> Some Redemption
>  by Cupzy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> When Odds Are Against You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's have a recap on Equestrian history, shall we? When Princess Celestia came to power after overthrowing Discord, most ponies were still used to the tyrannical reign of Discord. After laws were enforced, some ponies refused to let Celestia's laws take away their old means of life. Some were petty criminals, while others were crime lords with more followers than Discord himself. These ponies were banished from Equestria, and made to repent their sins by spending their lives in eternal banishment. These ponies developed their own culture inside the complexity of the Everfree forest, deep where the most dangerous creatures thrived. They made their own laws, and wanted to exact revenge on Celestia for what she had done to their lives. In the ordinary standard of Equestria, there are four types of ponies. Earth ponies, who usually ended up working on farms. Pegasi, who tended to the weather in their home city of Cloudsdale. And Unicorns, a significantly rare breed that usually had a higher standard of living. And Alicorns, the rarest of all pony types, these creatures usually matured into royalty. In the culture of the banished ponies however, there was one more type of pony.

These ponies could perfect the art of magic be they Earth, Pegasi or Unicorn. They had been taught magic at a young age. These ponies were called "Necromancers." Although these ponies weren't necessarily different from other ponies, they talk are simply ponies who had strict magic lessons when they were young. These ponies had no real sense of emotion whatsoever coupled with their social skills being similar to that of a changeling. They were simply made to carry out the orders of the queen of the banished. Tonight was certainly a big night, the main focus of the banished was simply to eliminate Celestia, although considering the fact that she had much more men and overall was much more powerful than them, the banished had never had a good chance to ever invade. Tonight was different however.

A few years ago, a pony was born into the banished and made to be raised as a Necromancer. He showed extreme signs of progress and quickly surpassed all other Necromancers of the same age group. Not only had he excelled in magic, he had also studied blades and swords in his spare time. He had eventually become one of the most powerful warriors of the banished. He wielded a large long sword that he could manipulate with magic as fluently as using his own hooves to move it around. This colt's name was Shadow Storm, the queen had taken an interest in him ever since he first got his cutie mark; A red pentagram, usually used to represent evil and anarchy. Unlike other Necromancers, he had developed a (very small) understanding of emotion, being able to talk like any other ordinary colt would talk.

Tonight, the queen wanted to test the colt's resolve. He had agreed to go on a "Suicide mission" to Canterlot and attempt to assassinate Celestia, the mission was indeed impossible, but Shadow Storm took it upon himself as a test of loyalty towards his queen. He had just started to leave his home and set out for Canterlot castle. He decided to do it undercover of darkness as to not be seen by any guards on the way in, assuming he actually made it inside. He had just come to the edge of the Everfree forest where Ponyville was in view. Acting as a normal colt, he took the next train to Canterlot. Once he had finally arrived, he could see the castle in the distance. He moved to a hillside directly next to the castle. He summoned his long sword in a quick burst of magic and jumped at the castle walls. He started to climb the more deteriorated parts of the walls and eventually made it to an open window. He climbed through the window and into the castle.

He assumed Celestia would be in her bedroom by this time, so he started to walk towards the two rooms belonging to the princesses. If he was lucky, he might actually pull this off! The castle was filled with different rooms which Shadow Storm had to look through. He spent almost an hour looking through the countless rooms that adorned the castle. Most of the guard were patrolling the outside and some were sleeping in the rooms that he was looking through. Eventually, he came across two overly-garnished doors that looked particularly royal. He slowly opened one of the doors, making a slight creaking sound as he looked around the room, the wallpaper was a dark blue and there was a bright gold chandelier hanging from the middle of the room. There was a king sized bed in the top left of the room. And on top of the bed lay the sleeping body of Princess Luna, even though she was still a very important royal figure, people looked up to Celestia as a more influential leader. He slowly closed the door, making the same unnerving creaking noise as it shut.

Shadow Storm heard the sound of hooves clopping behind him. He slowly turned his head to reveal the towering figure of Princess Celestia, the door to her room was wide open and she was giving him a menacing glare. Shadow Storm remained silent, he knew better than to give away his voice.

"So, you're the one who happens to be causing all of the noise?" Celestia asked in a disgruntled, un-princess like tone. How could she have heard him? He was as quiet as a mouse when he was traversing the corridors of the castle. He remembered his assignment and reached for his long sword, just before he could touch the hilt with his hoof, Celestia's horn started to glow, he quickly stepped away from her, drawing his long sword out.

"Where have you come from? Have you been sent to assassinate me?" Celestia asked. Shadow Storm remained silent, pointing his long sword at her menacingly. Celestia let out a small laugh and a bolt of magic shot from her horn. Shadow Storm's reflexes were quick enough to move the long sword in front of his body, deflecting the projectile at a nearby wall. Celestia was surprised at the colt's reflexes and quickly acted.

"Guards! There is an intruder in the castle!" Celestia shouted. Shadow Storm didn't know what else to do, he turned around and started running away, he heard the sounds of guards preparing for battle in the several rooms he passed. He continued running through the corridor until a line of guards prevented him from progressing, he looked behind him, more guards were moving in from behind. Eventually, he had a circle of guards around him, pointing extremely sharp spears at him. One of the guards made the foalish mistake of charging at Shadow Storm. The guard thrust his spear at Shadow Storm, only to be surprised when he dodged the spear and quickly retaliated with a humongous slash from his long sword, he had cut the guard from the chest upwards, the guard fell down into a lifeless lump on the floor.

The guards suddenly realized just how powerful Shadow Storm was, the guard he killed was one of the most trained guards in the castle. The gap where the guard originally stood was now Shadow Storm's escape plan, he ran through the gap, leaving the guards confused and amazed by his speed. He eventually came to a large set of doors. He had to use almost all of his strength to open them, and the guards that were chasing him weren't far behind. He eventually managed to open the doors and was greeted by what looked like the throne room of the castle. It took him a few seconds to register Celestia sitting on her respective throne, she was acting so calm, as if to mock him. Jack still had his mission to complete, he would be shunned by the rest of the banished if he returned empty handed, he either had to return with Celestia's head, or not return at all.

He didn't waste any time, he ran across the throne room and sliced his sword at Celestia, she appeared to vanish into thin air, leaving a large scratch on the throne. Celestia was already behind him, she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the nearest wall. The princess could be unnecessarily brutal when she wanted to be.

"I'll ask you one more time, who are you, and what do you hope to accomplish by killing me?" Celestia asked, an evil look in her eyes. Shadow Storm remained quiet, as if inviting Celestia to kill him at that very moment. Celestia released an irritated sigh as Shadow Storm saw her horn light up again. He closed his eyes, waiting painfully for the final blow, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and went limp. Celestia released the grip on his throat, letting his body slide to the floor.

A few minutes later, he managed to open his eyes, he moved his hoof to the center of his chest, when he withdrew it, his hoof was covered in blood. Celestia was still standing over him with a victorious smile on her face.

"Still alive, are you?" Celestia said. Shadow Storm let out an angry snarl before rising to his hooves. He saw Celestia's horn light up again, he closed his eyes. At least he would die by Celestia's hoof. It seemed like hours had passed before he finally opened his eyes, Celestia had still not fired her attack. Her horn eventually stopped glowing, confusing him.

"Listen, I'm going to give you one chance to get out of this castle, if you choose to remain here and die by my hoof, then I respect that decision." Celestia said. This was Shadow Storm's only chance at getting away, he started limping towards the exit to the castle, the guards making way for him as he walked outside of the main gate. He now had to return to the Everfree forest and face the wrath of his queen. He started to make his way to the forest entrance, the pain in his chest was now unbearable. Just as he was about to enter the forest, he collapsed onto the ground. Eventually fading into unconsciousness.
> Enter Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow Storm opened his eyes, he was no longer on the grass of the Everfree forest. Instead, he was on a bed in somepony's home. He could feel a stabbing pain in his chest as he lifted himself up. He looked down and noticed that someone had tended to his wounds. He had other things to worry about however, he couldn't possibly return to the forest now, he would be shunned and possibly punished by his queen. She agreed to let Shadow Storm take as much time as he wanted to complete the job. By now, he was probably labeled dead by the banished. He wondered who had actually saved him, he would have surely died if he had been left as he was. He spotted his long sword at the opposite edge of the room, tilting against the wall. He checked the rest of his body, the impact from Celestia's spell sent shock throughout his entire body, even managing to disable his wings for a short duration. He had to finish what he started and kill Celestia as soon as he got out of this house.

He heard the sound of somepony walking outside of the door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a magenta unicorn, who seemed quite happy to see him awake.

"You're awake! That's great!" The Unicorn said with a smile. Shadow Storm remained silent, who in the right mind would save a Pegasus bleeding out in the forest brandishing a long sword? Anybody who saves that kind of pony is essentially digging their own grave.

"You should probably stay in that bed for a few more hours until you get up, those magical wounds you have are seriously life threatening!" The Unicorn said. She was eyeing the long sword in the corner of the room, she seemed intimidated by it.

"Is that your sword?" The Unicorn asked. Shadow Storm nodded.

"I had trouble bringing it back, I'm really lucky I didn't cut myself with it. Why would you even have that thing on you? Did you get attacked by something in the forest?" The Unicorn asked question after question, she suddenly remembered the wounds he had were magical wounds, she realized that another pony must have caused them.

"Oh, I see. You got in a fight with another pony?" The Unicorn asked. Shadow Storm nodded.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" She asked in response. He realized that he hadn't spoken a word since he left the Everfree forest. She didn't know who she was, there was no harm in it. He grunted a few times to make sure that Celestia didn't obliterate his vocal cords.

"Yes, I lost against a Unicorn" He responded, his voice had a certain malice to it that made other ponies uncomfortable, even a few of the ponies in the forest admitted that his voice was creepy. His voice was also somewhat quiet. He didn't want to say Alicorn in case the Unicorn caught on. She extended a hoof towards him.

"Well, my name's Twilight Sparkle, what's yours?" Asked Twilight. The pony didn't respond to her handshake, he only said his name under his breath.

"Shadow Storm." He muttered. He attempted to leave the bed, only to open one of his wounds back up as he made a grunt of pain. Twilight rushed over to his side, pushing him back down and using her magic to close the wound.

"Just wait a few more hours, alright? Try and get some sleep." Twilight said. He realized that he had no choice. As Twilight left the room, he attempted to go to sleep. He eventually fell asleep, when he woke up. He could tell that a significant time period had passed, as the sun was about to set. He once again attempted to lift himself off the bed. He managed to do so with relative ease this time around. He walked over to his long sword, touching it and watching as it evaporated into magical essence. He could hide it as long as he wanted to and he could make it reappear anywhere within a short distance. He opened the door to the bedroom. He went downstairs and realized that he was being kept in a library. His chest still had a stinging sensation whenever he walked, but he could shrug it off.

He spent a little time walking around the library before Twilight saw him poking around the magic section.

"Oh, You're up!" She said as she walked over to him. He was looking at the books focused on offensive magic.

"Would you like anything to eat? A daisy sandwich or something?" Twilight offered. Deep inside, she was a bit afraid of the Pegasus, why was he looking at books focused on magic? Pegasi couldn't use magic... Shadow Storm didn't actually feel hungry, he simply wanted his wounds healed so that he could leave for Canterlot. That's when it struck him, he didn't actually know where in Equestria he was. After a few moments of silence, Twilight let out a nervous laugh, unsure of what he was thinking.

"Where exactly is this library located?" Shadow Storm asked, his voice still unsettling Twilight.

"You aren't from around here, are you? You're in Ponyville, it's a small town but it's pretty famous." Twilight explained.

"Famous? How so?" Shadow Storm replied.

"Well, it's where me and the other elements of harmony live, also a lot of other stuff happened here too..." Twilight said, she continued on about the adventures of her and her friends. Shadow Storm wasn't listening, his mind was focused on the first part.

"The elements of harmony... She's one of the mane six?" He thought to himself. He had heard of the defeat of Nightmare Moon, the queen of the changelings and Discord back in the forest, but he never would have guessed that the mane six would have a weak looking mare in it.

"-And then he got turned back to stone!" Said Twilight. Shadow Storm was still lost in thought, the mane six were loyal to Celestia. Could they help him get closer to her?

"I thank you for tending to my wounds, Twilight Sparkle. But I am afraid I must be going, I have some important business to attend to." Shadow Storm explained.

"A-are you sure? I mean, your wounds are still pretty serious." Twilight said.

"It's nothing, I assure you. Is there any place I could spend the night in Ponyville?" Shadow Storm asked.

"Yeah, there's a hotel down the street." Twilight responded. He gave a nod before opening the front door. Night had fallen on Ponyville, the fresh air outside kept Shadow Storm awake. He began to walk down the street. Once he was about to enter the hotel, he saw a cyan pony flying towards him. She settled down on the ground and looked at Shadow Storm in a confused manner.

"Huh. I could've sworn I knew every Pegasus in Ponyville, you new around here?" The Pegasus asked. Shadow Storm simply sighed and reached for the door of the hotel. The Pegasus grabbed his hand and threw it off the doorknob.

"Hey! You just gonna ignore me like that?" The Pegasus asked.

"I have no reason to speak with you. You don't look like you'd be very useful." Shadow Storm said, his voice unsettling the Pegasus a little. She also noticed the bandages on his chest.

"Whoa. What happened to you?" The Pegasus asked.

"That's none of your concern. I'm looking for information regarding Princess Celestia, if you don't have any, then leave me alone." He replied.

"I know quite a lot about Celestia actually! Being one of the elements of harmony, I-" The Pegasus exclaimed before Shadow Storm cut her off.

"You're one of the mane six?" He asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Hey, I ain't telling you nothing until you tell me who you are." The Pegasus exclaimed.

"My name is Shadow Storm." He replied.

"Depressing name... I'm gonna call you Storm for short!" She replied, Shadow Storm had never actually been given a nickname before.

"My name's Rainbow Dash, the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria!" She gloated as she struck a pose.

"Back to my question. What do you know about Celestia?" Shadow Storm asked. Rainbow Dash went into a long winded discussion about what kind of interaction she had with Celestia, it proved to be fruitless in the end, no sign of any weaknesses.

"Well, that's all I know about her! I'm pretty tired, I'll see you around town Storm!" Rainbow said as she flapped her wings and took to the sky. Shadow Storm turned back around and opened the door to the hotel. He paid for a room with some leftover bits he had. He wandered into his room and sat down on the bed. His injuries still stung a little, by tomorrow he could probably take the bandage off.

I'll find some weakness, I'm sure of it. I won't let my people down.

He went into bed and after a few minutes, dozed off.
> The Problem With Changelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow Storm opened his eyes. He sat up on the bed, he didn't have any spare time to waste. He went downstairs and stepped out into the fresh air. It was essentially suicide to attempt the assassination again tonight, Celestia had probably doubled her security since last time. He could probably get some more information out of Twilight Sparkle, she seemed to know a lot about Celestia. He started to walk towards the library. Ponyville was certainly different from the Everfree forest, everpony was striking up friendly conversations with each other. When Shadow Storm was about to knock on the door of the library, he heard a loud scream suddenly erupt from behind him. He looked in the opposite direction, everpony seemed to be rushing towards the town square, an expression of horror on their faces. He heard the door to the library open. Twilight stood there, confused.

"Oh, hello Shadow Storm. Did you hear that scream? I think we should go and check it out!" Twilight said. He nodded, the duo started to head towards the town square. Eventually, they spotted a large mass of ponies gasping and pointing at something. Shadow Storm and Twilight made their way to the source of the trouble. Twilight gasped, Shadow Storm looked surprised at the situation. He was expecting some kind of forest monster to have accidentally wandered into Ponyville. But he was surprised at the sight; Changelings, three of them, circling a single pony. Changelings never actually came into Ponyville, what was causing their erratic behavior? Changelings had been a nuisance in the forest, they constantly attacked the small settlement that Shadow Storm used to live in, trying to take control of the area. The pony standing in the center of the Changelings dared not move, he was frozen by terror, his mouth agape with a distinct look of immense dread in his eyes.

"Shadow Storm, you know how to use a sword, right? Can't you get rid of them?" Twilight pleaded, if Shadow Storm helped the colt, it would certainly attract a lot of attention, but he couldn't exactly let a pony die. Shadow Storm stepped forward, attracting the attention of one of the Changelings. He signaled his brethren, but was ignored. One of the Changelings leaped at the colt, but Shadow Storm had run over to it. He held his long sword out, blocking the attack. The colt took the opportunity to run, the Changelings were now more focused on Shadow Storm. One leaped for him, but was quickly cut down by Shadow Storm's sword. The other Changelings were now visibly shaking. They both nodded at each other and jumped at Shadow Storm simultaneously. He ran towards one of them, blocking the attack. The other Changeling had a look on victory on his face, it's teeth were about to sink into Shadow Dash's side, his free hoof started to glow a menacing black. Right before the Changeling could bite him, he outstretched his hoof at it, shooting a powerful magic spell. The Changeling fell to the floor, not dead, but certainly unconscious.

The remaining Changeling whimpered in fear and started to run away. Returning to the forest. The unconscious one had now awoken, and was limping away, defeated. Shadow Storm made his long sword disappear, he released a sigh of exhaustion. As if on cue, all of the ponies around him started cheering. He saw Twilight move towards him.

"Well, I guess Pegasi CAN use magic then." Twilight said.

"I was merely helping the colt. There is no need for celebration." Shadow Storm said.

"No need for celebration? A royal guard would have trouble killing a Changeling, never mind three!" Twilight exclaimed. The colt that Shadow Storm had saved was walking up to them.

"I really thought I was gonna be Changeling food back there! I just recently proposed to my marefriend, and when she said yes I was the happiest colt in the world. I didn't know that I would attract Changelings with the amount of love I had for her!" The colt said.

"It was nothing." Shadow Storm replied. By this point, the ruckus had calmed down a little. And it was just Shadow Storm and Twilight left.

"So, why were you at my door before... You know..." Twilight asked.

"I was curious about your knowledge of Princess Celestia" Shadow Storm replied.

"Well, being her personal student, I obviously have a very good friendship with her." Twilight said. Shadow Storm was surprised, he knew that Celestia had a student, but he never expected it to be someone like Twilight Sparkle.

"You're... Princess Celestia's assistant?" Shadow Storm said, flustered for the first time in years.

"Yeah! I'm her student of magic! She taught me the importance and power of friendship!" Twilight replied.

"So you must know a lot about her, correct?" Shadow Storm asked.

"Well, not really actually... I've never really asked her about anything other than studies." Twilight responded.

"Ah... I see" Shadow Storm responded.

"Why do you want to know so much about the princess anyway? Rainbow Dash came along this morning told me that a pony called Shadow Storm was asking her about the princess..." Twilight asked. Shadow Storm didn't have any idea on what to say on the matter, telling her his true intentions would probably result in him being an outlaw, considering she's the student of Celestia.

"I... Merely want to expand my knowledge of Equestrian history." Shadow Storm responded.

"Shouldn't you have learned all of that in school or something?" Twilight responded.

"Well, I never actually went to school." Admitted Shadow Storm, Twilight had started prying on his personal life a little.

"I see... Well, why don't I send a letter to the Princess about it? Maybe she'll give you some pointers or something..." Twilight offered.

"I don't want to be a bother. I don't intend on staying in Ponyville for much longer." Shadow Storm explained.

"It's no bother! I'll send a letter tonight and give you the reply tomorrow, okay?" Twilight said. He gave her a nod. Twilight walked off back in the direction of the library. Shadow Storm decided to take a walk around Ponyville, he had a feeling he was going to stay here for longer than expected. While walking through the town, his stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten anything since he left the forest. He stopped near a building, the small lettering above the door read "Sugercube Corner" and on the inside, it certainly looked like it would sell food. He approached the counter and rang a little bell that was sitting on it. After a few moments, a pink pony jumped from seemingly nowhere towards the counter.

"Hi! Welcome to Sugercube Corner! Say... I haven't seen you around here, which is weird because I could swear that I knew everpony in Ponyville, are you new here?" The pink pony asked. Shadow Storm was taken slightly aback after seeing the pony's excitement.

"I am merely a passing traveler, I was gathering information on Princess Celestia." Shadow Storm responded.

"Oh! You wanna know about Celestia? She helped me and my friends beat that Discord guy!" The pony said excitedly. Shadow Storm was sure that this was a joke, surely an overexcited pony who works in a shop during her spare time couldn't possibly be one of the mane six?

"Are you saying that you're one of the mane six?" Shadow Storm asked.

"Well, I prefer not to call us that. I just call 'em friends, but yeah!" The pony said, extending a hoof.

"My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?" She asked.

"My name is Shadow Storm." He replied.

"Ooooh! That's a really ominous name! So anyway, what can I get you?" Pinkie asked. He looked around, it seemed that Sugercube Corner served sugary treats and nothing more. Even though he was brought up to show hardly any kind of emotion whatsoever, he still had a sweet tooth.

"It depends what you have for sale." Shadow Storm said.

"We specialize in cupcakes but we also have stuff like coffee around here somewhere!" Pinkie said. She even sounded excited when explaining what was on the menu.

"In that case, I suppose I'll have a cupcake." Shadow Storm said. Pinkie leaned in, as to whisper something in his ear.

"Listen, because you seem like a cool colt, I'll let you have the first one on the house." Pinkie whispered. She giggled excitedly and winked at him before going off to fetch a cupcake.

"What a strange pony..." Shadow Storm thought. Pinkie came back moments later with a cupcake in her hooves.

"There you go! Please come again!" Pinkie said as Shadow Storm exited to the streets. He continued walking around Ponyville, slowly eating at the cupcake. He started thinking about his life back in the forest. He was most likely considered dead by the queen. Maybe he could go back to inform her that he was not dead? No. He would still be shunned for returning with nothing but wounds. He was so busy lost in his own thought that he accidentally walked into another pony. He had knocked the mare to her flank. She picked herself back up after a few seconds, brushing the dirt off her backside.

"I apologize, I did not look where I was going." Shadow Storm said. The mare looked distinctly well groomed, her violet hair was combed into several curls along with her tail. She was holding an expensive looking umbrella.

"It's quite alright dear, I was also lost in thought." The pony said as she finished dusting herself off. Shadow Storm couldn't help but notice that the pony looked more at home on the streets of Canterlot.

"Ma'am? Are you by chance visiting here from Canterlot?" Shadow Storm asked, he had formulated a plan in his head, if he could convince the mare to buy him a train ticket to Canterlot, he wouldn't have to spend every penny of his money buying a ticket for himself.

"No, darling. Whatever gave you that idea?" The Unicorn asked. Shadow Storm's hope dropped a little.

"You looked distinctly like an upper class Canterlot citizen, I merely assumed." Shadow Storm explained, the Unicorn blushed a little, touched by the fact that he mistaken her for a rich Canterlot citizen.

"No, I simply run the Boutique here in Ponyville. My name is Rarity. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" She asked, outstretching a hoof. Shadow Storm reluctantly shook her hoof, he just hated bodily contact with other ponies.

"My name is Shadow Storm." He replied.

"A very interesting name. Please do come by the Boutique sometime, I do get ever so lonely with only my cat accompanying me. Twilight is always reading her books, Rainbow Dash is too busy... Well, being Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pi- Oh, I'm sorry. I simply just started talking to myself there." Rarity said.

"You're the friend of several members of the mane six?" Shadow Storm inquired.

"Know them? My dear, I happen to be one of them!" Rarity said. Shadow Storm was even more confused. A fashionetta? Being a member of the mane six?

"Well, I thank you for your time, Miss Rarity. But I must be going." Shadow Storm said.

"I understand, I'll be on my way." Rarity said as she away. Shadow Storm was still perplexed, was the entirety of the mane six composed of mares? He expected at least one colt. There were only two left... He decided to start heading towards the hotel. On the way there. He passed the marketplace. He saw multiple vendors selling different selections of food. His stomach grumbled once again, the cupcake didn't exactly do wonders for his stomach. He walked up to a large red stallion selling apples.

"Pardon me, but could I purchase a few of your apples?" Shadow Dash asked.

"Eeyup. Hey... Yer that colt who saved that guy from them Changelings, right?" The stallion asked him.

"Yes, that was me. How much for three apples?" He asked.

"Aw, heck. Ya'll can have the first three for free, considerin' that ya'll saved that colt from being Changeling food." The stallion replied.

"Thank you, I just came into town looking for some information on Princess Celestia." Shadow Storm replied.

"Princess Celestia... Have ya'll talked to the mane six yet? They know a lot about Celestia." The stallion asked.

"I've met four of them, yes. None of them gave me any serious information." Shadow Storm replied.

"Well, mah little sis' is part of the mane six, goes by the name o' Applejack. You met her before?" The stallion asked. Shadow Storm shook his head.

"If ya'll want to, ya can swing by the farm tomorrow and pay her a visit." the stallion continued.

"Thank you, I appreciate the help." Shadow Storm responded.

"Just tell 'em that Big Macintosh sent ya. They'll understand." He said. Big Macintosh waved goodbye to Shadow Storm as he continued walking towards the hotel, eating one of the apples he got.

"That's five members of the mane six down, I still don't know who the last one is." Shadow Storm thought to himself. Once he could see the hotel from a distance, he started walking in the direction of it. Around the halfway point. He heard an odd squeaking sound. He looked down at his feet and saw a small bunny rabbit.

"What's a rabbit doing roaming around Ponyville? Does it belong to anyone?" Shadow Storm thought, he then saw a yellow Pegasus walking down the road, he could see her mouth moving, but what she was actually saying was inaudible. She walked up to Shadow Storm, looking at the small rabbit.

"Here, Angel." The Pegasus said in a voice that Shadow Storm could barely hear. The rabbit left his side and went to hug the Pegasus.

"It's alright, Angel, the other bunnies won't laugh at you anymore." The Pegasus said. She looked up and saw Shadow Storm.

"Thank you, if you hadn't been there, Angel probably would have kept running." The Pegasus said.

"It was nothing, the rabbit just happened to cross my path when I was walking to the hotel." Shadow Storm responded. The tone of his voice made the Pegasus whimper a little, no wonder the rabbit couldn't hear her at first.

"Wait, aren't you the colt who helped that pony who was in danger the other day?" The Pegasus asked.

"Yes, although I was just there to inquire about Princess Celestia, I'm currently trying to track down the entirety of the mane six." Shadow Storm responded.

"The mane six? Well... Uh... I-I'm part of the mane six, my name's Fluttershy." She responded. The name fitted the personality. But how could such a shy pony be part of the mane six? He had found all of the members, and the all had traits which didn't make them sound heroic at all.

"Well, I merely need to visit a farm tomorrow to meet a mare named Applejack." Shadow Storm said to himself.

"Oh, Applejack? She works at Sweet Apple Acres." Fluttershy said.

"I appreciate the help, ma'am." Shadow Storm said before walking off, his short comment had made Fluttershy blush, she started walking back to her own home. Shadow Storm eventually came to the hotel, he walked inside and paid the bits necessary for another room. He walked upstairs and lay himself down on the bed.

"So, I came across all of the mane six apart from the mare named Applejack, I will pay her a visit tomorrow, maybe Twilight Sparkle could help me with some more research on Celestia, I'm running out of bits, so I really need to get a train ticket to Canterlot soon..." Shadow Storm thought, he got into the bed. After a few moments, he managed to doze off.
> Fire Extinguished 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow Storm opened his eyes. He yawned as he sat up on his bed. He was going to visit sweet apple acres today. He walked downstairs and out into the streets of Ponyville. He had absolutely no idea where sweet apple acres actually was. He decided to visit Twilight, she would probably know where it was. He started to walk towards the town library. The news of the colt who saved somepony from Changelings seemed to have set the benchmark for gossip right now. He could hear mares whispering to each other as he past them. When he reached the town library, he knocked on the door. He was surprised when a small dragon answered.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" The Dragon asked.

"I wanted to see Twilight Sparkle." Shadow Storm responded, what was a baby Dragon doing in a library? Was he some kind of pet?

"Twilight! This colt wants to see you!" The Dragon shouted.

"I'll be right down!" shouted Twilight. Shadow Storm walked inside. After a few minutes, he spotted Twilight coming downstairs.

"Oh, Shadow Storm! What can I help you with?" Twilight asked.

"I wish to know the location of sweet apple acres." Shadow Storm responded.

"Sweet apple acres? Why would you want to go there?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"I want to meet the mare Applejack, she is the only member of the mane six that I have not met yet." Shadow Storm responded.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to meet all of us again?" Twilight asked.

"I have told you before, to expand my knowledge of Equestria and the princess." Shadow Storm replied.

"Yeah, but you've been at it for a couple of days now, don't you think you should take a break?" Twilight asked.

"I do not have time for breaks. I am leaving for Canterlot in a few days to go about my business." Shadow Storm said.

"Yeah, but what exactly IS your business? Are you a royal messenger or something?" Twilight asked.

"No, I merely desire to meet the princess in person. In private, if possible." Shadow Storm responded.

"Considering that you have quite a lot of reputation from saving that colt. That may be possible, but unlikely. Plus, why would you want to meet her in private? Do you have a thing for her or something?" Twilight asked. Shadow Storm was a bit surprised at the accusation.

"Certainly not! I merely want to discuss... Er... Political business with her." Shadow Storm replied.

"You hesitated, which means that you must be lying. Seriously, why do you want to meet the princess so badly?" Twilight asked, she was starting to worry about what his true intentions were.

"My true intentions are a secret that I promised to keep from anypony, it is a secret known only to my people." Shadow Storm said, he almost instantly regretted what he had just said. Not only did he raise suspicion with the words "True intentions" but he also gave away that he certainly isn't from anywhere that supports Celestia in the slightest.

"Your... People?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded at his sudden outbursts.

"My apologies, I simply overreacted. When I said that, I simply meant Canterlot." Shadow Storm said, lying through his teeth. Twilight had an odd expression, it was a mixture of suspicion and sudden curiosity.

"Well, alright. Sweet apple acres should be just to the left of your hotel. Just keep going down the road and you should see a farm in the distance." Twilight explained. Shadow Storm nodded and walked towards the door. He walked outside and started walking towards sweet apple acres.

"Spike! I need you to send a letter to the princess!" Twilight shouted. She saw Spike coming downstairs with a scroll and a quill.

Dear Princess Celestia

A couple of nights ago, I came across a colt bleeding out near the forest. He had a humongous weapon on him, I took him back to my house where I bandaged his wounds. He woke up the next day, he slept for a few more hours and then left. What interests me is that he is a Pegasus, yet he can use magic. He saved a colt yesterday from being attacked by Changelings. He went around town asking about you. He talked to me and each of my friends for information on you. When I confronted him and asked him why he wanted to know all of this. He simply told me that one day he would like to meet you in person, in private, if possible. I don't understand the colt's true intentions. But I am interested as to what this colt was. Do you know him by chance? His name is Shadow Storm, he has a very frightening voice and he has a very odd personality. I just wanted to inform you about him.

Your faithful student

Twilight Sparkle

"Is that all you want in the letter Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Yes, I hope Celestia replies soon." Twilight responded. Spike nodded and blew his signature green fire, engulfing the scroll and sending it to Celestia. Meanwhile, Shadow Storm had just spotted sweet apple acres over the horizon. After a few moments, he noticed that the farm looked significantly run-down.

"I imagined the mane six to live above-average lives, but it seems that some of them have it harder than other ponies..." Shadow Storm thought. He walked towards the entrance to the farm and spotted Big Macintosh waving at him.

"Hey there partner, glad you could make it!" Big Mac said.

"I appreciate the pleasantries, but I intend to visit Applejack and then go back to my hotel, I have some... Planning to do." Shadow Storm said. Big Mac nodded and walked inside of a run-down house, it seems that this farm had seen better days. Eventually, he spotted an Earth pony walking towards him.

"Hi there! You must be that colt who saved that other pony from them Changelings." The Earth pony said.

"Yes, that was me. I assume that you must be Applejack?" Shadow Storm said.

"Yer darn tootin'! I work on this here farm tryin' to make a livin' to support mah family!" Applejack said.

"I imagined that the mane six would live more... Leisurely lives..." Shadow Storm said as he looked around the farm.

"Not at all! Just think of us as normal ponies!" Applejack replied.

"I see. Well, it was nice meeting you Applejack, but I must be going." Shadow Storm said.

"Alright partner! ah had some work to do around the farm anyways." Applejack said before walking off. Shadow Storm had now met every member of the mane six. But none of them had any information regarding Celestia. He would simply have to plan another assassination attempt once he got to Canterlot. He began to walk back to the hotel. Meanwhile, back at Twilight's house. Twilight was studying per usual until she heard the families sound of Spike belching. She saw him running up to him with a scroll in his hand.

"Hey Twilight! Celestia's responded to your letter!" Spike said, waving the scroll around. Twilight levitated the scroll out of his hand and opened it.

"Thank you Spike." She said before she began to read the letter.

