//------------------------------// // Castle Sweet Castle // Story: A Glimmer of Hope: The Beginning // by Mewrilah //------------------------------// Nick felt his body being warped and distorted as he was plunged into darkness. He also felt like he was floating, with nothing below or above him. He must have not felt these effects the first time while he slept. Now, he just had to try and ignore the queasiness he was feeling. After what seemed like an eternity, he saw a speck of light growing in front of him. “Looks like this is my stop,” he grunted, bracing himself and closing his eyes as the light became blindingly bright. He felt his paws touch down on something cold. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that he was now in a large room. He carefully noted his surroundings, and based on the layout, it appeared to be a study. There was a large bed in one corner, a desk opposite of it full of papers, and a small balcony to his left. “Great, now where am I?” he muttered, trying to think of what the tree said before it teleported him. “Canterlot. To meet with one of the princesses. But which one?” His answer came with the sound of the door opening behind him. “Crap, too late to try and hide,” he winced, hoping that his death would be painless. As the doors opened, a tall, white alicorn stepped in. She was a little taller than, with his eyes even with the middle of her neck. Her mane was long and wavy, colored teal, green, lavender, and pink. Her eyes were amethyst colored. Wait. “Celeste?” Nick spoke, grabbing the alicorn’s attention. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting any visitors today,” the alicorn paused, noticing Nick’s presence. “You are close dear, it’s actually Princess Celestia,” the alicorn replied, warily eyeing him. “Do I know you?” “It’s me, Nick. I found your gem in the forest and had lunch with you,” Nick replied, hoping she would remember their encounter. Otherwise, he had just broken into a castle, no the princess' chambers and could be imprisoned or worse. “Nick,” the alicorn said, trying to recall the previous day's events. “Oh yes, now I remember, you certainly have changed since yesterday,” the alicorn chuckled. Ya think? “I see the gem was a perfect match for you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here,” the princess continued, eyeing the necklace Nick had fashioned. “It looks good on you.” “Um, thanks?” Nick replied, feeling a blush appear on his cheeks. Wait, if she could go back and forth between our worlds, maybe there is still a chance I can go home. I’ll just need to find a way to stop the darkness without having to die. “So, how were you able to travel to my world from Equestria? Can you send me back as well?” he asked, a feeling of hope in his heart. “No, I’m afraid not,” Celestia replied, hanging her head low. “I can only teleport myself, and the spell cannot be taught, it was granted to me by the Tree itself when I became an alicorn.” Well at least I tried. Nick’s sense of hope was crushed into a million pieces. “Anyway, why would you want to leave? Equestria is a beautiful land and I’m sure you will come to love it,” the princess continued, walking past him to her desk. As she said that Nick came to a realization. She was right. Why would he want to go back? He had no friends, no family, not even a pet that would miss him. At least while he was here he could do something significant, and know that his death would mean something to not just a few people, but an entire country. As he thought about his options, the princess continued. “Not that I don’t mind having your company here Nick, but how exactly did you end up in my study? Last I knew about you, you had no idea magic even existed, let alone know how to use such a powerful spell.” I guess I’d better tell her the truth. She’d know I was lying if I said otherwise. And so, Nick recalled all the events that happened from the time he woke up. He purposely left out the part about having to destroy the gem which would end up killing himself, as he didn’t want to guilt her for dooming him. Apparently, she didn’t know the entire consequences of her actions. As he finished his story, Celestia had a grave expression on her muzzle. “So, my worries are confirmed. All of the threats of the past will come back to seek revenge,” she sighed. “What I don’t understand is how the Tree of Harmony talked to you. Never in the thousand years of my life has the tree spoken to me or anypony else. Why now would it decide to speak to you?” Nick gulped. Maybe she thinks I’m a spy now. Maybe she’ll lock me away. Maybe she’ll dispose of me herself. His worries vanished when, after a long pause, Princess Celestia agreed to help him in his endeavor. “I knew that the gem was powerful, but I didn’t know that so much was depending on it finding its correct match. I went to your world knowing that your race could do something no pony could do… kill.” She paused, shuddering at the thought. “Sadly it seems that that course of action must be taken if my subjects are to remain safe.” This fact saddened Nick. He knew humans weren’t that great, but put into this perspective they seemed downright evil. “You are welcome to stay here in the palace. You also have my permission to use Equestria’s greatest archive of knowledge, the Royal Library. I can also arrange