//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: A Surprise Party? // Story: Canterlot, The Rising Phoenix // by InvaderSplorch //------------------------------// "Must you always embrace me like this?" Yang questioned bashfully. "I will stop this little "act" when you grow a pair and tell me to stop," Chrysalis replied nuzzling her face next to his. "Oh, would you stop it!?" "Oh? Are we becoming slightly agitated?" she coyly asked. "Yes, very much so!" Yang retorted. "I like it when a prey fights back; It's no fun when they just surrender. Show some humility fool! After all, who rescued you from being frozen in crystal?" "You did," he replied with a sigh. "And who took the liberty of staying with you until you felt better?" "You did..." he answered again. "So, why can't I just toy with you like this? After all, you're my plaything now, and I intend to do whatever I want with my toys," she whispered in his ears. Yang immediately became flustered by this act. He could feel her soft whispers patting against his ears, the melody softly lulling him into a quiet sleep. He knew, though, this was all an act and she would pounce on him the second he let his guard down. It felt like he was a fly that continued to fly into the same spiderweb in hopes of being tormented. This little play she put on every time he arrived home became a part of his life. He rather enjoyed playing the fool that continued to be swayed by the ever enchanting siren. She continued to toy with him as he felt his face become warm and hot. "Yes, just like that. I only need to arouse you a little more," she whispered, licking the back of his neck. Have I always enjoyed this? Yang thought. What would Luna think if she saw me like this? The question is why can't I resist? Arrgghh, it's so damn frustrating! he mulled over and over again, his breath becoming deeper and heavy. He could feel the weight of Chrysalis on top of him, as she continued to arouse him in order to feed off of him more. "It's time for dinner," Chrysalis replied. She opened her jaw and began absorbing all the love that Yang had encountered earlier in the day. Her horn illuminated a vibrant neon green as the love from Yang quickly flowed into Chrysalis's throat. The pink mist of love energy continued to be drained from Yang's body as he just laid there, unnerved by this strange process. He could hear the audible closing and opening of the esophagus directly behind him as she continued to lap up every bit of love in his body. As this continued, Yang started to wince at an immediate pain. White energy started to flow from his body into Chrysalis, sapping his strength and stamina. "Ow! Stop, Chrysalis, that's enough!" he shouted in-between breaths. She quickly stopped draining the white essence from his body as Yang panted trying to catch his breath. "You need to learn moderation, Chrysalis. You go too far every time, absorbing some of my magic with the love. You realize I do need this white color just to fool those imbeciles, right? Without this white in my coat, they will start to suspect that I am creating trouble somewhere else. You may have some of the energy, but not all of it!" Yang demanded firmly. "Oh, I may have some? You really are too kind, Yang. And here I thought you didn't like me," she teased coyly. "Well, you did save me, so I owe you my life after all." "Hmm, I wonder..." "What are you planning?" he asked, turning his head. "Nothing, my dear, I just thought of an idea for the future." "Chrysalis...." he replied with warning in his tone. "What?" she replied, lifting her body off of Yang's. "I know how you act." "Oh, do you now? You know when I was going to stop? You assumed I wouldn't continue? You don't know me, Yang. You may think you do, but you really are in the dark about my decisions. I could let you in on my thinking but that would require you to enter my thoughts and see things through my skin. Although, Yang, I wouldn't mind that," she purred back to Yang over her shoulder. She simply strutted away into the darkness, leaving Yang with a dumbfounded look on his face. If Discord was present, he'd repeat his old joke of literally picking Yang's jaw up off the floor. With this thought, Yang snapped his jaw shut and slowly turned his head towards the wall in front of him, hoping his lower head would stop being so excited and calm down. Yang continued to sit on the floor staring at the wooden wall in front of him as he regained his composure. He couldn't believe that Chrysalis had once again gotten the best of him. She merely played with him in order to get a reaction out of him. Yang continued to replay the images of Chrysalis descending upon his slim frame over and over again. He felt his face and lower body become hot again and quickly decided to stop thinking of this occurrence. He raised himself from the floor, climbed the broken, worn down wooden staircase, and saw the short, desolate hallway. There were only two rooms on this floor: Yang's bedroom and storage room. Yang walked down the short hallway and came across both rooms. However, the storage room had nails hammered into boards, the only access point completely off-limits to