//------------------------------//
// Episode 2: New Endeavors of a Nightmare - Part Six 
// Story: All is for my Princess 
// by Hoppa_21 
//------------------------------//

It took me quite some time to locate the Princess, meaning it took me the whole day. I was running left and right, through the whole town, the edge of the forest, even going as far as into the Everfree, but if she didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t be found.

One good thing happened during my search though, I grew.

And not only in strength let me tell you. As the hydra was defeated with Magichange this meant of course EXP for not only the Princess but also for me, giving me precious levels and also making my body grow from puppy-size a bit more than thrice my size. So I was now bigger than a husky. I was quite sure that I will be back into my old body after defeating one more opponent as this much to my relief. Of course the same thing was applying to the Princess. She would have gotten a growth spurt as well.

Not that it alleviated my worries for her as my search came up empty. The fact that this monster attack might have been a veiled assassination attempt also set my worry ablaze.

Only when it was that she had raised the moon did I manage to find her by locating her magical signature. With that I could finally zoom in on her. She was rather slippery like that when she wanted to be.

Some might view this as a contradiction of course since how can someone give brutal blows while at the same time being stealthy? Well, the Princess can. Her main attributes lie in her ATK, SPD, but also INT, in case she is fighting anything that needs to be subjected to her magical might to be defeated.

It didn’t take long to get to some apple orchards and to a hill I could see the Princess reside. It was a rather isolated spot since it was close to the Everfree, but despite that it had a beautiful outlook on her night sky. She had her legs pulled against her body as she seemed lost in thoughts while gazing at her truly breathtaking night.

Despite this distraction the Princess of course immediately noticed my presence as I saw her muscles tense. She was now in the body of a teenager, rather than a filly. Her blue moon-themed dress had grown with her level up, signifying that the Harmony Magic at least was somewhat accommodating to her needs, despite that truly abhorrent drain it set on her. And yes, the dress is not hindering her performance seeing as it is wide enough down there so that the Princess can do an unimpeded sprint. Though I will make sure that she will wear something more suitable for the battles to come.

As I finally came within reach I couldn’t help a slight smile gracing my muzzle.

“It seems that I have finally found you,” I said with a bit of relief, “You shouldn’t run off on your own Princess. Like the hydra attack has shown it is quite dangerous. I am rather sure that this attack was a rather flimsily planned assassination attempt. But who knows what our adversaries might try next?”

However, then I noticed that the Princess was still not facing me and looked quite nervous.

“Princess, is something wrong?” I asked with palpable concern. Of course I knew something was wrong, but that was for the Princess to tell and for me to listen to.

She flinched at my words, confirming my suspicions. It took her a moment to actually pull herself together and face my concerned stare with determination.

“We no longer desire to be feared, Fenrich!”

This outburst made me reel back a bit in surprise before I eyed the mare with confusion, “…Wait. What do you mean Princess?”

She pulled her legs tighter to her body, as her eyes misted with unshed tears. Her entire body was trembling which worried me greatly.

“You know that you can talk to me about everything Princess. I won’t leave your side.”

This seemed to make her perk up, but she still couldn’t help but twiddle with her fingers a bit.

“We-, sorry Fenrich, but… we desire to be…loved again. And we still know how that turned out the last time…but…we simply can’t take it anymore! Didst you see how these ponies looked at us?! Like we art some woodland monster! Even though we hath just saved all of their lifes! And we just…” she forced out agitated as she looked at the sky longingly.

“Don’t we deserve to be loved?” A dejected sigh escaped her. “We art truly sorry…” she said as she lowered her head again.

“You don’t have to apologize Princess!” I instantly said shoving my surprise by her decision to the side, “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have assumed that you wanted to continue your reign of terror. Especially with how you were reacting I should have noticed this sooner!”

She shook her head before she looked up at the beautiful night sky again.

“I know how much you want me to outshine all the others. To be the ruler of this country, nay, the entire world. To be the greatest being in this universe and beyond. …Maybe you should aid another being more suitable for this honor.”

