Dawn of the Storm

by Real Solaris

Spells and Surprises

Canterlot Castle has been the home to the Royal Sisters and millions of ponies for we'll over a millennium. It's a beacon of wealth and prosperity to many, and more hope to find their place among the nobles. The castle is always abuzz with chatter between the citizens, from the guards to the rich that litter the palace grounds. It always has a strange feeling in the air that calms many.

But today is much different.

Everyone is talking about the strange newcomer that had arrived earlier that day. Normally, many wouldn’t care too much about some newcomer to Canterlot - they get hundreds every day. But this one is different - a creature the likes the ponies have never seen before: a human. And to top it all off, he was accompanied by the Legendary Sonic the Hedgehog, the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, Prince Tionic, and the Mane Five. He even stood up against Prince Blueblood of all ponies, showing him his place. Soon after his arrival, strange purple clouds were spotted in the skies above, sparking with hot pink lightning.

Rumors were already spreading throughout the castle, many theorizing who the creature really was and what he was here for. A particular prince was in the spa, getting his hooficure and speaking to his fellow nobles about the human.

“I don’t see what all the hubbub is about,” Complains an annoyed (and slightly soiled) Prince Blueblood, while his hooves are filed by a spa pony. “It’s just some oversized monkey that wandered into the castle. There’s nothing special about it!”

“I’ve heard that it can do magic just like a unicorn,” says a male unicorn to his right, relaxing on his stomach while his back is massaged by a Mobian. “And that bat it has can change shape into whatever it wants.”

“So it can do some fancy parlor tricks, big deal!” Blueblood harrumphs. “I could take it out in an instant with just a flick of my horn.”

“Are you sure about that?” Says a earth pony mare as she steps out of the steam room. “I heard it gave you a run for your money earlier.”

Blueblood’s face flushes red with embarrassment as the other nobles laugh. “S-SHUT UP!” He shouts, slamming his hoof against his seat. “I just let him think that he ever had a chance against the likes of me! If I had been taking it seriously, he would’ve found himself underneath my hooves faster than he could ever realize.”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that,” mutters a unicorn stallion as he rolls his eyes.

“Anyway, it’s none of my concern right now,” sighs Blueblood as he relaxes back into the seat. “As long as it stays out of my way, I don’t care what it does.”

—Canterlot Halls, near the Royal Archives—

Footsteps echo through the empty halls, bouncing off the quartz pillars that line them and the velvet carpet that decorates the floors. Princess Celestia turs down the hall towards the Royal Archives with some company - Real. He is telling stories of his time on the other continent, and how crazy it was before he arrived in Equestria.

“…and after seeing that, we made a beeline for the next town over!” Real chuckles. “I think we may have scorched the ground considering how fast we hightailed it outta there!”

Celestia laughs, enjoying her company’s storytelling. “You certainly had quite the adventure before you came here, haven’t you? You must tell me the rest one day.”

“Gladly,” Real smiles, putting his hands behind his head. “Those were some crazy six months out there. I don’t think I would’ve managed as well as I did out there if it weren’t for them.”

“Agreed,” Celestia nods. She then stops, realizing that they reached their destination. “Ah, here we are - the Royal Archives. We should be able to find just about everything on basic magic manipulation right here.” Her horn starts to glow a familiar golden light as the giant double doors do the same, swinging open and revealing the Archives in all their glory.

The library was shaped like a circle and had three stories containing shelves upon shelves of books of every kind. Two blue pillars decorated with a shade of blue-purple rose from the sides holding up the third-floor balcony. On the said floor, eight smaller pillars of the same design stood, and the two right above the entrance had statues of two unicorns holding flags with a picture of an open book on both sides, flapping in a non-existent wind. Above them is a giant glass dome, keeping the elements outside and protecting the books from them. There are wooden tables that circle a stone one in the center, allowing for some ponies to relax, sit down, and read a book. To the left of the entrance is the checkout desk, and to the right are even more shelves of books.

“Woah-ho-ho!” exclaims Real, staring in awe as he takes in everything. “This is huge! I’ve never seen so many books in my life!”

