Chapter 01

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You sat in a small daze on the path into town, your vision swimming a little, and a slight throbbing at the base of your horn. You could just make out a small pegasus colt standing in front of you, and then a voice hit your ears. “Um, are you okay? I’m really sorry, I've told him he needs to be more careful when trying to fly.”

You blinked a couple of times and then smiled at the mare, who had slipped the colt onto her back. “No worries, miss. I'm sure it was just an accident, right little guy?” He giggled as you ruffled his mane, stepping back and looking towards the town, the rooftops just visible above the small rise. You were about to ask the mare where you were when a stallion's voice hit your ears.

“FREEDOM BOLT! What have I told you!” A blue furred pegasus stallion, slightly larger than the mare, landed next to her. The colt quickly ducked his head and moved to the safety of the mare’s legs, using them as a shield from the stallion. “Don’t hide behind your mother, she won’t save you.”

“Um, actually Sky, it was an accident. We didn’t know this gentlecolt would be out here. It’s normally quiet this time of the afternoon.” The stallion leant his head down and nudged the colt out, slipping him onto his back, then turning towards you.

“Sorry about that, he’s only just started learning how to fly.” You shook your head with a small chuckle, ruffling the colts mane again. “So, you heading into town? We’re heading that way now, want to come with?” You gave a thoughtful huff and then nodded, falling into step at their side. It didn’t take long for you to see the whole town, and you let out a low whistle in admiration.

“Wow… this place looks pretty… okay, I’m not going to lie. It looks like any ordinary town.” The couple next to you started to trot down the hill, and you followed, the townsponies stopping and watching as you passed, a few of the mares giggling. The pegasi family said their goodbyes and walked over to an apple stand, the earth pony mare behind it sweeping the colt into her hooves.

You just remained trotting through town, eyes taking in the various sights. You smirked as you noticed the town had a very high mares to stallions ratio, a small part of you hoping to get lucky there. A strange tree caught your eye, and you made your way towards it, smiling widely as you discovered it was library.

There was a note stuck to the door, informing everypony to just help themselves, so you slowly opened the door, your mouth dropping open at the collection of tomes lining the walls. You pulled a book from either side of the expansive room, happy to discover one was non fiction. The storybook was sent back to its place on the shelve as you moved over to what interested you the most, mumbling as you perused the titles.

You stopped with a raised eyebrow as one book in particular caught you attention, and you tilted your head in order to read the title. “‘A History Of The Magic Of Friendship’? Hmm, sounds interesting.” You pulled the book out in a cool crimson glow, taking it to the small culvert you had spotted as you were searching the shelves, clicking on the small reading light at the top of the booth.

There was no author to the book, but just by the foreword alone you could tell it was going to be an interesting read. You began to hum to yourself as you started on the first page.

Twilight Sparkle stepped from the train, Spike following a moment later. With them was an alicorn filly, who was sheepishly glancing around. The mare leant down and nuzzled her cheek, earning a giggle, before the young dragon picked up her small case and began to walk off. Skyla immediately gave chase, nervous about being in a new town, fearfully glancing at the ponies looking at her.

These fears were unfounded of course, the viewing crowd merely spreading whispered words with one another about the alicorn filly. ‘Could she be Twilight’s? If she is, who is the father? And when did it happen?’ The jingling of a bell made the filly look up, her eyes wide in wonder as she beheld a building shaped like a gingerbread house. “Skywa!”

There was a small, pale green blur that latched itself to her muzzle, the filly crossing her eyes to reveal the grinning face of Freedom Bolt, the colt just under half her size. She gave a small giggle as he slipped around to her back and settled between her wings. Skyla felt herself grinning as well, then she trotted into the building.

She smiled sweetly at the pegasus stallion that was coming to see where his son had gone, Sky Runner giving a small chuckle at the colt’s location. The alicorn trotted towards the smell of baked goods, seeing one of her aunt’s friends behind the counter. Bolt moved around until he was just peeking over the top of her head, a forehoof outstretched towards the display cabinet. “That one, Skywa!”

“One small chocolate cake for the little cutie, coming right up!” The pink mare on the other side of the counter, who always found a way to make the filly smile, grabbed the indicated item and passed it to the colt. Skyla looked up to see Twilight shaking her head, a purple glow from her saddlebags floating some bits over to Pinkie Pie.

The alicorn filly moved to sit in the corner, Bolt shifting around so that he was sitting between her forelegs. “Well, lookie who we got ‘ere. If it ain’t mah cous and Princess Skywa.” She looked up to find a filly a few years older glaring down at her. Applebloom just gave a small huff and walked away, leaving Skyla to blink in confusion.

Waiting until the colt had finished eating his treat, Sky Runner came over and knelt down in front of the pair. “Sorry little guy, but it’s time to go meet your mother from her spa trip.” Bolt gave a small groan, and went to move to his back, but stopped and threw his hooves tightly around Skyla’s neck, before jumping atop his father. The pair trotted from the bakery, and the alicorn felt a shiver go over her as the earth pony filly scowled at her.

“Skyla, time to go!” She quickly jumped up and moved to the door, happy to leave and trotting along next to Spike. Soon they came across where she would be staying, the town library, set in a giant tree. Twilight opened the door and let her trot in, the filly staring at all the books in awe. “I’ll go put your things in your room, then we’ll get some dinner.”

She nodded as the mare trotted past her, Spike heading into the kitchen to get started. Skyla noticed a stallion at one side of the library, reading away. “Hey Skyla, want to help?” She ignored the pony reading and darted into the kitchen, eager to assist the young dragon.

You closed the book with a thoughtful sigh, the author having a clear grasp on what they were writing. One thing stood out to you, and, hoping there was some order to things, you began to search for the ‘E’ section. It was pretty easy to find, and soon you had the book you were after. You silently wished the library owner would be back soon, not wanting to go into the private area just to quench your small thirst, so moved back into the booth and cracked the book open. “The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.”

You glanced at the scribbled in footnote to see ‘Mare In The Moon’, but you knew of that prophecy, and as it wasn’t constantly night, it was obvious that somepony or something had stopped her. You then started in properly, reading on what the ‘Elements of Harmony’ were, the legend surrounding them, and their supposed location. You scoffed at the thought of such powerful artefacts just being left in somewhere like the Everfree Forest, believing it to just be a way of throwing any relic hunters off the scent of their real location.

You suddenly yawned, going to get up to look out the window to see what time it was when you noticed the building was dark, yours the only light. It must have been night by them, so you turned it off and tried to make for the door in the darkness. After a few bumps here and there, you finally made it, but the door wouldn’t budge no matter how hard you twisted the handle.

Giving a frustrated grunt, you turned around and bucked the door, but all that happened was a slight shock to your flank and an alarm blaring from somewhere. There was a flash of purple light and you sensed somepony else in the room, knowing it was a unicorn, probably a mare. “Who’s there? Come out now and you won’t be hurt!”

Yep, definitely a mare. You tried to shift behind her, but banged into a low table. The main floor lights clicked on, and the mare gave a gasp. “You!” Your head shot around, staring at the lavender alicorn standing in the library. And then your head began to hurt as a rather large tome hit you, a few more prepared in a purple aura around the mare. "WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY LIBRARY?!”

Your vision started swimming and there was a dull thud as your muzzle hit the wooden floor; you could just make out the mare’s face. There was a brief flash of memory from your time at Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns, a lavender filly that you used to tease all the time. Sometimes it got physical, and you really got in trouble then, almost getting thrown out at one point. But that didn’t stop you antagonising ‘Celestia’s star pupil’.

The one thing that stuck in your mind was the two different coloured streaks in her mane and tail aside from the sapphire blue. Yet, the alicorn mare staring down at you with narrowed eyes had the same feature, even the same cutie mark. You pushed yourself into a sitting position as you tried to focus on her. “Twilight… Sparkle?”

“That’s Princess Sparkle to ponies like you!” You then noticed the golden crown upon her head, and her wings spread wide. The book that had struck you was on the floor, and you sent it back towards her with your magic. "And hope that book isn't damaged or you will pay for it!"

Chapter 02

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“But… Princess Sparkle!” The mare ignored you, carrying you towards the door with her magic. It was flung open in a purple glow and you were thrown out, sliding along the dirt path. You sat up and went to turn around just as something hit your head, which was revealed to be your saddlebags when they fell to the floor. You looked up to the doorway, where the alicorn was still glaring at you. “Please… if you’ll just give me a chance…”

“Library hours are eight am to four pm, but for you… the library is PERMANENTLY CLOSED!” The door slammed shut, leaving you in the deserted street, late at night. Having been in the single building since you saw it, you didn’t know if there were any inns, but you’d like to think so.

By the time you came across a pony you were three streets over, slightly cautious as the large earth pony stallion stepped out from a dark alley. He noticed you glancing in his direction, and trotted towards you. It was when he appeared in the same light as you that you saw how big he really was, stepping back as his green eyes roamed over you. “Ya gonna tell anypony where Ah jus’ came from?”

“No, sir!”

“Good enough fer me.” He turned and started to trot away, and you turned your head as you saw a curtain twitching, a pretty purple earth pony mare hiding from your gaze. You shook your head and then ran after the stallion, skidding to a stop in front of him. “You back? what can Ah do fer ya?”

“Sorry, I don’t want to impose. I was just wondering if there was anywhere I could stay for the night? An inn or such, perhaps?” The stallion just raised a hoof and scratched his chin with a hum, then motioned you to follow. You did as asked, the buildings becoming spread further apart as you walked, but you just assumed that the inn was out of the way.

You didn’t expect to end up on a farm, nor to be led into a barn. The other stallion moved to a bale of hay and kicked it over into a pile, then disappeared up some stairs in the back. You just remained near the door, and he returned a few moments later with a large pile of blankets on his back. “Ya can stay in ‘ere fer t’ night. Breakfast will be at sunrise, but don’t worry if you ain’t an early riser. Mah sis an’ her friends will wake yer, that’s fer sure.”

“Thank you, er…”

“Macintosh Apple’s t’ name, but ponies round ‘ere call me Big Mac.”

“Thank you, Mr Apple. I’ll be sure to reimburse you for the bed and food.” The stallion just scoffed at that, then closed the barn door behind him as he left. He had at some point put a lamp on the table near the hay, so you picked the blankets up and made yourself a makeshift bed in the pile, rolling a couple of them up for pillows.

You reached into your saddlebag and took out the book you were currently reading, the mystery of the Zebras and their supposedly mythic powers intriguing you.

Spike sat on the stairs of the library as Twilight rattled off a list of books, the young dragon checking his contents list, then nodded to the mare. “Good, all of the fiction is still in place. Time for the nonfiction.” Spike gave a small groan, causing the mare to glare at him. “Spike, whilst he may have been one of the more studious ponies at the school, he had a habit of taking library books and returning them… a year later. I want to make sure he didn’t take any of mine.”

“Ugh… fine, but don’t blame me when you oversleep and Skyla gets bored when she wakes up.”

“Oh… I’d forgotten about her. Okay, well do the first few shel…” Spike shook his head at the alicorn’s temporary memory loss, and looked up to see her with her head cocked to the side. “Spike, what comes after ‘Elemental Magic, volume two’?” The dragon ran down the list, his eyes going wide at the title.

“‘The Elements Of Harmony; A Reference Guide’.” Twilight then started to trot in place, her eyes flicking wildly over any possible place it could be. Having failed to spot the tome, the mare let out a low growl and stalked towards the door, opening it and leaving the library even as Spike tried to call after her. “Twilight, it’s right here, in the reading booth!”

He watched as she turned in the direction of the inn with a glare on her face, then glanced over his shoulder as he heard a sleepy yawn. “Where’s auntie Twilight going?” Spike walked over to the base of the stairs, then started to guide Skyla back to bed. “Spike?”

“Just running a late errand. We’ll see her in the morning.”

You fell into a light doze, somepony entering the barn having caused you to come from your dream of your younger years. You just remained on the hay pile, waiting for the stallion’s sister and friends to wake you up properly as he said. It didn’t come as a gentle prod to your shoulder, however, as you were forcibly ripped from your blankets and fell to the dusty floor with a pained grunt. “Where. Is. My. BOOK?”

You rolled over, looking fearfully into the eyes of an irate Princess Sparkle, her face upside down in your view as she stood above you. You then frowned at her, pulling your saddlebags over with magic, the mare moving away so you could sit up and open them. Once you did, you pushed them towards to mare and looked away. “Go ahead, check. I assure you that whatever items you find in there are my own belongings.”

She did just that, tipping them upside down and causing everything to fall out. There were only two books inside, neither registering with the alicorn as her own. She still picked them up with magic and read the titles, before glancing at you with a raised eyebrow. “So where is it?”

“In the library still, in that little booth. Both that and the other one.”

“Other… one?”

“The one about the magic of friendship. I wish I could meet the author, it was a very well written and intelligent book.” It was your turn to raise an eyebrow as the mare blushed lightly and turned away, whispering a barely audible ‘thank you’. Her eyes glanced over and met yours, her blush increasing even more as she looked away again.

You struggled to find something to say, but chose to put your things away again, in the correct order, in your saddlebags. Something wasn’t right though, and you turned to see Princess Sparkle still had both of your books. The one about the Zebrican nation was sent your way, whilst she flipped open the other one, frowning at the blank page. “What’s this?”

You smirked as your horn glowed softly, moving back to the front page, where the title was clearly marked, making the mare give a gasp of surprise. “It’s not finished, I’ve still got some research to do in the Everfree Forest.” Her eyes narrowed at you, before she turned and walked from the barn, letting you take hold of your book.

You then notice something… familiar about her crown, and by the time the realisation hits you, she had taken off into the night. You just closed the door with a sigh and climbed back onto the hay, lying down once more. You didn’t know how late it was, or how early, but you were still going to get some more sleep.

“....and wak up!” Your eyes shot open as something punched the tip of your muzzle, but it was way too small and weak to do any damage. Your eyes focused onto the blur in front of you, which revealed itself to be the young colt from the previous day. You pushed yourself up with a groan and stopped, feeling yourself being watched.

Glancing over your shoulder, you spotted three fillies reading over your book, the unicorn seemingly very interested. Now, you weren’t a rude pony, not these days anyway, but you still weren’t happy your things had been accessed without permission. The trio jumped back in shock as your tome slammed shut in a crimson glow, and they looked up to see your stern gaze. “An’ what in t’ hay is goin’ on in ‘ere?” You looked to the door, where the earth pony mare you had seen in the market the day before was standing.

“Ah, good morning, miss. The stallion who lives here was kind enough to let me stay in the barn for the night. I woke up to find these three looking through my personal effects, after that one,” you nodded in the direction of the pegasus colt, who was watching from inside the pile of blankets with a grin. “Decided that I had slept long enough.”

“Girls, go into t’ house and help Granny get breakfast ready.” The three fillies gave a small groan and then trotted slowly out of the door, whilst the mare’s gaze remained fixed on you. “So, yer the stallion that Twi told me about last night, huh? Well, Mac said yer could stay fer food, but then Ah want you offa mah farm, got it?”

You gave the mare a nod, collected your things, and followed her to the farmhouse. The meal was wonderful, the elder mare smiling as you ate your fill and then some. She kept refusing the bits you tried to give her, so you dropped them on the table by door as you left.

It didn’t take you long to reach the fabled ‘evil’ forest of Equestria, but as usual, you just chalked that up to misunderstanding on the ponies’ part. Even if the sun was barely breaking through the trees, you weren’t fazed as you trotted in, keeping a wary eye out for any ‘monsters’ that may be hungry.

It didn’t take long for you to find one, but instead of fear, sadness welled up inside you. Lying next to a small rocky outcropping was the body of a manticore, which you knew was slowly becoming an endangered species, but it also presented a rare opportunity. Placing your saddlebags on the floor, you turned them over and opened the small compartment at the base, a set of sharp tools falling out.

You gave the body a good inspection, but found no obvious cause of death, so began your work. Soon you had a detailed description of the inner workings of a manticore, and felt even more sorrowful when you discovered it was a she. Out of respect for the deceased, you put what you removed back and closed the hole. You then started to dig a hole with you magic, stopping when a low growling caused your ears to twitch.

You gave a small gasp of fear as the bushes near you rustled, and something jumped onto your back. You stood patiently waiting for the end as the small mouth clamped down around your neck, but it tickled instead of hurt. With a small chuckle you grabbed whatever it was in your magic and brought it to your front, your eyes going wide at the manticore cub.

You set it down on the floor and watched as it walked over to the female, nuzzling its front paw and trying to get a reaction. This was one of the reasons you had come this way on your way home, to understand the creatures of the forest. As much as you wanted to let nature run its course, you couldn’t leave the cub alone. You just weren’t that kind of pony… not any more. Once the idea solidified in your head, you packed your saddlebags and donned them, then you picked the manticore up and settled it on your back.

You did your best to keep it there with magic as you finished burying its mother, then turned back towards town. There was only one mare who might have the knowledge to help, even after your hostile reunion. You just hoped Princess Sparkle wouldn’t overreact when you walked into the library with a baby manticore, seeking assistance.

Chapter 03

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Of all the reactions you had expected from the level-headed mare, the library door being slammed shut on your muzzle when she saw the cub was most definitely not one that was high up on your list. You rubbed your muzzle and turned to look at the manticore on your back, its eyes wide with wonder. “Sorry, little guy. We’ll have to find another solution.” You knocked on the door, opening it a touch before calling in. “Princess Sparkle, if you won’t help me, can you at least direct me to somepony who will?”

