it was an enemy, but…” said the tan Pegasus, before she grew silent, her blush growing more.
“But what?” Asked Pinkie, getting curious herself.
Daring said nothing, just blushing so hard that her entire face was turning red.  Suddenly, the bush rustled again, and out popped a rather large dull green lizard, at least a meter from head to tail, and half a foot tall, its tail taking up at least three fifths of the length.
Fluttershy was immediately in front of the new creature, inspecting it with curiosity.  “Hi there.  What are you doing here?” she asked in a calming tone.  The lizard seemed to raise an eyebrow at her, titling its head to the side.  “Did the big mean Pegasus scare you?” She asked.  Surprisingly, the lizard shook its head, causing me to blink in surprise.  Then again, I have seen weirder things since I got here, so I shouldn’t have been that surprised.  We all remained quiet, knowing that Fluttershy was the best one of us to deal with these kinds of situations.
“Are you lost?” She asked.  The lizard shook its head again.
“Well, what do you need then?” She asked, confused.
At this, the lizard turned to its side, and suddenly, two things sprouted from it’s back, making Fluttershy give a squeak of alarm.
On its back were what appeared to be two primitive webbed wings.  Each wing seemed to be at least two and a half feet across, with the edges of the wings a bright red color.  The right wing, however seemed to be only half opened, and upon closer inspection, we were able to see that there was a rather large gash on its wing, preventing it from opening properly.
As soon as Fluttershy saw the wound, she zoomed back to our bags and got out some of the medical supplies, before she zoomed right back and began to try and help the winged lizard.
“Fluttershy, don’t go wasting our medical supply on an animal.” Said Daring, but the yellow mare didn’t bother to listen to her, for her entire attention had been dropped to healing the poor animal in front of her.
“Don’t bother, Daring.  Once Fluttershy sees a animal in pain, she will do whatever it takes to heal the animal and make it all better.” Said Twilight, a small smile on her face.
“She wouldn’t be the Fluttershy that we love and care for if she didn’t.” Said Dash, also smiling.  Daring was quiet for a second, and then she slowly nodded, saying, “Well fine, but I would rather if she didn’t get so close to an strange animal, I mean, even I haven’t seen any like this one before.”
“Hmm, I think it’s a flying lizard.” Said the purple unicorn.  We all turned towards her, and we were somewhat surprised that she seemed to have a book with her.  We were silent for a moment, and then I asked, “Um, why did you bring a book with us, Twi?”
She just smiled at us and said, “Well, I brought several books, some on the animals of Equestria, present and past, and others about ancient languages.  I thought that it might be helpful if we run into anything else.”
“Well, it’s better then when Rarity brought all of those scarves with her when we all went to the Crystal Empire the first time.” Said Dash, getting a quick glare from the white unicorn.
“So, anyways, according to my book, the flying lizard is considered to be a creature that symbolizes freedom of right and flight.  That’s really all it says, though, since the book also says that they are supposed to be extremely rare.” She said, looking intently at the book.
“Um, Drak.  Could you come over here please?” Asked Fluttershy.  I nodded and walked up to her, leaning down so that I could be closer to the lizard.  As I approached, the lizard seemed to get a little nervous, and tried to skitter away, but winced as it pulled on the wing that the yellow pony was tending to.
“Now, now, you have to stay still, otherwise I won’t be able to fix this.” She lightly scolded it.  The lizard stared at her for a while, and then it slowly nodded.
“Ok, so what do you need me for?” I asked, curious.
“Well, I need to apply a splint for her wing, and-”
“What, how do you know it’s a girl?”
“Well, she told me.”
I was quiet for a moment, and then shrugging, I asked, “So, why does she need a splint?”
“Well, her main wing bone was fractured due to the gash, and I need to set it properly, but in order to do that, I need to open her wing all the way.” Said Fluttershy.
“So what do I have to do then?” I asked
“Well, I need you to give me your…s-spike things…” She said, stuttering slightly
I blinked in surprise.  “Why do you need it?”
“Cause she says that if she has something to bite on to, then she will let me fix her wing.” Stated Fluttershy.  I was a bit hesitant to lend her one of my Sais, and was about to refuse, when I looked into the lizard’s eyes.  Some reason, something in my mind clicked, like we had this sort of connection.  Without saying another word, I silently took one of my Sais out and placed it in front of the lizard handle first.  She took the handle and bit down on it a little, before giving a small nod to the Pegasus.  With that, Fluttershy took the lizard’s wing and unfurled it completely.  As soon as it was open, the lizard gave a small cry of pain and bit down hard on my Sais.  I winced as I watched Fluttershy do her thing, impressed as to how such a timid pony could do something so messy and…bloody.  After a good minute, she finished placing the splint and bandaging it up, and with that, she gave a small pat on the reptile’s back and said, “Ok Rasi, your good now.”
I raised an eyebrow at this.  “Rasi?”
“Yea, that’s what she told me what her name is.” Said Fluttershy, still petting the lizard.  I shrugged and went to grab my Sais, but to my surprise, the lizard growled at me.  I quickly pulled my hand back, surprised at her aggression.  “Um, could you tell Rasi to let me have my Sais back please?”
Fluttershy nodded, and then whispered a few things to the flying lizard.  The lizard hesitated for a moment, and then she slowly placed it back down on the ground, were I took it and placed it back I my belt.  We were quiet for a while, and then I reached out to try and pet the lizard myself.  Unsurprisingly, the lizard growled at me again, and I said, “Hey, I just want to pet you, is that to much to ask?”
To my annoyance, Rasi nodded, flicking her tail a bit.  I was about to scold the lizard when Fluttershy said, “Please be nice, Rasi.  After all he did help you, and he is a very nice po…I mean, human.” Rasi looked at the Pegasus then looked back at me, and after a few seconds of her staring at me, she slowly lowered her head a bit.  I smiled a little and went to pet her, but before I could, we heard a large growl, and all of a sudden, a panther came into the clearing.
We all froze for a second, trying to figure out what just happened, before our fight or flight instincts kicked in.  I quickly placed an arm around Fluttershy and pushed her behind me, drawing one of my Sais in the process, pointing the tip at the large cat.  The panther didn’t move a muscle; rather it just stared at us, a look of cunning in its eyes.  After a good few seconds of nothing, it lowered itself and prepared to jump at us, but before it could, Daring was already running at it, and as soon as she got in front of it, she swung around and placed a round house kick into it’s jaw.  The creature wasn’t expecting such a hit, and was stunned for a moment.  Fortunately, the moment was long enough for me to make my own move; running up to close the gape between us, flipping my Sais around so that the handle was now pointing out, and smacked it across the other cheek, making it flinch again.  The panther was ready this time, however, and it used the momentum to turn around, its back claws slashing at me, and unable to block in time, I tried to dodge it, but its claws caught onto my shirt, as well as a bit of my stomach.  I could feel the claws of the creature lightly scratch my skin, pushing me back.  With a large ‘Umph!’ I landed on my ass, and placed my arms up to defend from the on coming onslaught, eyes closed, but when none came, I opened my eyes and noticed that the panther had already left.  I was surprised that the panther just left me like that in such a vulnerable position, but was grateful nonetheless.  As I got up, I heard the ponies running up to me, and when I turned around, I saw that they all wore worried faces.
“Drak!  Are you ok?” Asked Fluttershy
I nodded. “Yea, I think I’m fine.” I said, looking down.  When I saw the damage, however, I corrected myself.  “My shirt, however, has seen better days.” The stomach of my shirt was badly damaged, and I could see that the scratches were already starting to bleed a bit.
With a sigh, AJ said, “Well, might as well take it off then, so we can bandage you and all.”
I nodded in agreement, but as I went to take the shirt off, I felt something obstructing its movement.  Confused, I turned to see what it was, and to my surprise, I saw that Rasi was wrapped around my neck, shivering slightly.
I just stood there, waiting for my mind to catch up with me.  A few moments later, it did, and with a cry of shock, I jumped in the air before I landed on my ass once again, panting in slight fear.  As I fell, Rasi hugged me even tighter, her tail going around my neck, strangling me slightly.  As soon as I landed, I could hear laughter, and turning around, I saw that Rainbow, Pinkie, AJ, and Twilight were all laughing at the scene before them, with Rarity slightly giggling as well.
As I calmed myself down, I began to get slightly irritated by their actions, and with a huff, I said, “What, she scared me, ok.  I mean, when did she even get on my shoulder anyways?”
“She got on as soon as the panther appeared.” Said Twilight in between burst of laughter.  I just rolled my eyes and turning to look at the lizard again, wondering how I didn’t even notice her getting on me.  She looked back at me, blinking a few times, and I could have sworn I saw something akin to mirth in her eyes.
With a sigh, I said, “Well, you mind getting off, please?” to my dismay, she shook her head before she tightened her grip on me even more.  With another sigh, I just gave up, not in the mood to try and convince her to move, and instead I asked, “Fluttershy, could you help me here please?”
Fluttershy, who was the only one not laughing, nodded, and then she walked up to me and began to talk to the lizard.
“Um, e-excuse me, Rasi, could you, maybe, um…g-get off of my coltfriend’s shoulder, please.  That is, if y-you want to.” The lizard just shook its head again in response to the yellow mare.
“W-well, w-what could c-convince you to g-get off?” she asked.  Rasi then began to speak in a bunch of clicks and thrums, and while none of us were able to understand her in the slightest, Fluttershy seemed to be able to understand her easily.
After a while, Fluttershy nodded and said, “W-well, I’ll see if he’s ok with it.” She then turned towards me and said, in a soft voice, “Um, s-she wants to stay on your shoulder, Drak, cause she feels s-safer.”
“Yes, I already figured that out, but will she get off of me?”
“W-well, she will, b-but…she wants to get back on once your done getting b-bandaged.”
I was about to argue, when I suddenly heard a loud chirp directly in my ear, making me wince slightly by its suddenness.  Turning around, I saw that Rasi was smiling slyly at me, before nuzzling into my cheek.  Not feeling up to arguing with a lizard, I sighed and said, “All right, fine, I’ll let you get on once I’m bandaged.” She looked at me a little uncertainly, and then she nodded before she slid off of me and back onto the ground.  I then took my shirt off and sat down, letting Fluttershy to begin to bandage me.
‘I’m, getting a strange sense of déjà vu here.’ I thought to myself.  Before I could think about it any more, we heard Daring shout to us, “Hey guys, I think you should see this.”
I turned around, or as much as I could as Fluttershy was fixing me, and saw that Daring was walking towards us, holding what looked like to be a small green crystal.
“While you guys were messing with that reptile, I decided to try and chase the cat.  Unfortunately, I lost it, though I did find this crystal that he seemed to dropped” Everypony looked at the crystal, which seemed to be emitting a light hum of energy.
“Wow, that is a lovely crystal!  I don’t suppose that you would like to give it to me for safe keeping?” Said Rarity, her eyes lighting up as soon as she sees it.
“Rarity, I think the better idea would be to let us see why the panther dropped it in the first place, and what kind of importance it is.  Also, I thought that you hate green.” Said Twilight.
“Well, if it has to do with my hair, I mean, green isn’t so bad when it’s a crystal.” She said, blushing slightly.
“Sorry Rarity, but Twilight is right for this one.  I think that the panther purposefully dropped this crystal for me to find it.” Said Daring, eyeing the crystal.
Twilight took the crystal from Daring and began to examine it.  After a good few minutes, she sighed and said, “All I can tell is that it’s some sort of messaging crystal, but I don’t know how to work it.”
“Well, surely there has to be some wa-OW!” I began to say, but then Rasi interrupted me by ripping part of the bandages that Fluttershy was still placing on me, before she gently nipped at the cut on my stomach.
“Rasi!  Don’t hurt Drak!” Exclaimed Fluttershy in shock.  The reptile simply ignored her, and then proceeded on to the crystal, and when she opened her mouth, some of the blood that she took from me dripped onto the crystal.  As soon as it made contact, it seemed to be absorbed, and then the crystal began to glow a little more, like the blood just powered it up.
“Blood magic.” Hissed Daring, to which Twilight solemnly nodded.  We all stared at the crystal as it glowed, and then after a few second, a voice began to speak out of it.  I could hear a strong Spanish accent as it spoke.
“Greetings, Daring Do.  I, Ahuizotl, have a proposition for you.  As you may have found out by now, I have fillynapped your sister as well as your niece, along with some other fillies that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Now, you may be wondering why I did such a dreadful thing, but it’s all quiet simple.  I’m sick and tired of constantly losing to you, always having you interrupting my plans, always taking my treasure, always getting in the way.  I began to think to myself ‘How in Equestria do you get the most daring adventurer off of your heels once and for all?’  Well, after a bit of pondering, as well as a bit of research, I discovered that not only is the great Daring Do an orphan, but she also has a younger sister, Ditzy Do, who she loves with all of her heart, and would do anything to make her live a happy life.  Well, I looked far and wide for her, and then I find out that she lives in a quant village called Ponyville under the not so clever name of…*sigh*…Ditzy Doo.  Anyways, when I found her, I also noticed that she apparently got pregnant with a foal due to some…accident.  While I hold no pity for what happened that day, I’m still quite sad to see ponies drop so low as to rape a fellow citizen that is minding their own business, just to satisfy some inner lust, at least in such a brutal fashion.  But anyways, back to the reason why I have them.  I knew that you would be coming here next in search of the treasure here, most likely with some sort of knowledge of what this temple holds.  I may as well refresh your memory, though.  In this temple houses a human, one of the last of its kind on this planet.  I intend on waking it up, and having it serve me as my champion, and once I have it, I plan on leaving my old temple and taking Equestria by storm, and who knows; maybe I’ll even start with this Ponyville to test it’s abilities.  However, I seem to be missing a certain item to wake it up, and this item happens to be inside this temple somewhere, and I want you to find it and bring it to me.  If you do, then I’ll let Ditzy and the other fillies that I’ve caught free.  However, if you refuse, or don’t bring it within the next 24 hours, then I will start killing each and every one of them by the hour, on the hour, and I will be starting with your precious niece.  And if you still don’t believe me after this amazing speech that I have given you, then this will most certainly convince you.  Say hi to your aunt, Dinky.“ The crystal went silent for a moment, and then a new voice came up, one that was easily recognizable.
“L-l-leave me a-alone, you b-big m-m-meanie!”
“Oh, such a feisty one, this one is.  While I admire your courage, right now, I want to hear you beg for your life so…”*SLAP!*“Start begging.”
“G-go to Tartarus!”
“Wrong answer, you little foal.”*SLAP!*”Now, how about you try-”
*CHOMP!*
“OW, you bitch!” We then hear the sound of metal on stone.  “Now, this is what you get for biting my tail!”
As soon as he said that, we heard the most horrifying sound ever: the sound of metal slicing through something soft and wet.
“AAAAHHHHH!”
“Now, last warning, or else.”
“…”
“Well?”
Silence, and then…
“…A-A-Auntie D-Daring, I…I…I’m s-s-scared…get…*sob*…p-please…please g-get D-Daddy and…a-and the o-others…s-save…*sniff*…s-s-save u-us…I…*sniff*…I w-want to go…g-go h-home…I…I-I m-miss y-y-you…*sob*…p-p-please…s-save me a-and…M-M-Mamma…a-as w-w-well as t-t-the…o-others…*cry*…I…I don’t w-wanna d-d-die…”
“Finally. *sigh* you have 24 hours, I suggest that you get moving now.  Happy hunting.”  We then heard a low, evil laugh, one that didn’t stop, even as the crystal powered down, Dinky still crying in the background.
Everypony was quiet after what they just heard, the horror easily shown on their faces.  Daring’s was a look of dread, fearing the worst for her family members.  Dash’s expression was similar to Daring’s, though she tried not to show it as much as her hero did.  Pinkie’s mane was entirely flat; her normally huge grin gone, and only to be replaced with a huge frown and teary eyes.  Rarity seemed to be a little green around the gills, looking like she was on the verge of throwing up again.  AJ and Twilight had looks of disbelief, like they seemed they couldn’t believe what they just heard.  Fluttershy’s was the worst, for she had a look of pure terror in her eyes, before she finally fainted once the message was done.
Me, on the other hand, I showed no emotions.  I wasn’t able to, the anger and hatred for this ‘Ahuizotl’ character only growing stronger with each passing minute, my whole body tense with the intense emotional pain.  I knew that if I released my hold over myself even slightly, all that anger would get out.  Daring noticed my expression, and worried, she asked, “Hey Drak, you ok?  I thought that you would be more worried then that.”
I was quiet for a while, still wrestling with my emotions, before I slowly shook my head.  “I’m fine.” I said.  With that, I quickly got up, placed my shirt on (Thankfully Fluttershy finished bandaging me before she fainted) and walked a small distance away, before I knelt on the floor, closed my eyes, and began to meditate to try and calm myself down.
I began to control my breathing rate to relax myself, trying to think of other things besides the terrifying scream and the sound of Dinky getting cut, but the thoughts kept returning to me unbidden, more intense then the last one.  I kept at this for an uncertain amount of time, and then I felt a small tap on my shoulder.  I ignored it, keeping myself still and my breath as steady as possible.  I felt the tap again, and I kept on ignoring it.
“Can you please tell us what’s on your mind, Drak?” Asked Twilight, her voice coming from behind me.
“You heard it yourself, so you should know how I feel about all of this.” I said with a small amount of venom in my voice.
“Still, I want you to tell me yourself.”
“No.” I said curtly, before I fell silent once again.
“Drak, please listen.  Don’t hold your emotions in, it’s not healthy for you, or for anypony around you.” She continued, her voice moving around me.  I could hear her hoof steps as she walked around me.
“I can’t.” I said, my concentration starting to fail me.
“Why can’t you?  You were able to tell us about almost everything else about you.” At this point, her voice was now in front of me, her hoof steps coming to a stop.
I was quiet again, trying to figure a way out of my predicament, when she did something unexpected: she placed her lips on my own and gently kissed me.
I was surprised, not expecting such a thing at this moment.  I did nothing as she kissed me, not kissing her back, not even opening my eyes, just staying frozen to the spot.  After a good few seconds, Twilight removed her lips from me, and then I slowly opened my eyes.  As I opened my eyes, all I could see was Twilight’s big violet ones staring back at me.  I could feel the tears starting to form, and no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn’t stop forming.
“Please, Drak.  Don’t hold it in.  Just let it out…for all of us.” She begged, her eyes full of worry and slight fear.  I stayed quiet, not trusting my voice to say anything.  I then looked at everypony else, and they were all just as worried, waiting for me to say something.  Fluttershy seemed to have woken up a while ago, and she seemed to be the most worried of them all.
With a sigh, I got up and said, “I’m…I’m sorry, but…I can’t.  I just…don’t trust myself to release such emotions.  I…I’m sorry.”
“Why not, sugarcube?” Asked AJ.
At this point, my anger had finally dwindled to bearable levels, and with a sigh, I said, “Look, can we just go now, I just want to save them and get this over with.” With that, I got up and began to walk to pick up my staff that I dropped when we were resting.  As I was picking it up, I felt a tug on my leg, and looking down, I saw that Rasi was looking at me expectantly.  I just stared back at her, knowing what she wanted, and said, “Not now, Rasi, I’m not in the mood.” With that, I picked up my staff and began to walk away, but before I could leave, I felt Rasi grab a hold of me and run up from my leg and up to my shoulder, wrapping her tail around me and getting herself comfortable.  I looked at the lizard with a bit of anger in my eyes, and said, “I said no, now please get off of me.”
To my annoyance, the flying lizard just chirped loudly into my ear, before once again giving me a sly look.  I just looked at her blankly and said, “You could care less about what’s happening, huh?”  The lizard gave a shrug (somehow), and with a sigh, I asked the others, “So, where to now?”
> Chapter 32
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 32

