//------------------------------// // Attack on the Empire! // Story: New Royalty: Two Princes' Journey into Equestria // by Praeco Nigrum //------------------------------// "Sir, we'll be arriving soon" a guard notified Devin after he woke from the noise caused by the guards making preparations as they approached the empir "Thank you. Do you know if there's any food on board?" Devin asked. "I'm afraid not Sir, but we shall have some sort of meal after we defend The Crystal Empire" the guard replied. "Thank you, dismissed" Devin replied and the guard walked over to join a group of his comrades. "Even though you're not from around here, you seem to deal with the troops fairly well" a voice said behind Devin. Devin turned and saw the white Unicorn with an orange mane and crossed javelins for a cutie mark, the pony he had picked to be his commanding officer. "I don't see why there would be trouble, I've dealt with troops where I came from" Devin replied. "I was referring more to the fact that these troops don't even know you, yet they're willing to take orders from you" the officer said. "What's your name?" Devin asked. "Spear Head, Sir. But that..." the officer said before Devin cut him off. "Spear Head, I know you may have concerns but there is a simple explanation. Part of it is probably because they serve royalty, which is almost always Alicorn, correct?" Devin asked. "Yes Sir, except Prince Blueblood and a few of his cousins" Spear Head replied. "And isn't it also true that they just adjusted to having Luna around, as well as Princess Twilight?" Devin questioned. "Yes, they seemed a bit eager to serve more than just Celestia and any of her nieces and nephews" Spear replied. "And I also happen to be a stallion, making it easier for us to get along, allowing them to be themselves around me, after I informed them I didn't care how they acted" Devin said as he noticed to guards headbutt each other and walk away wearing silly grins. "Something Celestia should have thought of long ago" Spear said as he also noticed the two guards who had headbutted. "Also, they all can obviously conclude that Luna and Myself having feelings for each other, and they figured it would be a good idea not to get on my bad side, just in case if I marry Luna and become a king of Equestria" Devin stated as he saw two male guards having an interesting conversation with two female guards over in the corner. "That is certainly advisable" Spear replied as he glanced out the window. "E.T.A., ten minutes" Devin heard Spear mutter. "That means we should be there very shortly" Devin said as Spear Head looked at him in surprise. "You heard what I said, even in all this racket?" Spear asked questions incredulously. "All I have to do is focus on anypony in the room, and I can hear what they are saying as well as their conversation" Devin replied absentmindedly. "Well, you are quite something, but may I ask what your cutie mark and necklace mean?" Spear asked. "Where I come from, it was a symbol of royalty. The symbol of a strong leader who could always be trusted and would do anything for his country" Devin replied as he lifted his necklace in his hoof and looked at it. "Two crossed swords, I don't think anyone has ever had that cutie mark before" Spear said as he looked closely at Devin's necklace. "Are you familiar with the use of two blades in combat?" Spear asked after a moment. "Very familiar, but swords are a bit outdated where I come from, so this will be very enlightening" Devin said as he looked around, and after a moment of searching, slowly used his magic to remove to curved swords from a stash of weapons that had been brought on board before they left. "Scimitars? Aren't those a bit...barbaric?" Spear Head asked. "Nonsense. When my enemies see me flashing these weapons at them, oftentimes they chose to run, rather than being run through" Devin replied. "And that doesn't make them barbaric?" Spear questioned Devin's reasoning. "Most of the time I dont even use weapons, they just turn and run" Devin replied with a small smile. "What exactly makes them run in fear? Anypony can wield a sword and spin it around to one's showing off" Spear said. "They see these" Devin said as he shut his eyes. When they opened again, the entirety of his eyes were completely black, giving him an evil, almost demonic, look in his eyes. Spear Head backed away from Devin, as did all the other guards, and they formed a three foot radius around him. After a moment, Devin's eyes returned to their normal complexion of red irises surrounded by the normal amount of white. The guards all looked at him for a moment before one spoke up. "Sir, do you happen to know what triggers those?" a Pegasus guard asked. "It only happens when I am extremely angry about something or when I'm in