“Yes, it is amazing, isn’t it?" says Celestia. “A place where ponies can come read and learn just about everything. Whether they prefer nonfiction or fiction or are looking for help on how to learn something, it can be found here.”

“With this many books, I could probably find just about everything I need!”

“Indeed, you could,” giggles Celestia. “But maybe not all, though. While it is expansive, there are still many more libraries with more vast amounts of knowledge than you could ever imagine!”

Real snorts to himself. “Oh, I can imagine. But Equestria has surprised me time and time again, so who knows what will happen?”

“That is true,” says Celestia. “Now follow me, I know of a few books that will help with your training.” She leads Real toward the third floor, where magic books are kept. Channeling her magic, she pulls a few off the shelf and sets them on a nearby table.

“These go over the basics of magic manipulation and how to concentrate it,” says Celestia, opening the first book to the start. “All unicorn fillies are required to read these before they go to school, as it will help them control their magic bursts if they ever come up. Hopefully, you will be able to get through these quickly, that way we can get into the more advanced techniques. I will answer any questions you may have or are having trouble understanding something.”

“Thanks, Celestia!” Real says, picking up the first book, and taking out his necklace. “Now, lessee here…”

‘Getting right into it, are we?’ Celestia thinks, giggling to herself. ‘He reminds me of Twilight when she first started her classes under my tutelage. Beginning right away and easily succeeding in any task I gave her.’

While reminiscing, Celestia notices a flash of blue light come from Real. Looking over, she is shocked to see that he was staring straight ahead in a trancelike manner, not moving from his spot. That itself would be weird, but his eyes glow bright white, and his magic surrounds him, making him float just above the ground. Books hovered around him, opening and closing as they came off the shelves and back to their original places.

“Incredible!” Celestia gasps, blown away by what she was seeing. The only other time that she had seen this kind of display of magical power was from Twilight years ago, during her entrance exam. It was also how she earned her cutie mark, met Spike, and became Celestia’s student.

“How is he doing this?!” She asks herself, watching Real closely and feeling the raw magic emanating from him. “How does Real have this much magic when he says he has had little to no experience?”

As fast as it had happened, Real blinks his eyes, dissipating the white light and his magic, dropping back to the floor. He shakes his head, then rubs his eyes, and blinks a few times before realizing what had happened.

“Oh great, it happened again,” He sighs, looking around for something. “What happened this time?”

“This time…?” asks Celestia incredulously. “You mean this display of power has happened before?”

“Three times to be exact,” Real reveals. “While I was traveling over in Ponyland. I’ve also noticed that these bursts of power are starting to come a lot faster now, too.”

“Faster?” says Celestia, still trying to process what she had just seen moments before. She then realizes that Real has a lot more potential than she thought - maybe more so than Twilight. “… I believe you’re ready for the more advanced levels of magic.”

“Wait, what?!” Real exclaims, getting to his feet. “But I’ve barely even started with the basics!”

“With that kind of display of magic, it will be a breeze for you.” Celestia proceeds to put the books on the table back on the shelf and then trots farther down the aisle. She opens her wings and flies to the higher parts of the shelves, spotting the books she was looking for. She levitates them off the shelf and returns to the floor before setting them down on the table.

“Advanced Spells Vol. 1- 5?” recites Real, reading the titles of the books Celestia had brought back. “The Master’s Guide to Magic Focusing? Harnessing Amulet Magic? No offense Celestia, but these are for high-level magic users! How do you expect me to do any of this?!”

“I have faith that you can do these with ease,” says Celestia, opening the first volume of Advanced Spells to a random page. The header reads “Transmutation”.

“Transmutation?” asks Real, scanning the page. “‘Turning one thing into something else entirely’? You really think this isn’t the slightest bit too much for me?”

“Not at all,” she says. She then heads towards the stairs, leaving Real to attempt the spell himself. “Now, there is something I need to do. I will be right back.”

---

Hours later, Real is still working with Celestia, her vast knowledge of magic helping him progress in leaps and bounds, even going as far as to create some of his own spells, much to Celestia's surprise.