We have been walking for a few hours now, following Daring as she led us through the jungle.  The heat of the place was getting to me, and I had half a mind to take my shirt off because of it, however a certain lizard was preventing me from doing so.  Rasi has been on my shoulder the whole time we were searching for the item that Ahuizotl wants us to find.
I sighed as I looked around at the others.  They weren’t fairing as well as me, perhaps even worse then me, due to their coats.  The only one that seemed to not be bothered by all of the sweat and heat was AJ and Daring, the latter of which was taking a look around, looking for something.
“We there yet?” Asked Twilight, panting from exhaustion.
“Almost.  I think it’s just around here somewhere.” Said Daring, not looking away from her search.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I asked, getting tired as well.
“We’re looking for some sort of stand, or pedestal.  One that will be holding a statue that will lead to the place we are looking for.”
“Is it this one?“ Asked Pinkie, pointing into a clearing.  In the clearing, stood a pedestal, and on the pedestal was a small sapphire statue in the shape of a coiling serpent like creature.  It seemed familiar to me, almost like it was a wingless dragon.  Everypony was staring at the statue, and then they turned to face the pink pony.  “What?  We passed it a few times, but I thought we were looking for something else.”
Dash sighed at this and began to approach the stand.  “Whatever.  At least we found it sooner rather-” before she could take another step, the ground beneath her began to cave, causing Dash to shout in surprise.  Fortunately, she was able to open her wings and fly out of there before she hit the bottom.  We all rushed to her to make sure that she was fine.
“Dash!  You ok?” Asked Twilight.  Dash took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and then she gave us her traditional smirk, saying, “Of course, I saw that trap a mile away.”
“It wasn’t a trap.” We turned around to look at Daring, who was staring down the hole that formed.  When we looked down, we noticed that the hole actually formed a spiral staircase leading further down into the earth.
“So, ah guess were goin’ down.” Said AJ, trying to lift up our moods.  I said nothing, deciding to continue down myself, letting the rest of them follow me.  I felt Rasi shift on me slightly, getting herself a little more comfortable on my shoulders.
The rest of the ponies were quick to follow, Twilight and Rarity once again lighting the way.  “Drak, p-please don’t push yourself, if t-that’s all right.” Said Fluttershy in a nervous voice.
“The sooner we find this item, the sooner we can save Ditzy and the fillies.” I said, keeping my voice empty of emotions.  Fluttershy said nothing after this, preferring to nuzzle my side to try and comfort me, but to her dismay I just shrugged it off, not in the mood for that kind of stuff.
After about a minute of walking down the stairs, we entered a large room.  The room was lined with bright purple crystals that lit the interior, producing enough light to see through the darkness.  In the center of the room was a giant stone statue, in the shape of a large tribal Earth pony.  The statue was about as tall as Celestia, and was very life like as well; its eyes seemed to pierce into our souls, making me very nervous.  For some reason, I felt uncomfortable with looking directly at it, and I had to advert my eyes away from the statue.  On the walls were strange pictures, all of them showing ponies following a unique creature into all sorts of battles.  The creature was holding what looked like to be two unusual blades.  The ponies that were here before hand (or hoof) must have worshiped this being before Celestia and Luna came into power long ago, and they must have thought that it was sort of warrior of amazing power.
However, I was able to correctly identify what the creature truly was.  Believe me, I may have selective amnesia, but I can still recognize another human when I see them.
As we looked at the room, I saw that Daring and Twilight were looking at the pictures on the walls with interest.  “This is so fascinating!  The ponies here must have worshiped the human like a god in the ancient times.” Said Twilight, glued to the ancient art.
“And by the looks of it, they said its name is…it’s hard to pronounce, but I think it says ‘Argenteus’, which roughly translates into ‘The Silver One.’  I wonder why that is.”  Daring said, mostly to herself though, forgetting that we were still here.
“Well, does it say what the item that we are looking for is?” I asked, getting a little impatient.
“Geez Drak, you’re normally more patient then this.” Said Twilight, giving me a small grin, trying to coax me out of my funk.
“Well, you try to keep a cool head when some psycho is holding your loved ones hostage.” I said sarcastically, making her flinch a little.
“That’s it!  One more word out of your mouth like that, and I’m gong to send you back onto the airship with Fluttershy!” Shouted Daring, glaring daggers at me.  I mentally berated myself for once again losing a little of my self-control, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
“I’m sorry, Daring, I’m just…really uptight right now.” I said with a sigh.  Daring nodded her understanding, and then turned her attention back towards the ancient ruins.
“Just keep yourself together Drak.  Now, from what I can tell, the story says that a human warrior was found trapped in a crystal long ago, and next to the crystal was a prophecy written in stone.”
“Sounds cliché if you ask me.” Said Dash, chuckling slightly.
“I know, but that’s what it says here.  Anyways, the prophecy stated that ‘To waken the warrior of Equestria past, one must offer the blood of the innocent soul to make him kneel, his weapons drenched in the offering of his meal, and upon receiving the generous gift, he will serve to the one that brings him back to life.’ Interesting.”
“Um, not ta sound like a prune, but ah thought that these prophecy things were supposed to be a little more…rhyming.” Said AJ, a confused look on her face.
Daring chuckled at this and said, “You would be surprised at how many prophecy, predictions, and the like that I find that actually do rhyme.” She said.  “Trust me, this is what they normally sound like, no matter what those news ponies say otherwise.”
“So, what do you think the item is then, Daring?” I asked, making sure to keep myself calm this time.
Daring gave me a quick look, and then she turned to the rest of us and said, “Well, the prophecy says that it needs to be served with its own weapons, so I’m assuming that we are looking for one of the blades that it is holding.”
“Indeed, and the blade that you are looking for is the Ikazuchi blade, mortals.”
We all jumped at the noise, before we slowly turned to face the direction that it came from.  However, all we saw was the same stone statue from before, and no evidence that anypony was actually here.
“Um, hello.  Anypony else here?” I asked the darkness.  To my shock, the voice came back again, a bit deeper then before.
“The question is, why are you here, oh brother of Argenteus.” With that, the most unexpected thing happened.
The statue lifted a hoof off of the pedestal it was on and placed it on the ground in front of it.
It was at this point that we finally noticed the soft glowing orange eyes on the statue as it continued to walk off of its previous resting spot.  As it moved, the stone seemed like it was made of flesh instead of rock, seamlessly moving as the structure moved.  It finally stopped in front of us, just staring into our eyes, seeming to be waiting for something.
“Wowie!  You’re really big!” Shouted Pinkie, zipping all around the giant behemoth as she examined it.  The statue didn’t even seem fazed by Pinkie’s hyper energy, and simply stated, “I see you’re as excited as always, oh Pink One of Laughter.” The statue then turned towards us, and upon seeing me with my Bo staff at the ready, it said, “Relax, relative of Argenteus, for if I wished you any harm, then you would all be dead now.”
Its words somehow relaxed me a bit, but I still kept a close eye on it, staff at the ready, determined to keep everypony safe while I was with them.  We were all quiet for the time being, neither party saying anything.  Finally, after what felt like hours of silence, Twilight spoke up.
“So…um, h-hello?  My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m-”
“The holder of the Magic Crown, and the student of the White One.” It interrupted.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.  “What do you mean, ’Magic Crown’?” Asked the purple unicorn, getting more curious as we continued to talk with the statue.
“You are the leader of the Ones that Hold Harmony, the others of who are with you as we speak. The others are the Rainbow Pony of the Loyal Soul, the Pony of the Honest Earth, the Pink One of Laughter, the Innocent Soul of Kindness, and the One that Bears Gifts for nothing in return.” It continued, its voice making the cave rumble slightly.  Finally deciding that he wasn’t going to attack us any time soon, I slowly lowered my staff, but still kept a close eye on it.
“So, since you know who we are, then perhaps you can tell us what your name is?” Asked Daring, curious herself.
“I have no name, for I forsook it the day I took this body that you now see before you.  The only name that I go by is the one that describes what I truly am.”
“And, that would be…” Said Rainbow, getting a little impatient.
“You may have me known as a golem.”
“Wait, you’re a golem?” Asked Twilight, shocked.  The golem simple nodded, and this set Twilight off into a research frenzy.
“Oh-my-gosh, a real live golem.  Well, technically it isn’t alive, but still, a real golem.  I thought that they were just a myth.  Then again, I thought that humans were a myth, but here I am, with my human coltfriend, searching for an artifact that can wake up another human, and I’m now talking to an actual golem!  Oh this is so exciting!  I wonder if they are other myths that are actually true.  If only I had brought more paper with me, then I could-” At this point, Rarity thankfully interrupted her.
“Twilight, dear, you're rambling again.” Said the white unicorn, causing Twilight to blush a little.
“Oh, r-right…s-sorry.” She said softly.
“A curiosity to learn is not something to be ashamed of, Magical One.” Said the golem, seeming to be nonchalant about the whole thing.
“Oh, uh…thanks, um…golem.” Said Twilight softly, not prepared to receive such a comment from a complete stranger.  We were silent for a while, and then, Daring finally broke the silence.
“So, who is going to fight you, and what are the conditions, and yada yada, and so on and so forth.” She said, getting slightly impatient.
“I’m not here for combat, grave robber, I’m just the guardian of the temple, and here to make sure this place remains intact.”
“Wait, if you’re not here to fight us, then why did you get off of you little pedestal there?  Also, who are you calling a ‘grave robber’, you stone pony?”
The golem ignored Daring’s comment and said, “I’m only here to lead you to what you seek.  I trust that the Ones that Hold Harmony would be much more trustful then the monster with the third hand.” He said, gaining a slightly darker look in his eyes when he mentioned the other one.
“So Ahuizotl was here already?” Daring asked.
“Yes, the one that you call Ahuizotl snuck in here and invaded the first half of the chambers, before he incorrectly took the Baransu blade, which is not his to take, for the weapons of Argenteus must be acquired nobly.  However, I can sense that you of eight will be willing to pass the challenges that you must face, if you so require the blade of Ikazuchi.”
“So, what are these tests?” I asked, somewhat happy that we were finally getting somewhere with this now.
“To pass these tests three, you must separate yourselves, and trust each other to succeed, for that is the only way to pass the tests.  However, Brother of Argenteus, you are not allowed to join the others in this travel of theirs.”
“Now hold on, there is no way that I’m-” I began to say, before I was interrupted by Dash.
“Drak, remember what Daring said.” I was about to yell at her, saying that she should be the last one to tell me to calm down.  I caught myself, however, before I did, and taking a few deep breaths, I was able to calm myself down again, and nodding my thanks to the cyan Pegasus, I then turned to the golem and said, “Fine, but I still want to know why I can’t.”
“You’re anger clouds your judgment, and it will prevent you from properly passing the tests of Argenteus.” It said in its semi monotonous voice.  I was quiet, absorbing what it said.  His words, even though I wished they weren’t true, I knew that they were, and I couldn’t think of anything to counter it.
With a reluctant sigh, I nodded, and said, “Fine, I’ll stay out of the tests.  One last thing, though, what are the tests exactly?”
“To receive the Ikazuchi blade of Argenteus, you must past these tests three.  The first one will test your faith in each other, for without faith we would have no pony to turn.  The next of the challenges will challenge you in a game of wits and mind.  The finally of three, is not one of brain or faith, but one of soul, for only those of truth to oneself shall truly prosper.”
We were all quiet as he spoke, listening to him explaining the tests that we, or more accurately, they, had to pass.  As soon as he finished speaking, Daring said, “Ok, so were do we start, then?”
The golem moved to the side, and we were then able to see that he was blocking what seemed to be a large entrance way.  Inside the entrance, there were three paths, each with some sort of slot above them.  “You first must decided who will go where, and then you will all enter the chambers testing tombs.  When you have passed, you will find the items to place in the slots, and once placed, you will be allowed to take the Ikazuchi blade.”
We were all silent for a while, and then Daring turned to us and said, “Is it just me, or does something seem off here?”
“Yea, are you hiding something, Mister giant stone pony?” Asked Pinkie, suddenly wearing a detective’s hat, staring intently at the golem.
The golem was silent for a moment, and then it said, “That is all I am aloud to tell you for now, but if you pass then you shall receive the Ikazuchi blade, and with it, a chance to awaken Argenteus.  Now, the first test to pass is the one of faith.  Which one of you value the word of faith and it’s meaning?” We were quiet for a while again, and then Dash spoke up.
“Well, I guess I can go for it, I mean, it can’t be that hard, right?” she said, puffing her chest out to make herself feel more confident.
“I’ll join you on this one as well, Dash.” Said Daring, walking up to the cyan Pegasus.
Dash smiled, and then said, “This is going to be so awesome!” and with that, she flew off in a rainbow streak, leaving Daring to run up to catch up to Dash.
“Next, comes the test of the mind, and a question that only the brightest of minds can figure out.” The golem said, motioning to the next path.
“Well, I’m defiantly taking this one, there is no way that I’m going to pass up on something like this.” Said Twilight, her eyes seeming to be brimming with excitement.
“I’ll join you as well, darling, since this test seems to be the less…demanding of the three.” Said Rarity, giving herself a curt nod.  She then turned to the yellow Pegasus.  “Fluttershy, you wish to accompany us for this one?”
“Oh, uh…ok, I g-guess.” She said softly.  She went to go with them, but then stopped for a second, before turning around and giving me a soft kiss on the cheek, saying, “Be careful, Drak.”
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that, and asked, “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”
“You know what I mean.” Fluttershy said, giving me another small kiss and nuzzle on the cheek, before she turned around and entered the path with the others.  I noticed that she seemed to be staying closer to them then before, probably because she was scared of what she might find.
“Well, ah guess that leaves me an’ Pinkie with the truth telling one.” Said AJ, looking at the golem for conformation, to which it nodded.  With that, AJ and Pinkie left the room and entered the third and finally chamber.
With the ponies gone, it was just the golem and I left in the room.  I took a glance at the golem, who seemed to be looking at me with unblinking eyes.  His face was unreadable to me; then again, I wasn’t the best at reading facial expressions, if recent events were proof of it.  We were quiet for a few minutes, and I was unsure as to what I should say.  I finally thought of something to pass the time, and clearing my throat, I asked him, “So…how’s life?”

(Daring Do’s POV)

Dash and I were now trotting at a reasonable pace.  Well, I was trotting; she was hovering in front of me, clearly anxious to get there as fast as possible.
“Come on, Daring!  Why can’t I just go up ahead and scout it out for us?” She asked, sighing in boredom.
“Because there might be traps in here, even if this is supposed to be some sort of test, I’m still always aware of some sort of trap that might fall on us.” I said, getting a little annoyed by her constant bitching.  Honestly, I think Ditzy had it wrong; there is no way that this pony is like me so much in so many aspects.  I mean, I don’t recall being this much of an annoyance to everypony that I meet.  Then again…
At this point, Dash sighed and asked, “Well, can you at least fly with me, so that we could get there faster?  My wings are starting to ache a bit.”
“Well, maybe if you just walked with me, then your wings would be fine for when we actually need them.” I retorted.  Thankfully, this somehow got through to her, and blushing, she said, “W-well, I guess that makes sense.  Is that why you rarely fly unless necessary?”
I nodded.  “Yes.  I only fly when I need to; otherwise it is much better to stick to the ground.  Makes it easier to spot traps and such.  So, will you finally walk with me?”
Dash was quiet for a moment, and then with a sigh, she nodded and lowered herself to the ground.  As soon as she hit the ground, however, we all heard a soft clicking sound, and the stone underneath Dash sank into the ground a little.
‘Shit, didn’t noticed that with Dash talking to me.  This is why I prefer to work alone.’ With a quick burst of my wings and legs, I quickly rushed forward and knocked Dash out of the way of the trap, however, in doing so, I placed myself in harms way for whatever was to come.  As soon as I moved Dash, a few holes in the walls opened, and these small balls came shooting out from them and straight towards me.  I tried to get out of the way, but knew that it was futile.  As soon as the balls made contact with me, they burst, and emitted putrid orange gas, making me cough and wheeze a little.  I was able to get out of the small gas cloud that was formed from the trap’s barrage, but I could already feel the gas taking affect to me, my head began to cloud a little, and I began to feel a little wheezy.
“Oh-my-gosh, Daring!  Are you ok?  I’m so sorry that happened, I didn’t notice the trap, and-” Said Dash, getting more and more worried as time went on.  I was finally able to shut her up with a wave of my hoof, and after a few seconds, I was able to finally breath properly, and said, “R-relax, Dash, you didn’t notice it, and neither did I, though that was most likely due to the fact that you were distracting me.”
Dash seemed to get a little annoyed at this, and said, “What do you mean, distracting you?”
“Well, if I wasn’t trying to get you to walk with me, then I would have noticed it a long time ago.”
“Well, if you’d let me fly ahead like I wanted to, then I could have spotted it so that none of this would have happened!” Retorted Dash, getting her old vigor back.
“And then you might have triggered another trap, or the same one, and then I wouldn’t be here to save your sorry flank!” I said, getting more and more annoyed as we continued with this.
“Whatever, lets just get this over with.  And I thought that an adventure with you would be fun.” Dash muttered under her breath, before she began to continue down the hall, only this time she was walking.
‘Well, at least she’s walking now.’ With a sigh of frustration, I walked on after her.  “Fine by me.  You see, this is why I don’t work with others; I always get in more trouble, and they never benefit you in the end.” She chose to ignore me, and just stared ahead of us, and with a sigh, I too fell to silence.
We were quiet for a good few minutes, neither of us sure as to what we should say to the other.  As I thought about the little incident, I began to feel a little bad about the entire situation, especially since she is one of my fans of my stories, and I hated to make my fans unhappy.  Not only that, but she was also one of my sister’s friends, which made me feel even more guilty about the whole thing.  Deciding that an apology was in order, I opened my mouth to apologies to her, when suddenly; out of the corner of my eyes, I saw some movement.
I quickly snapped my head around to the movement, and to my shock, I saw that it was Ahuizotl, holding Ditzy in his hands, with a blade in his other hand.
“Ahuizotl!  What are you doing here?” I shouted at him, getting his attention.  The creature, upon noticing me, smiled, and began to place the blade on my sister’s throat, making her squeak in pain as it began to draw some blood.
I yelled in pure fury as I launched myself at him, but he just casually head-butted me in the skull, making me wince as I was knocked back, my vision blurring slightly.  When my sight cleared, I was able to see his tail hand waving at me from around the next bend in the hallway, before disappearing from sight.  I began to run towards him, when I felt somepony pull me to a halt.  I looked behind me, and to my surprise, it was Dash, holding me back from getting my sister.
“Daring, what the hell!  What was that all about?” She asked, concern and confusion in her eyes.
“Didn’t you see him?  Ahuizotl was right there, and he has Ditzy with him!  He just about to cut her throat before he slipped away around the bend.” I said to her frantically, hoping that she would get some sense and release me.  Instead, she just gained a more confused look on her face.
“Daring, no pony was there.  I was here the whole time.  You just suddenly slammed your head against the wall.  Gave yourself a bit of a nasty cut as well.” At the mention of that, I brought my hoof up, and I indeed felt some blood on my head, but there were other things at stake here, and that was to save my one and only sister from the clutches of a psychopath.
“I’m telling you, Dash, he was right there.  See, you can see her blood from where he dragged her.” I said, pointing at Ditzy’s blood that was most likely came from her neck even as we were talking.  Dash still looked confused by the whole thing, and she opened her mouth to say something else, but at this point I decided to ignore what it was she had to say, and instead I turned myself around and ran around the bend, Dash in hot pursuit behind me.
What I saw around the bend was something the made my heart froze.  There, right before me, was a large chamber, filled with all sorts of torture devices.  There were ones that I have seen before from different dig sites, from long racks to the iron maredon, to a few that even I couldn’t recognize.  The worst part of it, however, was that, unlike the ones that I did find, these ones were in pristine condition.  Not only that, but they were being used even as we were looking at them.
It took me a few seconds to fully comprehend what was happening, but when I did, I saw that the ponies that were here were the fillies that we were trying to save, all of them being tortured in gruesome affairs.  The closest one to me was a yellow Earth filly, who was crying out in pain as her limbs were brutally stretched by a rack, and I could hear her cry out in pain, as she was stretched far beyond her limit.  Next to her was an orange Pegasus filly, and she was having her wings being slowly pulled off.  Next was a unicorn filly, and she was sitting on a torture device that I haven’t even seen.  The device looked like some sort of pyramid, and she was currently barely sitting on it, due to the chains that were holding her forelegs high above her, a look of panic could be seen in her eyes.  Her rear legs were strapped with some sort of weights, likely to help pull her down onto the pyramid.  Next were two other Earth fillies, and they were currently trapped inside an iron maredon that was slowly closing them in, the spikes just pressing against their flanks and sides as they squirmed to try and escape the torture device, but to no avail.
The last two, however, were the worst for me, for they were both the ponies that I knew and love.  First there was Dinky, and she was hanging from the ceiling by her horn, a look of pain could be seen in her eyes.  Right in front of her was a giant bladed propeller that was spinning at high speeds, and it was slowly moving closer to her mid section as it spun.  Then there was Ditzy herself, and instead of being trapped by some sort of torture device like all the others, she was on a table at the front of the room, Ahuizotl was right above her, and he had a large maniacal grin on his face as he was slowly pressing the blade on her right hind leg, the cut on her neck still evident from before.  I took in the scene in front of me, and at once I began to charge at them, only to be stopped by Dash again.
“The buck, Daring?!  Are you trying to kill yourself?!” She said, a look of surprise in her eyes.
“Dash, let me go!  I need to save them!” I shouted back, struggling in her grip.  At this point, the yellow filly was already reaching her limit, and I could hear her scream as one of her limbs was snapped right out of her socket.  Next to her, I could hear another pop as one of the wing joints in the Pegasus was popped out of place, emitting a cry of pain, followed by a whimper of fear.  The unicorn filly was slowly being lowered onto the pyramid, and to my horror, I saw that it was aimed straight for her fillyhood, and it began to stretch her out, making her scream in fear and pain.  The two Earth fillies barely had any room to move as the iron maredon continued to slowly close, the spikes already starting to impale them, drawing thin streams of blood from their wounds.  Above us, Dinky was squirming and yelling, trying to avoid the impending blades that were inching their way towards her torso, just mere centimeters from making contact with her fur.  Ditzy, on the other hand, was still screaming, and Ahuizotl, still with his grin, began to saw off another part of her right foreleg as soon as he finished taking off her hoof.
“Daring, nothing is there, just a bunch of-.” She started to say calmly before she was interrupted.  I turned to look at her, and to my horror, I saw that she was being grabbed by what looked like to be giant stone tentacles, wrapping around her torso and limbs, immobilizing her completely.  As soon as she was trapped, another pair of tentacles appeared in front of her, before one was lowered to her crotch area, while the other was raised to her head.
I have never felt so scared in my entire life.  Never in all of my years of archeology have I seen anything like this before.  Sure, I have seen pictures of what the devices could do, and I have read some strange comics about tentacles, but my mind was still unable to process what was going on in front of me.  At this point, some of the fillies in the room were getting louder as their pain went on, while the others, like the two Earth fillies, went deathly quiet, as the iron maredon was almost completely closed.  I could barely see through the small gape, but I could still make out the small forms of the two fillies as their struggles began to weaken, the blood dripping off of the spikes into a puddle that was forming below them.  The tentacles that surrounded Dash were already being inserted into her marehood and mouth, but instead of thrusting into her like I thought they would, they instead began to move slowly into her, stretching her holes out.  I could hear her gag as the tentacle passed her esophagus, the bulge evident in her throat.
I tried to do something, anything, willing my body to move, but I just stood there, the horror of it all washing over me, and slowly, to my disbelief, I began to curl up upon myself and softly cry.  I had no idea what came over me, but just seeing these innocent fillies being tortured in such manners, as well as Dinky and Ditzy, right in front of my very eyes, and then Dash getting captured like that and used in such a manner…it was just too much for my brain to handle, and I could literally hear it shutting down, and I slowly began to go into some sort of inner subconscious area in my mind, trying to escape the reality of the situation.
‘I…I c-can’t b-b-believe it.  T-they…they are j-j-just…d-dying…dying r-right in f-front of me, and…and I can’t d-do a thing a-about it.’ I could feel myself slowly going insane, my body curling me up into a ball, my forelegs covering my eyes; just watching everypony that I love and care for as well as the ones that I’m supposed to save, dying right in front of me, and I felt completely powerless to do anything about it.
I laid there for what felt like hours, just listening to the screams and shouts of the tortured, as well as the occasional slashing of the flesh, and other equally soft organs, while one by one, they slowly began to quiet down, until all I could hear was a soft whimper of pain, as well as the sound of dripping liquid.  Then, I felt somepony nudge me by my side, but looking up, the only thing that I saw was everypony still getting brutally murdered.  I was about to curl up into my ball again, ready to give up on this adventure, on life itself, when I felt the nudge again.
I looked around quickly, trying to see where it came from, and then I finally saw it.  It was a small, glowing bulb of light, and it seemed to dimly shine on my face as I stared at it.  It nudged me again, trying to get me up on my feet.  I just shrugged it away, not caring about it, or anything, anymore.  I just saw the fillies that I was supposed to save, as well as the rest of my family, die right in front of me, and I was expected to just continue after all of that?
The light was persistent, and with a sigh, I slowly rose to my feet, keeping my head down, not wanting to see anymore of the after affects of what happened to the room that I was in, as well as the ponies that I promised that I would save.  The light was having none of that, however, and just made me tilt my head up.  I tried to keep my head down, but my willpower had long left me, so ever so slowly, I could feel it lifting my head, so thinking quickly, I closed my eyes.  The light didn’t want this, either, and began to lightly tap on my head, seeming to want to see the devastation in the aftermath.  I kept my eyes closed for as long as I could, but it was a losing battle to fight it off.  With a reluctant sigh, I finally gave in, deciding that I might as well get it over with.  When I opened my eyes, however, it was ten times worse then anything that I have ever seen.
The rack had stopped stretching the yellow filly, due to the fact that there wasn’t anything left to stretch, her limbs already stretched thin, her whole body seemed to be only held by the sinews alone.  It was similar to the Pegasus filly was well, only that her wings were completely off, and I could see the blood spilling profusely out of her back, along with her tears, both of which were creating a large puddle beneath her.  The blood was gathering at the floor, and slowly flowing towards the center, where there was a large drain, most likely there for cleaning purposes.  I could see the blood from the other two out of the corner of my eyes, but I reframed myself from looking in that direction, deciding that I had enough, and now just want to get out of here.  The light, however, seemed that it wanted me to follow it instead, and began to somehow slowly drag me around the torture devices.  Reluctantly, I followed, deciding that it wasn’t worth fighting it any more.  The light began to lead me around the torture machines, towards the table that Ditzy was on, bringing me close enough that I could smell the blood that was oozing out from them.  It lead me around the devices, however, instead of straight towards it like I thought it would.  It eventually brought me to a point that I had no choice but to look at the other two victims, and I did so reluctantly, my breath catching in my throat when I saw the scene.
The iron maredon was fully closed now, and to my slight relief, I was unable to see the two Earth fillies that were inside it, most likely completely impaled by the dozens or so spikes inside of it.  However, it was unable to contain the blood, which seemed to flow out of it like a small stream, a constant flow of the red liquid flowing from the bottom of the torture device and collecting at the drain with the rest. The unicorn filly was a very gruesome sight as well; her entire lower body was stretched out to horrific levels due to the pyramid that was forced inside her fillyhood, and it was leaking blood at an alarming rate.  I doubt that all of the blood was due to her hymen being forcefully removed, either.  Taking a deep breath, I turned my head around, wanting to see if I would be able to get out of here, or if I would have to find an alternate way out, but that was a mistake on my part.  As soon as I turned around, I saw Dash’s corpse still in the grip of the stone tentacles, both of the tentacles went so far into her that they both appeared out of the opposite hole.  I knew that it was impossible to actually do that safely, and my suspicions were further confirmed by the fact that there was a large amount of blood coming out of her, gathering onto the floor before flowing down the drain.
I turned to face the ball of light again, but I tripped over something, making me lose my balance and fall flat on my face.  The light helped my back up, and once up, I turned to see what it was, and to my horror, it was the lower part of a pink filly’s body, the guts and intestines spilling out a little, along with tons of blood that seemed to be pouring out by the buckets.
I knew where it came from, and I really didn’t want to look, but I knew that I had to look, for my own sanity, or at least what was left of it, and looking up, I saw what I expected, though it still didn’t make me feel any better knowing what it was.  Above me, with more blood and a few other organs hanging out from under her, was the rest of Dinky, still attached to the ceiling by her horn, the glazed look of death in her eyes, the spinning blade having already stopped spinning a while ago, drenched in the young filly’s blood.  I could feel myself getting sick from seeing my niece cut into two pieces.  Without any more warning, I bent my head down and threw up onto the ground, heaving everything that was in my stomach.  For some reason, I could feel the light seeming to be patting my back, trying to comfort me.  After a good minute of throwing up, I was able to calm myself down to take a few deep breaths, and wiping my mouth with my hoof, I was well enough (or at least as well as I could be, surrounded by the blood of those that I promised to save) and continued to follow the ball of light.
Eventually, we reached the table where Ahuizotl was chopping Ditzy, or at least, he was here.  Somehow, he left while I was following the glowing ball of light.  All that was left on the table was Ditzy herself, her limbs and wings chopped into many little pieces, blood pooling all around her and even dripping off of the table’s edge, a glazed look in her uneven eyes.  I could feel the tears reappearing in my eyes as I looked upon the corpse of my sister, and began to silently cry again, wishing that this were all just a dream. The ball of light seemed to be carrying a cup, and dipped it into the blood.  Once the cup was full, it lifted it up and presented it to me.  I gave it a curious look, wondering what it was trying to do, and then it hoofed me the cup of my sister’s blood.  I took it cautiously, and then it moved the cup in my hoof towards my mouth.
My eyes widened when it did this, and I quickly shoved it away, saying, “What, I’m not going to drink this!  I just watched everypony in the room getting murdered, and you expect me to just drink my sister’s blood?!”
The light hesitated at this, but then continued to push the liquid towards my mouth.  I kept on protesting, knowing that I could never in my right mind drink blood of anypony, let alone my own sister’s blood.  However, the light continued to pester me, and then getting annoyed, I yelled, “Look, I trusted you enough to make me go through this nightmare, and now you are just testing my faith, and-”
I stopped in mid sentence, and something in my mind click.  I began to remember the reason that I came in here the first place.  Something to do with faith, I think, though at this point I could have cared less, just wanting to get out of here and figure everything else out later.  For some reason, however, I knew that I had no choice now, and that I had to…drink my sister’s blood.
With a very deep breath, I slowly brought the liquid to my mouth, and then, closing my eyes, I quickly began to drink it, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible, not wanting to taste it as it went down my throat.  I wasn’t fast enough, though, for I still got an iron tinge on my tongue, and it stayed there for the whole time I drank the liquid.  The taste of my own sister’s blood on my tongue was almost enough to make me throw up again, but I pressed on.  Suddenly, the taste became more bearable, and instead of liquid iron, it began to taste like a mango juice that I had during one of my trips in Jamareca.  Once the cup was empty, I lowered it, and then slowly opened my eyes, and was surprised and relieved with what I saw.
There, standing in the place of the ball of light, was Rainbow Dash, not constricted by tentacles, and not bleeding all over the place.  She had a very nervous and worried look on her face.  When she saw me looking at her, she said, “Can you hear me now, Daring?”
I just slowly nodded, my brain not fully comprehending what was happening.  Was I dead as well?  Did the blood of my sister somehow kill me, or did a trap get me when I wasn’t looking?  Before I could think any more on it, Dash suddenly lunged at me, giving me a death hug.
“Oh thank Celestia!  I thought that I was going to lose you!  You were just whimpering and crying on the floor, not even wanting to move.  I was just trying to get you to move here, but you wouldn’t even listen, the only time that you did move was when we first entered the room, and you almost ran yourself into the spikes, and-”
“W-wait, w-w-what s-spikes?” I asked confused as to what she was saying.  Dash just pointed behind me, and, cautiously, I turned my head around, and what I saw not only surprised me, but also gave me a sense of relief and hope.
Standing behind me were the traps that I saw before, only this time, they were all rusted and broken down with time, and they weren’t torturing any ponies either.  Some of the chains were broken and the ceiling blade was now on the ground, the supporting chain that was holding it up having broken a long time ago.  What really caught my attention, though, were the waist high spikes that dotted all across the ground, seemingly at random.  As I looked, I noticed that they all had some sort of liquid on them, and giving it a closer look, I was able to recognize what the liquid was.
‘Manticore poison.’ I thought to myself, and then realized that I was still being hugged by Rainbow.  I was able to slowly pry myself from Dash’s hug, and then looked back to the table were I saw Ditzy’s corpse.  Instead of seeing my sister dead and in pieces, I saw what looked like an indent in the table, with what looked like bright orange juices in it, some cups off to one side of the indent.  “W…what h-happened?” I asked Dash once I was able to get my breath.
“You were mumbling and crying about something that I couldn’t make out, and you weren’t willing to move on either.  I had to almost push you along the path that I found around the spikes in order for you to continue.  It was like you just lost your will to continue.” The cyan pony said.
I sighed at that and then said, “I did, Dash.  I did.” I then lowered my head, the images of the ponies getting tortured still fresh in my mind even if they weren’t real they sure felt real.  “I was seeing…things.”
“What kind of things?” Asked Dash, curious.
“Horrible things.  Things that no pony should ever see if they want to stay sane.” I said slowly, trying to keep myself together.  It may have all been my imagination, but it still felt like it actually happened.
Dash was quiet for a second, before she shrugged, and then, turning around, she said, “Well, we at least found our crystal, I think.” She then turned to face me, and under one of her wings was an orange crystal that seemed to be glowing ever so slightly.  “So, you ready to go now?”
I was quiet for a second, and then I slowly shook my head, saying, “No, I…I really need to rest.”
Dash looked at me, her worry even more evident on her face. “Celestia, Daring, what happened to you?”
I took a second to just lie down on the cold floor, motioning Dash to do the same.  I stayed quiet for a few seconds, trying to figure out what it was that could have drugged me.  The only thing that I ate was my quick breakfast on the airship with the others, and I doubt that food poisoning would have caused such hallucinations as well.  I then remembered the trap that Dash activated a while ago, as well as the gas balls.
‘That must have been it.  But, what was the potion that Dash made me drink?’ “I…I think it might have been the gas from the trap that you activated from before.  I think the gas was some sort of hallucinogen, and a pretty powerful one as well.”
“So…so I was the cause of it?” said Dash, her look of worry turning to one of horror.  “I…I’m so sorry, Daring, I just wanted to help you, but I ended up hurting you even more, and you almost died because of it.  I guess you’re right, then.  Having a partner does hurt more then help you.”
I opened my mouth to agree with her, to say that next time I’ll do it by myself, but then closed it, realizing that it was wrong, for she did help me in the long run.  “Dash, you’re wrong, you did help me.”
“But, if I wasn’t here, then you would have made it through here, avoided the trap, and-”
“Dash, if I was alone, and I did hit the trap, then I would have been all alone, without anypony to guide my sorry flank through the rest of the area and give me the potion to cure me.”
At this, Dash finally let out a small, weak chuckle, saying, “Actually, the potion was mango juice.”
I gave her a surprised look.  I know it tasted like mango juice, but for it to actually be mango juice?  “But…what makes you think that?”
Dash then pointed at the wall behind the table, and looking there, I saw the ancient pictures of the ponies that were here before, and it showed them making a potion, presumably the one that I drank, and they were holding what looked to be like some sort of…mango?
“I may not be able to understand Ancient Equestrian like you and Twilight, or even Drak, but even I know a mango when I see it.” She said, a slightly smug look on her face, which showed that she was already starting to feel a bit better from the whole experience.  I, on the other hoof, thought that I would never get over it, for I was still shuddering in my hooves whenever I thought about what I went through.
With a sigh, I just placed my head on my forelegs, getting a little tired myself.  “Also, if it weren’t for you stopping me from charging in before, I would have most likely impaled myself onto the spikes without me noticing myself, and even if I didn’t, the poison would have been enough to kill me.  So…I guess having a partner does help you out in the long run after all.” I said, giving her a small, weak smile at the end.
Dash just stood there, her mouth hanging open, and then she closed her mouth and said, “Do…do you really mean it?”
“Of course, and I…I apologize about what I said before, it wasn’t nice at all.  And also…thanks for saving my flank.” Dash remained quiet for a while, just staring at me, and then she suddenly lunged herself at me and hugged me.  I just laid there, too tired to hug her back, and after a while, she released me and went to lay down next to me, before she draped a wing over me, and smiling, she said, “Well, I guess we deserve a little bit of a rest after all of that, huh?”
I smiled back at her, and nodding, I said, “I agree, besides…I just…I don’t want to go back and have everypony see how shaken up this made me.”
We both chuckled at this, and then remained silent, both of us staring at each other’s eyes.  After a good few minutes of silence, I said, “Oh, and Dash.”
“Yea?”
“Don’t tell anypony what I just went through, ok?”
“I Pinkie Promise.”
Satisfied with her answer, I sighed, and then closed my eyes and let myself slowly fall into a quick slumber.
> Chapter 33
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 33

