Sleep. Pure, blissful sleep. Something so rare that when you do experience it, it is gone too soon. This is what Nick had just experienced. One moment he was sleeping soundly between his two marefriends, the next he woke up abruptly, panting heavily and if he could, probably sweating hard too. Thankfully Luna and Twilight weren’t awoken by his outburst, and were gently hugging him still. Using his teleportation magic, he was able to pop off the bed and onto the floor. The two mares, feeling a void in between them scooched closer together and found comfort in each other’s embrace.
Glad they were still sound asleep, Nick walked towards Twilight’s balcony and gently opened the windows. Stepping outside into the cool morning air, Nick tried to process the nightmare he just had. The setting was that same smoldering field he had in his first nightmare. The only difference was that the 3 villains were nowhere to be seen. Despite that he was still battle scarred, cut up and had blood on his paws. He wasn’t too sure if he managed to defeat them, but saw Princess Celestia, Luna, Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony on the other side of the field.
He wanted to call out to them, but found he couldn’t. In fact, now that he thought about it, he couldn’t move any of his body at all. It was when “he” spoke that he somewhat understood what was happening.
“It’s too late to stop me, you pathetic ponies,” a low, deep voice spoke from his body. “I have already taken over the body of your weak hero, and now have his power combined with the other minions of darkness. But here, let me show you for yourself.”
At that instant, Nick felt a splitting pain in his body. He watched as his vision also changed and became enhanced. It was almost as if he had left his body and had a bird’s eye view. In fact, now that he was able to focus again, he noticed he was airborne. Looking below him he saw Sombra, Chrysalis and Tirek. But if they were down there, what was he doing up here?
The voice spoke again. “Not even the power of friendship can defeat the purest of darkness. The darkness that every human holds. Your Tree of Harmony had forsaken you in thinking that pathetic fool had a chance against me. It only sent me a vessel to manifest and gain my true power.”
Nick watched in horror as he started to charge towards the group, which was when he woke up. He knew too many stories where such a dream was only foreshadowing. He also knew that if he tried to prevent this from happening, it would only lead him down this path eventually. Still, knowing that he was going to be possessed, how could he not try to find a way to stop it?
A hoof on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Turning around, he saw Luna gazing at him with those beautiful teal eyes, which he was able to see her concern in.
“Nick why didn’t you let me help you with your nightmare?” she asked, a tone of hurt in her voice.
“I - I didn’t try to stop you,” Nick replied, now realizing it was odd that Luna hadn’t appeared to intervene. Normally, if he was dreaming about dying it wasn’t really a nightmare, just a sad dream. For those dreams he was able to keep Luna out, only because he was able to consciously think about blocking her. In that nightmare he was too concerned about what was happening to him to think about keeping Luna out.
“You didn’t?” Luna asked, in which Nick reassured her he didn’t. “Well would you mind telling me what it was about?”
“It was just another dream about Alex,” Nick lied, obviously not wanting to tell her that he could possibly be possessed in the near future. “I don’t know why that dream keeps occurring.”
Luna pulled him over to her and wrapped her wings around him. “Because you haven’t forgiven yourself Nick,” she cooed, feeling his entire body shaking under her wings. “Let’s get you inside.”
Once they were inside, Luna continued. “Nick, you must know that Alex’s death was not your fault. It was simply a tragic accident. There’s no need to burden yourself as if you pushed him off that cliff.”
“I know, but he was my first true friend. How could I not blame myself for his death when I could have done something?”
“What would you have done differently had you the second chance,” Luna asked rhetorically. “Would you have flown up to the cliff to stop him? Used your body to cushion his fall and have both of you killed? Nick there was nothing else you could have done that would’ve changed the outcome. Once you accept that fact, you can start to heal.”
Nick knew she was right and although that wasn’t the major concern he had right now, he agreed that he would work on it. Now with his problem solved, he asked why she was awake so early.
“Well, I do still have my duties to perform,” she reminded him. “The moon isn’t going to lower itself, you know.”
“Right,” Nick chuckled. “Are you coming back here when you finish?”
