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// 19 Bitterly Grateful 
// Story: Knowledge is Power 
// by hydra30 
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"Do not despair, my champion," replied Hermaeus Mora, everyone giving him and Twilight confused looks. "While your inability to overcome the changelings was unfortunate, I am not displeased by it."

"But why?" asked Twilight regretfully, Cadance looking down at her in worry. "You warned me before I challenged Chrysalis that I might not be ready to face her, that I might need to be stronger."

"That is true," said Hermaeus Mora, "But in all honesty, which I am sure your earth pony friend here will appreciate..."

Applejack shot an annoyed expression to the hovering form of tentacles.

"Your victory was never my primary concern."

"What?" asked Twilight, a look of great confusion and surprise on her face. "Then why did you bestow upon me the power of the Thu'um in the first place?"

"I am curious as well," said Luna, her look of wonder now a look of confusion. "Why did you assist, if not for Twilight to prevail herself, without intervening like you did?"

"The invasion and threat of the Changeling Queen was something I have only recently been able to become aware of, and when I did, it was the perfect opportunity to perform the first test in the experiment I have been devising since my first encounter with Twilight, so long ago."

"And what experiment would that be?" Questioned Shining Armour, still holding up the force field with the false hope of protecting them all from the larger tendrils that still hung above them.

"If you truly wish to know what my motives are, I shall indulge you."

Twilight was once again intrigued to hear what Hermaeus Mora had to say. Her friends obviously thought the same, for none were making a move to interrupt.

"My sole reason for all I have been doing thus far, has been to see how well magic users of this land take to the magic of my world."

"I don't understand," said Celestia, her and everyone, including Twilight, flabbergasted at the simple reason Hermaeus Mora just gave them. "Does our kingdom mean nothing to you?"

"I have existed for uncountable eons, Princess," said Hermaeus, "In that time I have watched many a kingdom rise up from nothing into a mighty power, only to crumble back into the dust from whence it came for one reason or another. But I have also noticed that the actions of the unique of those empires are told through out history, long after the kingdom they served has ceased to exist. And I would think that the personal student of the ruling power defending her kingdom with foreign magic makes for an unprecedented event in your history." 

All present were stunned silent.

"Ya mean ta say, you did all this just to see what a unicorn can do with some bizarre magic?" asked Applejack, her hat bouncing upon her head in her irritation.

"Our kingdom was in peril, invaded by a treacherous race of insects," Rarity was trying hard not to lose her composure. "Yet you were only concerned with how well Twilight used those spells?"

"Come on, everypony," said Pinkie Pie, everyone looking to her. "What happened was kind of cool."

"I'd say it's scary, Pinkie," snapped Fluttershy, gazing up at the sky, "Not only what Twilight did, but what is happening right now. Those tendrils extruding from those portals could hurt someone."

"Yes indeed," said Celestia, her eyes trailing the tendril in front of her.

"He did save the day in the end, though," said Rainbow Dash, though in a torn voice. "That's gotta count for something."

"Everypony please stop," moaned Twilight before Shining, Spike, and Cadance could jump in, though she herself was a little surprised what was said. "If that was his only motivation, we should be grateful, especially since we owe him so much now."

"He may have saved us from Chrysalis's evil plan, "began Luna, her face showing distrust. "But he endangered you for selfish reasons."

"That's right," said Spike, lowering his head to look at Chrysalis lying just outside of the force field. "And what he did to her was really horrible, sucking out her brains. You wouldn't have done something like that, Twilight."

"Don't be so sure," said Twilight, gaining everypony's attention again. "I was prepared to do anything to ensure you all were safe."

"Which makes you better than that thing already," said Shining Armour, walking up to his sister and his fiance. "You may have gotten these powers from him, but you used them for good."

"Yes Twilight," said Cadance, smiling as her fiance put a loving hoof on her shoulder. "You were the one who found me when Chrysalis imprisoned me."

"How did you know where the real Candace was anyway, darling?" Asked Rarity.

Twilight only lowered her head shamefully.

"I didn't," said Twilight, looking back up at Cadance, who looked confused. "Cadance... it was Hermaeus Mora who saved you, not me."

There was a thick silence that settled over them all.

"Twilight, what do you mean?" Asked Cadance in a hush whisper.

