Chapter 44
The full moon was brightly shining brightly in the night sky. It gave enough light for the night owls that preferred the night. It also gave enough illumination for those ponies who just couldn't find sleep that night.
AJ was the only pony awake on the farm. For the first time in weeks Knight was getting a good nights sleep, and AJ couldn't help but feel jealous. Despite how heavy his lids felt, sleep continued to evade him. He shifted in the bed yet again; hoping the next comfortable position he’d find himself in would put him to sleep.
It did not.
With a frustrated sigh, he tossed the covers off of himself and got out of bed. He lazily levitated his glasses onto his head as he left the room. He didn’t bother lighting his way with magic He’d been in this house long enough to know the way without the help of light. Smashing his hoof into the side of the entryway of the kitchen didn’t help his case any, but no one was awake to see it anyway so he could still save face. After shaking out his hoof, he made his way to the sink; grabbing a glass with his magic as he did.
He let out a loud yawn as the glass began to fill with the cool liquid. “Oh, sure. if you’re really so tired, why can’t you get any fucking sleep,” he said to himself. After turning off the faucet, he took a slow sip of the water. As he drank, the events of the day ran through his head again. From when Luna met him at the clubhouse, to everything that happened at Twilight’s place, to the lingering problem of what to do with Knight.
‘They just had to suggest a crackpot shrink. Why even waste the time and money? Not like its gonna help in the end anyway,’ he thought to himself. ‘Just gonna sit there, and act interested until she can get paid. They all do. Not like talking to some stranger will help him forget about everything that happened in his past. He’d need to go back in...time…!’
********************
Applejack and Winona quickly made their ways down the stairs. The two of them had been woken up by the sound of glass shattering and quickly went to go investigate. She didn’t know what to expect, but she was ready for a fight if it came down to it. Together with Winona, she knew they didn’t stand a chance.
She skidded to a halt when the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs. AJ was frantically getting dressed in his winter gear. He was too busy to even realize he was now being watched. “What in tarnation are ya doin?”
“Huh?” Taking a second to stop and look, he finally noticed the other pony in the room with him, along with the excited border collie. Seeing a familiar face instead of an intruder put Winona back in a good mood. “Oh, it’s nothing. Go back to bed,” he said as he finished putting his scarf on.
“What did ya break?”
“Glass.”
Applejack was obviously unamused. “A glass what?”
“Cup. Look I gotta go talk to Twilight about something. It’s kinda important. Just...take it out of my pay or something.”
“Now just hold on a minute. What’s so got dang important that ya gotta go an’ bother Twilight this late…” She stopped to take a look at the clock. “This early in th’ mornin’?”
“Stuff. I’ll be back when I get back.” He didn’t even bother waiting for Applejack to say something else.
Before she could say anything else, AJ walked through the door; closing it behind him. She shook her head with an annoyed sigh before entering the kitchen to clean the mess up he had left. Winona had since gone back upstairs to take her place at the end of Applejack’s bed. With the house safe once again, she deserved more sleep.
********************
Twilight let out a content groan as she unconsciously shifted in her bed. She had a long night studying and cataloging all the notes Luna had left behind for her. She didn’t end up getting to bed until late, and she was out the instant her head hit the pillow. Much to Spikes glee. He found it difficult to sleep with all of Twilight’s gasps, oohs, and ahhs as she read over everything.
With all the talk and studying of dreams, it’s no surprise that Twilight was having dreams of her own. Though unlike Knight, hers were of happier times. At this time she was gliding through the sky on brilliant wings. Flying with her were none other than the princesses themselves. Celestia, Luna, and even Cadance was there. Pride swelled through her heart as she flew together with them, not as a student, but as an equal. She was Princess Twilight, and she couldn’t be any happier.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. The dream was missing just one, little thing to make this dream complete. As the four of them landed at Canterlot castle, it was as the world was reading her mind. Caramel, her own personal guard and lover, was there waiting for her. Not only that, but their two children were also there. In this moment, she couldn’t be any happier.
And that’s when she was woken out of her reverie by a knock on the door.
Her tired eyes slowly crept open as murderous thoughts replaced the happy ones. To say that she was unhappy about being woken up was an understatement. That was the best dream she’s had in a long time. Probably since she was a little filly and still thought boys were ‘icky’. For a minute she had just planned on just ignoring whoever it was that was out there, but the rapping on the door continued. Intent on making them suffer out in the cold for as long as she could, she shuffled out of bed and slowly made her way downstairs.
“Mmmmcommin’! Keep your saddle on!” She continued to grumble to herself as she opened the door. AJ was standing there with a smile on his face “What?”
“Good, you’re awake. We need to talk.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t get Spike to set you on fire where you stand,” she said as she tried to hold back a yawn.
For a moment, AJ didn’t know whether or not to take her seriously, so he decided to just ignore that comment. “Aaaaanyway, we need to talk about Knight.”
“Yes, let’s talk about night. You know, night. The time of day it is right now. The time of day sane ponies usually use for sleep.”
“No, the OTHER Knight. You know, the pony?”
Twilight sleepily rubbed her eye before a yawn managed to escape. “Why can’t this wait until tomorrow exactly?”
“Because...uhhh...because I say it can’t?” Twilight fixed him with a glare. “Look, just listen. I thought of a way we could help Knight with his little problem without needing to go to a shrink.”
“Are you really still on that?” Twilight asked in annoyance. She thought this conversation had hit its conclusion when Luna had left. “Luna already said…”
“I know what Luna said, but I remain unconvinced. We still don’t know if this mare’s as good as Luna heard she was.”
“If she’s good enough to be recognised by the princesses, I’d say she’s good enough. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Twilight tried to close the door, but was stopped when AJ stuck his hoof in the door. She let out a defeated sigh. “You’re not going to let me sleep until you’re done here, are you?”
“You make it seem as if I’m a pest,” AJ said as he pushed the door back open. On the other side he saw Twilight giving him a look that said ‘That’s exactly what you are.’ He let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll get this out as fast as I can then. Remember back when Sweetie Belle stole that spell book and I turned into…”
“If you’re going to suggest what I think you’re going to suggest you can just stop talking right now.”
“But…”
“No buts. You should know better than anypony just how dangerous that spell can be. I refuse to let you, or any other pony for that matter, use it to solve their problems.”
“It’s not being used as a problem solver. It would be used to help Knight deal with a serious issue. With something that’s seriously affecting him. I remember when I was a foal. I didn’t remember much of anything about my life until after you changed me back. It was almost as if my life had been completely wiped, and replaced with the new reality. A reality filled with lots of singing, and cuddling, and so much love…and getting pecked by chickens, but that’s besides the point. It would give him a chance to start over with his life. We’d be giving him the chance he never had.”
Twilight groaned as she slowly brought a hoof to her forehead. “And who, exactly, were you expecting to cast this spell?” The stupid smile on his face told her all she needed to know. “What’s the best way to put this, there is no way in hell I would, or will, ever approve of this. Go home, get some sleep, come back when you’re not sleep deprived, and start thinking of less crazy ideas.”
“But Twilight, I know it would…” Before he could finish, Twilight used her magic to force his hoof out of the door; slamming it shut and locking it. “Work...fuck.” He knocked on the door again. “Come on Twilight, at least think about it! That’s all I ask!”