“Possibly,” Luna replied. “I’ll have to see if I can sneak out of the castle undetected. Although that won’t be too hard, as I can just teleport here after I lower the moon.”
“Ok, well, I guess I’ll have breakfast waiting for you and Twilight when you come back,” Nick smiled, hugging her and giving her a peck on the cheek. “Have a safe trip.”
Luna teleported out of the room, leaving Nick with a still sleeping Twilight. Although she would hate to know it, Twilight had a cute little snore, at least to Nick. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Heading downstairs, he quietly entered the kitchen and got some ingredients out. He was glad he still remembered his mother’s recipe for pancakes. Now that he knew ponies used eggs, there were a lot of recipes he could use. He looked at the clock. It was already 5 am, and he usually reported for work at Sweet Apple Acres at 7. He wasn’t too sure what time Twilight usually woke up, but knew she usually woke up early.
As he started combining the ingredients, Nick took some time to congratulate himself for learning so much in the last few weeks. He had moved from barely able to pick up a pencil to now having complete control of his magic, just as if he had his arms and hands. He also realized that he had won his first fight, something he never would have expected. That was owed to both Twilight and Luna, without their help he’d probably have sustained more serious injuries.
Combining all the ingredients together, he covered the bowl with a lid and placed it back in the fridge. When Twilight was up, he’d start cooking the pancakes. That only took 20 minutes, so Nick decided to prepare some toppings for them to use. He took an assortment of fruits and chopped them up. With some milk and sugar, he made some whipped cream. Finally satisfied with his work, Nick decided to head back up to one of the bathrooms to get ready.
Walking down the hallways in the dark, Nick realized just how big this castle was. He was glad that Twilight had Spike and Starlight to keep her company as he could easily relate to how lonely it would feel. Finding a suitable bathroom, he washed his face, brushed his fur and just did an overall body check. Nick was glad that he stayed in shape as a human, as his new life seemed to demand a lot from him. He wondered if he should continue staying in shape on top of his training, and decided running around the Everfree in the mornings wouldn’t hurt.
After finishing up in the bathroom, he returned to Twilight’s room. She was still asleep thankfully, as Nick could only imagine her worry if she woke up with Nick and Luna not there. It was now 10 till 6, so Nick decided to wake her up which didn’t take too much effort.
“M- morning Nick,” she smiled, yawning and stretching in the process. “Sleep well?”
“I did, and you?”
“Best I’ve had, thanks to your warm, soft fur,” she replied, hopping off the bed. Looking around and noticing the other part of their herd wasn’t there, she asked where Luna went.
“To Canterlot to lower the moon. Just as she has to do her duties, we should get ready for the day as well. I have to be at Sweet Apple Acres in an hour and I made us breakfast.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Twilight blushed. “Thank you.”
“I was glad to do it,” Nick replied, grabbing his bag. “Now go get ready, I’ll start cooking the pancakes.”
“Ok, see you in a few minutes.”
Luna arrived just as Nick started to serve the pancakes, which were the best either mare had ever had. Thanking them for the compliment and finishing his stack, Nick excused himself, brushed his teeth and returned back to the kitchen.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said to Luna, giving her another peck on the cheek. “And you this afternoon,” he told Twilight, doing the same to her. “I love you two.”
“We love you more,” the girls replied, saying goodbye as he left.
Since they had some time, Luna asked how yesterday went, encouraging Twilight to talk about it even though the lavender mare was a bit embarrassed she had the first date with Nick.
“That way, I’ll set the bar for Nick when he takes me on a date, “ Luna winked, causing Twilight to giggle and proceed in telling her marefriend every single event that happened yesterday.
The rest of the day passed normally. Applejack asked how Nick’s date went, in which he said fine. When the mare pressed for details, he reminded her he was here to work, not talk about his personal life. After surviving a couple of hours of Applejack’s persistent interrogating, Nick was on his way into town to grab some lunch and then meet up with Twilight for his lesson.