To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

I never thought that this called for any attention, but you are the only person I can trust to keep this a secret. The colt you described matches a colt that tried to assassinate me a couple of nights ago. He managed to sneak around the castle all the way around to me and Luna's rooms. Once I confronted him and called for the guards, he immediately began to run, he had run back to the throne room where me and him fought. Taking him off guard, I managed to defeat him in the end. His wounds were serious, but he would live. I gave him a chance to escape, where he exited the castle and started running towards the Everfree forest. I believe that the colt you rescued may be the same one who tried to kill me. I would advise being extremely careful around him. But do not tell your friends about this, as it would only increase panic. If you can tell me where this colt is. I could send a few royal guards to apprehend him. Please do be careful around this colt Twilight.

Your teacher and mentor, Princess Celestia

Twilight's mouth became more agape as she read down the page. Eventually, she dropped the scroll right out of her hooves.

"H-he tried to kill Celestia?! But he seemed so nice... He even saved a colt from Changelings. But he attempted to kill the princess! What should I do? I suppose I just have to send her a reply telling her where he is..." Twilight thought, she had a thousand questions she could ask the colt tomorrow, but should she? He would probably kill her on the spot if she did... She had no choice.

"Spike, could you write another letter?" Twilight asked. Meanwhile, Shadow Storm had returned to his hotel room. He lay down on the bed and started to formulate a plan. Celestia would have increased her security, so he had to be more stealthy than last time. But it could wait, the time was late and he needed to sleep to clear his head. He got into his bed and began to doze off. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door to the hotel open violently. He sat up on the bed to try and make out what was going on. He could make out two different voices, but only part of the conversation.

"...Is he?" He could hear one of the ponies say.

"-oom 7," He heard the receptionist say. He heard the sound of hooves coming in his direction. He quickly got out of the bed. He could hear the sounds of knocking at his door.

"Who are you?" Shadow Storm asked.

"The Equestrian royal guard, you have committed crimes against Equestria, you are to be arrested." He heard one of the guards say. Shadow Storm didn't know what to do. He couldn't kill them, it would make too much noise and would attract too much attention. He heard the sound of one of the guards trying to knock the door down. It was a split second decision, Shadow Storm opened the door and instantly rushed out. He continued to run out of the hotel until he found himself running to the library. He quickly knocked on the door and let himself in. The royal guards didn't see him go inside. Twilight walked downstairs in a hurried manner.

"Shadow Storm?! What are you doing here at this hour?" Twilight asked hastily.

"I don't know why, but the royal guard want to arrest me. Could I hide out in here for the night?" Shadow Storm asked.

"I-I don't know! Why are the royal guard chasing you?" Twilight asked, afraid that he knew about her letter.

"I... Look, I'll tell you the entire story later. Please, I just need to hide for now." Shadow Storm said, he realized that this was the first time he had ever pleaded with someone.

"Well... Alright, but just for tonight, okay?" Twilight said. Shadow Storm nodded, he was glad that he wouldn't have to shed any blood tonight. Twilight gave him a spare room to sleep in. The guards had probably returned to Canterlot to tell Celestia that he was here. He was actually afraid for his life for the first time.

"I'll sleep on it, looks like I've got to lay low for a while, I'm sure it will be all over soon." Shadow Storm thought to himself. He had trouble getting to sleep that night, it was about an hour before he finally drifted off to sleep.
> Concealed Feelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow Storm opened his eyes, realizing his situation, he sat up quickly on the bed that Twilight had provided him with. He was breathing heavily, recollecting the events from yesterday. He calmed down in a few more moments. The royal guard couldn't find him here. He pondered over who could have possibly hinted at his location? His new found "Friends" didn't know anything about him. If anything, he had a positive reputation in Ponyville. He slowly lifted himself out of the bed. He was clearly getting paranoid as he cautiously walked through the library. When he saw Twilight appear from the bookcases, he accidentally drew his sword, causing Twilight to scream and run off. He sighed, he really needed to calm down, but how could he? Certainly not while Celestia was at his throat. He "sheathed" his sword and walked in the direction Twilight ran off to.

Twilight was running for her life around the library. Did he find out? Is he going to kill me? Questions spun around in Twilight's head like a tornado, she ran into some bookcases by accident and knocked a large number of books to the ground. She was knocked over, she rubbed her head in pain. She knew there was no point in running from this pony, not after what she saw him do with the Changelings. She sat firmly on the ground, a single tear dropped from her eyes. She didn't want to die, maybe she should have left him in the Everfree forest. She heard the sound of Shadow Storm walking towards her, was this the end? Was she going to die? She had so many questions that she herself could not answer. She heard Shadow Storm walk directly next to her, she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"Twilight... Are you okay?" She heard Shadow Storm say. Was he being sympathetic?

"I... I just... A-are you going to hurt me?" Twilight asked, she looked up at Shadow Storm, tears falling from her eyes, making several tapping noises as they hit the wooden floor of the library. Shadow Storm didn't know what to think, why was she acting like this? For the first time in his entire life, he felt truly sorry for another pony.

"No... Why would I do something like that? I'm not going to kill the mare who saved my life." Said Shadow Storm.

"B-But... You were pointing your sword at me..." Twilight responded, breaking eye contact with Shadow Storm.

"I am merely paranoid from the events that occurred yesterday, I would never hurt you..." Shadow Storm said, he wasn't used to acting like this, but seeing Twilight on the ground sobbing to herself made him feel an emotion he had not felt before... Sadness...

"Y-You mean it?" Asked Twilight. Shadow Storm nodded apologetically.

"Of course I do. What gave the impression that I would ever hurt you?" Shadow Storm said, his subconscious was screaming at him to stop acting like this, that it wasn't part of his upbringing, he was bred to kill, not to show sympathetic pity for another pony. Shadow Storm fought it back, should it have been another pony, he wouldn't show any kind of sympathy, he would simply leave them alone to their troubles. But there was something about Twilight, he couldn't put his finger on it, but whenever he saw her sad, he would always feel the need to comfort her. That's when it happened, Shadow Storm had never had anything apart from good manners when speaking and a ruthless personality. It just happened, he had never spoken this way before, but it felt odd, very odd.

"Twilight, you don't have to be afraid of anything. You have your friends to comfort you, including me. I don't like watching you cry, and I don't want to see you doing it again, alright?" Shadow Storm said. Twilight gave a few more sniffles before looking directly at Shadow Storm, her eyes were still red from crying. But when she looked at him, between the tears and the sadness, there was a smile. Shadow Storm didn't know what to do at this point. Twilight spent a few more seconds thoughtfully looking at Shadow Storm with a smile. After a few more seconds, against his own thought process, against what his body wanted, and against everything that he had been taught, Shadow Storm smiled back. He had never been friends with anypony before, but Twilight changed that. The smile lasted a few more seconds until Shadow Storm shook his head, embarrassed at the display of emotions that were long since locked behind anger and ruthlessness.

"Thanks, Shadow Storm. That means a lot to me, I was just worried about you after you dealt with those Changelings, you seemed to just be a blank. You never showed any kind of friendliness towards anyone. But I knew that there was a good colt inside of you somewhere." Twilight said. Shadow Storm's soul was now a battleground of emotions, he didn't know what to feel anymore.

"I... Thank you." Shadow Storm eventually said. The two just stared into each others eyes for a moment before finally looking away from each other, a large blush was adorning Twilight's face.

"So... Uh... Do you... Have, like a nickname or something?" Twilight asked, desperately trying to change the subject. Shadow Storm thought for a moment, and then he remembered the night he met Rainbow Dash. The name echoed inside of his head. Storm.

"Yes, I suppose you could call me Storm for the time being." "Storm" Said.

"Oh... Um... Alright! I'll just... Uh... I need to organize the books with... Spike! Yeah..." Twilight said, she simply wanted the conversation to be over, her eyes had still sustained their red tint, but one would have to look very close for them to be recognizable. She walked off with a nervous laugh, calling Spike's name. Storm breathed a sigh of relief. Then it hit him.

"W-What did I just do?! I'm not supposed to act like this... But Twilight... That smile... No! You are here on a mission! You can't get involved in matters like this!" He mentally scolded himself. He took the opportunity that Twilight gave him and left the library. He was still wary about going outside, he never truly knew if the guards actually left or not. Some of the townsfolk had probably seen him running last night. A few of the locals gave him odd looks as he walked around town, he decided to go to the Boutique and ask Rarity if she could make him some kind of hood. He didn't actually know where the Boutique was, he ended up asking a colt for directions. After finally reaching the Boutique, Storm gave the door a knock. After a few moments of waiting, Rarity answered the door.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, how may I help yo- Oh! Mr Shadow Storm! It's very nice to see you again darling! Please come in." Rarity said. Shadow Storm walked inside, the Boutique itself was well decorated on the inside, there were clothes on display on mannequins and Storm found himself stepping on some fabric every now and again.

"Oh, Mr Shadow Storm. There are some frightening rumors going around about you running away from the royal guard last night, I for one, did not believe a word of it!" Rarity exclaimed. Storm hesitated, knowing what he was there to ask for.

"Well actually, I was hoping you could possibly make me a hood or some form of clothing that could possibly conceal my face..." Storm said, trailing off at his last words, afraid that Rarity would catch on.

"Are those rumors getting to you Shadow Storm? I could tell everyone that it's not true..." Rarity said, just as she was about to continue her sentence, a devilish grin was spreading across her face.

"Or are those rumors true Mr Shadow Storm?" Rarity asked.

"Certainly not! I merely just wanted to stay incognito until these rumors settled down..." Storm said. Rarity still had a grin across her face, she was certainly catching on.

"Of course I could make you a hood darling." Rarity said, shaking her head and returning to her less curious, more ladylike self.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe I would have the necessary bits to pay for this." Storm said.

"Oh Shadow Storm, I'll gladly make a hood in exchange for some juicy gossip." Rarity said, a victorious smile on her face.

"Could I ask you to refrain from telling this to anyone? My matters are my own business, spreading rumors about me isn't exactly ladylike, Miss Rarity." Storm countered.

"I can just imagine it! Gentlecolt by day! Vigilante by night!" Rarity said, what made matters worse is that what she was saying was actually true. Storm had already turned around, about to leave the Boutique.

"Goodbye Shadow Storm! I shall have your hood done in a few hours!" Rarity shouted just as he closed the door. Storm put a hoof to his forehead.

"First I display unnatural feelings for a mare, and now one is spreading rumors about me..." Storm thought.

Twilight was now having deep thoughts, letting Spike do most of the sorting.

"He's really kind at heart... But he tried to kill the Princess! I can't possibly... Oh, what I would give just to look into those eyes just once more..." Twilight said to herself, luckily not loud enough for Spike to hear.

"I can't possibly consider liking this colt, can I? He tried to assassinate the Princess of Equestria! My mentor! Where did he even come from anyway? Why does he want to kill the Princess?" Twilight continued. So many questions and she didn't have the knowledge to answer, she let out a frustrated moan.

"What's wrong Twilight?" Spike asked, after hearing her moan.

"I... Look, it's nothing." Twilight said.

"Is it about that colt that wanted to assassinate the Princess? I say we turn him in. He's a criminal." Spike said. Leaving a horrified expression on Twilight's face.

"Spike! He's a pony and he had the same freedom as all of us! I just... Argh! I can't stop thinking about him." Twilight said.

"If you had the intention of turning him in, then why did you protect him when he came here?" Spike asked.

"He just had an... Aura around him, I don't know Spike. I just get really weirder out whenever I see him... Especially from what he did this morning..." Twilight said, she covered her mouth, she had said that last part a little louder than she had hoped.

"Wait, what? What did he do Twilight? Did he hurt you or anything?" Spike said, now abandoning his sorting to sit next to Twilight.

"I thought he was going to. But when he found me, he just turned into a completely different pony, he said things like "I would never hurt you" And "Why would I do something like that?" But he tried to assassinate the Princess! Why WOULDN'T he do something like that?!" Twilight shouted, she felt the tears starting to run down her cheeks again.

"I don't know Twilight, he could like you. I mean, you kind of did save his life. Twice." Spike said.

"But he knows that I'm Celestia's student! Wouldn't killing me help with whatever he's doing?" Twilight said, she was now quietly sobbing to herself. Spike leaned in and gave her a hug, or at least where he could stretch his arms out to.

"It's alright Twilight. You should probably talk to him about it tonight or something." Spike said.

"Yeah, *Sniff* You're right Spike. When he comes here again, I'll talk to him about it." Twilight said. Spike gave her a reassuring nod and walked off. Twilight went back to sorting the books herself. Meanwhile, Storm had bypassed the time by conversing with Ponyville's less suspicious inhabitants, after a few hours, he started to walk back towards the Carousel Boutique to pick up his hood. He was still trying to piece together last night, how did Celestia know where he was? Did somebody in Ponyville tell her? No. That wouldn't be possible, it would have to be a pony with strong bonds between them and Celestia. A name suddenly popped into his brain. Twilight Sparkle. She didn't know about him, and what purpose would she have to turn him in? He started to think back to the scene that he created in the library. He couldn't stop thinking about it for some reason, whenever he had the slightest thought of Twilight, he would think back to that. It was plaguing his mind on the walk to the Boutique.

He eventually shook his head once he finally arrived, he knocked on the door and drained the thought out from his head. Rarity answered within a few moments.

"Ah! Hello Shadow Storm, I have finished the order that you requested!" Rarity said, she quickly ran behind the counter of the Boutique, coming back a few moments later with a hood. The hood itself was a dark black with red lacing, Rarity certainly tried to infuse the wearer's personality with he clothing itself.

"I do hope that you are happy with what I made, I had no idea what to base it on so I just thought of you and inspiration struck!" Rarity explained. The hood fit perfectly, it was actually comfortable.

"Thank you Rarity, if you'll excuse me, I must be returning... Home..."Storm said, saying "home" like it was some kind of alien planet. Rarity nodded and gave a wave as Storm left the Boutique, the sun was setting over the horizon, a sight that Storm rarely got to see from living in the forest where the vegetation was blocking the sun's rays. He started walking back to the library, he was still worried about how Twilight would react when he came back. The hood seemed to be working wonders, it stopped the large majority of the populace from giving him odd looks. He eventually came back to the town library. He gave a sigh and reached for the door, it made a large creaking noise as it opened. Storm closed the door and lowered his hood, the library appeared to have been sorted, some of the books that were originally on the floor were now placed neatly on the bookcases.

Storm continued walking around the library until he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Um... Storm?" He heard Twilight say, almost as quiet as Fluttershy, Storm turned around, Twilight's eyes were red again, but she wasn't crying.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle." Storm replied.

"Uh... Can I... Talk to you about something?" Twilight said nervously, dragging her hoof along the ground.

"Yes, what do you wish to talk about?" Storm replied. He noticed that Twilight was shaking a little.

"Well... You know how the royal guards were chasing you last night?" Twilight asked.

"Yes... What of it?" Storm replied, he was now getting worried. Did she know anything about them?

"Well, last night, before the royal guard started chasing you. I sent a letter to Celestia about how I found you in the Everfree forest... I described you and everything..." Twilight said. Storm was now extremely suspicious.

"And... S-She sent me a letter back saying that... That..." Twilight could barely finish her sentence, she was a mixture of sadness and fear and Storm was clearly noticing it. Her eyes were welling up with tears again, the familiar sound of water droplets hitting the wooden floor was now resurfacing.

"Twilight..." Storm said.

"S-She said that you tried to... Kill her!" Twilight said, she finished her sentence then instantly placed her hooves over her head, she lowered herself to the floor, still sobbing to herself. Storm didn't know what to do.

"...She did it..." Storm thought, the thought kept repeating itself in his mind, almost like his subconscious was trying to torture him. His mind screamed at him to end her life, she was the one who caused the disturbance, she interfered with his plans. Storm shook his head, denying his mind power over his body. He should kill Twilight, but he didn't want to. Through the turmoil and hardship his brain was causing him, he managed to let out one word.

"Why?" Was all that Storm could say. Twilight was truly sorry about what she had done, she was awaiting the final blow that would be her end, but it never came. She was surprised when Storm muttered that word.

"I... I-I didn't want to lie to the Princess. I had to tell her where you were. You're a criminal..." Twilight said. Storm was used to being shouted at, insulted, but what Twilight just said pierced through his heart.

"But why? Why did you want to kill the Princess?" Twilight said, still sniffling and sobbing.

"I was born and raised to plot against Equestria. My people-" Storm said before cutting off, knowing that he had said too much.

"You said it again... "Your people" What does that mean?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight... I... I didn't come from Canterlot... I'm not a part of civilized society... I'm part of a cult... We were banished after Discord's rule for still wanting to freely commit crimes, I was born into them... Bred to kill, nothing more..." Storm explained. An eerie silence filled the room, albeit from Twilight's tears still hitting the ground.

"So that's why..." She said. Storm nodded. He walked over to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"I told you before, I don't like seeing you cry... I was born without any emotion, only hate. But you..." Storm said as he brushed the part of Twilight's mane that was covering her eyes. Looking directly into them.

"You made me feel bad about myself. Sadness, and even a short burst of happiness... You helped me see these things." Storm said. Twilight had stopped sobbing, only a few sniffles could be heard in the silence of the library. Twilight still felt bad about herself, she thought that he was a heartless criminal, but on the inside, he was a gentlecolt. Twilight continued to look into Storm's eyes. Eventually, once again, against everything he stood for. Storm smiled directly at Twilight. She responded with a slightly half-hearted smile, she was still recovering from her recent crying fit.

Storm noticed that Twilight was moving herself closer to him.

"Ever since this morning, ever since I saw her cry... I've felt something different when I looked at her..." Storm thought to himself. Twilight's face was now almost touching Storm's, so close that her breath could be heard and felt. Twilight certainly didn't know what she was feeling, but she felt at ease whenever Storm comforted her. Storm didn't know why he didn't stop her, he didn't know why he let her do it. But within a few seconds, Twilight had moved in for a kiss. Storm didn't retaliate, his entire body wanted this to happen. He moved in himself. The duo's lips felt them touch each other, it was both Twilight's and Storm's first kiss, but they knew what they were doing. Storm's subconscious was in shock. It had given up trying to persuade him otherwise.

After a few seconds, the duo pulled away from their kiss. Twilight had a warming smile on her face. And Storm felt the need to return it. The aftermath suddenly struck Twilight, a huge blush formed on her face.

"I-I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking and I-" Twilight was cut off by a hoof on her mouth. Storm looked at her, smiling.

"There's no need to apologize, Twilight Sparkle." Storm said, the cold malice in his voice appeared to disappear, leaving behind a strong Manehatten accent.

"I- I'm going to head to bed, It's pretty late." Twilight said. Storm nodded, Twilight walked upstairs, the blush still on her face. Storm decided to head to the spare room. He assumed that he was permitted to stay in the library tonight. His mind was filled with thoughts. What did this mean? Did he have genuine interest in a mare? He was too tired to answer any of these questions. He crawled into the bed and drifted off to sleep with ease. For once, he might have a good day tomorrow.
> An Obligatory Reference 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm opened his eyes. He lay staring at the ceiling, slowly remembering the events of yesterday. The battleground of emotions was rekindled in his mind. He had come here to assassinate the main enemy of the banished, but instead he finds himself kissing her student? He could imagine the reaction from his queen. He was pathetic. He would be leaving for Canterlot in a few days. But he started to question himself, was there a point? Ponyville had changed him. He shook his head. He had told Twilight all about his past, he was bred to kill, to be heartless, but Twilight... She changed that. Storm climbed out of the bed and started to walk downstairs.

Meanwhile, Twilight was also in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wondered how Celestia would react to this, she had displayed affection for someone who tried to kill her own mentor. She thought back to Storm, about how he told her about his upbringing, that he wasn't meant to show emotions like that. But he said that she changed that, she was the only pony who could make his smile. Twilight shook her head, No. She couldn't love this pony, not after what she tried to do to Celestia. She got out of her bed slowly as to not wake up Spike. She slowly opened the door and was met face to face with Storm. The two ponies quickly moved away from each other.

"H-Hi Storm." Twilight said flatly.

"Good morning Twilight Sparkle." Storm replied. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.

"Listen, Uh... I-I hope that you didn't take yesterday badly..." Twilight said.

"Not at all... I apologize for my rudeness." Storm replied.

"You weren't rude, it's just that... You... Tried to kill my mentor..." Twilight said.

"Like I said before, I was bred to kill. One way or another, the downfall of Celestia will always be my main focus." Storm replied.

"But why? Why can't you just give up? You're clearly thought of as dead back in the Everfree Forest, so why can't you just give up? I don't want to see you get hurt anymore..." Twilight said.

"Because I was born to do this! I can only hope that my next life is better than this." Storm said before walking off. He heard Twilight running towards him, and then a pair of forelegs wrapped around him.

"You don't have to wait until the next life..." Twilight said, her voice was filled with sadness, she was on the verge of tears again. Twilight felt the familier hoof brush across her mane again.

"I have to complete my mission, Twilight Sparkle. There is no reason why I should quit now." Storm said.

"But you have me! Didn't last night mean anything to you?!" Twilight exclaimed, tears rolling down her face.

"Don't you understand Twilight? You could find a better colt than me! Why have feelings for a colt who tried to murder your beloved Princess?" Storm exclaimed.

"B-But... I thought you loved me..." Twilight said in between sniffles.

"I... I do. But I'm not here for love, I came here to complete a mission. Nothing more." Storm replied. He hated saying these things to Twilight, but he wasn't here for a marefriend. He was brought up to believe that love was a false emotion. And that anypony who shows it is weak and pathetic.

"I'll be heading to Canterlot in a few days." Storm said.

"Why do you have to go? You know I'll just tell the princess about you. I won't just sit back and watch you murder my teacher..." Twilight said, she was now angry with Storm. She knew that he had been a social outcast for the majority of his life, but she still felt hurt at the things he was telling her.

"Twilight... You know that if my emotions didn't take over, I probably would have killed you as well." Storm explained. Twilight put her hoof to her mouth, letting out a short whimper. She backed away from Storm, now afraid for her life. She pulled her hoof away. The colt of her dreams was about to leave her to murder one of her closest friends. Her sadness had been replaced by anger, she didn't want to speak to Storm anymore.

"Fine. Go. I can't help it if you want to get yourself killed..." Twilight said. Storm walked to the door, for the first time in years, he let out a chuckle. It sounded dry, like he wasn't putting too much effort into it.

"I won't die." Was all that Storm said before he walked outside and shut the door. Spike was walking downstairs, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"Good morning Twilight." He said with a yawn. He was interrupted when Twilight barged past him, rushing into her room.

"T-Twilight?" Spike said before walking towards her room. Storm was walking around Ponyville, kicking pebbles in a futile attempt to vent his anger. His last sentence resonated inside his head. I won't die. I won't die. I won't die Was all that he could hear. Would he die? Twilight would tell Celestia about him, about what his goals were. He kicked a stone directly at a house, causing a sigh to escape his throat.

"You seem troubled." He heard a voice say. He turned around to reveal a chestnut colored pony with an hourglass cutie mark.

"Who are you?" He asked with a snarl.

"People just call me The Doctor. A pleasure to meet you." The pony said as he outstretched a hoof. Storm merely ignored the pleasantries. (Yeah, I fucking went there.)

"My name is Shadow Storm." He replied. The Doctor was looking at him with interest.

"Your... Oh, what was it called? A cutie something? Nevermind. It appears to be of... Dark origin..." The Doctor commentated. Storm could only assume that he was talking about his cutie mark. He looked at it, he was surprised that no other pony had a clue of what it really was.

"Most ponies do not understand what my cutie mark means." Storm responded.

"I understand it. Back on earth, it used to signify anarchy and death. Not a very pleasant Cutie-watchamacallit." The Doctor said. Storm was giving him an odd glare.

"Earth? What is Earth?" Storm asked. The Doctor looked like he had just said something he hadn't meant to.

"Oh my. It seems that I've simply said too much. I must get back to the TARDIS, Derpy is waiting for me." The Doctor said before running off.

"TARDIS? What a strange pony..." Storm thought. He shrugged it off and continued to wander aimlessly through Ponyville. The sun was starting to set as he finished conversing with Ponyville. He didn't have to wear his hood, as most of the rumors had now died down. He wondered where to sleep for the night. He certainly couldn't go back to Twilight's house and he couldn't go back to the hotel either. When the stars came out, he found himself sitting near a tree, aimlessly staring at the night sky. He looked back at his cutie mark. Anarchy and death. Storm thought back to the incident this morning. Twilight must truly hate him now... He shrugged it off. After about another hour of looking at the stars, he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't realize himself slowly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, back at Twilight's house. Spike was trying desperately to calm Twilight down, she had spent the entire day talking about her and Storm.

"It's alright Twilight, we can just send a letter to Celestia tomorrow explaining this." Spike said.

"But if we do... Then Storm will be killed!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Twilight, he's still a criminal. There are plenty of other colts in Ponyville. I'm sure you'll find one." Spike said.

"No Spike. Storm's different, there's a good colt in there somewhere, behind all that gloominess and hatred..." Twilight said.

"Twilight, I think you need to sleep on this, it's not good for your brain thinking this much so late at night." Spike said. Twilight nodded and lay down on her bed, her mind was still plagued about thoughts of Storm. Spike gave her a reassuring smile and went to go lie down in his basket. Twilight didn't get to sleep well that night. Where was Storm right now? He probably had nowhere to sleep... Twilight shrugged the thought off. He was probably sleeping in some sort of hotel. She needed some sleep, the grief that she had received was unnatural, after another hour of constantly thinking about Storm, she found the strength to force herself to sleep.
> Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the long grass of the hills near Ponyville, Storm opened his eyes. He sat up before steadily rising to his hooves. He let out a large yawn and looked down at Ponyville, the sun was shining and most of the ponies had come outside to enjoy the weather. Storm looked up into the sky, judging by the sun's ascend, he assumed the time to be around 11 o clock. He decided to go to Canterlot tomorrow, he would have to plan everything tonight. He thought back to Twilight, and how he continuously shattered her heart with his bold statements.

"She'll find a better colt than me... Something tells me that I won't leave Canterlot unscathed." Storm thought to himself. He started making his way down the hill. He wondered if there was a local blacksmith, maybe he could top up his weapon for him. He still had a fair few bits left, he had no idea where to start looking. He could ask one of his... "Friends" if they knew somewhere that could help him. Fluttershy's innocent nature made it nearly impossible to assume that she would own anything that required a blacksmith. Rarity was more suited to a clothing store than a blacksmith. Rainbow Dash seemed to be a perfect candidate, only she would never truly hurt anypony. Pinkie Pie... Storm thought for a moment, he imagined the scenario of Pinkie Pie with a knife. In the right mind, she should be banned from sharp objects in general. Applejack... Well, she worked on a farm, so surely she had tools that needed topping up every so often, or just buying new tools in general. Storm set out for Sweet Apple Acres.

After a short walk through Ponyville, Storm came to the familiar farm. He walked up to the house and gave the door a knock. He waited for a few moments before finally being answered by Applejack.

"Hello there partner! What's yer name?" Applejack asked with a large grin.

"My name is Shadow Storm, I believe your brother introduced us a few nights ago." Storm replied. Applejack put a hoof to her chin and looked around for a few seconds. Eventually, she pulled the hoof away from her chin and looked at Storm with a smile.

"Oh yeah! Now ah remember ya! Ya'll saved that poor young colt from bein' Changeling food!" Applejack said. Storm breathed a sigh of relief, at least the other rumors hadn't spread to the farm.

"So, what can ah do fer ya?" Applejack asked.

"I wondered if you knew of a blacksmith in Ponyville, I assume that you always have to keep tools in check so I came to you in hopes of finding one." Storm explained.

"Ah see. But what would a nice colt like yourself need tah go to a blacksmith?" Applejack asked curiously. Storm sighed and clapped his hooves, a large long sword appeared on the floor in between him and Applejack, she took a few steps back when seeing the large weapon.

"Mah stars! I think ya'll have a more exciting life than ya let on!" Applejack exclaimed, not taking her eyes off of the sword. Storm made the sword return to his possession again.

"That sword looked like it was in mighty fine condition tah me, why would ya want to waste bits on a perfectly good weapon?" Applejack asked.

"I will be leaving Ponyville in a few days to go about some business. Some VERY important business." Storm replied.

"What are yah? Some kinda bounty hunter?" Applejack asked.

"I'm more of a soldier." Storm replied. Applejack looked at him curiously.

"Well the blacksmith's a few houses left o' Sugercube Corner, but might I say that you don't look like no soldier tah me..." Applejack said. Storm bowed in return.

"I thank you for the information." Storm said. Applejack had a small blush on her face from the sudden gentlemanly behavior. She gave a wave to him as he walked back outside of the barn, towards Sugercube Corner, Applejack was about to step inside when she stepped on a piece of paper.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack asked herself as she picked the piece of paper up. It turned out to be a letter addressed to her. She removed the seal and opened the letter.

Dear Applejack

I've called you and the rest of the girls over tonight to talk to you all about something extremely important, something that could result in the downfall of Equestria itself. If you could come to the library in a few hours, I'd very much appreciate it.

Twilight Sparkle

"Hmm... Sounds important. Ah'd better ask Big Mac if he can watch over the farm duty until ah get back." Applejack said to herself as she walked back inside of her house. Meanwhile, Storm was walking to Sugercube Corner. He needed to see if his weapon needed repaired in the slightest, he couldn't take any chances for tomorrow night. After a few more minutes of walking, he eventually came to the bakery. He looked to the left of the building, one of them looked significantly like a blacksmith. He opened the door, the inside of the building had an old feel to it, almost like it had been standing for hundreds of years, there was a counter at the front and behind it lay an anvil and a foundry. The corners of the room were covered in cobwebs and the area had a creepy atmosphere around it. He saw a pony at the counter, it was a chocolate color with a slightly red mane, he had a hammer and a sword crossing with each other as his cutie mark. He was an earth pony.

"Hello sir! My name is Bright Spark, How may I help you?" He asked.

"I was hoping that you could check a weapon for me and see if it needs any repairs." Storm replied.

"It's been a while since I looked at a weapon, but certainly! But... Where exactly is this weapon of yours?" Bright Spark asked. Storm made his long sword appear on the counter in front of him, causing Bright Spark to jump back.

"I see, never seen a Pegasus use magic before." Bright Spark said as he looked at the weapon with interest. He started mumbling to himself, the only words that Storm could make out were "Hilt" and "Magic" Bright Spark eventually raised his head, looking at Storm with a smile.

"I must say, I've never seen a weapon quite like her." Bright Spark remarked as he pointed towards the long sword.

"It was crafted out of the best steel available" Storm replied.

"Well, it appears to be in pristine condition, but I could sharpen it a little, maybe give the handle a bit of a polish." Bright Spark said.

"That would be much appreciated, Applejack informed me that you were the only blacksmith availab-" Shadow Storm said before he was cut off.

"Oh you're friends with Applejack are you? She regularly comes here. I'm always telling her to bring that mess of a plow that her brother keeps using." Bright Spark commented.

"Well, thank you for the help, how much is this going to cost me?" Storm asked.

"Well, considering that you're a friend with Applejack, I would be willing to cut the deal in half, I'd say this would probably cost you around... twenty bits." Bright Spark said. Storm had fifty bits on him, he was glad that the blacksmith was willing to half the price for him.

"Thank you for the help." Storm said as he put the necessary bits onto the counter.

"No problem, come back tomorrow to pick it up!" Bright Spark said as Storm left the blacksmiths.

Meanwhile, at Twilight's library. Applejack had just arrived and Twilight had gotten them to sit in a circle.

"Alright girls. I brought you here today to discuss something very important." Twilight said, straining her voice on the word "very"

"Oh! Are we planning a surprise part for someone?" Pinkie said excitedly, standing up on her chair, Rainbow Dash managed to get her to sit back down again.

"Unfortunately no, this is something that holds the fate of Equestria in it's hands." Twilight said, provoking a gasp from some of the ponies.

"Have any of you seen or talked to the colt named Shadow Storm?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I do say that I have. Oh, he was such a gentlecolt." Rarity said.

"Yes, he stopped Angel running away from home." Fluttershy responded, as quiet as a mouse.

"Yeah! He came to Sugercube Corner and bought a cupcake! We haven't seen each other since then! He was asking a lot of questions about Celestia!" Pinkie said.

"Yeah. I met him when he was going to his hotel. He was asking me a lot about the princess as well." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well speak o' the devil! I got your letter right after ah was talkin' tah him! He said he was goin' tah Canterlot in a few days to go about his business. I told him where the blacksmith was and then he left. That's when I saw yer letter." Applejack said. Twilight looked at her in disbelief.

"He's... Leaving for Canterlot?" Twilight asked, her mouth agape in a traditional cartoon-like fashion.

"Uh yeah... Oh! And he had this huuuuuuge sword on 'im, said that he was a guard o' some sort." Applejack continued. Twilight shook her head and continued talking.

"Listen girls, this colt is much more dangerous than you think! He tried to assassinate Celestia a few days back! He lost and I saved him in the forest." Twilight said, she felt sorry betraying Storm like this, but she didn't want to see either him or Celestia dead. Everypony's mouths were agape. They looked at Twilight in shock.

"Is... Is that true? But he seemed so nice!" Rarity said.

"How'dya know all about this Twi?" Applejack asked. That brought back painful memories that Twilight didn't really want to discuss.