‘I have not seen this kind of magical progression since ancient times,’ thinks Celestia, keeping an eye on Real, who was now climbing one of the rolling ladders scattered around the library to grab a book. ‘I wonder if Starswirl was this adept at magic growing up.’

The doors to the library creek open, revealing a mare and filly. Looking towards the double doors to see who had entered, Celestia instantly recognizes the pair. “It seems we have some visitors from the Sparkle family.”

“Oh?” Real doesn’t look up from the book he was reading, still hanging off of the ladder. “Who is it? Shining Armor and Cadance? Or is it Twilight’s parents?”

“It's Silverlay and Nyx,” Celestia says, and waves to them. “Hello, you two. What brings you to the Royal Archives?”

“Ah, Silverlay and Nyx, huh?” Real says. It takes a moment before it hits him harder than a runaway Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush.

“Wait- SILVERLAY AND NYX?!” He shouts, dropping the book. He shoves off the bookshelf hard to move the ladder to the end of the rail, desperate to confirm his suspicions. The ladder slams against the end and jumps off the rail, and Real gets a glance at the two ponies before gravity rears its ugly head.

“Oh, Celestia save me…”

She didn’t.

“SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-!!!”

*THWHAM*

Real falls three stories of bookshelves, flailing his arms and legs in the air before landing face first on the first floor. The impact somehow jostles hundreds of books off the shelves (the shelves are not facing the balcony, mind you) as they fly off and pile onto the downed human. A few seconds of falling hardcover books and one rolling ladder later, Celestia and the two Sparkles can see a hand limply sticking out from the pile of books.

“Oh dear,” Celestia grimaces, hopping over the short wall and gliding down to the ground floor, landing next to the mound. “Real, are you alright?”

“If there’s one thing I didn’t think would happen to me today,” Real says, his voice muffled by all the books piled on top of him. “It’s getting attacked by books. Now, a little help here?”

His hand points to the pile, and Celestia giggles, holding a hoof to her muzzle.

“Gladly,” she says, and her horn starts to give off a golden aura. The books start to glow the same as well, as they lift off the ground and back to their proper places on the shelves. The mound disappears to show Real, his face planted square on the floor, arms and legs splayed outwards. The sight takes the three ponies by surprise, and they all burst out laughing.

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Real says dryly, pulling his head away from the floor. Picking himself up, he dusts himself off, before facing the laughing trio. “You’ve had your laughs and giggles, but I’m not amused.”

“I-I’m sorry,” apologizes Celestia, still struggling internally not to laugh. “It just took me by surprise, is all.”

“I know it did,” says Real. “It would’ve done the same to me as well.” He then eyes the two Sparkles, still giggling. “Alright you two, you can stop with the giggle-fest.”

They stop, but you can still see them struggling to keep it together. Then Real remembers why he fell in the first place. Standing before him were two ponies that clearly should not be here, yet they were. An alicorn filly, coat as black as night, her mane a deep purple. Her cutie mark was a navy blue shield with a crescent that looked like a moon to the side. Her eyes were bright turquoise, with little black slits for irises.

The other was an older mare, her coat a deep navy blue. Her mane and tail were nearly white, with two shades of blue-grey as highlighters. She had a similar hairstyle to Twilight’s, but the back of her mane was split into two, small bands at the ends holding them together, like Applejack did to hers. She had three white freckles on the bridge of her nose, and her eyes were a dark grey. She wore a white and blue-grey pearl bracelet on her left hoof, and her cutie mark was a six-sided star inside of a larger one, with two wings surrounding it.

“…I-I’m not dreaming…” stammers Real, pinching himself while looking at the two Sparkles, then turning to Celestia. “…am I?”

“Of course you aren't,” assures Celestia, eyeing Real strangely. “What brought this on? That fall didn’t do anything else to you, did it?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” stammers Real, looking at Nyx and Silverlay. “It’s just… the last thing I’d ever thought I would see in Equestria is you two. How many worlds are crossed over?!”