As he passed through town, he noticed most of the ponies were giving him curious looks, probably thanks to the spectacle Twilight had made yesterday. To counter this, he acted normally, greeting ponies as he passed, blocking any inquiries about him and Twilight. He decided it would be best for all three of them to announce their relationship and find the right time to do so.
When he arrived at the castle, it was Luna that greeted him, not Spike or Twilight.
“What are you doing still up?” Nick asked, confused as to why she was still there.
“I had a good night’s sleep thanks to you,” Luna winked, pulling him inside and hugging him. “Also, I can change my sleep schedule so I can spend more time with my herd. Entering ponies’ dreams doesn’t actually require me to be awake and as you are well aware, nopony ever needs me to be there at night court.”
“So you’ve been here this entire time? What about Starlight or Spike?”
“They were sent out to do a friendship lesson while Twilight prepared your magic lesson, along with some help from me,” Luna smiled. “It’s all sweet and good that Twilight is trying to teach you every little thing that you can do with your magic, but she needed to make her lessons more precise and survival oriented. Also since you can’t be seen staying here again as it will only rouse suspicion, we’re headed to my old castle.”
It was at that time that Twilight had come down the stairs, her saddle bags packed with what Nick could only guess was his lesson. “Yep, we’ll teleport out of here to the edge of the Everfree Forest and then walk the rest of the way to the Castle. This will also give you the perfect chance to practice farther teleportation.”
“Won’t it be dangerous for us to just walk into the Everfree?” Nick asked the two, to which they just giggled.
“The Everfree isn't that dangerous Nick,” Twilight replied. “I’ve made a few trips to that castle without any incident and now that you handled the timberwolves, there is even less of a chance to encounter any dangers.”
“Well, if you two are sure,” Nick was still hesitant about this idea, but knowing both of them well, they weren’t going to back out.
“Good,” Luna clopped her hooves. “I’ll go first, then you and then Twilight just to make sure you arrive at the right place.”
With that, Luna flashed out of the lobby. Nick still wasn’t too confident in his magical abilities, only teleporting a few feet away a couple of times.
“Don’t worry Nick,” Twilight encouraged him. “All you have to do is just imagine popping up in front of the Everfree. We wouldn’t have planned for you to do this if we weren’t confident that you could do this.” She nuzzled his cheek. “You’ll be fine.”
Her pep talk successful, Nick smiled and closed his eyes. He began to focus on the location, and felt his magic start to surge. His teleportation complete, he felt his body flow through the aether, until he found himself on solid ground, a pair of hooves to help steady him.
“See, told you that it would be fine,” Luna smiled. It wasn’t long before Twilight popped in and all three set off to their destination.
It was kind of odd having company in the Everfree Forest. Nick was so used to traversing this path alone, that the sound of Luna’s and Twilight’s hoofsteps unnerved him. Whenever he was in the forest, he tried to be as stealthy as he could, watching for fallen leaves and walking lightly. He had gotten pretty good at it, although he knew he probably hadn’t mastered it.
“Do you two have to stomp so loudly?” he asked, trying not to sound rude.
“Honestly Nick, you’re acting just as paranoid as Twilight,” Luna sighed.
“Hey!”
“I’m serious Luna,” Nick reprimanded. “I’m pretty sure the timberwolves weren’t the only creatures stalking me. We don’t have to be super stealthy, but can we at least be a little quieter?”
“Fine, if it makes you feel better we’ll be more on guard,” Luna sighed. At least Nick was looking out for them, just like what a stallion or wolf-friend should do.
They had some light conversation, but that was it. There were moments where they travelled in silence, Nick constantly flicking his ears or trying to find an unfriendly scent. A few minutes later they reached the pass, and once they crossed the bridge, Nick let out a sigh.
“I don’t know why you two wanted to come to the castle,” he spoke, reaching the front doors. “We could’ve easily practiced in the fields behind the castle. No pony would’ve seen us and we wouldn’t have had to travel so far.”
“Well, we’re here now, so there’s no point in going back,” Twilight replied, giving Luna a not so subtle wink.