I was taken aback by this rather uncharacteristic claim. Just to think how she didn’t think herself worthy of my goals, my ambitions. Not to mention the thoughts of who exactly planted the seeds of doubt inside her.

It made my blood boil.

Of course I knew aggression wouldn’t solve this problem. So I tried a different approach.

“What do you mean? You are the greatest being in the universe and no mare would deserve this honor more than you. Who did after all slay Smaug, the brother of the Dragon Lord as this foul creature wanted to lay waste to all of Equestria?”

“Well…us.”

I nodded approvingly, “Or who did arrest the world famous thief Fingersmith Flash.”

“We…might have done this.”

“Or don’t forget that one time there you faced the mighty Fist of Baal to protect me from certain death.”

At this point the Princess couldn’t help the light blush that was covering her dark cheeks from having all of her achievements being listed that bluntly. She even turned her head away from me shyly making me almost swoon from her godlike humble posture.

‘Time to hammer the point in.’

“See? I said this once and I will say it again: All is for my Princess. If you wish me to I will go to the depths of Tartarus, or even go as far as to…aid you in a popularity contest. Even though I hope you won’t go this far.”

This actually made Luna giggle. The melodious sound of her amusement echoed through the night, making me smile slightly. She then smirked at me.

“Nay. we think we art not that desperate YET,” she said before looking back to the full moon and the perfect night sky she created.

She simply looked at it serenely, seemingly at ease as if a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. It took her a minute before she spoke up again. This time it was barely above a whisper.

“…Thank you for being my friend.”

I bowed my head demurely before I sat down next to her as we enjoyed the night.

Planning could wait until tomorrow. All that was important now was to be there for her. Considering she was alone for a thousand years she really seemed to have missed the company. Especially in a world which must seem so strange to her. A thousand years have passed. Many ponies are not around anymore and I seem to be the one pillar she thinks to have left.

I am an idiot for not seeing this in her plea on that fateful night she returned. She stated so herself after all. She stated that I was the only friend she had left.

The Princess then suddenly scooted closer and our sides pressed against each other, making me tense slightly at this foreign body warmth. It was also a reminder for myself about how long I haven’t served under her. The Princess of course was regale and majestic in front of the public. But she also had this other more affectionate side of hers which only her best friends ever saw.

A friend I have to be for her. I swore fealty to her. By the moon. I was going to serve her in any way necessary. And together we would see through this hardships the Sun Witch will surely provide us with.

After all, all is for my Princess.





Not far away from the two, a mare was watching the scene with baited breath and she could barely suppress the ‘squee’ that escaped her.






Somewhere else…




It was dark. A dark tall hall which was aligned like a throne room and craved out of stone and crystal. Brilliant blue glowing crystals shimmered on the pillars which lined the hall giving the room a weak blue glow. Many didn’t know about this place, or have forgotten about it over time. But there was a group who didn’t forget. A group or especially one being that would never forget.

Said beings fur shimmered in the aforementioned light the crystals emitted. It seemed to have a white sheen to it. Not many could tell it from the distance or with this lighting, since it rather screwed around with the color perception.

Before this mysterious being kneeled another one in a low bow of respect.

“So, is it true? Did you really fail that miserably?” the being on the throne asked in an aggressive tone, making the one before give a nervous chuckle.

“Well… Failing is such a hard word. Let’s rather say… I have postponed the date of success a bit.”

“Oh, is that so? Then you call using a hydra amongst a crowd of ponies a subtle way of approaching this matter? The best possible solution to rid ourselves of this occurring hindrance?”

“I, um, well… You see…”

A furred hand met a face in a rather annoyed facepalm.

“Sometimes I wonder why I actually accepted you into my services, if you can’t seem to fulfil a simple assassination request. But enough of that. I have another mission for you which might be more befitting of your skill set. And of course this time I won’t accept failure.”

“Of course!”

A small grin appeared on the beings face.

“Good. Now listen closely, because it seems my plans will finally come to fruition with these new information I hold...“


~END~