everyone. Yang let out a small sigh as he entered his bedroom, his heart heavy and saddened by the past memories of his house. Yang's bedroom was almost bare. The only things still in normal condition were the simple futon mattress and the candle on top of his desk. The desk itself wasn't lavish at all, just simply an empty wooden crate he found in an alley. The mirror he had off to the side of his bed was shattered and broken, a somber reminder at how broken and isolated his life used to be. Yang simply plopped himself on the mattress and tried to fall asleep. He simply pushed his face into the mattress, trying to block out the memories of his past. He knew he couldn't run from them. It was only a matter of time before those memories would reach Yang and cause more anxiety. Yang hoped that tomorrow would be better and that he could dig up more info about the city and its weak spots. A sudden anger rose in him as he thought about Canterlot and its inhabitants. This, in turn, made him think about Princess Celestia. "Celestia..." Yang muttered before he drifted off to sleep. Yang awoke to the sound of chirping birds and the hissing sound of cicadas. He stayed still on the bed as he wondered why he didn't wake up in the middle of the night freezing cold. It was becoming autumn outside and the weather in the Everfree Forest was harsh. Autumn's sudden climate change caused Yang to wake up shivering and cold in the middle of the night. He didn't have any insulation or warming material for himself; the only heat he had was himself and a ratted, torn blanket. Now, it seemed that he was perfectly warm and comfortable. Yang's thought process was still groggy and scattered as he tried to get up. He felt another presence on top of his body. He moved his eyes down to his shoulder where he saw a black holed out foreleg. Another foreleg was on top of his waist, the black hooves intertwined with his own. He felt a warm, slow breathing on the base of his neck. With each release of hot air, his body swooned to this new feeling of enjoyment. His body started to gradually become used to the sensation as he enjoyed this new form of relaxation. He started to savor the warmth that trickled throughout his body. He slightly turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eyes to see another pony in his bed. "Oh, it's just Chrysalis," Yang said. "Wait, CHRYSALIS!?!" he shouted, jumping up from the bed. "Mmmmm, is it morning already?" replied a yawning Chrysalis. "WHAT are you doing in my bed?!" Yang shouted again. "Lower your voice, you're going to wake up the whole forest," she replied. "You. Are. In. My. Bed. Why are you in my bed, Chrysalis?" asked Yang. "You were cold, that's all," she replied. "Cold?" "After you suddenly disappeared, I tried to look for you.....for about two minutes. I laid on your sofa, but it's broken. Honestly, your house is awful. So, I thought maybe you were in a nicer room. I went up here and saw the two doors. Well since one of them is boarded up, I entered this room to find you shivering like a cold little puppy. In good conscience, I just can't watch my little toy freeze to death, can I? It's ironic, Yang. In the past, I would've just deceived you, taken control of your body, and slowly chipped away at your life essence. However, when you first brought me here, things have changed," she said, stretching out her legs. "They've changed?" Yang said tilting his head sideways. "Yes, things have changed; I expected some nice house, fancy clothes, and expensive furniture. But your living style reflects your struggles, Yang. You were not liked by many, were you?" she asked. Yang sat on the hard wooden floor and shut his eyes. All of the past ordeals he faced flooded his mind. All of the talking behind his back, all of the awkward glances, and the raid on his house made Yang flush with anger. He felt the warmth of his cheeks burn hot and a small, single stream fall from his eyes. "Are you crying?" she asked. Yang didn't respond; He simply shook his head and grunted. "It's alright if you are....crying, that is. I have done this action many times in my past. You have no idea how difficult it is to raise young changelings while trying to be a member of society. After I figured out that I was Queen of these changelings, a new role welled up within me; The role of responsibility. I had to stop worrying about appearances and being liked by the populace. I had young mouths to feed and I was the only one to provide. I didn't even have any help in this task; I had to raise an entire army by myself. I did have a...loved one at one time," she said, as she jumped off the bed. "You did?" "Yes, but, he didn't know my true form. "You were disguised the whole time." "Well, I was in disguise for a little while. I purposely hid it from him so he wouldn't run away." "Why would you think that he would run away?" "Honestly, you are so naive. Everything about you is naive. Your personality, your intelligence, and even your questions are full of your blatant disregard of the world around you," Chrysalis said. "You may think I am naive, but perhaps it is you," replied Yang. "Me? Me, naive? Ahahaha, you have some