“What are you two up to?” Nick asked, curious and feeling that they weren’t going to be training that afternoon.
“Nothing,” Luna quickly replied. “Just go inside already.”
Knowing he wasn’t going to get them to spill, Nick saw no other option than head into the castle. The moment he was inside, his jaw dropped. What had been a decrepit foyer, was now a renovated space. Debris had been removed, the tattered banners taken down, and the throne that used to be his bed had actually been converted into a real bed. His desk sat next to the bed, and off to the side he saw what looked to be a full kitchen and dining set, with a stove, oven, refrigerator and table for three.
“W-what’s all this?” Nick gasped, deeply touched at what the two princesses had done.
“Well, we couldn’t have our wolf-friend living in such poor conditions,” Luna answered. “Also, I didn’t really want to go back to Canterlot as I wasn’t tired at all. Twilight gave Starlight some lessons to do, leaving the two of us with some time alone. As we were talking about our herd, we reached the subject of how you would probably be going back to the castle tonight. That’s when we decided to improve the foyer.”
“You paid for all the furnishings too?” Nick asked, noticing how each furniture set wasn’t too expensive or extravagant, but still looked like they cost more than he could afford.
“There was no need to,” Twilight chimed in. “A few transfiguration spells on similar sized debris were all that we needed. I hope you like it.”
“Like it?” Nick replied, bringing both mares into a group hug. “I- I love it,” he whispered, fighting back tears of gratitude. “I don’t even know how to thank you two for such kindness.”
“How about treating us to a proper date?” Luna suggested, nuzzling into Nick’s cheek. “From Twilight’s account of what you two did yesterday, I feel left out.”
“Let me fix that then,” Nick smiled, holding Luna’s muzzle in his paw and drawing her lips to his. At first Luna was startled by the sudden display of affection, but soon melted in Nick’s warmth. He had that same outdoors smell, mixed with the scent of apples. Despite working hard on Applejack’s farm, his fur was soft as ever, while his lips were firm. They stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, one that Luna wished would continue as Nick broke the kiss.
“How’s that?” Nick asked, seeing Luna was still in bliss.
“Mmm, much better,” she sighed.
“I haven’t forgotten about you either Twilight,” Nick turned to the lavender mare and slowly repeated what he had done with Luna, knowing how this was also Twilight’s first kiss. He could hear her gasp at the initial contact before sighing as the feelings they had for each other had finally transformed into physical action. Slowly drawing away, seeing the effect he had on the mare, Nick asked Luna to sit her at the table while he made them dinner. Luna tried to object, but Nick insisted that they had done enough, and that he was the host so he should be the one to cook.
Twilight had regained her senses after Nick started to cook, a big grin on her muzzle as she asked Nick how his day was. Nick mentioned the fact that Applejack was onto them, and most likely her other friends as well. That’s when he asked both mares when, if they even were, going to announce their herd.
“Well, I think it would be best to wait a bit before doing so,” Luna answered. “How about the Grand Galloping Gala?!” she exclaimed, in which Twilight agreed with her.
“The Grand Galloping what now?” Nick asked, stirring the vegetables in the skillet.
“One of Equestria’s most regal celebrations!” Twilight answered, shifting into her lecture mode. This continued after Nick had served them food and well into their dinner, Twilight only pausing at Nick’s insistence to eat her food before it got cold. She finished while they were cleaning, leaving Nick to process all the information he had just received.
“Well, that does seem like an appropriate setting to let everypony know the good news,” he finally responded as they moved to his bed. “But shouldn’t we let Celestia, the Elements and any other loved ones know before hand?”
This gave pause to both mares. For Luna, she wasn’t sure how Tia would react to her being in a relationship with somepony from another world and her former student. For Twilight, she could only imagine what her parents or Shining Armor would think. Obviously Cadence would be ok with it, since she could sense their love.
“We have a few months before the Gala,” Luna replied. “We can discuss it with them sometime before that.”