Twilight sat by the door for a minute until she heard AJ walking away. She let out a tired sigh. ‘Damnit. it’s times like this I kinda wish I wasn’t the go to pony for magic,’ she thought to herself. ‘He seemed pretty dead set on doing this though, and with how tired and stressed he is, I could see him actually trying something stupid like this.’ She shook her head and sighed again. “Spike’s going to be pretty mad at me for waking him up for this,” she said as she used her magic to grab a quill and scroll.
********************
“Thanks for letting me stay here for the day Fluttershy,” AJ said with sigh as he removed his winter gear.
“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” she said with a smile. She motioned for him to join her on the couch. “But doesn’t Applejack need help around the farm?”
He sheepishly scratched the side of his head. “Normally yes, but after last night Applejack said she needed a bit of a break from me.”
“What happened last night?”
“I kinda...couldn’t sleep...again.”
“Oh dear. Was Knight Wind having nightmares again?”
“Oh no, for the first time in weeks he was able to sleep through the night,” he said with a smile. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about...things.”
“…”
“And when I got back from Twilight’s, there’s a slight chance I may have found Applejack’s special cider stash while searching for a pen so I could write down my thoughts.”
“Oh my.” Things were silent between the two of them for a moment. “How much did you…?”
“Less than half a glass. Enough where I’d feel it, but not enough to send me into a drunken stupor. I guess I kinda hoped it would set my mind at ease long enough to get to sleep. All it did was make me go into Applejack’s room and bug her...for about 3 hours. I never knew I knew so much about thermonuclear energy until now.”
“What’s thermonuclear energy?”
“Uhhh, I guess nuclear fission’s something Equestria hasn’t achieved yet. Probably for the best. Anyway, when it was time for everyone to wake up, I had since sobered up by that point, Applejack gave me an ultimatum. Either lock myself in my bedroom and, and I quote, ‘get some fucking sleep,’ or get out of the house for the day. As long as it lead to her not seeing me all day, she would be happy. As I wasn’t tired, I got dressed and left the house. I would have gone to Ditzy’s place for the day, but nopony’s home.”
“Didn’t you say she was going to visit her parents over the weekend?” Fluttershy could have sworn she remembered AJ bringing this up when she went over to the farm the previous week for dinner. “And Carrot Top is probably busy with something else. She has been spending a lot of time with her new coltfriend lately.”
AJ blinked a few times. “Oh...right. Forgot about that. I guess this whole lack of sleep thing really is getting to me.”
“Well, you have the day off. Why don’t you try to get some rest? I promise I won’t make much noise while I feed the animals.”
“That’s the thing. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in...I can’t even remember how many weeks now, but I’m just not tired. And even when I am, there’s just too much on my mind for me to be able to fall asleep.”
Fluttershy brought a hoof to her chin. “Maybe I could help. I have been able to help you get to sleep before when you were being stubborn and cranky.” A smile came to her face when memories of the week and a half she spent with the, at the time, age challenged stallion.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I doubt even you could help me with this.” AJ let out a sigh, made ragged due to his exhaustion. He sat back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling as thoughts ran through his head once again. That’s when his eyes got wide. “Speaking of when you were taking care of me, I need to talk to you about Knight, and what I think we should do with him.”
“I thought Twilight said you were going to get a psychologist?”
“We are, but I have an idea that I just know would work. I’d just need somepony on my side, to see my side of the story. Twilight seems to think I’m completely insane for even thinking of this, and Applejack just didn’t care.”
As AJ began ranting about his plan, and about how nopony seems to be on his side, Fluttershy was busy hatching a plan of her own. A smile formed on her lips as she stood up. She slowly started walking towards the stairs, not even bothering to look back to see if AJ stood up to follow her. She already knew he would before she even finished her plan. He had something to get off his chest, she had ears, and he was too out of it to even realize what was going on.
AJ continued to rant as the two of them entered Fluttershy’s bedroom. The first thing she did was walk to the far side of the room; grabbing something and hiding it under her wing before walking to the window. She pulled the shades, darkening the room a bit. She then walked back to her bed; pulling the blanket down before sitting down. Without thinking, AJ followed suit. At this point, he had gone from complaining about nopony being on his side to ranting about how the weather ponies seem to have had it out for him with all the snow. Her smile widened ever so slightly as she assured him that the weather ponies have nothing against him.
As AJ switched subjects yet again to just random odds and ends that just happened to bug him, Fluttershy stood up from the bed. As she did, she began lightly humming a tune. A tune that, if he was actually coherent and not too busy ranting, he probably would have recognised. His eyes slowly began to droop. His rants kept getting interrupted by yawning as he tried to force his eyes to stay open.
Using her light, motherly touch, Fluttershy placed a hoof on his shoulder; guiding him to lie his head on the pillow before removing his glasses. She pulled the item from under her wing, which turned out to be her teddy bear, and placed in his legs. As she expected, he wasted no time snuggling up with it. It was no Mr. Bun Bun, but it would do.
She pulled the covers up, and tucked him in like she had done many times before. He was still attempting to rant, but his words came out as little more than incomprehensible babbling. It wasn’t much longer before his eyes finally closed. Fluttershy continued to hum for a minute, just to make sure he was sleeping. Light snoring emanated from the stallion. With a smile, she leaned down to give him a small kiss on the forehead. “Mommy knows best.” Without another sound, she left the room.
********************
Fluttershy poked her head out from her kitchen when she heard a knock on the door. “Who could that be?” She floated through her house till she reached the door. Upon opening it, a bright smile crossed her face. “Oh, Big Mac! It’s so nice to see you.”
“Afternoon Fluttershy. We still up fer tomorrow?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy said with a slight flutter of her wings. “I made sure to let Angel know that I’ll be gone tomorrow night. He was very understanding.” Without warning, a carrot suddenly rocketed out from behind Fluttershy, striking Big Mac in the forehead. He just blinked it off, but Fluttershy gasped as she turned to see Angel standing behind her. Big Mac also noticed the snow white bunny standing there with a glare who gave him the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture before hopping out of sight.
“Ooh, I hope he’s not mad.”
“He’s just bein’ protective is all,” Big Mac said with a chuckle.
Looking into her house made Fluttershy realise that Big Mac was still standing out in the cold. “Oh dear! Where are my manners. Please come in. It must be cold out there.”
“That’s mighty kind of you, but Ah can’t stay long. Ah was just wonderin’ if you saw AJ. Rose said she saw’im comin’ this way.”
“AJ? Oh yes, he came over a couple hours ago. I’d go get him, but he needs his sleep.”
“Sleep?”
“Mmhm.”
“Ya actually managed ta get’im ta go to bed...an’ actually fall asleep?”
“Oh yes. It’s easy if you know what you’re doing.”
Big Mac blinked before a smile crossed his lips. “Oh, right. Yer his mommy. You know just how ta deal with him. Maybe we shoulda called ya over sooner. Ah can think of plenty’o times he coulda used a good scoldin’ from ya.”
Fluttershy giggled and decided to play along. “If he ever steps out of line, just let me know. I’ll properly punish him. No dessert for a week.”
The two of them laughed to themselves before Big Mac reached into his yoke and pulled out a sealed letter. “When he wakes up, could ya make sure he gets this? Miss Twilight said it was imperative that he get it.”
Fluttershy grabbed the letter with a smile. “I’ll make sure he gets it when he wakes up.”