Twilight gave her her undivided attention, her eyes tearing up under her Dragon Aspects.

"After Chrysalis lured you into that trap," began Twilight, her voice heavy with misery. "The cave she sent you to, and later me, was coincidentally the same cave I teleported to randomly all those years ago. The same cave where I encountered Hermaeus Mora for the first time and where he pulled you to safety."

"That can't be true," said Cadance, looking up at the swirling tendrils before her older aunt's."I have never seen that creature before, and the next thing I remember seeing after Chrysalis imprisoned me was waking up in the ceremony hall, which everypony said 'you' brought me."

"But before that..." Twilight explained, looking to Hermaeus Mora with a combination of gratitude and worry. "You were under his care, kept in a sleepless slumber so your injured body wouldn't make you suffer...till I could mount a defense against Chrysalis."

"It was you?" Asked Luna cautiously, looking to Hermaeus. "The spell I lifted from Cadance was unlike any I had seen. You placed it on her?"

"It was... necessary..." said Hermaeus Mora, "Though I must commend you for lifting my enchantment, Luna of the moon, I was not aware anything could interfere with a Daedric Prince's actions as thoroughly as you did."

"But why?" asked Cadance. "If you did indeed save me, why did you put me under that sleep spell."

"Because," said Twilight, gaining attention again. "He hid you in his realm, where Chrysalis could not find you, and without that sleep spell, you would have gone mad."

Everypony and dragon shot her a look of confusion.

"Apocrypha..." explained Hermaeus Mora, all looking to him again, "My realm, my domain, what people who know of Daedric Princes call a Plane of Oblivion, can only be accessed by those of intellectual minds. Anything else will be driven mad shortly after entry."

"Plane of Oblivion?" inquired Applejack, Fluttershy cowering at the words. "Ominous much?"

"So you brought my little sis and my fiance to this place?" Asked Shining Armour with fury, "What kind of monster are you?"

"No Shining," said Twilight, "Don't..."

"I don't care what kind of creature this Hermaeus Mora is," said Princess Celestia, "He did horrible things, taking you and Cadance from us and keeping you in an obviously dangerous place."

"Your student is more than intelligent enough to withstand the effects of my realm, Celestia of the sun," explained Hermaeus Mora, still with a neutral tone. "And my sleep spell kept Cadance safe long enough for Twilight to return her here, as well as heal the injuries she sustained while in imprisonment."

"You healed me?" asked Cadance, looking down to Twilight in her hooves. "I was wondering why I wasn't injured after I fell down that incline in the cave."

Twilight smiled up at her, her first smile in a while, "I used the same spell I used to heal myself after I used Spikes dragon fire to free myself."

Everyone cringed as the brief image of how Twilight looked after that registered in their memories.

"I am sorry about that Spike," said Twilight, giving her assistant an apologetic look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Twilight," said the small reptile, rubbing his stomach. "I was more concerned about you."

"I gotta say," said Rainbow Dash, flapping over the huddled group. "That took guts, freeing yourself like that."

"Yeah, it did," said Applejack, taking off her ever present hat respectively. "Not sure if I would have gone that far."

"I must thank you for what you did, Twilight," said Fluttershy, leaning in to Twilight's closest cheek, nuzzling her as the purple unicorn felt a dampness that could only be tears. "That evil monster would have done horrible things to me, had you not done what you did."

"I concur," said Rarity, tear's streaming her already ruined mascara. "I shudder to think what that brute would have done had it not been for you."

"Yes indeedily!" Said Pinkie Pie, "I actually almost forgot what went down before Hermy showed up. You really saved our rumps Twilight, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart..."

"Yes, thank you, little sis," said Shining Armour. "We, and all of Equestria owe you our lives.

The princesses rejoined the group, bowing their heads respectively to the exhausted unicorn, her transparent dragon armor glistening in the red daylight.

Twilight felt such gratitude to be before them all, once again having their love, she could not help but shed tear's. The gratitude they had for her was irrelevant, what matters is they all were here, by her side, no anger or hatred. She would gladly spend more time within Apocrypha to have this back.

But one thing needed to be corrected on their parts.

"Everyone," said Twilight, giving them all a tearstained look said Fluttershy stopped nuzzling her to look at her with everyone else. "There is another who deserves recognition for Equestria's safety."