"I-I think that I... Delved too deep into his origins, and he just explained everything then left, he said he wouldn't die but..." Twilight said.

"Wait a minute, sugercube. Why are ya so concerned that HE'LL die? We got the princess to worry about!" Applejack said. Twilight let out a short gasp, she was showing a little more care about Storm than she wanted to.

"Yeah I know... But he's a pony like the rest of us right? He doesn't deserve to die." Twilight said.

"Darling, he's a criminal. An outlaw. Crime happens so little here in Equestria and It's punishable by death!" Rarity said. Twilight was hurt, those words, Criminal, outlaw. She was acting as if Storm's life didn't matter. She shook it off.

"Well anyway, we need to stop him! Does anyone know when he's going to Canterlot?" Twilight asked her friends.

"Well, Ah'd imagine that he's goin' tomorrow, considerin' that the train station's closed for the rest of the week after tomorrow." Applejack said.

"Alright. We can meet at the train station tomorrow at twelve. Hopefully he won't take the train until after then." Twilight said. The five ponies left their chairs and exited the library. Rainbow Dash had a look of almost pleasure on her face.

"This is so cool! We get to take out an outlaw!" Rainbow said, her words still harming Twilight as she closed the door. She looked at the time. eleven o clock. It was late, she made her way to her room, where Spike was already fast asleep. She smiled at the sight before crawling into bed herself.

"Will he be executed if he gets captured? I don't want him to die..." Twilight thought as she dozed off.

Meanwhile, Storm had returned to the hill, he preferred sleeping up there, as nopony actually came up here without good reason. He rested his back against the same tree and closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow night will be a day for the books. For the good or bad." Storm said to himself as he slowly drifted to sleep.
> A Big Train Ride Into A Big City
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm opened his eyes and stretched his forelegs. Today was the day that he went to Canterlot. He had decided to start walking to the station around 12:30. He didn't know the time exactly, he imagined it to be around 8:00 right now. He stood up, he had to go back to the blacksmith to get his sword back from Bright Spark, he set off towards the blacksmiths. He wondered how Twilight was doing, anypony in the right mind would have probably forgotten about him by now. But she did know of his plans to assassinate Celestia... She had probably sent a letter in advance, tonight was going to be harder than he had previously thought. He eventually came across the blacksmiths. He opened the door, making a large creaking noise as he entered the building. Bright Spark was sitting at the counter, he had a hoof on his chin and he was about to fall asleep just as Storm walked in. He shook his head and perked up as soon as Bright Spark saw him.

"Ah, hello Shadow Storm! I've finished the repair of your weapon!" He exclaimed as he entered a small room to the right of the anvil. He came back with a familiar looking long sword, he set it down on the counter with a heavy sigh. He had surely improved the weapon, several chips on the weapon's edge had been fixed and the hilt was now upgraded, looking slightly more regal than Storm had anticipated.

"Wow... I don't even want to know how somepony like you could even handle something that heavy..." Bright Spark said, panting heavily. Storm made the sword disappear, returning to his possession.

"Thank you for the help, Bright Spark. This will help me in the near future." Storm said.

"Oh it's no problem." Bright Spark replied, shaking a hoof. Storm walked back outside. All he needed to do now was go to the train station. He had no idea when the next train to Canterlot was, so he had better check. He didn't know where the station was, so he found himself asking several ponies for directions. After about an hour, he finally came to the station. He went up to the counter and ringed a small bell. A white earth pony came up to the counter after a few moments.

"Hello sir, welcome to the Ponyville train station. How may I help you?" The pony said rather half-flanked.

"I wish to buy a ticket for the next train to Canterlot." Storm replied. The pony went up to some charts on the wall and gave them a quick look, she returned after a few moments.

"You're in luck. The next train's at 12:45. You've got ten minutes to waste." The pony said.

"And how much would a ticket cost?" Storm asked.

"It'll cost you twenty bits." She replied. Storm brought out the necessary bits and put them on the counter. The pony handed over a ticket after walking away for a few moments.

"Thank you." Storm said. He walked out to the platform. Ten minutes wasn't a long time to waste. He could spend it simply by just thinking about recent events. He sat down on a nearby bench. After a few minuted had past, he heard the door to the station open again, but instead there being just one set of hooves walking, there were multiple hooves. Storm interpreted there to be about five... No, six hooves. Probably a large group of Canterlot citizens going home. That was, until he heard a familiar voice.

"Whew! Looks like we made it in time girls. We can just wait here until Storm arrives." He heard a familiar voice say. He started panicking, he reached for a newspaper and buried his face into it. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize him until the train came along. He heard the six move onto the platform, probably surveying the area to make sure he wasn't already there.

"Looks like he isn't here yet. We might as well make ourselves comfortable until he comes." He heard Twilight say. He heard somepony sitting on the bench right next to him. He kept his eyes locked on the newspaper, bringing one of the pages across the exposed side of his face. He waited a few minuted before he heard the mare speak.

"Wow. Ya'll must be interested in that there page on the newspaper." He heard the voice say. Applejack. Storm knew what she was talking about, he hadn't turned the page of the newspaper yet, no doubt he was arousing suspicion.

"So, what train are Ya'll waitin' on?" Applejack asked. Storm cleared his throat, trying to erase the menacing edge he had. He heard his voice crack, with any luck, he should sound like a different pony without the cold edge he had to his voice.

"I'm waiting for the next train to Canterlot." Storm replied, thankfully his voice had changed, he sounded completely different without the menace.

"Ah see... Well, if Ya'll see a stallion called Shadow Storm then give us a holler alright?" Applejack said. Storm nodded his head, although he wasn't sure if Applejack could see it or not. After a few more minuted had past, he heard the sound of the train approaching the station. How was he going to do this? He couldn't simply walk onto the train when there were six angry mares hungry for his blood. He heard the train skid to a halt at the station. He waited a few moments before he heard the ringing of the bell signalling that the train was about to leave. As soon as he heard the first wheel starting to move, he instantly threw away the newspaper, running as fast as he could towards the train. Applejack didn't have time to react as he threw himself towards the almost closed doors of the train. Twilight was the first to react, she leaped forward towards Storm, grabbing onto his his left foreleg. Storm managed to pull himself into the train, along with Twilight.

He was immediately greeted by the warm carpet of the train. It took him a few seconds to register what he had just done. He noticed Twilight, so why didn't he just kick her off once she had grabbed him? He shook his head, raising himself to his hooves, he looked out of the nearest window, Twilight's friends all had a look of shock and worry for their friend. They shot a deadly glance at Storm, he ducked under the window, moving back to where Twilight was, she was dizzy, shaking her head to clear her mind. There weren't many passengers on the train, so thankfully, they weren't attracting too much attention. Storm looked around to make sure that nobody was giving him any strange looks. He felt a sudden blow to the back of his head, he turned around to see Twilight looking at him with a tear filled face.

Storm looked away and started to walk towards an empty seat. He sat down and started to look outside of the window, he was surprised by the sight outside of the window. Rainbow Dash's face was pressed up against the window, shouting some inaudible curses at him. He pulled on the small rope at the side of the window which made the curtains cover them. He turned back around to see Twilight, still with her tear-eyed expression.

"Why did you follow me?" Storm asked. Twilight was literally about to break down into tears.

"I...I d-don't want you to die." Twilight said, her voice stifled by her depression. Storm looked at her with a serious expression.

"I told you. I will not die." Storm said. Twilight grabbed his arm, looking at him with a slightly more angry expression.

"You say stuff like that but you know as well as me that you're going to be killed by Celestia! S-She sent me a reply to my letter... I was going to show you it..." Twilight said.

"Letter? What letter?" Storm asked.

"The letter saying that you were going to Canterlot in a few days time to try and kill her again..." Twilight replied. Her horn glowed with a purple aura and a scroll appeared, floating in mid-air. Storm began to read it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle

You needn't worry about me. I have already taken precautions to stop this vile stallion. The security in the castle is as alert as ever. There is no way that the stallion could enter again. Should he succeed in entering the castle, however. I will deal with him... Personally.

Your mentor, Princess Celestia

Storm finished reading the letter. A pony came up to them asking for their tickets. After explaining that she didn't have a ticket, the pony said that she had to get off on the next stop, which happened to be Canterlot. Once the pony had left, they resumed their conversation.

"Don't you see Storm? Celestia won't let you get into the castle! And if you do, she'll kill you!" Twilight exclaimed, she had found the strength to ward off the tears.

"Nothing's perfect. The castle will have one minor flaw that I can exploit." Storm replied.

"I'm not worried about you getting into the castle! I'm worried about you!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I'll be fine. Once we get to Canterlot you'd better start heading back. Your friends are probably worried about you." Storm said, he saw Twilight shaking her head.

"I'm not leaving you..." Twilight said, she wrapped her forelegs around Storm, pulling him into a deep hug. Storm moved his hoof to the back of her head, stroking her mane.

"There's no need to worry about me so much. I'm just a stallion who you bandaged up." Storm said. Twilight pulled away from the hug.

"Is that all you think you are to me?" Twilight asked.

"I have a completely different life from you. I was born and raised to plot the demise of Princess Celestia, nothing more." Storm said.

"But you can change! You don't have to be a pawn anymore!" Twilight said.

"I... I'm not a pawn. I can act of my own accord." Storm said.

"Then make this decision! Do you want to stay with me, or do you want to get yourself killed?" Twilight asked, hugging Storm again.

"I love you Storm. I don't want to lose someone like you." Twilight continued, she had started to sob again.

"Twilight... If I did decide to stop this. What would become of you? Princess Celestia will be outraged." Storm said, Twilight perked up, knowing that this was her only chance to stop Storm.

"She would understand! She's forgiving! If I explained everything to her then it would all be okay!" Twilight said. Storm went quiet for a moment, not sure what to believe.

"I... I need some time to think about this..." Storm said. Twilight looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. She moved in closer, so that their lips were barely touching. Storm could feel Twilight's every breath on his lips.

"I love you Storm, try to remember that when you make a decision." Twilight said. Storm felt his lips touch hers, Storm felt all of his troubles melt away as soon as Twilight kissed him. He truly did love another pony. But at the cost of losing his original home, his honor and his upbringing. All to be happy with one mare. Storm pulled away from the kiss. Twilight gave him a warm smile, a scarlet red adorning her cheeks. They both sat in silence for the rest of the train trip, simply staring into each others eyes. It was almost as if time had lost all meaning when the two were together. They were both knocked out of their senses when the train skidded to a halt. They both left the train. The train station in Canterlot looked more glamorous than Ponyville itself. Storm and Twilight walked out of the train station, into the might sky of the city.

"We had better find a place to stay for the night" Storm said.

"You mean... You're okay with me staying with you?" Twilight asked. Storm nodded Twilight led Storm towards a glamorous hotel which looked much too expensive for either of them. They walked inside, Storm had trouble taking in the extreme sense of high class once they walked inside. Twilight walked up to the receptionist and started to explain to him that she was Celestia's student and she had come for a visit. The receptionist understood the situation and gave them both a room free of charge. Twilight led Storm up to the hotel room. If the hallways and the lobby of the hotel were high class. Then the rooms were absolutely spectacular. The room combined the colors red, gold and purple to make a design that looked surprisingly more glamorous than it sounds. The one thing that caught Storm's eye was the large double bed that was against the wall of the room.

"Unfortunately, the receptionist said that this was the only room that wasn't reserved. So we had to take this one." Twilight said, Storm let out a quiet chuckle. He knew she was lying, but he honestly wasn't complaining. Storm and Twilight were both tired, they made their way into the bed, Storm making sure that there was quite a distance between him and Twilight. He reached over to turn the lamp off, once he had turned it off. The room was in complete darkness. The luxurious designs on he walls turned to pure black. And a large majority of the room couldn't be seen. Storm turned back around and felt a heat source directly next to him. He moved his hoof towards the right and it made contact with Twilight's mane. She let out a small giggle as she curled up beside Storm.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm a little afraid of the dark." She said teasingly. Storm merely sighed and lay his head against the pillow, he was surprised when his whole head was nearly engulfed by the pillow, the hotel certainly made the beds comfortable. He heard Twilight stifle a giggle at him. He was still relaxed, he had been sleeping with his back against a tree for the last two days and now he was sleeping in one of Canterlot's most luxurious hotels. He sighed and turned his head towards Twilight, although he could only make out a slight part of her facial features. Twilight leaned over and nuzzled his chest.

"Goodnight Storm." Twilight said.

"Goodnight Twilight." Storm replied.
> Love In The Moonlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm opened his eyes, he was greeted by the outlandish ceiling of the hotel room. He felt a warmth to his side, he looked over to his side to see Twilight cuddled up next to him. He slowly moved himself out of the bed, making sure not to wake up Twilight. He made his way over to the bedroom door.

"Going somewhere?" He heard Twilight say.

"I was going for a walk." Storm answered. Twilight let out a small giggle.

"At 4:00 in the morning? Most ponies would wait until later to go for a walk." She responded.

"I'm not like most ponies. I have some thinking to do." Storm said. Twilight nodded.

"I understand, you have to make a big choice here." Twilight responded. Storm opened the door and walked out into the hallway, he walked down the stairs until he came to the front door. He opened the door, he was greeted by the near-empty streets of Canterlot, a few ponies were travelling through the streets. Storm stepped outside, the cool night air felt relaxing on his face. He started aimlessly walking around the streets, Canterlot was certainly something Storm wasn't used to, he was used to seeing maybe ten ponies in an entire day. He thought back to him and Twilight's discussion on the train, did he really want to continue with his plans to assassinate Celestia? He had come across a mare who showed him how important emotions were. Did he want to give up his old home to live with Twilight? His head was filled with conflicting thoughts and questions.

He shook his head, he was too tired right now to be trying to process this in his mind. He continued walking down the streets. It was nearly pitch black outside, with only the faint glow of the moonlight to guide him through the streets. He continued walking down the road until he heard a noise, a shout of some kind. He started walking through the maze of buildings towards the source of the noise. He eventually peered around a corner to reveal a mare being surrounded by four teenage colts, one of them was brandishing a knife.

"I said give us all of your bits and we'll leave you alone. Got it?" The pony handling the knife said. The mare was too shocked to move, she simply stood there, her eyes focused on the weapon. She shook her head.

"No! I need this money for my mother's hospital fees!" The mare shouted. Storm noticed that the four colts were blank flanks, no wonder they turned to a life of crime.

"You know, you could've made this easy on yourself, but now we're gonna have to take what we want." The colt replied. He started walking slowly towards the mare, she tried to run away, but one of the other colts grabbed her forcefully. Storm didn't know what to do, any kind of popularity right now would be disastrous. But he certainly couldn't sit by idly and watch a mare be killed... He could probably scare them away by giving one of them a scratch or an injury. As the colt raised the knife into the air, Storm walked out.

"Hey, check out that stallion over there." One of them said, the knife brandishing colt lowered his hoof, looking in the direction of Storm.

"Hey, I saw you go into that fancy hotel yesterday. You must be a pretty upstanding stallion. How about you hand over your wallet before I slit this mare's throat?" The colt said. Storm continued walking, the colt backed towards the mare, the knife pointing towards her, she had a tear dropping from her eye. Once he was close enough, one of the colts tried to seize Storm. The colt attempted to punch Storm, which he dodged and returned, knocking the colt to the ground. Storm summoned his long sword, provoking some jaw dropping reactions from the colts, Storm pointed the long sword directly at the colt with the knife.

"I think it would be in your best interest to leave this mare alone. Resorting to a life of crime simply because you don't have a cutie mark is foalish." Storm said. The colt swallowed and dropped the knife. He signaled for his friends to run, which they promptly did. The last colt gave Storm a stare before running away. Storm made the long sword disappear, he looked at the mare.

"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Storm asked. The mare's heartbeat could be heard in the silence that followed.

"T-Thank you... I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come..." The mare said.

"It was no problem. I only ask for one favor in return." Storm said.

"Y-Yes! Anything!" The mare replied.

"Do not tell anypony about what occurred tonight. Publicity is something I do not want." Storm said.

"O-Okay... I-I'm just really thankful about what you did for me... I want to find some way to repay you..." The mare said.

"It's perfectly fine. I wouldn't want to derive a mare of her belongings simply because I helped her." Storm said, before turning away and walking back to the hotel. He was now more or less fully awake. He made his way back to the hotel, where he went back to the room. Twilight was fast asleep on the bed. The sound of the door closing behind Storm seemed to wake her up.

"Storm, you're back!" Twilight said.

"Yes, I had a run-in with a knife crime between a mare and some teenage colts." Storm said. Twilight gasped at his remark.

"Did you-" Twilight said before putting her hooves over her mouth.

"I didn't kill any of them, I merely scared them away. I informed the mare that I didn't want anyone else to know about what happened." Storm said, this made Twilight breath a sigh of relief. Storm crawled back into bed, where Twilight gave him a warm hug.

"Have you made a decision yet?" Twilight asked, her forelegs still hugged tight around Storm.

"I... I won't lie, I'm more attracted to the decision where I stay with you... But I still worry about home..." Storm said.

"Did you have any family?" Twilight asked.

"No, I was simply bred to become a killer. My blood parents never though of me as their son. I was moved to a training facility when I was born. I'd imagine their dead now." Storm replied. This only caused Twilight to hug him tighter.

"I-I'm sorry for bringing that up." Twilight said.

"It's nothing." Storm responded.

"But you'll have me! You'll have my friends! You'll have people who care about you. People who love you..." Twilight said.

"That's why I feel more obliged to stay with you." Storm said. Twilight looked up at him with a warm smile on her face. She leaned towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Although I'm still worried about how Celestia will react to this..." Storm continued.

"I'm sure that she'll forgive you. I can send a letter to her and arrange a date. Is that alright with you?" Twilight asked. Storm nodded.

"I suppose it's best to get it over with..." He said. Twilight clambered out of the bed and went over to a small desk near the couch.

"Oh... But Spike isn't here. How are we supposed to contact our friends?" Twilight asked. Storm thought for a moment.

"I suppose that our only course of action is for you to return to Ponyville." Storm said. Twilight sighed sadly.

"W-Will you go back with me?" Twilight asked. Storm walked over to her and rested a hoof on her shoulder.

"Of course I'll go back with you." Storm said. Twilight smiled and gave him another hug. She looked him in the eyes.

"I... I love you Storm." Twilight said, slightly afraid of what Storm's reaction would be. Storm returned the hug, pulling them both tighter.

"I love you as well Twilight." Storm said, Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she heard that. She stared at him lovingly, a tear of joy forming at her eye. Storm began to stroke her mane, moving to her face to flick the tear away.

"Even if it's tears of joy, I still don't like seeing you cry Twilight." Storm said to her. She nodded and tightened the hug, nuzzling his chest as she did so. Storm nudged her face up with his hoof so they were both looking into each others eyes. Storm took the initiative this time, he moved his mouth closer to Twilight's, eliciting a blush from her face. She started to move in as well, the duo's lips eventually met. Twilight couldn't express the happiness she felt at that moment. Storm had actually willingly kissed her, she was sure that it was a sign that he truly did love her. Twilight eventually pulled away, a warm smile adorning her face.

"We should get back to bed, it's still quite late." Storm said, a similar smile across his face. Twilight nodded and the duo made their way back into bed. Twilight moving herself to be in the same cuddling position she was when Storm woke up.

"You make me wonder if you saying that this was the only room left was actually true." Storm joked.

"You're not complaining, though, are you?" Twilight asked. This got a dry chuckle out from Storm.

"No. I suppose I'm not." Storm said. In their loving embrace, the two fell asleep. Dreaming about their future together.
> You Probably Hate Me For This Buuuuut
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm awoke, but not in the comfortable bed he shared with Twilight, but in pure darkness. He rubbed his eyes, not sure where he was or how he got here. He could barely see his own hoof in front of his face. He began to walk through the darkness, he attempted to summon his long sword, but to no avail. He continued walking until he heard a noise, the sound of hooves walking over an unknown surface. He heard the hooves beckon ever closer, he turned around, but nopony was there. The hooves suddenly stopped, an eerie silence followed soon after. Storm was about to say something when a bright light shone in front of him. He covered his face with his hoof until the light settled down. When he pulled his hoof away, he was in some sort of building. The hallway he stood in was humongous, it reminded him of the castle's interior. He heard the hooves start to walk again. He turned around to reveal a pony, but not just any pony, an Alicorn. But it was neither Celestia nor Luna, it had the same flowing mane as Celestia, but it was pure red instead of multicolored. Storm took a step back, the Alicorn wielded a humongous battleaxe, it resembled a halberd in some ways, but it was clearly meant for swinging instead of stabbing. Storm was defenseless without his sword.

He looked at the Alicorn for several minutes before it started walking towards him. Storm raised his hooves, awaiting his fate... It never came. Storm lowered his hooves to see that the Alicorn had completely ignored him and was now walking past him. Storm slowly started to walk after the Alicorn, being careful as to not alert it. Storm assumed they must have been inside Canterlot castle, the hallways were simply too big for a normal estate. The Alicorn stopped once he had reached a door, Storm recognized it, it was the same door that led to Celestia's bedroom that fateful night. The Alicorn was certainly making less noise than Storm did, he wondered if the Alicorn had a sound-proof spell on. The Alicorn slowly walked over to the door, opening it with the quietest creak that Storm had ever heard. Storm peered inside the bedroom, there she was, Celestia was inside the humongous double bed in her quarters, her bulk easily taking up a large majority of the bed. She was turned around, so only her flowing mane was showing. The Alicorn tightened his grip on the handle, slowly walking over to Celestia's sleeping form.

Once he was at the side of the bed, he slowly moved the blade of his axe to Celestia's throat. The entire process took about a minute. The Alicorn positioned himself to the point where he couldn't possibly mess up. Celestia shuffled a little in her bed, the blade brushed lightly against her throat. Storm looked at the Alicorn for a few moments, what did this actually mean? Nopony in Equestria had a grudge against Celestia... Apart from the Necromanecers. But Storm hadn't seen another Alicorn Necromanecer ever since his queen took power. The Alicorn looked over Celestia thoroughly. He took a few moments before Storm could make out a small tear drop from the Alicorn's eye. The tear reflected off his mane, resembling blood in a way. The tear dropped to the wooden floor, making a small *tap* as it hit the floor. The Alicorn slowly started to move the axe away from Celestia's throat. He sheathed the axe in a way much like Storm sheathed his sword. Several tears now made their way down the Alicorn's face, with each consecutive *tap* making a louder noise as they hit the floor.

Storm was still trying to put together the pieces. Who was this strange Alicorn? And why attempt to kill Celestia if you back out of it when you're moments away from completing the job? That's when it happened, it appeared that the last *tap* was a little TOO loud, Celestia's eyes shot open, she sat bolt upright in her bed, she took a look at the Alicorn, and, with speed resembling Rainbow Dash, pinned him to the ground. Her horn started glowing a multitude of colors. The Alicorn closed his eyes, waiting for his inevitable fate. Celestia took a good look at the Alicorn, her first reaction was surprise, realizing that the pony was actually an Alicorn, she quickly shook her head and prepared her spell. Just as she was about to shoot, however, her horn's glow dissipated, she spent the next few minuted looking right into the Alicorn's eyes. She got off the Alicorn's stomach, brushing herself off as she did so. Storm wasn't sure what happened at that very moment, but right before the world turned to complete darkness, he could see Celestia... Extending a hoof to the Alicorn?

Storm shot upright in his bed, he felt the immense pain of his brain making a quick collision with his skull and noted that that was probably a bad idea. He was breathing heavily and his body was boiling. He felt a sweat droplet fall off of his forehead and onto the bed sheets. Storm looked up and saw the same hotel room that he had slept in the previous night. He breathed a sigh of relief, although he made a quick mental note on the dream before he almost forgot it. In his haste, he had woken Twilight up in the same manner, who had her forelegs wrapped around him the entire time. Except she wasn't sweating.

"Storm?! Storm! Are you okay?" She said, worried about his condition.

"I-I am fine... J-Just a nightmare... Is all..." Storm said, sounded the most foal-like he had sounded since... Well, he was a foal.

"You don't get nightmares that often, Storm. You want to talk about it?" Twilight asked. Releasing her forelegs with a small blush.

"Twilight... Would you believe me if I said that Celestia was attacked again last night?" Storm asked. Twilight put a hoof to her mouth.

"W-What?! By who?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"A-An... Alicorn. I think he might have been one of my people... I'm sure it was a dream, but... It all looked so real..." Storm said, he brought a hoof to his head, trying to recollect his thoughts.

"Hmm... Maybe I should talk with Celestia today..." Twilight said.

"But... Twilight, the Alicorn... He..." Storm stuttered.

"He did what, Storm?" Twilight asked. Storm spent the next five minutes reciting everything he had saw in the dream, albeit the part where he was cowering in fear, eliciting a few gasps from Twilight.

"I... I see, I have to talk to Celestia about this..." Twilight said, her brain still struggling to comprehend Storm's words.

"I-It would probably be better if I didn't come along. I believe that would cause more problems than solve." Storm said. Twilight nodded and let out a large yawn.

"Since Spike isn't here, I'm probably going to have to go to the castle and see the Princess directly." Twilight said. She walked outside and stopped just before she closed the door.

"Oh, and Storm?" Twilight asked. Storm let out a small grunt to show he was listening.

"I love you." Twilight said as she shut the door, a large blush kissing her cheeks. Storm let out a dry chuckle as she left.

Twilight's POV

Twilight was still blushing as she walked down the stairs.

"Stupid stupid stupid, how could you have said something so stupid Twilight? You silly filly..." She thought as she descended the pushed open the front door to reveal the streets of Canterlot, Twilight smiled as she remembered what her life was like before she moved to Ponyville. The bustling streets certainly weren't anything new to her, but she was still surprised at the amount of ponies wandering about so early on in the day. She set out for Canterlot castle, it had been so long since she last saw the princess in person. She was looking forward to seeing her again and telling her all about her... And... Storm... She stopped for a moment, remembering that she still had the business with Storm to deal with. On second thought, seeing the princess may not be as invigorating as she had previously thought.

She continued along the familiar path to Canterlot castle. When she had reached the doors, the guards bowed to her and allowed her entry. The hallways of the castle reminded her of all the times she and her friends had saved Equestria from certain destruction. She suddenly felt her head fall down in shame, her friends were probably still wondering about her... They had probably sent an emergency letter to Celestia. Twilight's thoughts were put to rest when she saw a familiar blue Alicorn of the night walk through the castle. The sight of the young mare startled Luna at first.

"Twilight Sparkle?! Where in Equestria have you been? Your friends are worried sick about you. They had wondered what that... That brute did to you!" Luna said, rushing up and hugging Twilight tightly.

"Luna... C-Can't breath... Air..." Twilight choked out as Luna released her hold.

"Oh, I'm sorry Twilight. You must go and see Tia, she had been worried sick about you!" Luna said to a gasping Twilight.

"I... I know, I need to tell her something important." Twilight said. Luna nodded and led Twilight to the throne room, where Celestia instantly gave Twilight another bone-brushing hug.

"Twilight! I was so worried about you! I was worried what that stallion did to you! Don't worry Twilight. We'll have this stallion captured within the week." Celestia said, she released the hug, to which Twilight promptly fell down onto the floor and started gasping for air.

"P-Princess... There's something I have to ask you..." Twilight said. Celestia gave a confused look.

"This question may strike you as odd but... Have you been... Attacked again recently?" Twilight said. Celestia was taken aback by her question. How could she have possibly known about Redblade? Twilight could see her awkwardly dragging her hoof along the ground.

"Twilight... What exactly empowered you to ask me this question?" Celestia asked.

"T-That's something else I wanted to talk to you about..." Twilight said.

"Here we go..." Twilight thought.

"Hm? What did you want to tell me Twilight?" Celestia asked. Twilight gulped, this wasn't going to be easy.

"Um... I-It's about the stallion who captured me... His name was Shadow Storm..." Twilight said.

"Yes, Twilight. You told me about him in that letter you sent me... I was so worried when he kidnapped you..." Celestia responded.

"Well... I-I wasn't kidnapped... I w-went by my own choice..." Twilight said.

"Whatever do you mean Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"H-He talked with me on the train ride here... H-He's from some kind of cult. He's a Pegasus who can use magic! H-He was born to... To hate you..." Twilight continued.

"This is exactly what Redblade said to me..." Celestia said quietly to herself, not loud enough for Twilight to hear.

"A-And... He doesn't want to do it anymore... I m-managed to talk him out of it..." Twilight continued.

"What exactly is your point, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"P-Promise you won't get mad...?" Twilight asked. Celestia knelt down to Twilight's level.

"Twilight. I would never be mad at you, I know that whatever decision you make, it will be for a good cause." Celestia said, this reassured Twilight a little.

"Princess... I... I love Shadow Storm." Twilight admitted. She shut her eyes tightly, expecting to open them and be on the moon, or in magic kindergarten all over again. Instead, however, she felt a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. She opened her eyes gently to reveal a smiling Celestia.

"Twilight... I think that I want you to meet someone..." Celestia said. Twilight feared the worse, maybe a kindergarten teacher or something.

"Someone? Tia, you haven't told me about any visitor..." Luna said. Celestia let out a small giggle.

"Well... He certainly had some... Unorthodox... Ways of entering the castle." Celestia replied. She walked off in the direction of her room. Twilight was still fearing the worst for her poor sake. Luna gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. They heard the sounds of several hooves on the floor of the castle. Celestia walked through first, and what followed made Twilight's jaw drop. Another Alicorn was following Celestia. The fur, the mane, the cutie mark, everything that this Alicorn had was reminiscent of Storm's dream.

"Twilight Sparkle. I would like you to meet Redblade." Celestia said, a smile adorning her lips.
> A Dark Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mouth agape, eyes diluted into small black dots, on her flank. Twilight certainly wasn't acting very ladylike towards the Princess, but who could blame her? The Alicorn that stood at the doorway to the room fit every description that Storm had given him about his nightmare. Luna wasn't acting much different, her mouth was also agape, one of the extremely rare occasions when Luna was actually dumbstruck. Celestia hung her head down, she imagined Twilight and Luna would be surprised, but to this extent? Twilight raised a hoof in the air, twitching slightly, she pointed her hoof at Redblade.

"W-Who... What? Why? How?" Twilight stammered, even for a pony of her intellect, her mind was exploding with questions, every one being more complicated than the last. Twilight lowered her hoof, realizing that she was being slightly accusative towards the mysterious Alicorn. Celestia gulped, much explaining was now in order.

"T-Tia? You never told me that there was... Another... Alicorn... Inside the castle..." Luna said, her eyes fixated on the Alicorn. He stood tall, his mane was a flowing red color. He had a look of guilt mixed with confusion on his face. Celestia let out a large sigh.

"Celestia... Is this your student?" Redblade asked. His voice sounded similar to Storm's voice except it had a slightly less tone of impending doom in it. Redblade slowly trotted towards Celestia's side, keeping his eyes on Twilight the whole way there. Twilight let out a nervous chuckle.

"Tia? Who is this Alicorn?" Luna asked, slightly concerned for her sister.

"I... I suppose that I have some explaining to do..." Celestia said, her head still hung low. Celestia spent the next few minutes explaining the situation with Redblade, the situation was almost exactly similar to the dream that Storm had.

"I-I don't understand Tia. He tried to kill you, he should be executed on the spot!" Luna shouted. Celestia looked back at Redblade, who was giving her a short nod. Celestia gulped once more.

"Redblade... He's from a cult in the Everfree Forest... Coming from a heritage that despised our rule and wanted to commit crimes freely, they were banished to the Everfree Forest, living the rest of their lives in solitude. Apparently, Shadow Storm was also part of this cult, and he was deemed dead by his "Queen". Redblade was said to have been a legendary warrior, and he was brought back to life via the Queen's dark magic. Redblade was sent to kill me in Shadow Storm's stead, and he would have succeeded if it were not for..." Celestia trailed off.

"If not for what?" Twilight asked. Redblade walked to Celestia's side, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Foul cultist! Release your grasp from Princess Cele-" Luna shouted.

"Luna!" Celestia shouted angrily. Luna backed down, cursing herself for acting so angry.

"Twilight Sparkle. The reason that Redblade didn't kill me was because... As you have admitted with Shadow Storm... He loves me..." Celestia said, becoming more quiet towards the end. If Twilight's mouth was agape before, then her mouth was six feet into the ground right now. Luna's reaction was exactly the same. An almost depression silence followed. Twilight moved her head from Celestia to Redblade, trying to see the point. Eventually, Twilight spoke up.

"Princess... Do you...?" Twilight asked. Celestia waited a few seconds before slowly nodding her head.

"Yes..." She replied. Twilight certainly wasn't expecting anything like this, well, that's what she would have thought if she hadn't collapsed onto the ground right there.

P.O.V. Change: Storm

Storm was still lying in the comfortable confines of the bed. It certainly felt lonely without Twilight lying next to him. He realized what being alone really meant, his soul was filled to the brim with emotions that completely blocked out his loneliness. Twilight had been gone for several hours now, and Storm was getting worried. He couldn't help but think back to the dream he had yesterday. The Alicorn he saw reminded him of somepony, but he couldn't quite remember who it actually was. He sighed and stepped off of the bed, he stretched his forelegs into the air, before returning to four hooves.