war. Otherwise, it doesn't happen" Devin replied. "Then how is it possible for you to manipulate them as you just did?" Spear asked. "Simple really, all I have to do is focus on a time I was really angry, and the anger flows into my emotions, changing my eyes" Devin said. "That's...interesting" Spear said after a moment, which caused a murmur of agreement amongst the guards. "Do not fear, I have no reason to be angry at any of you, and I never shall. You are The Royal Guard, you protect Equestria against invasion and you are the protectors of the princesses. If anything, the only emotion I feel for you all is that of gratefulness for keeping your country, and my dear Luna, from those who may wish to harm them" Devin said, saluting the guards as he stretched to his full height. "Today, we fight alongside our brothers stationed in the north, and our aid is sure to lead to victory! The Royal Sisters as my witnesses, we will win!" Devin yelled, and all of the guards on the train stomped their hooves and cheered. Right after that moment of inspiration, the train stopped and the whistle sounded, alerting the passengers of their arrival. The guards marched out of the train, led by Devin and Commander Spear Head, and immediately began their march towards the Crystal Empire that was about three hundred yards in front of them. "Nice motivational speech. Got any tips I can use?" Spear asked as they marched towards the empire. "Just assert yourself and speak your mind" Devin replied calmly. "Hmm, never thought of that" Spear replied as the Crystal Empire slowly came closer. As they approached the border, they saw that there was a shield of sorts raised against a large group of attackers north of where they were. "Let's move out!" Devin yelled as he ran forwards, quickly followed by the guards. They rushed through the city, ponies of all types moved out of the way and cheered as the guards ran towards the attackers. A few civilian ponies even joined their ranks, wielding kitchen knives and a couple of pitch forks. "Yeah!" a grey Pegasus with buffed muscles and wings that looked to small for his body yelled as they charged through the city towards the enemies on the other side. "I hope Celestia and her reinforcements arrive soon, I'm not sure how much longer our troops can hold" said Shining Armor, a white Unicorn with a mane and tail that are striped with dark and light blue and has a cutie mark that was a pink starburst over a blue shield. "Don't worry so much dear. Aunt Celestia would never allow the Empire to fall" replied his wife Cadence, the alicorn princess of love, while she brushed her pink fur that matched her purple, violet, and cream colored mane and tail along with her wedding ring cutie mark. "I know, but by the time she gets here its possible she might be too late" Shining replied, concern masking his face as he studied a map that on a desk that magically showed where all forces were located, ally and enemy. "Just because it is possible, doesn't make it likely to happen" Cadence replied as she walked over to him and studied the map carefully. "Wait what's that?" Cadence asked as a blip appeared on the opposite side of the empire. "I have no idea. The patrol went by there fifteen minutes ago, and civilians don't show on the map unless they are armed" Shining said. Then, more blips began to appear, and then in the distance, they heard the sound of horns that signalled an ally of Equestria. "I think your calculations were very far of" Cadence said as they rushed over to the balcony. "They're wearing gold armor, and they made it through the magical barrier, they must be reinforcements" Shining noted as they all began to rush through the city, cheered on by civilians and a few even joined their ranks, armed with knives and pitchforks. "Who in Equestria is leading them?" Cadence asked as she saw a strange black Alicorn that was unarmored and appeared to be leading their charge. Shining used his magic to make a telescope appear, and he quickly looked down upon the strange new Alicorn, taking in all his features, from his black fur with his fire like mane and tail, to his twin curved swords cutie mark and necklace. "I think we have reason to believe that we are gazing upon new royalty" Shining concluded. "New royalty?" Cadence asked. "He has an air about him that shows the troops are obedient of his orders, and his necklace appears is similar to that of Luna and Celestia's" Shining noted and Cadence nodded in silent agreement. “Is it possible that he may have overthrown Celestia and Luna?” Cadence asked quietly. “I doubt it. Between the sheer power they posses, along with the Elements of harmony, its impossible to take Equestria by force” Shining replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Well, then how could he possibly