“Um… what are you?” asks Nyx, looking at Real. “I’ve never seen anything like you in any of my books on mythical creatures.”

“Oh, well, that’s because you won’t find anything on humans anywhere,” Real says as she composed himself.

“Humans?” asks Silverlay, the term sounding familiar. She was sure that her sister had mentioned something like that somewhere before.

“Yep, that’s what my species is,” says Real. “And what I am.”

“What did you mean by I won’t find anything on humans anywhere?” asks Nyx, tilting her head.

“Because I’m from another world,” reveals Real. “Or dimension, as I like to think.”

“Another world?!” shouts Nyx and Silverlay, who had just remembered where she heard that term before. Twilight had mentioned that there was another world parallel to theirs, except everypony there was a “human.”

“Yep!” confirms Real. “It’s not as exciting as you think. I’d honestly choose Equestria over Earth any day!”

“Where did you come from?” asks Silverlay, eyeing Real. “Did you come from the mirror world? Or are you from Sonic’s world?”

“Neither,” reveals Real. “I’m from an entirely different place from those two.”

“Really?!” says Nyx, her tiny wings fluttering. “My mom would love to meet you! She’s all about learning new stuff, and you would keep her busy for days!”

“I know she would!” says Real, kneeling to the filly’s level. “I should know, as I’ve already met her!”

“You have?!” exclaims Nyx, her wings now buzzing fast enough to lift her off the ground momentarily. “When?!”

“Just a few hours ago!” Real answers, standing back up. “I saved Twilight and her friends, too.”

“You saved them?!” says Silverlay, shocked and relieved by this information. “How did you do that?”

“Celestia, you wouldn’t mind if I took a break from training, would ya?” asks Real as he looks at the sun princess. “If I know a Sparkle, they won’t give up until they get what they want.”

“Go right ahead,” says Celestia, giving the human the all-clear. “I am quite curious myself as to how you did that as well.”

“Alrighty then!” exclaims Real. “You guys might want to get comfortable, ‘cause this’ll take a while to tell. Now, it started about a week ago…”

“…and you know the rest,”

Looking at his audience, Real can see that the two Sparkles have sparkles (heh) in their eyes, delighted by the recap of the past few days. Celestia is stock still, but there is a slight hint of anticipation in her eyes - she was clearly interested. “Any questions?”

“Was it hard to take down those Storm Creatures?”

“How can your bat change?!”

“I’m quite intrigued as to how it can do that as well.”

“Can you do any cool tricks?!”

“Hey, hey, take it easy there, Nyx!” laughs Real, trying to pull off the filly that had clambered onto his head, but failing to do so. “I’ll show you some tricks later, but let me answer everyone else’s questions first, okay?”

“Okay!” says the ecstatic filly, hanging onto Real’s head.

“Alright, Silverlay,” looking to the older mare. “To answer your question, they weren’t too hard to take down. If you know how to deal with them, they’re pretty easy.”

“Really?” says Silverlay, pondering this. “Like how you had prior knowledge of these towers and what they do?”

“Exactly like that,” says Real, looking up to his little rider, and then to Celestia. “As for your question Nyx, Celestia? Lemme show you.”

He then unsheathes his bat off his back, and flips it around hilt first, revealing an emerald of the purest green. Real then points to the gem, saying, “It’s this little gem right here. From what I gather, this is a stone infused with Changeling magic, allowing for easy manipulation of the bat’s molecular structure.”

“Changeling magic?” asks Celestia, looking at the gem intently. “May I see it for a second?”

“Sure!” says Real, handing the bat to her. “Just be careful, though. It might turn into something unexpectedly depending on what you’re thinking.”

“…” Celestia concentrates on the gem, feeling the magic inside. She expects malice and hatred to wash over her, typical of old Changeling magic. But surprisingly there is only love and happiness flowing from it. Celestia then passes back the bat to Real, perplexed by this revelation.