You sensed something coming your way, a scroll floating through the gap and dropping to the floor, the door clicking shut a moment later. You just gave a sigh as you floated the paper up, unrolling it to see her message. ‘Try Fluttershy. She lives in a cottage outside town. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!’ With a small huff of annoyance, you turned from the library and looking around. Outside of town could be any direction from here. “HI!”

You reared back in shock as two bright blue, way too large eyes stared at you. The cub slipped from your back and yelped as it hit the floor, hiding under your legs. You calmed down as you looked at the grinning, bright pink mare, whose head was cocked in your direction. “Um… hello?”

“Is that your manticore? I have an alligator! Do you think they’ll be friends?” You blinked at her in confusion, then floated the note over to her. “Flutters, huh? You wanna go that way!” You thanked the mare and lifted the manticore back up, then started to walk in the direction of her outstretched forehoof. “Hold it! You’re the one Twilight told me about, aren’t you? Well, you don’t get a welcome party, you bully!”

You just shook your head and resumed your trot, not bothered by what the ponies in town thought of you. Fifteen years or so ago you might have, but now… you had seen so many things their opinions no longer mattered to you. Such was the lonely life of a ‘paranormal’ investigator, even more so when you occasionally returned to Canterlot.

It didn’t take long for you to get to the path that seemed to circle the town, a small brook running parallel. Your ear twitched when you heard giggling, but a glance behind revealed nopony there. You then felt eyes watching from above, but there was only a single cloud and that was it. The giggling came again as you resumed your trot, but you ignored it.

Soon a small wisp of smoke was visible on the other side of a small stone bridge, and you stopped to look at the mailbox to see if it was the right place. S & FS Runner. FS… Fluttershy, perhaps? Giving a shrug, you set a hoof on the bridge, but stopped as you sensed something under it. Lighting your horn, you took hold of something and brought it up, finding the colt that had woken you up giggling at you. The sound of splashing below drew you to the edge, and you looked over the low wall to find the three fillies looking up from the water.

You slowly lowered the colt back to the group, then noticed the pegasus stallion that was his father watching the interaction from high up in a tree branch. He noticed you had seen him and rolled over, gliding down into the small yard outside the cottage, and stood looking at you expectantly. You took that as an invite, and moved closer, speaking once you were across the bridge. “Hello again, sir. Could you tell me if this is the residence of a ‘Ms Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Mrs Runner does live here.” You swallowed nervously then, the pegasus tilting his head so he could get a better look at your back. “So why are you carrying a manticore and looking for my wife?”

“It needs to be looked at. I found its mother in the forest, she was dead. I was hoping there would be somepony in town who knew what they were doing, and I was directed here.” He just gave you a nod, then pointed towards the small building. Giving him your thanks, you trotted over and knocked on the ajar door, hearing a mare’s voice inside.

"...unicorn stallion, lemon coat 'n peach mane. Ah tell y'all, Ah don't like 'im.”

“Oh Applejack, I have already met him! I can’t believe such a nice stallion would be a bully!” Your ears flattened as she said that, and the door opened to reveal the butter yellow pegasus standing next to the mare who was at the farm. She glared at you and trotted by with her head held high, but the pegasus just smiled at you. “Hello again. How can I help?”

You turned to your side to show her your passenger, and soon there was no weight as she took the cub from you. “I found it alone in the forest. Something had killed its mother.” Tears formed in Fluttershy’s eyes as she looked at the cub; then she turned her gaze to you expectantly. “I wanted to make sure it was in good health, and Princess Sparkle sent me here.” She gave a small giggle and smiled at you, shaking her head.

“You can just call her Twilight, you know?”

“I can’t. It’s complicated.” You cut the mare of before she even asked, so she set the manticore on the ground and let it get its bearings. Its gaze locked onto the shaking form of the pegasus colt, and it lunged forward before you could stop it. Instead of expected screams of pain, the only thing that hit your ears was the colt’s laughter. You turned around and your eyes went wide with shock, the cub licking the colt’s face.

“We’ll look after him.” The pegasus stallion turned to the mare with a frown, but backed down when she glared at him. You thanked the mare and left, soon arriving back in town. The large tree in the centre dominated your thoughts, but the owner had forbidden you from entry. But that was only if she was there, because it was a public building… right?

You spotted a cafe with a view to the library, so you took a seat on the tables outside. An earth pony stallion with a slicked back mane and a thin moustache came and took your order, simple tea and a daisy sandwich. As he moved back in, your gaze turned towards the treehouse, watching intently.

You thanked the waiter when he brought your food over, but your mind was still elsewhere as you tried to think of a way to show Princess Sparkle how sorry you really were. Deciding to start out small, you took your notebook and a few spare sheet of paper from your saddlebag, copying down what you had discovered about manticore anatomy. You were going to pass it to the biology department to use anyway, so why not her as well?

Movement at the base of the tree caught your attention, where said mare was leaving, meeting with the pink pony from that morning, with an alicorn filly trotting next to them. You were glad that they chose to not go in a direction towards you, which presented your opportunity. You got up and paid for your meal, then trotted to the library, chuckling as you found the door unlocked, and made your way inside. “You’re not being very tactical about this, are you?”

You looked up at the stairs and saw a young dragon staring at you, his arms crossed. Ignoring him, you moved over to a work desk and grabbed a stack of blank papers then set your notebook down next to them. By the time you had copied every page, it was mid afternoon, and the dragon hadn’t left you alone for more than a minute at a time. Knowing that Princess Sparkle would likely be back soon, you gave him a nod and packed your things away, stopping to look back at him from the door. “Could you please tell me if there is an inn in town?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s two streets to your right.” You nodded to him and left the library, closing the door behind you as you trotted on your way. “WAIT!” You weren’t even five steps away when the dragon came running out, the stack of papers in his claws. “Who shall I tell Twilight left these here?”

“Tell her… an old acquaintance.” With that you left, easily finding the inn and renting a room for a few days. It wasn’t that expensive, but maybe a bank visit was in order, just in case. The building was a mix of a tavern and a hotel, run by a charming (when not drunk) mare called Berry Punch, and you spent most of the evening pouring over your notes in a corner booth, only leaving to get another cider, which you drank slowly.

Occasionally ponies would come up and ask what you were doing, so trying to be friendly, you told them, and showed them your notes if interested. A group of ponies kept catching your attention, however, and you couldn’t help but notice a few of them resembled your former schoolhood friends… and fellow bullies.

You soon retired to your room, and flopped down on the mattress. It was much more comfortable than the hay from the previous night, and it didn’t take you long to drift off.

“Ugh, can you believe it? Even after I told him to stay away from the library, he still came back!” Pinkie Pie just continued to hop along next to Twilight, all smiles as her friend raged about that stallion. Having been woken up earlier than usual, Skyla was dozing on the lavender alicorn’s back, but she soon woke up when knocked from her perch.

“SKYWA!” Even though her side hurt a little, she still giggled as Bolt wrapped his forehooves around her neck, and she returned the embrace. The mares smiled as he pulled away and dragged the filly in another direction, and they crossed the small bridge to find Sky Runner and Fluttershy in the front yard. “SKYWA NEED WAK UP!”

The adults laughed as the sound of a filly screaming and a splash hit their ears, followed by a soaking wet alicorn entering their vision, her ears splayed back with her mane and tail hanging limp. Behind her was a trio of grinning fillies and a brightly beaming colt, who believed he had done the right thing. Fluttershy turned away from the foals as something brushed her leg, looking down to see the manticore cub looking at her hopefully. “Wait, he actually left that here?”

“Yes, Twilight, he did. And I have to say I don’t agree with you.” The alicorn just stared at the pegasus, who turned towards the river. She returned a moment later with a fish in her mouth, and threw it into the bushes, the cub leaping after it. Even if she was okay with animals eating meat, she still didn’t want to see it. “I have met him twice now, and he is a charming stallion. I really think he has changed.”

“It’s a good job you’re married then.” The mares ignored Sky, and the stallion just sighed as he went to grab towel for the foals. With Bolt around water, soon they would all be dripping. He winced slightly as an angry shout came through the house.

“HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT! ONCE A BULLY, ALWAYS A BULLY! He’s one of the ponies that used to torment me when I was younger! In fact, he’s one of the few who got physical!”

“Well, maybe you need to talk to him then. A lot can change in such a long time.” Twilight just sat down with a huff, turning her face away. “Maybe you should just give him a chance. Remember the whole Zecora incident? We never gave her a chance until you told us to.”

“...fine. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Now, what is it you needed?”

“Oh! I was wondering if you had any books on manticores? I… don’t really know much about them, and although I’ve been curious, it’s now something I could do with urgently.”

“I‘m not sure, but I’ll check. Skyla, will you be okay here for a bit?” The filly looked over to the others, where Applebloom sheepishly averted her gaze. Skyla turned back to Twilight and nodded, the mare smiling at her. “Ok then, I’ll be back in a bit with any books I have on manticores, if any. Pinkie?”

“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the foals.” Twilight gave her a nod and made her way back to town, smiling as she entered the library. She was surprised to find Spike binding a stack of papers, and she recognised the horn writing style on the front page when she looked over his shoulder.

“Spike, who was here?”

“Huh? Oh, hi Twi. Uh, he just said to call him an old acquaintance.”

“Let me see that.” He passed the stack, and she flipped through it. It was a copy of his notebook, and at the back a detailed breakdown of manticore anatomy. Twilight gasped as she realised this is exactly what she was after, and she slipped it into her saddlebags, then headed towards the door. “Spike, find me the spare copy of A History Of The Magic Of Friendship. I may not like him, but I can at least thank him in a way he’ll understand. I’ll be back with Skyla later.”

The dragon gave her a nod, and she left her home as he ran into the basement, not understanding what Twilight was thinking, but he just left her to it. She couldn’t tell him off for gorging the ice cream if she didn’t know, right?

A knock on your door caused you to stir with a groan. Your eyes slowly opened to see light filtering through the curtains, and a further knock forced you out of the bed. You opened the room door to find nopony, but on the floor there was a copy of the book you were reading in the library. Well, she hadn’t forgiven you for anything… but it was a start. You moved it to where your things were, leaving it for some evening reading.

Berry was busy in the kitchen making breakfast for her guests, which consisted of you and a young couple. You smirked at the mare’s blush as the stallion whispered sweet nothings to her, and turned back to the inn keeper. You were going to offer your assistance, but she clearly had it all in hoof.

The food was set down in front of you, and you thought about your checklist of myths and legends. You had already proved that manticores were creatures of flesh and bone, so that could be dealt with. Next on the creatures of the Everfree Forest… timberwolves. You assumed it was just territorial behaviour on their part, but there was only one way to test it.

Hoping your gift from the previous day may have allowed the mare to calm down some, you thanked the tavern owner and trotted out of the building. The sun was just rising in the east, Celestia’s warmth flowing over your body, and with that you moved off.

It didn’t take you long to reach the town library, and your hopes swelled as a smiling mare came trotting out, a large tome poking out of her saddle bag. Clearly Princess Sparkle was in a more amicable mood, so you slipped in through the doorway, seeing the alicorn mare looking over the bookshelves. You trotted up and stood behind her, but she seemed to not notice you, and you just gave a polite cough a few moments later. “Er, Princess Sparkle, could I…”

You were cut off as she gave a startled scream, her horn flashing brightly. You suddenly had something hit your back, along with the sound of shattering glass, and you slid along the ground until your head hit something solid. Thankfully the torture ended there, but your vision began to blur, and then faded to complete blackness.

Chapter 04

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The first thing to register was a soft beeping to your side, but it also caused a lancing pain in your head, and you scrunched your eyes up with a groan. You heard somepony give a gasp and forced your eyes open, seeing the end of a sapphire blue tail with pink and violet streaks disappearing out of the door. Hoofsteps came from the corridor a moment later, and you looked up to see a white earth pony mare enter, a small headdress with a red cross placed on top of her pink mane. “Well look who’s finally up. Lets give you a look over then, shall we?”

The nurse, for you were now certain you were in a hospital, ran through the standard check to ensure there were no after effects, except for your pounding headache. After that you were allowed out, the sun already well past its zenith and beginning to set. So much for any research today, you’d just have to refine your notes instead. With that idea cemented in your head, you began the trot towards the inn.

Berry was instantly to your side, fussing over the state of you, but you just waved her off. You retrieved your books from your room and then returned to the booth you had sequestered yourself in the previous night, ordering an evening meal. Seeing as most of the ponies currently enjoying themselves had also been in the tavern last night, they felt no need to come and speak to you, letting you eat in relative peace.

You gave a small chuckle as you noticed the young couple from the morning, sat opposite each other with a single candle between them on the table, forehooves meeting in the middle. You turned from the sweet scene and went back to your research… until a hoof fell upon your shoulder. “Well, well, if it isn’t Polter Dawn, the Ghost Hunter of Equestria!”

You glanced around the one group of ponies you didn’t want knowing you were there having discovered you. Whilst each one was older and larger, they still had the same features, and also the mark of immaturity. You just gave a nod and brushed his hoof off, turning back to your book. “What do you want, Blitz? I’m busy here.”

Zealous Blitz, or Zeal to his friends, shrank away a little at your slightly hostile tone, before sitting opposite you with a big grin. You knew what that face meant, what he was going to attempt you to join with, but you wanted no part of that… not any more. “What do I want? Well, a little birdie told me that a certain bookworm lives in this town. We were going to see if she’s livened up at all, and if not… help her.”

“If you’re talking about Princess Sparkle, then no. I’m not interested.”

“Princess? That egghead? Oh, that’s a good one! Anyway, she lives in the town library, go figure. If you want some fun, come join us. If not, enjoy your reading, Dawn.” The way he emphasised your last night made you cringe, it having been a nickname you never wanted to hear again. You just sighed as they moved back to the bar, ordering another round of drinks.

Even though it wasn’t your place, and you didn’t really have a reason to after how she had treated you, there was no way you were going to allow the mare to suffer in any way at their hooves. Gathering your things you headed up to your room, placing them down on the shelves. Once outside, you saw from above the tavern that the group had left, Berry turning to you with a concerned glance. That was enough to tell you they had gone to follow through on their plans, anger filling your body.

Recalling the spells taught to you at Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns, your horn flashed with a bright brown aura, and you soon felt a cool breeze drifting through the fur on your back. You opened your eyes to see the fountain in the middle of the town square, turning in the direction of the local library.

The sound of stallions laughing drifted towards you, followed by the slamming of a door. Rounding the corner, you found the library to be surrounded by a dome of magical energy, impressed by the caster’s skill. You couldn’t even use a shield spell to stop the rain falling on you, let alone cover an entire building. “Look at that, she doesn’t know which race to be any more!”

“Perhaps she should join the pegasi! She may have been good at magic, but she was as boneheaded as those feather brains anyway!” The stallions were outside the front door to Golden Oaks, flicking stones at the shield with their magic. One of them turned to look at you, a smile playing at his lips.

You smiled back, but it wasn’t a friendly one, centred on the stallion at the centre of the group. He hadn’t noticed you yet, but the others slowly backed away as you trotted calmy past them. At his feet was a scuffed book, one you recognised the cover of, even as the stallion bent down to look at the title.

“‘The History Of The Friendship Of Magic, by T. Sparkle’. Here that guys? Little miss egghead finally got some friends. Although if they were real friends, they would be here, wouldn’t they? Let’s take a little… extract.” You heard sobbing, glancing up to one of the library’s open windows. Turning back towards Zealous Blitz, you noticed a torn bit of paper in his magic. “What is this crapph”

His speech was cut off as you dashed forward, ramming a forehoof into his muzzle. He reeled back in shock as the others stared on, then began to form a ring around the pair of you. Having asserted your dominance in the ‘circle of bullies’ before, you knew what was going to happen, and also knew that, this time, Zeal wasn’t going to hold back.

You barely deflected his first attack, which burst into light at your feet. It was meant as a distraction, but you knew the tactic and jumped to your left as a strong lightning spell was harmlessly absorbed by the shield. Lighting your own horn, you caught his flank with a blast of ice, causing him to let out a hiss of pain.

Charging your magic for the next parry, Zeal instead summoned a bank of fog, letting it surround you. You quickly changed to a spell to get rid of it, but not quick enough as two hooves connected with your side, sending you sliding into the dirt. Giving a small groan as you stood back up, you ducked your head in time to avoid his rear hooves connecting with your face.

With a growl of anger, you instead went for a simple telekinesis spell, grabbing his hooves as they lowered. It brought you a grim sense of satisfaction as he began to scream like a filly as you spun him around in the air, then let go once he had enough stored energy. His momentum carried him across the square, where he hit the gravel with a solid thud, rolling to a stop.

You could see blood on his lime green coat, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily. Turning away from the biggest threat, you strode through the others and stood with your back to the shield, looking around at them defiantly.

They glanced at each other and nodded, slowly closing the circle. You weren’t the best of fighters, but then again… these four were even worse. They struck before you could even get one spell ready, two of them pushing you to stand on your rear legs with magic whilst the other two turned around.

You fought for control as best as you could, but had no chance against two magic users. Meanwhile the other two were looking over their shoulders, and you knew they were taking aim. Together, they reared up and you let out a pained cough as their rear hooves connected with your chest, a spray of blood coming from your mouth.