be royalty?” Cadence asked as the guards continued to close the gap between the two forces. “Either one of the princesses has a son or another nephew possibly?” Shining asked, considering the options. “They would never have sent either into battle. It may be that he is from a different country, or maybe even a traveler between time and space” Cadence said thoughtfully. “Either way, the battle has begun. And by the looks of things, there won’t be any more casualties” Shining said as the attacking forces began an immediate retreat as soon as the legion of guards came upon them. Lead by Devin, the guards slayed their enemies as soon as they came upon them. Devin’s two curved swords span around impossibly fast as he stood oh his two hind hooves and dashed forwards, decapitating everypony in his path. Blood gushed from headless stumps of pony’s carcasses as they fell to the ground, heads flying several feet from their body’s. As soon as Devin saw that the enemies were retreating as fast as their hooves could carry them, he dropped back down to all fours and slid his blades into the sheaths he had strapped to his sides just before they had dismounted the train. He turned back to his legion of guards and they gazed upon him with eyes that shone with a surprising acceptance of his abilities with a sword. Devin then proceeded to turn and face the few enemies that his forces had captured and gave them a look of deepest loathing. “Why were you attacking the Crystal Empire?” Devin demanded from an enemy Pegasus wearing silver armor. “We were attempting to take the Empire, as our leader commanded” the Pegasus replied while he was held with a rope around his wings and body. “And why did your commander order such a thing?” devin asked. “It was meant to be a diversion to mobilize Celestia from her Castle while the Hu-mane would be killed by our hydra” the Pegasus replied, still struggling against his bonds. “Hu-mane? What on Earth is that?” Devin asked the Pegasus. “It walks upon two legs, wears clothing all the time and has a strange way of swearing” the Pegasus replied. “Oh no…” Devin said as he thought over what the Pegasus had just said. “I hope we aren’t interrupting anything, but would now be a bad time to introduce ourselves?” a male voice asked from behind Devin. He turned and saw a male Unicorn with white fur and a blue mane and tail. Standing beside him was a pink Alicorn with a mane and tail that were a mixture of cream, violet, and pink. The guards around Devin got down to their knees and kneeled before the two ponies while Devin merely gazed at them for the moment. “You must be Princess Cadence, and her husband Shining Armor” Devin stated after a moment. “Yes, that would be us. But might we ask who you are?” Cadence asked. “My name is Devin, madam” Devin said with a small bow. “Devin? Not a name I was expecting, but none the less. Welcome to the Crystal Empire and thank you for the additional support. But I am curious as to why you led the troops” Shining said. “Princess Celestia is on holiday with a good friend of mine who came with me to Equestria a few days ago. Since then I have become Princess Luna’s lover and I refused to let her go to war, so I went in her place” Devin explained. “I see, and I expect Luna was rather reluctant to let you leave her side” Cadence said with a small smile. “Yes she was, but with good reason” Devin replied. “So this friend of yours, he went on holiday with Celestia?” Shining asked after a moment. “Yes, he recently developed some magical abilities and Celestia accompanied him to Ponyville, where he could learn from Princess Twilight Sparkle” Devin replied. “I see, and I must say, I saw you from a distance and you have some skill with your swords, but your fighting style is rather...unique” Shining said. “Well, part of that is because I had a different form before my friend and I entered Equestria” Devin explained. “You were a different type of creature? What were you originally?” Shining asked, his eyes widening slightly after he informed him of this. “I was a human, and it is rather strange because my friend remained human, but he only obtained some powers. He didn’t change in any other way” Devin said. “I see, and that is rather interesting news. But let us focus more on the events of today. Why were they attacking?” Cadence asked as she pointed to the few prisoners we had. “This was merely a diversion. It was some form of keeping Celestia occupied while my friend was to be attacked by a hydra” Devin said as he glared at the Pegasus who had informed him. “What shall we do with the prisoners?” Devin inquired as he continued to glare at the Pegasus and his two remaining comrades. “We will lock them in the dungeon and interrogate them into finding out everything about who they were working for, and