“I was expecting to feel a burning hatred emanating from the gem,” she explains, eyeing the emerald again. “Which is usual for ancient Changeling magic, but what I felt was the complete opposite. I felt… calm while feeling it. The magic feels exactly like Changeling magic after they were reformed, but that only happened recently. How is this possible?”

Real re-sheaths his bat, and looks back at Celestia, shrugging. “Heck if I know. Maybe this was a different kind of magic?”

“Perhaps, but it still felt very similar to present-day changeling magic,” says Celestia. “Maybe it’s something that even I don’t understand yet.”

“Maybe,” Real shrugs. “I was just guessing it was Changeling magic, but we have no way of really knowing until we find out, right?”

“Indeed,” says Celestia. She then decides that it is time that Real continues his magic training. “I think it’s time that we continue with -"

Celestia is suddenly interrupted by the doors to the library slamming open, a unicorn guard rushing in.

“Princess Celestia!” he shouts, spotting the princess, rushing over, and saluting. “Urgent news regarding one of the teams sent out earlier!”

“What happened?” asks Celestia, instantly standing up. “Did one of the teams return?”

“Yes,” confirms the guard. “But they are in bad condition. It looks like they were struck by that strange lightning and are in rough condition.”

“Wait, what?!” says Real, shocked by this information, standing up. “Whose team were they on?”

“Uh, Team Speed, I believe,” reveals the guard. “Sonic the Hedgehog and Rainbow Dash came in soon after from what I’m told, and they were rushed to the infirmary.”

“Where’s the hospital?” asks Real, standing rigid as a statue. “We’ve got to make sure they’re alright.”

“I will take you there,” says Celestia, placing a hoof on his shoulder. She then turns to the guard. “Keep an eye out for any other threats that may arise and keep me posted. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the guard salutes, heading back out of the library.

“Sorry, you two,” says Real, looking to Silverlay and Nyx. “But we gotta cut this visit short. I need to make sure those two knuckleheads are alright.”

“It was great meeting you!” exclaims Nyx, hugging Real. “Let’s talk again soon, O.K.?”

“Promise,” says Real, hugging her back. He lets Nyx go and turns to Silverlay, extending a hand to her. “You too, Silverlay.”

“I think we’ll be seeing each other pretty soon,” says Silverlay, giving him a firm hoof/handshake. “It was great meeting you Real.”

“Likewise,” he says, then turning to Celestia. “Lead the way, Celestia.”

“Hold on,” she warns, charging her magic up before teleporting the pair to the Canterlot Hospital waiting room. After asking the clerk where the two speedsters were being kept, they headed to the second-floor room where they were resting.

Knocking on the door, they hear, “Come in!” from inside and enter. Sonic and Rainbow Dash were sitting upright on their beds, both bandaged in various places, and nasty bruises dotting their bodies.

“Holy crap, you guys do not look pretty,” comments Real, cringing at the sight. “You two feeling alright?”

“Never better!” says Sonic, his hands behind his quills. “The doc said we had a few rough spots here and there, but we’ll be out before you know it!”

“That’s great to hear,” says Celestia. “But I have to ask - what happened to you?”

“It’ll take a hot minute to explain,” says Rainbow Dash. She and Sonic then proceed to explain the events that had happened to them in the past few hours, leaving no details out.

“It’s a good thing you were able to get the guards back here in time,” comments Celestia. “Or we may have lost some very capable ponies.”

“Saving lives is what I do,” says Sonic, rubbing his finger under his nose. “But not all the credit goes to me, Dashie helped me blitz that sucker to pieces!”

“Anything to keep the only thing that can keep up with me in a race!” says Rainbow Dash, rubbing the back of her head, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

“You know you love me,” he teases, a cocky grin plastered on his face. “And you can’t deny it.”

“Sonic!” shouts Rainbow, turning into a blushing mess. She tackles Sonic, wrestling him back onto the bed. “Not in front of the princess!”

Celestia giggles, clearly enjoying the spectacle unfolding between the married couple. As the two continue to argue and laugh, she spots Real staring out the window, muttering to himself.