nerve to call me naive. If it wasn't for me you would still be stuck in that ill-forsaken crystal." "You bring that up every chance you get, but this is not the time nor place to discuss that event! Now then, why would you believe him to reject you?" "LOOK AT ME! What do you see? I sit before you as not a pony, not as a pegasus, not even an alicorn; I'm a pegacorn, a rejected race among the pony family. So, I held my true form from him. I hoped he would trust me and like me for me, but...it didn't turn out so well." "He immediately rejected you. That's a shame." "Quite so. He said, 'I've never seen such a befoul and horrid creature in my life. Not only did you lie to me, but this form of yours is rather hideous and repulsive.' After that, I just felt completely shattered like a broken porcelain doll." Chrysalis lowered her head for a brief moment as she struggled to retain her dignity and poise in front of Yang. After a silent moment, she raised it again to see him waiting politely as she maintained the image of a strong queen. "I'm sorry he said that to you. No pony should ever have to be treated like that in their life," said Yang. "Don't be," replied Chrysalis. "After all, I felt completely alone and heartbroken. You know what happens after you break a maiden's heart? She becomes inconsolable, and no matter what, nothing can quell her rage. So, in my rebuttal, I simply drained him dry, life essence and all." Yang's pupils dilated in fear upon this sudden news. He became concerned upon whether she would do this to him later on in his life. "Hmmm, you seem to be disturbed by this news, Yang. Are you afraid of me? Do you detest me? Do you want to end my life and return home a hero in the eyes of all the citizens there?" Chrysalis questioned, her horn humming with a neon green light as she slowly stepped towards him. "No," was the simple, but quick reply from the stallion sitting before this frightening Queen. "No, I will never kill you. After all, those people turned their backs on me," Yang said standing up and walking down the stairs. "What did they do?" Chrysalis answered, following Yang down the stairs and outside the house. "My house here is a constant reminder of what happened. An outsider a 1,000 years ago was considered a plague, a disease upon all of Canterlot. Since Discord was an outsider, the townsfolk considered all foreigners to be like him: nasty, deceitful, and wicked towards other people. So, the people started to avoid me. Slowly, but surely, they started to whisper things behind my back, angry glares filled my days, and the constant avoidance by the people brought me to the brink. I couldn't stand it anymore. What had I done wrong to them? I was simply here to make a living and lead a normal life," said Yang. "Well, I can relate to the avoidance part," said Chrysalis. "That wasn't the worst part. I had left town on an errand for Celestia. During that time, some of the townsfolk decided to release their hatred towards Discord and foreigners currently living in the city. So, they devised a plan to ransack my house. I returned home after finishing the errand to find that most of my possessions had either been stolen or destroyed. My photos from my colthood had been set ablaze in a small waste basket. Those photos described who I was and how I came to be. Destroying those was like ripping a small hole in my chest. I felt so incredibly frustrated and this feeling of despair filled my mind. I didn't know what to do but just sit there, staring at my wrecked home," explained Yang. The memories of the past continued to be on an endless loop within Yang's mind. Every detail and painstaking moment repeated itself over and over in his cranium as he stared into the forest. The sound of birds tweeting and calling to each other continued to fill the air as the two of them stood side by side. Chrysalis knew the pain of being alone, and Yang knew the feeling of avoidance and being a plague to society. Yang stood there as his eyes narrowed, a fiery rage burning in his belly. "Hey," a voice called out. "Those damn..." "Hey," the voice called out softly. "They'll pay for this. They'll all..." Yang could only say this much as he felt an aggressive force penetrate his mouth. It was a warm feeling as he felt the rough sensation of Chrysalis's tongue play with his. Yang's head started to go white as this feeling of acceptance was one that he had not been used to. He answered this sudden kiss with an embrace of his body with Chrysalis's. Their two bodies mingled with one another as time seemed to stop before their eyes. Yang slowly withdrew his mouth from hers, his body quivering and shaking from excitement and fear of what was to come in the future. "You finally stopped talking," said Chrysalis. "You....me....you....tongue," replied Yang as he stumbled over his words. Chrysalis gave a girly chuckle as she smiled happily. "You seem rather taken aback by just a kiss. I mean, I can see that you're....ummmm...excited," she said limply waving one of her hooves at Yang's nether region as she turned her head away in embarrassment. Yang looked down and realized that his stallion-hood had become focused