You were pushed back a little, and you could feel the shield’s energy crackling behind you, a sign of how dangerously high powered it really was. Your eyes returned forward to see the pair ready to strike again, trying one last time to fight back with magic, but to no avail. “NOOO!!” Whoever shouted didn’t stop them, and at first you tried to ignore the pain.

You couldn’t hold it in, letting out an almost feral scream as the shield brushed your skin, and your fur began to catch fire. You looked through the smoke to see your opponents smiling gleefully at you. And then there was a blue blur followed by a rainbow contrail, barrelling into one of the stallions.

As you fell to the floor you noticed it was a mare, and she quickly and powerfully struck the stallion on the muzzle, making him a pile of limbs on the floor. Another stallion was thrown back as an orange earth pony mare appeared. Then the two mares squared off to the two that remained standing. You could hear their voices, but it sounded like your ears were underwater. “An’ jus’ who in t’ hay are ya’ll?”

“Heh… an earth pony and a pegasus, thinking they can take on two unicorns. And we have an audience. Good.” Through the edges of your fading vision, you saw the townsponies looking on in shock. There was a sudden loud boom from behind you, followed by a bright light.

The shadow of a pony covered your vision as she flew over you, landing with a regal pose, her wings out and horn standing proudly. “ENOUGH! I AM HEREBY PLACING YOU ALL UNDER ARREST! ANY ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE WILL BE MET WITH FORCE! GUARDS!” Almost as if from nowhere several stallions in golden armour appeared, surrounding those you had fought with.

The intense white light faded, the mare turning around to reveal the face of Princess Sparkle, tear streaks down her cheeks. You saw her mouth move, but the words were even more muffled, and she took a step closer as your vision faded more. You saw her turn and shout for… something, a white blur coming closer, and you winced as the last thing you felt was a wet blanket laid across your back.

You winced slightly as you came awake, tingles all over your body and your fur really itchy. You couldn’t do a thing about it, as your hooves were strapped down to the bed you were lying on. Something you had never experienced, but had heard of, then happened, your gaze focusing on Princess Sparkle, her eyes red and puffy. “Please, send some of your pain to me. I… want to help you through this.” You glanced up and saw her horn gently touching yours.

Two days ago this mare threw you out of her library, and a day ago knocked you out. Now she wanted to help, and was using what was one of the most intimate things a pair of unicorns could share. You tried to speak, but what came out was a pained cough, and you felt the tightness in your chest. “No, stay still. You need to rest.”

“P-prin…”

“And don’t speak either. Now, this is going to hurt a bit, but it must be done.” You gave the smallest nod of assent, wincing as a wet, but warm, blanket was laid over you once more. After taking some of the pain away, she took it off you, then you saw a pot of cream floated over in a purple aura.

Before you could ask, she scooped some of it out with a hoof and then placed it on your back, gently rubbing it into your skin. Whilst the numbing effect took place, you looked at your surroundings, surprised to see you were in fact not in the hospital once more, but inside the library. Your gaze lingered on a glass of water, and you tried to bring it over, but your magic faltered as the mare pressed over a sensitive spot, causing the beverage to fall to the floor.

To your surprise, and delight, Princess Sparkle let out a little giggle as she picked it up, refilling the liquid. Instead of letting you take hold of it, she brought it over and gently raised your head, lifting the glass to your mouth. You slowly sipped at the water, staring into her eyes as a hoof began to trace through your mane.

She suddenly caught herself, blushing brightly as she pulled away, setting the glass on the side and returning to the treatment of your burns. Once she was done, another wet blanket was draped over you, the cream mixing with the water to provide a soothing sensation. Your gaze moved around the room once more, noticing your saddlebags in the corner and Twilight looking over her shoulder. “Oh, we brought them here when we found out you were staying at the tavern. You’re… going to stay with me whilst you heal. It… was my fault. I… was watching, and yet I didn’t lower the shield. I could have…”

Whilst she was talking, you had managed to free a forehoof, and lifted it to her cheek as the tears began to fall once more. She closed her eyes and pressed back, nuzzling against your hoof. “Aunt Twilight, where’s the… oh, am I interrupting?” The mare jumped back in shock, her cheeks bright red as you both turned to the alicorn filly that had just entered from the kitchen. “If you want some mommy and daddy time, I can go play upstairs.”

“What? Skyla, no… it isn’t like that!” The filly just gave a sweet smile as she skipped up the stairs, and you let out a small chuckle, which soon turned to a pained cough once more. Princess Sparkle was instantly to your side, bringing the glass to your lips again.

You gulped it down this time, letting out a small sigh as you finished the drink. After setting the empty glass on the side, Princess Sparkle turned to look at you, a small smile coming to her lips as your stomach decided it wanted some attention. “Hmm, somepony’s hungry. Wait right here, I’ll be back in a moment.”

“It’s okay.” Your voice was harsh and raspy, surprising you a little, but you continued as you pushed yourself into a sitting position, the blanket falling down around you. “Thank you for everything, but I shall take my leave now, Princess Sparkle.” You went to hop down from the bed, but a small purple aura stopped you, pushing you back down under a withering glare.

“You will do no such thing! By royal decree, you are staying in that bed until you are healed.” She stepped closer, and you turned your head away, giving a small gasp of surprise as the mare lay hers across you withers. “Truly, thank you. Now, lunch. You’ve been out for two days, so I’ll make lots.”

She pulled away and moved to the kitchen, your gaze following her. You couldn’t help it, being a stallion, as your eyes roamed over her form, the soft, almost sensual bounce of her hips as her legs moved, and her flanks… Truly, Twilight Sparkle had grown into a wonderful mare, and was now taking care of you.

You just grinned up as you heard giggling, seeing the alicorn filly, this ‘Skyla’, poking her head through the railings at you. “You’ve got a crush on Aunt Twiliy!” You just shook your head with a small smile as you lay your head back on the pillow. “Don’t deny it, my mom’s the princess of love!”

You weren’t going to. Granted, you weren’t even friends yet, but the foundation was there. And upon the foundation something amazing could be built. But how long would it last until the memories of your foalhood, and your actions back then, surfaced within the mare once more?

Chapter 05

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This time as you came awake the pain was manageable, and you had been moved to a spare bedroom, letting you rest in peace and away from any inquisitive visitors to the library. You were further impressed by Princess Sparkle’s magical ability when she teleported both you and the bed from the main room, then followed you. You could manage was a couple of hundred metres, but that was only with line of sight.

You managed to roll from the bed, standing shakily on your hooves as you looked around. Spotting a likely looking door to the side, you smiled upon discovering the shower. A smile which disappeared when you saw the mirror. You hadn’t seen the effect from the shield as of yet, and now you knew why. From your neck to the base of your tail, about a third the width of your body, was scorched skin with just an odd patch of singed fur. “Polter? Are you up? It’s time for din…”

The lavender alicorn’s words trailed off when you exited the bathroom, turning her gaze away as if she could just ignore to problem. You did your best to keep your composure as you slowly walked over to her, and you could see her eyes flicking in your direction, but not at you. You sat down with your back to her, looking over your shoulder. “Look at it.”

“I… I c-c-can’t.”

“Look. At. It.” Slowly, her head began to turn, and you could see the dismay in her eyes, a look of horror on her face. But you knew it wasn’t for the state of your back, but how it happened, her shield having been the cause. She started to sniff, and you turned around, gently placing a forehoof over one of hers, looking her in the eyes. “To protect one of our princesses, I gladly bear these wounds… and accept it for penance of how I used to be.”

She moved her hoof an inch, and you thought you had said something that offended her, but instead she moved closer. Her forehooves slowly and gently reached around your back as she buried her head against your chest, her tears dripping through your fur. You didn’t know how to act, not knowing the protocol as to when a princess was sobbing against you.

Even though you were the party that the wrong was done against, there was that small part that couldn’t stand to see the mare in such a state, and you swallowed nervously as you brought a forehoof up. Princess Sparkle let out a small gasp as you wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

You heard a few sniffles as she tried to regain her composure, but instead of pulling away when her forehooves came loose, she instead seemed to melt against you, content to be held in your embrace for the moment.

“You have got to be bucking kiding me.” You glanced up at the door, eyes going wide at the unicorn stallion now stood at the door. “It’s really you… after all these years. The worst bully my sister ever had… and now you’re cuddling her?”

You sat on the couch in Princess Sparkle’s private living area, shaking lightly as the unicorn stallion listened to your host, occasionally glancing at you. On another couch opposite you sat Skyla, eagerly telling a rose pink alicorn about her past few days in Ponyville. The mare smirked up at you when the filly indicated your way, until a small growl caused you to drop your gaze to the floor once more.

The filly’s mother stood and lifted Skyla to her back after a rather large yawn, giving you a small smile as she left the room. Princess Sparkle and her brother, who you couldn’t quite remember the name of, had turned their backs to you, giving you the opportunity you had been waiting for the past few days, but were never up to attempting.

Silently rising to your hooves, you slipped out and up to your current lodgings, levitating your saddlebags next to you. The next challenge was getting out of the library. It was certain you would be caught using the front door, yet you didn’t know if there was a back door. So with the plan in your head you moved over to the window, focusing on one of the dark alleys. With a flash of light you teleported from the library, falling short, but it was just a little trot away.

You thought you had gotten away with your little trick, but a brighter flash further down the alley caused you to press into the shadows. From the street lights, you could make out the silhouette of an alicorn, making their way into the alley. Your eyes went wide and you turned around, but stopped as a large pink film of energy snapped across the alley entrance, cutting you off.

A quick glance showed the alicorn’s horn wasn’t glowing, and you turned back to the shield, cast by a pony much more adept at them than Princess Sparkle, swallowing nervously as another form came up the other side. Sure enough, the unicorn stallion walked through it as if it was not even there, raising an eyebrow at you. “Whilst I may not be happy about the situation, it would probably be best if you did everything Twilight told you.”

“POLTER DAWN, JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” You cringed a little as the mare arrived, your ears flattening as you felt her gaze burning into the back of your head. You slowly turned round and stared back defiantly, holding your head high. “Your treatment isn’t finished, so where are you going?”

“Home. I’ve already spent more time than I planned here, and now I need to collate my research.” Your horn glowed a dull brown as you pulled your saddlebags from where they fell, slipping them over your back, cringing in the process. “It was nice seeing you, Princess Sparkle, and I wish circumstances were different.”

You made to continue your journey, but she stepped in front of you, wings flared as she returned your nonchalant expression with a glare. The stallion that was behind you came around your side, gently pulling the mare from your path, staring at you intently. “Let him pass, Twilight. He’s not the kind of pony you want around.” Twenty years or so ago, and you would have agreed, but you weren’t the colt you had once been.

Still, reap what you sow. With one more glance to the mare, you resumed your trot and soon arrived at the train station. You ignored the concerned and inquisitive glances your way as you boarded, finding a corner in which to sequester yourself. The train had arrived early, and wasn’t leaving for a good half an hour, giving you some time to relax from your experiences in the town of Ponyville.

Just before it left, you spotted a cloaked pony sneak onto the train a few carriages down, thinking that the bulges were wings. Surely she would have no reason to do so, and you ignored it for now. If the conductor found a pony that hadn't paid their fare, they would be thrown off at the next stop.

“Let him pass, Twilight. He’s not the kind of pony you want around.” Whilst indeed one of her foalhood bullies, the unicorn stallion that glanced her way before leaving needed her help for pain she caused. She gave a small sigh as the peach tail disappeared around the corner, turning towards her library as the shield was dropped.

The pair trotted through the door of Golden Oaks, Cadance looking up from where she sat on the couch, her smile faltering when she saw the dejected look on her sister-in-law’s face. Her husband just nodded as he slipped past and up to the room where Skyla was waiting for her bedtime story.

Heaving a sigh as she flopped onto the couch, Twilight pulled her book from the side where it rested, a page torn along with it and covered in dirt. The tome was beyond repairable, and with a frustrated growl the mare flung it against the wall, causing the other alicorn to grow concerned. “Twilight?”

“It’s not fair! I hurt him, so I should be the one to help him!”

“But didn’t he hurt you in school? I would say that is cosmic justice, wouldn’t you?”

“Ponies can change. Look at me, I changed when I came to Ponyville, and made some friends. Instead, Polter seems to have lost all of his. I think he needs some new ones.”

“So what are you still doing here?” The lavender mare froze in place, the idea drifting through her mind. He lived in Canterlot, and probably still does. I’d be able to look at town records and find his current residence if he does, and I can be there pretty quick. It took a forehoof being waved in her face to snap her out her daze, turning towards Cadance. “Hello, anypony home?”

“Yes, and I’ve made up my mind. You can stay here for as long as you both want, and please tell Spike what is going on.” With a nod from her sister-in-law, Twilight summoned as much magic as she could, an audible pop following as she disappeared in a ball of light, the power being enough for her brother to sense.

“Twiliy?” Cadance climbed from the couch and made her way upstairs, glancing into Skyla’s room to find the filly fast asleep in her father’s lap, the stallion looking towards his wife with concern. “What just happened? If you sent Twilight after him…”

“Think, what is the most common of reasons as to why somepony bullies another pony?” The stallion’s eyes went wide when he caught her meaning, his ears splaying back. It was true, Polter Dawn had given his younger sister an inordinate amount of attention, some much more than just a target. “Nothing to worry about. Everything’s going to be fine.”

The statement was indeed true, if you discounted the fact that Princess Celestia almost choked on her dessert spoon when her protege flashed into existence upon her dining table, Princess Luna just having a little giggle.

“Oh, looks like I miscalculated. I’ll, um, leave you to it.” The alicorn twins watched in confusion and amusement as the young mare hopped to the marble floor, quickly trotting from the dining hall.

As you got off the train in Canterlot Central, you noticed the cloak-clad pony looking around. They spotted a few guards and turned in the opposite direction, seemingly eager for no interaction with the ponies of the law. Any uncertainty you felt about them disappeared when they turned in a direction away from your home, and with a grunt you began the slow walk.

As per usual, it took around forty minutes to reach your one storey shack in one of the less than reputable areas of the city, pushing the door open. You immediately gave a sigh as you heard somepony rifling through your cupboards. This was why you normally had no money, because ponies kept taking your food whilst you were away.

Maybe you should just bite the bit and buy a damn lock.

Not feeling confrontational, you were quite content to leave them to it, ensuring to keep your current income quiet in your saddle bags. Entering your room, which was a little larger than a broom closet, you knelt down under the bed and pulled your magic-secured box closer, slipping your horn into the hole. Giving it a small bit of magic caused the lock to pop, and you floated your pile of bits into, smiling as they clinked when they hit the wood. “Oh good, you’re home.”

You jumped up in shock, but with the bed being above you, slammed your horn against the planks, giving a small groan. You felt the tingle of magic as you were pulled out, then gently lifted to your bed. After letting the pain die down a little, you opened your eyes to see who the pony was. Standing in the door to your room, in your house, was Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, with a massive smile on her face. Of course, two questions were at the forefront of your mind. “How… did you find my house, and what are you doing here?”

“Well, the finding part was easy, I am a princess after all.” If you weren’t so stunned to move, you’d have facehooved at the obvious answer, but you chose to cock your head instead. “As to the why, your injuries… that I caused haven’t healed yet, so here I am. Although I think it would best if I moved you to the castle.”

“Get out.”

“I… wait, what?”

“Each time I came to the library of my own volition, it was during opening times. True, I stayed later the first time, but that was not on purpose. But you… you have entered my house without permission, and are therefore trespassing.” The mare’s eyes went wide at the sudden realisation, and you gestured behind her with a forehoof. “So, like I said; get out. Or if I have to, I’ll call the guards. Being a princess of Equestria doesn’t exclude you from following the law.”

Having no counter argument, the mare gave a small nod, turning to leave your house. You saw her pause for a moment in the hallway, before she continued with a deep sigh. She then disappeared, a door slamming shut following after her hoofsteps. Now you could rest in comfort, not worrying about any other ponies around, and you lay your head upon your familiar and comfortable pillow.

With a loud knocking from your front door, you rolled from your bed with a groan, glancing at the clock to see not even ten minutes had passed. Getting to your hooves as the knocking started once more, you groggily made your way to the front door, cracking it open to reveal several dark grey stallions with yellow slitted eyes, bat like wings upon their backs. The one with dark purple instead of dark blue armour stepped forward, a magic sealing ring upon his hoof. “Polter Dawn, you are hereby placed under arrest for breach of Equestrian Penal Code number fifty seven; causing grievous bodily harm against another pony.”

Chapter 06

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“Oh no, I’ve been brought before Nightmare Moon! I must repent my sins to enter Celestia’s Paradise!” The glare which you received from the midnight blue alicorn did not change your stance, so you just ignored her, and began to walk freely around the throne room. “That window sucks, and that one… and that one… Any good windows in this castle?”

“Dost thou know why thou is here upon this night?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’ll be with you when I’m ready.”

“Dost thou not fear us?”

“A mare that hides in the shadow of her sister, mainly ignored by ponies as they sleep through the nights. No wonder you don’t…” Your words were stopped by a crack of thunder inside the throne room, a swirling dark cloud with bolts of lightning shooting from it forming at the top of the dais, moving as the mare did, slowly trotting towards you.