“So the Storm can manifest things from the past, eh?” completely oblivious to the scene unfolding between the two speedsters. “It’s a whole lot deadlier than I’ve ever seen - this could be bad.”

Before Celestia can ask what’s on his mind, one of the Royal Guard rushes in. “Princess, something is happening!”

Everyone is suddenly on high alert. Rainbow stops wrestling her husband, scrunching her blushing muzzle. Celestia addresses the guard. “What has happened?”

“There seems to be what looks like Storm clouds forming above Canterlot!” the guard says, saluting. “Also, a portion of the cloud seems to have broken off of the main cloud and has landed inside the Royal Garden.”

“What?” says Celestia, confused about why this was happening. “Here? What is going on?”

“Nopony knows, Princess,” the guard answers. “We were hoping that you or the human would know.”

“I have a name, you know,” says Real, a small vein popping out from his forehead.

“What of the cloud that has landed in the garden?” asks the princess. “Have you managed to take control of the situation?”

“We have sent guards to keep an eye on it,” The guard reveals. “But we don’t what will happen.”

“Thank you for telling me this,” says Celestia, dismissing the guard, then facing Real. “You’re the expert on this - do you know of anything similar to this?”

“This is new to me as well,” says Real, scratching his chin in deep thought, wracking his brain for any relevant information to this situation. “Just be safe, we’ll need to check out what that cloud that landed in the garden. Maybe it’ll tell us a little more.”

“We’re coming with you,” Sonic suddenly says, hopping off the hospital bed.

“In your condition?” says Celestia, eyeing their injuries.

“We may be banged up, but we’re still in fighting condition!” says Rainbow Dash, now hovering next to Sonic.

“Ha!” laughs Real. “Nothing keeps you two down, does it?”

“Nope!” confirms Rainbow Dash, smirking confidently. “You can’t stop us!”

“True,” agrees Real. He turns to the princess. “Let’s head to the garden, shall we?”

“Gladly,” says Celestia, and she casts a teleportation spell. In a flash, they arrive in the garden. Before them is a ring of Royal Guards, each pointing a spear at a slow swirling mass of blue mist, Storm Lightning sparking out occasionally from time to time.

“What the hay is that?” ponders Real, and then a wave of Deja vu washes over him. “And why does it look all too familiar?”

“I wouldn’t know,” says Celestia, stopping a few meters from it. “You know more than we -!”

Suddenly, the swirling blue mist starts to spark even more, and a giant bolt of Storm Lightning explodes from it, knocking back a few of the guards that were not prepared for it. A giant body forms from the mist and lightning, condensing into a solid form - one that Real knew all too well.

“The Storm King?!” exclaims Real, shocked to see the King of the Storm here in Canterlot. “What’s he doing here?!”

"I’m here to make a deal, boy,” booms the Storm King, his voice thundering across the garden, surprising everyone there with the fact that he could speak. “And to say hello to a few old friends. Hello Celestia, Sonic, and Rainbow Dash. You wouldn’t happen to know where Tionic is, would you? I’ve wanted to dish out some long-awaited revenge on him for quite some time now!”

“What do you mean?” asks Celestia, confounded by this. “We have never met -!” It then clicks inside her memory. “You’re the first Storm King! The one who attacked Canterlot years ago when Tionic first arrived!”

“Wait, that Storm King?!” exclaims Real, whipping around to face the Celestia. “Wasn’t he turned to stone and shattered?!”

"Yes I was boy,” answers the Storm King. "But my minions had managed to find a way to resurrect me! They found this mindless husk of a monster and managed to place my conscience into it!”

‘They what?!’ Real screams in his mind, blown away by this. ‘That’s impossible, the Storm King isn’t even from this world! They couldn’t have done that unless… No, they couldn’t. There’s no way they had the technology to do that.’

“Why are you here?!” shouts Sonic, readying his fists for a fight. “What do you want from us?!”

"I’m not here for a fight, hedgehog,” reveals the Storm King as he turns to Real. "I want you to give me your power, boy.”