where their base of operations is” Shining said as he too, glared at the three ponies. “There won’t be any need for that, you'll receive our full cooperation, right guys?” the Pegasus said and his comrades nodded in agreement. “Hmm...if they are FULLY cooperational and answer all our questions with complete honesty, I see no reason to treat them hostile” Devin said, his expression changing smoothly from hatred to a warmer expression. “But they are still war criminals! We can’t just let them off so easily!” Shining protested as Devin gave the guards the signal to untie their prisoners. Shining immediately regretted what he said, as Devin turned upon him and gave him such an angry look Shining shifted backward slightly on his hooves. “Listen well Shining Armor, I know not the policies of this land, but I will not tolerate unnecessary hostility towards anypony. Is this understood?” Devin said in a deathly quiet voice that unnerved Shining as well as a few of the guards. “Fully understood...Sir” Shining Armor replied after a moment. “Now that all this is settled, I think we should invest in some breakfast. What do you think Cadence?” Devin asked as he turned to her. “Absolutely. I’ll have the cooks notified immediately” she replied and with that she walked back into the castle. “Well, there’s no need to stand out here like a bunch of fools. We should go in and celebrate” Devin said and they all followed him into the castle. As the guards all went inside behind Devin, Shining Armor pulled Spear Head aside for a talk. “Spear Head my old friend, I have a few questions for you” Shining said after he had ensured that all the guards had went inside. “Ask away Sir” Spear replied. “Is what he said true? Did Celestia really go off with a human and leave the royal duties to Luna and her new lover?” Shining asked, slightly conspicuously. “Every word Sir. And I might add that the guards are actually quite fine with serving under him. He is much more lenient than Celestia has ever been. And I believe they enjoy having a male commander for once that wasn’t that snob, Prince Blueblood” Spear said with a an honest manner. “Well, I suppose that is a nice change for them, but where did he come from and how does he posses that amount of skill?” Shining asked. “He and his friend are both from the planet Earth, and from what I can understand they were both royalty there. As for his battle skills, I have no idea. But I believe that it was the advantage of being able to move quickly on his two hind legs” Spear said. “Well, I am aware from all the legends that humans walked upon two legs, but the sheer SPEED at which he moved was truly...frightening” Shining said, a hint of fear in his voice. “Well then it is rather good fortune that he is on our side, and that he loves Princess Luna” Spear replied. “I want you to ensure that he remains on our side then, okay? We can’t afford to have anypony with that much raw ability becoming our enemy” Shining said with a slightly commanding tone. “Understood Sir” Spear said, saluting his ex-Captain of the Royal Guards. When Shining and Spear walked in, there was already a victory party in full swing. "Are you sure your wife is the Princess of Love?" Spear asked in awe at the abundance of decorations and food already being distributed by waiters and servants. "I am sure, she just knows the best way to surprise people. That, and she picked up a few things when Pinkie Pie set up the party that came after our wedding" Shining said as he admired the decorations. "The Element of Laughter throws some wild parties I bet" Spear said as a waiter passed by with a tray filled with cupcakes that were piled high with frosting of all colors and assorted candies. "You have no idea. My sister and Celestia insisted that there was nopony better for the job, and they were absolutely right" Shining said with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a moment Sir, those cupcakes are calling my name" Spear said as he ran over to a table piled high with treats. Spear quickly scooped up two or three chocolate cupcakes that had yellow frosting and sprinkles that appeared to shimmer. Shining chuckled again but immediately stopped when he saw Devin chatting with the three prisoners like they were common party goers. Shining quickly trotted over to the scene to listen to what was being said. "That's a horrible way to grow up. Didn't anyone try to stop it?" Devin was asking. "No, it was the way we were all raised. Whatever the commander said was a sin to our land should be killed, and that the commander was always right" the Pegasus said as the four of them sat down at a table, plates loaded high with goodies. "How on Earth do the young put up with that much abusement though? That seems like a lot of training from such a young age