“YOUR WORDS MEAN NOTHING, KNAVE! WE RULE WITH OUR SISTER, NOT AGAINST, AND SUPPORT OUR PONIES AS THEY SLUMBER! THOU SPEAK OF THINGS THOU DOST NOT UNDERSTAND!”

“Luna, please let his muzzle go.” The two of you broke your mutual glare and turned to the side, where Princess Celestia was watching on with some amusement. A golden glow removed the blue aura from your mouth, allowing you to speak again. “I would be interested in hearing what he has to say.”

“So what if I attacked somepony? He and his cohorts were antagonizing an Equestrian princess, and things would have escalated if I didn’t step in.” Princess Luna’s mouth dropped open in shock, whilst Princess Celestia smiled at you, not that you cared as you casually trotted up the dais and hopped onto one of the twin thrones, then changed to the other one. “I can see why she’s a bit more ratty, her chair is a bit more harsh.”

“WE HAPPEN TO LIKE IT!”

“LUNA, volume! Now then, Mr Dawn?” Turning your head towards the solar diarch, you nonchalantly waved a hoof at her, the alicorn mare giving a small giggle as she bowed her head a little. “Thank you. Now, why are you not having your wounds seen to?”

“Ain’t got time.”

“That is a poor excuse.” You just shrugged, hopping down from the throne and trotting to the entrance. The twin sisters had a whispered conversation about you, but you didn’t slow down, stopping at the doors and frowning. You still had the magic sealing ring around your horn, and couldn’t open the door. Not that it mattered, as it opened in a purple aura… right into your muzzle. “Oh dear, that’s not good.”

“Celestia! I found it! The law that I can use to ensure Polter gets the care he needs, and I can do it!” You just groaned as you shook off your daze, slowly crawling around from behind the door. You glanced up to see three alicorns staring down at you, two with a soft smile and one confused. “Polter? What are you doing here?”

“You should know, you had me arrested!”

“Arrested? I thought they wanted to interview you!” She offered you her hoof to get back up, but you disregarded it, standing under your own power. The three mares watched as you turned your back on them, trotting out of the throne room. “Polter!”

“Interview with a magic sealing ring? Grow up.” You heard Twilight give a shocked gasped, before a purple flash went off in the corridor, the mare appearing in front of you with a stern glare. You couldn’t help but back pedal as she stalked towards you, wings spread and horn glowing. “P-p-princess!”

“By the power granted me as a Princess of Equestria, I am hereby ordering you to comply with The Treatment of Ponies Injured In Duty To The Crown, Article thirty-six, which states that the injured party will only be released from care whence a medical professional has declared them fit.” You stared at the mare, trying to think of something with which to fight back, but nothing came to mind. Your flank hit the bottom steps of the dais, Twilight pressing her muzzle close to yours. “And to that end, you are not seeing a medical professional until I say so!”

You were breathing heavily, trying to think of a way out of it, but your body instead took a different reaction. Your neck moved of its own accord, bringing your lips softly to hers, her eyes shooting wide as she looked into yours. Then they closed as she wrapped her forehooves around your neck and pulled you close. After a moment she pulled away, a light blush on her cheeks as she smiled softly at you. "I prefer this physical contact to what you used to do to me."

The sound of a pony clearing their throat caused you both to look to the side, Twilight’s cheek pressed against your own as you beheld the smirking face of Princess Celestia. There seemed to be a strange spark in her eyes, as if she knew something you or the mare with her hooves around your neck didn’t. “I trust you will comply with the law, Mr Dawn?”

You just nodded dumbly, still unsure what to make of the events that just transpired. You were also disappointed when Twilight removed her hooves from you, stepping away to allow you to stand. You did so shakily, Princess Celestia using her magic to remove your horn ring and then nodding towards the door.

In a daze, not caused by head trauma for once, you trotted out of the throne room, not sure where to go. A pony nudging your side sent you left at an intersection, and it was then you noticed Twilight pressed firmly against your side with a soft smile on her face. You felt your lips curling up into one as well, turning your gaze back to the corridor ahead of you. With a guide subtly directing you, the path took you to the castle infirmary.

With a cloak over your back that slowly let burn cream spread to your wounds, you looked around the large room, giving a low whistle at the amount of books on shelves. The mare still at your side let out a small giggle, then pulled away and walked up some stairs, leaving you alone. Knowing she more than likely had official work to do, you instead chose to peruse the titles around you. Most of them were books on non fiction, dealing with facts and figures, but one shelf caught your eye.

You levitated a book over, chuckling as you read the title, then started pulling books out. Each and every one was a book on myths and legends, some of which you recognised the titles of. Following the direction Twilight had gone, you stopped and blinked in surprise when you saw her, laying on her front on a bed, a book under her muzzle and her tail slowly flicking from side to side.

Your magic suddenly cut out, the books in your brown aura clattering to the floor, the mare turning and glaring at you. She slowly stood from the bed, trotting over to you and raising a hoof to your muzzle. “Quiet in my library, please.” You blinked as she gently bopped your nose, poked her tongue out, then returned to the bed.

Shaking your head with a grin, you picked the books back up and joined her on the bed, trying to see what she was reading, but she didn’t let you. Her tome was closed and disappeared in a purple flash before she looked at your selection, raising an eyebrow at you. “What?”

“You believe in this stuff? I mean, look at this!” She slid a book over to you, and you glanced at the title, then back to the mare frowning at you. “The Banshee Of Baltimare? There hasn’t been a sighting of it for four years!”

“Five, actually. It was a spell put on the ‘haunted house’ by a mage about seven hundred years ago, to protect his research. Turning it off was pretty easy once I worked out how to read his hoof writing.” Twilight’s eyes had grown large in surprise as you spoke, and she quickly looked for another book, pushing it under your muzzle. “Let’s see, The Wraith Of Ravenhoof? That actually was a spirit for once. Do you recall the tragedy of Ravenhoof?”

“Of course. It was a bustling settlement set up in the year two hundred and seventy three Post Somnum Exterreri. Back then the griffons were aggressive in expanding their lands, and… burnt the town to the ground.” You smiled softly at the mare, amazed at her memory. It was like she had just read the book. “By the time the guard had arrived to back up the local militia, it was just a pile of smouldering wood. Princess Celestia then led a campaign to Griffon Lands, laying siege to the capital and demanding every single attacker to be hoofed over or the city would meet Ravenhoof's fate. They refused… Celestia showed no mercy.”

“That’s correct. but the wraith, the soul of a pony, remained there until about two years ago.”

“What happened?” Your gaze became unfocused, this being the only ‘myth’ that you had not recorded, for the tale was a sad one. A hoof snapped you out of your daze as it was gently placed on your shoulder, Twilight laying her head over you neck. “I would like to know, but if you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

You just gave a small sigh, twisting your head around and gently laying it over her withers. “There was a travelling merchant, who helped set up the town and was going to retire there, his wife and three foals having already selected their home. He had one more delivery to do, and would be returning in two days, promising to spend the rest of his life with them.”

“So… why was his soul still there?”

“The attack came during those two days.” Twilight’s hooves moved around your neck and squeezed gently, her cheek lightly nuzzling against yours, and you drew the strength to continue from her. “He has been waiting for seven hundred years to fulfil his promise. He came home on the second day, just like he promised. The guards tried to get him to go with them, but he just lay down in the ruins of his home. It took time, but he eventually passed. He had been wandering the marshes looking for his family ever since.”

“But… is he still there?”

“No. I arrived and waited at the spot where a ghostly glow had been seen. It didn’t take long for him to appear, aimlessly wandering through the ruins. I wasn’t going to follow in the dark, so waited until he came and lay down on the rotten wood, and that’s when I did it.”

“Did what?”

“Said; ‘hello’. He stood up in shock, his gaze fixated on me.”

“But... only alicorns can talk to spirits! And not just any, but ones who have been around for millennia! Even I can’t do it! How can you?”

“I will explain after this. He didn’t say anything, and I had already looked into the history of the area. So there I was, sitting on the planks with this spirit staring at me. Let me see if I can remember the conversation. ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help.’”

“My wife and foals, have you seen them? I am meant to meet them here, but I can’t find them.”

“I… your family. I’m sorry, but they are dead.”

“Dead? How? The village is in full swing, and soon will be part of the trade route. My contacts in Manehatten will be along to set up a trade post.”

“Okay, I’m going to help you’. It was at this time I had to use my talent, summoning my magic. It took a lot out of me, but I managed to connect to the other side, letting a stable portal open. ‘Call your wife, she will help you.’”

“Tulip, are you there? Tulip?”

“Daddy?’ I watched as a small glow came forth from the the portal, roughly the size of a young filly, and she jumped at the astral projection of the stallion, wrapping her forehooves around his neck. Three more spirits followed, their glows brightening as the family was reunited.” You pulled back at the sound of sniffing, wiping the tears from where they started to fall down Twilight’s cheeks, giving her a sad smile. “I then told him his promise was complete, and he could follow with his family.”

That was it, the floodgates broke, Twilight’s tears falling to your fur as you pulled her close, melting into your embrace. Closing your eyes to stop your own tears from falling, you raised a hoof and began to run it through her mane, doing your best to comfort her. At length she calmed down, pulling away and wiping her eyes with a forehoof. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

You leant forward and pressed your forehead against hers, gently resting a hoof over one of hers, looking deep into her eyes. “They were happy tears, and it’s okay to cry happy tears, Princess.” She gave a small giggle at you using her title, lighting her horn and clearing the books from the bed. You went to rise and move to the couch in the corner, but a hoof on your shoulder caused you to look back down.

“Please… stay with me until I am asleep.” You glanced at the couch, then down to the main door which was closed in a golden aura, then back to the mare. Giving a small nod, you laid down as she lifted the blankets, then slipped between your hooves, her back pressed firmly against your chest and head under your chin. Even as an alicorn, she was still smaller than you. “Tell me how you got your cutie mark.”

“Sure. It was when my family moved to Detrot…”

You awoke in your new room, the thunderstorm outside rattling the windows. You pulled the covers over your head when you saw an ethereal glow under the door, and chose to ignore it. You were only eleven, and this kind of thing was reserved for adults, so you were content to let it pass until the morning, even if your mother and father had explicitly told you there was no such things as ghosts. “Polter, are you awake?”

You shot up on your mattress, your ears pricked as you recognised the voice. Pulling down the covers slowly, you noticed it was indeed a pony you knew, all too well, except there was a strange blue glow to him. The unicorn stallion bent down and nuzzled your cheek, making you shiver from the cold touch. “G-g-grandpa? Have you come to visit?”

“No, I’ve come to say goodbye. I will be leaving the world this night, and not be returning. Tell your mother I love her, and I love you too.” Slowly, the ghostly form of your grandfather began to fade away, and you hopped out of bed, trying to wrap your forelegs around his neck, but just fell through him.

Shaking off your daze, you got up and bolted from the room, entering your parent’s bedroom and jumping on the bed, shocking them awake. You could see they were about to tell you off for doing so, so spoke before they could. “Mom, dad! Come quick, grandpa is here!”

“Polter, what are you talking about? He’s in Manehatten, like always.”

“But… but he just came to see me! He said… said something about saying goodbye, and that he loves you, mom.”

“It was just a bad dream, nothing more. Now come on, back to sleep.” You tried to resist, but she pulled you close and held you tight against her chest, and you soon drifted off to sleep.

The morning came around and you were trying to make sense of your dream, when a shocked gasp came from your mother, who was holding an official letter from the offices of Manehatten. Your father moved over and had a read, wrapping his forehooves around your mother as she began to cry. “I told you grandpa came here last night. He said he was leaving.”

Your parents turned to look at you, their eyes going wide as they pointed to your flank. Upon looking you discovered that a cutie mark had appeared. A closer inspection revealed a black board with a strange inscription, surrounded by a swirling grey mist. “Polter… what did ‘grandpa’ tell you?”

“That he was leaving the world last night, or something, and wouldn’t be coming back. Mom, is grandpa moving from Manehatten?” The mare waved you over, and you followed her instructions, confused when she held you close to her chest. It was then you caught sight of the letter, reading the first line of the passage. You weren’t stupid, you knew what death was… but you didn’t think it would come for your grandfather, not a strong pony like him. “Grandpa’s… dead? But… I talked to him last night!”

“You… you talked to his ghost, son. He’s gone, it’s just you, me, and your mother now.” The sad news finally hit home, and you sank your face against your mother’s chest, her hoof running through your mane as your tears began to flow.

Twilight had rolled over to look at you, and once more your hoof wiped away her tears, before you bent down and softly kissed her. Her hooves wrapped around your neck, and you held her close as she drifted off to sleep. Without waking her you managed to break free, heading over to the window and opening it, letting the cool evening air wash around you. “I… wish you were still here, dad. And you, grandpa. I… hope you’d be proud of me.”

There was a slight tingling on your flanks, and your horn glowed a dull brown, yet you were not using magic and it did not concern you. Two blue ethereal glows rose from the floor to either side of you, and the sense of standing with two other stallions fell over you. One just looked at you with happiness, whilst the other turned and looked towards the bed. “Damn, an alicorn? Go on, Polter, give her one from me!”

“Grandpa, no, just… no. It’s kinda creepy to hear you say that.”

“So, you made peace with your past then, son? Good.”

“Yeah, dad. I’ll tell mom you popped by next time I see her.” That was the other part of your talent, which was more like a curse, one you were trying to stop. Strong spirits could use you to come back for a short time… and some of the ones you had met were not the kind that should be allowed free. “So, how’s things in Celestia’s Paradise?”

Chapter 07

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The small breeze felt warm to you, compared to the ghostly figures of your forebearers, all three of you with your eyes closed as the night drifted by. You had already told them about your latest discoveries, your father chiding you for entering the Everfree Forest alone, whilst your grandfather nodded his approval. Time, right now, was not an issue as you sat with your passed loved ones, happy in the knowledge you could see them anytime you want. “Son, I think we’ve got company.”

Your eyes blinked open, and you noted the moon now low in the sky, turning around to see Twilight heading your way, currently yawning. There was no way you could open a portal without her seeing, nor time to tell your relatives to hide. Where the hell would I hide ghosts anyway? It was at this point that she opened her eyes fully, and they immediately went wide when she saw the glowing next you. “P-P-Polter?”

“It’s okay, Twilight. They’re not going to hurt yo… What? No, Grandpa, not that Twilight! No, behave!” Looking at the mare, you could clearly see she had only heard your side of the conversation, giving a small huff as your grandfather continued to whisper into your ear, doing your best to stop a blush from forming. “Twilight, come on over. It’s safe.”

Slowly and warily, a hoof moved forward, followed by another, before she managed to stop in front of you, sitting down. You moved next to her and sat as well, lifting up a forehoof. Your father came closer first, the mare shuddering against your side as his ghostly limb brushed her fur. Your grandfather was next, but he instead wrapped what would have been his forehooves around her neck, Twilight giving a gasp at the contact.

Pulling away from her, you ‘felt’ his hoof hit your shoulder, and looked at him to see a massive grin. You raised a hoof and covered your eyes, shaking your head at him, and you heard your father chuckle. “Son, he’s just joking.”

“I know, dad. It doesn’t mean I want to hear him!”

“Just a quick brush with a hoof, she’ll love it!”

“I AM NOT FONDLING TWILIGHT’S WINGS!” Mouth open in shock as you realised you had just said that out aloud, you turned to face her and expecting the worst. She was just staring at you, her cheeks seemingly on fire, as the thought danced through her mind. “T-T-Twilight?”

“I… um, wouldn’t mind. They have… been kind of stiff from my flying attempts.”

“You using magic, colt?” There was indeed a dull brown glow coming from your forehead, and you weren’t currently summoning. Shaking your head to clear the thought of being wrapped in her feathery appendages, you turned back towards the spirits with a glare. “Whoa, calm down, son! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“I think it’s time you and grandpa went back, don’t you?”

“Aw, do they have to? You’re… pretty cute when you get all flustered.” Ignoring her, you moved into the centre of the room, closing your eyes as you tapped into your aura. You heard Twilight gasp as you felt your flanks tingle, knowing that your mark was glowing. A hoof to your shoulder from either side told you they were ready, so you pulled the portal open, slowly raising your eyelids.

It was always an amazing sight to you, an endless beach with nopony for miles… but you knew each and every ‘soul’ had their own view on this other world, and not even then did all of them reach it; some ponies really did just cease to be one day, and you had no idea why. Your father and grandfather nodded towards Twilight, then stepped into the portal. You let your magic drop when you knew they were through, turning to see the mare staring back at you with wide eyes. ‘What… what was that?”

“That… was my ‘soulworld’ spell.” Your eyes became heavy, and you knew exactly why; preventing the bad spirits from returning made you extremely tired… and you wouldn’t be opening a portal again anytime soon. Your gaze shifted from Twilight to the bed, which seemed to be the only thing in the room right now, and it was just what you needed.

“Hey, what about my wing massage?”

“In… in the morning, I promise.” Your hooves started to feel like they were made of lead, and it took a burst of magical energy not from you to get you on the mattress, Twilight following a moment later. Once more she slipped between your hooves, gently nuzzling your chin, which you returned. “Good night, Princess.”

“Good night, Polter.”

Whilst not an unknown feeling to you, waking up with another pony pressed against your chest was something you hadn’t felt for months. Letting your eyes flutter open as the sound of birdsong drifted through the open window, you looked down to see Twilight’s head buried in your fur, a wing draped over your side. “Go~od morn~ing, Pirnc~ess Spar~kle!”