(Drakalian’s POV)

It has been a few minutes since the golem or I spoke, neither one of us was sure what we should say to the other.  Though, the golem was most likely ok with this, since it has been alone for most of the time, so was probably used to the quiet.  I could really care less at the moment, for I was still going over what has happened over the past few hours, my worry for Ditzy and the fillies increasing as time went on.
I suddenly felt a small nip on my ear, making me wince slightly, and turning around, I saw that it was Rasi, who was still on my shoulder.  I gave her an angry look, trying to get her to leave me alone, but she just ignored me, and instead, tried to nip my ear again.
I pulled my head away before she could bite it though.  “Rasi, leave me alone.  I’m not in any mood to play around right now.” She just looked at me and, with a shrug, jumps off of my shoulder and goes to rest somewhere else.  The golem was watching us the entire time, though out of curiosity or amusement, I couldn’t tell.
“The scaled one is just trying to cheer you up, brother of Argenteus.” It said.
“Well, not to sound rude, but I’m not in the mood to be told that I should be cheered up by a lizard.” I said, crossing my arms, a small amount of bitterness in my voice.
The golem was quiet for a moment, and then with a slow nod, it said, “That is disappointing, since they rarely help others unless it suits them.”
I raised an eyebrow at this.  “Well, makes sense, since she doesn’t even let me pet her.”
The golem was quiet at this, and I thought that I might have insulted it, but it just nodded before it went back to silence.  A minute passed, and I thought that it decided to not say anything else, when suddenly, it asked, “Are you mates with these ponies?”
I tensed up a bit, but then forced myself to relax, before I answered, “Well, for three of them, yes, I am, as you would call, mates with them.”
“How many others do you have in your tribe?”
“Tribe?”
“In my time, we would mate with lots of mares, to ensure that our legacy would go on, sometimes up to thirty at a time.  We usually stayed with at least fifteen to twenty mares along with us.  These bases would eventually form our tribe.  I was the offspring of the eighth mare of my father, before I decided to delve into the study of blood magic.  However, unlike the others in my tribe, I had no interest with the big spells, rather content with performing the smaller ones that only required a bit of my own blood for it to work.”
“Well, at least you seemed to have sensed that what they were doing was wrong.”
“Actually, I could have cared less at the time if they sacrifice somepony to try and wake Argenteus up, rather I tried to figure out if there was a specific type of blood that was needed.  The only one that would get even a small reaction from the crystal that contains Argenteus was the blood of…well…” At these, the golem seemed to be perplexed, its eyes staring off into space.  After a while, it shook its head and looking back at me, it said, “I can’t remember.  The last thing that I can remember was waking up as a stone statue, with a strong connection to the temple.”
“So, you can’t remember what happened in your life as well, huh?“ I asked, a bit curious to find at least somepony else that is in the same predicament that I was.
“No, I do remember my own life, and what I was before, the only thing that I can’t remember is the answer to the prophecy that I made all those centuries ago.”
I blinked in surprise at this.  “Wait, you were the one that made the prophecy, and yet you can’t remember your own answer?”
“That is correct.  Once I wrote the prophecy, I was made to lose my memory of it, to prevent me from telling others the answer, and placed in this new body.”
I paused for a moment.  “So, who were you before then?”
The golem became quiet again, seeming to think about it for a second.  After a while, it shook it’s head and said, “I wish to not say my name, for a name can give somepony power over them, though if you want to, I will tell you a bit more about my life before I became what I am now.”
This time I was the one who went quiet, thinking over its proposal.  Not really having anything else to do, I nodded and said, “Well, if you want me to, then sure.  Be a good way to pass the time, at least.”
The golem nodded, and then it began to tell me about its life from long ago.

(Twilight’s POV)

The three of us were walking down the long, dark corridor, Rarity and my own horn lighting the way.  Fluttershy was trembling the whole time she was walking with us, constantly bumping against us as we made our way down the hallway, and saying sorry every time she did.
“Um, a-a-are w-we almost t-there?” Asked the yellow pony, shivering slightly.
“I don’t know, darling, it looks like it goes on for almost forever.” Said Rarity, rearranging her mane for the fifth time since we started walking.
“Hey, are you sure you’re ok, Fluttershy?” I asked, concerned for my friend.
She quickly shook her head, before quietly saying, “N-no, I d-don’t like t-t-the dark, I mean, w-w-who k-knows w-what c-c-could be hiding h-here.”
“Well, what if we talked about something to pass the time, would that help you?” I asked.
Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, before she slowly nodded, and said, “W-well, I g-guess t-t-that c-could work, if you w-want to, that is.”
“Great, cause there were a few things that I have been dying to ask you about.” I said excitedly.
“W-well, w-w-what is it, if y-you d-d-don’t mind me asking, t-that is?”
“Well, it has to do with Drakalian.  If it is alright, how does he behave during sexual intercourse?”
Both ponies froze at this, huge blushes showing on their faces.  After a good few seconds, Rarity said, “Twilight!  That is not something that you should be discussing to others in such a public manner, especially when the pony in question…or human, in this case…isn’t even with us.  Why, it is pretty much like talking behind somepony’s back.”
I blushed myself a little when I realized what I just asked.  “Sorry, but I just really want to know, so that when we do…it, I would be able to pleasure him well.”
“Oh, darling, I’m sure that he would be fine with you no matter what you do, I mean, as far as I can tell, he has been nothing but a gentlecolt to all of us, though he has been a bit single minded since we started this mission.”
I smiled a little at this, but still was a bit embarrassed with my question.  I turned to Fluttershy and said, “I’m sorry for asking you such a personal question, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, it’s all right, I know that you didn’t mean to be rude.“ She said, a small smile on her face.  “If you want, I could answer any other question regarding him, if that’s ok, that is?”
I became quiet for a second, and then, I remembered another question regarding my coltfriend that I needed to know for scientific purposes, and asked, “Well, I am writing a journal describing what humans are like, with the help of Lyra, since she is the human expert, and we’re currently working the physical description of them.  There is one thing that we are missing, though, and I hope that maybe one of you girls could help me with it?”
“Ok, I’ll try my best, Twilight.  What is it?”
“Well, could you describe what his lower body looks like?”
At this, Fluttershy began to blush again. “Y-you m-m-mean…” I nodded.  Rarity seemed to be blushing again as well, though she didn’t say anything this time, instead choosing to mutter to herself, something along the lines of me never learning proper decency, which confused me, since I’m always trying to learn new things, decency included.
Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, before she decided to speak.  “W-w-well, it’s, um…his…’thing’…uh…it’s…um, it’s as you m-might expect, I-I t-t-think.  It’s has a-a-a r-rounded t-tip, though, instead o-of f-f-flat, l-like a stallion, and it d-doesn’t h-h-have a m-medial r-r-ring either…”
“What about the size?”
“T-t-the s-s-s-size?” Stuttered the yellow mare.  I just nodded, eager to learn what the average size of a human might be.  Fluttershy was quiet again, and then she slowly unfurled her wings, spreading them apart by about six inches.
“Hmm, interesting.” I said, but before I could ask any more questions, Rarity quickly said, “I think we’re here, Twilight.”
I turned to face in front of us, and it indeed looked like we arrived at our destination.  In front of us was a large arc that led into a round room, pictures of the other human on the walls, along with Ancient Equestrian writing on top of the arc.
“So, any idea what it says, dear?” Asked the white unicorn.  I looked at the writing carefully for a few seconds before I was able to figure out what it said.
‘Hmm, Et non solum eos cognoscant.  I think it means…ah ha!  Got it.’ “It means ‘Only those who without my learn’.  But I don’t understand.  How can we learn if we don’t know the answer?”
We were quiet for a few seconds, but no pony came up with anything.  Finally, Rarity said, “Well, we might as well get this over with, then.”
I nodded in agreement, and with that, the three of us entered under the arc, and what we found inside was amazing.
Inside, there seemed to be hundreds of books all around us, all of them old and dusty.  I began to get excited by all of the new reading that I would be able to have it was just so exciting!
“Oh-my-gosh!  Look at all of these books!  There must be at least a few hundred of them in here, just imagine all of the knowledge that they contain, possibly some ancient spells that don’t even require blood magic.  If only I brought some paper with me, I would be able to document these books as-”
“Um, not to be rude, darling, but I think we should first get what we came here for and save the others before you go rummaging through some old papers.” Said Rarity.
I realized that I was rambling again, and that I forgot that we were here on a rescue mission, not an excavation, so with a small blush and a sheepish smile, I said, “Oh, r-right, sorry.  So, were do you think it could be?”
“Um, I think it might be that.” Said Fluttershy quietly, pointing her hoof at the center of the room.
I quickly looked around, and there I saw a light blue crystal, just glowing on a small, tall pedestal in the middle of the room, and it seemed to be producing a small glow.  Surrounding the top of the pedestal was a magic shield that was glowing light silver.  I went to pick it up with my magic, but like I expected, I was unable to do so.
“So, any ideas how we’re going to get it out, darling?” Asked Rarity, taking a look at the crystal.
“Maybe we can knock it off?”  I said, mostly to myself.  I lifted a nearby pebble and threw it at the crystal, hopping to knock it off of the shield, but it just evaporated once it made contact.
“Well, that’s not going to work.” I said, some concern in my voice.  “There must be some sort of hint around here.” We began to look around the place, searching for a clue.  Eventually, Fluttershy was the one to find it.
“I think this is it, Twilight.” I turned to see what she found.  She was standing behind the pedestal, looking at the base of it.  I looked to see what it was, and saw a tablet there, with more Ancient Equestrian writing there.
I took a look at it before I read it out loud.  “Hmm, Potior sit amet, Sed magis turbatio quam chaos, Pauper erat, Dives opus, Si comederitis, morte morieris.”
“Equestrian, dear.” Sighed Rarity.
“Oh, right.  Well, it says ‘It’s more powerful then magic, More confusing then chaos, The poor have it, The rich need it, If you eat it, you will die.’  It sounds like a riddle of some sort, but what could the answer be?” We were all quiet, pondering possible answers to the question.
“Is it bits? It’s more powerful then magic.” Asked Rarity.
I shook my head.  “No, the rich have bits, while the poor need it, which is the opposite of what it says in the riddle.”
“W-what about happiness?” Asked Fluttershy.
Again, I shook my head.  “No, cause it isn’t confusing at all.”
We became quiet for a bit more, and then a thought hit me.
“Wait, What about friendship?  Maybe it might have something to do with the Elements of Harmony?”
“Doubt it, dear.  I mean, how would they know about the Elements if Celestia and Luna weren’t even in power during the time?” Said Rarity.
“You’re right, that’s probable not right either.” I sighed.
We sat there, thinking about possible answers to the riddle, but it was hard, for I had no idea what the answer could be.  We tried different plants, ponies, animals, to things that seemed obvious, like air, to things that were less obvious, such as nature, but we still got nothing.  Eventually, after a good ten minutes of us brainstorming, I groaned in desperation and said, “ARG!  We tried just about everything, and so far, we haven’t come up with anything.  We’ll be lucky if we figure it out by the end of the day!”
“T-twilight, we will f-f-figure it out, I mean, we h-have to.  For D-Ditzy and the fillies.” Said Fluttershy in a calming tone.
I took a deep breath and sighed.  “You’re right, but it’s just so frustrating.”
“What if we check the books, Twilight?” asked Rarity, gesturing to all of the books around us.
“Of course, there must be some sort of hint in them!” I said.  I immediately began to pull out a couple of books at a time, the others following suit.  When I opened them, though, all I saw were blank pages.
“Huh, that’s weird, maybe they placed these ones here by mistake.” I said to myself.
“Um, not to so sound rude, darling, but aren’t books supposed to have words in them?” Asked the white unicorn.  I nodded, and then Rarity turned her book around to show me that she had the same problem that I had; an empty book as well.  We then turned to Fluttershy to see if she got anything different, but when she looked at us, she said, “Um, m-my book doesn’t have a-a-anything in it.”
“Strange.  Maybe they just didn’t finish or even start some of these books?” I said, though something inside me said otherwise.
We continued to take book after book off of the shelves searching through all of them for something, anything that might help us find the answer to the riddle, but we came up with the same thing: empty books as far as the eye could see (so to speak).
In anger, I tossed my book to the side along with all of the others, and placing my hooves on my head, I began to rub my temples, and with a sigh, I said, “Why are all the books empty?!  Why would they place books that didn’t even have anything written in them?!”  The other two just shrugged, and we all went silent, thinking about a possible answer to our predicament.  After another few minutes of silence, I finally began to lose it, and with a shout of frustration, I yelled, “This riddle is impossible, there is no answer to this one, I mean, how many times did we try to figure it out, only to come up with nothing at all.  And then there were the books that had no writing in them, which just frustrates me even more, and-”
“Twilight, darling, that’s it!” Exclaimed Rarity, suddenly jumping into the air, shocking both Fluttershy and I.
“Um, w-w-what’s it, if I may a-ask?” Asked the shy mare.
“Twilight, those books did have a hint to them, in fact, the writing on the arc was a hint as well.” Said Rarity, clearly excited by her discovery.
“Well, what is it?” I asked, desperately wanting to know the answer to this stubborn riddle.
“Darling, what did the arc say?” She said.
I paused for a second.  “Um, it said that ‘only those without may learn.’ But what does that have to-”
“Let me finish.  So, if we are without knowledge, what would we have?”
“Well…I guess we wouldn’t have anything, so…nothing.”
“And what did we find in the books?”
“They were empty, so…nothing again?”
“Do you see what I’m getting at now, darling.” She said, a small smirk on her face.
I began to think about what Rarity said, trying to see if she was right.  “Let’s see…Nothing is more powerful then magic, nothing is more confusing then chaos, The poor have nothing, The rich need nothing, and if you eat nothing, then you will die.” Suddenly, it all became clear in my head, and I grabbed Rarity in a death hug.  “By Celestia, you’re right!  The answer is nothing!  Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank-”
“Um, Twilight…you’re choking her.” Said Fluttershy softly.  I looked at her, and noticed that her face was turning blue due to a lack of oxygen.  I gave a small *eep* in surprise and released her from my hug.  As soon as she was free, she began to gasp for air, coughing and wheezing while trying to get oxygen back into her lungs.
“He, he…sorry.” I said sheepishly.  “I was just really excited and…well…”
“It’s alright…dear, though you do…have a…surprisingly strong…grip.” She said, taking deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart.  “So, now that we know the answer, how do we get the crystal out of the shield?”
“Hmm.” I looked back at the crystal and began to think it over in my head.  Somehow, the answer to the riddle that we just solved had to also help us get the crystal out of the shield, but how?
We all sat there again, thinking it over in our heads, and then, a sudden idea came into my head.
“Wait, so if the answer to the riddle was nothing, and that is our hint to getting the crystal.  So…maybe…” I turned to the pedestal and, with a bit of a shaking hoof, I reached out to touch it.
I was quickly stopped by Rarity pulling my hoof down with her magic.  “Twilight!  What in Celestia’s name are you doing?”
“Rarity, I think I know how to get the crystal out.” I said, getting my hoof free of her magic.
“So you’re just going to grab it with your hoof?  Darling, didn’t you see what it did to a single pebble?  Nothing is even left of it, and now you want to use your hoof?”
“But if I’m right then I should be able to grab the crystal as if there was no shield, in fact, I don’t think it is a real shield.”
“That’s not a real shield?  In case you didn’t notice, dear, we are unable to take the crystal out by magic, and the pebble just disintegrated on contact with it, what makes you think that you using your hoof will be any different?”
“Well, I have to try, otherwise we are going to lose much more then a single hoof today!” I shouted, beginning to loss my patients.
“ARGH!  Fine, Fluttershy, can you please talk some sense into her?” She asked the yellow Pegasus.  Fluttershy gave a small squeak when Rarity spoke to her, thinking that we forgotten about her during our little argument.  She remained quiet for a moment, and then, softly, she spoke.
“Um, I…I-I think t-t-that Twilight’s right, R-Rarity, I mean, I don’t like it either, but…” she became quiet afterwards, unable to finish her sentence, and just hid behind her mane again.
Rarity was quiet for a while, thinking it all over in her head.  Finally, with a long sigh, she turned to me and said, “Well, I guess there are bigger things at stake here.  Alright, Twilight, I guess we really don’t have a choice here.”
“Thanks, Rarity, for trusting me.” I said, giving her a small smile.  With that said, I turned back to the shield, and then, slowly, I raised my hoof and touched the flowing silver shield.
As soon as I made contact, I felt a small tingle go across my entire foreleg, and for a second I thought that I might have been wrong, and that I was going to lose my leg, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, I smiled and gave myself a small mental cry of success, glad to know that I was right.  I looked back at the others, and they were also surprised as well.  Once I was over the initial shock of it, I took the crystal in my hoof and knocked it out of the shield.  Once it left the shield, I quickly grabbed it in my magic, and with the crystal in hoof, I turned to the others and said, “Well, let’s go.  I think the others must be done right now, due to all the time that we spent just trying to figure out the darn riddle.”
They nodded, and with that said, we all left the room and began to head back to the main chamber.