"I should have went to the castle with her... If Celestia punished her, she should at least had someone to share it with..." Storm thought. He imagined what would happen if Celestia took it the wrong way, what happened if she banished Twilight? Or even revoked her status as Celestia's student. Storm quickly made for the door, slamming it behind him. He walked downstairs, towards the front door. Outside was the bustling streets of Canterlot, Storm could make out the shape of Canterlot castle in the distance.

"If she did anything with Twilight. I swear to my Queen that I'll..."

P.O.V. Change: Twilight

1 Hour later

Twilight's vision was hazy, she could make out an entity running towards her, probably Celestia. She felt somepony try to shake her into consciousness. Twilight vision slowly started to return, but instead of seeing Celestia looking down on her, she saw Storm, giving her a look of distress. Once Twilight had noticed the stallion, she instantly leaped forward, pulling Storm into a bone crushing hug. The throbbing pain in her head could wait, she was simply so happy to see Storm again. She realized that she wasn't on the floors of Canterlot castle anymore, but rather on a bed in a bedroom she had never seen before. She pulled away from the hug, looking around in the strange bedroom she was in.

"W-Where are we?" Twilight asked.

"In a spare bedroom in the Canterlot Castle." Storm replied.

"But where's Celestia? and Luna? And... That Redblade guy?" Twilight said. Storm's eyes turned into small dots as he processed the words that Twilight had just said. Redblade. The name spun through his head in a haze of memories. It was almost as if he was sucked into his memories, he could see a younger version of himself, sitting upright in a crudely made wooden bed reading a book entitled "The history of the banished." Storm walked over to his younger self and looked over at the book he was reading. On the left page, there was some writing. But on the left page, a picture took the place of words. An Alicorn could be seen in the picture, one with a flowing red mane and a red coat. His cutie mark depicted a large sword being circled by smaller swords. And above the picture was a large heading reading "Lord Wildton Redblade" He couldn't read any of the text before he was back in reality, being shaken by a very worried Twilight.

"Storm? Storm! Equestria to Storm!" Twilight shouted. Storm shook his head and looked at Twilight.

"Redblade... Was he an Alicorn?" Storm asked. Twilight nodded.

"Flowing red mane? Red coat? Cutie mark with lots of swords?" Storm continued, receiving more nods from Twilight. If she didn't stop him, Storm would have fallen over at that very moment. He remembered everything. Redblade; an Alicorn, the son of his Queen's descendants, he was going to become the king of the banished until... Storm lowered his head. Storm didn't know much about his family, but he did know about one of his descendants; although Storm never knew his name, his ancestor accused Redblade of being "Not worthy of the throne" and that he was a coward. If his ancestors wife wasn't already pregnant, Storm would have probably never been born. Redblade showed his bravery by dueling Storm's ancestor. His descendant was one of the greatest Necromanecers in the Everfree Forest. They both suffered fatal wounds in the battle, Redblade eventually managed to triumph over Storm's ancestor, but he succumbed to his wounds a few hours later. His ancestor's wife continued the family, and somewhere along the line, Storm was born.

But... How? Redblade was dead. How could he possibly be still alive? Storm pondered over this situation as Twilight sat him up on the bed. Storm was knocked out of his trance.

"Storm... When did you actually get here?" Twilight asked.

"About an hour ago... I found Celestia, but she said that she had forgiven me, and that she had "Found somebody of her own..." And she told me where you were sleeping. I've been here for the past half an hour." Storm explained.

"You... You waited all that time for me to wake up?" Twilight asked. Storm nodded.

"I was worried about you... So I stayed." Storm said, Twilight's forelegs wrapped around him, pulling Storm into an embrace. Twilight looked up at him with a gentle smile. Storm managed a smile back.

"Come, we should get some sleep. It's very late outside, and fainting isn't very good for your mental health." Storm said. Twilight nodded and crawled back into her bed, she must have hit her head, as bandages were wrapped around it. Storm crawled in a few moments later. Twilight moved over to Storm's side, nuzzling his chest sweetly. Storm smiled again and reached for the lamp next to the bed. He flicked the switch, leaving them in complete darkness. Storm was tired, and with a good excuse. Tomorrow was certainly going to be an interesting day.
> Is It Awkward In Here
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shadow Storm? Hello?" Said a voice. Storm slowly opened his eyes, after adjusting to the darkness, he saw a Unicorn looking down at him from the side of the bed. Storm slowly sat up on the bed and looked over at the Unicorn, rubbing his eyes as he did so. He was surprised when he noticed that the Unicorn also had a pair of wings, and not only that, it had a red coat with a long flowing red mane. Storm quickly realized that he was looking directly at Redblade. He was so startled that he fell out of the bed, knocking his snout against the small cabinet next to the bed as he did so. He recollected a few seconds later and stood in his most formal stance, holding his hoof in a saluting gesture as his snout bled profusely. Redblade let out a small chuckle when he saw the state that the young Pegasus was in.

"L-Lord Redblade!" Storm exclaimed, he quickly cupped his hoof over his mouth, he looked over to the bed, where Twilight was still sleeping peacefully, he let out a sigh of relief and raised the hoof in a saluting gesture once more, looking back at Redblade.

"Hello Shadow Storm." Redblade said.

"Y-Yes! Hello sir, an absolute pleasure to meet you!" Storm loudly whispered.

"Please, call me Redblade, I hated it ever so much when I was called 'lord' or 'master'" Redblade said.

"Y-Yes sir... Redblade..." Storm said.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I would be happy to answer all of them." Redblade said. Storm simply wanted to bombard him with questions, but he remembered that he was standing face-to-face with a prince of the banished.

"R-Redblade... How have you returned to us? You were killed by..." Storm trailed off, did Redblade know about his ancestor being the one who killed him? Or did he even kill Redblade at all?

"By your ancestor? Yes, I suppose I was... Decommissioned for a little while. But your current queen was nice enough to revive me using that magical capability of hers. She sent me to... Kill Celestia... In your place." Redblade explained. Storm was right, the entirety of the banished thought he was dead.

"Y-You know about my ancestors?" Storm asked. Redblade gave a nod in return.

"Yes. I dare say that your ancestor was one of the greatest warriors I had ever seen. I may have killed him, but we fought on even ground during the fight, I merely got the upper hoof on him." Redblade said.

"I understand sir. But... Why didn't you kill Celestia? We could have easily overpowered Luna if you had completed the job." Storm said.

"When I was about to kill Celestia... I got a good look at her face. I never knew that we were out to kill such beauty... She awoke and... Well, I expected her to end my life right there... But she outstretched her hoof to me... We talked throughout the night and learned of each others pasts... One thing turned into another and then..." Redblade trailed off and looked at the ground, shuffling his hooves nervously.

"R-Redblade, you didn't do anything... Strange with Celestia, did you?" Storm asked. He was in complete shock. Falling for the enemy was one thing but...

"No... Of course not, Shadow Storm..." Redblade said, trying to avoid eye contact with him. Storm knew something strange was going on between Redblade and Celestia. But before he could delve any deeper into the details. He heard a quiet shuffling noise behind him. He looked behind him to reveal Twilight slowly sitting up on the bed. She let out a large yawn and looked over to Storm's general direction. She jumped after a few seconds, almost suffering the same injury as Storm. He rushed over to Twilight, who was currently lying on the floor.

"Twilight? Are you okay?" Storm said, with a slight sense of urgency in his voice. Twilight shook her head and rose to her hooves. She rubbed her head and looked over the bed, towards Redblade.

"Oh... You must be Redblade!" Twilight said. She walked over to the opposite end of the bed and outstretched her hoof. "I'm Twilight Sparkle! Nice to meet you!" She continued. Redblade happily returned the gesture, he obviously had a much more open personality when it came to talking with other ponies, unlike Storm.

"A pleasure, miss Twilight. I trust that you and Storm are well acquainted?" Redblade asked, obviously not knowing the relationship status between Twilight and Storm.

"I... Uh... You could say that... I suppose." Twilight said, a small blush managing to kiss her cheeks. Redblade let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I think we should get to the dining room, Celestia wishes for us all to have breakfast together. She also has a rather... Important statement to make..." Redblade said.

"The dining room? I haven't been there since Jack was here... Wait... Who's Jack?" Twilight quietly said to herself. (Dear god I think I'm catching up to Pinkie in fourth-wall breaking...)

"Yes. It would probably be for the best if we could recollect on yesterday together." Storm said. Redblade nodded. Twilight motioned for the two to follow her. Twilight led the two of them to an extremely large set of doors.

"Sweet Celestia..." Storm said as he gazed upon the giant doors. Redblade also appeared to be amazed at the amazing architecture. The door was almost perfectly symmetrical, and easily stood taller than that of a fully grown dragon. Twilight looked around for a few moments.

"That's odd, there's usually around ten guards who can open the door standing around..." Twilight pondered. Storm and Redblade sighed, they both knew where this was going. The two of them began to walk to the base of the humongous set of doors.

"Hm? Storm? What are you doing?" Twilight asked. Storm merely let out one of his trademark dry chuckles as he continued walking.

"You get the left door and I'll get the right one." Redblade said. Storm nodded and proceeded over to the left door. Twilight simply stood there and watched.

"Surely they can't be thinking..." Twilight thought, she suddenly heard an ear piercing creaking noise that echoed down the hallway. After the initial noise was gone, Twilight removed her hooves from her head and looked over towards the door. Both Redblade and Storm had their hooves pushing against the doors, the strain was clearly visible on both of their faces. After a few painstaking moments of pushing. The door finally started to budge, once it had got into a rhythm, the duo pulled their hooves away from the door and let it slide open. Once the door was fully opened. It revealed an even larger dining room with a table that spanned the length of SEVERAL fully grown dragons. On either side was a Princess with an absolutely horrified expression on their faces. Storm and Redblade were panting heavily. And started walking inside the dining hall. Celestia ran over to Redblade, checking his body for injuries.

"Are you hurt Redblade?" Celestia asked worriedly. He waved a hoof as an answer.

"No... I had some help from Shadow Storm..." Redblade said in between pants. Celestia looked over his shoulder to reveal an almost collapsed Storm, using Twilight as a support beam.

"I was about to send the regular guard patrol down... You didn't have to do all of this..." Celestia said. Luna was petrified in her seat, amazed at the raw strength that the duo produced.

"Oh well... I suppose there's a first time for everything..." Redblade said with a chuckle that almost mimicked Storm's, partially sue to his lack of breath. Celestia and Twilight led their lovers on to the chairs next to them. They both sat down with a satisfied sigh. Almost instantaneously, several waiters carrying plates of food burst out of the kitchen doors in a formal line. They laid utensils on everpony's table and littered the entire table with a wide assortment of plants, salads, and candy. The waiters left almost as suddenly as they arrived, retreating to the kitchen.

"That was... Certainly interesting..." Storm said. He could barely breath without the echoes ringing through the hall.

"I do hope that all of you have a lovely breakfast." Celestia said. Everyone started to eat the wide assortments of food on the table. There was clearly too much to eat, by the end of it, everpony was full and only around 1/5th's of the food had actually been eaten. Twilight stifled a very unladylike burp. Celestia raised a glass in the air and tapped it lightly with a spoon, which caused the sound to almost erupt throughout the hall.

"Everpony. I would like to make an announcement." Celestia said. Twilight, Storm and Luna all looked at Celestia with confused looks on their faces. While Redblade simply looked down without smiling or frowning. Celestia gave him a reassuring smile to no effect. She gulped.

"A-Anyway. This is an incredibly important announcement that may well decide the future of Equestria." Celestia said. This seemed to pique the curiosity of everypony in the room. Storm even saw a couple of chefs from the kitchen stick their heads out to listen.

"As you may know. Me and Redblade are in love with each other. We had established that last night. But... A more serious matter lies in the balance..." Celestia continued. Storm and Twilight now had slightly worried expressions on their faces. They feared that the news Celestia was about to deliver was going to be incredibly bad.

"I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, leader of all lands apart from the Griffin Kingdom... Am pregnant." Celestia said. Redblade continued looking down while Storm, Twilight and Luna kept their faces frozen in an unimaginable amount of shock. Almost on cue, the three of them dropped the forks they were holding, allowing them to fall to the floor, making a large clattering noise as they hit the ground.

"Pardon me, Princess?" Twilight said.
> An Unexpected Turn Of Events
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dining hall was silent. Nopony dared to move or even blink, Luna was looking down at her empty plate, her eyes nearly mimicking the size of it. Twilight wasn't looking at anything in particular, just blank space. Storm kept trying to speak, but nothing came out, his mouth was as dry as a bone. Redblade had changed from moderately-concerned-Alicorn into Incredibly-Guilty-Alicorn. And Celestia was the only one daring to move, she darted her eyes around, worried about the sake of her friends. Luna attempted to cough to ease the tension, which only seemed to make it worse. The room was silent for five whole minutes. The chefs that were watching dared not to move, afraid that they would lose their jobs. Storm wasn't keeping track of the time, and misinterpreted a whole hour to have passed. It certainly felt that way. He was surprised, to say the very least. He had trouble knowing if what Celestia said was actually true.

"I-I said I'm... Pregnant... Twilight Sparkle..." Celestia finally whimpered out, she was quiet, but the incredible size of the dining room made the voice well known. Twilight looked at Celestia nervously, she had a mixture of fear and conflict plastered over her face. Celestia returned with nearly the exact same expression.

"Princess..." Twilight muttered.

"Tia... Why did you not tell me about this?" Luna spoke up, while still staring at the empty plate in front of her.

"I... I did not want to alarm you, sister." Celestia replied. Twilight got out of her chair and started to walk towards Storm, she wrapped her forelegs around her and started to sob quietly, even the echoes of the dining hall couldn't magnify Twilight's sobs. Celestia looked hurt, she wasn't used to seeing her top student this way, and by her hoof, no less.

"I am sure Twilight feels happy for you, but I feel that it would be best if we simply left, I'm sure the shock is simply getting to Twilight..." Storm said, pulling Twilight closer to him as he heard her sobs increasing. Celestia looked down in shame.

"I'm sorry..." Celestia muttered.

"Don't be. I hope for the best on your pregnancy..." Storm said as he guided the still-sobbing Twilight towards the large doors that led out of the dining hall. It went without saying that Redblade was clearly the father, the signs were oblivious. Storm led Twilight to the outskirts of the castle and pulled out of the hug.

"H-How? It all happened s-so fast..." Twilight said. Storm put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

"I... I don't know Twilight. I was surprised at first as well, but I just want you to stay calm." Storm said. Twilight nodded and brushed off the last of her tears, sniffling a little.

"T-Thanks, Storm. But how is Equestria going to react to Celestia having a child with that Redblade guy?" Twilight said.

"That "Redblade guy" Was one of the most feared members of my clan, he was a prince about twenty years ago. He was killed by one of my ancestors during a duel. I don't even know if it's possible or not, but my queen managed to bring him back to life using her magic." Storm said, explaining a large majority of the situation to Twilight.

"But... It would take power beyond that of Celestia to do something like that. Just how powerful is your queen?" Twilight asked out of vague curiosity.

"I haven't seen her in person many times, although I can practically feel the magic radiating off of her whenever I do. She's intimidating, to say the least..." Storm said, he was rarely intimidated, but the thought of his queen had made him shudder on numerous occasions. Twilight gulped.

"What will happen now that Redblade hasn't killed Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"They... They will become suspicious... Redblade never failed a mission before..." Storm said, his eyes slowly widening.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. We should head back to Ponyville and tell the girls about this... Predicament" Twilight said.

"Your friends..." Storm said before Twilight put a hoof over his mouth.

"They'll understand. Maybe less so with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but I'm sure they'll have no trouble accepting Celestia's pregnancy." Twilight said.

"No... What do they think of me?" Storm asked. Twilight realized the trouble that Storm may have gotten himself into. Hopefully he could hold back some angry ponies.

"If I explain everything to them, I'm sure that it will all turn out fine... In a couple of days..." Twilight said. Storm sighed.

"Well, I'd assume the next train to Ponyville is soon... We'd best get on our way." Storm said, Twilight nodded and the two of them started to walk towards Canterlot's train station. The extravagance of the city still baffled Storm, the amazing architecture and regal-looking ponies was the polar opposite from the wooden huts in the Everfree Forest he previously stayed in. Once they had reached the train station, they realized they were in luck, as the next train was due in five minutes. They walked on to the extremely overdecorated platform and started to wait for the train.

"Hey Storm?" Twilight asked.

"Hm? Yes Twilight?" Storm responded.

"Do you miss staying in the Everfree Forest? Didn't you have friends down there?" Twilight asked. Storm was taken slightly aback by his question.

"I... Didn't have any friends in the Everfree Forest, the people weren't very friendly and the food was terrible, and training took up at least half of my day for the first few years of my life..." Storm said.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..." Twilight said, lowering her head a little.

"But now I have you, and that's better than anything I could have ever hoped to have." Storm said, he forced a small smile to appear on his face, he appeared to have some trouble doing it intentionally. Twilight perked up at hearing this, she leaned over and kissed Storm on the cheek. Shortly afterwards, the train arrived at the station and the duo boarded, taking a seat close to the doors.

"So... Are we... Official now?" Twilight asked with a slight tone of worry in her voice. It wasn't the way she said it and the context in general was generally decent, but Storm couldn't help but break down into pained tones of laughing, almost as if the action itself was hurting him. He eventually recollected himself, letting out a small cough as he straightened himself up in his chair, looking at a bright red Twilight.

"I-It's not funny!" Twilight said.

"That was the first time I had ever properly laughed in my entire life. But yes... I suppose you could say we are *snicker* official..." Storm said. Twilight was trying to contain some giggles herself, she felt happy knowing that she could warm the heart of the most personality-drained Pony ever born. The train eventually came to a halt in Ponyville station. Where the couple departed from their ride. They started to walk towards Twilight's library, making small talk along the way. It wasn't long before a cyan Pegasus had spotted them, Storm and Twilight hadn't noticed her yet, as she was hiding behind a cloud (which she TOTALLY wasn't sleeping on) watching them silently. She made a loud battle-cry as she jumped from her cover, instantly rushing at Storm. He only realized Rainbow's existence once her fist was planted deeply in his lower abdomen. He let out a groan of pain as he was sent tumbling to the floor from the sheer power of Rainbow's punch. Twilight rushed over to his side, shooting a soul-piercing glare at Rainbow before using her magic to tend to Storm's wounds.

"Twilight! You're alive! We thought this scumbag here had kidnapped you!" Rainbow exclaimed. Once Storm was back on his feet, still wobbling, Twilight walked up to Rainbow and pressed her face against Rainbow's.

"This "Scumbag" here is Shadow Storm, and he didn't kidnap me! He's my... Er... Friend! You shouldn't make accusation like that Rainbow!" Twilight said to the Pegasus, who was now shivering in fear from Twilight's gaze.

"B-But..." Rainbow started, but was promptly cut off by Twilight.

"No buts! This stallion here is our friend. If anything, he did more good than bad! He... He didn't kill Celestia, Rainbow." Twilight explained. Rainbow raised a hoof at her statement.

"What do you mean Twi? He tried to kill Celestia! Isn't that enough?" Rainbow said. Twilight immediately started to explain everything about Storm albeit all of the more... Intimate details, and she didn't mention anything about being his... It still pained Storm to say it; Marefriend. Once Twilight had stopped speaking, Rainbow spoke up.

"Um... Alright? Are you sure he didn't brainwash you Twi?" Rainbow asked. Twilight facehooved.

"Just... Get all the girls together and tell them to come to the library at five, alright? I'll explain everything in greater detail there." Twilight said. Rainbow nodded, putting her hoof in a saluting gesture.

"Alright Twi, I'll go around Ponyville and round all the girls up!" Rainbow said before speeding off. Twilight looked back at Storm, who was eyeing the rainbow trail that Rainbow left behind menacingly.

"That mare will be the death of me..." Storm said to himself. Twilight and Storm walked back to the library, only to realize that all of the girls were waiting for them already.

"Looks like Rainbow doesn't understand the prospect of time..." Twilight said. Applejack instantly jumped for Storm, but he quickly dodged out of the way. Twilight managed to grab her before she could jump again.

"Applejack! Please stop!" Twilight pleaded. Applejack eventually stopped struggling, walking away muttering something about "dang bucker" Twilight invited all of the girls inside, once they were all sitting down, Twilight spoke up.

"Alright ladies. I suppose I have some explaining to do..." Twilight said, receiving a few nods from the mane six. She gulped, this wasn't going to be easy...
> Confessions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yer darn tootin' that ya got some explainin' too do Twi! We was worried sick about ya!" Applejack exclaimed, still looking at Storm menacingly.

"Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning..." Twilight said. She started to explain everything that happened after Storm "kidnapped" her, she was still avoiding the facts about their relationship. Rainbow and Applejack shot menacing glares at Storm whenever she talked about his past. Twilight eventually got around to explaining the incident with Redblade, and what was happening between him and Celestia. She also explained how Storm's past was related to all of this. Then she reached the big moment where she had to explain Celestia's pregnancy. Once Twilight had announced it, everypony's jaw fell to the floor apart from Pinkie, who had a large smile plastered across her face for the full duration of the explanation. Rarity had simply fainted when Twilight announced it and Fluttershy wasn't far off from doing the exact same thing. Rainbow attempted to look uninterested to no avail. Applejack simply sat in silence with her mouth open.

"C-Celestia's... Pregnant?!" Shouted Rainbow. Twilight gave a solemn nod. Pinkie couldn't hold it in anymore, she jumped into the air, surprising everpony in the room. She danced around the library, random explosions of confetti from seemingly nowhere appeared.

"OHMYGOSHCELESTIA'SPREGANTOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMY GOSHIHAVETOPREPAREAPARTYFORH ER!" Pinkie shouted. Twilight ran over to her and planted a hoof firmly on her mouth.

"I was about to say that the Princess probably doesn't want anypony to know about this until necessary. Got it?" Twilight said. Pinkie nodded, making a muffled "Okey dokey lokey " before Twilight released the hoof from her mouth.

"I still have some trouble believing all of this..." Rainbow said to herself. Applejack was shaking Rarity's hoof trying to get her to wake up.

"Wait just one minute. What's all this got tah do with this stallion over there?" Applejack said, pointing an accusing hoof at Storm. "Buck..." Twilight thought to herself. Storm stayed silent and looked at Twilight, giving her a nod.

"...*Sigh* Alright girls, maybe I haven't been completely honest with you all..." Twilight said. All of the ponies in the room apart frown Storm and Rarity looked at Twilight in a confused manner.

"What do you mean Twi?" Rainbow asked. Twilight let out a large gulp.

"Me and Shadow St- Well, he's called Storm... Me and him... We..." Twilight trailed off, much to the groups disappointment.

"Come on Twi! It doesn't take a genius to know that you're friends with him now!" Rainbow said. Twilight let out a larger gulp. She shuffled her hoof along the floor nervously.

"M-Me and Storm... We..." Twilight continued.

"Come on! Spit it out already!" Rainbow shouted. This seemed to push Twilight over the edge.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!" Twilight shouted at the top of her voice. Applejack suddenly had to deal with two separate unconscious mares on the floor. The room was silent, Twilight shoved her hooves in front of her mouth, hoping time would retract itself. Applejack let out a nervous cough and Rainbow was looking around the library, desperate to find something that would ease the tension. Pinkie tried to look excited, but failed to do so.

"Is... Is that true... Storm?" Rainbow asked, avoiding eye contact with anypony.

"I would like to think so." Storm replied. Twilight's left eye was twitching, still unsure of what her friends actually thought of the situation. A loud slapping noise was suddenly heard. Storm, Twilight and Rainbow turned around to see Rarity and Fluttershy starting to wake up, with several bruises on their faces.

"Oh my... That was... Exhilarating..." Rarity said, she looked around the room to see the awkward expressions on everypony's face.

"Did I... Miss something?" Rarity asked nervously. Fluttershy was hiding behind her pink mane, trying to avoid any participation in the discussion. The whole room stayed silent, and Rarity let out a nervous chuckle.

"Rarity... Twilight... She uh... "Likes" Storm..." Rainbow said.

"Well, friendship is quite a big achievement considering that he tried to murder Princess Celestiaaaaaaaoooh my goodness Celestia is pregnant isn't she?" Rarity said, remembering what Twilight had told her.

"Not "Like" as in "Friendship" Rarity..."Like" as in..." Rainbow trailed off as Rarity became more wide-eyed.

"O-Oh... I s-see..." Rarity flustered. Twilight had started to shed some tears, and Storm had gone over to comfort her.

"Twilight was worried that you wouldn't want to be friends anymore after... What happened..." Storm explained. Although knowing him for a few days, Storm's eerie way of speaking still unsettled the girls.

"Was that the reason she wanted to follow you onto the train?" Rainbow asked.

"I assume so." Storm replied.

"We'd never be mad at you Twi. That's what friends are for!" Rainbow said. Upon hearing this, Twilight perked up slightly, looking at the girls with a warm smile, with leftover tears still running down her cheeks.

"T-Thank you everpony..." Twilight said with a sniffle.

"An' look on the bright side Twi. Ya'll got a special somepony now!" Applejack said. Twilight blushed slightly at Applejack's comment.

"But the point still stands. Celestia is well... Pregnant... I believe that we have a bigger issue on our hands than me alone..." Storm said. The girls exchanged glances and nodded at each other. Everyone suddenly shot a cold glance at Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie, could you PLEASE not tell anyone about Celestia's pregnancy?" Twilight asked. Pinkie nodded her head.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie recited. Everpony breathed a sigh of relief.

"In any case, I believe this meeting has come to an end. You can all return to your homes." Twilight said. Storm and Twilight both waved goodbye to everpony, but not before Rainbow walked straight up to Storm and grabbed his throat.

"You seem like a nice colt, but if you break Twilight's heart then they'll NEVER find your body. Are we clear?" Rainbow said. Storm would have naturally harmed the mare at that very moment, but he managed to hold his anger in.

"I'd like to see you try..." Storm muttered under his breath as Rainbow walked outside the library.

"So what did you think of the girls?" Twilight asked.

"They seem rather nice, although I feel that Rainbow Dash and I will be the death of each other..." Storm said jokingly. Twilight giggled, shortly followed by a loud yawn.

"Well, I think that I'm going to go to sleep, It's been a long day." Twilight said.

"I think I will sleep as well. Hopefully we can receive some insight from Celestia tomorrow." Storm said. Twilight nodded. Storm walked upstairs towards his bedroom, only to be stopped by Twilight before he could open the door.

"Who said that you had to sleep in there?" Twilight said with a giggle.

"As far as I'm concerned, the only time we slept together in the same bed was simply because all the other rooms were reserved." Storm said jokingly. Twilight let out another giggle and pulled Storm towards her bedroom playfully. Realizing that escape was nigh impossible, Storm got into Twilight's bed, facing the ceiling. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as the hotels in Canterlot but it was obviously still quite an expensive bed. Storm reached over and turned out the lamp next to the bed. After a few minutes, as he expected, Storm felt Twilight's warmth on his side and two forelegs wrapped around his body. Storm couldn't help but smile at the display of affection.

"Good night Twilight." Storm said.

"Good night Storm." Twilight replied.
> A Party To Remember 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm slowly opened his eyes. The only thing he could feel was Twilight's forelegs wrapped tightly around him. Storm slowly started to remove Twilight's hooves from his body, almost as soon as he attempted to move one of the forelegs, the hug tightened and Storm looked over at Twilight to see that her eyes were open.

"Good morning Storm." Twilight said before letting out a rather quiet yawn. Storm felt his stomach growl loudly and Twilight let out a short giggle. "When was the last time you ate something Storm?" She added. Storm was used to going large amounts of time without eating, usually of his own accord considering all he ate back in the Everfree Forest was some kind of unidentifiable grey mush that tasted like changeling droppings.

"I should go and make myself something to eat." Storm said. As he attempted to leave the bed, he felt Twilight's hooves pull him back playfully.

"Aw... Are you sure you don't want to sleep in today?" Twilight said with a giggle.

"What do you think is more important Twilight? Me or Celestia's... Incident." Storm said, putting heavy emphasis on the word "Incident" Twilight put a hoof to her chin and sported a pensive complexion. Storm took the chance to silently slip out of the room. He made his way to the kitchen, where a disgruntled Spike was sitting, quietly eating at some gems.

"Good morning Spike." Storm said, Spike was startled by Storm's sudden appearance, almost falling over completely.

"Sorry about that. You just scared me when you walked in is all." Spike said. He held out a hand and smiled at Storm. "I don't think we've properly spoken to each other yet, have we?" He added. Storm took Spike's hand, giving it a shake. Although Spike's talons dug into his hoof as he closed his hand. Storm walked over to a cupboard and examined the condiments and ingredients. It was at this point that Storm realized that he didn't actually know how to cook anything. He wore a confused expression as he examined the contents of the cupboard.

"What's up? You don't know how to make anything?" Spike asked with his mouth half-filled with a rather large ruby. Storm gave a nod.

"Unfortunately, my upbringing didn't have much much to do with cooking. We had chefs for that department, and even then the food they made was horrendous." Storm said. He gagged quietly to himself at the reminder of the food he had to eat to get through an ordinary day. He wasn't even sure if the food had any real nutrients in it, never mind flavor.

"I could make something up for you if you want. How does a daisy sandwich sound?" Spike asked. Storm once again nodded his head in agreement.

"I think the dirt on the ground would taste better than anything I had to eat..." Storm said. Spike shrugged and started making Storm a sandwich after he finished his plate of gems. In a few moments, Spike handed over a sandwich on a plate. Storm picked the sandwich up, examining it carefully. The only time he ever got anything nice to eat was on extremely special occasions. Such as his graduation from his training school, where the guards dug into the pantry and gave him one extremely small cupcake. He almost instantly developed a sweet tooth and about fifteen percent of his hard work was simply to get some confectionery treats to snack on. Even if he only had around one every two years.

He bit into the sandwich and was surprised at how tasty it actually was, considering he had been living off pure air for the last couple of days and he lived his entire life eating nothing but incredibly vile gruel his taste buds were literally exploding at the amount of flavor he received. He ate the last of the sandwich in a few bites and turned around to face Spike.

"Thank you Spike, I only just realized how peckish I really was." Storm said.

"It was nothing." Spike said. Storm heard a few hoofsteps coming down the stairs and eventually saw Twilight with a very nasty case of bed-head. Twilight's mane was naturally straight and the colors of it contrasted nearly perfectly, right now her mane consisted of a combination of two colors that could make Rainbow Dash jealous and strands of her hair were sticking out in random spots.

"Twilight? Uh... I think you should go and take a shower..." Spike said. Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked at Spike wearily. She certainly wasn't like this when Storm got out of bed.

"Yes, I think that would be for the better Spike." Twilight said as she ran a hoof through her mane, grumbling loudly. Storm suddenly tried to recall the last time he had any kind of shower. Protocol insisted that a shower must be taken at least once a week in the Everfree forest to avoid disease and other conditions. Storm estimated the time to be around three weeks since he had last had a shower. His mane certainly wasn't in very good condition either. He never really payed much attention to his mane and it kind of did what it wanted. The mane was straight all the way down to his neck but the front of it took a rather unsuspected turn, it ran upwards slightly and ended it a very straight looking fringe. One side of it was shot up completely while the other side drooped down as if it had been out in the rain for too long. Nobody in the Forest took any consideration into their mane and some of them ended up not looking like a mane at all.

Twilight walked towards what Storm assumed was the bathroom and decided that he would probably have a shower after Twilight came out. Storm was about to exit the kitchen when a very large belch was heard from Spike's direction.

"Spike, even in your own home it's not very acceptable to- What's this?" Storm said as he picked up a scroll from the floor, which looked like it had materialized out of thin air.

"Don't you know Storm? I can send scrolls and receive them through my dragon fire. Think of it as a portable mailbox." Spike said. Storm was suddenly intrigued by the power of the young dragon but decided to keep it for later as he removed the seal on the scroll and began to read it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle and Shadow Storm

Regarding yesterday, I believe it would have been in my best interest to see one of my personal doctors, he is trustworthy, and he swore on oath not to tell another soul. Unfortunately, not much information could be shed on the foal. I hope that your trip to Ponyville was pleasant and I hope that Twilight Sparkle's friends get along with Shadow Storm. I will be visiting the doctor once more in a few days for more information on the foal. Redblade is a simply wonderful stallion, he is always looking out for my well-being. The doctor has informed me that raising the sun will take simply too much magic to do, and therefore Luna will be taking over for the next few months at raising both the sun and the moon. I do hope she is ready for something like this.

-Co-ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia

Storm finished reading the letter and set it down on the kitchen table.

"C-Celestia's pregnant?!" Spike exclaimed.

"Yes, I would have imagined Twilight told you about this." Storm replied. Spike shook his head.

"I can't remember her telling me anything about it... Well, it was probably a rough day so I'm honestly not surprised that she forgot." Spike said. Storm heard Twilight trot back towards the kitchen.