“Thank ya kindly. Ah wish ah could stay a bit longer, but Applejack’s already in a foul mood after this mornin’, Ah could only imagine what she’d do ta me if Ah left’er hangin’ like that.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.” She leaned up, kissing the big red stallion. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
********************
Twilight took one last look in the mirror to make sure her makeup was done right. She knew her date at Caramel’s house wasn’t anything big or spectacular, in fact they were just planning on watching some movies tonight, but that didn’t keep her from wanting to look nice for the stallion she loved. It wasn’t as flashy as something Rarity would have done, but it would do.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me going tonight Spike? It’s a bit short notice,” she called out from the loft of the bedroom.
“Just go Twilight. When’s the last time the the two of you have spent some time alone? Usually it’s a double date with some other couple.”
Spike remembered back to the last two dates Twilight and Caramel had gone on. One of them was with he and Apple Bloom. She said it was just so they could have fun together, but he knew it was because she was worried that the two of them were going too far with their relationship. Spike made sure to let her know that he knew her motive.
With the other, they just so happened to meet Pinkie and DC at the movie theater on a date of their own. Unbeknownst to her and Caramel, the other couple had managed to swap the movie reels with something a bit more...risque. Instead of a romance about two long, lost lovers brought together after years of war, they were instead witness to a movie called The Room. Twilight, Caramel, and many other movie goers watched on in complete confusion. Pinkie and DC, on the other hoof, were critiquing each and every moment of the movie. Even going so far as to note that during the first sex scene, it looked like the stallion was having sex with the mare’s belly button. Twilight had a bit of a talk with Pinkie about how they wanted a normal date.
“Besides, you’ve been a bit, how do I put this nicely, wound up lately. Especially last night. You need a night or two to unwind,” noted Spike.
“Hey! To be fair, last night was not my fault. You would be grouchy too if somepony woke you up, only to spew insanity in your face.”
Spike just shrugged as he turned back to the TV. Scootaloo had told him about this TV movie that was supposed to start today, and he wanted to make sure he’d catch it. Looking at the clock, he smiled. “Six, time for the movie to start.” His excitement escalated as the title came onto the screen.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Twilight, Caramel’s here!” Spike shouted not wanting to have to get up.
Twilight blinked in confusion. “But I’m supposed to go over to his house tonight, not the other way around.” Making one last touch to her hair, she made her way downstairs. Another, more forceful knock at the door made her question if it was actually Caramel. “I’m coming!”
As she opened the door, a strange sight welcomed her. AJ was standing at her door with an unreadable smile on his face. She noticed that he actually looked rested. The bags were gone from his eyes, and he looked much more focused. But that wasn’t what was so strange about it. The strange thing was the royal guard standing just off to the side of him.
“Twilight! So good to see you,” seethed AJ; venom leaking through every word. “I trust you’ve had a good day?”
“Yyyea,” she said apprehensively. “In fact, I was just about to go meet Caramel for a movie night.”
“Oh, good for you, good for you,” AJ said in faux happiness. “I’m glad you get to relax tonight, because I sure as hell won’t be able to.”
“Does this have to do with that guard that’s with you? Why is he here anyway?”
“Oh Twilight, don’t be so coy. You know exactly why this guard is here. Because YOU…” he said as he poked Twilight in the chest; the smile on his face replaced with anger. “Are the reason this tick has been following me around all day!”
Twilight swatted his hoof away. “What do you mean ‘I’m the reason?’”
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but Fluttershy told me that you’re the one that gave this little note to Big Mac to give to me,” AJ said as he pulled out the note.
Twilight looked at the note he was holding in his hoof. “That’s the message from the princess. What’s it say?”
“What’s it say? Oh, nothing much. Just that I’m apparently a threat to myself and others, and that I’m under house arrest! It’s only by a miracle that Shao Kahn here allowed me to come over here. Even for a little bit.”
“You can’t be serious,” Twilight said in disbelief. She took the note from him and read it herself.
“Apparently SOMEpony informed our fair princesses of a, admittedly, foolish idea I came up with, and now they’re afraid I might hurt somepony. Now tell me, who is it in this town that has a direct link to the princesses? Oh, right...YOU!!!”
Twilight looked up from the note after she finished reading it. “Wow, that seems a bit extreme. I never would have guessed that they would have put you under constant watch. But she is right you know. Especially after last night, who knows what was running through your head.”
AJ rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d take her side. Well, maybe you’d change your tune if you woke up one day to find a random stranger just staring at you from the foot of your bed, or followed you into the bathroom and refused to leave so he could make sure you weren't going to hurt yourself. Or, this is a good one, how would you feel if said random pony put a disabling spell on you to lock your magic?! Oh what a surprise to wake up to!”
Twilight honestly couldn’t believe how far this had gone. “Why would he do something like that?”
“I don’t know, but there is one thing I do know.”
“And just what would that be?”
“The name of the pony who’s going to fix this, and when it’s going to happen.” He fixed a dagger like glare on Twilight.
“Look, the most I could do is let them know what’s going on, but what am I supposed to do if they refuse to lighten up on you?”
“Oh, they won’t be able to deny your request, because you’re going to be very persuasive, and explain to them that I most certainly am NOT a menace to society. I don’t care what you have to tell them…” He prodded twilight in the chest with his hoof again. “You, will, fix, this,” he jabbed her with each word to accentuate them.
The guard grabbed his hoof away with his magic. “That’s enough. Time to go back.”
“BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS!!!” AJ shouted as he turned to the guard.
The guards horn lit up as magical shackles formed around AJ’s legs. “You’re time limit is up. You will go back to the farm, now.”
AJ grumbled to himself as he looked down at the shackles before looking back up at Twilight. “Have fun tonight Twilight, but I expect this to be resolved by tomorrow. So help me if it’s not.” Feeling a tug on the shackles, he walked away from the tree house.
********************
Twilight reread the response she got as she came up to the farmhouse. She had written to Celestia about AJ’s predicament once she got back from Caramel’s. After, of course, she deflected the many tongue in cheek questions from Spike about why she didn’t come home last night.
Because they totally didn’t do anything.
She swears that she’s a good pony...honest.
Okay, maybe they had a little bit of fun last night.
But Twilight losing her V card isn’t important. What is important is that she got a response from the princess. One that made her both happy, and confused at the same time.
She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A few seconds later, the door was opened by Knight. “Oh, hello miss Twilight.”
“Good afternoon Knight Wind. You must be done with school today.”
“Mmhm. Thanks to Big Mac, I was able to finish all my homework for today. He said I was getting better.”
“That’s wonderful! You know, I believe a good education is one of the most important things a pony can receive in their life time.”
“You already said that.”
“I know, but it’s still important. Anyway, is AJ around? I need to talk to him.”
“You know I’m here Twilight! Not like I can exactly go anywhere right now!” shouted AJ from the living room.
“Oh, right. Could I come in?” Knight nodded as he stepped to the side. Twilight stepped into the house, and into the living room. There she saw AJ, Big Mac, and the guard all playing cards. And from the looks of it, AJ was winning. It was fairly obvious due to the fact that AJ had the biggest stack of bits and was already wearing almost an entire set of guard armor. All he was missing was the body armor which was sitting on the table for an ante. Big Mac also seemed to be down quite a few bits. “Well, looks like we know how you won so much in Las Pegasus now.”