The mare in your hooves groaned, pressing closer against you, as if trying to use your body to hide herself. You recognised the voice of the other mare, but you weren’t sure where from, until her head appeared from the stairs, a massive grin upon the bright pink face. “Twily, you in here? Thought we might all go visit mom since we’re all in town.”

That voice caused you both to open your eyes fully, staring at each other with worry, hoofsteps now coming up the stairs seemingly as loud as drums beating out a cadence during a parade. With a sudden blur of motion, Twilight sprang from your grip and darted through a door at the side, slamming it shut… just in time for the stallion to crest the stairs. “YOU! What are you doing in my sister’s bedroom?”

You looked from the unicorn to the alicorn, who turned her gaze to the pile of books on the floor. The stallion started to walk towards you, and you swallowed nervously as you tried to think of a good explanation. Fortune seemed to be smiling on you that day, as a bright gold flash went off, the Solar Diarch taking the scene at a glance. “Ah, Mr Polter, I thought you may have taken up residence in here if you discovered the books.” She seemed to get a strange expression as she stepped between you and Twilight’s brother, looking over the bed. “You are lucky Princess Sparkle wasn’t here, you might have had to share her bed.”

“It seems that way, your majesty. I certainly would not have imposed if Princess Sparkle was present when I entered.” Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria and raiser of the sun, was playing a dangerous game. If she didn’t want the stallion to know of what previously went on, there must have been a reason. “If I may, I shall report to the infirmary for my treatment now, your majesty.”

Sliding from the bed, you floated your cloak over and draped it over your back, not making eye contact as you walked past them. You even saw the pink alicorn smirk when she read the title of one of the books; seeing that it was not one you had selected you briefly wondered what it could be. As you neared the doors, they swung open in a purple glow, and you bowed to the ground as Twilight reentered the room. “Good morning, Mr Dawn. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, Princess Sparkle, thank you. I understand I took your bed last night, please, forgive me for my transgression.”

“Not a problem. Carry on to the infirmary, they are expecting you.” Bowing once more as the mare passed you, you snuck a quick look at her swaying flanks, giggling from above telling you the other alicorns had seen. With a pleased smile at throwing her brother of the trail, you left the library and began trotting down the corridors… then stopped as you didn’t know in which direction the medical wing lay.

“‘tis this way, Mr Dawn.” You looked down a side corridor, seeing Princess Luna staring at you with a vacant expression. An eyebrow was raised, so you walked towards her, matching the pace she set as she turned and made off. She paid you no heed as you followed in silence, before she suddenly turned off, the infirmary in front of you. “Good day, Mr Dawn.”

“Uh… Princess Luna?” She stopped, her head cocked slightly as she waited for you to continue. “About last night? I’d just like to apologise for the things I said. I know they’re not true, and they should have never left my mouth.”

“I will accept your apology, Mr Dawn, on one condition.” She was looking at you now, a grin on her muzzle as you nodded. “Keep having dreams like you did last night, they were very… entertaining.” Your ears splayed back and your cheeks burned, as the image of Twilight lying on her front, her wings spread across the mattress, and her half lidded eyes looking over her shoulder at you flashed through your mind.

“O-o-of course, your majesty. Maybe… you’d care to join next time?” The blue furred alicorn stopped, her ears rigid. Yours twitched as you actually heard the moon princess giggle, before dismissing the idea with her hoof, then she left your sight, and you entered the infirmary.

Your body was in that numb state between asleep and awake, but you were slowly moving towards the latter. It was part of the procedure, allowing your coat to start regrowing, followed by a massage to help heal your back muscles. The nurse currently doing so was now running her hooves down your back, and you gasped as they drifted over a more intimate area.

You went to roll over, but she then set her body down over you, her hooves shifting to your shoulders, shuddering as she decided to lick your horn. You didn't have the strength to push her from you, your limbs remaining numb even as you tried to move them. "Look miss, I've just started a new relationship, and I don't think she would be too happy about seeing this."

"Oh, I think she will," she cooed into your ear, which twitched from the sultry undertones. You gave a low chuckle, now knowing it was Twilight laying on you, and not some random mare. Slowly and carefully you slipped from the bed, the alicorn remaining in place as you trotted out of the room, smiling at the medics. "So, I was thinking, I know we only got together yesterday, I want you to meet my parents. I already met your father."

"Sure, I haven't got anything else to do today." There was chuckling from the guards and servants as you trotted down the corridors with Twilight on your back, her hooves holding on around your neck tightly. "It's not your parents that I am afraid of, I don't want another run in with your brother."

"If he starts anything, I'll turn him into a daisy... again." She nuzzled the back of your neck as you trotted out of the castle, guards bowing in respect to Twilight. Ponies in the street did the same, smiling as they saw her chosen method of transport. You suddenly stopped, turning your head to look at the mare. “What?”

“Which direction is it to your house?”

“We’re not going there yet, you need to look presentable. Now, get to it!” With one forehoof pointing down the street, a rear leg lightly slapped your flank, making you chuckle as you were guided along. You had made it about three or four blocks before a strange squeal hit your ears, grimacing as you turned to the source. “Oh boy, here we go.”

“TWILIGHT, DARLING! Who have you got there?” A rather pretty unicorn mare trotted over, her finely styled purple mane bouncing along gently with her, sparkling blue eyes roaming over your form. You raised an eyebrow as she stepped closer, using a hoof to move your muzzle around, getting a decent look. “Hmm, he has a certain rugged look to him, and it suits him. Twilight, you haven’t been keeping him locked away in that castle, hidden from all of us, have you?”

The lazy pile of limbs on your back slid to the ground with a giggle, pressing up against your side. “No, Rarity, I haven’t. Remember the stallion I told you about the other day?” The alabaster mare’s expression darkened as she turned to glare at you with narrowed eyes, causing you to step back and swallow nervously.

“You mean the one that bullied you as a foal, trespassed in your library, dumped a manticore cub on Fluttershy… then protected you from his old cohorts?”

“Yes. Polter, this is my good friend Rarity. Rarity, this my… new friend, Polter Dawn.” You stepped forward next to Twilight, holding your head high as you smiled softly to the mare, whilst her gaze softened a little.

“In my defense, the library was open when I entered. You just can’t put a good book down.” Rarity gave you a knowing look when Twilight started giggling, pressing against you to steady herself. Smiling coyly, the unicorn pressed up against the alicorn’s other side, whispering something into her ear that you couldn’t hear. Judging by the blush forming on Twilight’s cheeks, it wasn’t for foals. “I hate to interrupt, but Twilight was taking me somewhere to get ‘presentable’, as I am meeting her parents today.”

“Oh, are you now? Twilight, you sly mare! At that stage already! Why, the scandal!”

“Rarity, just make him something nice to wear.” She had said this with a smile, the unicorn mare poking her tongue out as she trotted away, Twilight motioning you to follow. Upon entering the building, you discovered it to be a clothing store, where another white unicorn with a pinkish mane and lithe body was working away. “Hey, Fleur. How are you?”

“I am fine, Mizz Sparkle, and ’ow about yourself?” Somehow, the Prench accent suited the mare, whether fake or not, as she stood and approached. Soon you were back out in the street, a semi-casual suit covering your frame and hiding your burns, Twilight next to you in a flowing dark blue dress. You were pretty surprised when the two unicorns pushed you out without giving you a chance to pay, the alicorn trotting away with a happy hum.

Soon you were in one of the upper class residential areas, the houses in perfect condition compared to your tiny… shack. You gave a sigh and trotted after your new marefriend, who had entered the garden of one of the larger houses, a mare and a stallion stood on the porch, looking out at you. Twilight skipped up to them, wrapping her forelegs around their necks and pulling them into a tight hug.

You stopped at the base of the steps, waiting respectfully whilst she spoke to them, until she turned and waved you forward. You trotted up, head held high as the mare scrutinised you, whilst the stallion just looked on with indifference. Bending down, you took the mare’s hoof with yours and kissed it, followed by offering your hoof to the stallion, who shook it back.

The couple then stepped back, allowing you entrance into their home, Twilight nuzzling your cheek as you walked in next to her side. She led you to the sitting room, then disappeared with her parents to another room. It was then you noticed the pink alicorn from Ponyville, smiling sweetly at you as she sipped some tea.

Twilight trotted into the kitchen, Nightlight and Twilight Velvet finishing their whispered conversation and turning towards their daughter, who suddenly swallowed nervously. Her mother pointed to the kitchen table, where the alicorn took her seat and awaited the interrogation. “Twilight found a coltfriend… is Discord back to his old tricks?”

“Come on, Velvet, he seemed nice enough.”

“You would say that. Ever since Skyla came along, you wanted more grandfoals!” The filly in question ran in from the back garden, squealing with delight as she jumped into her aunt’s lap, wrapping her forehooves around her neck. Twilight giggled as she returned the embrace, smiling when her brother walked in.

“Mom, I got the carrots. Twily, you made it! This is much better than some stupid research, right? Oh… that stallion from Ponyville. We found him inside your chambers at the castle, but have lost track of him since. Nopony saw him leave.” The alicorn mare averted her gaze to the table top, Skyla looking around confused. Pretending to continue making lunch, Velvet turned around and lit her horn, communicating in a way only a mother and daughter, or father and son, unicorns could.

‘Twilight Sparkle, have you entered a relationship with a stallion… and not told your brother?’

‘That would not be entirely inaccurate. Um, he used… when I went to the School For Gifted Unicorns.’ The unspoken part caused Velvet to frown at her daughter, who just gave a subtle shrug. ‘Look, after what he went through to protect me, I can overlook his prior transgressions… and he’s a good kisser.’ Turning towards her husband, Velvet gave slight nod of her head, signalling that he should start taking lunch through, trotting along behind him, a tray loaded with a water jug and glasses in her magic.

“Shiny, make sure you and Skyla have clean hooves before joining us, okay?” The alicorn filly gave a groan as her father picked her up with his magic, making his way over to the kitchen sink, Twilight taking the opportunity to leave as well.

“...so I kinda asked her to join in.” The young alicorn smiled as she saw Cadance giggle at whatever it was Polter was talking about, hopping up next to him on the couch. Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she settled down against his side, setting her head on his shoulder. She noticed the coy smile on her mother’s muzzle, whilst her father started to raid the drinks cabinet… until Velvet zapped his flank with magic.

“We’re clean now, mo… Polter Dawn… what are you doing here, and why is my sister so close to you?” Twilight’s ears splayed back, turning her head towards the lounge door, where Shining Armour was glaring at her stallion, horn alight.

Chapter 08 (sex)

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The angry unicorn stallion took a step towards you, but lavender wings hid you from him, Twilight wrapping them around you. You could just see him through gaps in her feathers; the way he was glancing at Twilight, and the other alicorn with confusion. “Twilight, I…”

“No. I am an adult, and I will make my own decisions, no matter how you feel about them!” Dropping her wings, she wrapped her forehooves around your neck, nuzzling your cheek. Her brother looked to her father, who just shrugged and carried on making himself a sandwich after being denied his drink. Shining Armour then hung his head in defeat.

You looked down and saw the alicorn filly grinning up at you, Twilight bending down and picking her up. You were quite surprised when Skyla chose to sit in between you, not in Twilight’s lap, even more so when she pressed closer to your side. “I like him.” That was the final nail in the coffin for the stallion, who resumed his glare at you, even with Twilight trying to cow him into submission with her own.

“Am I the only one going to eat or what?” Giving a giggle, Skyla hopped down from your side and over to the table, appearing next to her grandfather. Giving you a quick nuzzle, Twilight got up from the couch, your head turning as you watched her approach the table. There were only five chairs around it, something that didn’t bother her as she came back with two plates, hopping up next to you once more.

Shining Armour and the other alicorn, whose name you still hadn’t discovered, joined the others at the table. Lunch was a silent affair, Velvet smiling when you offered to wash the dishes. In truth, you just wanted to get away from the stallion that seemed to be trying to set you on fire with his stare.

Unfortunately for you, fate chose to take another path. Twilight entered the kitchen and kissed you, informing you that she, Skyla, and Cadance were going filly’s shopping. That must have been the other alicorn. You were spending the afternoon… with her brother, who apparently just wanted to ‘talk’ with you, somewhere away from the house. She pressed into a much more passionate kiss before you had time to protest.

Armour was waiting for you when you stepped out into the hallway, and he silently turned around, walking out of the front door. You followed, not a word being said between you as he led you from the city in a forest on the side of the mountain. It was pretty thick, the kind of place you could leave a body without it being found for years unless somepony was looking for it. For you, that would be your mother, and possibly Twilight. The steep drop that suddenly appeared to your left didn’t help things, making you swallow nervously.

Armour suddenly stopped, his foreleg raised. His ears were flicking in every direction, and you knew something had caught his attention. You spun around to check the path behind you, but breathed a sigh of relief when you saw it empty. “Hey, why is your butt glowing?” At first you were worried about another stallion checking your flank, a married one at that, but he was right. Your cutie mark was shining brightly, and that only happened when…

“Oh no, not now!” The rocky wall to your right had a massive crack appear in it, swirling black mist with the odd spark of green magic appearing from the gap. It reached for you, but a purple dome appeared over your head. You turned to see Armour’s horn glowing brightly. A face began to appear in the smoke, one that you did not recognise. It was a unicorn stallion, but his horn didn’t match his dark grey coat, being red and slightly curved.

His jet black mane floated around his head, there were fangs in the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were glowing green with red pupils, wisps of purple smoke coming from the edge. Slowly, his body began to appear, and your eyes went wide, having seen a depiction of his attire in a history book; the armour of King Sombra. “Polter… kill him, take what you desire.”

You couldn’t help but stare at him, his voice having a hypnotic feel to it. It was like a daze, as you watched your hoof lift up and turn towards the stallion next to you. He didn’t have time to defend himself as you shoved hard, nearing the cliff edge. His hooves lost their purchase, but he managed to cling on, just his head and forelegs still in view. “Hmm, the mighty prince, felled by a weak thrall. I shall enjoy my visit to your wife…”

“Polter, snap out of it! He’s lying to you!”

“...and then to yours sister. I may have some fun with her before I snuff out her life, adding her soul to those empowering mine.”

“POLTER, HE IS GOING TO HURT TWILIGHT!” You shook your head at the mention of your marefriend, gasping at the situation. You immediately lit your horn, but the ghostly figure of the once ruler of the Crystal Empire just laughed, turning from his prey to you.

“A mage of your skill? Do not insult me in my greatest triumph, whelp. I used your power to come here, and you can not send me back without help!”

“Oh, I know that.” You meant to sound disinterested and blunt, making his steps falter as he now frowned at you, whilst you just tore open a portal of your own to the spirit world. Two spirits stood next to you, your father and grandfather, a line of spectral ponies behind them. “You see, I know I could never defeat you, even in your current state. However, these all believe I can, and are willing to help.”

A small spectral filly walked forward, followed by two other foals, right up to Sombra’s hooves, tilting their heads up at him. “You’re a meanie! He’s not, he brought my daddy home!” You recognised the voice, it belonged to one of the foals to the Wraith of Ravenhoof, who now stepped closer to his daughter. “You leave him alone, or my daddy will beat you up!”

The spectre reared back and tried to stamp on the filly, but was knocked over as her father slammed into his side. The other ponies then surged forward, combining their strength to pin him down. You walked over, leaning down and touching your horn to his, grinning wickedly at him. “No! I will not go! Think! You could have all you desire!”

“Do you know of the mare ‘Twilight Sparkle’?”

“I will cease her life!”

“She is all I desire, and I already have her.” You then began chanting, an incantation you had committed to memory just for such a time as this. Sombra began to thrash about, glaring at you, as if the words were somehow physically hurting him. A bright blue circle appeared around him, and you looked to the others. “Get away, or you’ll be sucked in with him.”

All but one did as told, and your eyes met the ones looking at you, full of pride for what you had achieved. You reached a hoof out, but with a bright flash of light, Sombra was gone… along with your father, forever. Not even to the spirit world, not even to the void, just… gone. You felt a hoof on your shoulder, turning to see your grandfather give you a nod.

One by one, the spirits returned through the portal, which you closed after them. Then you collapsed to the ground from too much energy expenditure. You weren’t done, not by a long shot, as you crawled forward towards the sound of grunting. Your vision was growing darker, but you kept it focused on Shining Armour. Once close enough, you leant over the edge and wrapped your forelegs around his neck, then pulled.

It took every ounce of strength you had, but eventually you lay on the path panting, Armour looking down at you at the edge of your vision. You had the weird sensation of floating, then saw cobblestone appear, looking around wearily at the streets of Canterlot. There was the echo of slow clopping hooves, a strange bounce to your location, and you turned your head to see Shining Armour’s back as the stallion carried you.

You drifted in and out, the streets vastly different each time you looked, before Armour stopped and lay you down on some soft grass. You heard a surprised gasp, seeing a purple face appear before your eyes moments prior to your vision fading entirely.

You groaned loudly, feeling like a thousand architects had decided to carve a masterpiece into your head, the pain intense. The other feeling was that of a warm body pressed firmly against you, warm breaths blowing against your neck. You cracked open an eye, seeing Twilight Sparkle sleeping lightly, and began to run a hoof through her mane, smiling softly when she snuggled closer. “She hasn’t left your side. You’ve been out for three days.”