> Chapter 34
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 34

(Drakalian’s POV)

I listened to the golem explain it’s life story, letting the time pass on as I waited for the others to appear with the crystals so that we could save Ditzy and the fillies, and I found the story to be rather interesting as well, though a few of the things that it did say surprised me.
One of them was that ‘it’ used to be a ‘she’.
“Wait, wait, wait.  You said that you used to be a…mare?” I asked, finding it hard to believe.
The golem nodded.  “Yes, I used to be of the female gender, though I have given it up, like I did so many other things, so that I could serve the temple better.”
“So, you decided to give up everything that made you who you are in order to better serve the temple?” It just nodded.  I was quiet for a good while, absorbing what it just confirmed.  After a few seconds of pondering, I finally shrugged and said, “Well, all I can say is that I don’t think I would be able to do what you did.”
“Yes, most of the others said the same when they heard my decision, but I had nothing to live forward to, so I dedicated my life…first and second…to the serving of this temple.”
This made me a bit curious as to why she had nothing to look forward to.  “But you were a young mare when you said you gave up all physical possessions in order to become what you were.  I mean, there must have been something that you were looking forward to.”
The golem went silent at this, seeming to be thinking hard about something.  It then spoke, and when it did, I could have sworn that I heard something of longing in its voice.  “There was…something that I hoped to have.”
I stayed quiet, not sure if I should try to pry it out, or to tell it that it didn’t have to tell me if it didn’t want to, but the golem beat me to it and continued its story.
“A long time ago, I was looking forward to bearing my own children, raising them, watching them play with others, teaching them the ways of our tribe, but that all melted away in just a simple moment, like a candle being blown in the wind.  I was minding my own business, tending to the garden with some of the other mares, when we heard the alarm, signaling that we were being attacked.  I, along with all other able tribe members, went to gather our weapons to help defend our temple, for this temple was our home as well as a sacred place.  I won’t bore you with the details; just know that both sides had a hefty toll paid that day.  During the battle, I was wounded, taking a spear to the lower stomach.”
“After the fighting, we brought the wounded to our shamans, and they began to heal as many as they could, while the others they took their blood for later uses.  When it was my turn to be healed, they realized that I had some…complications…  They said that due to where the spear penetrated me, I would be unable to bear my own children.  When I heard this, I felt like the gods themselves dropped me into Tartarus, for no stallion would want a mare that would be unable to bear their own foals.”
It then brought its fore hoof to its stomach, seeming to be remembering that time long ago.  “I felt devastated, not knowing what to do with my life, for until that point, the only thing that I had in mind was to find a fair stallion and start a new tribe with him, but now, due to my condition, I would be left out, unwanted.  The shamans, in an attempt at making me feel somewhat better, offered to teach me to be one of them.  Not knowing what else to do, I accepted, and after long years of training, I began to do my own studying, starting with different types of blood for different spells.”
The golem grew silent at this, seeming to be deep in thought.  I decided to let it be, not wanting to interrupt its thoughts.  Instead, I just laid my back to the wall and closed my eyes, deciding to get some rest.  After a few minutes of laying there, I felt something crawl on my lap, and opening my eyes, I saw that Rasi was trying to get herself comfortable on me, before she laid down, looking back in my own eyes.  Giving myself a small smile, I tried to pet her, but just like the last times, she just growled at my attempt.
Sighing, I said, “You know, if you really want to make me feel better, you would at least let me pet you.”
Rasi just shrugged, not seeming to really care about it.  Sighing again, I just decided to let her be, and I closed my eyes once again, letting me fall into a light and fitful slumber.

(Applejack’s POV)

Pinkie Pie and ah were currently walking down the large tunnel for a good few minutes, and ah was busy thinking about what the test might possibly be.  At least, ah was trying, for Pinkie just kept on talking about all sorts of nonsense.
“So, what do you think this test my be, AJ?  Maybe it will be about finding what one’s destiny lies, or maybe they will have to do some sort of mathematical equation in a limited amount of time, before some trap is triggered and kills us in ten seconds flat!  Oh, or maybe we have to go through some strange sort of obstacles without touching the ground, while also bouncing on top of some giant red balls?  Wait, it could also be a test in which we are on some sort of game show, and we have to pick out our favorite cake flavor, in which case mine would have to be fruity mango dipped in strawberry jam, or strawberry dipped in fruity mango jam, oh it’s just so hard to choose!  Oh wait, I think it might be-”
“Tarnation, Pinkie Pie, could you please stop your yabbering for five seconds so ah can at least think?!” Ah shouted at her, my headache only getting worse and worse with her talking.  Pinkie seemed to deflate with my shout, noticing that she was being an annoyance to me, her eyes growing all teary.  Realizing that ah went too far, ah quickly said, “Sorry, partner, but all of your talking is making mah head spin, and ah don’t want to get a headache before we even get to were the test is supposed to even take place.”
At my words, she seemed to puff right back to normal, her huge smile back on her face.  “Oh, well why didn’t you say so?  I’ll be a bit quieter, I Pinkie Promise.”
‘Ah wonder how long that will hold up for?  Oh well, at least she did Pinkie Promise, so ah guess that’s something.’  “Well, alright, so if we are done with that, what do you really think what the test might be?”
The pink mare shrugged at this.  “Honestly, AJ, I really don’t know what it could be, but if it’s anything like Mister Pony Rock said, then it should be right up your alley.”
Ah blinked and looked at Pinkie, a bit surprised by her calm answer.  “Wow Pinkie, that was a pretty normal answer coming from you.  Maybe you are taking this seriously for-”
Suddenly, Pinkie said, “Well, my bet is still going to be a cupcake baking challenge, in which case I will make my super-duper-double-luper-supreme-ultimate-ultra-deluxe -mega…ultra…great…gravy…uh…I ran out of words.”  With that, she suddenly began to giggle, and continued to bounce along the long hallway.
“And there she goes.” Ah said with a sigh, pulling my hat down a bit.  We stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, which was only another thirty seconds, thankfully, for it looked like Pinkie was desperate to say something else after her little burst.  Ah didn’t know what was keeping her from talking, and ah didn’t bother asking her either.
The room that we were in was rather large, but also devoid of any sort of decorations or even any furniture.  From what ah could tell, the only things in the room were a couple of statues that were in the middle of the room.  Both of the statues were shaped like a pony and colored differently, one of them was red, while the other one was green.  They were also only about half our size, and standing on top of a couple of pedestals.  The strange thing though, was that they seemed to be staring at each other intently.  Ah was about to approach the statues, when suddenly; Pinkie raised a hoof to stop me from approaching it.
“The hay, Pinkie?  Why did you stop me?” Ah asked.  Pinkie said nothing, just staring intently at the two statues, seeming to be focusing on something.  Ah then remembered that we were in a place that was possible full of traps, and with that in mind, ah began to search the area for possible traps, but ah couldn’t see anything, unless they were really well hidden.
We both remained quiet for a good while, the minutes ticking by us.  Ah was soon going to step in and examine the two statues, when suddenly, the green statue blinked.
“YES, I WIN!” Ah jumped back when the red statue suddenly shouted, throwing its hooves in the air in celebration.
“AHRG! No fair!  The others bloody distracted me!” Shouted the green one, glaring at the other statue.
“YAY!  You win!  Congratulations!” Exclaimed Pinkie, who also threw her hooves in the air as well, before giving a big hug to the red statue.
“Darn right I win.  That will make you think twice before you challenge me.” Said the red statue, which hugged Pinkie Pie back.
Ah just stared at the scene in confusion, trying to think what in Equestria was going on?  “Um, can somepony tell me what the hay that was all about?”
“They were having a staring contest, silly.” Exclaimed the pink party pony, releasing the statue from the hug.
The red statue nodded.  “Yup.  This guy thought that he could beat me in a staring contest, but what he didn’t know was that I could stare anypony down for days.” He said, a smug smile on his face.
“Well, it doesn’t really help that we don’t need to blink at all.” Said the green one, his look of annoyance still showing on his face, though it appeared to have lessened a bit.
“True, it did get a bit boring after the first decade or so, but I’m still not one to back down from a challenge.”
Ah just remained quiet the entire time that they spoke, not sure as to what to make of it.  Finally, ah just shook mah head, thinking that it was best to just drop it, and asked, “Well, anyways, do you guys know were the test is?”
This caused both of the statues to laugh.  “Well, look no further, missy, cause you’re looking at the test right now.” Said the green one, puffing its chest a bit.
“Yup, we are the test of truth, justice, and…well, just the truth part, at least.” Said the red one.
“Then again, only one of us is really the truth, while the other is the lie.”
“I thought that it was the other way around?”
“No, I said it correctly.  You just can’t remember the exact words that the masters said.”
“I can’t remember?  You can barely remember what happened two centuries ago, let alone what those old fools said for us to tell the others!”
“Well, at least I still look good.”
“We’re both bloody statues, you nitwit!  Of course we are going to look good.”
“Hey, it’s better then the time that we were both made out of wood, now that was some horrible times.”
“True, those termites were murder on the old arse.”
“Agreed, at least as stones, we don’t have to worry about decay.”
“I actually thought it was funny when you began to panic when your head fell off of your shoulders.”
“Well, at least I didn’t loose my arse to them damn bugs.”
“Oh, have you two been anything else?” This time, Pinkie was the one that spoke up.
The green one shrugged.  “Not that many, just stone, wood, ground, and even plants.  In my opinion, the plant one was the best one of them all.”
“Really?  I hated being a plant!  I don’t even know what gave them the idea of giving us plant bodies in the first place.  All it did was get us hungry looks from everypony, and not the good kinds, either.”
“Still, we had a lot more flexibility with our bodies, and when one of the mares really wanted a good time, all we had to do was just bring some tentacl-”
“ENOUGH!  Now, for the love of Celestia, please just stop talking for two minutes so that ah can get rid of this headache that has been driving me mad for the past five minutes!” Ah shouted, the constant talking finally getting on mah nerves.  They both went quiet at mah outburst, just staring at me.  After a few seconds, the green one turns to look at Pinkie and asks, “Is she always such a party pooper?”
Pinkie shook her head.  “No, she usually has lot of fun, especially at my parties.”
“Really?  And just how good are your parties, for I have been to some good ones, and believe me when I say good ones.”
“The bestest best ones ever!  In fact, I’ll invite you to the next one once we finish with our test.”
“Well, that sounds top.  So, what kind of-”
“Ah-em!” They all turned to face me, sheepish smiles on their faces.  Once ah was sure that ah had their complete attention, ah asked, “So, if ah may ask, what in Equestria are you guys?  Are you two some sort of golem like the one that we met in the main chamber?”
The red one laughed at this.  “Na, we are nothing like the hulk of rocks there.  We are what you would call spirits, or ghosts, if you would prefer.”
“Though some of them bastards also called us easy labor.” Said the green one, huffing a little.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just a little pissed that he lost his contest.” The red one smirked.  “Anyways, apologies for keeping you beautiful mares busy, but we can get easily distracted, as you could tell.”
“Yea, I mean, it does get bloody boring waiting for somepony to come around and solve our riddle.”
“Well, with all of that said, can we just get to the darn test, please?” Ah asked.
“Relax, don’t go getting your knickers in a twist.” Said the green one with a bemused smile.
“What knickers, we rarely wear clothing as it is.” Said the red one.
“Still, you never know. There could be a white unicorn pony that began designing clothing for a living for all we know.”
“How do you two know about Rarity?” Asked Pinkie.
“Wait, there is a white unicorn that does make clothing for a living?  I need to meet this pony.”  Said the green one.
“Ah swear, if you guys don’t begin the test right now…” Ah began to say.
“Ok, ok, chill Miss…uh, what are your names, anyways?” Asked the red one.
“I’m Pinkie Pie, but you can call me Pinkie, and my friend here is Applejack, but you can call her AJ.” Said Pinkie, her huge smile still on her face.
“Well, nice to meet you two.  My name is Crescit, and my friend here is called Incendius.” Said the green one.  Then they both bowed to us, and once they bowed, Incendius said, “So, shall we begin?”
“’Bout time, partner.” Ah said, glad that we were about to begin.
They just chuckled at this, and then, thankfully, Crescit said, “Well, without further ado, let the test begin!”
Suddenly, something like spotlights shone on us, and they both disappeared.  Once they vanished, we could hear one of them speaking.  It seemed like Crescit, but ah couldn’t really tell.
“So, first of all, can you hear me?” said the voice.
“Of course we can, Cressy!  So, what’s the test?” Said Pinkie.  Ah had no idea how she knew who it was, but ah didn’t bother asking, deciding that the sooner we finished this, the saner ah will stay.
“Ah, good, good!  So, we shall now bring you to a place that will have your test, and to succeed in the test, you need to ask the pony one question, and one question only.  Now, with that question, you will have to figure out how to get to Truthsville.”  Before ah could say anything, the scenery around us changed, and we soon found ourselves on a long dirt road.  Once the area seemed to solidify, we heard Crescit speak again.
“So, our heroes were walking for a very long time, and they were hoping to reach the town soon to get some supplies.  If they didn’t get there in time, then they would pass out due to dehydration.  Can you kids say-”
“OI!  What the hell are you trying to do?” The voice that interrupted was none other then Incendius.
“What, I’m just making it PG for everypony, is that too much to ask?”
“Well, I would normally agree with you, but you forgot that the story is already rated M, and has lots of things not appropriate for fillies and colts.”
“Yea, so?”
“So that means, you’re Royal Stupidness, that you don’t have to bloody censor everything b*cking thing!”
“Hey, no swearing.  Besides, I’m the one in charge here, so you just let me keep it at rated E, alright.”
“No, that’s just no fun at all, I mean, come on!  We won’t have enough freedom to do what we usually do.”
“You mean what you usually do.”
As they kept on bickering between each other, ah was about to yell at them to just stop all of their nonsense, when suddenly, Pinkie spoke up.
“I know!  Why don’t you two just make it T, then you both can get the best of both worlds.”  There was silence for a few moments, and then, we heard Incendius speak up. 
“Well, I’m ok with that, I guess.  How about you, Crescit?”
“Yea, I guess I can do T then.  So, may I continue?”
“By all means, please do.”
“Thank you, so anyways, yada, yada, yada, going to Truthsville.” There was a pause.  “Well, what are you two waiting for, an invitation?  Start walking!”
“YAY, we’re going to Truthsville!” Shouted Pinkie, who immediately began to bounce along the path.  Ah just sighed and followed.  Thankfully, we didn’t go very far, for after a few seconds of walking, we reached a crossroad, with no signs either.
“Suddenly, the two mares reached-”
“Um, we can see, you know.  Besides, somepony already beat you to it.” Said Pinkie.  Ah just looked at the pink mare, confused as to what she was saying.
“Oh, right, forgot.  Anyways, once you two reached to crossroads, you only have a few minutes to get to the closest town, Truthsville, though, close by is another town, called Lies Town.  I think you know were I’m getting at?”
Pinkie nodded vigorously, while ah did so hesitantly.
“Good, now, you two meet a stranger nearby, and…wait, where’s Incendius?”
“Hmm?  Oh, right, sorry mate!”
Suddenly, with a poof, the red spirit was there at the fork, seeming to be wearing a fancy suit like one that Rarity would make.
“Good, now then, as the heroes approached, they meet a resident of one of the towns, however, they didn’t know which one he was from, and they could only ask one question, due to some sort of reasoning that we are unable to provide.  Anyways, they had to figure out which way was Truthsville, and which way was Lies Town.  Beware, though, for the ponies at Lies Town will always lie to your answer, and the residents of Truthsville will always tell the truth.  So, start thinking.”
For the first time since we began, ah smirked a little, and then said, “That’s all, partner?  Well, we shall be done in only a few seconds then.” With that, ah approached Incendius, and clearing my throat, ah said, “Excuse me, but could ya’ll tell us which way Truthsville is?”
Incendius smile.  “Why, it’s to the left.” He said, pointing a hoof down the left path.
“Thank you kind sir.” Ah said.  “Come one, Pinkie, lets go.” With that, ah began to walk down the left path.  We walked for what felt like a few minutes, when, suddenly, we were back at the same spot as before.
“They hay?!” Ah said, confused.  “Ah could have sworn that he was telling the truth.”
“Well, I guess that means that he was lying.” Said Pinkie, before bouncing along the right path.  Ah was about to join her, when I felt something bump me from behind, and turning around, ah was surprised to see that it was Pinkie who just bumped into me.
“Wowie, AJ, you got here faster then me.  Are you secretly a unicorn?” Said the pink mare.
Ah shook my head, and then pointed at the red ghost.  “No, you just got it wrong as well.” With that, ah turned to the ghost and asked, “Now, what is going-”
Crescit suddenly interrupted me.  “Now, I’m going to stop you there, for as funny as all of this is, you really need to realize something about us.  We’re not really alive, so the whole seeing if they are telling the truth thing isn’t going to work.  Yes, we both know that you and your friends are the Elements of Harmony, and we are aware that you are the Element of Honesty.  However, your Element can’t work with us, since that would be cheating if you could use it.  So that one was a freebie, but that’s all.  Now, you really do have one question left, otherwise you two will be leaving here empty hoof.”
Ah was quiet as he spoke, ah didn’t even notice that mah mouth hanging open until Pinkie closed it for me.  Ah shook my head to clear it, and then, turning to Pinkie, ah asked, “Well, that sucks.  Any ideas on what ta do, sugarcube?”
With that, we began to brainstorm on possible questions on what we could ask Incendius, but all we came up were questions that would be the same no matter what.  We thought about asking if one of the roads lead to the city of truth, but we realized that wouldn’t give us the answer that we were looking for.  We kept on thinking for what felt like hours on end, but so far, we came up with nothing.
“ARG! Ah can’t figure it out at all.  If only ah could tell if he was telling the truth or not, then we would be done with this faster then Big Mac and ah bucking apples during apple bucking season.  So far, all we know is that he is either from Lies Town or Truthsville.  If we only knew were he is from-”
“AJ, that’s it!” Shouted Pinkie.
Ah blinked at her, confused by what she was thinking.  “Uh, what’s it, sugarcube?”
Instead of talking to me, Pinkie just walks up to Incendius and says, “I got my question!”  Incendius just smiles and nods at her.  Before ah could stop Pinkie from wasting our question, she is already speaking.
“Where are you from?”
Incendius seems to look a bit surprise, but nevertheless, he points his hoof to the right.  “Come on, AJ, let’s go get the crystal!” With that, she began to bounce along the path again, and deciding that ah might as well just go with her, since she did waste our question.
We were walking for a few minutes, and ah was still waiting for us to end up back at the crossroads, but instead, we suddenly found ourselves in a large town.  The town seemed to be empty, the only two occupants of the area were Crescit and Incendius, and between them was-.
“CONGRAGULATIONS!” they both shouted, and suddenly, there were streamers flying everywhere, with fireworks being shot into the sky.  We just stood there, with Pinkie clapping to the whole display like some sort of filly.  Then again, that's basically what she was.
“YAY!  That means we can go and save Ditzy and to others!” Shouted Pinkie, and then she quickly took the purple crystal that was between them.  Once she had the crystal, everything disappeared, and we were suddenly in the original room, both of the spirits were still on their pedestals.  It also seemed like both of them also changed back into their normal statue forms, which ah thought was a relief, since they acted almost as bad as Pinkie Pie.  Well, almost.
Ah was about to breath a sigh of relief, when suddenly, we heard Crescit speak up.
“Well, I got to say, that was a bloody good show, my friends, bloody good indeed.”
Suddenly, we heard Incendius speak up.  “I concur!  That was the fastest that anypony ever solved one of our riddles.  I would have thought you would have at least been stuck for a good few hours rather then the ten minutes that you were here, but-”
“Wait a gosh darn tootin’ second.  You mean we only took ten minutes and not a few hours?  It sure felt like a few hours to me.”
“Of course, AJ, they are spirits after all.” Pinkie said.  Ah just looked at her with a very confused look, and then remembered that this was Pinkie Pie, so of course she would understand what was going on.
Once we were quiet again, Incendius spoke up.  “Well, regardless of that, I believe you two have some friends to save.  Oh, and Pinkie, we are going to hold you to that promise about throwing a party for us.”
“Okie dokie lokie.” Said Pinkie, a huge smile on her face.  With that, she turned to me and said, “Well AJ, let’s go save our friends.” With that, she quickly began to bounce back out of the room and to the hallway, leaving me behind in a Pinkie shaped cloud.  Ah was about to follow her, when I suddenly heard Crescit speak to me.
“So…AJ, was it?  Well, since you finished the test and all…we were just wondering, if you don’t mind, that is…would you like to…stick around for a while, you know…just ‘hang’ with us?  We could show you some of the tricks that we learned with the plant bodies.”
Ah just barely held myself from giving myself a face hoof from the response, before ah said, “Sorry, fellas, but I’m already taken.”
“Oh, that’s fine, would he like to join us as well?” This time, it was Incendius that spoke.
Ah was quiet for a few seconds, barely able to contain my stunned expression, and instead, turned around and galloped after Pinkie as fast as I could.
“Was it something I said?”
“Of course it was you bloody idiot!  The was our chance to get some action for Faust knows how long, and you just had to ruin it by asking if her coltfriend could join.  Next time, ask if one of her friends would be interested instead.  But noooo, it is always about the sex with you.”
“Well sorry, Mister Sensitive Ghost!  Geez, and I thought I was the weird one around here.”
“Shut up, bastard.  Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to see when the next party that pink mare is going to throw next.”
“Hey, you think she would be willing to let us do some plant things with her?”
*SMACK*
> Chapter 35
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 35