“Yea, yea, I’m good at poker. If you would get to the reason you’re here please. It’s good news, I hope?” he asked as he raised the bet.
“Well, yes and no.” She pulled the note out and passed it to AJ. “They said they’re sorry for the severe action’s taken. It was just a precautionary method until they could be sure you were thinking properly again. And since you actually managed to get some sleep yesterday, they’ll lift the restrictions on you. Somewhat, at least.”
“So I get my magic back, and I can actually leave the house again, but I still need a guard watching my every move to make sure I don’t do anything bad?” He looked at the guard, who looked desperate to get his armor back. He let out a sigh as he looked back at Twilight. “Will I at least be able to have some privacy in the bathroom again? I highly doubt me taking a shit is a threat to national security.”
“They don’t say.”
He rolled his eyes as he continued to read the note. His brow raised when he got to the end. He looked to Twilight with a questioning look. “Why, exactly, do they need me to come to Canterlot in a couple of days?”
“That I don’t know.”
“Maybe it’s just ta help clear some’o this up,” Big Mac said just to throw an idea out there.
“Yes, but they’re also asking for Knight and Ditzy to be there too. And what’s really surprising is that they don’t want Twilight to be there. In fact, they specifically asked for Twilight to stay here in Ponyville.”
“Yea, that surprised me too,” Twilight said with a hoof to her chin. “Why wouldn’t they want me there?”
AJ shrugged as he showed his cards. The guard slammed his head on the table while Big Mac let out a quiet, annoyed grunt. AJ scooped up his winnings, examining the armor with a smile. “Ditzy’s already in Canterlot, but I think she’s returning today. In fact…” He turned to look at the clock. “The train from Canterlot usually arrives around 2ish, right?”
“2:30 ta be exact,” Big Mac said as he scooped up the rest of his bits. He knew when to quit. “Ah’m out. Applejack would kill me if ah bet away all mah bits.”
“Those are your extra bits, right? I’m sure it’ll be fine,” AJ said as he removed the helmet to slip on the armor. “Wow, this is a bit big on me.”
“Ah guess yer right.”
“Besides, if you really needed money, you know I’d throw a few bits your way.”
“If you’re giving away your winnings, could I get my armor back please?” pleaded the guard.
“Haaaahahahahahaha, not a chance.”
********************
“So tell me again, why exactly do I need to go all the way back to Canterlot? I just got back like...an hour ago,” Ditzy asked in annoyance. “I’m already going to have to go back there once a week to visit the therapist starting next week, I’d like to stay away from that city as much as I can.”
“I don’t know,” AJ said as he leaned back in the chair. He and Ditzy were sitting in the kitchen of Carrot’s house. After she and Dinky got back from Canterlot, all she wanted to do was relax with a hot cup of coffee. Having AJ over was a bonus that was kinda ruined by the oddly armorless guard with him. Hearing that she would have to go back to Canterlot in a day kinda ruined her mood. “I don’t really even know why they want me there. Hopefully it’ll get rid of the goon here.” He felt a hard tug on his right foreleg pulling him to the floor; slamming chin first on the floor. Once the stars cleared from his eyes, he looked at his leg, seeing a magic shackle around it.
“For the last time, I do have a name you know. Petal Dance. You’d do good to remember it.”
“Oooh, how threatening,” AJ said as he sat up; rubbing his chin. “I can just feel your enemies trembling in fear when they hear that Petal Dance is coming to get them.” Petal Dance just stared at AJ with an unamused look before his horn lit up once again.
AJ wasn’t sure exactly what happened. All he knew is that one second he was sitting up staring at Petal Dance, the next his face was firmly planted to the floor with his limbs being contorted in ways they really shouldn’t be. “Maybe I should have mentioned that I graduated top of my class in hoof to hoof combat. Just thought I’d let you know.”
“Ookay, this has gone on long enough,” Ditzy said as she walked over to the grappling ponies. Coming up behind the guard, she reached over and swatted his horn. He flinched as his horn flickered out. “Now, if you will, let him go.” Petal Dance glared at Ditzy. “Why are you so mad at him anyway? Isn’t this a bit much?”
“He’s just mad because I beat him at poker,” AJ said before his head was once again forced to the floor.
“I think the asshole deserves the rough treatment,” Petal Dance said as he torqued AJ’s leg even more.
“He may be an asshole, but he’s my asshole. Now be a dear, and let him go.”
“Try and make me.” Ditzy just sighed as she walked over to the counter. Petal Dance gave a smirk when he saw her walk away. He turned back to AJ. “Now, where were we?”
DING!!!
Ditzy watched with a smile as Petal Dance fell to the floor. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.” She walked over to the counter again and set down the frying pan.
AJ groaned in relief when the pain ended. “Oh thank Celestia. Much longer and I think my leg would have snapped off.” He sat up and stretched his legs a bit. “Do you really think I’m an asshole?”
“Oh yea, definitely an asshole. But like I said…” She sauntered over and kissed AJ on the cheek. “You’re my asshole. Also, if you make fun of Petal Dance again I’ll have to punish you,” she said in a completely serious tone as she went to go pour herself another cup of coffee.
“Hey, he started it!”
“No he didn’t.”
“Yes he did! You saw how he threw me to the floor.”
“But you called him a goon.”
“Only because he’s been harassing me all day.”
“Under order from the princess, so enough of your complaining or I’ll have to spank you.”
AJ gave Ditzy an amorous look. “Sounds kinky.”
“Ugh, asshole,” Ditzy said with a roll of her eyes as she turned back to the counter.
“Yea, but I’m your asshole.”
DONG!!!
AJ fell to the floor, the frying pan falling next to him. Ditzy sat by the counter, dusting her hooves off with a smirk. “Asshole.”
“I...I deserved that...ow.”
********************
The four of them came up to the castle, and Petal Dance moved ahead of the group to talk with the guards at the gate. “Lieutenant Petal Dance, reporting from Ponyville.”
The guard on the right looked Petal Dance over. “What happened to your armor this time, Lieutenant?”
Petal Dance shrunk back slightly. “I, uh...I lost it sir.”
“You bet it away in a card game again, didn’t you?” asked the guard on the left.
“Uhhhhhmmyyes...yes I did.” Petal Dance said knowing he was in trouble.
“And I assume they’re the ones the princesses wanted to see,” the one on the left said. “I was wondering when we’d be seeing him again.”
“At least he’s in one piece this time.”
“That he is.”
“Yes, he sure is,” came Luna’s voice from just behind the two guards.
The door guards sprung back into formation. “Your majesty!” they said in unison.
“Yea, yea. Petal Dance.”
“Your majesty!”
“As he will be under mine and my sister’s watch, you are relieved.”
Petal Dance saluted Luna. “Thank you Princess Luna.”
“Also, Bulwark would like to see you about your armor. He sounded very unhappy with you.”
“B-b-bulwark?” Petal Dance swallowed a lump in his throat. “Celestia help me.”
“Now that that’s been taken care of…” Luna turned to AJ. “Please follow me. We have important matters to discuss.”
AJ looked between Ditzy and Knight. “S-should we follow her?” asked Knight.
“I guess we don’t have much of a choice,” Ditzy said with a shrug.
“Yea. Besides, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner our lives can get back to normal...well, as normal as my life can get, at least,” AJ said in a completely serious tone.