“What?!” shouts Real, dumbfounded by this. “Why would you want my power?! My magic comes from my necklace, not me!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Real,” says Celestia, though hesitantly. The human whirls around, surprised by what the Sun Princess was saying. “Since I started tutoring you, I’ve sensed something deep within you that surfaces from time to time. I haven’t seen this kind of potential since Twilight all those years ago.”

"She is correct,” says the Storm King, folding his arms. ”I have sensed huge amounts of raw power coming from you, and I have grown to want this.”

“Why would he ever give his power to you?!” exclaims Rainbow Dash, furious at the behemoth for making such a bold proposition. “We know what your kind is like! Power-hungry villains who don’t care for anything else and will do anything to get more of it!”

"I will give you twenty-four hours to think about this deal boy,” thunders the Storm King to Real. "If I don’t get an answer in that time frame, I will not hesitate to reduce this world and its inhabitants to a wasteland!”

Real pulls back, startled. He knows that the Storm King wouldn’t hesitate to do this - he’s seen what both can do - one to a whole world before.

"It’s your choice boy,” warns the Storm King. "Give me what I want, and I won’t destroy everything you know and love. You know where to find me.” The blue mist swirls around faster and faster, Storm Lightning sparking more before shooting up into the sky and disappearing.

Seeing that there is no longer a threat, the guards then lower their spears, and Celestia dismisses them back to their stations. Rainbow Dash is currently ranting about what they just heard.

“What makes him think he can just come here and make those demands?!” exclaims Rainbow. “Does he think that he can do this without somepony trying to stop him?! Plus, Real isn’t crazy enough to agree to them, right bud?!”

Real is dead silent, still looking at where the Storm King had disappeared. He hadn’t moved since it left and seems to be in deep thought.

“Real, you’re not considering this crazy deal now, are you?” asks Celestia, worried that he may try something stupid. “Real?”

“Unfortunately,” says Real, not moving. “I am considering it.”

“You’re what?!” shouts Sonic, Rainbow Dash, and Celestia, shocked to hear this.

“You can’t be serious!” says Celestia, her voice filled with fear and sadness. “Why would you even think to agree to those barbaric terms?!”

“You can’t do this, kid,” says Sonic, placing a hand on Real’s shoulder. “It’s not worth giving yourself up to that thing for us. We’ll find another way to stop him!”

“Yes, it is!” shouts Real, his voice full of rage as he knocks Sonic’s hand off and turns around to face them. “Do you think I want to do this? Do you think that I want to give up like this?! I know what that thing is capable of, and I don’t want to see my new friends get hurt because of a stupid decision that I made!”

They both are shocked by this outburst but touched by Real’s concern for their well-being and all of Equestria, despite only meeting them hours before.

“This is the only way to make sure that you guys stay safe,” explains Real, calming down. “When the others get back from their missions, tell them what happened.”

“Are you sure this is the only way to do this?” asks Celestia, still hesitant about his decision. “I don’t want you to regret this.”

“100%,” answers Real. “Celestia, can you teleport me to the Prancing Plains? That’s where the Storm King is waiting for me.”

“I will,” she says, reluctantly gathering her mana for the spell.

“Tell the others what happened you three,” Real says, then unsheathing his bat, turning it into a bat blade. “And tell them it was great to finally meet you after all these years.”

“Will do,” says Sonic, giving a solemn thumbs up. “Just stay safe out there, will ya?”

“Heh,” Real chuckles solemnly. “I’ll try, but I can’t say that it’ll go that way. Celestia? Ready when you are.”

“Alright,” she says, focusing her magic on a long-range teleportation spell. “Good luck, Real.” And with that final goodbye, Celestia casts the spell, transporting Real to the Prancing Plains with a *BAMF*, and he’s gone.

“Let us hope he has made the right decision,” says Celestia.

“Only time will tell,” says Sonic, looking out to the setting sun. The threesome hopes for the safety of their new friend, and hope that if it comes to it, be able to stop the Storm King once and for all.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wired publish periods for this and the last chapter back in April and March. The Edit button is so small and placed right next to publish button.
WHY MUST MOBILE BE SO FINICKY?!