(Drakalian’s POV)

I was woken to the sounds of hoof steps coming closer to where I was resting.  Expecting trouble, I quickly jumped up to my feet and readied my Bo staff, prepared for whatever was on its way towards me.  Rasi, who was still resting in my lap, fell off of me when I got up, giving a loud chirp of annoyance.  I just ignored her, listening for where the sounds were coming from.  After a few seconds, I figured out that they were coming from the first testing arc.  I lowered my staff, knowing whom it could be coming from that direction.
A few seconds later, both Daring Do and Rainbow Dash walked out of the tunnel, Dash holding an orange crystal under her wing.  I smiled a little as they approached us, glad to see that they were able to succeed in the test.
“Hey, glad to see that you made it out in one piece.” I said.
“Yea…one piece.” Said Daring, seeming to be looking at something far away.
I raised an eyebrow at her response.  “Um, Daring.  Are you ok?”
“She’s fine, she just had a bit of a…well…we just had a bit of an argument, that’s all.” Said Dash, placing the crystal to the side for now.
Daring nodded in agreement.  “Yea, just an argument, that’s all.”
“I doubt that a single argument would have caused you to pale from the memory of it.” We turned around at the noise, and saw that the golem was looking at us, a neutral expression on his face.  
Daring seemed to freeze upon hearing the golem speak, and quickly said, “Well, that’s what happened, so just stay out of it.”
To our surprise, the golem walked up to her and placed a stone hoof gentle on her shoulder, before looking in her eyes.  “I know what you went through, Adventurer Extraordinaire, and do not fret over it, for I had to go through the same thing before I became what I am now.”
Daring looked surprised at what the golem said, and she just stared at it for a few seconds, before she lowered her hat over her eyes, and said, in a low voice, “Well, just don’t tell them what it is, ok?”
The golem nodded.  “I will keep this knowledge to myself, do not fret on that.”
Daring nodded her appreciation, and then we heard some more hoof steps, and turning around, we saw that Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy came out of the second tunnel, Twilight holding a light blue crystal with her magic.
“Hey guys, glad to see that you two made it as well.” Said Dash, a smile on her face.
“I can’t believe that I’m going to say this but…I’m so glad that test is over.” Said Twilight, taking an exasperated breath as she dropped the crystal with the other one.
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad, dear.  I mean, we did figure it out in the end.”  Said Rarity, patting the other unicorn on the back to comfort her.
I raised an eyebrow at the scene, and then turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Um, what happened to Twilight, Fluttershy?”
“W-well, she, um…she got a little annoyed at the test that we had to do in order to get the crystal.  I thought she did good though.” Said the yellow Pegasus.
I just raised an eyebrow at that, not sure what to think about it.  Shrugging, I said, “Well, as long as you guys got the crystal, then that’s fine by me.  Now all we’re waiting for is-”
“HI!  We got the crystal as well!” Shouted Pinkie Pie, appearing right from behind me, causing me to jump at the sudden surprise.
“Celestia, Pinkie!  Don’t do that to me.  Also, where’s AJ?” I said, taking a few deep breaths from her sudden appearance.
“Ah’m right over here, sugarcube.” I turned around, and saw the orange farm pony exit the final tunnel, a look of confusion in her eyes, panting like she was just running for most of it.
Worried, I quickly ran up to her and got to my knees, looking all over her body, and said, “Applejack, are you ok?  You don’t look so good.”
AJ took a few deeps breaths, and then once she seemed to have calmed down a little, she said, “Well, let’s just say we met some interesting…ponies, in the testing chamber, and Pinkie didn’t really make things better, either.”
I raised an eyebrow again, but decided to say nothing, knowing that if it involved Pinkie in some way, the less I knew what happened, the better.
“Well, Ones that Hold Harmony, it appears that you have completed your tests, and I can now say for certain that you have now earned the right to take the Ikazuchi, and to use it as you see fit.” We turned to the golem, which was the one that spoke.  It continued and said, “With this blade, you will now have a chance on waking up Argenteus from his eternal slumber.”
We were silent for a moment, and then Daring asked the golem, “Ok, so, how do we get the blade then?”
“Just place them in the containers above the arcs, and the Ikazuchi blade shall show itself.” The golem said, pointing to the empty spots above the arcs.  With that, Twilight picked up all three of the crystals that were on the floor (I did a double take when I noticed the purple crystal among the others, for I didn’t remember seeing Pinkie or AJ place the crystal down with the others) and placed them in the correct spots with her magic.  She placed the orange one first, then the light blue one, then finally the purple one.  We waited for a few seconds, expecting something to happen, and then, the three crystals began to glow, and shot out a beam of light straight at the center of the room that we were in.
We all closed our eyes as the lights got too bright for us, and then, after a few seconds, it dimmed down, and we were able to open our eyes.  That was when we noticed that a small pedestal was raised from the ground, and on top of it, held in something that resembles a weapons rack, was what we assumed the Ikazuchi blade.
It was a large sword, at least two feet in length, maybe more; the sheath was made of varnished black wood, with a blue sash on the hilt.  The blade itself what slightly curved, and also had only one sharp edge, the other side most likely for blocking.  At the hilt was a hand guard, and the hilt itself was wrapped in leather and rough silk, most likely for a better grip.  The sword type was familiar, but the name escaped me for the moment.
I took the blade, along with the sheath, out of the rack.  I gave it a once over, then a few test swings.  It was nicely crafted, from what I could tell (which wasn’t much to begin with), and had a good balance to it.  I sheathed the sword and then placed it in my belt next to one of the Sais, making sure that it stayed put.  I then turned to the others, who were looking back at me, curiosity in their eyes.  I then said the one thing that was on all of our minds.
“Now what?”
We were quiet, thinking about what we should do, when Daring said, “Well, I guess we got to find Ahuizotl and give him the blade.”
I nodded, and then I, along with the others, began to proceed back up the stairs.  As we walked, they began to talk amongst themselves.
“So, who thinks that he is going to hold his part of the bargain and let Ditzy and the fillies go?” Asked Dash, looking at the others.  “Cause I don’t trust this guy at all.”
“I don’t either, Dash, but this is the only way that we can save them right now.” Said Twilight.
“Well, I know for a fact that he will hold his end of the bargain, but I get the feeling that we are missing something here.” Said Daring, deep in thought.
“What ya mean, partner?” Asked AJ, a slight confused look in her eyes.
“Ahuizolt has always kept his deals, no matter what.  The one thing that we need to keep an eye on is him trying to pull a fast one on us, for even though he keeps his deals, he is always looking for a loophole in the deals that he makes with others.” Said the adventurer, deep in thought.
Afterwards, we all went silent, thinking about what our next step is to saving Ditzy and the fillies, when suddenly, as we neared the top, Daring stopped us for a moment.  Curious, I said, “What’s up, Daring?  The exit is right here.”
Daring was quiet for a moment, and then, in a low voice, she said, “I think we might have been followed.  Just give me a second, I’ll scout it out.” Before we could say anything, she quickly zoomed up the last few flights of stairs and out of sight.  We were quiet as we waited for her, all of us trying to take deep, quiet breaths, the only sound that we could hear, along with our heartbeats.  After what felt like hours of waiting, we heard Daring’s voice from up top.
“Ok, it’s clear, come on up!” She shouted.  However, something seemed to bother us, and Dash beat us to it by saying, “So, did you beat the ones that followed us, Daring?”
There was a pause, and then we heard her say, “No, it was a false alarm, just come up, we got to save the girls.” We all looked at each other and nodded, and then we all ascended the staircase, covering our eyes as we reached the ‘surface’ once again.  As soon as our eyes adjusted, however, we were met with a very unpleasant surprise.
Right at the entrance of the tests were at least ten tribal ponies; eight of them with their spears pointing at us, while the other two had their spears pointing at Daring.
“No sudden moves, human.” Said the closest one, his spear aimed right at my throat.  I wasn’t in the mood to listen to them, however, and slowly tightened my grip on my staff, before I said, “And why should I?” I knew I was being a bit risky, but I believed that Daring had some way out of this, and from what the others told me, they had some experience defending themselves in a fight.  I stared right into what I believed to be the lead pony’s eyes, trying to pierce his very heart.  “As far as I can tell, we have you seriously out-matched and overpowered, even if you have her contained at the moment.”
To my surprise, the tribal leader just smiled, and then he just pointed to his right side.  I looked at what he was pointing, and to my horror, I saw a lynx and a cheetah holding two of the fillies in their mouths, the cheetah had Applebloom, while the lynx had Sweetie Belle.
“Sweetie Belle!”  Rarity shouted, fear in her voice.  I then noticed that AJ was about to charge towards her own sister, but was stopped when three of the guards held her back, though with a bit of difficulty.  The leader just chuckled, and then, turning towards me, he said, “I believe you all know what happens if you try to fight your way out, hmm?”
I just stared daggers at him, wanting to do nothing more then to stick both of my Sais into his eye sockets, but I knew that I couldn’t.  I took a deep breath, so that I didn’t fall to temptation, and nodded to the tribal leader.
“Good, now, give me all of your weapons.” I hesitated at his order, but a single growl from the lynx reminded me what would happen if I just disobeyed.  I tossed my staff to the ground, and then withdrew my Sais from my belt and tossed them with my staff as well.  I was about to take the sword out as well, but he stopped me and said, “No, you hold on to that, but if I see you take it out at any time, then good bye fillies.” I slowly took my hand away from the hilt.  He looked at all of us, making sure we had nothing else on ourselves, and with a nod he motioned for us to follow him.  With no other choice, we did so, with the cats next to the leader, three to each side, and the last three in the back.  We walked in complete silence, my anger just growing as I kept watching the leader grin smugly.
‘Yeah, yeah, laugh it up for now, dickhead, cause the first chance I get, I’m going to wipe that smirk right off of your face.’ I thought, the bitterness just seething in me.  I knew it wasn’t very creative of a comeback, but I was angry at the time, so I couldn’t have cared less.  I then realized that Rasi wasn’t on my shoulder anymore, and once I noticed her absence, I tried to remember if she went back on my shoulder at all before we left the testing rooms, but I came up with nothing.  I shrugged to myself, not in the mood to care about what happened to the lizard.
As we walked, both AJ and Rarity tried to get next to their sisters, but were prevented from actually walking next to them, having to walk with the rest of us, leaving the cats to carry them in front of us.  They allowed us to talk, as long as we kept our voices down, which was something, I guess.  I then noticed that two of them that were next to Fluttershy and seemed to be staring at us, and upon closer inspection, I realized that they were the two guards that were guarding the entrance to the temple.  To my slight joy, they both had some bandages on their heads, and the yellow one had some bandages near his lower torso as well, making me smirk a little.
Unfortunately, he noticed my little smile, and glaring at me, he said, “Laugh it up, freak, for once you guys are done here, I’m going to return the favor.” I just laughed a little at his attempt to hurt me, cause I knew that I could take him on easily if I needed to.  The yellow guard wasn’t happy with my laughter, and was about to shout at me, when he saw Fluttershy walking next to me, her eyes wide in fear from the situation that we were in.  He then grew a smile of his own, and then, in a whisper that only Shy and I could hear, along with the other guard, he said, “You know, next time we fight, when I win, I’m going to take what I was hoping to get, and I’m going to enjoy my little prize as well.” With that, he began to stare at the yellow Pegasus, and licking his lips, he said, “Oh yea, I’m going to enjoy her for a very long time, and I’m going to make sure that you’re watching the entire time that I enjoy her.”
Fluttershy gave a small squeak in terror, and then she quickly nuzzled herself into my side for safety.  I quickly wrapped an arm around her for protection, and glaring daggers at him, I said, “If you come anywhere near Fluttershy, I promise you that I’ll make you a mare permanently.”
He just laughed at my threat.  “Oh really, and how are you going to do it if you don’t have your weapons, huh?” He said, still laughing.
To his surprise, however, I just smiled darkly at him, before I said, in a low voice, “Who said I need my weapons to rip you genitals off?”
He looked at me in surprise, and then his eyes went from surprise to anger, and he lifted his hoof to hit me, but was stopped by the tan guard.  The yellow one looked at him in surprise, but before he could say anything, he said, “You’re going to have to wait on that, cause we’re here.”
I looked up, and sure enough, we had indeed arrived at our destination.  We had arrived in a clearing, it seemed that we also arrived at the end of the jungle as well, for right in front of us was a large wall where the floor of the cave met the ceiling.  Leading up to the wall were two rows of stone pillars, some of them had intricate pictures, while the others seemed to have words on them.  Right in front of the wall was a large altar with a bowl beneath it, seeming to be there for the sole purpose of catching something.  Behind the altar was a large yellow crystal, and inside the crystal, I could just barely make out the shape of a human, or at least some sort of bipedal creature.  Right next to the altar were Ditzy and the rest of the fillies, along with the other two cats, a tiger and the panther that we saw earlier.  Right next to them was a strange creature that I could only assume to be Ahuizotl.
Ahuizotl was big, very big, much bigger then me by a good couple of feet.  He walked on all fours, and seemed like a weird hybrid of different creatures.  His hind legs were that of a dog, as is his head, with the eyes at the end of the snout.  His forelegs are like an ape, and he had a long, monkey like tail, which for some reason had another hand at the end of it.  He was also wearing some jewelry in the form of a golden necklace, golden bracelet on his tail wrist and the biceps of his arms, as well as a single earring on his right ear.  What he had in his hands, though, was enough to make my eyes go wide with fear.  In his left hand, he was holding a blade that was similar to the Ikazuchi blade that I had in my belt, although it was smaller, most likely about a foot in length.  The hilt of the blade was also different, for instead of a blue sash, it had a black sash instead.  I assumed that it was the Baransu.  In his left hand, however, was what scared me the most, for he was holding Dinky, bound by rope, and a large cut that was on the side of her face.
I nearly lost it then, wanting nothing more then to take the sword out and stab him through his wrenched heart, and I nearly did so, as my hand drifted to the handle of the blade.  Ahuizotl, however, noticed this, and with a flip of his wrist, he brought the blade’s edge right to Dinky’s throat, before saying, in his deep Spanish accent, “I wouldn’t advice doing that, human.”
I stopped my hand’s movement, and, taking a deep breath, I was able to calm myself down at the moment, and said, in a low tone, “What did you do to her?”
“Oh, relax, it’s nothing permanent.  Besides, the brat deserved it for all the trouble she put me through.  I mean, all I wanted was for her to just say a few things, and then she would have been fine, but no, she had to be so stubborn and just throw insults at me.” He said, loosening the blade from Dinky a little, but still keeping it at her throat.  “Now, give me the blade.”
I hesitated, not sure what I should do, for from what we heard from Daring, he most likely had some sort of trick up his sleeve (so to speak).  After a few seconds, however, he began to grow impatient, and to make me hurry up; he quickly motioned to his cat minions, the tiger and panther.  The two cats quickly took Scootaloo and Ditzy in their mouths, while the placed their paws on Diamond and Silver.
“If you hesitate any more, then I will kill them.  Now, if you will, Give…Me…The…Sword.”
At this point, I knew that I had no other choice, and so, with that in mind, I slowly placed my hand on the handle of the sword.  As I did so, the tribal ponies around me quickly pointed their spears at me, and everypony tensed up, waiting for my next action.  I paused, making sure that they wouldn’t just jump on me, and slowly took the sword, still in its sheath, from my belt.  I held it in both of my hands, and then slowly approached the altar, Ahuizotl extending his tail hand to receive his prize.
As I was walking, I took a quick look around the place to see the expressions of everypony around me.  I saw worry in the expressions of everypony, that was for certain, with AJ, Rarity, Daring, Ditzy, and the fillies being the most worried of them all.  It felt like everything was staring at me, and if I weren’t so full of emotional hatred and rage, then I would have frozen up like the time of my arrival party.  I soon approached the altar, and I hesitated again, staring at the hybrid, a look of anger still on my face.  Ahuizotl just smiled a bit, and then he placed the blade a little more onto Dinky’s neck, causing her to squeak a bit, before extending his tail hand some more.  I remained motionless, and he said, in a carefully measured voice, “Place it in my hand, human…”
Slowly, ever so slowly, I extended my hands forward, and then, as if it were a fine treasure, I placed it in his hand, not out of respect of him, but of the weapon, and of the hopes of getting my friends and family back.
As soon as it was in his grasp, he retracted his tail hand and, with the same hand, he motioned me to back up with the others.  I did so, but this time a little quicker then before, eager to not be in the spotlight any more then necessary.  As soon as I was back with the others, he removed the blade from Dinky’s throat while he unsheathed the sword, and he began to examine both blades with glee.
“Finally…the Ikazuchi blade…and the Baransu blade.  Now that I have both, the human will soon awaken.” He said the glee barely contained in his voice.
“Alright, you’ve got your damn sword, now give us Ditzy and the fillies!” Shouted Daring.
Ahuizotl was quiet, seeming to ignore them.  I was about to yell at him as well, when he suddenly said, “Release the prisoners.”  With that, all four cats dropped the ponies to the ground, and the tiger and panther removed their paws from the other two.  As soon as they were free, they quickly ran up to us, Applebloom going to AJ, Sweetie Belle going to Rarity, Ditzy going to Daring, Scootaloo going to me, while Diamond and Silver went to Twilight and Fluttershy respectively.
“Ah was so scared, sis, ah thought…ah thought that we was done for.” Said Applebloom, hugging her sister tightly, while also crying a bit.
“Sshh, it’s alright, now, you’re back with us, and you’re safe.” Whispered AJ as she hugged the yellow filly back.
“You’re safe now as well, Sweetie.” Said Rarity, brushing the unicorn filly’s mane as they hugged each other.
“Hey, you ok, sis?” Asked Daring, looking at her sister as they held each other.
Ditzy was quiet for a while, and then she slowly nodded, before saying, “Y-yea, he didn’t really hurt us, except, well…” She fell silent, and Daring just hugged her closer.  Diamond and Silver didn’t say anything, opting to just hug the pony that they were holding tighter.
I brushed the orange filly’s mane with my hand, calming her down as she shook in my hold.  “You ok, Scoots?” I asked her.
Scootaloo was quiet for a moment, and then she looked up at me, her light purple eyes all teary, and said, “I am now, Dad.  Can we…can we go home now?”
I nodded, hugging her tighter.  “Of course we can go home now.” I said, feeling a few tears of happiness flowing from my eyes.  I then realized that we were missing one more filly, and looking up, I saw that Ahuizotl still had Dinky in his grasp.
“Hey, Ahuizotl!” I shouted, getting his attention.  “You said all of the fillies, now give us back Dinky as well.”
To my surprise, Ahuizotl just smiled.  “Well, I guess I did say that I would give you Ditzy and the fillies back.” He said.  “However, I didn’t say that I would give you all the fillies.”
My heart nearly stopped when he said that, and I quickly released Scootaloo and stood up, getting myself ready to charge him.  “You son of a bitch.  Give me back my daughter!”
The hybrid just glared at me, dropping the sword on the altar.  “No, I don’t think so.  You see, way back when, the tribal ponies here were looking for a way to awaken the human warrior, and these ponies weren’t afraid to do things to achieve this.  Now, they tried different kinds of sacrifices, such as other tribe members, thieves, murderers, and even volunteers.  However, there was one thing that they never got a chance to try.  Now, Miss Daring Do, you’re a bright mare, so, can you tell me what it is that I’m talking about, hmm?”
Daring went quiet for a moment, and then her eyes went wide with shock, her pupils dilating.  “Oh no…”
“What is it, Daring?” Asked Ditzy, the worry for her daughter showing in her voice.
“The prophecy… ‘One must offer the blood of the innocent soul’…” She said in a low voice.
Once she said this, everypony in the room went wide-eyed as the words sank in.  I slowly turned to hybrid and said, in a low tone, “You’re going to sacrifice her.”
Ahuizotl’s smile grew even bigger, and with a flourish, he said, “And with her blood, I shall control the most powerful warrior, and with him as my champion, I will take over all of Equestria.  Starting with your precious village.”
As soon as he finished talking, my mind snapped, and I just charged him at full force, my hand clenched in a fist, nothing but bloodlust in my mind.  “YOU FUCKER!”
To my dismay, he was easily able to deflect my blow before sending his own punch into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, as well as pushing me back till I landed with the others.
“Drak!” I heard the ponies shout, but I couldn’t tell who it was, and in a few seconds, everypony was already over me, trying to help me up.
I looked at them as I tried to get my air back, bringing up a coughing fit as well.  “Drak, are you ok?” Asked Ditzy, trying to drag me back to my feet.
“No, that…t-that son of…a-a b-bitch is…is….” I didn’t get any further then that before my coughing got the best of me, making me gag and wheeze as I tried to recover some precious air.
We then heard Ahuizotl laughing, and turning to face him, we saw that he still had Dinky in his grasp, as well as the small blade-like dagger.  “Such a foolish thing, human.  I was going to just have my guards escort you out of here, but after a performance like that; I think that wouldn’t do at all.  Instead, I’m going to keep you all here until I awaken the human warrior, and once he is up, my first order to him will be to kill you all.  Don’t worry, I won’t kill Ditzy and the other fillies, I did promise that I wouldn’t harm them if you brought the Ikazuchi blade.  Once all of you are dead, I’ll keep them as my personal servants, and make sure that they get treated nicely.  Until then, you are to stay right where you are, and if any of you make a move, then I will kill one of the other fillies.”
With that, Ahuizotl snapped his fingers, and the guards circled us, before tying us up with some rope.  Once we were tied, one of the guards left the group, most likely to get the other tribal ponies.  As we sat there, the hybrid began to tie Dinky up on the altar, making her lie spread eagle, her hooves tied to the edges of it.  We could only sit there and watch the whole thing, helpless to do anything to stop him.
“Now, you only have a couple hours to live, and then when the sun reaches the zenith, we shall commence the ceremony.” Ahuizotl said, giving another flourish, causing his minions to cheer.  All I could do was just glare at him in hatred, only able to wait it out, and hope for some sort of miracle to happen, and happen soon.