and ready for work. Yang quickly shifted his body to conceal it and became dizzy with embarrassment. "D-D-Don't look!" he stuttered. Another small chuckle escaped from Chrysalis's lips. After Yang had adjusted himself, he brushed himself off and took a few steps towards Ponyville. "It seems that you have accepted me for who I am. I'll have to remember that," said Chrysalis. "Now, see what you can learn today, dear. I have to go and feed the young," she said walking deeper into the Everfree Forest. "That's the first time I've seen you smile happily," Yang muttered as he walked towards town. As Yang and Chrysalis had an interesting wake up call, Twilight and her friends were preparing a surprise party for Yang in his return to Ponyville. Twilight had asked Princess Celestia and countless other individuals to help her throw a surprise party for him. Canterlot and Ponyville had come together in a frenzy to decorate both towns in strings of amazing lights and festivities. Ponyville's city hall had an enormous "Welcome Home!" sign hanging from its rafters. There was a walkway that had been constructed with flowers that Fluttershy had been collecting throughout the day. It stretched from the opening of the Everfree Forest into the heart of the town. Thanks to Discord's help, the entire walkway of flowers had been built in seconds flat much to his dismay and whining. This was quickly resolved with a stare and Discord decided to let her have her fun and went along with the act. The arrangement of the flowers spelled out the words "Welcome Home" on both sides of the walkway. Daffodils, purple azaleas, ruby red tulips, and a vast assortment of other combinations made the walkway shine brightly in the ever smiling sun. All of the ponies in Ponyville had gathered near the center of town and awaited the arrival of the guest of honor. However, this party was a surprise party and all of the citizens had hid themselves in scattered places around the center of town. The bridges that connected to the main hall of town had been decorated with festive banners and posters, each one welcoming back a long lost friend. The grass had been mowed perfectly ankle low in order to show off a city that was well endowed and prosperous. The pegasi had cleared the entire sky to make the warm glow of the sun fall faintly on its inhabitants below. The odd thing was despite them clearing the entire sky, a single small desolate cloud hung above city hall. Hiding behind town hall was Twilight and all of her friends, each one excited to show off their town completely...except for Rainbow Dash. She could care less about the city, all she wanted to do was scare some pony half to death. She donned her shadowbolt outfit while chuckling maliciously from the single cloud overhead. "You realize that you won't scare him right?" asked Twilight with a sunny-side down face. "Pee-shaw, I'll scare him until his whole coat goes from black to white!" she said, digging her hooves further into the cloud. "Yes, well, there's one small problem," said Twilight. "And that is?" Rainbow Dash said crossing her forehooves. "You're in a solo cloud right above city hall. Also, there are no other clouds in the sky!" replied Twilight, her forefront hooves flailing wildly about her. The entire sky was clear on this perfect sunny day as Rainbow Dash found one lonely cloud in the crystal blue sky and used it as her camouflage. "Oh...well, he won't notice. Just you wait!" yelled the two yellow eyes poking out from the cloud. "Can't we seem normal for just one day?" Twilight asked herself out loud. "Okie-dokie lokie-pokie!" replied Pinkie Pie as she wheeled her party cannon to Twilight's side. "Pinkie..." groaned a frustrated Twilight. "Every party needs one, Twilight! Why if I didn't bring this, I wouldn't know what to do! I mean how do you have a party without a party cannon? Oooh, can you have a party without a party cannon? I suppose you could, but-" "Please Pinkie, close your cake hole. You're starting to give me a migraine," Twilight said, stuffing her hoof into Pinkie's mouth. A low mumbling came from Pinkie's stuffed mouth as she saluted Twilight and nodded. Twilight removed her slimy hoof from Pinkie's mouth and wiped it on the sweet smelling grass. Everypony around town quietly waited in anticipation for when they would all shout surprise. The tension was as thick as molasses as the townsfolk spotted a dark figure approaching the town. They quietly hid and waited until the figure reached the entrance. The pony donned a black shawl wrapped tightly around its face. Its body was concealed by a long brown piece of fabric, exposing only its hooves. Upon reaching the entrance of the city, the pony stopped and stared at the floating cloud. "A lonely cloud hanging so low? Obviously this is a trap I must forego," it quietly muttered to itself. "Surprise!!!!!" boomed the enthusiastic Rainbow Dash, bolting from her cloud. All the other residents that were hiding followed up with their own surprise as Rainbow Dash continued to hurl herself towards the startled pony. "Aghhh!" cried out the visitor. The scared pony lowered its head as Rainbow Dash flew around it in a