for the captain of my royal guard to train you in both physical and magical combat,” Celestia offered, levitating a quill and jotting something down on a piece of parchment. “I couldn’t place that burden on you,” Nick replied, “I mean, even you were apprehensive when you first saw me. Think of what somepony would do if they saw me walking through the halls, there’d be a riot,” he paused, contemplating on what he could do. Then he remembered the castle in the forest. “When I reached the Tree of Harmony, I noticed the ruins of a castle farther away. That would be perfect for me to stay as I prepare for the upcoming threat. Also its isolated in the Everfree forest, and from my personal experience, I doubt anypony would bother making the trip there. Plus, the Everfree forest is full of danger and would be a great place to practice my survival and combat skills.” “You have a good point,” she agreed. “That is the Castle of the Two Sisters. My sister and I lived there centuries ago. It does have a library that should contain a decent amount magical knowledge for you and thanks to rumors that the “Pony of Shadows” resides there, nopony will be wandering in to interrupt you. But are you sure you want to live there? It wouldn’t be easy and who knows what sorts of beasts you’d have to face in the Forest? There is not only timberwolves, but also manticores, hydras and basilisks!” “I’m positive, Princess. It would be too hard to try and make everypony accept that I mean no harm, and I wouldn’t want to create a bad reputation for you simply because you’re housing a wolf in your castle.” “Very well,” the princess replied, seeing as the wolf was intent on living there. “Will you promise me that you will check in every so often, so I know that you are doing all right?” That last part shocked Nick. For once in his life someone actually cared about his well being. “Sure, that sounds reasonable,” Nick replied, still smiling from the thought. “Thank you. Now, about you returning to the forest. I can help you sneak out of here undetected,” Celestia offered, moving from behind her desk. “Sure princess,” he replied. While he wished he could teleport back to the Tree, he didn’t know exactly how to. He would have to accept her help for the time being. “Alright. Now hold still, I’ll teleport you back to the Tree of Harmony. The castle is close by,” she said, her horn glowing with magic. “Farewell Princess, I won’t let you down,” he replied, seeing a ring of light slowly engulfing him. Shutting his eyes before he was totally engulfed, he heard a small pop, and felt that familiar sensation of floating in pure darkness. He was on his way. “Good luck, Nick,” the princess replied softly. “May the Elements guide you.” The trip back wasn’t as bad as heading to Celestia’s castle. Being used to the sensation, Nick was able to form some sort of plan on what to do next as he was being teleported. First I’ll need to get to that castle. Celestia said it was nearby, so it shouldn’t take too long to get there. Then I’ll need to set up a small shelter within, close enough to the entrance to escape, but also where I’m not out in the open. Seeing a dot of light beginning to form, Nick once again braced himself, closing his eyes. He felt the cold stone floor beneath his feet. Slowly opening his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. The spell had worked, but now he felt a little woozy. I'm going to need to get used to teleporting if I want to get anywhere quickly, he thought, trying to clear his head. It could also have been that it was almost noon, and he had had nothing to eat since he woke up that morning. I guess food first before anymore traveling, otherwise I might pass out from hunger he chuckled, leaving the cave to search for food. Thankfully being a Boy Scout, he learned how to forage for food, as well as knowing what to look for in unknown plants to see if they were edible or not. Maybe I’ll be able to find some wild berries. As much as he loved meat, he couldn’t bring himself to kill some small rodent or bird just so that he could eat what he preferred. However, if he couldn’t find some edible plant to eat, he may have to resort to just that. After walking for a few minutes, he spotted a prime candidate. It was a small shrub covered in what looked like strawberries. “That’ll work,” he thought aloud, approaching the bush. Plucking a big ripe berry off the bush, he first took a deep sniff. It sure smelled like a strawberry, and with his new wolf senses, it smelled ripe. He took a small bite, just to test it. Sure enough, it tasted like a strawberry, a little tart but still edible. Good, now lets see if I can make something to hold these in. Looking around to see what he had to work with, he spotted a giant oak leaf on the ground. Walking over to it, he tested it out, bending it and trying his best to tie it up. The second task was proving to be difficult. I wonder if I can use my magic to manipulate it? Going through his normal procedure of casting magic, he imagined the leaf folding into a little knapsack that he would be able to hold in his mouth. When he opened his eyes, the finished product was waiting in front of him. Perfect. I think I’m getting used to this magic stuff. He smiled, grabbing the bag and heading over to the bush. Looking for only the ripest strawberries, he