Accepting her answer, Nick asked Luna what she wanted to do, in which she replied that while she liked the idea of Twilight’s and his reading time, she felt that was something she wanted to keep special for them. Instead, she offered something that they all might enjoy, stargazing. At first Nick thought that stargazing would be something he and Luna would keep special like how reading was something he and Twilight did. However, she replied that the beauty of the stars were for everypony to enjoy and that enjoying them with her herd would make it special enough. With that settled, they all moved outside the castle to get a better view of the sky.
It might’ve sounded odd in any other context, but Nick was happy to live in the middle of the Everfree. The lack of light pollution really brought out the stars, and Twilight and Luna were more than happy to point out several constellations. Luna dated each one she created and the reason why she created it, while Twilight explaining how history saw each one, which brought her to wonder why Luna never explained to historians or astrologers the meaning behind each constellation. Luna simply replied that there was no need to, that each constellation was open to interpretation, that she didn’t want ponies only seeing the stars in her point of view. Keeping the reason behind them a secret allowed way more creative stories to be told. They stayed out there for a few hours, enjoying the stars as well as each other’s company before deciding to call it a day and cuddling on Nick’s bed.
That was a week ago. Nothing eventful happened after that, not even Nick’s nightmares surfaced. Nick, being the most experienced in romantic relationships ironically, explained to his marefriends that while it is nice to spend all your time with your loved ones, it is healthy for the relationship to spend time apart, just like friendship. Also they would have more stories to tell each other if they didn’t spend all their time together. He also encouraged that Twilight and Luna did things on their own too, since they loved each other, and that it couldn’t be only him receiving their affection. That took care of two things Nick needed. Of course he was telling the truth that being apart was healthy, but that wasn’t the true motive in telling Luna and Twilight.
The real reason was that he still had more creatures to hunt, and didn’t want Luna and Twilight to find him in the middle of killing one. This also allowed him to respectfully decline Luna’s company on nights where he would face the ghost of his prey. Nick knew that the timberwolves were probably the easiest target he was going to face and that each creature was going to be more difficult to fight. Hence the reason he started tracking each creature, so at least he would know its movements and could have the advantage of surprise when he was ready.
His next target was the manticore, the only real danger being its scorpion tail and poison. He thought about the basilisk but needed to come up with an idea to fight it without looking at it. The hydra would be his most challenging target, since the only way he heard of its defeat was from Greek mythology. So in his free time, usually when Applejack didn’t have work for him and after he ate dinner, he tracked down the beast. Doing his tracking during the day and night not only helped heighten his senses and give him the workout he needed to stay fit, but it also painted a schedule of where the manticore would be at a certain time of day.
Alright manticore, I’ve seen your prints and know your scent, now all I have to do is just follow them. I’m surprised it only took me a few days, even with the fact that I’m a wolf. The only outdoor training I’ve had was Boy Scouts and then they didn’t want us hunting game.
He noticed that the manticore’s tracks all headed to the east, a part of the forest he hadn’t been in before. For the first few days, he made short excursions, further and further into unfamiliar territory. To make sure he didn’t get lost, he burnt some of the bark of trees that he passed (marking them like a wolf would was just too much). He had reached a point of the forest to where it grew dark suddenly. Feeling uneasy about this dramatic change in lighting, Nick held off his searching and spent the time planning for how to explore this part of the Everfree.
As he stood at the border, he ran through the plan in his mind. No light could be used as that would only give him away. Instead he would slowly walk in a straight line, marking the ground with a claw mark every few feet or so. If he did encounter the manticore, he would teleport immediately back to the castle, which was what he had been practicing during his excursions.
Even with his night vision, he could scarcely see two feet in front of him. His vision taken away from him, he had to rely on his smell and hearing. As he treaded through the undergrowth, which in itself took up most of his time, the forest became eerily quiet. Before there was the occasional animal cry or wind blowing through the leaves. Here no wind blew, no sound was made. However the smell that he had been tracking had grown stronger, and it was mixed with a new, gut wrenching stench. Blood.
I think I’ve gone far enough. Nick slightly panicked, realizing just how close to the beast’s lair he must have been. Better get out of here before it smells me.