dazzle of color, creating different hues of the spectrum. Dash quickly stopped her revolutions around the frightened guest. She merely hovered above the scared pony, uncertain of what to do next. "Wait a minute, you're not Yang," said Rainbow Dash. "Of course I'm not, who you think I be? And who is this Yang, a pony of mystery?" it replied. The pony removed her shawl, revealing two large golden earrings dangling from her ears. Around her neck were large golden rings that were tightly fastened. Her pattern marking had black and white stripes running through her mane and back, revealing her true identity. This pony was not a pony at all, but instead a zebra named Zecora. She was another friend of Twilight Sparkle who lived in the Everfree Forest. "Zecora, it seems you arrived a wee bit late," said an embarrassed Twilight as she approached Zecora. "I received your message Twilight and hurried as fast as I can; But it appears that my tardiness is now at hand," Zecora replied. "Well, at least we still have time," Twilight said. "Time for what?" asked Yang with a confused look on his face. "Time to hide to surprise......You would be here...Perfect," said Twilight with a light face-hoof slap. "Ummm, did I miss something?" asked Yang. "A surprise for you I did ruin; it is because of my own doin'," said Zecora. "And you are?" asked Yang. "Ah, Yang, this is Zecora. Zecora, this is Yang. The surprise party was for him," said Twilight, introducing each pony to one another. "Ah, I see that he was the intended guest. Well, I'll take my leave now; Twilight, you can handle the rest," said Zecora pulling up her hood. Zecora calmly walked away from Twilight as Pinkie Pie tip-toed behind Yang with a party cannon ready to explode. Pinkie winked to Rainbow Dash to signal the surprise attack on Yang. As Dash was still hovering above Yang, Twilight caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash and slowly backed away. "Why are you backing up?" asked Yang. "This is why," chuckled Twilight. "Surprise!!" Rainbow Dash screamed near Yang's ears. "Aaaaaghghghghgh," garbled Yang. Pinkie Pie quickly pulled the string on her party cannon, covering Yang in a full coat of chocolate frosting. Yang started to shake at this sudden onslaught of surprises. All the other ponies shouted their surprise as Yang's eyes darted back and forth furiously. Thoughts of hatred, thoughts of humiliation coursed through his mind. They are mocking me he thought to himself. I see. I'm the joke here. Nothing's changed at all. I'm still the joke! It's so funny! An outsider being accepted? Yang's blood felt like battery acid as it pulsed through his veins. Without realizing it, Yang let out an insane fit of laughter. "See Twilight? He looks so happy! I told you he wouldn't be mad!" said Pinkie. "That's right.....That's right, it's a party!!" shouted Yang. Calm yourself, idiot! If they know your true intentions, then the infiltration will be all for naught Yang thought to himself as he calmed himself and slowed his breathing. "Well, I see you are covered in chocolate, but please let me welcome you to our town. As mayor of this city, I, Mayor Mare, welcome you with open arms to Ponyville!" Mayor Mare said extending one hoof towards town hall. "Your tour guide will be none other than Princess Twilight. Miss Twilight, I'll leave you to the town affairs. Great job everypony! The surprise was executed perfectly!" Mayor Mare boasted while guiding the residents away from Twilight and her friends. "Well, Yang, our first stop will be the Library," said Twilight as she started to walk towards her house. "A library, booo," scowled Rainbow Dash. "Let's do the boring stuff later, Twilight. C'mon Yang, I want to show you Cloudsdale and-" "Well, I don't know if that's a good idea, Rainbow Dash. I mean, he can't even fly," interrupted Spike. "Well, duh, Spike, I know that. I would just give him the elixir to walk on the clouds. Jeeze, Spike, how dunce do you think I am?" replied Rainbow Dash. An awkward silence passed through the group of friends as a tumbleweed slowly passed behind them. "Awwwkwarrrddd," mumbled Spike. "Where did that tumbleweed come from? We aren't in Appaloosa or in the country. What in tar-nation is going on around here?" asked Applejack. The tumbleweed stopped in its tracks at Applejack's question. It reversed direction and headed straight towards her. It again stopped within inches of her hooves and exploded into a sea of confetti. "Uhhhhhh," said a dumbfounded Twilight. "And that is how you make an entrance," said Discord proudly. "I must admit, Applejack, great catch on the tumbleweed. I didn't think you'd notice. Now then, Twilight, you're probably wondering why I am here, yes? Well, I figured I would spoil a surprise for her. She is immediately requesting you and all of your friends' presence in Canterlot. Oh, and the dumb one as well," Discord said pointing his claw at Yang. Yang merely scowled at this remark as a loud gurgling sound came from Spike's stomach. Spike belched loudly and from the green flame appeared a letter from Canterlot. Spike handed the parchment over to Twilight as she read it aloud. "Dear Princess