"Wow! I needed that. The bathroom's free if anyone wants to have a shower." Twilight said. Her mane had been straightened back out, still looking a little damp and the shower seemed to have relaxed her a little. Storm walked outside of the kitchen and spotted some steam coming from a slightly closed door. He walked over to it and opened the door. He was immediately greeted by a blast of hot air from the bathroom. He walked inside and took a look around the generally small bathroom. There was a towel hung over the side of the bathtub and some shampoo bottles were sitting on a counter above the sink. Storm walked over to the bathtub and turned the two taps at the end until a warm stream of water started to flow from the shower head. Storm grabbed a shampoo bottle and stepped inside of the bathtub. He let the warm water flow down his face as he began to wash his mane.

He thought back to the letter that Celestia sent, and how she had described Redblade. Redblade was viewed as a hero and extremely noble towards his people and he was expected to be a great king. He acted casual towards anypony he met and had a better sense of humor than any other stallion Storm had ever seen. He was similar to Celestia in many ways, although he was more content with violence than friendship when solving problems. Redblade killed Storm's ancestor and almost completely destroyed Storm's very existence, but from the small conversations he could remember from his biological parents when he was a foal, his ancestor was a horrible man and almost always failed to see reason. Redblade certainly didn't act like he was a prince at all and acted like any other ordinary stallion. In many ways, he was essentially perfect for Celestia.

Storm finished washing his mane and turned the taps off. He stepped outside of the bathtub and dried himself off with the towel. He walked outside of the bathroom feeling slightly more refreshed than he was a few moments ago. He spotted a familiar piece of clothing sitting next to the front door, it was the hood that Rarity had made him about a week ago. He smiled to himself at the memory and walked back through to the kitchen. When he walked inside, Twilight was reading the scroll sent by Celestia and Spike was nowhere to be seen. She looked up and smiled warmly at Storm when he walked inside.

"Hello Storm, did you see this letter from Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, it does sound like she's rather excited for her pregnancy." Storm replied.

"You look a lot better now that you've had a shower." Twilight said. Storm's mane was still damp, and a small portion of it was drooping over his forehead.

"Do you have anything important planned for today?" Storm asked.

"Well... I was thinking maybe you and I could... You know... Go for a walk or something?" Twilight asked nervously.

"I still haven't seen all that Ponyville has to offer, so I suppose I could oblige." Storm replied. Twilight smiled at him and wrapped the scroll back up, placing it on the table.

"Well, let's go, shall we?" Twilight said. Storm nodded and followed Twilight outside of the house. It was sunny in Ponyville today, and everpony was out and about. Twilight and Storm began walking a random route throughout the town. Before soon it was the middle of the afternoon, and Twilight and Storm had stopped by a cafe for lunch. After ordering their meals, Twilight decided to speak up.

"Um... Hey Storm?" Twilight asked.

"Hm? Yes Twilight?" Storm replied.

"Can I ask you something?" Twilight asked.

"Of course, what do you want to know?" Storm replied.

"Well... It's about... Us..." Twilight said, "scratching" the back of her head with her hoof.

"What about us?" Storm said bluntly.

"Well... How long do you think we're gonna be... Together?" Twilight asked. The waiter came at that moment to drop off two daisy sandwiches. The question took Storm by surprise, he had never thought of his and Twilight's relationship like that. Storm placed his hoof over Twilight's and gave it a reassuring pat.

"Twilight... I'll be there for as long as you want me to be there." Storm said. This seemed to cheer up Twilight, as she gave him a warming smile.

"You always know what to say, don't you?" Twilight said.

"I aim to please." Replied Storm, eliciting a giggle from Twilight. They ate the sandwiches and Twilight left a payment lying on the table, Storm also threw in a few more bits for a tip.

"We should head back to the library." Twilight said. Storm gave a nod as they started to walk back to the library. Twilight seemed to have a spring in her step as she was walking back to the library, almost as if she was expecting something to happen once they got there. Storm shrugged it off and continued walking back to the library. Once they were within distance of the library, Storm found it odd that the library's lights were turned off, while Twilight left them on after they left the house. Once within a close proximity to the library, Storm could swear that he could hear the unintelligible dialogue of another pony inside the library. Storm shook his head, assuming he was simply going mad. Twilight gave Storm a giddy smile as she opened up the door to the library, it was then when Storm realized that the library was pitch black with the lights out, even in the daylight. Suddenly the lights flickered on, and Storm had to shield his eyes from the intense light.

"SURPRISE!" He heard several ponies yell. He adjusted his vision and looked in front of him. He was surprised when he saw nearly a quarter of Ponyville's residents standing around the library, party balloons were adorning the walls along with streamers and a large banner on the ceiling read out: WELCOME TO PONYVILLE! Storm took about five seconds to register the event as a welcome party.

"Wha-" Was all Storm could manage until he saw Pinkie Pie enthusiastically jump up from the center of the crowd.

"Come on everpony! Let's PARTY!" She shouted. Suddenly, loud music started playing from completely nowhere and the large majority of the party started to dance.

"I-I... I don't..." Storm tried to speak, but his voice was too blocked by the loud music that was playing. Pinkie Pie hopped over to Storm and gave him one of the most unnatural and most serial-killer looking smiles that Storm had ever seen, and by Celestia had he seen a few.

"I remembered that I didn't throw a party for you when you first came here and I was like "Oh Pinkie Pie, you idiot!" And then I talked to Twilight in private yesterday and organized a party for you!" Pinkie said in an insanely fast speaking voice.

"Pinkie Pie... I-I don't know what to say... I can't imagine why anypony would want to throw a party for me..." Storm said in pure disbelief. Pinkie seemed to have a look of horror combined with pure happiness on her face, it was honestly one of the most creepy things Storm had ever seen.

"You've never had a party before?! By Celestia this'll be the greatest party EVER!" Pinkie said, shaking Storm violently. She hopped off into the crowd, leaving Storm in a confused state. The rest of the mane six had gathered around Storm and were giving him large smiles.

"You honestly think we'd let you come into Ponyville unnoticed?" Rainbow said with a smile of glee on her face.

"Considering the rumors I assumed it would be for the best..." Storm said.

"Oh darling, don't you worry. I've put those horrible rumors of those to rest!" Rarity exclaimed. Twilight walked up to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Just enjoy the party, alright?" Twilight whispered to him. Storm gave her a nod. The rest of the girls dispersed while Twilight stayed close to Storm. I wasn't long into the party before somepony had broken out the alcohol. Storm had never tasted alcohol in his entire life, and he wanted to save it until an extremely important occasion, and whenever a drunken pony walked over to him telling him to have a drink, he would try his best to politely decline.

"You don't drink Storm?" Twilight asked after a seventh stallion had offered him a drink.

"No, I want to save it for a special occasion." Storm said.

"You're saying that this isn't a special occasion?" Twilight said with a hint of sadness.

"More special than this... Possibly a wedding..." Storm said. The mention of a wedding seemed to pique Twilight's interest.

"Oh really? And what makes you think that you're ever going to get married?" Twilight said playfully.

"So I'm assuming we shared a bed simply because we're good friends?" Storm replied, Twilight giggled slightly, before hugging Storm once more.

"I love you Storm." Twilight said warmly.

"I love you too Twilight." Storm replied. Storm heard a sly whistle from the other side of the room, he turned around to see Rainbow Dash looking at them with a smug grin.

"Storm and Twilight, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G" Rainbow said smugly.

"Eavesdropping, Rainbow Dash?" Storm asked. She let out a chuckle and walked up to the duo.

"Yeah, but seriously, I'm happy for you two. Oh and *you* I'm keeping my eye on you." Rainbow said playfully, pointing at Storm.

"At least I've got a special somepony Rainbow." Twilight said with a giggle. Rainbow was surprised at Twilight's laid-back attitude. She crossed her arms and looked away with a blush.

"I-I could get any stallion I wanted!" Rainbow said. Storm let out a cold chuckle and led Twilight away from Rainbow, leaving her to her pouting. The sound of glass breaking seemed to elicit a sigh from Twilight.

"I guess we've got a lot of cleaning up to do..." Twilight said with a grumble.

"YOU will be going to bed tonight, I'll stay up and clean the library up afterwards." Storm said, looking Twilight in the eye.

"That's so sweet of you Storm, but I think I'll stay up, I'd rather clean up with you than sleep alone." Twilight said, resting her head against Storm's side. It wasn't long before Twilight and Storm went outside to catch some fresh air. The music from inside made the library sound like a nightclub. They stood outside of the library before deciding to head back inside. Before they could leave, however, Storm heard the voice of a stallion coming from behind the library.

"I'll be back inside in a few more minutes Twilight, okay? I just need some more fresh air is all." Storm said. Twilight gave a nod and kissed Storm on the cheek before walking back inside. Storm decided to investigate the noise coming from behind the library. He eventually saw the shadows of two ponies at the back of the library. It was quite hard to see, as the sun had just lowered over the horizon. Once he was in earshot, he only heard a part of the sentence between the two ponies, judging by the voice, one of them was a mare.

"Get away from me!" He heard the mare scream, the music from inside the library was too loud for anyone to hear. The only sentence he heard was reason enough for Storm to step in. Once a silence was made between the two ponies, Storm made his presence known by clopping his hooves loudly against the cobblestone he was trotting across. The stallion noticed Storm and looked in his direction, he appeared to have been holding the colt forcefully, as he appeared to let something go.

"Hey... You're that stallion that everypony's celebrating about in there, ain't you?" The stallion asked.

"Yes, that would be me." Storm replied, the cold malice in his voice he had learned to control was now returning.

"Well, if you don't mind, me and this young mare here have some business to attend to. So if you don't wanna die then I'd recommend that you leave." The stallion said.

"I'm afraid I won't be doing that." Replied Storm. The stallion let out a long chuckle.

"Brave stallion aren't you? Or are you just stupid? There's a fine line between each one." The stallion replied. He turned away from the colt and pulled out what seemed to be a sharp object and pointed it fiercely at Storm. The stallion charged at Storm, waving the sharp object around uncontrollably, Storm would have thought the situation through if he knew that the stallion would simply wave a sharp object in his direction. He was caught off guard as the stallion made a lucky shot and managed to hit Storm's side. He let out a grunt of pain as the object hit him, he assumed the stallion picked the object up from the ground, judging by the cold touch of the sharp metal. The stallion moved back a few paces, letting out a sadistic laugh.

"Who's the tough guy now?" Mocked the stallion. Storm ignored the pain in his side, not knowing how severe the cut was. He couldn't draw his long sword, it would give him a bad reputation among the residents of Ponyville if he severely hurt the stallion. The stallion in question randomly went to waving the sharp object in Storm's general location again, the pure blackness of the night made it hard for Storm to see, but he could see the metal gleam in the moonlight, which gave him a good idea of where the stallion was. He dodged another close blow and threw a strong punch at the stallion's face. The force of the punch made the stallion drop his weapon and hold whatever part of his body that had just started bleeding. Storm took the opportunity to grab the stallion by the throat and slam his head against the closest solid object. This seemed to do the trick as the stallion fell to the ground, unconscious. Storm slowly walked over to the mare who watched the entire fight. Her eyes were filled with a sense of fear and hope.

"A-Are you okay?!" The mare said.

"F-Fine... Are you?" Storm said, clutching his side in pain.

"Y-Yes, i-if you didn't come along when you did that stallion would have..." The mare finished her sentence with a sniffle.

"You're safe now. Could you please go inside and alert everyone about this?" Storm asked. The mare nodded and hurried to the front door of the library. Storm walked over to the weapon that was lying on the floor and widened his eyes when he saw what it was; A butchers cleaver. The wound that Storm had was probably much more serious that he had anticipated. He ran a hoof along his side, trying to estimate how big and how deep the cut was, he winced in pain as he felt a large cut going across his side. He heard the sound of multiple ponies rushing towards him and it wasn't long before a large group of ponies surrounded him, with Twilight and her friends standing at the front of the crowd, all wearing horrified expressions. Twilight ran over to him and supported him as he almost fell over.

"Storm! Are you okay?!" Twilight shouted. Storm responded by making a weak gesture with his hooves. Storm felt numerous wet droplets on his side, he assumed the rain had just started but when he looked back up, he saw Twilight crying profusely onto his side.

"D-Do you have any... Bandages?" Storm choked out, he felt a slight trickle of blood escape form his throat.

"Don't speak Storm, you'll only make things worse... W-We'll get you to the hospital and treat those wounds, okay?" Twilight said, almost half-pleading with Storm to stay alive. He let out a weak nod in response and wondered how much blood he was losing. Judging by how many ponies he heard fainting, quite a lot. It wasn't long before he felt his vision fading. He let out a blood-filled chuckle before he almost blacked out.

"I-It's been a while since somepony's been able to cut me before..." He choked out. He felt his vision leave him, the last thing he saw was Twilight shedding tears as he blacked out.
> Back To Normal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm slowly opened his eyes, wincing slightly at the pain he felt in his side. He expected to be sitting in a hospital bed, but when he painfully sat up on the bed he realized that he was in his room in the library. He moved his hoof over his side and felt stitches going across a small portion of his body, with bandages covering the less harmed areas. He had a thumping headache and didn't want to think too hard. He slowly recollected the events of the night, all Storm could remember was the stallion who had harmed him and Twilight crying at his side as he faded away to unconsciousness. He slowly rested his head back on the pillow and tried to relax, he needed some more sleep until his wounds stopped hurting.

Storm was awoken a few hours later by the sound of somepony walking to his bedroom door. He opened his eyes just in time to see Twilight opening the door. As soon as she registered Storm's eyes being open, she instantly jumped onto Storm's bed and hugged him tightly.

"Storm! You're awake!" Twilight shouted, tightening the hug to near bone-crushing levels.

"Twilight... S-Stitches..." Storm said in between gasps of air, Twilight let out a short gasp and pulled away quickly. Luckily, none of Storm's stitching was opened.

"I'm so glad to see that you're okay Storm! When you fell over that night, I... Thought you had..." Twilight said, getting gradually more slow towards the end.

"H-How long have I been unconscious?" Storm asked.

"F-Four days... I was getting really worried about you..." Twilight said. Storm's eyes widened at the fact that he had been out for the past four days, he could only imagine the emotional turmoil that he had given Twilight.

"I'm sorry for lying to you that night Twilight... I simply did not want you to get hurt..." Storm said.

"I understand Storm. But you saved that mare, so I suppose I can't really judge..." Twilight responded. Storm felt the stitches on his side one more time before smiling contently.

"I can't remember the last time someone managed to harm me..." Storm said.

"You said that before you blacked out... Why are you acting as if it's some kind of accomplishment?" Twilight asked.

"It's always nice to feel the heat of battle Twilight... Anyone who can land a blow on me is a worthy opponent in my book..." Storm said, still wincing at the pain from the wound.

"Just... Try to get some sleep, okay? I think you've done enough for one week." Twilight said.

"I will, thank you for tending to my wounds Twilight." Storm said. Twilight gave him a warm smile in return.

"Anything for you Storm." She replied warmly before walking out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her. Storm threw himself back on the bed, cursing silently to himself for being so arrogant towards the colt he encountered last night, he brushed his hoof over his wound again, Storm knew that in the best case scenario, it would leave a minor scar. He calmed himself down, knowing that anger wasn't going to get him anywhere in the department of sleep. After a few minutes, he felt himself slowly doze off to sleep.

Storm felt himself reawaken after a few hours, the pain in his side had minimized and felt no worse that an ordinary bruise. He stretched his forelegs and tensed every muscle in his body as to make sure no other part of his body was severely hurt. He stretched out his wings and flapped them to make sure no damage had been done to them either. After he was finished stretching, Storm cautiously stepped outside of the bed. Making sure to take it slow. He eventually found himself walking normally again, apart from the bulging pain in his side, he felt perfectly fine. He walked over to the bedroom door and noticed a small note that was stuck near where the doorknob was, he took the note from the door and began to read it.

Storm

If you're reading this, then you're probably feeling much better. Rarity's managed to talk me into going to the spa for beauty treatment. I'll probably be back in a few hours. Spike can probably make you something to eat.

With love, Twilight

Storm crumpled up the note and threw it in a small dustbin. He had to occupy himself for a few hours, and he didn't have any plans for today. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where Spike was eating a large ruby while looking out of the window. He turned around once he heard Storm walking towards him.

"Good morning Storm, Twilight's gone to the spa with Rarity and Fluttershy so it's just you and me for a while. Do you want a sandwich or anything?" Spike asked.

"Yes, Twilight left a note explaining the situation. A sandwich would be most appreciated Spike." Storm said, realizing how hungry he was. Spike nodded and set about making Storm a sandwich.

"I heard what happened to you at the party..." Spike said. Storm glanced at his wound before looking back at Spike.

"Yes, I suppose I should have been more careful when the colt picked up a weapon. Speaking of which, has anything happened over these past few days?" Storm asked.

"Well, it looks like even Celestia's personal doctor can't resist spreading rumors, that Redblade guy is pretty much the focus of every news reporter in Equestria. And some people have started to ask around about Celestia's absence from her royal duties. I'd give it a week until everyone finds out." Spike explained.

"I see... What happened to me while I was unconscious?" Storm asked.

"Well Twilight was grief-stricken the entire time and the rest of the Elements of Harmony were worried about you as well, there was a news article about how you saved the mare and Princess Celestia pulled some strings with the hospital to let Twilight take care of you." Spike explained.

"To think that this all started with a murder attempt, by me, no less." Storm replied, Spike nodded his head in agreement. Spike put a daisy sandwich on a plate and handed it to Storm. After a few moments, Storm heard the library doors open. He walked outside to see Twilight, who seemed unusually happy. Once she laid eyes on Storm, she jumped at him again, but she stopped herself just in time in fear of hurting Storm. Instead, she just walked up to him and gave him a gentle hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay Storm. The trip to the spa released some of the stress I was building up." Twilight said.

"Thank you for healing me Twilight, Spike had told me about recent events prior to me waking up." Storm explained.

"I see. It wasn't exactly the best welcome party but it seems that trouble follows you wherever you go." Twilight said, giggling a little.

"I'm sorry to have worried you so much Twilight, I really shouldn't have been so arrogant when I was fighting that stallion." Storm said.

"You did it to save another pony's life, Storm. I can't think of any other reason to help anypony. But that stallion's locked up now, so we've nothing to worry about." Twilight said with a smile.

"I'll attempt to avoid trouble until my stitches can be removed. Did you have anything planned for today Twilight?" Storm asked.

"I was planning to answer the mass of letters my brother's been sending me. He keeps asking me if you're treating me nicely." Twilight said. Storm raised an eyebrow at this.

"You have a brother?" Storm asked. Twilight got a look of surprise on her face at first, followed by a look of embarrassment.

"I suppose I should have told you earlier... But his name is Shining Armor, he's the captain of the royal guard in Canterlot." Twilight explained.

"Captain of the royal guard... I have a feeling that me and Shining Armor would get on quite nicely." Storm said.

"Did you have anything planned for today Storm?" Twilight asked.

"No, I feel that fresh air is what I need right now, but I don't have any errands to run at the time." Storm replied.

"Well, in that case, could you go Sweet Apple Acres, Sugercube Corner and the Carousel Boutique to get apples, treats and gems for Spike?" Twilight asked.

"That sounds like it would take up a large amount of my day. I would happily oblige to fetching supplies for the library." Storm replied. Twilight levitated a small note over to Storm, he recognized it as a shopping list and nodded at Twilight before walking towards the front door.

"And Storm? Don't push yourself with carrying the groceries, exercise is the last thing you need right now." Twilight said, pointing a hoof at Storm's stitch.

"I assure you I'll be quite fine Twilight." Storm said before walking out the door and closing it behind him. He looked at the shopping list: Sweet Apple Acres for apples, Sugercube Corner for cupcakes and other assortments of treats, and the Carousel Boutique to fetch some gems for Spike. Storm started heading in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight had given him some bits that should be enough for the supplies. He eventually came across the familiar farm, the sprawling mass that was the apple orchard left Storm amazed that the entire thing was managed and worked on by two ponies alone. He heard a cracking noise coming from inside the apple orchard, which he assumed was Applejack. After following the cracking noises, he eventually came across Applejack knocking the last apple off a tree, she gave a surprised yelp when Storm walked up to her.

"Is that ya Storm? Yer alive! I mean... Yer... Awake!" Applejack shouted, before extending a hoof to Storm. He took Applejack's hoof only to be quite literally thrown around by Applejack's iron grip. He steadied himself after five seconds of Applejack vigorously shaking his hoof.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well Applejack." Storm said.

"Likewise Storm, so what can ah do for ya'll today?" Applejack asked.

"Twilight has sent me on some errands to waste away the day. I was hoping you could sell me two dozen apples?" Storm asked, partially looking at the note to make sure he got the quantity right.

"Sure thing Storm! We can get 'em delivered to the library free 'a charge. That'll be twenty bits, please." Applejack said, Storm took out the bits he had and placed twenty in Applejack's hoof.

"Much obliged Storm, hope ya enjoy them apples." Applejack said.

"I'm sure I will Applejack, I must be going, I have other errands to run." Storm said. Applejack nodded and gave Storm a wave as he walked off.

"Ya'll can drop by anytime ya want! Any friend of Twilight is a friend 'a mine!" Applejack shouted as Storm walked off. Storm started walking towards Sugercube Corner, which he was actually rather excited about, he absolutely loved sweets of any kind and Pinkie's cupcakes were certainly no exception. He walked to Sugercube Corner and opened the door, letting a mare and her foal leave before he entered. Storm saw Pinkie rear her head over the counter and expressed pure joy when she laid eyes on Storm, literally jumping at him and pinning him to the ground, eliciting a grunt of pain from Storm.

"Oh my gosh Stormie you're okay! We were getting really worried about you and stuff!" Pinkie shouted, ever ecstatic.

"Pinkie... Stitches..." Storm choked out. Pinkie let out a playful gasp and let Storm go, letting him grunt in pain for a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Pinkie said.

"It's perfectly fine Pinkie, just refrain from doing that for a few days, okay?" Storm said.

"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie said.

"And where did the nickname "Stormie" emerge from?" Storm asked.

"Oh, I always give my friends nicknames like that!" Pinkie replied. Storm shook his head and decided to go along with it.

"So, what can I do for you?" Pinkie asked.

"Could you get about a dozen cupcakes delivered to the library?" Storm asked.

"Sure! It'll cost you ten bits!" Pinkie said, holding out her hoof. Storm procured the necessary bits and dropped them into Pinkie's hoof.

"Thank you Pinkie." Storm said before walking off.

"No problem Storm!" Pinkie shouted back before Storm walked outside. The only place Storm had to go to now was the Carousel Boutique to get some gems for Spike. Storm looked at the sky and interpreted it to be about 5:30. He started walking towards the Carousel Boutique. When he finally came across the building, he gave the door a knock and waited for an answer. After a few moments, Rarity opened the door and instantly managed to smile almost as hard as Pinkie did. She ran forward to hug Storm, but stopped at the thought of manners.

"Shadow Storm! It's so nice to see you again! We were extremely worried about you, darling. Please come in!" Rarity enthused. Storm walked inside the Boutique.

"So, what can I help you with, Mr. Shadow Storm?" Rarity said.

"Twilight was wondering if you could send about two dozen gems to the library for Spike?" Storm asked.

"Oh yes! I could certainly spare a few dozen gems to my Spikey-Wikey. He found around half of them, after all. I could send them to the library, free of charge." Rarity said.

"Thank you Rarity, it was nice speaking to you again." Storm said.

"The pleasure was all mine, Shadow Storm, give Twilight my regards!" Rarity said as she waved to Storm. He waved back before he closed the door behind him. The sun had just set on Equestria and Luna had just recently raised the moon. Storm decided to start walking back to the library. Ponyville was certainly a different place at night. The streets were nigh empty and only shady-looking ponies graced the streets. Storm took it as a sign to get to the library faster. Once he had finally reached his home, he opened the door and stepped in.

"Twilight? I'm home." Storm said. Storm heard a few hoofsteps walking through the bookcases and, sure enough, Twilight was standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hi Storm! Did you get everything?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, they'll all be delivered to the library soon." Storm replied. Twilight walked over to Storm and gave him a warm hug.

"I'm glad I have someone like you to help out around the house." Twilight said. Storm brushed his hoof over Twilight's mane softly.

"I'm glad that I have you in my life Twilight." Storm said, eliciting a giggle from Twilight.

"You get really corny sometimes, you know that?" Twilight said.

"But you love me for it, don't you?" Storm replied.

"Well, I'm going to head to bed, at least I can go to bed knowing that you're okay." Twilight said.

"I believe that I will also go to bed, and... I'm sorry for putting you through all of that, Twilight." Storm said.

"Don't worry about it Storm, you're here now, and that's all that matters." Twilight said with a smile. Storm followed Twilight to her room, where he took his usual place on the bed. Once he heard Twilight get into bed, he reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. He put his head down onto the pillow, looking at the ceiling again. After a few minutes, he heard a few shuffling noises and then a heat source collected near his side. Storm smiled and moved his hoof over to what he assumed was Twilight's mane and started to stroke it softly. Twilight let out a small giggle and nuzzled closer to Storm. After a few more moments, Storm started to doze off into a peaceful sleep.
> Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm opened his eyes, but not to the cozy confines of Twilight's bed, instead, he was once again surrounded in complete darkness, much like the dream where Storm encountered Redblade.

"Where am I?" Storm asked, half expecting somepony to answer. As with the last dream, summoning his long sword proved futile. Storm began to walk through the darkness, expecting some kind of blinding light to appear at any moment in correspondence with his last nightmare. He continued walking through the darkness for a few minutes before finally giving up, maybe if he waited long enough the dream would end? Storm tapped his hoof against the ground, trying to decipher what he was actually walking on. He could feel cobblestone with what he could only assume was moss growing on it. As expected, Storm unexpectedly saw a bright flash of light, he covered his eyes with his hoof for a few moments before lowering it to see a now brightly lit room.

With the word "room" being used loosely, the room was more like a chamber, large cobblestone pillars were facing each other with an incredibly tattered red carpet going between them leading up to some kind of throne. The walls of the chamber were decrepit and looked like they were ready to crumble at any moment, Storm spotted an open window to his left, he walked up to the window and poked his head over the window ledge. What he saw surprised him, the chamber he was in was a mansion made to look like some kind of regal castle. Outside of the mansion was a huge overgrowth of trees and fauna. With a few small settlements Storm could spot in the background. Storm's coat hairs stood on end when he took a guess at where he was: The Everfree Forest.

Storm quickly pulled away from the window, looking around the chamber hastily, it looked exactly like the chamber that his Queen resided in, and the large amount of plants and trees outside gave him the impression that he was in some form of forest. Storm looked at the walls of the castle, two banners were positioned opposite each other depicting an image which was reminiscent of Storm's cutie mark, albeit the banner's version was black, while Storm's was a blood red. Storm gulped nervously as he recognized the banner as the flag of the Banished. Storm quickly rushed over to the chamber doors, he let out a sigh of relief when he realized they were open. He slowly opened the door and began to creep out.

"Going somewhere, Shadow Storm?" Storm heard a voice say. His heart almost literally stopped beating when he heard that voice. He stopped dead in his tracks, not daring to move. After a few agonizing minutes which felt like hours to Storm, he slowly started to turn around, a look of pure horror on his face. What he saw only heightened his fear: A pure black Alicorn, with wings twice the size of any Alicorn Storm had ever seen before. A cutie mark depicting the skeletal head of a deceased pony, with the bone being a dark red. And a sadistic smile plastered over the Alicorn's face. Storm was looking directly at his former Queen. Storm dared not move nor speak in fear of his life. But it was a dream, so surely he could not be hurt in any way?

"Whatever is the matter, Shadow Storm? I merely wanted to have a chat with you. Everypony has been is such distress ever since you were proclaimed dead." The Queen said slowly, every word sending chills down Storm's spine. Storm remained silent, refusing to say a word to the smirking Alicorn.

"But... You don't look very dead to me... You look fine, as a matter of fact..." The Queen spoke slowly. She looked over Storm until she spotted the stitch on his side.

"Oh? Did you suffer some injuries from Celestia? I'm honestly surprised she spared your life, but... Why did you not return to us, Shadow Storm?" The Queen asked slowly, she spoke as if she wasn't angry at all, which sounded rather unsettling in Storm's book.

"Well then? Speak up. You don't want to keep me waiting... Do you?" The Queen asked. Storm took that as permission to actually talk.

"I did not return because I wanted to finish the job..." Storm replied quietly. The Queen started to walk in circles around Storm, almost as if she was a vulture looming over a dead body.

"It's been two weeks, Shadow Storm. I do believe it's safe to say that you have failed your mission... I'm not surprised, really. It was a rather large job... I believe you should return to us now, do you not agree?" The Queen asked.

"I cannot return, if I did, I would be shunned and neglected among the rest of the banished." Storm replied.

"Shadow Storm... You attempted the job, and I ask nothing more of you. I will make sure that no-one will shun you for this mission." The Queen said. Storm desperately wanted to run in the opposite direction, anything would do, as long as he could get away from The Queen.

"...Thinking of running, are we? Well, I never wanted to do this, Shadow Storm. But you leave me with no choice..." The Queen spoke solemnly. She clapped her hooves together twice and Storm heard the door behind him slam shut, followed by the sound of several locks securing the door.

"Now... Why don't you tell me the REAL reason why you will not return? Hm?" The Queen asked. Storm's eyes widened, he didn't care if this was a dream or not, he certainly wouldn't let The Queen know about him and Twilight, or his change in emotions whatsoever.

"I refuse to return until I finish the job or die trying." Storm replied, he prayed to every single god and goddess he could think of that The Queen would believe what he had just said.

"Oh, I think I see now, Shadow Storm. You are so devoted to me that you would willingly die for my cause? I am honestly flattered. Of course I will let you finish the job on your own accord, I shall give you as much time as you want to finish the mission." The Queen said. Storm resisted the urge to smile happily that the Queen actually believed him. He was about to lift a hoof to walk away when The Queen slammed a hoof down forcefully, inches away from crushing Storm's hoof. He quickly retracted, taking a few hoofsteps back.

"Do you honestly think I would believe any of the lies you have told me? I can see that you have changed, Shadow Storm. You are no longer the hardened knight that used to fight relentlessly for my cause. Certain emotions have awakened inside you. Emotions that you had no idea even existed a few weeks ago. I see sadness, happiness... And what's this? Even love? Disgusting. You disappoint me, Shadow Storm. I can only hope Redblade can do a better job than you have." The Queen said with pure malice no longer hidden in her voice. Storm's cover was certainly blown, and it was likely that The Queen would kill him even now, even if this was a dream, Storm still felt the pain in his side, and he could only imagine that The Queen was about to kill him.

"Redblade... He has also failed." Storm spoke quietly. Storm was too busy paralyzed in fear to notice that The Queen had just bucked him forcefully with her two hind legs. Storm was sent flying over most of the room, slamming against the wall and leaving a large dent on the cobblestone. He slid to the ground, holding his side in pain. His stitches hadn't opened yet but, by the sun, did they hurt.

"How dare you call Redblade by his shortened name? What place do you think you hold in my forest? And what evidence do you have to suggest that the best warrior in all of our culture has failed?" The Queen demanded.

"Redblade has suffered the same fate as me... He has also fallen prey to the emotions that lay dormant within him..." Storm said, coughing up some blood halfway through. The Queen slammed her hoof against the ground in frustration and denial.

"Impossible! Redblade would never fall to your pitiful level! Plus, he is an Alicorn. Who in the right mind would he fall in love with?!" The Queen shouted. Storm knew his life would probably end at this very moment, and he had absolutely nothing to lose. He let out a dry chuckle, much to The Queen's rage.

"...Celestia, of course." Storm choked out. The Queen took a few steps back in shock.

"No... It's impossible..." The Queen contemplated to herself. She then turned back to Storm and started to move towards him, her horn glowing an intimidating black color. Storm felt himself being lifted up, and eventually found himself looking The Queen dead in the eyes. Storm felt pressure being applied to his throat, but he honestly couldn't care. The pain he felt had driven most of his body to go numb, and he could barely feel himself being choked out. After he heard a loud snap above the ringing that was pounding in his ears, he felt himself being released. He hit the floor and felt his eyes becoming heavy. Just before he closed his eyes, he saw his queen looking at him, her eyes filled with pure rage and malice.

"Do not worry Shadow Storm, I will be sure to deal with Celestia... Personally. Oh, and Twilight Sparkle will also not be ignored." Were the last words Storm heard The Queen mutter before she let out a sadistic laugh, Storm only heard half of the laugh before he blacked out on the cold cobblestone floor.

"Storm? Storm?!" A voice rang in Storm's ears. He saw another blinding flashing light, and sat upright in the bed he was on. He recognized himself to be back in Twilight's bed, and Twilight herself was shaking Storm rather violently, shouting his name repeatedly. Storm was breathing heavily, and he was sweating profusely.

"T-Twilight?" Storm asked out of desperation.