She brought her gaze to Hermaeus Mora again.

"But Twilight, that thing..." Twilight interrupted Applejack.

"He may have done it for himself," started Twilight, looking serious. "That doesn't change the fact that he saved us. I stopped most of Chrysalis' army, but Hermaeus Mora put a stop to her and her plans."

"I have to admit that she is right," said Princess Luna, shocking everyone when she approached Hermaeus Mora again and bowed to him. "On behalf of myself and my kingdom, I thank you, Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora, for aiding us in our time of need."

Celestia shot her sister a disbelieving look. Luna had always been the one of the two of them least inclined to bow to anything, regardless of what it was. It made no sense to the alabaster alicorn that her sister would do so now, even though what was before them was unlike anything ever encountered.

But her sister gave her a look over her shoulder gesturing her muzzle to her now blank flank.

Celestia silently gasped, looking to her own white unmarked rump. She had nearly forgotten that this thing had taken control of the sun and moon from them without taking it directly from them. She still did not trust this thing, but she had to proceed with caution.

For if Hermaeus Mora could wield the sun and moon, the most advanced form of magic know to all of ponykind, like toys, what else was he capable of? And what Twilight said had a grain of truth to it. Hermaeus Mora had not acted aggressively to them yet, and from the looks of it, if he wants he could destroy them all.

So it was with a bitter taste in her mouth that she joined her sister in bowing respectfully.

"Yes, Hermaeus Mora," she almost moaned. "You saved my kingdom and my subjects. Please forgive our outward hostility to you when we first conversed."

Twilight's friends and brother all dropped their mouths open.

"It is understandable," said Hermaeus Mora, "I am unlike anything you have encountered... It will be awhile before your subjects become... accustomed to my presence."

"Is this necessary?" asked Celestia, "Must you make your presence known in my kingdom?"

"As I have said before," said Hermaeus Mora, a slight serious edge. "It has been my nature to seek knowledge since the moment of my birth. This will be the first time I have ever had access to knowledge from a different world. I intend to take full advantage."

"You won't hurt anyone will you?" asked Cadance worriedly, all present agreeing in their own way, whether be it worry or aggression.

"You need not worry, Princess of Love. I have no need to cause harm...as long as none interfere with my gathering of knowledge, I shall not spread my wrath."

"We are to just hoof it over to you?" said Luna.

"Not entirely," said Hermaeus Mora, "All knowledge has its price, even for me...if you allow me to partake in your knowledge... I will share mine with you...as well."

"And you believe we would be interested in this?" Asked Celestia.

"You saw what your student accomplished with the Thu'um," explained Hermaeus Mora, "That is a mere fraction of what could be gleaned from my library."

"That is hardly the same as knowledge," said Celestia, "You merely bestowed those powers upon her."

There was a moment of silence, then Hermaeus Mora and Twilight both started chuckling.

"Twilight," scolded Rarity to her fellow unicorn. "Why are you laughing at the princess, it is not proper."

"Yeah, Twilight," said Pinkie, looking annoyed for the first time in awhile.

"Oh girls," said Twilight, fixing them a sad smile. "You have no idea..."

All present only looked on in confusion.

"The power of the Thu'um can not be simply handed to anyone...mostly," said Hermaeus Mora, "It can only be obtained through study and dedication."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Celestia. "You only re-met Twilight a few hours ago."

"A few hours...in your world!"

"I don't like the sound of that," said Applejack, her honest nature telling her there was something going on.

"Let me clarify...young one..." said Hermaeus Mora, his eye on Applejack, who could not suppress a shudder. "After that false queen drove her wedge between you all...she sent Twilight to the cave beneath your capital...were she met me... and I brought her to my world... and I provided her with the time she would need to study the Thu'um."

"I don't like where this is going," said Rarity.

"What he means girls," said Twilight in a sad expression. "Hermaeus Mora can control the time flow in his world... So when less than a heartbeat passed in Equestria, enough time elapsed in Apocrypha for me to study the Thu'um."

Celestia gave a panicked looking.

"And, how long was that?" She asked.

"I don't know," said Twilight, looking down in regret.

"If it means so much to all of you, she spent the equivalent of fifteen of your years in Apocrypha."