Twilight, please bring all of your friends and the guest of honor over to Canterlot as soon as possible," Twilight read aloud. "Well, I guess our plans are delayed for now, but oh well, it does not matter. Well, on to Canterlot!" Twilight announced pointing her hoof towards the castle off in the distance. And just how are we getting there?" asked Applejack. "Uhhhh," replied Twilight, her hoof still pointing in the air towards Canterlot. Ahem interrupted Discord. "If you'll all hold hooves like children, I can easily teleport all of us there. This will be a first since I have never used my magic on more than one person, but why not?" With a click of his fingers, Discord had everyone holding hooves with one another. Discord wrapped around all of them as literally tape with eyes. He snapped his fingers again. Immediately, a poof of magic covered everyone as they all coughed and wiped their eyes to see if it had worked. When they opened their eyes, they could not believe what they were seeing. Canterlot did not have any major changes to it since the city itself was mostly clean and was polished daily. Canterlot still showed its beauty, its bright gleam reflected from the sun, a reminder of the shining future of Canterlot. The only difference in Canterlot were the streamers that were hung up on the rooftops of the homes and various shops. The streamers started out blue at the drawbridge but slowly turned to warmer colors like yellow and red as it neared the castle. This was Celestia's way of playing the warmer game with her newly found guest, a game which she frequently enjoyed. The guests made their way to the castle itself where two Pegasus guards stood in front of the main door. "Name?" asked one of the guards. "Princess Twilight Sparkle." "Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Queen has been waiting for you," the guard replied pushing open the big brass door to the castle. The door slowly creaked its way open as the group climbed the small marble steps and entered into the castle. Yang's eyes went wide in amazement as he scanned the interior. He had never been inside the castle before, so he was taken aback by it all. The red carpet lined the floor leading up to more steps where Princess Celestia and Luna both stood there, awaiting the presence of Princess Twilight and her company. Yang looked up at the high arched ceiling that beckoned the construction by a Gothic artist, one he had not seen in a while. As they approached the Princesses, each one's faces mirrored one another. Princess Celestia's face was one in surprise and bewilderment as Princess Luna's face was one in shock and happiness. "Princess Celestia, you asked me to come here right away, yes?" bowed Twilight. Celestia quickly shut her small, agape jaw and gave a fake smile. "Yes, Princess Twilight, I'm glad you could come at such short notice. Please, I have something to discuss with you," she said walking further up the stairs to her left as she disappeared behind a corner. Twilight quickly followed as Luna still stared straight ahead. "You know, if your face stays like that, it'll become that way forever," chuckled Yang. Princess Luna flapped her wings and vaulted herself towards Yang, knocking him to the ground. "Yang! You're alive!" she screamed as she embraced Yang. "Worried now, are we?" Yang replied. "Well, well, well, Luna I didn't know you had a "thing" for this hideous unicorn," Discord said with displeasure. "That's Princess Luna to you, Discord," Luna replied as she stood up and glared at Discord. "Oh, pardon me, 'Princess'," Discord replied as he air-quoted Princess. "I just thought it was strange, that's all. I mean I've never heard of this unicorn, yet you have. Oh, and your sister as well. She looked quite worried. I wonder why. Princess Luna, perhaps you'd like to fill all of us here on what you know about Yang here, hmm?" Discord grinned as he made a reclining chair appear beneath him. "Please, proceed," he sneered. Meanwhile Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia were talking together alone in Celestia's private quarters. Twilight then became nervous as Celestia began to shuffle back and forth across her room. "Twilight Sparkle, where did you find him?" Celestia sternly asked. "He randomly appeared in town one day, confused and lost. He said that he just woke up and was gone for awhile. He didn't even know where he was until Discord revealed that it had been over 1,000 years since his last return-" "There is a reason for that!" Celestia interrupted Twilight. Twilight lowered her head in fear at Celestia's raised voice. "My apologies, Twilight. It's just you didn't know and now we have a dilemma on our hands. Twilight, I'm about to reveal to you what happened long ago and why we need to observe him. I hate to ask you this, but I need the ensuing conversation to stay between us. Also, I must ask another favor. While I am here I need you and your friends to observe him. I need to know if he still holds darkness in his heart or if he's finally reformed his ways. Now, Twilight, here is what happened those years ago," Celestia's voice lingered, her eyes slowly closing as she remembered that day.