"Storm, are you okay?" Twilight asked. Storm widened his eyes and moved his hoof to his side, he sighed with content when he noticed his stitches were still there, and he felt unharmed despite his dream.

"I-I'm... I'm okay Twilight. Just a nightmare." Storm explained. Twilight leaned in and gave Storm a tight hug.

"You were tossing and turning through the night and then you just randomly started to breath really heavily. I thought there was something wrong with you." Twilight said, holding Storm tight.

"That dream... It felt all too real... Calm yourself, Storm. It was merely a nightmare, nothing more..." Storm's subconscious reassured itself.

"I'm perfectly fine Twilight. What time is it?" Storm asked.

"It's 6:30, you were mumbling something about that Queen of yours and something about Redblade." Twilight said.

"T-The Queen... She came to me in that dream... She knew about us, and Redblade and Celestia... She said she would come after Celestia... And you..." Storm explained, causing Twilight to tighten the hug.

"It's alright Storm, it was just a dream..." Twilight said softly. Storm managed to steady his breathing.

"Thank you Twilight." Storm said.

"No problem. I think we'd better get up, no point going back to sleep if you're going to have another nightmare." Twilight said.

"Yes, I suppose it would be for the better..." Storm replied. Twilight released Storm from the hug and got off the bed, shortly followed by Storm. The two continued down into the kitchen, where Twilight started to make some sandwiches for them.

"Twilight?" Storm asked.

"Hm? Yes Storm?" Twilight replied.

"The last time I could remember dreaming was back when I saw Redblade and how he encountered Celestia. Since that was true, what's to say that the dream that I just had wasn't..." Storm trailed off towards the end of his sentence, thinking of what could happen if what The Queen said was all true. Twilight finished making the sandwiched and hooved one to Storm.

"Storm... I doubt that something that big could possibly happen. Furthermore, how could The Queen even speak to you in the first place?" Twilight asked, hoping that Storm didn't have the evidence to answer. Storm contemplated to himself for a few moments before answering.

"On some of my more... Difficult missions, The Queen sometimes had to step in and get her hooves dirty... I did my research on The Queen long before she had taken an interest in me and... Well... The bloodshed that I witnessed on those days still makes me cringe whenever I think about it. She certainly rivals Celestia in terms of magic, maybe even more. She is sadistic, she causes as much pain as possible to anypony she dislikes before finally killing them. That's why I never stepped out of line, even when my orders were preposterous I had to obey or else I would suffer the same fate as anyone else who disobeys The Queen..." Storm explained. Twilight went wide-eyed at his explanation.

"Why didn't you ever... Run away if you never enjoyed taking orders from her?" Twilight asked.

"Because I knew she would hunt me down, she wouldn't let one of her best warriors... And that's exactly what I'm worried about..." Storm explained.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. It was just a silly nightmare." Twilight said.

"Yes, I suppose it was nothing to worry about." Storm replied.

"You've calmed down a little, do you want to go back to sleep?" Twilight asked. Storm thought to himself for a moment, sleep sounded nice, but he was afraid of having another nightmare.

"I-I don't know... What's to say I won't get another nightmare?" Storm asked. Twilight placed her hoof Storm's back, giving it a few reassuring pats.

"Don't worry, I'll be there to wake you up when something bad happens." Twilight said with a smile. Storm looked out of the window, it was still dark outside.

"Thank you Twilight, sleep does sound rather appealing." Storm replied. She responded with another heartwarming smile before leaving the kitchen and walking back upstairs. Storm followed shortly after, climbing back into the bed. He reached over and turned out the lamp per usual and shortly afterwards, felt Twilight snuggle up next to him once more. Storm felt glad inside knowing that Twilight would always be there for him. He still worried about the dream he had, but he knew that The Queen wouldn't resort to something that drastic to hurt Storm on an emotional level. He closed his eyes, eventually falling into a nightmare-free sleep.
> Just A Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite being considerably comfortable in the bed, Storm could barely get any sleep. His mind was plagued with thoughts and theories about the dream he had. The Queen, as expected, wanted his head on a silver platter. He knew a small extent of The Queen's power, but could she actually invade somepony's dreams? It sounds preposterous, but Storm was more worried about Twilight's safety than anything else. Twilight was the only pony that he had actually shared genuine feelings for, and The Queen knowing about him and Twilight seemed to be the cause of sleep deprivation. Storm tried shuffling around in the bed as to get more comfortable, but tried not to wake Twilight up. Storm tried to fathom what kind of tactic The Queen would use to get to both Celestia and Twilight, assuming she actually tried. The Banished had a large army, but the size and equipment that they had didn't hold a candle to the Equestrian royal guard.

"I... I need to stop thinking about this. Twilight was right, it was just a nightmare, a figment of my imagination..." Storm thought to himself, but whenever he almost let go of the situation, The Queen's words echoed in his head, sending shivers down his spine whenever the stone cold voice of his former sadistic Queen rang in his head. Storm continued to lay in bed for a few more hours until he heard the sound of Twilight yawning followed by her sitting up on the bed. She looked over at Storm and smiled warmly, while Storm attempted to look even slightly rested.

"Good morning Storm. Did you sleep well?" Twilight asked. Storm gritted his teeth slowly for a few seconds and looked at Twilight innocently.

"I had the best sleep of my entire life Twilight. I had a wonderful dream where we were galloping through the meadows, not worrying about any evil Queen plotting against us. It was bliss, until I remembered that I was dreaming." Storm said as sarcastically as possible. Twilight outright fell over laughing when she heard that, but collected herself when she realized that Storm was taking the situation rather seriously.

"Oh... Sorry Storm. So... You didn't get any sleep?" Twilight asked.

"No Twilight, whatever gave you that idea? I slept like a log." Storm replied, showing his best "derp" face. Twilight let out a small giggle.

"But in all honesty Storm, are you worried about that nightmare you had?" Twilight asked. Storm nodded.

"The Queen... She is one of my only fears. I daresay she would do anything to accomplish whatever twisted goal she wishes to accomplish." Storm explained.

"Considering your last dream was a... Prophecy... Do you think this one is as well?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, The Queen wants to control Equestria, to bring back a rule that rivaled Discords. Although the army of the Banished is small and unequipped, we make up for it in raw skill, our weakest Necromanecer could easily win against a high ranking royal guard... I believe that a pony of my level could easily overpower somepony like your brother..." Storm explained.

"Well... My guess about Nightmare Moon coming back was true, so what's to say that your prediction is any less accurate? We need to warn Princess Celestia!" Twilight said, suddenly convinced that Storm was telling the absolute truth. Storm had just realized something, Princess Celestia was pregnant, which means her magic usage is limited to that of a foals. Luna and Redblade were the only two Alicorns protecting the throne right now. If anything, a time like this would be the best time for The Queen to attack.

"Yes... Yes, we'd best inform Celestia... We would end up looking like idiots if my prediction isn't true but..." Storm said, he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

"...There's no point in not trying. Spiiiiiiiiiike!" Twilight shouted, a few noises from upstairs signified Spike coming out of his makeshift sleeping quarters. And after a few moments, Spike came running down the stairs.

"Twilight? What do you want?" Spike asked.

"I need you to send an urgent letter to Princess Celestia!" Twilight replied. Spike nodded and dashed off in the opposite direction, coming back a few minutes later with a scroll and quill. He got himself into a writing position, indicating he was ready for Twilight to begin.

"Dear Princess Celestia. I have discovered something through Shadow Storm that may behold the fate of Equestria itself. Shadow Storm had a dream last night where he was confronted by his former Queen from the cult that he used to be part of. The Queen expressed her anger and hate towards Shadow Storm and then expressed the fact that she would come after you. I'm writing this letter in advance to make sure that no harm may be done to Equestria prematurely if Shadow Storm's prediction is correct. A state of panic is not needed, as Shadow Storm's prediction still lacks any evidence, but he had a dream about Redblade shortly before you met him, and the events that followed seemed to mimic his dream. I understand that due to your pregnancy, you cannot take any physical part in this matter. I hope that Luna and Redblade are enough to hold back whatever is about to happen. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said.

Spike finished off the letter, but paused before he could use his flame to send it on it's way to Canterlot.

"Twilight, are you sure you want to send this? Aren't you overreacting a little?" Spike asked.

"I can't take any chances Spike. Even if it is just a misunderstanding, Celestia still needs to be informed about this." Twilight replied, Spike shrugged and let out a large bellow of fire, engulfing the letter and sending it to Canterlot.

"I don't mean to pry, but that did seem rather abrupt Twilight..." Storm said.

"Even if the dream didn't mean anything, at least we gave the Princess insight on those nightmares you've been having, right?" Twilight said. Storm nodded in response. Suddenly, Spike let out a large belch, and the remains of the fire materialized into a scroll.

"Wow, the Princess doesn't usually reply that quickly." Spike said. Twilight picked up the scroll and began to read it aloud.

Dear Twilight Sparkle and Shadow Storm

This matter has also caught my attention in the passing days, Redblade has been having similar nightmares that resemble those of Shadow Storm's. It would be much appreciated if you two and the rest of the elements of harmony could come to the castle. Even if this prediction is merely a nightmare, this "Queen" that has been ravaging Redblade and Shadow Storm's dreams cannot be taken lightly.

Your faithful mentor, Princess Celestia

"Hm... Redblade has been having these dreams as well..." Storm said.

"We'd better get the rest of the girls here. I'll go out and gather them up. You stay here and see if the Princess sends any more letters, okay?" Twilight said. Storm nodded in response, Twilight left the library to gather up the rest of her friends.

"Maybe I should have offered to go with her..." Storm thought. He sighed and proceeded to walk outside, almost as soon as he stepped out of the door, his hoof slipped on something, almost making him trip. He straightened himself up and looked at the ground to see a small, tattered scroll on the floor, slightly unfolded due to Storm tripping on it.

"Hm? How did Twilight not see this when she came outside?" Storm asked himself, he picked the scroll up and looked at it closely, the edges of the scroll were torn and several burn marks could be seen near the bottom. Storm opened the scroll expecting to see a large amount of writing further explaining Celestia's plan, but instead, he only saw four large words written across the scroll in very bad hoofwriting.

THE EVERFREE FOREST. NOW.

"...Pardon me? Who could have sent this?..." Storm questioned the scroll, almost expecting it to talk back.

"The Everfree Forest... Why in the world would anypony request somepony to go into that deathtrap? Plus, I think going into the forest would probably be suicidal considering that a cult is trying to hunt me down." Storm continued. Who delivered this letter? Was it aimed at Twilight or Storm? Questions plagued Storm's mind.

"Twilight will probably be gone for a while... Maybe if I just go to the entrance of the forest, where nothing dangerous lurks..." Storm said to himself. Whoever sent this scroll was clearly determined to get either Storm or Twilight to come to the Everfree Forest.

"What if one of the Banished sent this? It could be a trap..." Storm said. Twilight would surely take a few hours, so maybe Storm could go to the forest and see what the Banished wanted... Assuming it WAS the Banished who sent this... The thought sent chills down Storm's spine. He could only imagine the Banished declaring war on Equestria... Especially if The Queen got into the mix.

"I doubt the Banished would imagine me falling into a trap so easily. Maybe Twilight has a secret admirer... I suppose I'll be hurting something either way." Storm said, chuckling softly at his own joke. Storm rolled up the scroll and started to set off for the Everfree Forest. He knew that he was probably walking into a trap, but a theory is a theory. Plus, The Queen would be under the impression that Storm had softened up since he was sent on the mission, so only a few warriors would probably be sent to stop him. Storm continued walking until he finally came to the forest, a small pathway led deeper into the dangerous woods, but Storm decided to simply wait outside of the dense part of the forest, where Ponyville was still in view.

Storm kept his guard up ever since he walked into the forest. Even if the scroll wasn't from the Banished, it may be some mugging attempt, probably aimed at Twilight. He continued walking for a few more minutes until he heard a rustle disrupt the nearly silent woods. Storm began to look in all direction, trying to find out where the sound came from. He stayed quiet for a few more minutes until he heard something else, it wasn't the sound of leaves rustling, but rather it sounded like speech coming from somepony.

"Did...Us?...No...Quiet..." Were the words that Storm swore he could hear. He raised his guard, summoning his long sword. After waiting for a few minutes, Storm continued walking, his long sword being held aloft by his magic.

"I must be hearing things..." Storm said. Soon coming to the conclusion that the scroll was simply a prank by some immature colts, Storm started to walk back to Ponyville, Twilight had probably rounded up the Elements and she was probably wondering where Storm was. When he had almost left the forest entirely, he heard the familiar rustling sound penetrate his ears once more. He quickened his pace, starting to trot much faster to the edge of the forest. The rustling became more apparent, and it was now clear that something was chasing Storm. By this point, Storm had broken into a gallop, he was just about to leave the gigantic overgrowth when he felt something hit the back of his neck. It felt like a dart, and when Storm pulled the sharp object out, his suspicions were confirmed. It was a very small bamboo dart, probably shot form a blowpipe. He then noticed something else, a small droplet of some unknown liquid dropped from the dart and landed on Storm's hoof. After lifting up his hoof to investigate the substance, his eyes widened as he realized what it was.

"Everfree venom..." Storm muttered under his breath. Everfree venom was an extremely potent poison that was originally used in the Banished community to end somepony's life if they contracted a terminal disease, or sometimes if they received the death sentence, it would be used as a means of a quick death. The amount used on Storm wasn't large enough to kill him, if he had left that dart in for a few more seconds, he probably would have fallen over dead on the spot. The amount that made it's way into Storm's bloodstream was large enough to knock him unconscious. Storm's assumptions were correct, the Banished were the only ponies to know how to extract Everfree venom, so they were certainly after him. Storm cursed himself for being so stupid to fall into such a simple trap.

"No..." Storm said under his already quickening breath. He continued to gallop towards the edge of the forest, if he got away fast enough, he could probably reach Ponyville before the poison took lethal effect. Storm had never experienced the effects of Everfree venom, but he quickly had to slow down to catch his breath. His vision had already started to distort, and everything seemed to split into a ghostly counterpart. Storm suddenly felt an extreme pain in his head, he didn't even notice when he fell over onto his side, his entire body had gone numb from the poison. He saw two figures clad in traditional Banished armor walk towards him as he felt his eyelids close. The last thing he could make out was the extremely faint feeling of somepony grabbing his forelegs and dragging him through the dirt.
> The Feeling Of Failure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm didn't know if he was alive anymore. And frankly, he didn't want to know. All Storm could see was darkness, he couldn't move an inch of his body, and an excruciatingly painful headache relieved him of any attempt to think. He was standing up, but he could still feel his chest being dragged along the dirt floor of the Everfree Forest. He closed his eyes again, trying to wake up from what he hoped was a nightmare. Where were the Banished taking him? Were they going to execute him?

"B-Best do it now, I suppose. While I'm still half dead." Storm joked to himself. Suddenly, the feeling of his chest being dragged along the cold dirt turned into an even colder surface, he assumed he was being dragged along cobblestone, as he could feel slight cracks in the ground. This probably meant he was being taken to the "castle" that The Queen resided in. The dragging suddenly stopped, and Storm heard the muffled voice of somepony.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Wake him up!" A deep female voice said. Storm suddenly felt a tremendous pain erupt at the back of his head, he let out a grunt of pain before his vision started to reawaken. He saw doubles and moving blurs before he shook his head, his vision finally started to behave for once. He could feel his limbs again and by the sun, did they hurt. But Storm had no time for the pain that shot through his body. What he was looking at made his coat stand up on end. In front of him was the figure of The Queen, in the flesh. It wasn't a dream this time around. He hadn't seen The Queen in the flesh since he was sent on the mission to kill Celestia. The mission that started it all. Storm was still feeling the effects of the poison, and he could barely move, all he could do was lay there in pain while The Queen looked down at him with a victorious smile on her face.

"Shadow Storm. My most trusted warrior. It is truly wonderful to see you again. How did the mission go? I haven't heard any news regarding Celestia's death, yet here you are. It was truly wonderful for you to return to us, but why did you not finish the mission first?" The Queen asked politely. Storm hated The Queen's personality, she enjoyed playing mind tricks with everypony she met. Even her own warriors felt distraught after being in the same room as her for too long.

"..." Storm stayed completely silent. If the dream was indeed The Queen invading his mind, then talking his way out of this seemed to be out of the question.

"Hm? Why do you not answer, Shadow Storm? Normally you would be answering your Queen with a hasty vigor. Don't tell me... You have FAILED your mission, Shadow Storm?" The Queen asked sarcastically.

"You are not my Queen anymore..." Storm muttered. The Queen slowly trotted her way from the makeshift throne that she was sitting on. She walked over to Storm and started to circle him in a menacing manner. Even her hoofsteps sounded unsettling in the complete silence of the room. Storm noticed how many warriors were in the room. Twenty, at the very least. Some of them he even recognized, one of them in particular seemed to remind Storm of an old training partner when he was still young.

"You are being very disrespectful, Shadow Storm. You know better than to talk to your Queen like that." The Queen stated, still walking in circles around Storm.

"Things have changed. I am no longer bound to the shackles of this degenerate cult." Storm replied. This elicited a small chuckle from The Queen.

"Oh? And what kind of life do you lead now?" The Queen asked.

"...A better one. Necromanecers are born without any emotions whatsoever. I have changed. I now know what true happiness is. And it's certainly not slaving away in the emotionless pack of dogs that you call an army." Storm replied, The Queen seemed to fly into a state of rage for a second or two, but she managed to calm herself before Storm's life was ended prematurely.

"You know... That poison was originally intended to kill you. And, have you not had good reflexes, would have probably ended your life before you even knew it." The Queen said menacingly.

"What is your plan? Why go to such lengths to kill me?" Storm asked.

"Because you were going to be a magnificent warrior, Shadow Storm. Someone who far surpasses Redblade. And you gave up that chance for a mare?! What kind of stallion are you, Shadow Storm? Giving up your entire heritage to be with a bucking Unicorn." The Queen stated. Storm let out a frustrated grunt at The Queen. The pain in his joints and head were starting to subside, he was surprised the warriors who dragged him hear didn't tie him up.

"That "Bucking Unicorn" has a name, you know..." Storm said.

"Oh yes, Twilight Sparkle. My scouts have seen you two prancing around Ponyville and Canterlot. Pathetic. Love is an emotion that should only be used when you are given a mate to marry. Not to endlessly carry on an unwanted relationship." The Queen continued.

"It was unwanted by you. I don't follow your rules anymore." Storm remarked. The Queen let out another small chuckle.

"Do you remember that little... Encounter... We had when you were asleep? I stretched my magic to it's limits to try and wound you. You died in the dream, but my magic isn't powerful enough to damage you to the same extent while you were awake. Such a shame you had to die so quickly... I could have had a lot of fun with you..." The Queen said. Storm found the strength to lift himself up, where an uncountable amount of weapons were aimed at him.

"Relying on your so-called "Warriors" to protect you? I expected better from you." Storm said.

"Of course not, Shadow Storm. I merely wanted to begin the execution prematurely..." The Queen remarked. She walked back to her throne, once she sat down on it, she clapped her hooves together.

"My warriors. Kill him." The Queen said. The ponies surrounding Storm started to move inwards, pointing their weapons menacingly at him. Storm gulped as one of them lunged at him, attempting to stab a halberd into his side. Storm managed to dodge to his left, he felt the blade brush against his skin lightly, but he couldn't feel any bleeding. He summoned his long sword, much to The Queen's surprise.

"What?! Why did you not put a magical binding on him?!" The Queen shouted. The warriors looked confused for a second, enough time for Storm to rush in and thrust his long sword into one of the pony's abdomens. He let out a small grunt before falling onto the floor. The remaining warriors quickly grasped the situation and lunged at Storm simultaniously. All Storm could see was a clutter of weapons aiming straight for him. He ran forward and ducked under a warrior that was jumping towards Storm. He tumbled from the crowd and looked back at the crowd of warriors looking for Storm, he chuckled at the scene and took the opportunity to run out of the large doors to the throne room. He started running through the hallways of the mansion, looking for any way out. Once he heard the warriors regaining their composure, he ducked into a nearby room, hoping that they didn't see him go in. He heard the warriors rushing past the door.

"Where did he go?!" One of them shouted. They continued running until Storm could barely hear them anymore. He sighed and pulled his ear away from the door. He turned around and looked around the room. That's when realization dawned on him. This was HIS room. The one he used before he was sent on the mission. The room wasn't very good-looking, but it was luxury compared with some of the houses in the many villages scattered around the forest. There was a bed pushed up against the wall on the far left side, a piece of furniture that only the most high-ranking of guards could get. A small desk was against the opposite wall, with multiple papers and news clippings. Storm was viewed as a bookworm in the eyes of many warriors. There was a small lamp on a cabinet near the bed. There was a large pedestal that Storm used to rest his sword on whenever he wasn't using it. The pedestal was supposed to bring good luck to the user. But Storm never believed any of it.

He walked up to the desk with the various news clippings and papers on them. He saw a small book among the clutter and picked it up. It was his old journal, he opened it up and flicked to the most recent entry.

Entry number 76

This will probably be my last entry. I have been called upon by my Queen to accomplish a mission of great importance; To assassinate Princess Celestia. I am honored to accept this job in the name of the Banished. My resolve will never waver. And if I should die during this mission, I will die knowing that I died for my Queen's cause. I am a Necromanecer. And I will fulfill that role.

-Shadow Storm

Storm took one of the quills from the table and opened a new page in the journal.

Entry number 77

It seems I was lying when I said that the last entry would be my last. I am no longer proud to hold the name of a Necromanecer. The Queen is maniacal and sadistic. I have discovered somepony that awakened the emotions that were meant to stay locked inside of me; Twilight Sparkle. The Queen intends to kill me, and I happened to stumble upon my room while I was running away. And should I die during this escape, I will die knowing that I have failed the ones I love. I am a Necromanecer. And I am ashamed to carry that title.

-Shadow (Storm) Storm

Storm put down the quill and closed the journal, he set it back where it was originally and walked towards the door to his room. He put his ear to the door and listened for any of the warriors, after waiting for a few moments, he opened the door, praying to Celestia that nopony heard the loud creak of the door. He let out a sigh of relief when he couldn't hear anypony. He tried to remember where the exit to the mansion was. He started trotting towards his left, hoping that instinct would lead him to the exit. After following a seemingly random path through the hallways of the mansion, he came to a large pair of double doors at the end of a hallway. He pushed on the large handle of the door, he was surprised when the door made seemingly no noise at all when it opened. Behind the door looked like a living room of some sort, sofas and chairs were facing a rather large fireplace, and there were two regal-looking staircases going down each side of the room. Storm started to walk down the stairs, they made an unsettling creak when Storm stepped on each one. Once he had reached the bottom, he noticed another large set of doors that were situated in the middle of the far wall. Storm recognized the doors as the exit, normally around twenty guards would be patrolling this area, but they were probably alerted to go and find Storm.

Storm walked up to the large set of doors and pushed on the handle. The doors made an extremely loud creaking noise when they opened up, prompting Storm to run as fast as he possibly could when he had the chance. Once the doors were fully open, he grimaced at the sight he saw. An absolutely humongous amount of warriors were pointing their weapons menacingly in Storm's direction. Pegasi warriors were hovering in the air, preventing Storm from escaping via the air. Standing at the back of the small army that had amassed was the figure of The Queen with another victorious smile on her face. Storm's eyes widened as he scanned the area for any kind of escape. Several warriors bowed as The Queen walked through them, trotting towards Storm.

"Hm... It seems being around weaklings hasn't hindered your skills at all, Shadow Storm. I was expecting half of your combat training to have vanished away. It's a shame I had to waste some guards on you..." The Queen said mockingly. Storm drew his long sword once more, looking The Queen directly in the eyes. She let out a small laugh at his attempt at intimidation.

"You think a little toy like that could harm me? My dear, dear Shadow Storm. Don't you know the power I possess?" The Queen said. Storm couldn't argue, The Queen was probably the most powerful pony in existence, Storm was surprised that The Queen hadn't already drawn the attention of Princess Celestia. It led Storm to think what Twilight was doing at that very moment. Had The Queen already begun her attack? Had she aimed for Twilight or Celestia? Storm needed to get back to Ponyville, and fast.

"Put your fears to rest, Shadow Storm. I have not begun my attack yet. But rest assured, I'm sure Twilight Sparkle will be my first target." The Queen said, before laughing in an overly dramatic manner. Storm slapped himself mentally for thinking about Twilight. He forgot that The Queen could read minds. While her guard was down, Storm leaped at The Queen, he thought he had hit her, but when he landed, The Queen wasn't behind him anymore. Storm heard The Queen reappear seconds later, before he could react, he felt a burning agony in his side. He was knocked over, registering the pain as some sort of flaming projectile thrown by The Queen, she had aimed for his stitches, which he only assumed were opened again. He felt his skin sear from the burn he had received. He pulled himself back up, relying on his adrenaline to resist most of the pain.

"You thought you could catch me off guard? You should know better than that, Shadow Storm. Just look at you, writhing in agony from a single blow. My warriors, seize him." The Queen ordered. Two warriors walked up to Storm and attempted to grab him. Storm merely threw a weak punch at one of the warriors, who quickly responded by grabbing Storm's arm forcefully. He looked at The Queen, receiving a quick nod from her. The stallion proceeded to throw Storm to the ground and slam one of his hooves on Storm's leg, a loud crack was heard, followed by Storm screaming in intense agony. With his now probably broken leg and burn mark, coupled with the intense bleeding from his reopened wound, Storm's vision eventually started to fail him. His last view on the land of the living was The Queen looking down at him with a grin across her face.

"Get him to a doctor, get that open wound treated. I don't want him to die just yet..." The Queen said, her voice becoming more quiet towards the end. He heard two simultaneous "Yes, my Queen" from the two warriors who were standing over Storm. He once again found himself being dragged into the mansion, with only the intense agony of his injuries to accompany him. Before the doors closed, The Queen lowered her face to meet his, giving him a look of pure hatred.

"You could have been a magnificent warrior. And you give it all up to protect this so-called "Love" and "Companionship" that you apparently have. But don't worry, my dear Shadow Storm. You will suffer pain a million times worse than what you currently feel after I am finished with you..." The Queen said, half of her words completely blocked out by the ringing in Storm's ears. She walked inside the mansion, with the sound of the doors closing behind her.

"Twilight... Celestia... Redblade... All of my friends... I've failed you all..." Storm muttered, not sure if his words were even audible, but he could swear that he heard a mocking laugh come from one of the warriors, that was all he could remember before he blacked out, his blood staining the cold floor of the mansion.
> Another Point Of View
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm was laying on the cold stone floor of the dungeons that were hidden below the mansion, three cobblestone walls and thick iron bars bars prevented Storm from any chance of escape, two warriors were stationed outside of the cell, positioned at each side of the wall. A small water droplet hit the floor with a loud *drip* every five seconds or so, which served as the only reminder that Storm was still alive. Almost dead, but still alive. His vision was distorted and he could barely register even the most prominent detail of the cell, the burn on his side exploded with a thumping agony from the after-effect of a burn mark. The open stitch on his side was re-sewn hastily, leaving Storm to believe that the wound had become infected with some sort of disease. The warriors stationed outside of the cell spoke rarely, and it usually went along the lines of "did you hear something?" when the slight squeak of a mouse was heard. The interior of the cell didn't leave much to the imagination, a small wooden bed held up by two chains against the far wall of the cell, a small sink where blatantly unclean water was dispensed from, and a few messages written with what Storm could only assume was blood across the walls of the cell, Storm didn't have the necessary vision or willpower to read any of them. Storm attempted to fall asleep numerous times, but the pain from his wounds and thoughts of Twilight managed to keep him awake. He must have lay there for hours, slowly recovering any feeling he had in his joints.

Once he could finally feel all four of his legs again, he tried moving them around to see if he could stand up at all. Three of his legs moved responsively, but his front-left leg refused to move, and pain registered instead of movement. He used his remaining strength to push himself up from the ground, luckily, he was on his right hand side. He seemed to have caught the attention of the warriors, as they looked at Storm with mocking smiles on their faces. Storm eventually managed to raise himself to four feet again, with the exception of his broken leg having to be carried in the air until it was healed.

"Hm. Awake, are you?" Storm registered one of the guards say. He didn't respond, partially by choice, but also because talking would only serve to cause him more pain. He heard the opposite guard let out a small chuckle.

"Don't you recognize me Shadow Storm? I was your training partner when we were still foals." The guard said. Storm shot a quick glance at the stallion, even under the helmet that hid most of his features, Storm recognized the stallion as his old training partner, but he couldn't remember the stallion's name.

"You spent all day locked in that room of yours, you were reading books before any of us learned to speak. You were a natural at learning, and I can't remember the last time somepony managed to beat you in combat one-on-one. Too bad you had to betray us and confide in that whorse of a mare. What was her name again? Twilight something?" The guard said. Storm almost jumped at the bars at that snide remark, but he managed to control himself.

"Buck you." Storm choked out, a small trickle of blood escaping his throat. The guard let out another laugh, looking at Storm with a face that said "Don't push me."

"So the traitor can still talk, huh? Well, it doesn't matter. The Queen intends to start the attack soon, she'll make sure to keep you alive until she can get her hooves on that mare of yours. Then I'm sure she'll take great pleasure in killing her before your eyes." The guard continued. The Queen intended to start the attack? Storm prayed to Celestia that Twilight had gathered up the rest of her friends.

"It will never work... Celestia will find a way to stop the Banished..." Storm said.

"And what's she gonna do? Use those "Elements of harmony" things to try and stop The Queen? Today's going to be the day we strike back, when we show Celestia how many lives she sacrificed to make Equestria a "better place" and we'll show her who the rightful Queen of Equestria is!" The guard said. Storm couldn't argue, The Queen had unpredictable ways to accomplish her goals, and she could easily overthrow Celestia and Luna with her magic.

"I left the Banished because I learned how evil and sadistic we all are. I found friends, and even love. And if you're willing to overthrow Celestia just for that, then you're no better than urchins in my opinion." Storm replied, he was met with the guard striking Storm's chest with the non-lethal end of his weapon. He was thrown to the far end of the cell, hitting the wall with a rather loud *thud* before looking back at the guard, who had a smug smile on his face. Storm fell onto his side once more, feeling the hands of death pulling him into unconsciousness once more.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Twilight had just finished gathering up her friends. She was heading back to the library to check on Storm, then they would depart to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia. Twilight had taken the liberty of explaining the situation to her friends, which explained the large amount of time it took her to gather them up.

"So you're basing all of this off a dream that Storm had?" Rainbow asked out of curiosity.

"His last dream was true, so what's to say this one won't be?" Twilight responded.

"True, I suppose." Rainbow responded. The girls eventually managed to reach the library, where Twilight walked in, looking around for Storm.

"Storm? Are you there?" Twilight shouted out. She heard somepony coming downstairs, but her hopes were lowered once she saw Spike coming down.

"Hello Spike. Do you know where Storm is?" Twilight asked. Spike scratched his chin for a moment.

"I think he left a few minutes after you did. I think he was going to the Everfree Forest. There was an open scroll at the doorstep when I came down to check on him. I put it in the kitchen." Spike replied.

"The Everfree Forest? Why would he want to go to such a dangerous place? Especially if those "Banished" ponies are there." Twilight said out loud. The rest of her friends had let themselves in, and were talking about the situation near the doorway. Twilight walked into the kitchen and saw the scroll that Spike was talking about on the kitchen table. She walked up to the scroll, levitating it with her magic.

"The Everfree Forest. Now. Huh?" Twilight read the scroll aloud. She walked back to where the rest of her friends were waiting, using her magic to carry the scroll with her.

"Hey Twilight, what's that you've got?" Rainbow was the first to ask. Twilight barely heard her, she was too busy constructing theories in her mind about where Storm had gone.

"He had definitely read the note, why else would he have gone towards the forest? Who sent the letter? Could it have been those Banished ponies? Did... Did they get Storm? No... He wouldn't fall into such a simple trap... Would he?" Twilight thought. Her thought process was interrupted when Rainbow flew up to her face and looked her in the eyes.

"Hello? Twilight? You there?" Rainbow said, after coming to her senses, Twilight jumped back, startled by the rainbow pony's antics, dropping the scroll in the process. Rainbow took the liberty of picking up the scroll and read it aloud.

"The Everfree Forest. Now. What?" Rainbow exclaimed. The rest of the elements were also surprised at the scroll.

"W-Who sent this?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"It does seem rather... Threatening..." Rarity added.

"Ah'd say it's something along those lines, Rarity." Applejack said.

"Oh! Maybe it's an invitation to a surprise party!" Pinkie shouted enthusiastically. Fluttershy simply stood in one place, hiding her face behind her pink mane, letting out a small and squeaky "meep" once the letter was read out.

"I don't know girls, but it looks like Storm went to the Everfree Forest to investigate. And... He hasn't come back..." Twilight said, eliciting simultaneous gasps from her friends.

"We gotta tell Princess Celestia about this!" Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight nodded in response.

"Spike! I need you to write a letter to Princess Celestia!" Twilight shouted.

"Geez, Twilight, I'm right here." Spike said, standing right next to Twilight.