on until you become fully grown" Devin replied. "It was basically 'Do or Die' for the entire time. If you weren't strong enough, smart enough, or whatever the case, you would be stuck and left for dead. The only ones who fight upon the battle field and have any sort of jobs within the society are the ones that survive and have absolute obedience" the Pegasus was said. Just then, Shining decided to intrude upon he conversation. "Mind if I listen as well? I would like to be well informed upon this matter" Shining said. "Not at all Shining, I was just asking them about how they were raised and the living conditions" Devin explained. "Why did you start with those sorts of questions? We need information as to where we can find their base of operations and eliminate what remains of their forces" Shining said, a hint of frustration in his tone. "It is important to know what goes on there before planning assault of any kind. There is always more than one way to fight a battle. In this case, if we offered the majority of the ponies in the society full citizenship in Equestria and plainly stated no harm would come to them, the only enemies we would have to deal with would be the high counsel, their commander, and any fiercely loyal troops" Devin said carefully. "So, you are suggesting we take in most of there society, and kill anypony that does not wish to surrender and become part of Equestria's populace?" Shining asked. Devin nodded his head in agreement, and Shining sat there for a moment thinking it over. "Well, the fewer casualties the better. But how do we know we can trust your 'new friend' and his two companions?" Shining asked. "Distrusting has cost me a lot in my lifetime. I changed my attitude against mistrust and began to trust more often. Besides, they know the consequences that could be imposed if we find out otherwise, and they are sitting in my company enjoying a comfortable meal, why take that kind of risk? They wouldn't waste the opportunity to be released from whatever weirdo that has ruling over them" Devin said, the three ponies at the table all nodded in agreement. "At any rate" Devin continued, oblivious to the fact that Shining Armor was about to reply "these fellows have yet to tell me their names, and I'm sure that you would like to know as well, correct?" Devin asked Shining. "Yes, I suppose knowing their names might be a good idea" Shining said, barely containing the sarcasm in his voice. "My name's Skyfall, and these two are Double Down and Split Sword" the Pegasus said, indicating the pony on his left first, then the right. "Skyfall? Where did you get that name?" Devin asked. "My signature move is stabbing a pony after flying at them directly from the sun's path so they can't see me" Skyfall explained. "Interesting, so what do your comrades name refer to?" Shining asked, truly curious. "I can fight two enemies at once with my bear whooves" Double Down said proudly. "And I can put so much pressure on a downward slam that I can snap a sword in two" Split Sword said with similar pride. "So you're named based on your best skill?" Devin asked. "That's right, and might I ask what you're going to do with the dead bodies of the battle?" Skyfall asked. Devin looked towards Shining Armor and awaited a response. "Well, normally they would merely be burned and their ashes would be dumped into a river downstream, but with Devin' s permission we could arrange a proper burial" Shining responded. "Really? Why my permission?" Devin asked. "Because you're technically higher authority than I, and these stallions belong to you as far as I see it" Shining replied. "You make an excellent point, and I'm sure they won't object to working directly under me. But I'll leave that up to them" Devin said as he turned to the three stallions. "You're letting us decide?" Skyfall asked in disbelief. "I don't see why not. Of course, the other options would be to become standard citizens or part of The Guards as a whole, but either one would be a waste of talent" Devin said. "Well, I'll work directly under you Sir" Skyfall said immediately. "I second that notion" Split Sword said instantly. "I'd the to break up the gang, and I hate being part of a whole, so I'll take this job" Double Down replied. "Excellent!" Devin said as he clapped his hooves together once before continuing. "The next order of business is what we shall do with the fallen troops. I'll leave that decision to you as well" Devin informed the three stallions. "I think we should do it the normal way. No point having unnecessary labour for those who don't deserve it. Most of those ponies where the worst and most loyal, and tipically enjoyed slaughtering, so I say we just burn the bodies and dump the ashes" Skyfall replied. "Really? Well if that is what you wish, it shall be