“Come, my sister’s waiting for us in the throne room,” Luna said before turning back into the castle.
********************
“...And that’s all there really is to tell,” explained AJ. Once the three of them had been brought before the two sisters, AJ was instructed to explain everything that had happened during the last few days. “I woke up two days ago at Fluttershy’s house with Petal Dance staring at me from the foot of the bed.”
Celestia let everything AJ had told them run through her head. “And I can confirm that he got sleep last night too. I could even show you his dreams as proof.”
“That won’t be necessary Luna.” Celestia turned to the group before her. “What did Knight think of your plan? I’m sure he must have had his thoughts.”
“He...He never told me. What are you talking about?”
Celestia looked at AJ with a questioning look. “Of all the ponies, Knight should have been the first pony you ran this by. You never asked him how he felt about this?”
“I...I know. I guess I...didn’t want to scare him.”
Ditzy turned to AJ. “What are they talking about? What’s this ‘plan’ you’re all talking about?”
“Y-yea, I wanna know too,” agreed Knight.
AJ anxiously rubbed his legs together. Despite there only being 4 other ponies, it felt like a thousand sets of eyes were suddenly upon him. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Well, you remember that time I, uhh...got turned into a foal?” he asked as he turned to Ditzy.
Ditzy’s eyes slowly widened as she started realise what this ‘plan’ was. “No.”
“Well, I thought that we could use the same spell on Knight. Give him another chance at life, ya know?”
The room was silent. Knight was confused. All ponies were foals at one point, right? What made AJ’s foalhood so special. And what did he mean by ‘turned into?’ Ditzy, on the other hoof, had a completely different reaction. “Are you fucking retarded?!”
AJ shrunk back at the outburst. Celestia, Luna and Knight were also taken aback. “Well, kinda...at the time.”
“No really, what the hell were you thinking?! Twilight told me everything! Don’t you remember how dangerous that was?!”
“Of course I do, but I…”
“You’re lucky turning into a foal is all that happened to you! What in the actual hell were you…”
“Now now, calm down,” Celestia said in a calming tone. “I’m sure he realises how much of foolish idea it was.” AJ sheepishly nodded his head, hoping to Celestia that Ditzy didn’t have access to another frying pan.
“It was a stupid idea. I see that now. I just wasn’t thinking straight at the time.”
“To say the least,” snorted Ditzy.
“A-a-a spell that can turn a pony into a foal?”
AJ looked over at Knight. “Y-yea, but that wasn’t the intended use for it. It’s supposed to be used to repair old items and make them new again. It basically turns back time on the item. I just kinda...messed up when I tried it...badly. Turned me into a foal for a week and a half. Had to wait for a replacement spell book to come in before Twilight could fix my mistake.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You made a mistake. Everypony makes mistakes at times. Luckily yours was able to be reversed. Please don’t beat yourself up over it,” said Luna in an attempt to make him feel better about it. Celestia nodded.
“I’d just like for this all to just be put behind me so we could go on with our lives.”
“Now hold on, don’t be so hasty. I realise this is probably going to sound crazy after what you’ve been through these last couple days, but Celestia and I have been talking. There’s a possibility that the Regression spell may work.”
“Wait…what?” AJ asked. He was completely confused now.
“I’m with him, what?” added Ditzy.
“Just let us explain.” Celestia’s horn came to life as a piece of paper popped into existence. “I’m sure you remember the notes Twilight took after that experience, right?”
“Umm, yea. Said she wanted to know what it was like. It was Twilight. Figured it was just her looking for research material. She sent the notes to you?”
Celestia nodded. “Along with what you told her a couple nights ago, we were able to get a better understanding about what you went through during that time.”
“But all that was just tired ramblings. True or not, it was stupid to even bring it up.”
“Be that as it may, that doesn’t change the fact that, during the time you were a foal, your life was completely different. Almost as if you had gotten a chance to start over, am I right?” asked Luna.
“Y-yea, I guess. I didn’t really remember anything. Everything was foreign to me.”
“Ch-ch-chance...to start over?” whispered Knight to himself.
“You told us that Knight never got the chance at a foalhood, correct?” asked Celestia. “He was taken when he was only 8, and had his life taken from him. I believe if anypony deserves a second chance at life, it would be him.”
“I-I-I don’t get it. It sounds like you’re...condoning this stupid, stupid idea,” Ditzy said trying to understand things.
“To a point, we are,” Luna said with a serious face.
AJ couldn’t believe his ears. “Wait a minute, so why is it now okay to use a spell like that? I suggest it a couple days ago, and I get put under house arrest. What gives?”
“Because the blatant misuse of magic is incredibly dangerous. After what happened to you that day, I would have thought that you’d have a better understanding of that.” Celestia said in a tone AJ never expected to hear from a pony like her. It was a tone that actually sent a slight chill down his spine. “Magic is a gift. A gift that should not be taken lightly. Do you really think, knowing what I did, that I shouldn’t have acted upon it? That I should have just let you do as you please?”
“I...I guess not.”
The room was silent for a moment. “Despite how angry you were with her, and despite the fact that you weren't thinking right at the time, Twilight did the right thing in telling me what you were planning. I think she deserves an apology once you return.”
“I believe he understands now, sister,” Luna said as she motioned to AJ.
“To say the least,” AJ said; feeling lower than he had in a long time. “...I would have hurt him.”
Celestia let out a sigh. “I know it may seem hypocritical of us to suggest the Regression spell after what we did, but Luna and I are much more knowledgeable about this type of thing.”
“Not to mention the creator of the spell,” Luna said with a smile on her face.
Celestia rolled her eyes. “Anyway, as to what we are proposing. With Knight’s approval, of course, we would perform the spell ourselves. More specifically, Luna would do the honors. AJ, if we do this, I assume you would make sure he has everything he needs? Food, a safe home, education, protection from the dangers of the world, the love only a parent could give? Everything that was taken away from him?”
AJ remained silent as he thought all this through. This was all stuff he didn’t think of when he was tired. He had only gotten as far as using the spell. Everything after that was just an after thought at the time.
“Umm, excuse me,” interrupted Ditzy. All attention was suddenly drawn away from AJ. “Sorry for interrupting, but I fail to see why you needed me here. Unless it was just to show me how much of a moron my coltfriend is when he hasn’t gotten any sleep, I don’t know why I’m here.”
Luna nodded. “Yes, I suppose we have kept you in the dark up till now. Our apologies.”
“You’re a mother, are you not?” asked Celestia.
Ditzy looked slightly confused before slowly nodding her head. “Umm, yea. My daughter’s name is Dinky.”
“Such an adorable name,” Celestia said with a smile. “How old is she, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Seven, she’ll be eight in December.”
“You’re so young yourself, and yet you’ve learned so much. That’s exactly why we asked for you today.”
“If we end up going through with this, we’d like for you to assist AJ in any way you can.,” added Luna. “We don’t expect you to watch over him every minute of every day, but just give him any hints or help he may need at the time.”
“I suppose taking care of a kid full time is much different than babysitting for awhile, isn’t it?”
Ditzy nodded. “Just a bit.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself just yet. There’s still the issue of what Knight wants to do. I believe the final decision on what happens should be his,” Celestia said before things got too far.
“Right, right. Knight, do you know what…” AJ turned to his left to find nopony standing there. He looked around the room, finding no trace of the light cream pony. “Knight?!”