> Chapter 36
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 36

“Please, sir, I just want her for a few minutes.  I know that you’re usually against such things, but if you were there with me, then you would understand.”
The yellow guard from before was currently talking to Ahuizotl, along with his tan friend, for the past 45 minutes.  What they wanted, or more accurately, what the yellow guard wanted, was for the hybrid to give him one of the mares to ‘mess around with’, since they were so bored with just standing around and doing nothing.  Now normally, I wouldn’t have cared otherwise, wanting nothing to do with the idiots, however, two things prevented me from doing so.
First: the only mares in the area were prisoners, since none of the guards were females.
And two: the only mare that they want is Fluttershy.
“For the tenth time, I said no.  You know that I disdain the fact of forced sexual acts just to satisfy ones lust.  It is just so…barbaric.” Stated Ahuizotl, rubbing his temple with a hand.  The dagger and sword were currently laying next to him, while the hybrid, himself, was sitting next to the altar that Dinky was occupying.  I was listening through the whole conversation since they first started, and the only reason that I didn’t interfere yet was the warning that the prick gave us, making me hold my tongue.
It has been almost two hours now, and there were only about ten minutes left before the ceremony began, and so far we have been unable to come up with any ideas as to how to free all of us.  During the time, more and more tribal ponies came into the clearing, until there were at least five dozen of them surrounding us, making escape even harder for us to pull off.  During that time, Ditzy was a complete wreck; she didn’t even acknowledge me when I tried to help her.  The only one to that could help her at the moment was Daring Do, and even then, she just kept on crying, worried for her only filly.  Some of them others seemed to be feeling similar to what Ditzy was feeling, while the rest were just putting on a strong face for the others.
I then realized that I was dozing off, when I suddenly felt somepony move next to me.  Looking down, I saw that it was Scootaloo, huddling as close as possible to me.  She looked back up at me, her eyes filled with tears, though she still tried to keep what looked like to be a strong face.
“Hey, you ok?” I asked, mentally smacking myself at the stupid question.
The orange filly was quiet for a second, and then she slowly shook her head before nuzzling even closer to me.  “No, I’m not.  They’re going to kill Dinky, and then you guys, and…I…I-I don’t what t-to lose another dad…n-not so s-s-soon.” She then buried her face into my side, and I could feel her tears as they started to moisten my shirt.  I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was blank, unable to say anything, for there was nothing that I could say to make her feel better.
Instead, I just tried to snuggle closer to her and, in a low voice, I said, “I love you, Scoots.”
“I…I l-love you t-too…D-Dad.” She whispered.  We stayed like that for a good thirty seconds, and during that time, I began to again absent-mindedly listen to the argument that was still going on with the two guards and Ahuizotl.
“Come on, sir!  I mean, how are you so against it, if you threatened one of them with a similar treatment yourself?  And it was a filly no less.” Said the tan one.  That normally would have made me upset, but Ditzy already told us what happened with them during their stay here.
“Because, I only said it so that she would cooperate.”
“But what if she didn’t?” Said the yellow one.
“Then I would have no choice but to go through with my promise, though it didn’t come to that, obviously.”
“But still, they caused us so much trouble, just this one time, just let us have some fun?”
Ahuizotl was silent for a while, seeming to be actually thinking about it.  After a few seconds, he sighed and slowly nodded, saying, “Very well, if it will get you two out of my fur, then go ahead.  Just make sure you bring her back intact and breathing.  Also, do it so that I won’t see it, and gag her so that I won’t hear her either.”
My eyes widened in horror upon those words, and I quickly brought myself in between Fluttershy and the two guards, the Pegasus quickly hid behind her mane as well as staying close to my back.  “Over my dead body, ass-jack.” I growled at the two as they approached.
The yellow one just smiled, and then lifted his hoof and smacked me across the face, saying, “Trust me, I would love to, but Ahuizotl already has some plans for you.” He then hit me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me.  “Just be thankful that you won’t see it happening, cause if I had it my way, I would make you watch ever single second of it.  And I mean every *Hit* single *Hit* second. *Hit*” He said, each hit going for my stomach and chest.  I groaned and gasped as I tried to breath properly again, and after a few seconds of catching my breath, I looked up and noticed that the tan guard was able to pull Fluttershy away from behind me by her tail.
I immediately tried to get up, but was once again hit by the yellow guard, making me lose my balance and fall back to the ground.  I winced a bit, but otherwise I still got myself up.  “You so much as lay a hoof on her, and I’ll make sure that you’ll never have ‘fun’ again.” I said, glaring at him.
The tan one just shrugged, and then, turning to his friend, he said, “Well, come on, this was your idea in the first place, unless you would rather wait.”
“Yea, yea, I’m coming.” Said the guard, walking up to them.  He then stopped right behind Fluttershy and said, “And soon, you’ll be coming as well.” With that, he gave a slow lick on her cutie mark, causing her to give a fearful moan, and for me to have my anger spike as I tried to get out of my bonds again.
Just as they were about to walk away, two bolts of what appeared to be magic burst from the tree line and collided with the two guards, sending them flying back into a pillar, knocking them out cold.
Everypony in the area froze, shocked by what just happened.  We all turned to where the shots were fired, and right at the edge of the clearing was none other then Shining Armor.
“Shining!” Shouted Twilight, surprise and hope in her voice.  All of the other tribal ponies stood up and aimed their spears at the unicorn, ready for his next move.  Ahuizotl walked up so that he was in front of his minions, his cats walking next to him, all staying low to the ground, ready to pounce.
“So, you are Shining Armor.  The one I have heard so much about, the one, along with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who stopped the invasion of the changelings.  To be honest, I thought that you would be…bigger.” He said, smirking at the captain.
“So, you’re Ahuizotl.  The one that always fights Daring Do, and has now not only captured my sister and her friends, but also from what I am able to tell, is about to preform some sort of ritual to give you more power.  To be honest, I thought you would be…smarter.” Retorted Shining, a smug look on his face.
Ahuizotl just glared at him, and then, motioning at his minions to get ready, he said, “I believe I am smarter then you, for only a fool would come in here all by themself and think that they stand a chance against my elite warriors.”
To his surprise, Shining just chuckled.  “What makes you think that I came here alone?” With that, he lit up his horn, and shot something that looked like a flare into the air.  It shown for a few moments, and then vanished altogether.  One second passed, then two, then three.  On the fourth, the area around him exploded as at least three dozen Royal Guards came running out of the tree lines, forming right behind Shining, who was still smirking at Ahuizotl.
No pony moved for a second, and then, in a loud voice, Shining aimed his horn at the tribal ponies and shouted, “Royal Guards.  CHARGE!” With that, Shining, along with the rest of the guards, began to charge at the enemy, and the battle began in earnest.
The tribal guards that were around us were stunned by the sudden appearance of Shining and his guards, as were the rest of us.  Thankfully, Daring realized what was going on, and she immediately charged the nearest earth pony, somehow getting free of her bonds before punching her guard straight in the face, knocking him out.  She then took the guard’s spear and quickly ran to me, placing it in front of me.
“How the hell did you get free?” I asked her.
Daring just smirked, and then she suddenly had a knife in her hoof, though it didn’t look that deadly, it still seemed sharp enough to cur through rope, as evident of how she was able to get me out of my binds pretty quickly.  “I’ve been tied up by Ahuizotl too many times already, that I thought I would carry a small knife just for those occasions.” She said as she worked on freeing me.  Once I was free, she took the spear and hit it as hard as she could against a nearby pillar, breaking the spearhead off.  Giving the spearhead to me, she said, “Here, help me free the others with this, then get on with taking out some of the tribal ponies.” I nodded, and then went to work on first saving AJ, while Daring went to free Dash.
Thankfully, a couple of the Royal Guards came to help free the rest of them with us, and soon, we were all free from our binds.  As soon as Fluttershy was free, she ran up to me and hugged me tightly, and I could feel her literally shaking my body with her shivers.  I tossed the spearhead to the side and wrapped her up in a hug, brushing her mane and saying soothing words to calm her down, and while she did stop shaking, she still seemed to be on edge.
I then turned to face the others and asked, “How the hell did Shining know where we were?”
“Well, I told him when we were in the Crystal Empire.” Said Twilight in a matter of fact voice.
“Wait, why didn’t you tell us this before?” Said Dash, a bit upset.
“Well, I tried, but no pony bothered to ask, all of you were more interested with what Daring found in the library.” Stated the purple librarian in an upset tone, causing Daring, Dash and I to blush a bit in embarrassment.
I looked up to see how the battle was going, and at the moment, it seemed that the RG were on the defensive, due to the larger numbers of the Tribal.  Shining was currently fighting a few Tribal at once, ducking and weaving through their attacks, before landing his own devastating hits.  Already there were some casualties on both sides, though there was no disconcerting which one had the edge.  Some movement then caught my eye, and turning around, I noticed that the yellow and tan guards were already starting to get back up.
I turned to face everypony with me and said, “Ditzy, keep an eye on Fluttershy and the fillies.  Rarity, Twilight, go to Shining to see what you can do to help him.  AJ, Pinkie, and Dash, go take care of the cat minions.  Daring…you do whatever you do in a situation like this.”
“And what about you?” Asked AJ.
I turned and walked away, saying, “I have a score to settle with somepony.” They were all a bit confused with what I said, and a bit hesitant to do what I said.  After a few seconds, Daring turned to face them and said, “Well, you heard him, let’s go everypony!” With that, they all nodded, and went to do their tasks.
Twilight, Rarity, Ditzy, Fluttershy and the fillies all went to go and see Shining as he finished fighting a few of the Tribal, knocking them unconscious.  He heard them approach, and turned around, ready for another fight.  Upon seeing his sister, he perked right up and said, “Twily!  Thank Celestia you’re alright, as well as…wait, where are the others?”
“They’re doing some other things to help you guys out, and we came here to see if we could do anything to help as well.” Said Twilight, motioning to Rarity.
“Well, if you could, I would like Rarity to help bring the wounded away from the front lines so that they don’t get more hurt then they are, and Twilight, I would like it if you could stay with me and make sure they don’t sneak around or flank us, since they do outnumber us almost two to one.” They both nodded, and Twilight readied her magic for the job ahead, while Rarity went to help out some wounded guards, muttering something about ‘wishing it wasn’t going to be dirty.’
Meanwhile, Dash, AJ, and Pinkie were heading on over to where the cats where, while trying to think up a plan to defeat them.
“Ok, so, I say we go in there hooves blazing, and show them no mercy.” Said Dash, pounding her hooves together as she flew along with the others.
“Well, ah think we should take them out one at a time, make sure they don’t trap us or anything, ya know?” Said AJ, galloping with them.
“Well, why don’t we just ask them?” Asked Pinkie, bouncing along.
Both AJ and Dash looked at the pink pony in confusion, before they collided into something, causing them to fall down.  Regaining their bearings, they realized that it was the panther, which turned around and smiled upon seeing them.  Soon, the other three cats were all facing the ponies, smiling as they crouched to the ground, tails waving above them (except for the lynx), ready to strike.
There was a moment of silence between the two parties, and then Dash decided to initiate their attack instead of waiting.  She quickly flew to the cheetah and smacked him across the face with her hoof, shouting, “I got this one!” before flying off.  The cheetah snarled and then went after her.
Next to react was the tiger, and it decided to target AJ, leaping at her.  The orange pony jumped back just in time to avoid the giant cat’s claws.  The tiger growled at her, and AJ just smirked, saying, “Let’s see how well you handle this rodeo, partner.”
That left the panther and lynx with Pinkie Pie, and they both grinned as they approached the party pony, ready to make short work of her.  Suddenly, Pinkie touched them both and yelled, “Tag!” before bouncing away, leaving two confused cats to chase after her.
I walked up to the two Earth ponies that were just getting their bearings back, and once I was close enough, I said, “So, what was that about raping Fluttershy?”
The yellow one looked at me with disgust while the tan one looked annoyed, both of them getting into a fighting stance, and then the yellow one said, “Trust me, they may have gotten the jump on us, but we still have the number advantage.  We’ll beat them in a few minutes, with plenty of time to spare for the ceremony.”
To their surprise, I didn’t show any care about what they said, opting to just crack my knuckles and shoulders, saying, “Well, in that case I’m just going to have to finish you two off quickly.” With that said, I slowly got into a cat stance like the time I sparred with Shining, and readied for them to make the first move.
We both stared at each other for a few seconds, and then they charged first.  The yellow one went high while the tan one went low.  I dodged to the side and then did a spinning kick at the tan Tribal, sending him flying back.  I quickly aimed a punch for the yellow one, but he reacted fast, blocking it with his fore hoof before aiming a head butt in my gut, to which I was able to block.  I was about to do a palm strike across his face, when I felt strong force hit me in the back, sending me flying a few feet.  I got up quickly, and noticed that the tan Tribal was shaking his hoof a bit from the punch he just threw at me while they both regrouped for another attack.
‘Well, this is going to be more difficult then I thought.’ I thought to myself, before I got myself ready for their next assault.
Daring, meanwhile, was running through the horde of ponies, both Tribal and RG alike, dodging the latter and beating up the former, until she spotted her intended target.  Giving herself a boost of speed, she quickly jumped and, giving a few flaps of her wings, landed on Ahuizotl’s back.
“Hello there, you miss me?”
With a snarl, the hybrid reached with his tail hand to grab the Pegasus, but Daring just bucked it back before jumping up a little and then landing hard in his back, making him fall down with a large *OMPH!*.  Daring then did a summersault off of his back and landed in front of him, and she braced herself for another attack.  Ahuizotl got up and then dusted himself off before facing Daring, a small frown on his face, but otherwise remained silent.
“What’s the matter, Zolty, too embarrassed to speak?” taunted the tan adventurer.
“This time, Daring Do, I will beat you, and you will stay down.” Stated the hybrid, and then he charged Daring, a fist up to hit her.  Daring just ducked under the hit, sending him spiraling away from her and onto his face in the ground.  He got up with a grunt, spun around, and readied himself for another strike.
Rarity was busy helping those that were wounded out of the main battle area, and bringing them to a more empty area that Ditzy, Fluttershy, and the fillies were waiting, while at the same time making sure her mane and coat stayed as clean as possible.  It was an impossible task, however, and after a few minutes of trying, she just gave up, deciding that she would just take a very long shower when she got the chance.  Twilight, meanwhile, was keeping an eye out on the sides, making sure that the guards weren’t flanked, while at the same time keeping an eye out on Shining, making sure that he was doing all right.  At a few points, she noticed that one of the Tribal ponies was trying to sneak up, and she would either yell at her brother to get his attention, or hit them with a magic bolt to distract them long enough for Shining to finish the job.
“So, how did you get here so fast?” Asked Twilight as she blasted another Tribal that tried to sneak around.
“Well, when you came to Candence and I, we were both surprised and shocked about what happened, so naturally, we tried to go and get Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, however they were too busy with some negotiations with the Griffin Generals to help in any way, much to our, and their, disappointment.  Thankfully, they lent us some Royal guards to help us; and a few hours later, we were all ready.  It took us almost an hour to find this place, and when we did, we entered the temple and went looking for you guys in this jungle.  It took us a while, but we found you guys all bound up, and, well…you know the rest.“ Shining said, bucking another Tribal in the face, knocking him out.
“Well, we’re just glad that you made it at all, but we better hurry before Ahuizotl tries to finish the ceremony.”
“What exactly is he trying to do, anyways?” Asked Shining.  Twilight then explained how he was trying to wake up a human warrior, and apparently sacrificing a young foal could only do it, and Ahuizotl decided to use Dinky as his sacrifice.  Shining’s eyes grew wide upon hearing this, and when Twilight finished explaining, he said, “Well, we better hurry this up before he gets the chance, then.” Twilight nodded in agreement, and then they both began to concentrate at the battle at hoof again.
Meanwhile, Dash was busy leading the cheetah on a long chase, one that she knew she had to win.  She would tease the cat by slowing down just a bit, and then just when she was in range of the cheetah, she would zoom back ahead before it could pounce on her.  Rainbow kept on doing this for a good few minutes, while, each time she would also change directions suddenly, sometimes stopping completely and watching the cheetah just run right by her.  As this kept on, the cat began to get more and more annoyed, and was starting to tire out as well.  It kept on running after the cyan Pegasus for a few more seconds, then it began to jog, then walk, and then it finally stopped.
Dash, realizing that she wasn’t being followed any more, zoomed back to the large cat and stopped just out of range of it.  “What, you can’t keep up with awesome me?  Well, that’s too bad.” The cheetah lifted a tired paw up, but when it brought it down, Dash just stepped to the side, and the cat fell face first on the ground, too tired to continue.
AJ was currently busy dealing with the tiger, dodging and weaving through its attacks, while trying to land a hit of her own.  They both were able to land a few hits on each other, AJ sporting a few scratches on her when she was a bit too slow to move, and the tiger had a few bruises from the bucks that she landed on it.
The farm pony began to tire out, and it seemed like the tiger wasn’t even breaking a sweat.  She knew that she had to end it soon, so she began to look around as she was fighting, trying to find something that she could use to give her an edge.
She then spotted a pillar a few meters away, and getting an idea, she began to lead the tiger towards it, bringing them closer and closer to it.  Just when it was behind her, the tiger landed a hit on her side, making her land right next to the large pillar.  She got up slowly, blood dripping a bit from the scratch that she just received from the blow, and glanced up.  The tiger smiled, knowing that it had won the fight, and with a low growl, it pounced at AJ with all of its force, preparing the final blow.  Suddenly, however, AJ stepped to the side, making the tiger crash head first into the stone, cracking it a bit, as well as dazing it, leaving it vulnerable to a counter attack by the country mare.
AJ took this opportunity to take the longest piece of rope that she could find, and quickly hog-tied up the tiger, leaving it on it’s back and out of commission.
“That ‘ill teach ya ta not mess with an Apple, ya varmint!” She said, quite pleased with her work.
Suddenly, in a blur of rainbows, Dash was right next to her, a proud look on her face.
“Well, I think I beat my guy faster then you, AJ.” Said Dash, her traditional smirk on her face.
“Now hold on a moment there, partner. You telling me that you made it a challenge to see who would win the fight the fastest?” AJ asked.
“Uh, yea, why not?” Said Dash, a confused look on her face, causing AJ to face hoof.
“Argh, never mind that, let’s just go help the others, ok?” Said AJ, gesturing to the guards.  Dash nodded, and as they both went back into the battle to help the RG against the Tribal, they were suddenly met with Pinkie, who was bouncing around them.
“That was fun!  We should do that more often!” Shouted Pinkie, bouncing around them.
“Uh, what did you do, Pinkie?” Asked Dash.
Pinkie just gestured to her side, and when both ponies looked they couldn’t believe their eyes.  Right where Pinkie was just a few moments ago, there was the panther and lynx, all tied up in what looked to be…gift-wrapping?
“Um, were did ya get the wrapping, sugarcube?” Asked AJ, confused.
“Why, I keep it with my Party Cannon, see?” With that, the party pony suddenly produced her party cannon, and then pulling the rope, she fired the cannon, which shot out a couple of pies, which in turn landed on a few of the Tribal ponies faces, much to the amusement of the guards that came to beat them.
AJ and Dash just stood there, staring at the pink pony in wonder, and then, shaking their heads, they looked at each other, and at once, they said, “Just Pinkie.”
With that, all three of them got up and charged back into the fray.
I was still busy battling the two guards that I decided to just call Terra Equis 1 (yellow one) and Terra Equis 2 (tan one), and so far, they were beating me to a bloody mess.  Sure I was able to hold my own and get a few hits in here and there, but it was two against one, and I haven’t been practicing as much since I came here, so I felt a bit out of practice.  Also, they would use whatever advantage they had to get an edge in the fight, be it dust, rocks, or even other ponies.  I was panting hard from the fight, my shirt a wreck from the blows that were dealt to me, while their coats were carrying a few bruises.  I knew that I had to end it soon; otherwise I would lose to them.
And I had no intent on losing to them at all.
Once again, they charged me, this time TE1 went left, and TE2 went right, trying to flank me.  I waited for the last possible second, and then I ducked, causing them to hit each other.  With them stunned, I quickly stood up from underneath them, hitting TE1 in the stomach, sending him flying away, and then I spun around, backhanding TE2 in the face, making him spin around in a circle for a couple of seconds before landing on his ass, a dizzy look on his face.
“Uh…why’s the room spinning…?” He slurred, before he fell backwards and went out for the count.  With him out of the way, it just left me with TE1: the yellow guard.
I walked up to him, my anger still festering in my eyes, the pony still gasping for air.  Once I was right above him, I said, “So, is there something that you want to say now?”
The pony gasped for a few seconds, and then, turning towards me, he said, “Yea…when this is over…I’m going to slit that mare’s throat once I finish with her.  And then I-” I stopped him right there with a palm heel strike to the sternum, paralyzing his diaphragm for a few seconds, and then, I said, “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”
Instead of waiting for him to respond, I just slowly got up, and then, staring right into his eyes, I said, “Remember what I said, about making you a mare?”
He gasped a few times, finally able to breath, and stared at me, confusion in his eyes.  “What, are you just going to hit me there again?  Is that the best you can do, just hitting a stallion in the nuts?”
I smiled, though it never reached my eyes, and I said, “Who said anything about hitting?” With that, I reached down with my right hand to his crotch, and grabbed his balls in a firm grip.
As soon as I made contact, his pupils dilated, and he stared in horror at me.  “No, please!  I…I beg you, don’t-”
I simply ignored him, busy with what I was doing.  I placed my left hand on my right arm.  Still looking into his eyes, I said, “Scream for me, bitch.” With that, I slid my left hand down the right arm, while at the same time I yanked as hard as I could with my right arm, the hand still gripping on his nuts with all my strength.
There was a loud, meaty ripping sound, and then silence.  A few seconds later, a high pitched scream echoed through out the battle field, causing a few of the RG and Tribal to pause in their fights just to see what happened.  What they saw both amazed and terrified them at the same time, for there I was, the yellow tribal guard’s bloody balls in my hand, while his crotch bleed profusely of blood, pooling under his legs.  The stallion made no movement, besides the occasional twitch of a leg, his eyes glossed over in the most agonizing pain that he ever experienced.
I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the mess that I caused, and then I unceremoniously dropped his bloody sack onto the ground, before turning around and finding some of the ponies staring at me, both Tribal and RG alike.  I just stared back, my adrenalin running, challenging anypony to fight me, daring them to fight me.  I was so pumped up with emotions and adrenalin that I couldn’t have cared if it was a Tribal or a RG; I just wanted to release my anger on something.
Daring Do was currently busy dodging attacks from Ahuizotl, ducking, side stepping, and even hovering a little, making him miss her every single time.  She was able to get a few hits on him, and although they were strong hits, they still didn’t prevent him from moving smoothly across the battlefield, matching her blow after blow, hit after hit.  He then did a sweeping motion with his leg, but she just jumped it, and then turned around and bucked him in the face, making him stagger a bit.  She was about to take advantage of the situation, when a loud high pitch scream swept the battlefield.
They both turned to face the sound, and were shocked to see me standing over the unconscious Tribal guard, nuts in hand, the pony withering on the ground in extreme pain.
Daring’s mouth was open from the shock of what she saw; surprised that he would do something like that.  Ahuizotl, however, merely chuckled at the sight, before turning to the adventurer and saying, “So much power and potential is in that human, and yet he does nothing with it.  It’s a shame, really, cause I almost decided to try and bring him to my cause when I first heard of him, but then decided against it, For I believe that the human in the crystal will be much stronger then that one by so much more.”
“Oh yea?  Well, you won’t be able to wake him up once we get Dinky free.” Stated Daring, glaring at her arch nemesis.
The hybrid perked up at this, and then, turning back to face Daring, he said, with a sadistic grin, “That reminds me, it’s just about time for the show to begin.” With that, he charged at Daring, but it was much slower then his normal attacks, giving her plenty of time to dodge.  Only when he was behind her and kept running, however, did she realize that she fell for his trick, allowing him to reach the altar.
Daring tried to go after him, but to her dismay, she was tackled by a couple of Tribal ponies, pinning her to the ground momentarily.  She could get out, but she knew that she wouldn’t make it in time; so Daring did the next best thing.  She shouted.
“SOMEPONY STOP AHUIZOTL!”
I turned to the sound of Daring shouting, and saw Ahuizotl making a break for the altar.  Knowing that I was the closest one to him, I broke into a sprint, charging straight towards the hybrid.
Ahuizotl reached the altar very quickly and, taking the sword and dagger in his hands while taking the bowl in his tail hand, he began the ceremony.  He held the bowl next to the altar where the blood would drip into it, while placing the dagger blade into the bowl.  He then grasped the sword with both hands and raised it above his head, the point aimed at Dinky’s heart, the unicorn filly looking up at the blade with dread in her eyes.
“AHUIZOTL!” I shouted, charging him with all my speed.  Ahuizotl turned to look at me, seeing me only a few meters away, and grinned.  Turning back to face Dinky, he began to plunge the sword down.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down, my footsteps echoing with each step, my heart beating in my ears, my right hand outstretched, reaching for my daughter.  The sword gleaming in the light as it approaches her heart.
Dinky turns to face me, and I see a single tear fall from her eyes.  I could see sorrow, pain, sadness, fear…so many emotions at once, all flowing from her eyes, nearly overwhelming me, causing my mind to cloud up.  The sword is inches away from her now, and it is a matter of time before she dies.  I reach out with my hand…
The next thing I know, blood splatters everywhere.