"Oh... Sorry about that." Twilight apologized. Spike shrugged and pulled out a quill and a scroll.

"Ready when you are, Twilight." Spike said. Twilight nodded and cleared her throat.

"Dear Princess Celestia. I have rounded up my friends as you requested, but unfortunately, something else is amiss. When I had returned to the library, Spike informed me that Storm had traveled to the Everfree Forest. He also said that he found a scroll at the front door moments after Storm left which read: THE EVERFREE FOREST. NOW. I have reason to believe that Storm went to the forest to investigate this strange note. He has not yet returned. What do you suggest out next plan of action is?" Twilight said. Spike put away the quill and sent the letter away to Celestia.

"I hope he's okay..." Twilight said. She saw Applejack trot up next to her.

"Ah'm sorry for yah Sugercube. We all know that you an' Storm were really close..." Applejack said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Storm knows how to protect himself." Twilight said, reassuring herself. A loud belch was heard, Twilight quickly rushed over to Spike, who had materialized a scroll from his fire. Twilight quickly levitated the scroll and opened it with haste, eager to see the Princess's reaction.

Dear Twilight Sparkle

Now that you have all of your friends together. I wish for you all to depart to Canterlot, I will send chariots to pick you all up. As for Shadow Storm, a letter with the exact same writing on it was delivered to Redblade's door this morning. I have reason to believe that the dream Storm had was the absolute truth, and we should prepare for the worst. We can only pray that Storm returns to the library safely. I am sorry for any grief this may cause you, I understand how close you and Shadow Storm were.

Your faithful mentor, Princess Celestia.

Twilight closed the scroll with a look of sadness and distress.

"Storm... Was he ponynapped? Oh sweet Celestia, please let him be alright." Twilight thought.

"There's no point in prancing about. I can see the chariots in the sky from the window, they'll be here any second." Rainbow said. Rarity walked up to Twilight and gave her a look of determination.

"Don't worry darling. If Shadow Storm is in any kind of trouble, then we'll help you get him back." Rarity said in a slightly unladylike manner.

"Thank you, Rarity. Don't worry, I'm sure Storm is fine. He probably just got lost in the forest." Twilight said. Rarity gave her a warm smile before walking off with the rest of the Elements, with Twilight following shortly after. Once the chariots had landed, they put themselves in pairs and boarded the chariots. Once everyone was safely inside the vehicle, the chariots took off once more. Rainbow obviously couldn't resist flying out of her chariot and circling around the skies close to the chariots. Twilight spent all of her time worrying about Storm, with Rarity constantly telling her that everything would work out in the end. About halfway through the trip, the thoughts about Storm and her, coupled with the gentle rocking of the chariot eventually drove Twilight into a deep slumber, Rarity smiled warmly once she saw the sleeping form of Twilight, deciding that sleep is probably what Twilight needed right now.

Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, Storm was still unconscious. But this time, he didn't actually feel any pain. In fact, he was having a rather nice dream, where him and Twilight were staring at the starry night sky together, he forgot all about his imprisonment and the situation with The Queen, and felt peace for the first time in days. He swore he could feel it when Twilight leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. He didn't want the dream to end. All he wanted was to be happy with Twilight, and for this nightmare to end.
> A Way Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twilight dear. We're at the castle." A voice said. Twilight opened her eyes, allowing a long yawn to escape her throat. She looked over to Rarity's side, noticing that she was nudging Twilight gently.

"Ah, You're awake! We've arrived at the castle, Twilight." Rarity said. Twilight raised her head to look out of the chariot, sure enough, the enormous castle was staring her straight in the face.

"Thank you for telling me Rarity." Twilight said groggily. Rarity let out a small giggle at Twilight's sleepiness and proceeded to exit the chariot, making sure to help Twilight down in case she accidentally fell out. Luna had just raised the moon, and several stars adorned the night sky. Twilight smiled at the sight before walking to the castle doors along with the rest of her friends. The guards that were stationed on each side of the large doors that led into the castle stood aside, where the doors were thrown open dramatically, revealing none other than Princess Celestia. Twilight, still on the sleepy side, rushed up to Celestia and gave her a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, happy to see her mentor. Celestia returned the hug with great enthusiasm, giving Twilight and the rest of the Elements Of Harmony a warm smile.

"I'm so glad you could all make it on such short notice. But I'm afraid there isn't any time for pleasantries, a huge threat looms over Equestria as we speak. Come inside, we can talk more in the throne room." Celestia announced. The element bearers nodded and followed Celestia into the castle.

Meanwhile, back in the dungeons, Storm was beginning to regain consciousness. He had trouble remembering how many times he had been knocked unconscious in the same day. He tossed the thought aside, saving it for another day. The same guards were stationed outside of the cell, one of them was holding a plate in their hoof.

"The Queen don't want you to die just yet. So she told us to feed you every day or so. Don't blame us if we forget, though." One of the guards explained, letting out a slight snicker at the end of his sentence. The guard unlocked the door quickly and threw the plate inside, locking the door again all within a second. Storm stared at the substance that rested on the plate, it was the grey mush that he had been forced to eat when he was still with the Banished. Storm decided out of pure will to ignore the food, he was sure that the mush actually caused more diseases than it helped prevent, And the taste leaves much to the imagination. He pushed the plate away and stood up, brushing off whatever filth that dirtied his coat. Now that he was fully awake, it gave him a better chance to explore the cell, and hopefully find a way to escape. The only thing that served to intrigue him were the signs written on the walls, which comprised mainly of the words "HELP ME" or "LET ME OUT" one in particular that said "IF YOU WON'T END IT, I WILL" seemed to unnerve Storm. His stomach growled, but he didn't want to eat the food, paranoid that it might contain some sort of weakening poison.

"If you're wondering about those sentences on the walls, they were actually written by another pony who tried to betray us. As a matter of fact, I don't think I ever saw him die, one day he was writing those messages on the walls, and the next day he was gone. Must've died from blood loss, considerin' all those messages he wrote." The guard chipped in. Storm's ears perked up at this, did that pony find a way out of the cell? Considering how these dungeons were almost never cleaned, his decaying corpse should be in the cell if he had died in it. Storm walked up to a wall, and, on a whim, started pushing randomly at the cobblestone walls, hoping that a loose brick would help him on his way.

"You know, you could probably use the energy in that food if you're planning to escape." The guard shouted. Storm slowly drew his hoof away from the wall, shooting a menacing glance at the guard as he did so. The guard simply shrugged his shoulders and went back to his duties. Storm went back to pushing randomly at the bricks, praying to Celestia that at least one brick would be loose. After several minutes of searching, he was about to give up when a random brick gave way to Storm's hoof, making a large grinding noise as it moved backwards. Storm couldn't believe his luck, he quickly backed away from the brick, afraid that the guards would notice it. Surely they had to have some kind of break from their guard duties, which would be the perfect opportunity to see what was behind the brick. Storm went back to investigating the rest of the cell for about an hour, when he eventually heard one of the guards speak up.

"Hey. You want to go take a lunch break?" One of the guards said. The other responded with a nod, they both started to walk away, Storm peered out of the bars that held him in the cell until he was sure the guards were far away. He quickly pulled himself away from the bars, rushing over to where he found the loose brick. He pushed the side of the brick, turning it around to face him. He used his good hoof to grab the side of the brick, pulling it as hard as it could go. He dashed away just in time before the brick made contact with the ground, denying any future incidents with heavy bricks landing on his hoof. He walked up to the hole that the brick had left, an extremely dark tunnel led to Celestia knows-where, but it was Storm's only chance at escape. He used his good hoof to grab the ledge to the hole, putting his broken hoof on the other side of the ledge, putting extremely small pressure on it. He caught the rest of his leg on the ledge using his good hoof and pulled himself up. He scrambled to fit the rest of his body into the extremely small hole. Once he had gotten into a crawling position. He started using his good hoof to drag him along the hole.

"What is that awful smell?" Storm thought to himself, his nostrils being filled with a pungent stench. His broken hoof was constantly in pain, being dragged along the large majority of his bulk as he used his good hoof to drag himself along. The smell became more apparent as Storm continued deeper into the hole, he eventually felt his hoof touch something soft and cold. He concentrated for a small moment, before he conjured a small fire in between him and the obstacle. He almost gagged at what he saw once his eyes had adjusted to the light; A dead pony, male, from what Storm could tell, his flesh was decayed and rotten, and some small rats were scurrying around the corpse. Storm looked away from the repulsive sight, before noticing something else. There was more writing on the wall, but it was a small paragraph written over the large majority of the wall that Storm was looking at.

I thought I had found a way out... But I'm too tired to continue... I can't see any sign of me ever getting out of here... The blood loss from me writing this will surely be enough to end my life... If anypony is reading this... Then you've probably been imprisoned as well and managed to find your way in here somehow... But... I'm not sure if there's an ending... Please... If you're well fed, and are still up to the task, considering you had the strength to move the brick that led in here, surely you must have enough strength to push my probably decaying corpse away... I can feel my vision fading... I can only hope Celestia will forgive my sins in the afterlife... Goodbye, whoever you are... I'll probably see you soon...

The last letter of the paragraph drew a long blood line down to where the stallion's hoof was. Storm had no other choice but to try and squeeze past the stallion. And in a confined space like this, he didn't have much maneuvering space...

Back at the castle, Twilight, Celestia and Redblade had just finished explaining the entire story to Twilight's friends, taking up a good couple of hours.

"So... That's how Storm and I met. And that's why we need to make a plan of action." Twilight explained. Twilight's friends took in the story with every breath, and she had started to sound like Rarity when she was in one of her romantic moments with Storm.

"Yeah! Let's go kick that Queen's flank!" Rainbow shouted enthusiastically, doing a quick hoof-pump in midair.

"Yes, but we should devise a plan for this situation. Who knows when The Queen intends to begin her attack? We must act quickly." Celestia announced.

"What do you suggest, Princess? We can't simply stroll into the forest by ourselves." Twilight replied.

"Well of course not Twilight, I would be more than obliged to send a large portion of the Equestrian royal guard along with Redblade to assure your safety." Celestia explained.

"If my memory serves me correctly, I should be able to lead us to the mansion that The Queen somehow managed to convert into a castle." Redblade said.

"If this all goes according to plan, we should be able to drive the Banished from Equestria, and return home with Storm in one piece." Celestia continued. The plan was perfect, the Banished could never overpower the Equestrian royal guard, and they had the elements of harmony to stop The Queen.

"Speaking of which... Princess? Where exactly are the elements of harmony." Twilight asked. Just then, the doors to the throne room were thrown open, and an extremely upper-crust looking butler who was carrying a golden box on a garnished red pillow started to make his way towards Twilight and her friends. He bowed his head once he had reached a respective distance, and presented the golden box to Celestia. Due to her pregnancy, Celestia had trouble lifting the small box with her magic.

"Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the element bearers. I present to you, the elements of harmony." Celestia announced, the lid of the box was magically opened, revealing several regal-looking pieces of jeweler that bore each of the element bearer's cutie marks. Twilight felt herself being filled with good memories when she lifted the necklaces out of the box. She deposited the necklaces to each of her friends, who promptly fitted them over their necks. All that was left in the end was a golden tiara with Twilight's cutie mark embedded on it. She smiled as she fitted the tiara onto her head.

"It's been a while since we wore these..." Rainbow said, fiddling with her element with a smile on her face.

"Now that you all have your respective elements, we can finally move into the Everfree Forest." Celestia announced. The plan was all coming together, Twilight and her friends were once again called upon to decide the fate of Equestria. Twilight was about to use her magic to pull her and her friends into a group hug when a loud *CRASH* was heard in the throne room. The aura around Twilight's horn faded as she looked behind her to see what the cause of the noise was. One of the stained glass windows in the throne room had been shattered, countless pieces of broken glass collided with the floor. The glass wasn't the only problem that had just arose, however. Around ten ponies stood in a V shape where the window was shattered, wearing tinted red armor with a small black pentagram etched onto the side of the flank. The collection of ponies were all Pegasi, with the exception of the pony in the middle, who was a Unicorn, and was significantly more armor-clad than the rest of his brethren. Redblade wasted no time in identifying the culprits, a large battle axe materialized into his hooves. The Banished Unicorn smiled weakly at the sight of Redblade.

"The rumors were true... *Ahem* I am the captain of the Banished warriors, a race of ponies superior than those of Equestrian birth. We serve none other than our glorious Queen, who has decided that tonight, we shall rise from our homes and take our rightful place in royalty." The captain announced.

"You shall do no such thing!" Celestia boomed, a small fraction of her Equestrian royal voice coming back.

"I suppose you leave me with no other choice, Princess. If you do not comply, then we will simply have to use force to aid us in our crusade. My fellow warriors, seize the Princess. And leave no trace of that traitor, Redblade. The "elements of harmony" could also do with being erased from this planet." The captain ordered. The warriors surrounding the captain spread their wings, taking off and immediately dashing towards Celestia. Redblade was the first to react, jumping in front of Celestia and using his battle axe to chop down any Pegasi who tried to reach her. Twilight and her friends had also started fighting against the Pegasi warriors, with the exception of Fluttershy and Rarity, who rushed to the nearest corner and hugged each other in frightened terror. Celestia herself couldn't do anything, with her pregnancy nearly disabling her use of magic. Luna was likely out cold, having to deal with raising the sun AND moon everyday. One of the Pegasi warriors managed to land a lucky shot, hitting Redblade in his front hoof, causing him to drop his battle axe. The elements of harmony were also getting rather tired, Rainbow and Applejack's punches and kicks weakened, Twilight was getting exhausted from using so much magic. And Pinkie's party cannon had ran out of... Well... Party. With the elements and Redblade distracted, the captain ran towards Celestia, his horn emitting a black aura as he did so. After a few seconds of Redblade recovering his battle axe, he looked back to see both Celestia and the captain being engulfed in a bright light. The light was bright enough to draw the attention of everypony in the room, even the ponies that were fighting stopped to see what was going on. After a few seconds, the light faded away, and neither the captain nor Princess Celestia could be seen. The Pegasi warriors took their chance and started to retreat, one of them taking the liberty of shattering another stained glass window on his way out. Everpony was left speechless, the event happened almost as quickly as it had begun. The first sign of any kind of reaction was Redblade slamming his hoof against the floor angrily.

"Celestia... No..." He muttered under his breath. A small tear managed to escape from his eye, once again tinted red from the reflection of his own mane. He took action almost immediately, galloping towards the throne room exit, but he was stopped by Twilight jumping in front of him.

"Where are you going?! The Princess had just been ponynapped!" Twilight shouted.

"I'm going to gather up the royal guard, we're going to the Everfree forest to save Celestia!" Redblade retorted. Twilight let out a small "oh" before Redblade barged past her, shouting throughout the hallways of the castle for the royal guard to assemble outside of the castle. Twilight was still confused by the whole situation, and it took her a few moments to piece together the events in her mind.

"Alright, Storm's dream was accurate, the Banished just barged into the castle along with their captain and somehow managed to capture Celestia... Calm down Twilight, calm down. We still have the plan, we still have the plan. All we have to do is get to the Everfree Forest and stop The Queen before she can launch an attack on Canterlot!" Twilight thought to herself, formulating a plan in her head. They had to get to the Everfree Forest quickly, it wasn't just for Storm now, the entire fate of Equestria was now on the line. The elements of harmony trotted up to Twilight, all with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"What just happened?!" Rainbow shouted. At that moment, Redblade came galloping back into the throne room, panting heavily.

"I've... Warned the royal guard... We should head to the front of the castle and... Explain the situation." Redblade said in between pants of breath.

"Come on girls! We need to get to the Everfree Forest, and fast!" Twilight said before galloping towards the entrance to the castle, leaving the mares behind, still bewildered by the situation at hand.
> The Plan Comes Together?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That dead pony took some time to get past, but by some miracle, I've managed to get him behind me." Storm thought, wincing in pain at his broken hoof. He continued moving through the hole. He had been inside the hole for Celestia-knows how long, his stomach grumbled loudly, he decided to pick up the pace a little, he didn't want to end up like that pony he had just gotten past. It wasn't a very pleasurable experience, his nose had already gotten used to the smell of rotting flesh. He wasn't sure if the hole continued on for minutes or hours, his mind was still plagued by thoughts of Twilight. He prayed to Celestia that she was okay, and hopefully The Queen hadn't begun the attack yet. He was so lost in thought, he barely felt it when his head collided with something solid. He looked up, his heart did a leap in his chest when he saw what it was. A grate; slightly rusted from years of dilapidation and negligence. He pulled himself closer and looked out of the grate, there appeared to be a small corridor outside of the grate. He stared for a few more minutes to make sure that no warriors were stationed outside of the grate. He attempted to push the grate open to no avail, the neglected hunk of metal was rusted shut. He brought his good hoof back and threw it at the grate, making a loud *CLANG* as his hoof made contact with the cold metal. A small cracking sound was heard, and the grate opened up from the bottom, allowing access to any who desired. Storm thanked his good luck before shoving his head out of the grate, looking around for any signs of trouble, once he had decided that the coast was clear, he shuffled the rest of his body out of the grate. It was too late before he realized how high up he was, his body gave way to the forces of gravity, his hoof scrambling around looking for four horizontal surfaces to cling to. He made the better decision and raised his broken hoof into the air, preventing any further pain or injuries from it. He hid the ground with a resonating *THUD* The carpet that decorated the floor of the corridor cushioned his fall slightly, but not enough so that he didn't feel any pain.

Storm raised himself up, his back making a satisfied *CRACK* as his bones shifted back into their original positions. He quickly realized how much noise he had just made, and quickly started walking towards a set of double doors that he could see in the distance. Once he had reached the door, he pressed his ear up against it, expecting to hear some warriors on the opposite side. Once he was satisfied without hearing anything for a few moments. He slowly creaked the door open. Peeking into the small crack he had just made. The room he was looking into resembled the room at the front of the mansion, but he came in from a different direction this time around. He almost jumped for joy once he realized escape was almost in his grasp, but he quickly remembered that a large amount of warriors were positioned outside of the doors, waiting for Storm to try and escape. Storm opened the door completely, stepping into the large living room. He walked up to the large fireplace situated between two comfortable-looking chairs, he realized a large book was resting on the arms of one of the chairs. It was huge, to say the least, the book being slightly larger than Storm's head. Surely it had to be a dictionary or something along those lines. Storm opened the book, a cloud of dust hitting his face as he flicked to a random page.

Day number 174 of year number 1649

Oh woe is me. I've had to lock the poor stallion up in a cage, like the ignorant animal that he is. But... I'm sure he will provide some fun before he perishes, he was one of my most trusted warriors, after all. It's such a shame that he had to go and awake all those pointless emotions that I trained him to lock up. The plan is going smoothly, I will send one of my captains along with a batch of Pegasi guards to ponynap Celestia... It's only a matter of time before my plan comes to fruition. I'll be sure to make Shadow Storm's death slow... All while his precious mare will be watching the entire thing.

Storm's eyes widened as he read further into the book. Was he... Reading the journal of The Queen? Why would she carelessly leave it somewhere where somepony is bound to pick it up? A hint of curiosity came over Storm as he flicked some pages back. He narrowed his eyes to look at a certain entry.

Day number 64 of year number 1622

The legacy lives on, it seems. A young colt by the name of Shadow Storm had caught my eye, he is only young, but he already surpasses skill levels beyond anyone of a higher age than him. From what I've heard, he came from the same family as the stallion who murdered Redblade. I can't say I do not despise him for what his ancestor did to Redblade, but I can't let history get in the way of things. I think I will give this colt some... Special training... The poor thing doesn't even have a cutie mark yet. He is a Pegasus, but I can feel some magic within him, something that goes beyond natural magic levels for a Pegasus... He is... intriguing... To say the least.

Storm closed the book. The Queen hated him for what his ancestor did to Redblade. She never truly liked him in any way, it would explain why she was always more tolerable to other ponies of a lower level than him when they failed their missions. Usually replied with an angry "You will not receive any rations tonight" was usually the punishment for failing a mission. But whenever he failed a mission of even small proportions, The Queen would unleash her anger at him, she would bruise him, cut him, and take away any supply of food he would get for a week. He now had another reason for leaving the Banished, as if his current reasons weren't already good enough. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He flicked back to the previous page, examining it carefully.

"I will send one of my captains along with a batch of Pegasi guards to ponynap Celestia." The entry read. Storm examined the ink on the page closely, it was dry, but was certainly written yesterday at the very least. Storm gulped as he put together the pieces. Had The Queen already kidnapped Celestia? Storm dreaded at the thought of a helpless Celestia in The Queen's clutches. Storm certainly couldn't leave now. Not knowing that Celestia might be somewhere in the mansion! He walked back to the door he had came in through, and set about exploring the mansion for any signs of Celestia (Hah, geddit? Signs? Like, as in "celestial signs" oh man I'm hilarious, right?... Right?... Oh fuck off.)

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asked Twilight. Redblade had assembled a large number of the Equestrian royal guard, he had positioned them to stand at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

"It's the only way to get Celestia and Shadow Storm back." Redblade replied. Twilight was about to open her mouth to speak, but backed down before she could say anything. Her only option was to comply, if it were to get Storm back.

"I... I understand... I just think there's a... Less violent way of doing this." Twilight declared. Redblade gave her a look of confusion.

"The fate of Equestria is at stake here, Twilight Sparkle. We can't waste any time worrying about how much blood is shed." Redblade said. He cursed himself silently for making such a crude remark. Twilight was silent for a few moments, trying to think of a less violent alternative to getting Storm and Celestia back, nothing came to mind.

"Just... Tell the royal guard not to hurt anypony they don't have to. If they start running, then don't chase them." Twilight retorted eventually.

"That sounds reasonable. Although we can't afford to hold back on anypony who willingly attacks us." Redblade responded. Twilight nodded solemnly, not exactly pleased with the response that Redblade came up with. Redblade moved to the front of the humongous group of guards that surrounded the Everfree Forest.

"My fellow Equestrians! Our fair Princess is being held in the sadistic hooves of my former Queen. If my memory serves me correctly, I should be able to lead us to the mansion that we need to search. Twilight Sparkle wishes for you to restrain yourselves from killing anypony who is wounded or unarmed. If they start to retreat further into the forest, so be it. We have three main objectives that we wish to fulfill. The first is to rescue Princess Celestia from the clutches of The Queen. The second objective is to rescue a stallion named Shadow Storm. You will recognize him by his dark blue coat, along with the fact that he fights better than anypony in that entire building. If a stallion disarms you, then you are either unprepared for the trial of combat, or you have provoked Shadow Storm. The third objective is to escort the Elements of Harmony to The Queen, where the combined power of the elements should be enough to lock The Queen away forever. Any questions?" Redblade shouted into the crowd. Twilight retreated back into her friends when the large group of guards stomped their hooves and saluted Redblade.

"Good! Now, the protection of the Elements of Harmony..." Redblade said as he pointed a hoof towards Twilight and her friends, who waved awkwardly in response.

"...Is absolutely mandatory, you must protect these mares with your lives!" Redblade shouted. A large amount of "Sir, yes sir!" Was heard from the group of guards.

"Good! Now, follow me!" Redblade said as he turned towards the Everfree Forest, motioning for Twilight and her friends to stick by his side.

"Seven" Storm mentally counted as he choked out another guard. The Queen made a smart decision and placed a weapon spell-lock on Storm, which essentially meant that The Queen had permanently un-enchanted his long sword, the only way to get it back would be to simply find it. He added "Find my sword" to his mental list of things to do. Storm had been wandering the mansion for about an hour now, the guards were sparse, with the others probably out looking for Storm, probably realizing that he had escaped from the prison cell. He released his choke hold on the guard, letting him fall to the ground, unconscious. Storm had covered quite a lot of the mansion, with only a few rooms left to check. He walked up to another door and opened it, making sure to be as quiet as possible. It was simply another guard room, Storm let out a frustrated sigh before slamming the door on his way out, not caring how much noise he made. Storm had yet to check the throne room or the dungeons, as probably half the guards were stationed there already. Storm decided to make his way towards the throne room, hoping that The Queen wouldn't be waiting for him. Once he had made his way through the complexity of the mansion, he eventually came to the large double doors that led to the throne room. He held his breath as he moved his hoof towards the door, half expecting The Queen to knock the doors down herself. He slowly pushed open the door, every second felt like an eternity while Storm was praying for his life. His broken hoof had stopped throbbing in pain, and after a while, just went completely limp. Once the door was opened, Storm breathed a sigh of relief before he stepped into the throne room, still expecting The Queen to jump at him any second. When the event never occurred, Storm looked around the throne room, he quickly scanned the vicinity for any signs of his long sword. He was about to turn back around when a bright glint caught his eye, he looked in the direction from where the small light had come from, he eventually saw it; Lying on a weapon rack among other deadly-looking weapons was his long sword, The Queen had kept it in good condition, Storm hadn't seen his weapon in a long time, and actually admired how the sword looked for once. A bright grey steel blade rose up from the golden handle, with a bright red streak running up the middle of the blade. The sword was originally a gift for Storm's 8th birthday. He was overwhelmed with joy to own his own sword and never again having to use the awful swords that were provided to them for training.

Storm moved his hoof forward and picked the sword up by it's handle. He had never actually used his hooves to fight with it, he always preferred using his magic to levitate it in the heat of battle. He crossed "Find my sword" off his mentally-prepared checklist and started to move towards the exit to the throne room. Getting his sword back proved to be easier than he'd thought.

"Going somewhere, Shadow Storm?" A ghastly voice said.

Way too easy.

Storm's eyes became pin needles, and his heart started racing almost immediately. He heard the sound of something flying through the air and jumped to his left, taking special precautions as to avoid damaging his broken hoof. He heard a loud crashing noise once he landed, he looked over to where he was originally standing, a smoking scorch mark burned through a large portion of the wall he was standing next to. He would have surely died were it not for his quick reflexes. Storm quickly looked back to see the one figure he despised the most, especially at a time like this; The Queen was sitting on her throne with a large smile across her face, her horn glowing a demonic black color that seemed to engulf the horn altogether. He quickly stood up before standing face-to-face with The Queen.

"I was simply paying a visit, I really should be going now." Storm said, almost expecting the excuse to work for a moment before mentally slapping himself for even considering it. The Queen let out a small chuckle before arising from her throne, trotting slowly towards Storm.

"But Shadow Storm, you appear to brandish one of my belongings. I never thought stealing was ever your style." The Queen retorted.

"Unfortunately, your "belonging" happens to be my pride and joy." Storm replied, playing along with The Queen's mocking ignorance in an attempt to prolong his already-doomed life.

"You call that sword your pride and joy, Shadow Storm. But I thought your pride and joy had moved over to that mare of yours, no?" The Queen asked. Turning her head sideways in a small filly's fashion at the word "no?"

"...She doesn't belong to me... She is hardly an inanimate object." Storm replied.

"Nonetheless, Shadow Storm. I'm afraid I can't let you leave with that sword..." The Queen said, lowering her head to point her horn at Storm.

"And I'm afraid I can't let you leave with your head." Storm shot back. Eliciting a short laugh from The Queen.

"Foolish Stallion!" The Queen shouted before some kind of unremarkable spell shot from her horn, which Storm dodged with general ease. With the aid of his wings, he quickly dashed towards The Queen. She was caught off guard for once, probably from being too full of herself. Storm managed to actually hurt The Queen, for once. He landed a small cut on her chest, hearing a shriek of surprised pain in response. Storm took the chance as soon as he landed to instantly charge at The Queen again, but before he could land a hit on her, The Queen was suddenly engulfed in a bright white light. Storm had to simply hold his sword in front of him and hope that he landed a hit on her again. His sword was quickly retracted, however. When he realized what The Queen had done. Storm didn't see The Queen, but instead saw the figures of another Alicorn standing in front of The Queen, restrained by The Queen's strong hooves around her neck stood Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of Equestria. She was whimpering to herself quietly, a tear managing to form in her eye, dropping to the floor with a loud *DRIP* but the tear wasn't the only thing that was escaping from Celestia. A small cut was made near her abdomen, barely missing her unborn baby. Storm held his sword up in horror, noticing the edge of the blade had contracted a large amount of blood near the tip, a lot more that what he did to The Queen. A small trickle of blood escaped from the cut on Celestia's abdomen. But not before Storm had lowered himself to the ground, both shocked and horrified at what he had just accomplished. The Queen watched on with a sadistic smile across her face, clearly enjoying the show.

"...What have I done..." Storm thought to himself, for the first time in his entire life, Storm regretted harming another pony.
> Endless Torment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drip... Drip... Drip...

Water droplets. They always annoyed Storm, especially when somepony left the tap on when he went to bed. He would waltz into their room and beat them half to death for leaving the cursed tap still running. Making that ever-torturing noise.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

Except... It was different this time... Instead of small and harmless water droplets splashing against the sink, slowly starting a slow descent into insanity, a large gleaming piece of metal caught Storm's eye. His sword. All he could hear while staring at the object was the slow dripping of a liquid hitting the floor.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

Storm studied the blade carefully, but his eyes were affixed to one point of the sword. The tip. The tip held the source of his insanity, the source of the rage brewing within him. But he couldn't stop it... His whole body was stuck in one position, endlessly staring at the tip of his sword, slowly listening to the endless dripping.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

But... The liquid that stained the floor of the throne room wasn't water, far from it, in fact. The liquid was thicker... More important... And red... Storm continued to stare at the tip of his blade, where a small amount of the red liquid dropped from the tip every few seconds or so. As it was made for, his trusty blade had drew another slick of blood, endlessly dripping onto the floor as Storm held the sword in the air.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

But the blood that fell from the blade wasn't ordinary blood. Oh no. Storm had drawn the blood of something innocent... Something important... Something that was used to protect her. What Storm had just done contradicted everything he had stood for in these past few weeks. He had accomplished an evil task... A task that he himself gave up on. A task that he vowed would never be allowed to be fulfilled. But here he stood... He had accomplished what he originally wanted to. He had accomplished a task that he had grew to hate. But in one fell swoop, he had done it...

He had drawn the blood of a goddess.

Storm stood still, overcome by waves of anguish and guilt. Slowly, the real world began to reveal itself, Storm focused on everything around him, but in the end, his eyes fell on one thing. The figure of Princess Celestia, being restrained by an evil and sadistic captor. The Queen. The image that Storm had realized was the definition of hell-spawn itself. Celestia stood still, a small whimper managing to escape her lips as her newly acquired wound bled freely. The wound that Storm himself had caused. Storm still felt nothing however, there was only one emotion that brewed in his soul now: Anger. He felt like he had returned to his old self, all other emotions drained away from him and were replaced with raw anger. He once again drew his eyes towards the tip of the blade, watching slowly as the dreadful drips made their way to the floor yet again.

Drip... Drip... Dri-

"MAKE IT STOP!" Storm's voice erupted from his throat, his head facing the ceiling. He moved his hoof over to the long sword, wiping the royal blood off, stopping the madness-inducing dripping by his own hoof. He took in a large breath, realizing that he hadn't ever since he had stabbed... Celestia... He felt his lungs being filled with air, giving him a great deal of relaxation before finally letting out a large sigh. Storm felt revitalized, all of his previous emotions that he had completely forgotten about returned. He remembered Twilight, he remembered why he was here, and he realized what he had gotten himself into. The room was now filled with complete silence for a few seconds, before The Queen took the liberty of releasing a high-pitched laugh, her chuckles erupted throughout the throne room, sending a chill down Storm's spine. Celestia still stood there, a look of complete horror mixed with pain crossed her face.

"I thought you had left us for a minute or two, Shadow Storm." The Queen mocked. Storm's anger returned almost immediately, he desperately wanted to end The Queen's life right there, but the guilt combined with several injuries prevented him from moving an inch.

"But I digress. How does it feel, Shadow Storm? To land a blow upon your own Princess? To betray her? Betray her like you did me..." The Queen continued, her words becoming more twisted towards the end.

"...I betrayed you... Because I realized who you were... I realized that you use methods like this to get whatever you want... If you can't have me... Then no-one can... Isn't that right?" Storm said, an eerie silence being created whenever he spoke a sentence.

"...You are in no position to be toying with me, Shadow Storm..." The Queen replied. Wincing slightly at the pain in her side. Storm chuckled lightly before gesturing to her wound.

"You let your guard down... It hurts... Doesn't it?... You can send warriors to battle and watch them bleed to death painfully... But when the smallest cut grazes your body... Then it's a completely different story... Isn't it?" Storm continued. Letting another amused laugh escape his throat. The Queen tightened her grip on Celestia in a show of anger, causing another whimper to escape from the Sun Princess's mouth.

"Who are you to ask such questions?! You have killed more living creatures than any of my warriors! You're nothing but a hypocrite!" The Queen shouted in retaliation.

"But I never took a hostage... Did I? Call me a hypocrite all you want... But in all honesty... It's you... Who is the coward..." Storm said, pointing his hoof at The Queen.

"Don't you understand, Shadow Storm?! I've waited over a thousand years for this to happen! This is finally my chance to redeem my place as the true Queen of Equestria! I will die before I release Celestia from this castle!" The Queen shouted.

