//------------------------------//
// I Came...And Am... 
// Story: An Aeternian's Conviction 
// by The Real Darkness 
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"So, you mentioned telling me about your childhood?" The two had begun dinner on the balcony of Celestia's room, a dining table and two chairs present with a feast prepared before them.

The cherry wine cask was between both of them.

"My childhood is...confusing. I was raised in the temple by the priests and that's why some say I had the chance to become the best mage in Aeternia. They argued I squandered it to become a Scout."

"Why did you become a Scout?"

"To be closer to what my parents were, close to who I was told they were. When I became a Scout, the Sacred Stars aligned for that specific day and my weapon was dipped within the sacred volcano under the temple. Then the same people who said I squandered beign a Scout said it was ordained and that I would rise to the sky and bring our heroes back home."

"That's an incredible burden to have."

"Learning godhood magic didn't make it any easier, the priests let it be know that I learned them surprisingly fast."

Celestia inhaled deeply as she cleared her mouth of food, "who were your parents?"

"Nobody knows, but everyone suspected I came from the heroes."

Celestia stopped sipping water, "what? How can you have eight parents?"

"I don't know, but that found me as a baby, coming out of the magma of the volcano under the temple, completely unharmed on a night that all Destiny Stars were over top the temple. Some people even recall seing a beam descending."

"And even I firmly believe that I am Starborn."

Celestia went quiet.

"It's a secret I didn't want to tell you at first because it's caused many people to flee from me or come begging to me like I was some kind of god."

"That's a sound reason. I don't intend to tell anypony."

"But I just know there is truth to their words and I've made it my life goal to be as strong as they were so I might launch myself and find a truth to my life."

"That truth may be closer than you think, Art."

"I appreciate your hopeful thinking, Celly."

Arctus had been swiftly eating between his sentences, but now began to devour the food with real hunger. He did miss lunch today and tomorrow came with new challenges.

Once their food was eaten, Arctus picked up the wine cask, "Celly, let's...let's go somewhere else."

"Hmm? Where were you thinking?"

"I have a place in mind," he grabbed her hoof and pulled her to stand on her hind legs while he rubbed the wards of his boots.

"Where...where are we going?"

"You just hold on as tight as you can," her grip tightened severely, "Yetrema, lend me your legs so that I may run an errand just as great as your warning to the Council of Stars," he spoke aloud and a single star in the night sky appeared, bright red dazzling out of the sea of white specs. The same red glow came off his feet.

"Don't let go."

He zipped down the castle wall, pulling Celestia along who eventually grabbed his hand with both hooves as he then sprinted through Canterlot at such a blinding speed not a single pony could see him, but only feel the effects. It was a matter of three minutes until he came back to the clearing in his forest once more.

And the loud creatures, upon his presence, quickly died down and became silent.

"H-here?"

"I could think of no place more private," he moved aside the moss covering, letting Celestia down first before he followed and sealed it.

The Scout moved past her, brushing their bodies firmly as he went around and lit the candles still there with the matches he kept. The earthy room was lit, not as bright as the castle, but it would do. Arctus went to his lover, taking her hooves gently and watching red grace her cheeks as he gently led her to the bed and then onto him.

"Even though this forest is vicious, this haven is very comforting," Celestia spoke, looking down at Arctus.

"It's been a long time since I've been here. Maybe it was fate that I would follow you out of the forest."

Celestia giggled, "nopony has ever taken me on such a spontaneous trip, it feels kind of...taboo."

"I, um, don't know your traditions, but isn't our relationship taboo?"

"Some of ponykind consider it that, but I pay them no heed."

"Then...let's continue being wrong in others' eyes," and they embraced at his words.





That morning, Equestria was a little jumbled, its ruler was gone until mid day as Arctus and Celestia didn't really want to return to normal life for a long while, and once they did, they refused any train, any use of wings, and chose to get their with their owns limbs.

"I know you'll likely be busy taking care of everything Equestria needs you for, but I enjoy our time together."

Celestia smiled, "thank you, Art. I do, too. I only wished we had more of it. Do you think..."