You squinted into the dark, and could make the shape of a stallion out, but not who it was. Twilight stirred a little, but you just continued the soothing motions, at least until you could determine who was in the room with her. “You know, we spent a lot of time in here when she was a filly. When it became clear she wanted to learn instead of make friends, I did what I had to, keeping bullies away from a vulnerable target.”

You shuddered slightly as the memory of two broken legs and a strained horn welled up, Twilight squeezing you tighter as if the shiver was from the cold, Shining Armour appearing in the low light, his face impassive. “I don’t know what you did out there, just by standing around, or who you were reaching for, but I did learn one thing. You gave up nearly ultimate power… to be with my sister. You’ve got a long way to go to make up for what you did, but… I am happy to leave Twilight in your care.”

His hoof came up and towards you, his eyes locked with yours. You shakily raised one of your hooves, the stallion shaking it firmly. He then turned and left the room, closing the door a bit more loudly than needed. You wondered why he did this, but then looked at the mare pressed against your side as she groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

She stared at you for a few moments before gasping in shock, her forelegs wrapping around your neck and holding you close, tears falling from her cheeks. You tapped her shoulder for her to let you free, leaning back a little so you could see her eyes, giving her a small smile. “Hey there.”

“H-hey. Are… are you okay? Shiny told me who… what came after you out there! What happened?”

“I… uh, well, I… traded my father for your brother, basically.” Twilight placed a hoof over yours gently, slowly stroking it. She went to speak, but you placed your other hoof over her muzzle, shaking your head. “It was his choice, Twilight, not mine, but I would have done the same in his position.” She gave you a small nod and you moved your hoof to her cheek, Twilight nuzzling against it.

She then moved closer, wrapping her forelegs around your neck once more as her lips met yours, making you mumble in surprise. There was no aversion to her affection, but you felt reluctant due to the circumstances, even more so when a hoof dropped down and brushed your flank. Twilight pulled away with a small moan, then went to kiss you again, but you held her off. “Polter, what’s… wrong? Don’t you find me… attra..”

“NO! I mean, yes, I do. Twilight, you’re beautiful.” She turned her head to the side, her cheeks blushing brightly at your compliment, giving a small gasp as you kissed her cheek. “It’s… just that I need some more rest, and I don’t think any of… that will help.” Her gaze came back to you, her eyes with a new fire in them and a sultry smile playing at her mouth.

“Then… you just rest, and I’ll do the work.” She gently pressed a hoof on your chest, pushing you back to the mattress as you tried to sit up, placing a soft kiss next to her hoof. She then moved lower down your body, her other forehoof stroking your thigh. It wasn’t anything new to you, but it was different to other mares, and the effect was the same. “Oh… oh my. That’s why she said you should sit up.”

“Who said what?” Twilight gasped and looked up at you, before letting her sultry smile return. Her horn glowed a little, shifting your body so that you were sitting against the headboard, then crouched down. Your eyes flicked from hers to her wiggling flank and back again as she slowly crawled forward, aiming for between your legs, where you were now fully unsheathed. “Twilight…”

“Shh, just let it happen.” Her muzzle appeared just over your tip, warm breaths being blown over you making you shudder. Slowly, her tongue came out and she had an experimental taste, before she slowly closed her mouth around you. Her head began to lower, her tongue swirling around your shaft, the mare giving a happy hum.

There was a cool brown glow filling the room, coming from your horn, and your breaths became heavy as Twilight’s eyes locked with yours. It had been so long since contact such as this with a mare that you had almost forgot what it felt like. What Twilight was doing, however, was simply amazing, your rear legs twitching and causing her to put her hooves onto your thighs to keep you still.

She closed her eyes and gave a low groan as your shaft slid further in, amazing you as she took your entire length in without any issue, pulling all the way back and breaking contact with a gasp. Some precum dribbled from your tip, Twilight’s eyes immediately locking on to it, followed by her tongue lapping it up.

She rolled the taste around in her mouth for a few moments, before closing her eyes and plunging down once more, not breaking away this time. Her head moved up and down repeatedly, her tongue doing things that felt unnatural, but damn good. You began panting, and the hoof you placed on Twilight’s shoulder just made her get faster. You couldn’t do anything to stop it, your head thudding against the wood as your cock twitched violently.

Twilight paused for a moment as your warm seed exploded from your tip, but then carried on with her movements, making you groan as she swallowed and suckled until you released no more. She slowly slid back from you, licking up and swallowing the last few dribbles as you stared at her through half lidded eyes.

Licking her lips, Twilight moved up into your lap, kissing you softly with a happy moan. You both slid down so that your heads were on the pillows, Twilight pulling away and nuzzling under your chin. You nuzzled the back of her head, wrapping your forelegs around her as she lifted the blankets over you with magic. “Twilight? Don’t you want me to… you know, return the favour?”

She gave a small giggle and lightly slapped your chest, then lay still again. “You said you needed rest, so don’t tease me. Now, it is late evening, and I have a day planned for when you have woken up. Firstly, we’re going to get the last stage of your treatment done. Secondly we are going to that… eh, home of yours and removing your belongings.”

“But… where am I suppose to live?”

“Oh, I know a place. One much more fitting for a stallion like yourself. Now, get to sleep.” Twilight gave a happy sigh as you leaned down and kissed her forehead, then lay still. It had been a good week… so far.

Waking once more to find Twilight snuggled against your side was not at all unpleasant; it was down right adorable how her mane had grown messy and now covered half her face. You then frowned when you felt another body pressed against your other side, looking down to find the alicorn filly grinning up at you. “Grandpa says it’s time for breakfast, so… WAKEY WAKEY!!”

She hoped from the bed and charged out of the room, Twilight giving an annoyed groan as she groggily came awake. You gave her a mirthful grin as her eyes focused on you, your hooves shifting slightly. She worked out what you were doing, but was too slow to do anything about it, her laughter echoing around the room as your hooves brushed over her ribs.

Twisting and turning on the bed, she tried to wrestle free of your grasp, but failed in doing so, and you fell from the bed together. You landed first, on your back, with Twilight landing on your chest. You wrapped your forelegs around her neck and pulled her down into a passionate kiss, one which she happily returned. “I can see you’ve found something to eat, but please try to refrain from doing so, Mr Dawn.”

You pulled away from each other and looked to the doorway, where Twilight’s mother was stood looking at you with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, Skyla grinning madly from under her legs. You poked your tongue out at the filly and kissed Twilight again, chuckling when you heard her mother sigh, saying something about ‘giving them five more minutes’, and dragging the reluctant filly away.

Eventually you separated from the mare and trotted out into the hallway, having to follow her due to the fact you didn't have a clue as to where you were in the house. Twilight walked in front of you, flicking her tail over your muzzle and swaying her hips, which had a rather nice hypnotic effect on you. She stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, where the sound of Skyla’s giggles hit your ears, and you stopped next to the mare. “Auntie Twilight! Grandpa’s making me pancakes!”

You suddenly felt somepony pressing against you, looking down to see Twilight’s head against your neck, a soft smile on her face as her father cooked for her niece, a smile that easily spread to you. Through the window you could see the back garden where the filly’s parents were sitting on a swing hanging from a large tree and wrapped in each other’s hooves.

You had to admit, it did look rather nice, so perhaps you and Twilight could do so later on… “Twilight, darling! Are you home? I have some more outfits for Polter to try on!” ..or maybe not. You looked to the front door, where Twilight’s friend Rarity was stood with a pleased smile upon her face. “Oh good, you’re here.”

Twilight and Skyla’s giggles were a stark contrast to your mumbles as you spotted the pile of bags behind the unicorn mare.

Chapter 09 (sex)

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You stood looking at the boxes piled up in Ponyville Library’s basement, their contents all of your prized possessions, of which there were very few. The only thing you were really worried about was your savings, something that surprised Twilight when you showed her. Thinking of the mare’s name brought a smile to your face, and you liked how cuddly she had been the past week.

She was out with her friends for lunch, of whom you had now met all of them. You already knew Rarity and Fluttershy, then came Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the two had intervened as you blacked out from the fight. Lastly came the bundle of energy that is Pinkie Pie, and it took copious amounts of begging on Twilight’s part, but the earth pony finally came around and even threw you a welcome party.

Twilight’s assistant Spike seemed a little wary of you still, but that just turned to teasing when he caught you and Twilight making out in front of a roaring fire one evening, and it was then you found out about his crush on a certain unicorn. The first two nights you slept in Twilight’s guest bed, but woke to find her pressed against your side both times, so you just began using hers. She didn’t seem to mind.

Shaking your head clear, you left the basement and sat down in the same alcove from your first visit, your research into Manticores needing to be properly collated, and you weren’t otherwise preoccupied with a set of soft lips. You frowned when you thought you heard a scream outside, but just shrugged and went back to work. The library door slammed open, Twilight dashing in and over to you, her eyes wide. “Polter! What do you know about male manticores?”

“Not a lot, why?”

“THERE’S ONE IN TOWN!” Before you could respond, she grabbed your hoof and teleported you to just outside Sugarcube Corner, where quite a few ponies ran past you. Catching movement to the side, you turned around and looked at this manticore, but noticed something strange about it. “What do we do? Polter, you’re our resident manticore expert!”

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but look. It’s… searching for something…”

“...or somepony! Polter, you’re a genius! I’ll be right back!” There was a bright purple flash from your side, which drew the attention of the manticore to you, and it started to stalk towards you. It was at this time that you realised you were the only pony in the street, and there was no way you could outrun this beast.

Your ears flicked at the sound of sobbing, and you looked past the manticore to see a filly hiding under one of the market stalls. The manticore started to growl as it got closer, but you just lit your horn, teleporting away and reappearing behind it. You could hear the frustrated growls, but just ducked by the cart and grabbed the filly, the same earth pony you met at the farm where you stayed shortly after your arrival to Ponyville.

A shadow fell over you. and you glanced over your shoulder to see the manticore’s open maw level with your head. You put the filly down and pushed her behind you, slowly stepping back and using your body to shield her. The growling manticore then hesitated, its gaze fixed on the filly. It then stepped back and lay down, its eyes focus on her and you thought it looked… sad, like something had been stolen from it.

A purple flash to the side signaled the arrival of your marefriend, who ran up to the manticore with a bundle on her back. You recognised what it was when she stepped in front of you, the little cub looking around. It then gave small growl and pounced on the bigger manticore, which wrapped its paws around it. You breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the worst danger was over; nothing is more dangerous than a parent trying to find their child.

“Applebloom, are you alright?” There was no answer to your marefriend’s question, so you moved to the side so that Twilight could see the filly, but she just remained hiding behind your body. Even when a few local guards appeared she still remained next to you. You looked behind them when you heard a small yelp, the manticore cub being picked up by the scruff of its neck as its father turned and headed back towards the Everfree Forest. “Applebloom?”

“... an idiot! He should have run the other way, not lead it to the filly!” shaking your head and giving a soft sigh, you ignored the comment and floated the earth pony up to your back, giving her a small wink. Twilight fell into step next to you as you walked towards the library. Upon entering you found Spike coming into the main room with a bowl of ice cream, which you floated away before Twilight could chide him. Walking over to the couch, you slipped the filly from your back and then sat next to her, placing the dish in front of her.

“Go on, it won’t bite.” Her eyes flicked from you to Twilight and then Spike, finally setting on the desert. She slowly picked up the spoon and took a mouthful, letting the taste run through her mouth first. She then dug in properly, and you traded places with Spike when he appeared with another bowl. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the way the filly pressed against his side, both of them blushing lightly.

You turned and nodded to Twilight, going to carry on with you plans for the day… which was helping to finish cataloging the library. Over the course of the week you had tackled the harder section, the fiction, where you had discovered Twilight’s hidden private collection. You teased her for two days about Fifty Shade Of Neigh, but shut up when she said that your… ‘library privileges’ would be revoked.

The previous evening you had stayed up a little later, pulling all the non-fiction books from the shelves and setting them into subject piles, like Twilight had asked for. With a duplicate check list, which you would cross reference with her later, you started at one end whilst she began with the other. About an hour later Applejack came charging into the library and pulled her sister into a tight hug, thanked you for helping, then took the filly home.

Spike asked to go as well, saying he wanted to make sure Applebloom got home safely, but Twilight saw through him and broke down into giggles after saying he could go. Knowing what she got like when you were alone you almost wished he had stayed. Almost. Still, the job had to be done, and the sun was setting as you placed your last book on the shelves. You frowned slightly, some spaces looking empty, but they might have been on loan. “Polter, could you cross check whilst I start on dinner?”

“Sure, I’d love to.” There was something about that little alcove you realised as you found yourself in it once more, humming as you checked the two lists. There were several books missing, and a quick check of the library’s ledger showed they should be present, so you looked at the titles. Each one was some variation of ‘How to’, along with ‘Please’ and Stallion’. With a small chuckle, you trotted into the kitchen, but frowned when you saw nopony there, so called out “Twilight?”

You backed up a bit, looking up to the ceiling as you heard a thud. “Just a few minutes, Polter.” Well, you had your answer, so just moved back to the couch and waited. You saw a purple flash from upstairs, before the lights went out except for a low flickering from her bedroom. “Polter, you can come up now!”

You eagerly jumped up and trotted up the stairs and to her room, where you stopped with your mouth dropped open in shock. The flickering light you had seen through the doorway was from holder with three candles, there was a bottle of wine in a ice bucket on the side, and on the bed… was nopony. “Twilight?”

“Over here…” You swallowed nervously and turned towards the sultry voice, your horn beginning to glow a dull brown. You did your best to look her in the eyes, but the tight lacy black panties on her flanks kept your gaze for a moment, only to travel down her stocking clad legs right after. Twilight was glancing over her shoulder at you, and your eyes finally found her face when she turned and slowly trotted over, brushing along your side and flicking her tail over your muzzle.

You took a deep breath, Twilight’s scent telling exactly what she wanted, and your body was happy to assist with her needs. She turned around and brushed your otherside, nuzzling under your chin. Her tail wrapped around your neck as she walked towards the bed, dragging you with her. She pulled away, her horn glowing a soft lavender, an aura of the same colour appearing around her panties.

They slowly slid down her legs, revealing to you her most intimate area, and she gave you a small purr. Twilight placed a forehoof on the bed, letting her wings slowly spread out to their full span, then slid onto the mattress. You followed, the mare rolling over so that she was on her back, meeting your lips in a soft, sensual kiss. You gave a small groan as you felt a leg slide up and down yours, Twilight’s forehooves wrapping around your neck and pulling you down on top of her.

She rolled you over so that she was on top, teasing her marehood along your growing length, the fur on your stomach getting wet from her juices. You lifted up your forehooves and brushed them along the base of her wings, making Twilight give a drawn out moan before locking her lips with yours once more. Pressing firmly on her feathers, she gave a gasp and stared down at you with wide eyes, then darted in and licked your horn.

You gave a shudder, her lips slipping over the tip, sending a tingle through your body. Twilight took more of your magical appendage into her mouth, making you groan as her tongue swirled around it. Reaching what must have been a safe depth, you gasped as Twilight suddenly bit down gently, causing you to release some magic. She pulled away, looking down at you with a grin. “Mmm, that was nice.”

“W-w-what was?” Instead of answering, she licked again, taking your horn between her lips. You just breathed heavily, this being the first time you had experienced a horn job, and you were beginning to wonder why you hadn’t asked for it before. Bringing up your forehooves, you firmly gripped her flanks, massaging them softly.

Twilight moaned above you as a hoof slipped around, ending up between her legs and brushing over her marehood. She pressed harder against your hoof, and your other one slipped around her back, pulling her closer to your chest. She broke contact with your horn as your tip probed at her entrance, leaning down and kissing you passionately as you entered.

She pulled away from you lips and panted past your ear as you slipped deeper into her wet pussy, her warm walls pressing against your shaft. She bit her lip and shuddered as your full size pushed in, Twilight giving a gasp of pleasure when she couldn’t take any more. She placed her forehooves to either side of your head, staring into your eyes as she began to rock her hips over you, her breaths slowly getting heavier.

You joined in, rolling your hips and increasing how far you slid in and out, making Twilight give a low moan. You rolled to the side, the mare ending up under you with her forehooves pulled meekly to her chest, but you just smiled softly at her. As your head moved down her hooves came up and settled around your neck rubbing it lightly, and you returned of that area in kind, only with your lips..

You started to thrust slowly and gently, Twilight’s head rolling back with a moan of pleasure, and you nibbled gently on her neck. Her forehooves pulled you even closer, her legs wrapping around your hips and squeezing tightly. Your movements gained some speed, making Twilight pant for breath, blushing when she looked at you.

You leaned in, kissing her passionately with your eyes locked with hers, her wings wrapping around your back. She pulled away, her forelegs squeezing tighter around your neck, her moan-filled breaths brushing past your ear. You pushed your head down and kissed her neck softly, Twilight now rocking her hips in time with your thrusts, her eyes slammed shut from the pleasure.

Her walls clamped down your shaft, making it harder to move in and out, then her wings shot out rigidly to the side. She let out a loud scream of passion, her pussy squeezing so tight that it pushed you to release, and with one more strong thrust you hilted deep within her. Your body tensed above her as your warm seed filled her up, Twilight giving low, happy moans until you went limp, falling to the side and panting for breath.