> Chapter 37
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 37

Pain.  That is what I felt once my senses came back.  I then feel wetness on my hand, something dripping off of me and onto the altar, as well as something soft, like fur.  The next thing that came back was sound.  I heard the sound of crying, yelling, and laughing, all at once.  The closest one, the crying, seemed to be right in front of me.  I hear what sounds like talking next to me, the voice in a strong Spanish accent.
Suddenly, my memories of what just happened a few moments ago flooded back into my mind.  I remember the blade coming down on Dinky, her look of fear and sadness in her eyes, me reaching out…
Slowly, scared of what I might see, I open my eyes, and what I do see is nothing short of horrifying.  Standing in front of me was Ahuizotl, holding the Ikazuchi blade in his hands, the sword going into my hand.  It then clicks in my mind that the fur that I could feel was none other then Dinky’s coat, and with agonizing slowness, I turned my head to see if I was able to save my daughter.
She was breathing, her chest moving ever so slightly, making me sigh with relief.  However, the sigh was caught in my throat when I noticed that while the sword missed her heart, it still pierced her shoulder, and it was bleeding a lot, the blood mixing with my own and pouring onto the altar, which in turn dripped off the edge and into the bowl, filling it.
I looked at Dinky’s face, and I could see the pain in her eyes, and I knew that I failed to protect her, even if she is still alive, she could still die from the blood loss.  With a wet *schling* sound, Ahuizotl pulled the blade out of my hand and the filly’s shoulder, causing a small cry of pain from the pink filly, and even more blood began to poor out.  I immediately tried to put pressure on it with my hand that was already on it, but the pain was too much, so I replaced it with my unwounded left hand, putting as much pressure on it as possible, slowing down the flow of blood.  I heard her whimper in pain, and she turned to face me, her eyes filled with tears.
“It’s ok, Dinky, your safe now, I got you.  I’m here now.” I whispered, not trusting to talk any louder, for fear of cracking my voice.
Dinky gave a weak smile, and shivered a bit.  “I…I k-knew that…t-that you w-would m-m-make it.” She whispered, whimpering a little as well.
At this point, the fighting in the clearing between the Tribal and RG stopped, everypony just staring at the altar.  Daring, Shining and the others all made it to where I was, and were busy untying the ropes that held Dinky to the altar.  Once she was free, I quickly pulled her off of it and onto my lap, cradling her in my arms, keeping pressure on the wound.  Fluttershy was already busy getting the necessary medical supplies to start fixing the wound, while all I could do was just stare at my daughter, my tears flowing freely from my eyes.
“I…I f-feel…t-t-tired, D-Daddy…” Said Dinky, giving a soft yawn.
“Dinky, stay with me, please…d-don’t fall asleep on me Muffin, I’m begging you.” I said, but it was no use, for she soon closed her eyes, and I could hear her breathing getting shallower as the seconds passed on.
Suddenly, Fluttershy pushed my hand out of the way and began to bandage Dinky’s wound up, but I feared that it might be too late already for her.
“Finally, I have beaten you, Daring Do, and with your own blood as well.” We all looked up at Ahuizotl as he spoke, the sword in one hand, while the bowl of blood was in another, the dagger still in the bowl.  None of us made a move to stop him, to tired to try.  That, and the idea of charging him as he held onto the sword didn’t sit well with us.
With his tail hand, he took the blood soaked Baransu blade from the bowl, the blood dripping a little.  He then walked towards the crystal, and with another of his stupid flourishes, he pointed the dagger at the crystal and said, “Now, with the insertion of the Baransu blade covered in the blood of a young foal, I shall have control of the strongest warrior in Equestria!” With that, he plunged the dagger straight into the crystal, until the point just barely touched the human inside.
At first, there was silence, no pony dared to say anything.  After a while, the blood seemed to be absorbed by the crystal, causing it to shake.  It started small at first, just barely vibrating, and then it began to grow.  As the vibrations grew, the hybrid took a few steps back, watching the scene unfolded in front of us with untold fascination.  After a minute of shaking, it suddenly stopped, and then the crystal began to fall apart.
It didn’t melt or explode as I thought it might, but instead pieces of it began to fall off, first a bit, then a few more, then the crystal was soon crumbling into pieces, slowly releasing its long held prisoner inside.  Finally, after what felt like forever, the crystal was reduced to shards, the human lying face down on top of the pile.
No pony dared to breath, and just watched the human, expecting him to move at any moment.  Thirty second went by, and the human didn’t move a muscle.  “Well, it looks like you just went through a whole lot of nothing, you asshole.” Said Daring in a low and venomous voice.
I saw Ahuizotl about to make a retort, but suddenly, there was a large groan, causing everypony to look at the source, which was none other then the human on the crystal pile.
Argenteus was waking up.

(Argenteus’s POV)

I groaned as I began to regain feeling in my limbs, the blood beginning to flow once more.  The first thing that I felt was, well touch.  I could feel that I was on some sort of pile of…sand, maybe, or pebbles of some sort.  The next sense to return to me was smell.  I could smell the hot sweat from many bodies nearby, and they smelled like they could use a bath.  I could also smell some sort of iron tinge in the air that was familiar, but the smell escaped me at the moment.  The next thing that came to me was sound.  I thought that I went deaf at first for I couldn’t hear anything at all for a few seconds, but then I could hear the wind blowing a bit, as well as the heavy breathing of someone nearby.  Next came sight, which wasn’t much, considering that my eyes were closed, and I had no desire to open them at the moment, wanting to make sure my body was ready for the shock of light.
Finally, I was able to start thinking more clearly about the situation that I was in, and the very first thought that came into my mind was:
‘Next time, keep your mouth shut, you idiot.’
For it was indeed my mouth that got me into this mess, as so many other times it did as well.  I couldn’t help it, though.  The woman asked if her dress looked good, and I just gave her my honest opinion.  Granted, I could have said it a bit nicer then ‘it would look better on a pig’ but I thought that it was true.  Also, I didn’t know that she was a witch, nor did I think she would cast a spell on me, entrapping me in that damn crystal.  I swear, I should start bringing some charms with me, just in case I run into any more magic users.  And to believe that I thought magic was just a bunch of hocus-pocus.
Oh well, now isn’t the time for wishful thinking.  It felt like it has been forever since I’ve been able to move, and man did my muscles feel sore.  Thankfully, my body was well trained to perform in high stress situations due to my training, but it still felt like my limbs were attached to giant weights.
Slowly, I placed my hands on the ground below me, which was a little difficult, since I was on top of a pile of some sort of rubble, and when I got myself up from my kneeling position, I slowly opened my eyes, wanting to see who it was that saved me from the boredom that was the crystal prison.  What I did see, however, made me blink in surprise.
Standing in front of me was a large…creature, of some sort.  He seemed to be a mix of dog and ape, with some golden jewelry on itself.  He was also holding my Ikazuchi blade in his hand, and…wait, he had a hand on his tail as well?!  Now, at this point, my blood was starting to pump properly, and with my sword in the creature’s hand, I had to find a way to get it back.  Luckily, I found Baransu right next to me, and so, without hesitation, I took my tanto and quickly got up, holding the blade in my usual backwards hold in my right hand, getting myself into a battle stance.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Argenteus.” It said.  Wait…it spoke?!  Not only that but is spoke in some sort of accent as well.  I was about to respond to the dape (dog-ape) creature, but I stopped, for I then realized that there were others here with us.
Noting my surroundings, I saw what appeared to be many different…equine like creatures.  Not only that, but some of them had horns, while others had wings, and then the rest had neither.  There seemed to be two groups of them as well; one of them were in armor like I’ve seen the Queen’s Guards wear, while the others, which had neither horns nor wings, were dressed in what looked like to be jungle wear, like from the natives of a few of the forests that I’ve seen before.  As I looked around, I then noticed another group of ponies that were next to some sort of altar.  What frightened me the most, however, was that there was blood on the altar.
Now, I was no stranger to sacrifices, and I could tell that some sort of foul deed just took place here.  Right next to the altar, was another group of equine creatures, and in the middle of the group was…another human!
This human looked to be a bit different, though.  It might have to do with the fact that he looks like he just went through a sparing match with a griffon, which in turn made his shirt look almost non existing.  The human also sported a large stab wound on his right hand, and by the looks of it; the stab went all the way through.  Sitting on his lap, however, was something that nearly made me break my somewhat cool outer demeanor.
Sitting in his lap was what appeared to be what I assumed was a little child of sorts.  I believe it is a child, since it was much smaller then the others around the human (Also, there were about nine other horse/pony/equine/whatever like creatures surrounding him).  The child had a large stab wound on its shoulder, identical to the human’s, and was currently being bandaged by a yellow equine.  The child seemed to be unconscious at the moment, but I knew from experience that if it didn’t get any serious medical attention soon, then it would die.
With my mental scan of the area complete, I looked eyes back with the dape, keeping myself on alert.  I began to debate what I should say, since this was a very delicate situation, and I knew that one wrong word, and I could be sent back into a deep sleep, only this time, it would be permanent.
After a few seconds of very careful thinking, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and then I said:
“What the fuck are you?!”
Ok, so maybe subtlety isn’t my forte, but hey, I’ve always preferred the direct approach anyways.
The dape gave me an annoyed look, but it seemed to force a smile on itself and said, “I’ll forgive that one blunder of yours for now, but just remember that for future references, you will refer to me as master.”
I did not like the sounds of that!  I wake up to some sort of weird creatures, and then this dape thing says that he’s my master?  The only one who I called master was my Sensei, and as far as I can tell he was much nicer then this thing.
I raised an eyebrow at the thing and said, “Yea, ok…why should I call you master?”
This apparently confused it, and it was quiet for a few seconds.  It then gave a sly smile and said, “Because, I freed you, and like the prophecy dictates.  I offered the blood of an innocent soul, which means that I have total control over you.”
Now, at the mention of offering blood to me, I glanced once again at the altar and the human with the group of ponies, who were now all staring at me, the yellow one having finished her bandages on the little one a few seconds ago.  I took a glance at the human, and I could see that he was very upset and, for a lack of better words, very pissed off as well.
I looked at the others, and saw that they were all staring at me with curiosity, and also a little fear.  At least, that’s what I assumed by there facial expressions.  I looked back at the dape and asked, “Ok, so…what the hell happened here, and what the hell are you guys?”
The dape was about to open its mouth, when suddenly the other human spoke in a low tone, still looking at the little child in his arms.  “That ‘thing’ is Ahuizotl, and he is a monster and a murderer.  And he…he tried to kill my daughter to wake you up.”
Now, I already guessed that some sort of sacrifice happened here, but I assumed that it was some sort of animal (Well, a non-sapient one), but to hear that the creature actually used a young child…now that got my blood to start on a light shimmer.  Even though I was pissed, I decided to at least ask the thing’s side of the story, to try and give him a chance.  I turned to face the creature called Ahuizotl and asked, “So, let me get this straight.  You wake me up, presumable with the blood of an innocent child, and then you order me to work for you and call you my master?”
The hybrid shrugged.  “Well, almost.  If I did the sacrifice properly, then that bastard foal wouldn’t be alive.  But it matters not, for you are now awake, and now, with you as my champion, I will be able to take over Equestria, and-”
*BAM*
And now I couldn’t have given a shit about the bastard.
I charged at him while he was talking and punched him right in the gut with my free hand, sending him flying back a good couple of feet.  Unfortunately, he didn’t release his hold on Ikazuchi.  As he was getting up, he said, “How dare you defy your master, human!  I freed you from your prison, and this is how you repay me?  I’ll show you what-”
“By Hrogier’s beard, do you ever shut the fuck up?” I said, getting myself into fighting position, my right hand holding Baransu in a back hold in front of me, ready to deflect and counter attack any of his moves.
Ahuizotl got back up to his feet, coughing a bit from the hit that I delivered.  He then raised my sword.  “Very well then, I guess I’m just going to have to beat some discipline into you, human.”
“Come on, freak show, and let’s see if you really know how to use a weapon.” I responded.  I was quite comfortable with the situation, with all things considering.  Judging by his stance that he took, he was somewhat versed in the art of bladed weaponry, but everything else about him was off.  His grip was too tight, the point was too high, all of these things added together, telling me that while he knew how to fight with a blade, he wasn’t necessary good at it.
I decided to let him charge first, and charge he did, yelling at me as he raised the sword up.  I just casually raised my tanto up to block, and then deflected it to the side, before bringing the dagger up and slicing him at his stomach.
Everyone in the area gasped, most likely surprised by my speed.  Ahuizotl staggered back a bit, stunned by the hit, but otherwise unfazed.  He quickly gathered himself back up, and then charged at me again, this time with the point facing me.
I just casually stepped to the side, and then drew my blade up to slice his side as he ran by.  Ahuizotl flinched from the hit, and then tripped, hitting the ground with his face.
“You done now?” I asked, getting a bit bored by the whole thing.  I was still pissed at the fact that he tried to kill a child just to wake me up, but I was starting to get even more annoyed that he wasn’t even coming close to hitting me yet.
My verbal jab apparently got him riled up, and jumping back to his feet, the hybrid yelled, “You will bow down to your master!”
“Yada, yada, yada.  I’ll tell you what.  You let me, along with the whoever doesn’t want to stay here, leave, and I promise that I won’t beat you in a pulp, since I’m in a somewhat nice mood, being finally free from that damn prison and all (Stupid thing didn’t even have any air holes).  However, if you continue fighting me, then I promise that I will beat you within an inch of your life.  So, what’s it going to be?” His response came as another jab with my sword, to which I deflected easily enough.  “Alright, you asked for it.”
I charged back at him, and then jumped and landed in front of him, to which I slashed at his neck, intending on finishing this quickly.  Lucky for him, he ducked, and I ended hitting the pillar behind him, causing me to cause a jagged cut on it as my blade hit the stone.  He raised my sword up for a downward stroke but I just raised my blade up without turning, knowing that he was going to do that.  I then did a back kick into his guts, knocking the air out of him.  While he was catching his breath, I turned around and backhanded him in the face, sending him spinning.  Once he stopped spinning, he slowly got his balance situated again, and when he looked back at me, I was in a more aggressive stance, and said, “Now, let me show you what real blade training can do.”
With that, I went completely on the offensive, going through all my basic moves that I learned from my training.  I didn’t feel completely up to strength yet, but I still had a feeling that I could beat him easily.  Turns out I was right.  Despite being a lot bigger and supposedly stronger then me, he severely lacked technique, and I decided to use that to my complete advantage, flowing from one move set to the next.  I went through slashes, stabs, kicks, doing just what came naturally to me, all the while this Ahuizotl character began to struggle with blocking my attacks, not even able to go through a counter attack of his own.  A few of the times when he was really open, I was able to get a quick downward stab on his back or shoulder, and the wounds soon began to slow him down.
After a while, I noticed that he was beginning to tire out.  Thank the Creator, for I was getting tired myself.  It turns out that living in a crystal for gods know how long doesn’t help with your stamina.  I decided to finish this before it went out of hand, and waited for him to make his next and finale strike.  It came in the form of a slow jab, and I once again stepped to the side, only this time, instead of slashing him, I grabbed the arm.  Raising my other arm up in the air, I brought Baransu back down and stabbed his forearm, causing him to scream in pain, as well as making him drop my sword.  I quickly took my katana from the ground, at the same time switching my grip on the tanto to the left, so that I could hold Ikazuchi in my right.  Normally, I would have placed Baransu in its sheath, but I sadly lacked it at the moment.
I took a quick glace at Ahuizotl, but he seemed to be occupied with fixing his arm, so I took the chance and went over to the other human. When I approached them, however, two of the equine creatures, a blue one with wings and an orange one with some sort of hat stopped me.
I raised my weapons up in a non-threatening manner.  “Hey, easy there, guys, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Oh really?  And how do we know that, huh?” Said the blue one.
“You don’t, but then again, if I did want to do you guys any harm, then I would have done so by now.”
“And how do we know that it isn’t a ruse, partner?” said the orange one.
“Wha…I just said why, now are you two horses-”
“Ponies.” I turned to the voice, which came from the purple one with a horn on her head.
I raised an eyebrow at this.  “So, you guys are a bunch of talking…ponies?  What’s next, the one’s with horns are unicorns and the ones with wings are Pegasai?”
The purple one was about to speak again, but there was a sudden rumble that vibrated all around the area.  This caused a bit of a stir to everyone around, and when I looked around, I noticed that the sky was…different from when I last seen it.
“Why do I get the feeling that we just ran out of time?” I said, looking at the others.
“Cause we just did!  We need to get out of here right now!” Shouted the tan one, who was wearing a vest and a hat of some sort.
Now, I may be very confused as to why in Thralod’s shining day were there talking ponies, and what the hell did I wake up to, and all sorts of things.  However, staying alive was my first priority, and the only way to do that was to listen to these guys, since I had no idea as to how to get the hell out of here.
“Alright fine, save our skins now, then ask a bunch of questions later.  Sounds like a plan to me.” With that said, I also spot my sheaths right next to the altar, so I quickly took them and sheathed my weapons before tying them around my waist, Ikazuchi going on the left, and Baransu going on the right.  Once they were on, I gave a nod to the ponies, signifying that I was ready to leave whenever they were.
They all quickly got up, the human holding the small foal in his arms.  The white one that was in the same gear as the ones with armor began to yell, “Royal Guards, to me!”  With that, we all began to run, the ones in armor following suit.
As we ran, I took a quick look around, and saw that the ponies in the tribal gear were starting to run as well, though some of them seemed to be intent on stopping us, getting in our way, making us have to push them off of our path.  Just when we were going to hit another group of them, they were suddenly bowled over by a large pony that seemed to be made of stone, with a lizard like thing on its back.
“Rasi, you’re ok!” Shouted the yellow one.  The lizard seemed to smile at this and it gave a loud thrum of approval.
“I see you have awaken, Argenteus.” Said the giant stone pony, giving me a slight bow of what looked like respect.
“Hold on, my name’s not Argenteus, it’s-”
“We’ll discuss it later, now come on!“ Shouted the other human.
Deciding to agree with him, I nodded and we all continued to run, knocking anyone and anything that was in our path.  It was a bit difficult for me, since I kept tripping over things, and my legs felt like they were on fire for beings stuck for so long inside that crystal.
Soon, we reached an area that had a large staircase going deep into the ground, and in the center of it was a large water dragon statue made out of sapphire.  There also seemed to be some weapons next to the area as well, which the human took and equipped to himself as we ran by.  Out of pure instinct, I decided to take the statue for myself.  I don’t know what compelled me to do it, but something told me that it was going to be important.
We soon reached a cave entrance, and at this point, there were pieces of the ceiling that were falling off and onto the ground (I figured out that we were in some sort of underground cavern.  With trees, and a jungle, and a sacrificial altar.  Cause why the fuck not.) And the shaking just only got worse.  We entered the cave only to find a large staircase leading up into the darkness.  Not really having a choice, we took the stairs quickly, the whole area shaking to the point that I thought it was going to collapse on us at any second.
Finally, after what felt like hours of running, we all made it to the surface, where there was a bunch of snow all around us.  We exited what seemed to be some sort of temple, and with a sigh, I slowly sank to my knees, relieved that I could finally relax (Which I found ironic, since that was all I was doing for the past who knows how many years).
As I sat there, I looked around, and saw that the majority of the ponies seemed to have made it, and this included some of the tribal ones as well, though they gave us a wide birth due to the stares of the guards that were with us.  I looked at the ones that were with me, and saw that they were all doing different things.  The yellow one was helping with some of the other guard ponies with the injured foal, trying to keep her alive, though if they were doing well, I had no idea.  The stone pony and the lizard were with them as well, though it seemed as if all of them were giving it a wide birth, besides the yellow one.  The rest of them seemed to be just taking deep breaths as they calmed themselves down from what we just went through.  Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the tan pony leave us to go over the edge of a snow bank for reasons unknown to me. 
I heard footsteps coming my way, and I turned to see that the human was approaching me, his right hand having been bandaged.  There were also a bunch of younger ponies that were following him as well; except for the one that he was holding, whom I saw was being taken care of by a few others at the moment.
The human stopped a few feet away from me and remained silent, holding his staff in his uninjured hand, while the other foals seemed intent on seeing what I was, coming to sit around me and stare at me with interest.  After a brief moment I was able to tell that they were all females, at least.  The young ponies were quiet for a second, seeming to look at me in awe, before the orange one began to speak.
“So, you’re a human as well?” She asked me.  I nodded, too tired to speak at the moment.
“And, are you a…w-warrior?” Asked the white one.
I hesitated at this, and after a few seconds of thinking, I said, “Well, I guess I am one.”
“So, you fight like that all the time, mister?” Asked the yellow one.
“Only when I need to.”
“What else have you fought?” Asked the pink child.
“Well, I had to deal with the occasional Spider Crab and Black Sun Bird, the later of which were always going after our live…uh, farm animals.”
“Why does your hair have a silver stripe and Drak doesn’t?” Asked the final one in the group, which was the silver one.
“Well, we humans all look different, so his parents must have had the genes to allow him to have his color hair, while mine…wait, did you say that I have a silver streak in mine?”
The filly nodded, making me pause in thought.  After a second of thinking, I drew out Baransu, causing the foals to quickly take a step back, and the human to tighten his grip on the staff.
“Relax, I’m just checking my reflection.” I said, making them relax a bit, though they still kept a wary eye on me.  I held the blade in front of me so that I could see myself in the reflection, and when I saw my hair, I was surprised to find that the child was right.  My normally grey hair had a silver strip going right through the front of my hair, and it reached all the way to the bottom of my length going to my shoulders.  I was curious as to why that happened, but otherwise I decided that it was a small problem, since it did blend in a bit with the rest of my grey hair, and was only noticeable upon closer inspection.
Satisfied, I sheathed Baransu back into the sheath, and turning to the children, I gave them a small nod and said, “Well, I’m assuming that you guys all know what my name is, considering that I was part of some sort of ritual and all?”
“You’re Argenteus, right?” This time, it was the human that spoke up.  Him speaking surprised me a bit, but otherwise, I didn’t show it, and turning to face him, I said, “Well, no, I’m not.  I guess that’s what the stone pony told you guys, huh?”
“Sort of.  We first found your name written on the walls in the entrance to the testing chambers.  If that’s not your name, then would you care to give us your real name?”
“Of course, my real name is Andrews.  Silver Andrews.”
“Wow, you have the same first name as me!” Stated the silver child…or filly, I guess.
“So, your name is Silver as well?”
“Yup!  I’m Silver Spoon, and this is my friend, Diamond Tiara.” She said, pointing at the pink filly, who nodded in return.
“And who are you guys, if I may ask?” I asked the other fillies.
“Well, ah’m Applebloom, and these are mah friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” Said the yellow filly, pointing at the white one and the orange one respectively.
“And together we are…” Said Scootaloo, before bunching up with the other two and then the three of them shouted out:
“THE CUTIE MARK CURSADERS!”
I could feel a bit of ringing in my ears after that announcement, and after a few seconds, it cleared up, but I was already starting to get swarmed by all of their questions.
“So, what else can you do?  Can you fly?”
“Do you also lack a cutie mark?”
“How long were you in that crystal?”
“Have you-“
“Ok girls, that’s enough, I think Silver Andrews here needs a few moments to rest.” Said the human, bringing out a bunch of ’awes’ from the group, but sure enough, they all got up and left to go to the other ponies, leaving me alone with the other human.
We were quiet for a while, neither of us saying anything.  After a moment of silence, the other human sighed and sat down next to me.
“Sorry about them, they can be a bit…curious at newcomers.”
I shrugged.  “It’s fine, they are just young and want to know what I was.  The only thing that I’m really surprised of, however, is that there’s another human in this world as well as me.”
“Yea, well, I kinda had a freak out when I first noticed them.”
“Wait, you freaked out over colorful ponies? ”
“Not exactly.  I freaked out because when they were first talking to me, I was the center of attention, and…I’m not comfortable with that.”
“Ah.” We then went quiet again for a while, and then I asked, “So, care to tell me your name?”
“The name’s Drakalian, though most call me Drak.” He said, raising his hand in greeting, which I accepted by shaking it.
“So, care to tell me where exactly am I?” I asked, deciding to get to the point.
“Well, you are in Equestria, or the Crystal Kingdom, to be more precise.  And yes, ponies are one of the sentient beings here.”
“One of them?”
“From what I can tell, there are also dragons and griffins.  There are some more but I can’t remember them off the top of my head at the moment.”
“OK, so…why was I in this temple?”
At this, Drak became quiet, thinking about a possible explanation.  After a few seconds, he said, “Well…you were in there for Celestia knows how long, and, well…you were basically looked upon as some sort of god during the ancient times of the tribal Earth ponies.”
“You mean the ones that are here right now?” I asked, pointing at the ones giving us a wide birth.
Drak shook his head.  “No, those guys are from a different place, as far as I can tell.  They were lead by Ahuizotl, who I hope is dead, that bastard.“ he said, spitting out the last words.
“Well, he was certainly arrogant, that’s for sure.”
“Trust me, arrogant wouldn’t be the word that I would describe him.”
“Well, at least he’s-” I began to say, before a shadow fell over us.
We both looked up, and to our shock, we saw Ahuizotl standing over us, holding a spear in his hand, his arm bandaged and a very pissed of expression on his face.
Drak immediately jumped up to stop him, but the dape (which I’m still going to call him) just back-handed him, sending him flying back.  I tried to take my katana out, but he just punched me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me.  As I gasped for air, I felt something sharp poke me in the stomach, and looking down, I noticed that he pierced me with the spear, sliding it at least a few inches deep of me.
“So, you think that you could disobey your master so easily, Argenteus?” He said, spiting out his words.  “Well, if you won’t accept me as your master, then you shall die like the beast that you are.”
“You’re one to talk, you dick.” I spat, blood dripping out of my mouth.
The hybrid snarled, and then yanked the spear out, making me collapse onto the ground, clutching at the wound.  I coughed up bit more blood, and looking up, I saw Ahuizotl raise the spear up for the fatal blow.
‘Well, it was fun while it lasted.  I guess I’ll be seeing you guys soon…Mom…Dad…’ With that final thought, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable.
The next second, there was a loud, wet *shling* as the metal pierced the flesh, but after a few seconds, I realized that I was somehow still alive.  A few seconds of waiting, when I felt no additional pain, I opened my eyes and looked up, and what I saw surprised me.
There, sticking out of the hybrid’s neck was a large, black spike, blood oozing around the wound.  In his shock, Ahuizotl dropped his spear, clutching weakly at his throat, trying to get rid of the intrusion.  The next second, there was another wet *shling* sound as the spike removed itself from his throat, making blood spurt out, and making him stagger for a few seconds before falling to the ground.  As he fell, I saw that Drak was behind him, holding one of his spiked weapons in his hand, which was now covered in blood.
I looked back at the dying dape, and somehow, he was able to flip himself over, so that he was lying on his back.  He looked at Drak, and then began to laugh in a low (and creepy) tone, which lasted for a few seconds, before it slowed to a gurgle, the blood bubbling from the wound on his neck and to his mouth.  Another few seconds later, he finally went silent; the only sound that we could hear was the wind blowing.  Looking up, I realized that the confrontation didn’t go unnoticed, for everyone that was near us was now looking in our direction, shocked expressions on there faces.  Luckily, there was a grey pony that was distracting the young ones, so they didn’t see it happen, and I prayed that it stayed like that for now.
Everyone was deathly silent; no one dared to say a word.  After what felt like forever, the cyan pony took a step, and said, “Did…did you just…”
Drak simply nodded, not saying anything.  After what felt like another eternity, he looked over at the yellow pony and said, “Fluttershy, can you take a look at Andrews’s wound, please?”
The yellow pony seemed to be on the verge of fainting from what she saw, but nevertheless, she still went up to me and began to take care of my wound.  It was at this point that I noticed that there was some sort of ship that was…flying?  At any rate, I was too tired to be surprised by what was going on, and I just decided to accept that there were going to be some crazy shit happening to me very soon.
Once Drak was done talking, he immediately started off to the ship, not saying a word to anyone else.  We all just remained quiet, watching him pass us and enter the ship, none of us sure what to say.  As he was about to enter it, the tan pony walked out for a second, and then smiled upon seeing Drakalian.  When she noticed his expression, her smiled faded, and she asked, “What’s up, Drak?  We just saved everypony, and now we can go home.  Aren’t you excited?”
Drak just remained quiet, entering the ship.  Daring, confused, turned to us to ask what was going on, but she immediately fell silent upon seeing Ahuizotl’s corpse, her mouth hanging open.
“Is…is that…” She stuttered, not quite able to get the words out.  I simply nodded, and then, noticing that Fluttershy finished bandaging me, I slowly got up and decided to enter the ship as well, everypony else, except the tribal ponies, following suit.
Once we got in, the tan one closed the door, and then went upstairs without another word.  A few minutes later, I felt a bit of movement, and I assumed that we began to move off.
We were all silent, none of us sure what to say to the other, especially considering what just happened.  After a few seconds, the pink pony walked up to me, a big smile on her face, but it looked a bit forced on her.  After a few seconds of silence, she cleared her throat, and, with an attempt at some enthusiasm, said, “So…do you like parties?”
> Chapter 38
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 38