was able to fill his bag halfway. That should be able to hold me till dinner. He made careful note of which way he was walking, so that as he was searching for food, he was also headed in the direction of the castle. As he headed towards his destination, he was constantly on the lookout for more timberwolves, which the Tree had explained as they were returning to the cave. Now that he thought of it, there was a peculiar smell to them. Although he had put good distance between himself and the pack, he could distinctly smell their rotten breath. At least now I’ll know when they’re coming. After what seemed like an hour, Nick had reached another clearing in the woods. In front of him was a wooden bridge and the ruins of the castle. “Great, almost there,” he panted, not used to having to walk so much in one day. “There’s even one way in and out.” He also noticed that the castle was surrounded by ravines, the only way to get there was to cross the bridge. I can use that as a choke point and set up some traps to deter intruders. Before he headed off, he noticed a set of stairs to his right. They led down into a small valley, where he saw a familiar looking cave. “What the- you mean I could’ve just taken these stairs instead of going back through the forest?!” He facepawed, realizing he had taken the scenic route. “Well, at least I got some food from my little exploration. And now I know a shortcut to the Tree, if I need it.” The bridge itself looked pretty stable, but to test it he picked up a rock and tossed it onto one of the boards. Seeing as it just bounced and landed on a plank, he figured it’d be safe to pass. After crossing and following the winding path, he was at the front entrance. Before him stood two massive wooden doors. It seemed odd that the front entrance remained intact, while the rest of the castle was crumbling in ruins. “Well at least it’s not as exposed,” he said, pushing the heavy oak doors open. Looking around the area of the castle he was in, he could see that he was in the throne room. The remains of Princess Celestia’s throne, and her sister’s, were directly in front of him, and above them were the tattered remains of some banners. He recognized one as Celestia’s, with a giant sun on it. Another he guessed was her sister’s, which had a crescent moon on it. Well that’s interesting, one represents day, and the other night. He also noticed six passages, three on the left and three on the right. He figured they must lead to other areas of the castle. He also noticed a walkway behind the two thrones. I wonder which one leads to the library? Nick chose to go up the stairs and follow the corridor. Even though it was still bright outside, he felt uneasy being in this “uninhabited” castle. I’d better learn how to navigate this place, it seems really easy to get lost in here. As he continued walking he came to another set of doors. “Well, here we go,” gritting his teeth as he slowly opened the door. Bingo, he had found the library. “Perfect, now to take a look around,” Nick let out a sigh of relief, placing his bag down, and investigating the area. The walls were covered in books far more than he had seen in any library. And luckily for him, Equestrian was very similar to English. At least I can read these books, otherwise I’d need to find someone to translate them for me. Heading back out of the library, he figured setting up his home in the throne room would be best. One, it was closer to the entrance if he needed a quick escape. Two, there were multiple exits to make an escape, if the front entrance was not an option. In no time, he had everything set up. The seat of Celestia’s throne was big enough for him to comfortably lie down in. He had rearranged some debris to form a makeshift table just in front of the throne. He was also able to set up some simple traps at the entrance, just to alert him if someone was coming. After finishing up, he headed off to the library to find some more spells that would help him find food as well as defend himself, should he be attacked again. He found a basic spellbook, which taught techniques on how to manipulate objects. While it explained clearly how to do it, Nick still wasn’t as confident in lifting everything. It was kinda haphazard, sometimes he could lift a stone, other times it wouldn’t budge. He must've gotten lucky folding that leaf. I’m going to have to work more on this. A little more practice and I’ll be lifting things with ease. Let’s try working on something else. One spell caught his eye, conjuring a force field. That will come in handy. It says here that the force field is linked to my senses. So while it’ll protect me from blows, I can still feel them. With practice, I’ll be able to ignore the pain and get better at dispersing the blows. Nick closed his eyes and followed the spellbook’s instructions. He began to think of positive thoughts. He imagined himself protecting a child, not letting any harm come to them. His body grew warm and he heard a small humming. Opening his eyes, he saw that it had worked, he was surrounded by a clear bubble. “Awesome!” he cheered, amazed he was able to cast the spell. However, he also felt his energy quickly draining, and he collapsed on the ground. “Ok… not… awesome,” he panted, trying to catch his breath. A few minutes passed before Nick had recovered. Hopefully