Wasting no time, Nick prepared his teleportation spell and was back in the castle. His heart still racing, he tried to calm himself down.
“Well Nick, you’ve learned two things,” he muttered to himself. “One, the manticore is definitely not friendly like Fluttershy told you. And two, you’re not fighting it at night.”
Twilight had taken Nick’s advice to heart and went about her normal activities. She was glad Nick was fine with them meeting daily for their lessons, and started to spend more time with Luna in the evenings whenever she had the chance. One night she asked Luna if she wouldn’t mind bringing her some combat manuals from the Royal Library so she could help with Nick’s sparring. Luna was more than happy to oblige and was able to get an entire copy of the Royal Guard’s training regimen as well as some of volumes on the history of magical combat.
The two read through some of the instructions, Luna demonstrating each technique for Twilight and helping her practice as well. Since Twilight had been a Princess for a while now, she should learn how to defend herself when she was alone and didn’t have her friends to help her. This deepened the bond between the two mares, from just being intimately close through demonstration to Luna’s constant encouragement when Twilight had struggled with a take down.
“While magic is a blessing to a Princess,” Luna explained, helping Twilight up with a hoof. “We also have our flight and Earth pony strength in our arsenal. If one of our resources is cut off, we need to know how to use our other strengths to survive. Even though Equestria is at peace, you never know when disaster may strike.”
“That’s true, although we still have the Elements of Harmony and now Nick to protect Equestria as well,” Twilight smiled, hugging her.
“That we do,” Luna reciprocated the gesture. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t he be here by now?”
“I give him a time frame to be here,” Twilight replied, grabbing the notes she had made. “As we both know he’s trying to track down some of the creatures in the Everfree. I made him promise to tell us where he was going to be and that if he didn’t show up within that time frame, we were going to search for him with the Elements.”
“Good thinking.”
As if on cue, they heard a knock at the door, followed by Starlight greeting Nick at the door and leading him up to their location.
“Better hide,” Twilight told Luna, in which she nodded and teleported out of sight. There was then a knock at her door. “Come in!”
Thanking Starlight, Nick entered, first seeing Twilight and then Luna stepping out of the bathroom.
“Hiya Sparky, Crescent,” he greeted his herd with a hug. “How are you two today?”
“Splendidly,” Twilight answered. “In fact we were getting to know each other just like you suggested.”
“Oh really?” Nick cocked an eyebrow, placing his bag down to listen to their tale.
“Yep, I decided that you know enough basic magic that now we could focus on more of the combat aspect. I had Luna bring me some Royal Guard training manuscripts as well as some history of magical combat. She was teaching me some defensive moves just before you showed up.”
“So we’re condensing our lessons to combat now,” Nick summed up her explanation, with both Twilight and Luna nodding their heads. “Will I be sparring both of you? Or will Luna and I spar and Twilight will watch?”
“We will be taking turns,” Luna answered. “While you will get the most sparring time, I believe all three of us will benefit from practicing a little self defense.”
“Alright, let’s get started then.”
On his way back from his lesson, Nick could only think about what had happened earlier today. The smell of so much blood still lingering. He had told Luna and Twilight he found the manticore’s lair, but left out the gruesome details. He did wonder whose blood that was, however. Nopony in Ponyville had gone missing, so what exactly had the manticore killed? Maybe it was one of the Everfree’s various wildlife, the non dangerous kind.
With all of his contemplation, Nick didn’t realize he was already at the castle. Sighing, he opened the doors, took off his bag and set about preparing dinner. After eating, Nick headed to the library to see if there were any accounts on the manticore and if there were any weaknesses he could exploit. Finding an anthology of creatures from the Everfree, he found the section he needed. Sadly there was no information concerning the beast, only a description of it and where it had been spotted. According to the book, some of the servants of this castle had stories of how they could hear the manticore’s roars at night, and some reports of the disappearances of guards who had gone on patrol.
“That’s it,” Nick spat, his search yielding nothing but growing hatred for the manticore, completely removing any previous fear he had. “Tomorrow, the manticore’s bloodshed ends.”