(Silver Andrews’s POV)
We were all back at a place called the Crystal Empire, the hospital, to be precise, everyone (or everypony, as they said it here) were just lounging around the common area, waiting to see if the pink filly, who I learned was Dinky, was going to be ok.  The majority of the ponies that were with us had left, so the only ones that were here were the cyan, yellow, tan, pink, white, orange, purple, and grey ponies, as well as all of the foals, the armored white one saying something about going to his wife to tell her what happened.  I wasn’t able to ask who the wife was before he left, but I decided that wasn’t important at the moment, so I just decided to sit at a chair that was a few sizes too small for me.
As soon as we landed, we brought the pink filly to the hospital to get emergency treatment, and they immediately brought her to the ER.  I’ve got to be honest; I pretty much thought that she would be lucky to survive the night.  I wasn’t trying to be pessimistic, but I have seen wounds that were just as bad as hers, and by my experience I thought that she wouldn’t survive, especially since she was a young child.  However the technology here was pretty amazing; I never seen anything like this back at the hospitals that we had, so I thought that if she had any chance, it would be here.
As I looked around, I saw that the cyan one and the orange one (I still didn’t get their names) seemed to be talking to each other, while the yellow one (I think it was Shutterfly or something like that) was talking to the white mare.  The pink one was talking to herself (I caught a few of the words that she said, namely my name, party, and cupcakes) while the purple one was just staring at me, writing something in her notebook every once in a while.
It eventually got annoying, and I decided to just ask her what the problem was, so turning to face her, I asked, “Is there something that you want to ask?”
The purple unicorn (Turns out that there are unicorns and Pegasus here, go figure) was a bit surprised that I talked to her, but she quickly recovered, before saying, “Well, I was just wondering…how did you get in the crystal in the first place?”
I sighed, and after a few seconds of thinking, I said, “well, there was this woman that I happened to cross by during one of my trips back from training, and she asked me how she looked in a dress she was wearing.” As soon as I said dress, I saw the white one perk up and turn to face my direction.
“Really?  Oh, what kind of dress was it?  Did it have any frills?  Was it colorful, or dull?  Shapely or sliming?  Cute or-”
I cut her off at this point, saying, “Ok, first off, I have no idea what in the world you are talking about, and second, I don’t know, all I knew was that she didn’t look good in it.”
The white pony’s mouth fell open at this, before she quickly got control over herself and closed it.  “I hope you didn’t say so to her, dear.” She said with a bit of venom.
“Well, she asked for the truth, so-” I began to say, before she cut me off.
“No, no, no, NO!  That will not do at all!  You don’t just say that she doesn’t look good in a dress, it is so unlike a gentlecolt.”
“Well…I didn’t say it along those lines…” I said, scratching the back of my head.
“Then what did you say?” Asked the purple unicorn.
“Well…I might have said along the lines of ‘it would look better on a pig’…or something like that.” I said, smiling sheepishly.
I looked at the two ponies, and noticed that everyone else was looking in my direction.  I heard the orange one and the cyan one snicker a bit, while Shutterfly seemed to be trying to hide in her mane.  The pink one was giggling at my comment, while the purple one seemed to be stunned at what I said to the women.
The white unicorn, however, seemed to be staring daggers at me, and I had a feeling that if looks could kill, I would be dead ten times over.  “Why, how barbaric of you, saying that it would look better on a pig.  Why, I…I…” At a lost for words, she just decided to turn her back on me, giving a loud, *humph!* as she did so.
“Well…that’s a bit…interesting…I guess.” Said the purple pony, a small blush on her face.
“What, I had no idea that she would be so offended that she would encase me in a giant crystal.” I said, trying to defend myself.
“I would for such a brash comment.” Stated the white unicorn, her back still facing away from me.
“Hey, you weren’t there, so for all you know, it could have been a bad dress.” I said.
This got her to turn around to face me again “Still, it is just so…rude, to say something to a lady like that.”
“Well, at least he’s truthful, so for that, ah can respect it.” Said the orange one.
“Well, at least someone-”
“Somepony.” Said the pink one.  I paused, and then just decided to keep going.
“Anyways, at least someone-”
“Somepony.” I just deadpanned the pink pony, but she just had her huge grin on her face.
Sighing, I said, “Ok, fine, somepony agrees with me.”
“Ah ain’t agreeing with you, partner, ah just said that ah just understand you, is all.” She said.
I sighed again (I had a feeling that I would be doing that a lot in the next few days to come) and said, “Ok, what ever you say, uh…” I took a quick look at her ass, remembering that I saw some sort of tattoo there, and seeing a few apples, I decided to just call her Apples.  “Uh…what ever you say…Apples?”
The orange pony just looked at me strangely, an eyebrow raised in humor or annoyance, I had no idea.  “Apples?” She asked.
“Well, you have a tattoo of apples on you ass, so…I thought I would call you that.” I said, shrugging.
Apples blushed at this, and glancing behind her, she said, “Oh…well, close, but mah name is actually Applejack.”
“Meh, close enough, Apples.” I said, thinking that Apples would be an easier name to remember then Apple…whatever.
“I might have to call you that the next time we get together.” Said a voice, and all of us turning around, we noticed that Drakalian was walking back towards us, his hand still bandaged, but looking surprisingly better then it did a few hours before, as well as in a bit better spirits.
Apples gave an embarrassed smile at this, before lightly hitting him in the arm playfully.  “Aw, shucks, sugarcube, you gonna get me embarrassed if ya keep that up.” She said.
Drak just grinned, before kneeling down and said, “Well, maybe that’s what I’m trying to do.” Once he said that, he…	KISSED HER?!
My brain did a full stop, reverse, double take, and stopped again, just to process what I just witness.  After a few moments of thinking, I was able to finally spurt out, “The fuck?!”
Drak looked up at this, before saying sheepishly, “Oh, forgot that you were here.  Well, I was going to tell you soon anyways, but…AJ and I…as well as a few others…are kind of…going out, as it were.”
Now, going out with multiple partners at once, I could understand, since back at my home people would normally decided if they wanted to have a monogamous relationship, or a polygamous one, it was really up to the original couple to decide.  Hell, the fact that they were different species wasn’t that much of a problem to me…well, not in the way that others might think it was.  I remembered a distinct event in the past that happened before I was born, something about a princess loving a Feratic, which caused an entire genocide to occur due to it, was what first came to mind.  Of course, it could be different here, but still…it was a bit worrying.
Before I could say anything else, however, the door to Dinky’s room opened, and out popped one of the doctors, which, as weird as it sounds, looked to be made out of crystal.  We all stopped immediately and looked up upon his arrival.
“So…how’s she doing?” Asked the grey pony, a few tears seeming to be sneaking out of her eyes.
They doctor was quiet for a second, checking his little list that he had with him, before saying, “Well, it was touch and go for a while, since she did lose quite a lot of blood before she got here, heck I was surprised that she even lasted as long as she did before you brought her here.  I must say, whoever was the pony that bandaged her so quickly did an absolutely amazing job.”
At this, some of us turned to face Shutterfly, and we could see a huge blush on her cheek due to the compliment.  “Oh, it…it w-was nothing, really.” She whispered.
“Nonsense, Fluttershy, without your bandaging skills, she would have surely died a long time ago.” Stated the doctor.  Wait, her name is Fluttershy…oops.
“So…is she fine?” Asked Drak, the worry starting to show again.
The doctor paused at this, once again checking his notes, before facing us again.
“Well…I’ll still need to keep a close eye on her for the next few days, but…other then that, she is predicted to make a full recovery.”
We all cheered a bit at this, glad that the pink foal was going to be ok.  After a few moments of celebration, Drak said, “Can we go see her?”
“Well…normally, I would say no, but she has been asking to see both you and her mother, as well as the other human.” This peeked my interest.  I could take a few guesses as to why she wanted to see Drak, and obviously she wanted to see her mother after all that happened, but I have no idea as to why she wanted to see me.
Drak nodded, and then, turning to face the grey mare and me he said, “Ditzy, Andrews, care to come in?”
“You don’t even have to ask.” Ditzy said, before she practically flew into the room, a look of relief on her face.  I simply smiled and nodded, walking calmly into the room, Drak following behind me.  Once in the room, the doctor closed the door, leaving us alone with the filly.
Dinky was currently lying in the bed (obviously), a little needle was stuck in her arm, and it looked like it was putting some fluids into her, judging by the water bag it was attached to.  Her eyes were open a bit, but they still looked a bit tired, and I could see that she was struggling to keep them open.  I could also see the bandages that covered the wound on her shoulder.  When we entered the room, she gave us a tired smile, and with a lazy wave of her hoof, she said, “Hi Mamma…Daddy…I missed you guys…”
Immediately, they were at her side, saying how worried they were, and how much they missed her as well, and that they were so glad that she was going to make a full recovery, and other such things like that.  I simply stood in the back, knowing that this was a family moment for them, and that I shouldn’t interrupt.  They kept on talking for a while, maybe ten minutes, before the pink filly noticed me.  Her parents noticed this, and turned to look at me as well.  Getting the idea, I walked up to the foot of the bed, before kneeling down slightly to look at her better.
“Hey, glad to see that you’re doing better.” I said, a little awkwardly.  After all, she was supposed to be sacrificed to awaken me.  She however just smiled at me, before slowly raising a hoof up in greeting.
“I didn’t get the…chance to greet you…Mister, or for…thanking you for saving…everypony.” She said, a small, tired smile on her face.
I smiled as well, and took her hoof in my grasp before gently shaking it.  “Well, I don’t like standing by the sidelines when I think I can do something to help, plus that Ahuizotl guy was just a down right as- um, meanie.” I said, releasing her hoof.
She nodded, and then after a pause, she said, “Well…my name’s Dinky…Dinky Doo.  Can you…tell me you’re name?”
“Names Silver Andrews.” I said.  She then suddenly yawned, and the door opened, the doctor poking his head in the room.
“Ok, you guys need to let her get some sleep now, she needs it.” We all nodded, and then we left, Ditzy and Drak giving their daughter a kiss on the cheek and forehead before leaving the room with me.
Once we were back with the others, I suddenly remembered something that was bothering me for a while.  Turning to the others, I asked, “Wait, if the ritual was supposed to make me a mindless slave to whoever awoken me, then how come I was able to resist it so easily?”
The purple pony was the one to speak at this first.  “Well, I was curious as to that myself, so I did some studying on the matter.  I think that it has to do with the fact that both Drak and Dinky’s blood were used in freeing you, instead of Dinky’s like it was supposed to be.  With Dinky’s foal blood, you were able to wake up, and with Drak’s human blood, you were able to counteract the contract part of the spell, allowing you to keep your own will.” We all listened intensely, enraptured by what she was talking about.
“Hey, you awake there, Andrews?” I quickly shook my head, surprised by Apples’s voice, and then looked at her and said, “Wha-huh...what was it again?”
The purple one sighed, shaking her head slowly.  “Well, it was worth a shot.” Ok, so maybe some of us weren’t as into it as the others.
“Hey, I listened Twilight.” Said Drak, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, making her smile a bit.
“Thanks.” She said, blushing slightly.  Drak just nodded.
“So…now what?” I asked, a bit confused as to what we should do right now.
We were all quiet for a while, and then, Drak said, “I’m not sure.  I guess we are going to have to wait for Dinky to heal before we can go to Ponyville and then figure everything out from there.”
I nodded, and then sat down, staring at my hands as I sat there.  Everyone else was just talking to each other, and I would have too, but there were just so many things that I needed to get used to.  I’m sure that after a while, I would be feeling better.  Who knows, maybe they can throw some good parties as well, cause I remembered the pink one asking me if I liked parties, and I think a party would be just the thing that I need to help me start to fit in to my new home.
“Don’t worry, Andy, cause I’m going to throw you a party that you will never forget.  And we are going to have so much fun.  I’ll even let you play with my oven in the closet.”
…What?

The End
…For Now…