done" Devin said, giving a general look in Shining' s direction before continuing. "The next order of business is that we need to know the location of the their base" Shining said. "I thought it would have been obvious, but perhaps not. It's located within the EverFree Forest" Double Down said plainly. "But how did you all get here so quickly?" Shining asked. "There's a series of portals deep within the centre of the forest. I can't quite explain it but they're like doors to another different places. One opens up to the mountain near Canterlot. One opens up in the old castle ruins. One opens up somewhere near the major zebra tribe's dwelling. And there are many more I've never even been through" Split Sword said. "But how is that possible?! Surely they would've been detected by now!" Shining replied, concern obvious in his tone. "You can't detect dimensional doors with any means of magic, they're impervious to any and all detection unless opened manually" Devin said and Split Sword nodded his confirmation. "Dimensional doors? What in the name of Celestia are you talking about?!" Shining asked, clearly confused and angry. "They're doors that open up to other places or worlds, and occasionally another universe or dimension" Devin explained, and Shining's jaw dropped, as did Skyfall's and Double Down's. "How do you know all this?" Split Sword asked in apparent awe. "Faster way to travel, makes life more fun. Although the motion sickness afterwards I could definitely do without" Devin said, clutching his midsection at the thought. "Wow, what's the farthest you've ever travelled from your home?" Skyfall asked. "Well, it was this dimension. But now this place feels more and more like my home, so it might not count" Devin replied as he glanced out the window. "What's going on over here?" Cadence asked as she sat down beside Shining, taking note of his scowl and the grins on the faces of all the ponies around him. "We were just talking about how our new leader already knew about dimensional doors between different places and stuff like that" Skyfall said, clearly enthusiastic to here more interesting facts. "Dimensional Doors? I don't think I've hear anyone mention those in a long time. I think it was when Aunt Celestia told me about one on the Canterlot mountainside" Cadence said after moment of silence. "How come I was never informed about these? I was head of security for ponysake!" Shining said, clearly annoyed at his lack of info. "That would be because Aunt Luna found a way to permanently seal it, unless she decides she wants it open" Cadence said with a smile. "So tell me, where's the Dimensional Door around here?" Devin asked this three new guards. "It's located just a little ways around the mountain, about a mile walk around the base from this side" Skyfall replied. "Are the doors guarded by any troops?" Devin asked immediately. "No, we tried that before but the guards kept disappearing. We obviously weren't the only things using those doors, even patrols by those doors disappeared without a trace" Double Down said. "Thank you Double Down, actually, I need nicknames for you guys, I can't keep saying your whole names" Devin said. "Lets see, Skyfall, I'll just call you Sky. Split Sword, how about I call you Splits. And Double Down, I'll call you Double D" Devin said after a moment of thinking. "Works for us" the three stallions said in unison after they all nodded their heads in agreement. "Alright, I have a plan and I think even Shining Armor will approve it" Devin said enthusiastically. "Well, let's here it. It can't be a total bust I suppose" Shining said with a sigh of defeat. "I'll be traveling with these three through the dimensional door and infiltrate the enemy camp. Meanwhile, I would ask of Shining Arm or to bring my troops to Ponyville and enter the EverFree Forest from there. Once you arrive, send a single scout to the edge of their base to notify me when you have the place surrounded. My job inside will to gather any Intel on possible base locations and take down their leader" Devin said with apparent ease and everypony starred at him like he was crazy, all except for one pony. "I think that will work quite nicely" Shining Armor said, shocking the three new guards along with his wife. "You're actually approving this?" Cadence asked in amazement. "I watched this stallion charge head first at an army today and come out alive, so I'm pretty sure he'll be fine. But he will need a disguise of some sort, the survivors will more than likely tell tales of the warrior Alicorn" Shining said with a slight grin on his face. "I think I can arrange to teach him a few spells before then. Besides, you can't leave until tomorrow morning anyway" Cadences said. "Why not?" Devin and Shining Armor asked in unison. "Well, it may be because