I have time to get better at using magic, I don’t have a chance against three powerful villains he thought, filled with anxiety as he got ready to go find dinner. Now that he knew a few spells, he felt a bit more comfortable going back into the forest. Stepping outside, he realized he had just enough light to be able to make a quick excursion to find more food. Crossing the bridge, he started to try and sniff out a food source. He was able to pick out some apple trees just a bit down the road. Their sweet scent made him drool. I guess eating a vegetarian diet isn’t so bad, Nick thought as he ran down the path. In no time, he was there in front of a giant apple tree, full of delicious-looking red apples. A couple of these should be good for dinner, and maybe a little breakfast, he smiled as he started picking an apples with his magic. He was able to pluck it from the branch, but his magic faded and it fell to the ground. Upon inspecting it, there appeared to be no bruising. “Guess I’m going to have to get them some other way,” he sighed, looking for a stick to knock them down. There was one a few feet away. He went to grab it, only to realize he no longer had any hands. Growling in frustration, he picked it up with his mouth and started whacking at the apples. He mostly missed, a few times hitting a branch or the ground. He dropped the stick and cried out in anguish, “I just want some apples! Is that really too much to ask?!” Nick looked back at the tree, trying to see if there was anyway he could get his dinner. He looked at the tree trunk and then at his paws. If he was able to climb up the tree to escape the timberwolves, he could climb to get those apples. The first branch was a few feet above him, if he could climb up a bit, he’d be able to reach it. He leaned his paws on the tree, which in itself got him closer to the branch. "This might work," he said to himself. Luck seemed to be on his side, as the tree leaned slightly and he was able to crawl up further on the trunk. With his claws firmly into the bark, he hopped his hindlegs onto the trunk. He teetered for a second, but quickly regained his balance. “So far so good,” he smiled, “All I need to do is hop onto that branch. Nick crouched, ready to jump, and extended his legs. His front paws gripped onto the branch and he hoisted himself up. “Phew,” he panted, taking a minute to catch his breath. “From now on, only food from the ground,” he vowed, and began to pick the apples and place them in his empty knapsack. Satisfied with his bounty, he hopped down from his branch. He was about to leave before he stopped dead in his tracks. He was picking up a timberwolf’s scent, and from the strength of it, it wasn’t too far away. “Better bolt out of here,” he said, sprinting at full speed, his bag of apples in his mouth. Upon reaching the bridge, he quickly crossed. Looking behind him, he saw the timberwolf emerge from the forest. “Great, now I’m trapped,” he muttered, preparing to fight off the wolf. To his surprise, the wolf only snarled at him and returned to the forest. Why didn’t it come after me? he thought. Maybe the animals of the forest can’t leave. I guess that makes sense, since the Tree of Harmony has some control over this place. Determining he was safe, he picked up his dinner and headed to the castle. By the time he arrived at the castle door, it was almost nightfall. Thankfully, as he was setting up the throne room he collected a pile of flammable objects, so that he’d have some source of light. Placing them in a campfire setup, he shot out a flame, which to his surprise actually lit the wood. Well at least my fireball is getting stronger. Setting his bag on the table he emptied out the contents and pulled out an apple. He quickly gobbled it down and helped himself to a second one. After his third, he was satisfied and sleepy. Before he went to bed, he decided to reflect over what had happened that day. From being chased by timberwolves to being teleported to Princess Celestia’s castle, he realized that this was his new home now, whether he liked it or not. Tomorrow, he might go into Ponyville and meet with Princess Twilight. Since her castle had an enormous library, and that she was the Element of Magic, she could be able to teach him more about it, how to control it, and how to increase his magic prowess. Nick shook his head. No, that wouldn’t work, she’d probably get scared and the whole town would be after me. Maybe I could get Princess Celestia to arrange a meeting so that there’s no confusion. That is, if I could teleport. I’ll just have to sneak into town and get to Princess Twilight first. Hopefully she’ll believe me, which I highly doubt. Maybe if I get her to bring me to Princess Celestia, she’ll be able to explain everything. Yeah, that’ll work. Satisfied with this new plan, Nick was finally able to go to sleep. He was in the middle of what looked like a battlefield. The earth was scorched around him, there were trees that had splintered and were burning . The smell of smoke was heavy, making it hard to breathe. Now where am I? Nick was getting really tired of waking up in strange places. He assumed that he was still in Equestria, as he was still a wolf. As he scanned the horizon, something caught his eye. Off in the distance, he could see the outline of three figures. It