"Then let her go... Let's not get somepony like Celestia caught up in this... If you're willing to die to become the Queen of Equestria... Then show me your determination... Show me if all of those personal training lessons were put to good use... Show me that you're still as powerful as the Queen that I used to know..." Storm said.

"If you think that you can beat me in combat, Shadow Storm, then you're sadly mistaken. You only landed that blow on me through sheer luck..." The Queen said. Storm let out another dry chuckle before pointing his long sword at The Queen.

"Then let's hope that Lady Luck is on my side throughout this..." Storm replied. The Queen let out a challenging smile, she slowly released Celestia from her hooves, pushing her to the side.

"Heal her." Storm said.

"Excuse me?" The Queen replied.

"If you leave her like that, then there's not going to be a Celestia by the end of this fight. Rather, the dead carcass of an Alicorn." Storm said.

"And why should I take an order from you?" The Queen asked.

"I'm giving you the chance to fight me honorably. It's only fair that you do something for me." Storm replied. The Queen let out a scowl before slowly turning to Celestia, her horn glowing a black that seemed even darker than darkness itself. She walked up to Celestia and placed the tip of her horn onto Celestia's wound. After a few seconds, the tissue around Celestia's cut had regenerated, and was no longer bleeding. The Queen reared her head back up, giving a short snarl to Celestia before turning back to Storm.

"Pleased, Shadow Storm?" The Queen asked sarcastically.

"I half-expected you to outright kill her. At least some honor still resides in that heartless chest of yours." Storm replied. The Queen smirked a little at this, seeming entertained by Storm's insults.

"Shall we begin?" The Queen asked.

"Whenever you're ready." Storm replied. The Queen nodded solemnly. She took a few steps back, and after a few seconds, charged at Storm. He felt the familiar rush of battle that he had so dearly missed return, and charged as well.

"You have dug your own grave, Shadow Storm!" The Queen shouted mid-charge.

"I always assumed that if I ever died, it would be by your hoof!" Storm replied. Storm raised his sword, preparing to bring it down upon The Queen's neck, while The Queen had her head down, with her horn charging up a dangerously powerful spell.

"Is this it?" Asked Twilight, noticing some sort of structure in the distance. Redblade squinted his eyes slightly, trying to perceive what Twilight had just noticed, when he finally noticed the familiar building in the distance, he grew a large grin on his face.

"Yes! That's it! Good eye Twil-" Redblade was about to congratulate Twilight when a loud noise caught his attention. It sounded like a large explosion had just been caused inside the mansion, and a few seconds later, a shock wave traveled through the forest, shaking the natural swaying of the grass and fauna, Redblade and Twilight both took a step back when the shock wave hit them, surprised at the force they had just witnessed.

"That doesn't bode well..." Redblade muttered.

"I'll say! That shock wave was the product of an incredibly large amount of magic! You felt it too, didn't you?" Twilight asked. Redblade nodded slowly, before turning back to the small army of guards, most of them muttering to each other about the previous shock wave.

"We have managed to come across the mansion where The Queen resides! As you can probably tell, something strange is occurring in the mansion! Keep your guard up!" Redblade shouted into the crowd. The guard ponies nodded.

"Follow me!" Redblade continued as he started to trot towards the mansion.

"What do you suppose that was?" Asked Twilight.

"I'm not sure. But it must have come from The Queen, she must be agitated about something." Redblade replied.

"Storm... I hope he's okay." Twilight pondered.

"I know Twilight. I wish the same for Celestia." Redblade replied. The small army continued to walk towards the mansion, it wasn't long before one of the Banished had spotted the small army advancing towards the mansion, he hastily started running around the mansion, shouting for all of the warriors in the general area.

"We've been spotted..." Redblade muttered.

"What do we do now?" Twilight asked.

"I and the rest of the royal guard will engage the Banished. You should be able to enter the castle when all of them are occupied with us." Redblade explained.

"What happens to you?" Twilight asked.

"...I'll be there when the time comes." Redblade said slowly. The Banished had already assembled outside of the mansion and were currently charging at the royal guard.

"Go! Now!" Redblade said, pushing Twilight away before leading the royal guard into a similar charge. Twilight hurried back to her friends and promptly explained the plan to them. Albeit Fluttershy and Rarity, her friends seemed eager to go.

"Come on! Let's go give that Queen a piece of our minds!" Rainbow shouted. Twilight smiled at Rainbow's enthusiasm and gestured for her friends to follow her. The Elements proceeded to walk through the outskirts of the battle, Fluttershy had one hoof covering her eyes at all times, with Applejack making sure that she wasn't colliding with anything. Redblade's plan seemed to be working well, all of the guard in and out of the mansion had joined the battle, and the front door to the mansion was wide open. Once they had finally reached the doorway, Twilight was about to use her magic to open the door when a loud explosion similar to the one earlier once again rang through Twilight's ears, shortly followed by a shock wave identical to last time. Twilight looked at all of her friends with a determined look on her face.

"Are you all ready? We have to save Storm and Princess Celestia one way or another!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yer darn tootin' that we're ready, Twi!" Applejack announced, receiving several nods from the rest of her friends. Twilight smiled warmly to all of them before using her magic to open the door. It wasn't long after the door was opened that several noises could be heard, one noise sounded like somepony noisily galloping along the ground, while another noise sounded like a spell being cast. Twilight took initiative and started to gallop towards the source of the noise, with the Elements following shortly after.

"What's happening, Twilight? What're those noises all about?" Rainbow asked while flying close to Twilight.

"I'm not sure, Rainbow. But it doesn't sound good." Twilight responded. The noises proceeded to become louder and louder to the point where nothing else could be heard apart from them. At the end of a large hallway that Twilight and her friends had wandered into stood two large doors that seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Could the Princess be fighting The Queen? No, she couldn't. She could barely use a simple levitation spell in her state. I had imagined that we would have run into Storm at this point... Please Storm... Please be okay..." Twilight thought drastically. She nodded to her friends before her horn glowed a familiar magenta color, shortly afterwards, the large double doors slowly began to open. The sounds suddenly stopped, probably wondering who would waltz into whatever situation was going on in there. The double doors where eventually opened, and Twilight looked back at her friends with a reassuring smile, only to realize one thing. Her friends weren't smiling back, but looks of horror and devastation plagued their faces. Twilight's inner conscious screamed at her not to turn around, but in a moment of desperation, she quickly turned around to reveal what her friends were looking at.

Around half a minute ago

"Another hit." Storm thought to himself as he landed another lucky blow on The Queen. He had started to follow an attack pattern, after a few minutes of casting, The Queen would tire herself out for a few seconds, which was just enough time for him to land a small graze on her. Everything seemed to be going alright, and he hadn't been hit by many spells, well, he hoped he hadn't been hit by many. What really gave him a handicap in the battle was his broken hoof, which prevented him from doing much. He was never given more than a second after every spell to examine himself. The battle had been raging for a good half hour now, and Storm still hadn't gotten a good look at what damage The Queen might have caused. The Queen herself was about to be worn out again, and Storm only needed a few more hits to make her bleed on a lethal level. He was about to charge at her to land another hit when the sound of doors opening made him stop. He halted his charge to look in the direction of the noise, the throne room doors were being opened slowly. The Queen had also stopped her relentless onslaught to investigate the disturbance. When the doors were fully opened, Storm had to rub his eyes with his hooves to make sure that what he was seeing was actually real. Standing right there, in the flesh, was Twilight and her friends, wearing what Storm was left to assume were the Elements of harmony. The room was filled with an eerie silence, a welcome change to the constant battle noises that Storm had recently had to deal with. It wasn't long until it started again, until Storm had remembered what he had done prior to entering the throne room.

Drip... Drip... Drip...
> Redemption 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sight wasn't pretty, not from Twilight's point of view anyway. Storm and The Queen both stood adjacent from each other, both of them shooting confused glances at Twilight, Storm had seen better days, several parts of his body that weren't already covered in burn marks donned countless amounts of scratches and bruises. The Queen wasn't in perfect condition either, she had several small cuts across her side as well as a large laceration on her leg, where blood flowed freely. Storm took advantage of the situation and looked down at his injured body, he was surprised when he realized how much damage The Queen had actually done to him, the first thing he recognized was pain, the adrenaline that his body was constantly producing during the battle wore off when the fighting stopped, leaving aching pains all over Storm's body. The Queen appeared to be in the same condition, constantly flinching and wincing at the pain in her cuts. Princess Celestia wasn't sure to be happy or frightened when Twilight arrived, but her expression softened once she saw that Twilight and her friends had brought the Elements along. Storm realized that he had two particularly gruesome-looking wounds near his neck, probably caused when The Queen charged at him twice. He wasn't sure how much blood he was losing, but his vision had started to blur, and he didn't particularly want to participate in anymore fighting.

"T-Twilight?" Storm's voice came out raspy and hoarse, leaving him to assume that The Queen had damaged his vocal cords in some way.

"Looks like we arrived just in time..." Twilight mumbled. The Queen's pain seemed to subside for a moment, she took the opportunity to let out a small laugh.

"W-What's so funny?" Storm asked. The Queen collected herself, shooting a threatening glance at Twilight.

"So this is the mare you care so much about... This is the pony who caused this uproar to begin in the first place..." The Queen coughed out before letting out another dry laugh. Twilight gulped nervously.

"Don't worry, my dear... Once I'm finished with Shadow Storm, I will make sure that you will be there to watch every agonizing moment of his death..." The Queen said menacingly, causing Twilight to take a few steps back.

"Monster..." Twilight muttered.

"Yeah! We're not afraid of you! We have the Elements on our side!" Rainbow shouted from the back. The Queen looked puzzled for a minute, before resting her eyes on the jewelry that Twilight and her friends adorned. Her eyes widened, taking a few hoofsteps back, nearly pressing up against the wall.

"T-The Elements of Harmony?! I thought they were a myth! I never expected them to be a reality! I thought they were an attempt to make me surrender before a war could erupt!" The Queen shouted. Twilight grew a small smirk on her face, realizing that The Queen wasn't prepared for the Elements to be real.

"Ready girls?" Twilight asked, cocking her head back.

"You bet we're ready!" Rainbow shouted.

"Let's get rid a' that Queen once and fer all!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Yes, let's be done with this and get back to our normal lives." Rarity chipped in.

"You bet, Twilight! Let's show that meany-face what for!" Pinkie shouted.

"Um... I-I'm ready... If all of you girls are..." Fluttershy squeaked. Twilight smiled at her friends and bore a determined expression as she returned her gaze to The Queen. The familiar glow of the Elements started to shine brightly, while The Queen backed herself up to a wall, covering her face with her hooves in a vain attempt to prolong her demise. Twilight felt the magic of the Elements and prepared to land the final blow on The Queen. She was almost finished charging up the spell before she felt a hoof on her side, concentrating greatly on the spell at hand, Twilight had to slowly move her head towards the disturbance. Her attention was captured, however, when she realized that Storm had limped over and placed his hoof on her side.

"Don't." Storm coughed out. Twilight couldn't help it, her focus on the spell was lost as she turned her full attention to Storm, a worried expression on her face.

"W-What?" Twilight asked.

"There was no need to get yourself involved in this, Twilight." Storm said, a small trickle of blood escaping from his mouth.

"But... We came here to save you and Celestia..." Twilight responded.

"Responsibility need not be taken into your hooves, Twilight..." Storm said as he returned his gaze to The Queen.

"I'm the one who started this... And I should be the one that ends it..." Storm said.

"Storm..." Twilight muttered.

"W-What is the meaning of this, Shadow Storm?" Celestia finally spoke, all eyes fell on her.

"Twilight and her friends came all the way through the Everfree Forest to save you. And you deny them an easy way out?" Celestia asked.

"Yes... It wasn't Twilight's fault that all of this started... Nor was it yours... It was all me..." Storm slowly explained.

"B-But Storm... How do you intend to defeat The Queen by yourself?" Twilight asked, desperately wanting Storm to reconsider. Storm ignored her however, and pointed his hoof at The Queen.

"Too many delays have already been made. We can settle this with one more battle. If you heal us both right now, then we can finally see who the better fighter is." Storm said. The Queen had recovered from her cowering state, and bore a smile when Storm uttered the sentence.

"Perhaps I misjudged you, Shadow Storm. Maybe you still have some honor left inside you..." The Queen said, openly complimenting Storm for the first time. She started to walk towards Storm, lowering her head and allowing her horn to charge up a healing spell. She touched her horn against Storm's chest and began the healing procedure. Storm felt all of his pain fade away, and his wounds close. Shortly afterwards, he was back to his old self, no more broken hoof or burn mark scorched across his side. The Queen did the same procedure to herself, while Twilight, her friends and Celestia all stared at the duo in astonishment. Storm and The Queen walked to adjacent sides of the throne room, preparing themselves to relive the same battle that happened not a few moments ago.

"But Storm... How are you going to kill The Queen?" Twilight asked, following Storm when he walked to his side of the room. Storm turned back around and summoned his long sword, giving it a few practice swings before growing a small smirk on his face.

"I'm a Necromanecer, Twilight. I was born to kill." Storm replied. Twilight opened her mouth to contradict Storm, but closed it seconds later, instead settling for a small kiss on Storm's cheek.

"Promise me that you'll be okay." Twilight said.

"Pinkie promise." Storm responded. Twilight smiled and walked back to her friends.

"How touching. I hope you're prepared, Shadow Storm. That was the last sign of affection that you will ever display." The Queen threatened.

"We've yet to find that out. Let's see if you're actually as powerful as they say." Storm retaliated. The Queen wasted no time in charging up a spell, quickly firing three consecutive shots directly at Storm, due to his new fleet-footed advantage thanks to his broken hood being mended, Storm could easily dodge out of the way of the projectiles.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Twilight asked Celestia as Storm narrowly dodged another projectile.

"I do not know, Twilight Sparkle. Although we must hope for the best." Celestia responded.

"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid." Twilight muttered.

"As do I. You two do seem to be perfect for each other." Celestia added. A small blush made it's way onto Twilight's cheek.

"P-Princess!" Twilight muttered, embarrassed. With his re-acquired agility, Storm had devised a different tactic for the fight. Assuming he dodged most of The Queen's spells, once she had gotten tired, Storm could easily run in and do some lethal damage as opposed to a small cut every time. It wasn't long before The Queen felt her breathing become more rapid.

"No... I can't lose to him..." The Queen thought. Eventually, she was forced to rest for a few moments after a particularly strong spell. Storm took the advantage to rush at The Queen, but before he could get his sword into the right position, The Queen suddenly rose to her hooves quickly, she quickly used her levitation to snatch Storm's sword straight from his magical grip. He had the advantage in agility, but The Queen certainly overpowered him in terms of magic. The Queen wasted no time in aiming the sword straight at Storm, quickly thrusting it in his direction. Storm jumped back as far as he could, but the edge of the blade managed to catch against his chest, making a large cut as the sword moved away. Storm landed on his hooves and covered his wound with his hoof.

"Feigning exhaustion... Why didn't I expect you to use tactics like that?" Storm said. The Queen let out another small laugh and lunged at Storm, being the Queen of a cult of warriors, she had a large amount of time to practice with things like swords, and she had quickly become adept with any type of weapon within the first few years of her rule. Although, Storm knew that The Queen was partial to exhaustion, and he also knew that the sword was rather heavy. But until The Queen got tired again, Storm had nothing but his bare hooves and a few magical spells to keep him alive. He quickly dodged away from a large swipe from the long sword, barely touching him. He took the opportunity to counterattack, charging up and firing a quick fire spell at The Queen. While she was straightening herself from swiping the sword, the fire spell managed to make a collision with her hoof, causing her to let out a quick grunt of pain and release her magical hold on Storm's long sword, he took initiative and dived for the sword, quickly grabbing it and running away before The Queen could react. Storm took note of The Queen's aggressive nature and took it into thought, although it was a risky move, he ran forward, narrowly avoiding another projectile by The Queen. Before she could try and take the sword from Storm's grasp, he released his magical hold on the sword and let it drop down into his hooves, he jumped down onto the floor, letting himself slide quickly towards The Queen, who was still baffled as to where Storm had actually gone. As she realized him, however, Storm took the opportunity to use all of his upper arm strength to swing the sword upwards, violently making collision with The Queen's muzzle and forcing her to grasp it in pain. He pulled the long sword down again and slid directly underneath The Queen. The huge size of her Alicorn figure making it easy for Storm to easily fit underneath. Storm brought the sword close to him and stabbed it upwards, directly into The Queen's chest. He continued to slide underneath The Queen until he finally had enough space to pull himself upwards and jumping back, landing him a few good meters away from The Queen. The Queen herself wasn't in very good shape, she was holding her muzzle with one hoof and her chest with another, making constant grunts of pain and inaudible curses aimed at Storm. He had acquired a few injuries from the initial charge into The Queen; A few of her spells managing to brush against his side. But otherwise, he was in good condition. The Queen pulled her hoof away from her two injuries and glared menacingly at Storm, her muzzle bleeding profusely from a bloody scar that covered the vast majority of her chin and very nearly, her mouth. A torrent of blood escaped from her chest, leaking onto the floor from a humongous puncture that probably went through the vast majority of her organs.

"I think it would be fair to assume that I have won." Storm said. The Queen answered by firing off a terribly inaccurate spell that missed Storm by a few inches.

"You can either admit defeat now, and I will end your life quickly, or you can continue to fight, and let the agonizing torture of those wounds put you into a miserable death." Storm explained. The Queen looked down at this, staring at the floor while she pondered her options.

"You know, Shadow Storm..." The Queen began, barely opening her mouth to avoid further injury from her nearly split-open chin.

"..You were intended to be the greatest warrior that I have ever seen... Better than Redblade... Better than me..." The Queen continued before releasing a violent cough, a large amount of blood stained the floor where she aimed.

"...It's good to see... That even after regaining all of your emotions... You still live up to that name..." The Queen said. Storm remained silent. The large majority of the Elements had their hooves over their faces, shielding their eyes from the gruesome sight that Storm had created. The faint noise of hooves quickly rushing towards the throne room seemed to draw the attention of the Elements. They looked back to see another particularly gruesome sight; It was Redblade. But his condition was what made the Elements re-shield their eyes. He had a large cut that appeared to have been medically treated on his side. It was hard to tell, but it seemed that his entire coat had been stained a blood-red, rather than the dark red that he usually donned. He was furthermore limping while he ran, stifling grunts of pain as he approached the throne room. He stopped at the door where the Elements were waiting. His eyes widened at the sight that he saw. He saw Storm, mostly uninjured, standing adjacent to a mortally wounded Queen. His eyes moved to the right, where he saw something that almost made him explode with happiness, Celestia was standing next to the wall completely unharmed. He rushed over to her, pulling her into a hug immediately, which a teary-eyed Celestia returned happily.

"Celestia... I was so worried about you..." Redblade said.

"As was I, Redblade. Goodness me, what happened to you?" Celestia asked worriedly as she rested her eyes upon Redblade's injury.

"I ran into that captain that we saw back in the castle. I beat him, but he managed to land a lucky hit on me. But let's not focus on that right now." Redblade said.

"I am glad to see you again Redblade. But what of the royal guard?" Celestia asked, Redblade went silent for a minute.

"The battle was bloody, but casualties remained minimal. Only a few of them fell, and by Celestia, they'll be honored." Redblade answered.

"It's nice to know that you have experience with these kind of things." Celestia remarked.

"I aim to please. I'm just glad that you're okay." Redblade said.

"I wouldn't be okay were it not for Shadow Storm. He convinced The Queen to heal my injuries before they did battle." Celestia said.

"S-She harmed you? I'll kill her..." Redblade said menacingly, looking at The Queen."

"Actually... Sir Redblade... It was me who harmed Celestia." Storm confessed. Redblade's ears perked up, he pulled away from the hug, shooting an unbelieving gaze at Storm.

"C-Celestia? Is this true?!" Redblade shouted.

"Calm yourself, Redblade. The Queen used me as a human shield... Storm did not know what he was doing..." Celestia said. Redblade relaxed a little at this.

"I see... At least she healed your wounds... If she didn't... Oh, by the sun would she have suffered..." Redblade said.

"I-I'm... Suffering enough already..." The Queen said. All eyes in the room remained on her.

"Have you made a decision yet?" Storm asked. The Queen raised her head, smiling directly at Storm. He couldn't believe what he saw at that point, he rubbed his eyes with his hooves to make sure he wasn't seeing things. From The Queen's eye fell a single tear, black as the deepest pits of Tartarus. It made a hollow *drip* as it made collision with the floor.

"Yes Shadow Storm... I am ready to accept my fate..." The Queen admitted. Storm almost fainted from the sheer weakness of The Queen, this was the lowest he had seen her go. He walked slowly up to the bloody Queen, raising his sword in the air, preparing to bring down the final blow.

"Oh... And Shadow Storm?" The Queen said.

"Yes?" Storm replied.

"It doesn't matter what you say... Or what you do... You will always remain in my mind... As the strongest warrior I have ever faced... I'm proud of you, Shadow Storm..." The Queen said solemnly. Storm lowered his head, almost shedding tears of his own.

"Your dream... Dies with you..." Storm muttered before bringing the sword down, he heard a faint grunt coming from The Queen before it was quickly suppressed, Storm kept his head faced downwards the entire time, letting tears stream down his face. After a few seconds, Storm pulled the sword away, he heard a loud *THUMP* as The Queen's body hit the floor. He released his magical grip on the long sword, letting it fall to the floor. He was silent for a few minutes before finally raising his head.

"It... Is done..." Storm muttered. Redblade and Twilight were the only two who walked towards him, being the only ones who could bear to see Storm in his current state.

"You've surpassed The Queen and... Quite possibly, me Shadow Storm... But you made the right decision in the end." Redblade muttered before walking back to comfort Celestia. Twilight and Storm were left staring into each others eyes, after a few moments of staring, Twilight fell forward and caught Storm in a tight hug.

"Don't... EVER... Do anything that dangerous ever again." Twilight said, Storm could feel the mare crying under his coat.

"It's finished now, Twilight... We can return home..." Storm replied.

"Why... Why didn't you just let us use the Elements on her? It would have been faster..." Twilight asked.

"She would have labeled me a coward before she died. I have a feeling that deep inside her heart, she was happy to have her life ended by me." Storm replied. Twilight tightened the hug, more tears streaming down from her face.

"I was so worried about you... When you didn't come back to the library." Twilight said.

"I worried about you as well, Twilight. With the things that The Queen promised to do to you... I think I'd rather die before I let any of that happen." Storm said, another tear managing to find it's way to his face.

"Are... Are you crying?" Twilight asked, a small smile across her face as she stared at Storm. He quickly rubbed his hoof over his eye, erasing the tear.

"No... Of course not..." Storm replied.

"You don't have to stop yourself from crying... The Queen isn't here anymore..." Twilight said. Storm felt touched by Twilight's words, but for the sake of his own reputation, he decided to continue holding back the tears. Storm stared at the corpse of The Queen, lying lifeless on the stone cold floor.

"Redblade... Would it be too much to ask to give her a proper burial?" Storm asked.

"We would have to do it in the Forest... I don't think anypony will benefit from her in a graveyard..." Redblade explained.

"I understand." Storm replied.

"Can we head home now?" Twilight asked. Storm smiled and stroked Twilight's mane softly.

"Whenever you're ready, Twilight." Storm replied.

"We'd best get going, the guards are probably still worried about us outside." Redblade explained. Storm and Twilight nodded and followed Redblade and Celestia back through the castle, shortly followed by the rest of the Elements. Knowing that things had calmed down for the time being, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to take advantage of Storm and Twilight.

"Twilight's got a coltfriend!" She sang merrily, eliciting some giggled from the Elements.

"I'm sorry, but have any of you girls ever had a special somepony?" Twilight asked with a sly grin on her face.

"I... I uh... I've went on a few dates with some colts..." Rainbow mumbled.

"Well of course I have, Twilight! What about Prince Blueblo- Er... Tom? No... Oh deary me..." Rarity said, trailing off into a conversation with herself. Twilight let out a small giggle and continued walking down the long hallway. Needless to say, the guards almost destroyed Storm's eardrums once they set foot outside, their cry of victory probably reaching to the Griffon Kingdom. Redblade gave a short victory speech to calm the guards down and ordered them to continue back to Canterlot, eliciting another ear-shattering cry from the crowd. After a few hours of walking through the forest, the familiar sight of Canterlot could be viewed in the distance. Luna had raised the sun in the time it took them to get all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest. Redblade ordered the guards to return to their respective homes, to which they gladly obliged, walking back to whatever town that they resided in.

"Well, I suppose this is where we part ways for a while, isn't it, Shadow Storm?" Redblade asked, causing Storm to raise an eyebrow.

"Hm? What do you mean, Redblade?" Storm asked.

"Well, royal duties coupled with the newly averted crisis and Celestia's pregnancy are going to be taking up a lot of my time from here on out. We may not see each other for a few weeks." Redblade explained.

"I see. Well, I hope for the best, Sir Redblade." Storm answered.

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that? Technically, it should be me who's calling YOU sir." Redblade said, Storm let out a small chuckle before turning back to Twilight.

"Goodbye Princess! I'll be sure to catch up on all my friendship reports!" Twilight said. Celestia let out a small laugh.

"Do not push yourself so hard, Twilight Sparkle. You should rest for the next few days." She said.

"Okay! I'll try and keep my hooves off the paper and quill!" Twilight replied.

"I shall have Shadow Storm hold you to that, Twilight Sparkle. Take good care of Twilight, Shadow Storm, she tends to forget to eat whenever she starts to study." Celestia said jokingly.

"I'll keep her well-fed, Princess." Storm replied. Celestia and Redblade let out laughs before starting to walk back towards Canterlot.

"I think the Princess was exaggerating a little bit." Twilight said sarcastically.

"I beg to differ. I've seen you when it comes to books." Storm replied. Twilight giggled and pulled Storm into another hug.

"I'll be spending a lot less time studying now that I have you." Twilight said.

"I'm flattered. We should get back to the library, I'm sure some of my wounds are infected." Storm said.

"Oh... You're still hurt, aren't you?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"It's nothing Twilight. I've brushed off bigger wounds than this." Storm replied.

"I don't care. We just fixed everything and I'm not letting you come down with any diseases just yet." Twilight joked. Storm smiled at Twilight warmly. They started walking back towards Ponyville; Hoof in hoof as the Elements followed shortly after, whispering and giggling to each other. Storm ignored them and continued his walk back to Ponyville with Twilight. Every one of his old problems had been solved, and no new ones seemed to be coming anytime soon. He had a whole new life waiting for him, and by Celestia, he was going to live it to the fullest.

"My name is Shadow Storm. I used to be under the rule of a tyrannous Queen. She sent me on a mission to murder Princess Celestia herself. On my mission, I discovered a mare named Twilight Sparkle, who developed feelings for me while I was on my mission. She helped me reawaken emotions that had been locked in my soul and showed me how evil my Queen really was. I eventually gave up on the mission, determined to protect the ones I love, I struck down The Queen in a fierce battle and was then free to do whatever I pleased with my life. I decided to stay with Twilight, where a new and more happy life could be led. I'm no longer a Necromanecer, I'm simply an average colt." Storm told himself, maybe he would write a book on this one day.
> Epilogue - Onward
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm no longer a Necromanecer. I'm just an average colt.

Storm finished his sentence and put down his quill; a black raven feather that Twilight had got him for his birthday. He smiled to himself as he closed the book he was writing in. After he closed the book, he heard a knock on the door of his room. He opened it and smiled when he saw Twilight standing there, she walked in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Did you finish it?" Twilight asked, pointing at the book he had just closed.

"I did indeed. I suppose it will be a reminder to how we met." Storm said.

"I thought you were going to try and get it published?" Twilight asked.

"I would, but I think Equestria could do with forgetting the incident ever happened." Storm muttered.

"You're right, that's probably a good idea. You finished it at a good time, you know what today is, right?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. I'll go visit it later today. I might take Starstruck with me." Storm said.

"Don't you think the Everfree Forest is a little dangerous for him?" Twilight asked.

"It may have been a while, but I still have some fight in me, Twilight." Storm said. It had been three whole years ever since Storm had arrived in Ponyville. During the first year of Storm starting his new life, Celestia and Redblade had a daughter, Celestia vouched for the name "Aurora" which Redblade agreed to. Aurora was unfortunately born with a small scar on her side, as it appears that The Queen hadn't fully healed Celestia since the battle. It was still unbeknownst what place Aurora would take in the way of royalty, but she was welcomed nonetheless. Luna certainly seems to enjoy spending time around her. A few months after that, Twilight and Storm had gotten closer and closer, and eventually, when Pinkie Pie found the time to plan one, she threw a party properly welcoming Storm to Ponyville. Storm picked that specific moment to propose to Twilight, it was certainly an expression of happiness that Storm would never forget. Needless to say, the answer never came out, Twilight merely wrapped her hooves around Storm and whispered "I love you." Which Storm took as a "yes" The party continued on flawlessly, and unlike the last party, Storm managed to keep himself uninjured. Speaking of injuries, one of Storm's wounds in particular was extremely damaged, and he had shortly developed a scar running down the side of his muzzle. Twilight and Storm married the following year, with Pinkie Pie actually running out of decorations for the party afterwards, a feat not easily accomplished. Around halfway through the second year, Twilight and Storm decided that they wanted to take the relationship further and have a foal. Storm was hesitant at first, considering his past experiences made him uneasy around foals, but Twilight managed to coax him into it. And only a few months ago, the colt named Starstruck was born.

Today, however, happened to be a special day. Today was Storm's milestone for staying in Ponyville for three whole years, and it was also Starstruck's first day at school. Storm planned to show Starstruck a surprise in the Everfree Forest.

"If you say so. But if he does so much as fall over, I'll hurt you. Badly." Twilight joked.

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Twilight. It's only a short walk into the Forest and back." Storm said, trying to reassure Twilight. Suddenly, the sounds of somepony slowly walking towards Twilight and Storm's room was heard, Storm peered out to reveal a drowsy Starstruck standing at the doorway with his eyes half-lidded. Starstruck was born a Unicorn, and already showed great interest in the prospect of magic. His coat was a magenta slightly darker than that of Twilight's, his mane and tail were black, with his mane styled in a way similar but not identical to Storm's. He had not yet received his cutie mark, but it was natural, considering he was a foal.

"Uh... Dad? Why did you wake me up so early?" Starstruck asked.

"It's your first day of school, and I want to show you something really important in the Everfree Forest." Storm explained. He shot a glance back at Twilight before making a playful "shush" gesture at Starstruck. He let out a small laugh and nodded quietly to Storm.

"Great! Now, go grab your saddlebag. I've put all the things you're going to need for school in there." Storm explained. Starstruck nodded and rushed off to his room. Storm felt happy when he was around his son, he could feel that a strong father-son bond would be shared between them. Starstruck returned moments later with his saddlebag on, he grinned happily at Storm.

"Come on dad! Let's go!" He shouted excitedly.

"Alright, alright, calm down young one." Storm replied, returning Starstruck's smile. Twilight gave him a quick goodbye kiss as he trotted towards the door.

"Goodbye, Starstruck. Have a great day at school!" Twilight enthused, Storm rolled his eyes as he saw the nostalgia cloud over in Twilight's eyes.

"I will! I'll be as great as you one day!" Starstruck said enthusiastically. Starstruck had certainly inherited his mother's addiction to learning. Storm led the colt to the door and waved goodbye to Twilight as he closed the door behind him. Storm gestured for Starstruck to follow him. They eventually came to the opening of the Everfree Forest, where Storm turned around and looked at Starstruck with serious eyes.

"Now, if you see anything dangerous, you tell me right away. Got it?" Storm explained, desperately trying to fill Starstruck's brain with knowledge about how dangerous the forest was.

"How far are we going in?" Starstruck asked.

"Rather far. I want you to stay close to me, okay?" Storm said, Starstruck nodded started to follow Storm into the Forest, keeping directly by his side. After about ten minutes of walking, Storm held out a hoof to stop Starstruck from taking another step.

"Hm? What is it, dad?" Starstruck asked.

"We're here." Storm replied. Starstruck looked ahead to see what Storm was looking at. It looked to be a grave, a dirt mound that had long since collected grass complimented the large headstone that sprouted from the ground.

"W-Who... Who died here?" Starstruck asked.

"Somepony... Somepony that was very dear to me..." Storm lied, he was looking at the grave of his former Queen, he and Redblade had collected her corpse a few days after they returned to Ponyville and gave it a proper burial.

"Dad... I'm sorry..." Starstruck muttered. Storm had to resist a tear falling from his eye. He was sure that Starstruck couldn't see it, but his old sword was actually behind the headstone, probably collecting moss over the many years it had rested there.

"It... It's nothing, son... Come on... Let's get you to school." Storm muttered. Starstruck nodded solemnly and started following Storm as he started to walk back to Ponyville. Storm looked over his shoulder once more to look at the headstone.

"You fought honorably... I'll never forget that day..." Storm thought, almost expecting an answer from the grave. Storm quickly shed and wiped away a tear, continuing his walk back to Ponyville.

The End