She placed a forehoof on your cheek and turned you to face her, the pair of you sharing some soft kisses, before Twilight got up and trotted to the bathroom. You gave her a couple of minutes to warm up the water, then followed, finding Twilight under the steaming downpour.

She noticed you through the steamed up glass, giving you a sultry look. Turning away from you, she teasingly pressed her rump against the door, her tail out of the way as she gave you a full view of her nethers. You just chuckled, sliding the door open and stepping in next to her.

There was just enough room for the two of you, but instead of continuing with your bedroom activities, you helped the mare wash. She returned the favour afterwards, and after drying you returned to the bed. Slipping between your forehooves with a happy sigh, Twilight extinguished the candles with a little magic. The blanket wasn’t needed, as you had the world’s best heater pressed against your chest, so with a final nuzzle for the night, you settled in for sleep.

Even after a week, waking with a princess in your hooves didn’t lose anything from its blissfulness. Twilight had rolled over in her sleep, her back pressed firmly against your chest, your foreleg holding her close. You didn’t open your eyes, just lay there with a smile on your face as you listened to her soft breaths.

You heard the library door open and close, giving a small groan as you levitated the blankets to the bed; you didn’t want Spike to see you in such a compromising position. Nuzzling the back of Twilight’s head, she gave a small giggle as she awoke, returned the gesture as the bedroom door swung open, and she gave a sigh at her expected telling off from the young dragon for staying in bed. “I hope you got this one’s name first, Polter.”

Your eyes snapped open, and you glanced over your shoulder at a unicorn mare leaning against the doorway, a smirk on her face. Her coat was the same lemon yellow as yours, but her mane was a fiery red, her eyes sparkling blue. Twilight rolled over and peaked out from behind you, frowning at her. “Excuse me, but this is a private area. I’d be happy to help you downstairs in a moment.”

“Oh, no need, my dear. I’m sure Polter needs all the ‘help’ he can get!” You gave a small groan as the mare turned and trotted back downstairs, lying on your back to find Twilight frowning down at you. You just sighed and shook your head, covering your eyes with a hoof.

“Polter…” You shook your head again, then burst out laughing as Twilight’s hooves brushed your ribs. She continued her onslaught until you were a quivering mess, then placed a hoof on your chest, her muzzle barely an inch from your own. “So, gonna tell me who that is?”

“That would be Misty Glow… my mother.” You didn’t like the grin she suddenly got, and she jumped from the bed, leaving the room. Giving another sigh, you got up and brushed your mane out of your face, then casually trotted downstairs. You heard giggling coming from the kitchen, poking your head in to see Twilight and you mother sitting at the table, a photo album in front of them. “You have got to be bucking kidding.”

Twilight smiled at you, waving you over. Once you approached, you saw your paranoia was justified, as the images displayed were of your foalhood. Your early foalhood. Ignoring the empty chair, you went straight for the kettle. Today, coffee would be your friend.

Chapter 10

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“So then, Princess Sparkle, has my son been treating you right?” You glanced out from under your hooves at your marefriend, seeing her smiling cheekily at you. Your eyes flicked to the side, where your mother stirred some sugar into her coffee. Twilight gave you a wink, turning to your mother and laying her head on a hoof.

“Oh, sort of. I mean, it’s hard to work a library when a stallion brushes my wings or a tail flicks over my muzzle every five minutes.” You sat up, staring wide eyed at Twilight in disbelief, who just gave you a shrug, lifting her cup and sitting back to watch the fireworks. Fireworks that you wished were a metaphor, as you found yourself on the floor after a bright blue flash, your mother appearing in your view.

“Polter Dawn, I thought you of all ponies would know not to treat a mare as an object for your pleasure. What would your father say?” Your ears splayed back on that, and your mother glanced back at Twilight to see her doing the same, before turning to you. “Polter?” Standing up, you took her into the lounge area and sat her on the couch, then hopped up next to her.

Five minutes later she was bawling her eyes out with her head buried in your shoulder, whilst you ran a hoof through her mane. You looked up when you heard Twilight gasp, both your cutie mark and horn glowing, a bright blue circle appearing on the floor. This time around, it was all your doing, and Twilight watched with amazement as your grandfather stepped into the library.

He sat on the couch next to your mother, placing a hoof on her shoulder, and she changed to press against his spectral body, Twilight gasping in surprise as she didn’t fall through him. Getting up from the couch, you nudged her closer and lifted up her hoof, setting it on on his. “But… he’s solid!”

“That’s the full extent of my talent. If I concentrate hard enough, I can bring a solid body back as well as the soul, but I have to allow it.”

“Polter… you know what you can do.” Twilight jumped back in shock as she heard his voice, her eyes wide with fear. You moved to her side, wrapping her in your forehooves until she calmed down. Seriously, she’s friends with Pinkie Pie, and finds this strange? Mares… Your mother’s sobs finally subsided, and she pulled away from the spirit, giving him a nod. “It can be done, you know this.”

You gave a sigh, turning your back to your mother and grandfather, closing your eyes as your head dropped. “No… I won’t. It’s too much.”

“Polter…” Twilight placed a hoof on your shoulder, but you shrugged her off, walking down into the basement. You went to one box in particular, more important to you than the others, and pulled out some books. The one you were looking for was right at the bottom, and you just sat there staring at it, not noticing the presence next to you. “Please, talk to me.”

“I… there’s…” Giving a sigh, you let Twilight slip between your forehooves, nuzzling under your chin. She watched as you flipped open the tome, searching through the pages, and you could feel her heartbeat quicken as her eyes flicked over the paper, until you left one page open. “I could… enter the spirit world for a while, to see if there is any chance he made it. But… it requires something… precious, of which there isn’t a lot.”

Moving her forehoof, she gently pulled yours down from where it was covering the spell, gasping when she saw what it was you were trying to hide. Wiggling her way from you, she trotted upstairs, and you just stayed down in the basement, staring at those four little words. You heard hoofsteps on the wood a few minutes later, but didn’t look up, until… “Polter?”

Twilight was standing there, several items in her magic, and she set them down exactly as the book showed. The only thing that remained near her was a rather sharp looking knife, and you tried to take it from her, but she just used her magic to keep you in place. You could only watch in horror as she approached the symbol on the floor, raising a hoof. “Twilight, don’t!”

It was too late, the knife cut into her leg, drops of dark red blood dropping to the centre of the circle, a swirling red portal appearing. Her magic cut out, and you ran over, grabbing a towel from a box and wrapping it around her hoof, then pulled her into a tight embrace. “Y-you needed alicorn blood… freely given.”

“You didn’t finish reading it… Twi, you need to come with me.” She gave a gasp and went to read it, but fell limp against you. Slowly lowering to the floor, you kept her in your forehooves, drowsiness assaulting you as the light edged closer.

Standing with your eyes closed and the waves lapping at your hooves, you had a calm feeling wash over you, made even better as you felt somepony brush against your side. You cracked open an eye, seeing Twilight smiling at you, before looking across the ocean. It seemed like you were there for hours before a shade of doubt formed in you mind; there was something you should be doing. “Right then, where do we find him?”

You snapped your eyes open, turning to see Twilight looking around before frowning at you. The memories returned and you stood up, looking at your location. Smoke rose in one direction, the endless expanse of water behind you. To your left was the foothills of a mountain range, and to your right was just more beach, so you settled on the smoke. “Come on, this way.”

Twilight fell into step next to you, cresting a rising dune to find a village, filled with spectral ponies. With your marefriend pressing close to your side, you started down towards it, the spirits stopping to look at you. Surprisingly, they bowed upon seeing Twilight, and she just waved sheepishly at them. You frowned as you noticed the smoke was actually coming from beyond the village, and you felt drawn to it.

The spectres seemed to get thicker the closer you got, until they had almost formed a wall. They parted for you and Twilight, where you came upon a crater in the ground. The closet spirits to it were all unicorns, and in real life would have been using magic to keep a containment shield over the hole; here they were using their willpower. Upon looking down, you saw the figure of the pony you knew to be Sombra, with your father just laughing at his attempts to break free. “Ah… the meddlesome child… and the vessel. Looks like I will be free once again.”

“Nope, not going to happen, Sombrero.”

“Stop calling me that!” Both you and Twilight laughed at your father’s nickname for the evil spirit, before his rage filled eyes focused on you once more. “You want him back? You won’t get him out without setting me loose. You might as well leave.”

“I beat you as a unicorn, I think I can beat you now. Polter, come.” Your resolve steeled by your marefriend’s words, you walked by her side over the edge of the crater, Sombra instantly trying to attack you. With a spread of her wings and a flash of horn, Twilight sent him sprawling to the ground, giving you a nod. “Grab your father.”

You did just that, nudging him out. As you passed Twilight, she backed up, and once the three of you were out she lit her horn even brighter. You stepped back as the unicorns surrounding the crater slowly gained colour, returning to their earthly forms. In such a state their magic would be stronger, Sombra’s head now whipping around in panic as their horns glowed. You shielded your eyes with a hoof as the lights flared brightly, hearing a rather unstalliony scream.

You gave it a few seconds and then looked again, a small stream of smoke rising from where the stallion once stood, and the unicorns had returned to their spectral forms. You stood and walked over to Twilight, who was panting heavily, and wrapped her in your forehooves. “You know, for somepony who specialises in the paranormal, you could at least get the incantation right, son.”

Twilight suddenly pulled away, giving you a frown as you turned to glare at your father, who just shrugged. Narrowing your eyes at him, you summoned your magic and opened a portal back to the living world, but didn’t enter it just yet. Instead your grandfather came through, giving you a nod once he saw you were successful. The tiredness washed over you again, and you felt Twilight fall against your side as you drifted off.

Unlike when you entered the spirit world, Twilight was stood above you when your eyes opened, a rather stern glare on her face. You tilted your head back and saw both your father and grandfather grinning at you, giving a wave just before the portal closed. You turned back to Twilight to see her ire had not left, so tried your best puppy dog eyes. They didn’t work. “You used a spell… and got the incantation wrong? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Instead of a verbal answer you shot your forehooves around her neck and pulled her down, surprising her with a passionate kiss. At first she resisted, but then pressed back and laid down upon your chest, and you began to stroke a hoof between her wings, which slowly unfurled. “I hate to interrupt,” you pulled away from Twilight’s lips, leaning to the side, raising an eyebrow at your mother standing at the base of the stairs. “But aren’t you supposed to keep that kind of thing for the bedroom?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept down here.” Your frown disappeared at the thought of things to do with the mare in the darkness, then grinned as you felt Twilight nuzzle your cheek, then climb from you. Thankfully you had control of your body, so nothing was showing as you stood, but a different thing was caught by your mother.

“Polter, why is a patch of your coat on your back a different shade to the rest?” A glanced at Twilight to see her looking away with her ears splayed back, so you returned her nuzzle, the mare giving a sigh a she pressed against your side. You pointed back up the stairs, following your mother with Twilight in step next to you. She took one couch and you took the other, your marefriend pressing against your side.

“A couple of weeks ago there was a misunderstanding including a group of misbehaved stallions, a princess and an incinerating force field. I kinda got in the middle of that. Nothing to worry about.” You saw you mother’s eyes narrow, followed by a spark from her horn, and wrapped Twilight in your forehooves.

The spell was let loose, but it was stopped and absorbed harmlessly by a green shield, confusing you. Once the glowing dome dissipated, you glanced down to see a unicorn filly glaring at your mother, horn glowing and ready to defend against another attack. Your mother blinked a few times, then gasped as she realised what she had just done. “I’m so sorry your majesty, I, um… have a tendency to overreact.”

You were ignoring what was being said, head cocked as you stared at the filly. She seemed to relax a little, turning to look at you, but gave a shriek as you lifted her from the floor with magic, floating her in front of you. “Twi, I didn’t know you had a cute little sister.”

“I don’t, that’s my student.” You let the filly back down to the floor, and she just stared at you in wonder; more specifically, where Twilight and your hooves were. “And Mrs Glow, your apology is accepted. I… still blame myself for not lowering the shield in time.” You snapped back to the conversation, hearing Twilight give a few sniffles. You moved closer and nuzzled her cheek, the mare pressing against you more firmly, then gave the filly a disapproving frown. “Sweetie Belle, what did I say about learning battle magic?”

“Not to study it until colts start getting interested in me.” The filly’s ears were flattened against her head at Twilight’s admonishing tone, something your mother noticed as she lit her horn and floated Sweetie Belle next to her.

“Well, I for one am impressed. You must have a great teacher to be able to form a decent shield at your age.” The filly’s white cheeks turned pink in an instant, and you glanced down to see Twilight had a blush on her face as well. You were about to ask her if she had anymore students when there was a loud knock on the door.

“Twi, ya in there? Ah got a problem Ah could use ya help with.” Recognising the voice of the farm mare, you rose with Twilight and headed to the door. You certainly, upon opening the wooden portal, were not expecting to find Applejack with a forehoof pressing firmly down on a young pegasus stallion, whose wings and hooves were bound tightly, with a rope keeping his muzzle clamped shut. “Ah didn’t bother ya with this before, but we had something stolen a couple o’ weeks ago. ‘e did it.” You were about to help drag him into the library, but the sound of another pegasus landing hard caused you to look around.

“Cage? What the hay are you doing here?” You could see Applejack frowning between the bound stallion and Sky Runner, before the grey coated pegasus was lifted up in a lavender glow and pulled into the library, the two ponies left outside following. You shut the door, turning to see Twilight whispering something to your mother, who then nodded and took Sweetie Belle into the kitchen “AJ, stop.”

You glanced at the mare to see a forehoof raised ready to strike the restrained stallion, but she lowered it to the floor as Sky walked over. He pulled the rope around the other pegasus’ muzzle off, then stepped back, his wings flaring slightly. “Well, that’s one. What about the others?”

“Ya ain’t goin’ anywhere! Ya lucky ya still alive!”

“AJ!” Giving a defeated sigh, the mare walked over to where Twilight was waiting, so you followed her. You weren’t really that interested in what was stolen, but what to do about the stallion she had caught. You overheard something about a ‘zap apple necklace’, but didn’t know what it was as Twilight just nodded along. She then moved towards the couch, Sky stepping back. “And remember, tell her the truth! All yours, princess.”

“Thank you, Sky. Now, where exactly is the necklace?” Unsurprisingly, there was no answer to your marefriend’s question, the pegasus just staring at her nonchalantly. With a lavender glow Twilight pulled over a quill and some paper, writing a quick letter. It was perfect timing as well, as the door swung open to allow Spike entry, Applebloom alongside him, Fluttershy and her colt following. “Ah, Spike. Could you send this to Celestia for me?”

The dragon did as asked, a green burst of flame surprising you as the letter floated away as a pile of glowing ash. The gathered group made small talk, so you decided to see what your mother was up to, trotting into the kitchen to see her and Sweetie Belle surrounded by a pile of ingredients on the table. You felt somepony press against your side, glancing down to see Twilight smiling at the scene for a few moments.

“Uh, Twi, you got a response.” Spike came over and passed her a scroll, which she unrolled in front of you. A small chuckle came from your throat as you saw Luna’s suggestion at the bottom, Twilight joining you with a giggle. She pulled away and whispered to the others, who stepped away from the bound pegasus, leaving you in front of him.

“Hey, I recognise you! You’re that burnt stallion from Canterlot, right? How’s it going… Crispy?” You ignored the taunt, closing your eyes and letting your magic build. At first you thought of bringing your father and grandfather in, but knew that would take a lot of energy. Thankfully, you had other friends on that side. You heard the room go quiet and felt it go cold, then came the sound of a filly giggling. “WHAT THE HAY IS THAT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PONIES?”

“Hello, Cage. You’ve been a naughty colt, haven’t you?” You opened your eyes, looking down to see the filly from Ravenhoof stood just in front of you, a barely blue spectre in the morning light. She took a few steps forward, and you chuckled as he tried to back away, but just pressed himself deeper into the couch. “See… if you don’t tell them, then you’ll come with me. You’d like that, right? To come and play with me forever? Come and play with me, Cage.”

There were only two ponies in the room who saw what happened next, yourself being one of them, as the little spectral filly changed slightly. Her body was now marred by multiple wounds, each deep and oozing blood. You finally noticed she was a pegasus filly, one of her wings torn off and leaving a deep hole in her back, and eye hanging from its socket. “Come and play with me, Cage, forever,” she briefly flashed back to how she normally looked, then to the rotting corpse as she jumped into his lap. “Forever and ever.”

“ALRIGHT, I’LL TALK! Just… get that thing away from me!” The filly jumped back with a squeal of delight, returning to her usual form as she trotted back over to you. You bent down and felt her nuzzle your cheek, then opened a small portal for her to return back to the spirit world. On looking up you were granted a pitiful sight, the stallion’s eyes darting from corner to corner, his body shaking uncontrollably. “C-can we go somewhere else?”

“Hay no! Yer gonna tell me where mah family’s necklace is right now!” You just moved to the other couch, your part played and completed. You’d have to send Luna something nice in thanks for her suggestion. Maybe another dream would do it.

Chapter 11

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Taking the opportunity to leave behind the disaster nexus that Ponyville seemed to be, you and Twilight were snuggled together on one of the seats in the train, Applejack sat opposite you with a smirk stamped on her muzzle. You knew it was for Twilight, but the soft snores coming from the lavender alicorn and her head resting on your shoulder told you she wasn’t going to notice anytime soon. “I said I was sorry! You don’t have to do this, you know?”