of the snowstorm outside the borders" Splits said. Cory just laid there, staring at the white ceiling. he had been laid up in bed for what felt like months, even though it had only been a day or two since Celestia had taken him to the hospital and gotten him treated. Matter of fact, the beautiful Alicorn had never left his side once he had regained his senses, leaving her advisors and Luna in charge of royal affairs. They had learned of an attack up north not long after waking up. The other girls, including the fillies and the baby Dragon had stayed for most of his time unconscious, from what Tia had told him. They had even come and paid him visits while he was out. The hydra had gone back to the forest and stayed there, much to Cory's delight. The men that had sent it out after him, which he later found out was the case, the kids only being collateral damage... As said, the men were going caught and delt with by Devin and the other royalty. -—————————————————————————————————————————————-————— After conversing with the doctors and finding out that he would be able to walk Cory and Celestia wee able to get some well deserved, non-drug induced, sleep. Even though Cory would forever have a slight limp from the ordeal, they were glad just the same. "Tia, wake up..." Cory murmured, Celestia had somehow ended up laying on top of his legs some time in the night and he needed to use the restroom, so you can see the urgency. "Tia! Wake up! Damn it woman, get the frick up!" Cory started shaking her and shoving her, not even getting a inch out from under her. "Tia, if you don't want yellow fur in the next five seconds, you will get up of my legs!" She instantly shot up and off, looking like a damn cat in her reaction. Cory quickly shot up, fell on the floor and crawled to the bathroom, where he then found out he had a catheter and was trailing the tube behind him.... Granted he felt really stupid after that. "Why the fuck can't they justice a guy a note telling him when this shit is in... Especially when they fucking numb their ass!" He ranted slamming his fists on e linoleum counter tops several times. He then walked back into the room, after taking out the catheter, rather painfully, and taking his much needed leak. Cuz those retards didn't put it in right any way. What he came across upon opening the though, was priceless. Celestia was upside down, on the floor, with covers wrapped around her like a friggin cocoon... It was adorable and hilarious at the same time, more so when he heard the sound of her dainty snore permeate the room. Cory face palmed and went to unroll the princess from her unknowing prison. After slowly, and gently, getting all the covers off her, he lifted her up onto his bed, somehow he had not disconnected the other monitors during this entire thing, and also somehow didn't set her on any of the cords. She curled up and then stretched out like a cat, leaving him enough room to get on the bed and pull her into an illogical embrace for one who professed 'waiting' for the 'right time'... YAY SPOONING! They both quickly fell asleep, and even though he didn't know it, Celestia was blushing as sleep claimed them. Being up while the man you are falling for is stark butt-ass naked, and is now spooning you, kinda does that to a person, or pony. —————— Cory spent over nine days in the hospital, his injuries being taken care of by Celestia and the doctors. Over those days he was visited almost constantly by the CMC and spike, the five of them becoming fast friends. "So Cory, what's earth like?" Spike asked from his position at the foot of the bed. "Well, for starters it's nothing like here. There's nothing like magic in my world, but we were able to make due with innovation, like electricity, something that Tia has told me has only been here for a few years now, were as we have had it for over two hundred years!" "Wow! So, you guys are really advom...advan...advanced!" Scootaloo exclaimed after trying to get the word right. "Yep, we've even made it to the moon several times over the years. but we have also never been at peace... Not a day goes by on my world were nothing dangerous does not happen... Hence the reason why me and Devin are staying here with all of you Instead of going home." the kids all gave Cory a slight unnerved stare before smiling at his resolve to stay there with them and the princess. "Alright my little ponies, it's time for Cornelius to take his meds and get some sleep, he has a big day coming up. Devin and my niece and nephew are coming back down to talk about the attempt on your life..." The later Celestia whispered into Cory's ear. "Well, I guess we'll talk later kids, see ya later!" Cory called as the door closed. The four children running off to talk with Twilight about what they had all heard.