//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: More Than a Love Triangle // by KingNyroc15 //------------------------------// "Tia...she deserves a life." "I understand that you want to help her and Soren, but we don't know if she will be pure. We don't even know if she will be accepted." "She does not have to be. She will have Soren and his friends. She will be safe in Ponyville." "*sigh* Very well. I cannot see anything truly negative that can come from this, especially if she maintains her memories. Just promise me one thing, Luna. Don't forget to have fun. It's been awhile since you have spent time with them." "Thank you again for returning my memories." "The spell you casted never had permanent effects. Your amnesia was bound to wear off." "Shall we begin?" "Yes." --------------- Days Later --------------- Dear Twilight, I hope your studies are going well in Canterlot. It's pretty boring without you girls around. I mean Pinkie Pie is still here, but her parties can be a bit much when you go to one everyday. I knew I would start to get a little lonely when Rarity left for Manehattan yesterday; I hope showcasing her attire benefits her. Also, do you know when Applejack and Fluttershy are returning from the Crystal Empire? They have been gone for a few days, and I expect them back soon. Herding some animals can't take too long, right? Right? Maybe my bored self is just being paranoid. Haha. In any case, I guess I shouldn't be too bored. I still have Rainbow Dash and my new friend, Chroma. If you weren't so busy preparing for your trip, you could have gotten to know him better. It doesn't matter; you'll see him when you return. I hope you have learned a lot this past week. I know I have. I learned that I get bored easily. Ha. I'll see you when you get back in another week. Your friend, Soren Melody Soren put the pen down with his magic and stared at the scroll. This is going to suck, he thought as he focused on the piece of paper. The tip of his horn ignited with a green ember. Come on. Fire blasted from his horn, burning the paper and knocking himself away from the wooden table in the process. "Every time," he muttered, picking himself up and walking to the small rectangular mirror on the table. He lifted it see his face; small patches of soot were covering it. Soren wiped his face and noticed that at least the spell worked again. "I'll just leave the message sending to Spike. Too bad he's with Twilight, but she probably needs the company more than me." "Muttering to yourself again?" Soren jumped a bit. Clutching his chest, he looked at Chroma, who had walked in unnoticed. Soren wasn't really surprised; the library was open to anyone after all. Chroma was a unicorn that has a tan coat with a slight yellow tinge and had ginger hair. His cutie mark represents the basic color wheel made out of 6 squares. The middle 3 are larger and represent the primary colors. The outer 3 are much smaller and represent the secondary colors. He is always wearing his white fedora with a black horizontal stripe, and he told Soren that his talent was art. "Don't do that!" Soren said. "I would like to talk to myself without being startled. I'm still on edge that something bad could happen." "Still having nightmares? That's almost a month straight so far." "Twenty-five days counting last night. And yes, they are still happening. They aren't done showing me my mistakes." "From what you told me about your adventures, I'm not surprised. You said you've been through a lot." "We all have. Me, Twilight, everyone. Especially her and Rainbow." "Speaking of her, Rainbow wanted me to come find you. She said something about preparing for Hearth's Warming Eve." "That sucks that I still can't spend that holiday with my friends. Last year, the Battle of the Nyrs prevented ponies from celebrating." Soren and Chroma walked out of the library. "For a battle that took place in the nation's capitol, you would be surprised how many ponies haven't heard about it." "I wouldn't be. Most of Ponyville doesn't even know. I kinda want to keep it that way. I don't want to go on any more adventures. It just brought heartache and a shattered mind." "How is your psyche holding up?" "Still recovering but better without worrying that something could go wrong any second." The conversation ended there as Soren and Chroma continued towards Soren's house. After he returned home from the alternate universe, Soren chose to buy and house and settle down. With Diamond out of the way, hopefully nothing could go wrong, except for rare occasions. The house was close to Rainbow's cloud mansion. She also chose to live in the two bedroom house with him because she "just sleeps on the clouds or trees anyway." Soren couldn't be happier about this, for he was also close to Chroma's home, which was a few houses down the road. When his home came into view, Soren noticed Rainbow laying on the doorstep with a bored expression. Must've got tired waiting for me. "Hey, Rainbow!" Soren called out. She perked her head up and smiled. "I just finished sending a letter to Twilight." "How did Princess Celestia's spell go?" "Same as always. Blew up in my face but still sent it." "Good job," she chuckled sarcastically. "Anyway, I need you to get some decorations for Heath's Warming. Some shops are selling them for a decent price. I'm going to search my house to see if I can't find anything. If I can't, I'll meet you at the vendors or here." "Sounds good to me. Are you busy, Chroma?" "As much as I would love to help you carry things, I was planning on practicing a few spells today. Rainbow simply distracted me when she flew through my window and asked to go get you." "And why couldn't you fetch me yourself?" Soren asked Rainbow as he arched an eyebrow. "I had to do some last minute weather patrol by the Everfree. Stupid clouds keep rolling into town." "Alright. I'll go look for some decorations. Too bad we're the only ones together for the holiday." "Don't let it get you too down. There's still a chance more of our friends could show up." "I guess you're right. I'll see you in a bit." "See ya." Rainbow took off for her house, which could be easily seen from Soren's. Chroma also trotted off to Celestia-knows-where. Soren couldn't help but think of the princess. After the Battle of the Nyrs, she was never really around. Did she truly use him merely as a test of some sort? He knew Diamond couldn't be lying about everything. Soren shook his of the thought and trotted into town. Ponyville was always a somewhat busy town. Rarely would you see barely anypony walking around. Ponies always had something that needed to be done. Soren wished he had something to do every day, but unfortunately no such luck has found him. Aside from almost dying countless times, he literally had nothing. No paying job, no hobby (besides performing, of course), and no goal. He just wanted to live. Buying decorations was good enough for him; it was something that made him feel normal. After spending the majority of the hour at various stands, Soren and newly bought decorations made their way home. Taking a shortcut through some buildings, Soren cut through many alleyways. Passing by one alley, he was suddenly grabbed and dragged into the almost-pitch blackness, his saddlebags falling to the ground. "Shh," a voice said as a hoof covered Soren's mouth. "Be quiet or you won't leave this alleyway," the female voice continued. The assailant quickly giggled then kissed Soren, who immediately backed away and illuminated the alleyway with his horn. He was shocked beyond belief for two reasons. Nyra standing before him yet again, and she just kissed him! "Nyra?! Wha...How...?" "Already with the questions. Can't we just celebrate? I'm back!" Nyra wasn't wearing her armor but she had the Lunar pendant around her neck. She also didn't have her horn. "But you died...twice!" "Technically I wasn't killed the second time; Nightmare Moon's spell just wore off." "Uhh, how about we go somewhere less...shady than here?" "Alright. Your place it is." Nyra began to walk away as Soren just stared dumbfounded at her. "But...but...Ooh, I'm going to have so many questions for the princesses."