“He left a few minutes ago,” Luna said as she got up off her throne. “Don’t worry, he’s still in the castle. I’m sure he’s just confused. He’s probably just looking for a quiet place to think.”
“He likely wouldn’t have gotten too far. The guards would have likely stopped him and prevented him from going anywhere he shouldn’t,” Celestia said as she too stood up.
“I’ll find him. Make sure he’s safe.” Luna’s horn lit up moments before she teleported from the room.
Celestia could see the worry on AJ’s face. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take Luna more than a minute to find him. She’ll keep him safe.” She looked over AJ, and took in every detail. “You really do care about him, don’t you?”
AJ swallowed the lump in his throat before slowly nodding his head. “I was his first friend. I promised I’d protect him. To make sure nothing like that happened to him again.”
“AJ, are you okay?” asked Ditzy. She learned AJ over the time they’ve spent together. She knew when something was wrong. Then again, he wasn’t exactly hiding it very well right now.
“I-I-I was going to hurt him. I’m supposed to be protecting him, and here I’m the one he should be afraid of.” He shook his head. “I’m no better than she was.”
Ditzy looked confused. “She? She who?”
“He’s talking about Nightshade. The leader of the slavers that abducted him and all those other ponies,” Celestia said as she came up to AJ. “Do you want to know why you’ll never be like her?” AJ looked up at her with fear in his eyes. “What you were doing, you were trying to do what you felt was best for Knight. You were very misguided, but you were only trying to help. Nightshade was only hurting him to fulfill her own sick, twisted, selfish desires.”
“I still betrayed his trust though. I was the first one he could trust, and I dashed that trust. Destroyed it. How’s he supposed to trust anypony now?”
“It will take more than this to break his trust,” Celestia said in a soothing voice. “Let Luna talk to him. Give him some time to think things over. For now, go get some rest. We can talk more about this tomorrow. I had Proper Manners set up some rooms for the three of you.
“Thank you your highness,” Ditzy said with a slight bow. “I’ll see if I can calm him down a bit.”
********************
“You sure he wants to talk to me?” AJ asked as Luna lead him to her room.
“Quite sure. The two of us had a nice talk before he asked to be left alone for awhile. After awhile, he asked for you.”
“Do you think he hates me now?”
“No. He doesn’t hate you, but I believe the two of you should talk things out.”
“What should I say?”
“Look, you’re thinking way too hard about this. You know him. Just talk with him. No BS. Answer all of his questions truthfully. He deserves that at least.” Luna smiled when they reached her room. “Here we are.”
“Thanks Luna.” AJ looked at Luna’s door with a bit of apprehension.
“Something wrong?”
He looked between the door and Luna. “Just...feels weird going into a princess’ room.”
Luna raised her brow, looking at him with a knowing look. “Celestia told me what you were talking about once I left. That you felt that you were no better than Nightshade for what you could have done to him.” She noticed him tense up. “You’ll just have to believe me when I say that he doesn’t think of you like that.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Now just get in there…” Using her magic, she opened the door and shoved AJ into the room. “And just talk to him.” Before it even registered in AJ’s mind, the door had already slammed shut behind him.
He looked around the room, taking everything in before noticing Knight sitting on the opposite side of the room in front of the large window. He was looking straight at him, a look of surprise on his face. AJ took a deep breath, cursing Luna’s name as he did. “Hey...Knight.”
A look of apprehension crossed Knight's face. “Is it true?”
“I-is what true?” AJ asked with a look of confusion.
“That what you were going to do could have hurt me. Is what the princess said true?”
It was now that AJ’s stomach felt like taking a job as a contortionist. After taking a minute to calm himself down, he remembered what Luna said. That he deserved the truth. He slowly nodded his head. “Y...yea. There was a chance that it...could have hurt you...pretty severely depending on how badly the spell was messed up.”
“That’s what Luna said, too.” The room was silent for a moment. “I guess I just wanted to hear it from you,” he said with a pained smile.
“I’m sorry.” The two of them just sat there for a bit. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. “I could make excuses all day long, but it won’t cover the fact that I wasn’t going to do what was best for you. I wanted so badly to help you myself, to make myself feel good about everything, that I guess I forgot about the one I was actually trying to help.” Knight didn’t say anything. All he did was turn away from AJ and out the window. “Knight I…”
“I’m...not mad at you,” he suddenly said. “Luna told me that everything you were going to do was in my best interest, that you were just trying to help. She told me that before I ‘cast my judgement,’ whatever that means, that I should just listen to what you have to say.”
“Yea. You have the right to know everything.” AJ let out a bit of uncomfortable laughter in an attempt to ease the tension. “I guess now comes the question and answer segment, huh?”
AJ could see the gears turning in Knight’s head. He knew Knight had plenty of questions that needed answers, so which question was going to come first. “When we were at the library, you said you’d tell me why you needed a psychologist. I wanna know why.”
AJ’s eyes got wide. He had actually hoped that Knight would have forgotten about that. “A-are you sure you want to know that? It’s a pretty boring story. Totally not…” He noticed Knight let out a sigh, making AJ mentally kick himself. He knew he was already on thin ice. “Sorry. Truth is I was kinda hoping you’d forgotten about it.”
“How come?”
“It’s...it’s a bit painful to bring up. I’ve made a bit of progress since coming to Equestria though.”
“Since...coming to Equestria? Haven’t you always been in Equestria? Did you live in a different country?”
AJ blinked a few times before realizing what he had just said. “Oh...right. I...never told you about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I-I guess you were bound to learn about it at some point.” He looked at the door for a moment. “Just a sec.” He walked up to the door and knocked on it. “Hey Luna!” There was no answer. “Luna, I know you’re listening! Could you come in here please?”
Everything was silent for a moment before the door opened to reveal Luna standing on the other side of the door. She had a slight blush on her cheeks. “Uhh, hi.”
“Luna, could you please get me a copy of those research pictures you took of me awhile back?”
Luna looked between Knight and AJ. “Decided to be completely sincere about who you are, I assume?”
AJ nodded. “It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s probably for the best,” Luna said as her horn came to life. An envelope appeared before her. “The pictures are in here.”
AJ grabbed the envelope in his own magic. “Thank you. Now if you would, a little privacy please?”
Luna blushed again. “Right, of course.” Luna bowed to the two of them before walking out the door; closing it behind her.
AJ stared at the door for a moment before sighing. He let the envelope fall to the floor as he prepared another spell. Knight watched as the orb that had formed disappeared. A moment later, a small explosion could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by a shriek. “Okay, okay! I’m going! I’ll stop eavesdropping!” shouted Luna from the other side of the door.
AJ allowed himself to smile a bit before turning back to Knight. “Wow, I actually got it to work for once.” He grabbed up the envelope in his magic and opened it, pulling out all the pictures and lying them on the floor in front of Knight. “I guess the best place to start would be what I am, and where I actually come from,” AJ said as he sat down next to Knight.
********************
It had been hours since AJ had been shoved into Luna’s room for a one on one conversation with Knight. The moon had long since graced the sky with it’s presence, and most ponies were already sleeping. They hadn’t heard from Luna since AJ chased her off with magic, and they were only interrupted by Proper Manners who had brought them both something to eat.