looked like they could be three ponies, but the smoke made it hard to know for sure. Maybe they can tell me where I am? He quickly walked towards them. When he was about three quarters of the way there, he felt a sharp pain rip through his head. He looked down at his gem and saw that it was glowing. I better be cautious with these three. This is the first time the gem has glowed since I found the Tree. As he approached the figures, he called out. “Hey. I don’t mean to interrupt, but can one of you please tell me where I am?” The figures did not budge. Even at this distance it was still hard to tell what they were. He was a few feet away from them when one of them spoke. His voice was deep and rough, full of anger and spite. “So, this is the Warrior of Hope. A puny, pathetic wolf. I expected more of a challenge from the Tree of Harmony.” “I agree with you,” a withered voice replied. “At least I can easily feed off his magic to return to my former glory.” “Not until I am able to feed off his love. I wonder which of the ponies he’s met will do the trick,” a feminine voice added, it wasn’t warm like Celestia’s or the Tree of Harmony’s. It was cold and cruel. As the three turned around, they confirmed Nick’s suspicions. He was facing the three villains the tree had shown him. What? I haven’t even learned any useful spells! Even if somehow I could miraculously defeat them, I still don’t know how to destroy the gem. “Look at the fear on his face, he probably doesn’t even know how to fight,” Tirek cackled. “You might as well surrender wolf, there’s no way you can beat us. Why don’t you join us instead? What do you owe all of these miserable ponies?” “Yes. It would be pathetic to see such good power go to waste. If you join us, we can rule all of Equestria!” Sombra shouted. Nick didn’t even have to think twice. He made a promise to the Tree of Harmony that he would save Equestria, no matter the consequences for him. “Never,” he growled. “I would never join the likes of you. As long as I stand, I won’t let you harm Equestria.” He wasn’t sure how he would do it, but he would continue to fight till his last breath. “As you wish,” Sombra grinned. He conjured a giant orb of magic and launched it at Nick. Nick narrowly dodged it, before retaliating. I’ll need to get creative with those spells I learned. So far it seems that Lord Sombra is the only one that can attack me. If I quickly take out Tirek and Chrysalis, then it’d just be me and him. He launched a barrage of fireballs, causing Sombra to back off. He headed towards Tirek, conjuring a larger, concentrated fireball. He flung it at Tirek, and heard it hit him. As the smoke faded, Nick was dumbfounded by what he saw. Not only was Tirek unscathed, he had significantly grown, looking younger. “You really thought that a weak fireball could harm me?” he boomed. “All you did was give me more power! I guess I should thank you. Here’s a present!” With that, Tirek started to conjure something between his horns. Great, I now I’ve got two powerful villains to face, at least Chrysalis... He saw a swarm of changelings behind the queen. “Go forward my dears! Feast on his power so you will hunger no more!” Nick wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t run away, but he also couldn’t face them all at once. There had to be a way to defeat them. He didn’t have much time to think as Sombra and Tirek were charging up their magic again, with Chrysalis’ army closing in. If only I knew how to cast a chain lightning spell. That would take care of most of the army. Still, if I time it right, maybe I can get them to shield me from Sombra and Tirek's attack. He bided his time, allowing the changelings to get a few yards away from him. Tirek and Sombra had finished charging their magic. “Farewell, Warrior of Hope,” Sombra sneered. Now! he thought, running towards the changeling horde. I sure hope this works. Tirek and Sombra fired their magic at him, just as he got behind the changelings. “NO!” Chrysalis cried out, but she was too late. Although the changelings took most of the attack, Nick was knocked back, flying into the air and crashing into the ground. He felt something warm running down his mouth, and wiped it away. The smell of blood confirmed that he was bleeding. I need to find a way to end this soon. I don’t know how much longer I can last. “How could you!?” Chrysalis snarled at the other two. “You’ve just annihilated my entire army!” “Well if you hadn’t sent them after him, we would have crushed him,” Tirek growled back. Perfect, they’re arguing. Now’s my chance! Not wasting any time, Nick charged at the three, focusing on conjuring the biggest ball of magic he could. He felt a strange energy surge through him, and he started to glow green. There was no time to hesitate, he had to strike them now. “TAKE THIS!” he yelled, releasing a massive ball of fire at the trio. If it could take out the other two, he’d have to attack Tirek physically to defeat him. Unfortunately for Nick, Sombra was still paying attention to him and was able to cast a force field around them. As the dust settled, Nick noticed that he was still able to knock all three back. “Hmm,” Sombra pondered, getting up off the ground “It seems that I misjudged you, wolf. You were wise to take advantage of these two’s bickering. Sadly for you, I am not so easily