"Something troubling you? Do you have a request for me?"

"No no, I'll discuss on it later, after you finish your mssion to the Griffons and the Dragon Lands," they came out of the tunnel to Canterlot and went back to the castle together, standing just as close as they usually did, earning stares and the occassional grimace directed to Arctus.

"Princess Celestia! We've been looking all over-. Oh," Shining Armor who had burst through the gates began to laugh, "that explains where you were," and he went back up to the castle in front of them, "I'll start putting out some fires."





With a wonderful night and morning behind him, Arctus was in the library, studying away on any information he could about dragons and griffons. He walked about while reading, stepping through the large library.

"Oh, you're here? What are you studying?" Twilight had come to him.

"Griffons and dragons to prepare for my next outting."

"You're going that far from Equestria?!"

"Y-yeah. I suppose it would seem a bit odd to someone who has lived their life here without seeing the sights. Maybe one day you can travel this world like I have," his eyes didn't leave the page.

"Uuuuh, I don't knooow. Books are kinda all I need to learn about everything else."

"Twilight," he partially closed the book, squatting low to meet her at her eye level, "never underestimate the lessons that only your unique experiences can teach you. Everyone learns very special lessons and information that way."

She looked at him with curiousity, "what have you learned?"

He stood, looking back to the book, "this world is ever growing, it's so large. There are those with strong hearts and forged minds in places you'd never expect. Love can be in forms you won't recognize at first," he looked back to the filly, "and anyone, anything, anypony is capable of strength more than you."

Twilight was staring up at him, now in confusion, "you may not understand these words until you are older."

"Adults are weeeeird," she trotted away and left him to his research, learning of recent griffon history.

"Their kingdom fell from grace? Sounds like the work of a half-assed scout," he continued reading, "over an idol. Greed is something I can manipulate easily enough."

He eventually finished the small book he was in, returning it and scoured the library for any new information on the dragons, but could not find anything, "I suppose visitors end up dead."

But that left a guaranteed problem...how he would reach it over the ocean. He could hire someone to take him, but that comes with the problem of finding someone to take a royal consort across the ocean and then to the Dragon Lands.

So he would need to make a boat and ensure he had a way of finding food afterwards. He eventually sided with making his own small boat to make it there himself, something he could hide. Toss under rocks or cover with some seaweed. That meant he needed a clean sweep or a perfect plan and he had neither.

There was nothing in the library on dragons, so he assumed they would be similar to Aeternian dragons, varying limbs and abilities. His dragons were wiped extinct though there were circulations about whether raising one for war wasviable.

Even though the beasts had been all slain and they had the bones to prove it.

Arctus did know he'd need some new arms, so he quickly left the library and headed into the city





It was late afternoon by the time he arrived closer to the mountain side, the industrial area of Canterlot. The moment he arrived there were already shouts hailing his entrance and a lot of smiths, fltechers, and other craftsponies made there way out of their shops and to him.

"This...this is the first visit you've made down here. Is everything we've sent to the castle to your liking?" One of the older smiths asked.

"Yes, your quality is good, I am to make a request in person. I need a greatsword forged, use whatever you can to depict it, I know such a weapon hasn't been used since the Castle of the Twin Sisters, but reference drawings and any illustrations you can use."

Many of the smiths were trotting away, "please make it come to my shoulder in length and able to be holstered without a sheath on my back, a thicker blade as I need it to hack with a fine point to it, durable, something that can withstand a lot of force."

"And fletchers, I'd like the same pony who fletched my large arrows to work with a smith and create an arrow with serrations and hooks so it stay in firm once its been lodged. A metal shaft so I can reclaim it and continue to use it, with feather fletching if you can manage."

Most of the craftsponies were gone and only four smiths remained, three seasoned and one young pony with a rather cocky smile.

Arctus did not understand why they crowded them like they had, but it was efficient nonetheless, "think of it as a competition," he looked to the remaining trade practitioners, "I'll be paying whoever gives me the most quality product for my upcoming assignment."

And he left and quickly as he came.