After the two of them ate, they moved to Luna’s bed to get more comfortable. The floor wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world when having an extended conversation. As Luna said, AJ answered all the questions asked of him, and he did so truthfully. AJ was completely transparent about everything Knight asked. It was the least he could do.
It took awhile, but Knight’s questions eventually turned to the spell. What it would do. How it would affect him, and Knight’s main concern, how would it affect his memories.
It was about three in the morning when AJ heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”
The door opened slightly and Luna’s head poked in. “You’re still awake?”
“Mmhm. Just...thinking.”
“About what, if I may ask?”
“Stuff. Mainly about Knight.” AJ looked to his right. Knight had fallen asleep about a half an hour ago. “He…he wants to go through with it.”
Luna let out a sigh. “Somehow, I knew that’s what he would choose.”
“You did?”
Luna nodded as she sat next to the bed. “The way he acted when we were in the throne room, to our conversation. I could see the clues.”
“Did you know that he wants me to be the one to cast the spell?”
Luna blinked. “That...I didn’t know.”
“Knowing the risk, he’d only trust me to do this.”
Luna put a hoof to her chin. She was sure that, if Knight agreed to the use of the spell, that she would be the one to cast it. “You seem troubled, how do you feel about this?”
AJ let out a pained sigh. “I’m scared.”
“Scared?”
“I don’t know if I could handle it if something went wrong. What would happen if something really bad happened to Knight? I think I’d freak out if this ended in disaster.”
“Calm down,” Luna said in a calming voice. “I know you’re scared right now, and you have every right to be, but Knight is putting his trust in you.” AJ looked at Luna with needy eyes. He needed guidance right now. “Yesterday, you were so afraid that you had lost his trust. Well, he’s trusting you with the future of his life right now. This is a good way to try to regain that trust.” Using her magic, she pulled a book from her book shelf. “I’ll talk with Knight again in the morning. In case I can’t change his mind, here’s the spell book. I’ll be there to help you incase something goes wrong.” After setting the book on the bedside table, she closed the curtains. “For now, you should get some sleep.”
AJ watched as Luna began walking out of the room. “Luna…” She stopped and turned her head to AJ. “Have you...canceled that psychologist yet?”
“Not yet. I didn’t want to do anything until I knew for sure what was going to happen. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
“No, don’t cancel the appointment.” Luna looked at him with a questioning look. “I...need you to do something else for me.”
********************
“Are you really sure you don’t want Luna to do this instead?” pleaded AJ. The two of them stood in the hallway of Celestia’s magic school. It was agreed that, especially with AJ performing the spell, It would be safer to be in a controlled environment. Not only did the school have safeguards built in to control out of control spells, but they were also surrounded by unicorns that were genuine masters of the craft. Since Celestia had matters to take care of in the castle, Crystal Ball, the headmistress of the school, was going to be overlooking the spell in her place.
“I’m sure. You’re the only pony I can trust with this.”
“Yea, but Luna’s the one that created the spell. If you’d have to trust anypony on this, it would be her.”
“Y-you don’t want to do this?”
“No, it’s not that,” AJ said with a sigh. “I’m just a bit...nervous.”
“I am too.”
It was silent between the two of them for a moment. “Knight, you do know that it’ll probably be very painful, right? Even if done correctly.”
Knight swallowed a lump in his throat. “I-I-I know.”
A door a little ways down the hall from them suddenly opened. Ditzy’s head popped out and started looking around before she finally noticed the two of them. “There you two are. We were wondering where you ran off to.”
“Sorry. It’s my fault,” AJ said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I kinda wanted to spend a little bit more time with Knight.”
“It’s not like he’ll be gone,” Ditzy said as she walked over to them.
“Depends on how you look at it,” AJ said; his head hanging low.
“I...I guess so. But it’s not like this is a bad thing. You’re going to make sure his life’s going to be better now.”
“Sh-she’s right,” Knight said with a fearful smile.
“Come on, the princess is waiting for us,” Ditzy said as she lead the two of them to the gymnasium.
Before he could reach the door, Knight felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned, only for two legs to be wrapped around him. “Knight...if something happens...if something bad happens...” AJ said as he tightened his hug. “Not only are you my friend, but you’re part of my family. Just know that, no matter what happens, I love you.”
Knight didn’t say a word. With a tear in his eyes, all he could do was return the hug. Ditzy stood by the door, watching with a look of worry on her face. “Are they going to need a minute?” came Luna’s voice from behind Ditzy.
She turned to look at the princess of the night. “Princess Luna, do you think everything’s going to be okay?”
“I think today’s going to take an emotional toll on both of them,” she said in complete honesty. “It’ll take time, but together they’ll work through it.”
“What about the spell?”
“That’s actually the least of my worries. He’ll have me and Crystal Ball there to help him. Not to mention a staff of some of the best magic users in all of Equestria ready to come to our aid if something were to go awry. We shouldn’t need any help though. Crystal Ball will be ready to cast a counter spell should something go amiss.”
Ditzy looked back over to AJ and Knight. They were no longer hugging, but AJ still had a hoof on Knight’s shoulder. They were speaking quietly, but Knight had a smile on his face. AJ turned to the two mares. “Alright...we’re ready.”
Luna smiled. “Good. Crystal Ball’s waiting for us.” She stepped aside and ushered the other three ponies into the gym.
Standing in the center of the gym stood a middle aged mare with a teal coat, and a greying, pearlescent blue mane. Her cutie mark was a crystal ball. She silently nodded her head in greeting as the group reached her. “Mr. Knight Wind, If you would, please stand in the center of the circle.”
Knight nodded as he stepped into the center of the circle. “A-anything else?”
Crystal Ball shook her head. “For something like this, the best thing you could do is to stay in one spot, and try to move as little as possible.”
“What about me?” AJ asked.
“We have some instructions for you,” Luna said as she took her spot next to Crystal Ball. “Number one, don’t force the spell. If something doesn’t feel right, just stop the spell. If you can’t, let us know.”
“Number two, do not stray from the spell.. If you let your mind wander, even for a second, that’s the number one reason a spell will fail.” Crystal Ball said; her voice full of wisdom. “Especially with a spell such as this, one mistake and the results could be disastrous.”
“Third, and most important,” Luna said with a serious face. “You mustn't panic.”
“Easier said than done,” AJ said before he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
“Just remember, Princess Luna and I are here to help. Our job will be to watch for anything going wrong. If we see something wrong, we will not hesitate to cancel the spell. Do I make myself clear?”
“I understand.”
“Take however long you need to prepare, and start when you’re ready,” Luna said as she and Crystal Ball prepared for the worst.
AJ took his time table to heart. He didn’t know how much time he spent just trying to calm down. He could feel his stomach tying itself in knots. He looked over at Ditzy who looked back at him with worry on her face. He then turned to Knight who also looked just as nervous as he was. AJ knew they had to do this now. He gave Knight a nod, letting him know he was ready. After a few seconds, Knight nodded back.
AJ’s horn came to life as he let out deep breath. A few seconds later, Knight became engulfed in an icy blue aura. Crystal Ball and Luna made sure to watch closely as the spell continued.
At first, Knight didn’t feel a thing. He began wondering if the spell was even doing anything. That was, until, his entire body started to tingle. It was as if every muscle in his body had fallen asleep and woke up. It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world, but it wasn’t too bad.
That’s when the sharp, searing pain shot all the way down his spine.
“Ah-AHHHHHHH!!!”