distracted." He turned to his "allies" "You two, we can discuss things later; let’s put out this pathetic flame of hope.” Tirek and Chrysalis groaned, but joined Sombra in casting their magic. Great, I did nothing but piss them off. Hopefully my force field can withstand their attack. He was already tired from his last attack, and tried his best to conjure the force field. The three released their ball of magic, and cracked Nick’s shield like an egg. He was sent flying up, higher than the clouds. He could only flail helplessly as he came plummeting back to the ground, not able to save himself. Surprisingly he survived the impact, but he felt like every bone in his body was broken. He tried to get up, but couldn’t move his limbs. He had been defeated. The three had teleported to where he landed. “I have to congratulate you for your brave attempt,” Sombra mocked, “If you had joined us, nothing could stop our conquest. But now you must die. Enjoy these last few moments, Warrior of Hope.” All three charged their magic again. There would be no way to deflect it this time. “I… I failed,” Nick sobbed, taking in his final moments and closing his eyes. Right before they could deal the final blow, a feminine voice boomed. “ENOUGH!” Nick could feel the heat of the battlefield fade. It had turned into a cool breeze. His body no longer ached as well, and every broken bone seemed to have healed. He could hear what sounded like waves crashing on the beach. Nick slowly opened his eyes. He was no longer on the scorched battlefield. He was lying on the shore of a lake. His wounds were gone, and neither Tirek, Chrysalis, nor Sombra could be seen. As he got to his feet, he heard the voice speak again, this time in a more softer tone. “Are you alright?” At first he thought that maybe the Tree had saved him but the voice didn’t sound anything at all like it. It was a bit more reserved than Celestia’s. He turned around to see a navy blue alicorn standing in front of him. Her mane was a dark blue and looked like it had stars within it. She was shorter than him, but not as short as a normal pony. Her flank had the same mark he had seen on the banner. a crescent moon with some stars. “I am now. Thank you for saving me from those three. You must be Princess Celestia’s sister. Princess…”he trailed off, hoping she would fill in the blank. “Luna. I am Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon. You must be Nick, my sister informed me of how she met you and how you got here. She also told me how you are the newest element, the Element of Hope. At first I was skeptical, that you had somehow tricked my sister into believing your story, but after seeing your entire nightmare, it felt too real to be a simple dream,” Luna replied stepping towards Nick. She circled around Nick, inspecting him. He felt a little awkward as she eyed him, but stood perfectly still, hoping not to anger her. After her appraisal, she stepped back and continued, “Not quite what I was expecting, but you seem to be sturdy enough.” “I sure hope so,” Nick said, a little hurt by her comment. “Where are we?” he asked, realizing he’d never seen this place before. “We are in your dream,” Luna explained “My duty as Princess is to make sure all my subjects’ dreams do not turn into nightmares or if they do help them face their fears. I was going to visit you so I could introduce myself. But once I sensed you in discomfort, I came as soon as I could. When I arrived, I saw you use the changelings as a shield, a very wise tactic. I waited to see what you would do next, and knew I had to stop the dream before they killed you. Otherwise, you would have woken up and I would have been trapped in that dream.” So she can enter my dreams, Nick thought, amazed by such an idea. Wait, does that mean she could read my thoughts? Nick looked at the alicorn as if he was expecting an answer, but she only had a confused face on her muzzle. “Is there something on my face?” the princess asked, feeling a little uncomfortable with this wolf staring at her. “No, sorry, was just processing that we’re still in my dream,” Nick apologized. “Fighting those villains seemed all too real though.” “Understandable, sister explained that where you’re from, magic doesn’t exist. I’m pretty sure all of this must have been quite an unpleasant surprise, as you found out.” Yeah, especially when I wake up and I’m running for my life. “I guess I learned to adjust to it,” Nick said, trying to sound collected. “Thank you for stopping my nightmare. I really felt like I was going to die.” “It was my pleasure,” the princess smiled at him. “Would you like me to keep you company? There aren’t as many nightmares as there were before, and I would like to know a little bit more about yourself.” Well I guess it wouldn’t hurt. If she leaves, I may just go back to that same nightmare, or worse. “I’d be honored if you would stay, Princess Luna,” Nick said, bowing before her. That brought a bit of blush on Luna’s cheeks. Although Twilight had helped her become more sociable with her subjects, she still wasn’t used to talking with them. Her sister did most of that during the day. And so they continued through the night, finding out as much as they could about one another. As he sat back and listened to his companion, Nick came to a conclusion. I think I’m gonna like it here.