“Knight!” AJ’s horn immediately fizzled out as he ran over to Knight who was having trouble keeping himself up.
Crystal Ball let out a sigh. “This could take longer than I anticipated.”
Luna walked up to the two ponies. “AJ, are you sure you’ll be able to do this?”
AJ looked at Luna with fear in his eyes. “I-I-I don’t know. I thought I could. Th-then I heard him scream.”
“You had to know there would have been pain.”
“I did. I thought I would have been able to handle it, but…”
“A-AJ…”
AJ quickly looked back to Knight. “How ya feeling?”
“D-do it. Do the spell.”
“Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you Knight.”
Knight weakly nodded his head. “Y-yea. I’m sure.”
AJ took a few deep breaths before quickly nodding his head. “Okay...okay I’ll do it.” He was shaken, but he took his position again, as Luna took hers. He didn’t even try to prepare himself this time. He now knew it was pointless.
Ditzy could only watch as AJ’s horn lit up once again. So far, it all happened like the first time. Knight’s body started to glow after a few seconds. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, just like the first time, Knight’s body convulsed as pain rocked through his body. He cried out, just like he did the first time. The only difference is that AJ didn’t end the spell this time. Ditzy watched as AJ’s entire body flinched at Knight’s pain. His breathing got heavy as he had to force himself not to stop.
Knight’s body couldn’t hold himself up any longer as he collapsed to the floor. Cries of torment rang through the gym. Ditzy looked back to AJ. He looked like he was in just as much pain. His limbs were beginning to shake, and his breathing was becoming erratic.
Knight’s body began lifting into the air. Shortly afterwards, His eyes and mouth began glowing. AJ gritted his teeth as Knight let out a blood curdling scream. Ditzy could see a tear fall to the floor. She suddenly felt a pulse of magic coming from Knight hit her. It wasn’t strong enough to knock her down due to her distance from him. AJ, on the other hand, was close enough to be thrown to the floor.
Crystal Ball’s eyes widened as she immediately started up her counter spell. She stopped when Luna put up her leg, signaling her to back down. Knight’s body was covered in a white light. Luna watched as the illuminated form slowly began to get smaller. A smile crossed her lips as his body stopped shrinking. Knight’s body slowly dropped to the floor. A few seconds later the light ebbed away from his body, leaving behind a foal.
Once everything died down, Ditzy quickly made her way over to AJ who hadn’t moved since he was sent to the floor. Luna and Crystal Ball went to go check up on Knight. Ditzy leaned in close to AJ, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “AJ? Are you okay?” Before she could get an answer, AJ quickly got to his hooves and bolted from the room.
“AJ wait!”
“Go after him.” Ditzy turned to look at Luna. “Knight’s fine. He’s just exhausted. AJ needs your support right now.”
Ditzy nodded before quickly following AJ into the hall. Looking both ways, she was able to spot AJ’s tail going around the corner. She followed him as fast as she could. It wasn’t long before he finally stopped running. He eventually found his way back to the room where Twilight had taught him magic. He tried to get in. He needed a quiet place, but without the key, he was out of luck. He pounded on the door a couple times before he broke down. He fell to his haunches, his leg still on the door, and cried.
A few seconds later, he felt somepony pull him into a hug. He didn’t even need to open his eyes to know who it was. “I-I-I-I-I hurt him.”
“Shhhhhhh.”
“He was in so much pain.”
“It’s okay.”
“He was screaming so loudly and it’s all my fault.”
“Princess Luna said that Knight was just fine.”
“I’m sorry Knight, I’m so sorry.”
Ditzy continued to comfort AJ, despite the attention they had drawn. Like Luna had said, he needed her support right now.
********************
It took a while, but he had eventually calmed down. Ditzy eventually lead him back to the gym. Luna was waiting for them there. “Are you going to be okay?”
AJ sniffled a bit before nodding his head. “Y-yea...I think so. Can I see Knight?”
“Of course. Crystal Ball took him to the infirmary so he could rest,” Luna said as she lead the two of them into the hallway. When they got to the room, Luna stepped to the side. “He’s right in here. If you need me, I’ll be out here.”
“Thank you.” AJ and Ditzy walked into the room.
The nurse, who was sitting at her desk, looked up and smiled before pointing to the side of the room. There Crystal Ball could be seen sitting next to one of the beds with a soft smile on her face. “He’ll need to rest for a bit still, but it looks like you’ll be the father of a perfectly healthy, 3 year old colt.” She noticed the look AJ gave her. “Princess Luna explained everything to me. She’ll take care of the adoption papers when she gets back to the castle. I’d stay longer, but I have some business I need to take care of.” Crystal ball nodded to them before excusing herself.
AJ sat in front of the bed, just staring at the foal in the bed. He didn’t know what to do now. It was all over and done with, so now what? He had no idea what to do. Without thinking, he raised a hoof and brushed Knight’s mane out of his eyes. “W-what do I do?”
Ditzy placed a hoof on his shoulder. “You take care of him, and I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.”
AJ slowly lifted his other hoof and gently placed it on Ditzy’s with a smile. One last tear rolled down his cheek as he closed his eyes. He opened them and slowly leaned down, kissing Knight on the forehead. “I love you, my brave, little Knight.”
********************
“I’ll get it!” AJ called from the living room. Opening the door he saw Twilight standing there with a smile. “Hey Twilight. What can I do for you?”
“Hey. I just came to deliver a message to you from Luna.”
“Oh?” AJ grabbed the scroll in his magic and read it. Before he could finish he was tackled from behind. “Ow, hey!”
“Come on! I wanna play some more!” whined Knight as he jumped up and down on AJ’s back.
“Hey, hey hey hey, listen to me, listen...to me,” AJ said as he pointed to Knight. “I said I’d just be a minute while I answered the door. You can wait a minute, now go back into the living room and wait for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Ooooooooh…” AJ twirled his hoof around and booped Knight on the nose. “Kay.” With a bright smile, Knight jumped off of AJ’s back and ran back into the living room.
“I still can’t believe the princesses agreed to do that.”
“I’m just as surprised as you are,” AJ said as he shook his head. “It’s been three days, and I’m still a little shaken from it all.”
“Yea, Ditzy told us that you had a bit of a breakdown after it was over with.”
“Just a bit.” Now that he wasn’t being used as a jungle gym, he could finish reading the message.
“You wanna know what else I can’t believe?”
“Hmm?”
“That you actually asked Princess Luna to change the psychologist appointment so you could see her instead.” She noticed the unamused look AJ gave her from over the scroll. “What? I wasn’t the one saying that all therapists were completely worthless. I just find it a little funny is all.”
“I figured I’d give it another chance. It’s been years since I’ve talked to one, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to talk things out more thoroughly with somepony.”
“Well I’m proud of you. You’re grown up enough to admit when you made a mistake. I’m sure it’ll help you sort things out.”
“Yea, that’s what Ditzy said,” he said with a chuckle. “Looks like she’ll be here tomorrow at around 12 in the afternoon. Luna suggests I make more appointments after tomorrow. I don’t see why noooAHHH!” Before AJ could finish, he was tackled from behind once again.
“It’s been more than a minute! I wanna play!”
Twilight could only giggle to herself as AJ attempted to negotiate with Knight. “I’ll just let myself out.” She knew AJ didn’t hear her. She closed the door and started back towards the library.
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