“Shut up. We’ll let Celestia decide what to do with you.” You raised an eyebrow, turning to the other side of the carriage at the same time as AJ to see the two pegasus stallions. Sky Runner was staring out of the window, and you knew it was because he had to leave his wife behind, whilst this Cage was prodding at his new cuff with a hoof. A wonderful invention from your marefriend: if he got further than a hundred metres away from the linked pony, Applejack in this case, things got quite literally shocking. “You could have left this all behind in Baltimare, but you instead chose to steal something from my family. I’m not going to help you.”

Cage’s muzzle dropped towards the floor as he realised that there was nothing he could say to any of you, and you couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. The poor colt only looked around fifteen, possibly younger, and you knew there was still time for his ways to be changed. Once you got to Canterlot, you’d talk to Twilight, see if she’d take it up with Celestia. Perhaps… he needs some sort of a test.

The train jolted, waking Twilight with surprise. She mumbled something rather unpleasant as she stretched, then nuzzled under your chin. You wrapped your forehooves around her and held her to your barrel, then heard a giggling from the carriage door. You gave your mother a unamused glare, but she just shrugged and sat down next to Sky Runner. As teasing as she was, you were glad she was there. You wanted her to see your plans, after all.

Soon the Canterlot Express began to slow down, and you all got up to gather your things; for yourself, your mother, and Twilight, this was quite easy. Applejack took her and Sky’s luggage with no problems, impressing you with her strength. Upon stepping onto the platform, you found several guards waiting for you; one stepped forward. Bending down to the band that was on Cage, the stallion’s horn lit up, before motioning the others to move in. Soon the young pegasus was in shackles and being led through the streets with nary a word being said. “Maybe… Ah should go with him. As much as Ah wanna see justice, Ah don’t wanna see him hurt. Ah’ll see you guys later, okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, Applejack trotted after the slowly receding group, Sky giving a sigh as he took wing and followed. You started trotting in a different direction, ignoring the frown from Twilight as you passed her, but heard her and your mother’s hoofsteps follow. It didn’t take long for your marefriend to realise where you were going, darting forward as soon as the gate came into view. Your mother trotted ahead and looked in, then turned around and sat down, giving you a small smile. “So, this is why you wanted me to come. She’s a princess, you know. She’s likely got somepony picked for this already. You could just be a fling for her.”

“I know, mom, but still… I want to try.” She gave you a nod and waved you closer, wrapping her forehooves around your neck as you did so, giving your cheek a small nuzzle. Once she broke away, she lifted her forehooves to one another, and slipped off the gold band, inlaid with a series of amethyst gems, then passed it to you. “Mom…”

“Please, take it. I know the tradition is to give it to my daughter, but you’re my only child, and I’m too old to even meet anypony, let alone have another foal. Take this, and give me a daughter another way.” You pulled her close and embraced her for a few moments, trying not to let tears fall as you returned her nuzzle, making her give a happy sigh. “My little colt, all grown up.”

“Ah, come on, mom.”

“Mister Dawn!” You pulled away, turning around to see Skyla stood with another group of fillies. She waved at them and then galloped over, wrapping her forehooves around one of yours, before hiding behind it as she saw you mother. “Wow… you’re pretty, but you can’t have him. He belongs to my auntie Twilight!”

You and your mother glanced at each other, then promptly broke out laughing, causing the alicorn filly to pout up at the pair of you and tap your foreleg. You crouched down so that you were at eye level with her, giving a small chuckle as you pointed to the mare. “Skyla, that is my mother, Misty Glow.” Her eyes went wide and she gave an adorable little squeal as her cheeks turned red from what she just implied, pressing against your side in fear of retribution.”Now, where are your parents?”

“With nanna and grandpa.” You gave a sigh, not wanting Twilight’s brother to be present for this, but he’d find out eventually. Standing back up, you nudged Skyla towards the house, and just like her aunt, she shot off when she saw the group standing on the porch, jumping into Twilight’s waiting hooves with a giggle. “Auntie Twily, can I be your flower-filly?”

You swallowed nervously, hoping she wouldn’t deduce your plans, turning to your mother as she spoke. “They look like a traditional unicorn family. I take it that is why I am here?” You gave her a nod as you set your small case down and moved to one end of the garden, the entire Sparkle family now watching you with curiosity. “Good luck, my son.” You gave her another nod, then took a deep breath and locked your eyes with one stallion.

“Nightlight! I challenge you!” He just blinked in surprise, then stepped down to the opposite end of the garden. Twilight was staring at you with her mouth agape, Shining Armour barely holding her back. It was a surprise to you, but it meant she wouldn’t get in the way, so you turned back to her bemused father. Lighting your horn, you floated the band from your back and set it between you, the stallion’s eyes widening when he realised what was going on. “On this night, I challenge you, Nightlight, for the hoof of you daughter in marriage.”

“ARE YOU BUCKING CRAZY?”

“I accept.”

“DAD!”

“Not now, Twilight!” Once more thankful for her brother’s blockade of whatever plans she could come up with. you lit your horn at the same time as your opponent. Battle magic wasn’t your forte, but you had certainly had to learn some of it on your travels. Who knew you could punch ghosts? You gave a few experimental blasts to test his defence, which he parried easily, almost hitting you with his counter attack. This was going to take some effort, you suddenly realised.

Going all out at first seemed like a bad plan, but you didn’t aim for the stallion. No, you aimed at the grass to his left, and explosion of dirt covering the area in flying soil as Nightlight dodged your feint attack by jumping to his right instead. You barely had time to react as a large mound of earth was decimated next to you. This continued for a good ten minutes, until the once wondrous garden was just mounds of earth, of which you were both using for cover. Several cuts and grazes were upon your chest, not very deep, but Nightlight had slowed down, meaning he was running out of magic… or less likely, you had hit him.

With a glance from your cover at Twilight, you could see she was concerned for you both, and you decided to end it now. Lighting your horn, you attempted to form a portal to the spirit world just big enough for you to walk through. It worked, and you just ignored the frowns coming from the spectral forms of you father and grandfather, walking a short distance ahead of you.

Lighting your horn once more, you stepped back into the living world, right behind Nightlight as he peeked around his cover for any sign of movement. Seizing your chance, you leapt forward and tackled him to the floor, rolling around in the dirt. It was not only a surprise to you when you came out on top, but to everypony else as well, a forehoof hovering over Nightlight’s horn, your own alight.

There was a flash of purple light and you were tackled to the ground, Twilight pressing against you in a passionate kiss, her wings spreading wide. You wrapped your forehooves around her neck and held her close, panting for breath as she pulled away and let you stand up. Twilight Velvet was helping a smirking Nightlight to his hooves. The smirk disappeared however when his wife slapped him. “Now you two are done behaving like colts, you can sort my ruined garden out!”

You both looked at the destruction that you had wrought; mounds of dirt, destroyed flowerbeds, and the odd knocked over statue. You glanced around at the sound of happy laughter, seeing Nightlight nuzzle into Velvet. “I’ll sort it in the morning. For now, my future son in law needs to get washed up for dinner. Well, I do, he has round two to come yet.”

“Round two?” He just gave you a grin and pointed behind you, where you heard the thud of a well built stallion hitting the dirt. With a nervous swallow, you turned to meet the deep cerulean gaze of Shining Armour, his horn glowing a light rose. “Oh… buck.”

“So, you think this will work?” Twilight didn’t respond with words, but you caught the reflection of the moonlight in her glare, averting your gaze. Apparently, ‘I have no idea’ was not an acceptable answer to how you entered the spirit world without alicorn blood, but it was the truth. Now here you were stood in the dark corner of Canterlot Tower, with three other ponies inhabiting the others. A red carpet lined the room, leading from the door to where five pedestals circled a sixth, each one with a necklace on top, the one in the centre with a headdress of some sort.

You weren’t sure why Celestia had asked you, or the others, to be there instead of the guard, but you accepted the task anyway. After arriving at the castle in the evening, Twilight spent time fuming about your explanation and wouldn’t talk to you, leaving you bored out of your mind. Until a messenger from the dungeons burst in, panting for breath until he could finally speak. With the news that the thief had somehow broken free, Celestia just smiled and nodded her head, then gave you your current task.

Your ears flicked as they caught the sound of wing beats, and the door gently cracked open, admitting a single pony. You couldn’t see who it was, but your part of the plan was about to come into effect as they made it halfway along the carpet, your hoof hitting a switch on the wall. A series of torches seemingly lit themselves along the carpet, revealing the pegasus to indeed be Cage, whose ears were swivelling for the sound of any guards. It wasn’t what he got. “Welcome to Canterlot Tower, the highest structure built by ponykind across Equestria. Here is housed the history of our nation, from the battle with the Chaos-God,” A light snapped on to illuminate a window, showing the alicorn sisters dancing around a strangely shaped creature, “to one of Equestria’s most darkest hours.”

Another window was illuminated, showing Celestia battling Nightmare Moon at the top, and standing victorious at the bottom. Cage slowly crept forward to the jewellery, his ears still alert as the voice of Celestia continued to come from the speakers. “Even the recent one, which saw the return of Nightmare Moon, her defeat, and the return of my beloved sister, thanks to the act of six ponies.” When this window lit up, you recognised the five mares around the outside, and most definitely the one in the middle. “These Bearers of Harmony went on to defeat Discord whence he managed to escape,” the strange creature from before was then depicted again, this time being defeated by Twilight and her friends, Cage now at the pedestal. “What you see before you are The Elements Of Harmony.”

The young pegasus gave a chuckle, grabbing the first one and slipping it into his saddlebags, before taking the time and audacity to decide which one to take next, even as the voice continued. “Someponies believe them to be a weapon, and in some cases that is true, but those who bear them now would never put them to such use. Presently, with no danger to threaten the safety of our nation, they remain here for all to see, and here they must remain, lest Equestria come under attack from powerful foes once more.”

There it was, Cage’s hooves stopped themselves from taking the third necklace. He fell to his haunches in front of the pedestal, looking at the floor in front of him. This is where you had to act, or leave him to it. This was Celestia’s plan; risky, dangerous, and in your opinion downright stupid, but here you were. Slowly, there was some movement from the contemplative pegasus, as well as movement from the doorway.

As Cage put the necklaces back, both Celestia and Luna silently walked along the carpet, coming to a stop a few metres behind him. Reaching to his back, your ears picked the faint sound of metal on metal as he removed his saddlebags and set it down in front of him. “I… suppose I’ll be going back to prison now, huh? Oh, and your spies can come out of hiding, I know they’re here.”

“Only one needs come. She is the one whom you wronged, and your fate is to be left up to her.” Slowly, there was some movement in the corner opposite you, Applejack emerging from the shadows and approaching the stallion. She ignored him, walking right past and stopping in front of the alicorns. “Dame Applejack, what is your judgement.”

“Well… Ah’d first like to know what his punishment would normally be.”

“Hmm… as he has not left the castle grounds any items on him can be considered borrowed, not stolen, so his only crime tonight is that of breaking free from the dungeons. That carries a penalty of three years incarceration. But I think that may be a little long for a sixteen year old, wouldn’t it?” Seeing Twilight emerge from her corner, you weren’t privy to the rest of the conversation as your marefriend led you from the tower.

“Twilight...”

“I’m still not talking to you!” She changed direction, walking through a doorway to the side, and you followed to find yourself on a balcony, Twilight with her forehooves on the railing. Giving a small sigh, you moved up behind her and nuzzled the back of her head, causing her to let out a little giggle, pressing back against your chest. “He was only fourteen when Sky Runner met him. How could a pony so young fall into such a life?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but I think he has seen the errors of his way now. If anything, I more than anypony can sympathise with him. I just wish I had done it sooner.” You went to kiss the back of Twilight’s neck, but she rolled around in your grip and slipped her forehooves around your neck, your lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. She pulled away with a small smirk, then brought up her leg with the band on it, her sparkling eyes meeting yours.

“You know, you never really asked me properly. Sure, you beat my dad, but don’t I get a say in it?” You returned her grin, backing away slightly and bowing down to the ground, taking Twilight’s hoof with your own.

“Princess Sparkle, if you could find it in the kindness of your heart, to hear this humble stallion’s request, and do me honour when I ask for your hoof in marriage.”

“Hmm…. no.” Your eyes went wide as you stared at her, your mouth opening and closing whilst trying to think of what to say. Something inside of you was telling you to push her from the balcony, but as your brain finally found what words to say, Twilight suddenly cut you off with a deep kiss. With your mind shot to hell, you just went limp, falling to the floor as she pushed into you, her lips breaking from yours with a deep breath as her eyes shined with mischievousness. “I was joking of course, the answer is yes.”

You just glared at her, crossing your forehooves over your chest as you turned away, not finding it funny in the slightest. “Aww, come on. You know I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry.” You glanced at her briefly, the mare giving you her best puppy dog eyes, but you just tilted your muzzle further away. “Fine, I guess I’ll just have to show you then.” You were just about to ask what she meant when the balcony doors slammed shut and the drapes closed over in a lavender glow, and you noticed your marefriend’s horn glowing as you turned to look at her.

You tried to ignore her, but the way the sparkling stars framed her face made her even more beautiful, Twilight all but ignoring them as she tilted your muzzle up, passionately kissing you as her rear legs slowly spread open. The excitement of being caught in public seemed to flow from her to you, Twilight giving a giggle as she felt something prodding at her thigh. “Now there’s a much better reaction. Polter, I…” You raised a hoof to her cheek, which she nuzzled briefly, then locked her eyes with you. “Polter Dawn, I love you.”

“And I love you, Twilight Sparkle.” In the cool evening air, you and Twilight once more became one on that balcony.

Twilight sighed happily as the train began to slow down, and you helped her from her seat, seeing a group of four mares plus one dragon waiting on the platform. The lavender alicorn was immediately bundled by them, each one chatting rapidly, then giving you a general glance as Twilight lifted a hoof up. There was the sound of a deep breath being taken, before the group was forced away in a blue glow, leaving you and Spike standing there. “Congratulations, dude. You’ve managed to get Rarity to spend the rest of the day at the spa. Come on, I’ll help with the luggage.” Giving Spike a nod, you floated the two large cases over whilst he grabbed the smaller one. At the end of the train you noticed three ponies getting off.

It was the first time you had seen Applejack and Sky Runner all day, Cage stood between them with his gaze on the floor. The elder pegasus spotted you and gave the others a nod, then glided over. “Hey, have you seen the others? We were going to meet them here.”

“Yeah, no idea what happened. They were here, they crowded Twilight, and then they went to the spa. So what’s he doing here?” Sky glanced over his shoulder and waved to AJ, who nodded in return then glared at Cage, before walking off. The young pegasus looked at you then began to follow, walking like a pony that had been condemned.

“I think I’ll let AJ tell you. I just hope she can explain to Mac before he kills him. Anyway, gotta go see the little dude. See ya!” With that you were left with Spike once more, heading towards the library. You gave a content sigh as you walked into Ponyville, the sights and sounds now familiar to you. Instead of the wary stares aimed at a new arrival, the ponies waved happily to you, and you nodded in return.

It finally hit you then; this town, with all of its inhabitants, had accepted you, and one you had once tormented to no end was now due to be your wife. You suddenly stopped as your thoughts turned to the future, the small dragon giving a chuckle as he walked by. “As long as you use a soundproofing spell, I’m fine with it.”

Even though he was a young dragon, his suggestion brought a blush to your cheeks as the images in your mind changed, and you quickly galloped the last little bit to the tree house, darting past the dragon and into the bathroom. Right now, a cold shower would be just what you needed.

Chapter 12

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Glancing at the clock, you lit your horn and opened the door to the library, just as a pale yellow filly was about to knock. She lowered her hoof and entered the building, two more fillies following after her, but she slipped between your forelegs and looked down at the pile of books. “Any o’ these gonna help us?” You gave a small chuckle, then ruffled her mane a little.

“No, Applebloom. These are just returns, and I’m putting them back for Twilight whilst she’s out with Spike.” The filly gave you a nod, but remained underneath you as you slid one tome into an empty slot, then checked where the next one went. As per usual, for the past two months, Applebloom followed you along as you slotted each book along, either offering to help locate them or carrying the books on her back. “You do know you’re about three hours too early for Twilight time?” Your mare had decided that this one would be in the evening, and they could have a sleepover afterwards as well. You neglected to mention you had your own ‘Twilight time’ most mornings and evenings.

“Yeah, but…”

“I told you, Applebloom! But no, you wouldn’t listen.” Frowning at the orange pegasus filly, who dropped her glare, you put the last book back and moved to one of the couches, Applebloom hopping up next to you and pressing against your side. Knowing, as always, it would be pointless trying to move her, you just nodded at Scootaloo, as it was her turn to choose a book. Unsurprisingly, the one dumped into your lap had a pegasus on the cover, wearing a pith hat and a dark green shirt, making you grin at the filly. “What? It’s a good book.”

“Alright, settle in girls.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hopped up onto the opposite couch and grinned at Applebloom, but she didn’t notice as her gaze was fixated upon you; there seemed to have been a steady increase in how much attention she paid to you, despite Bolt’s continuous effort to gain her affection, which was mildly frustrating now he neglected Skyla. Shaking your head, you cracked open the book and started in. “Okay, Daring Do and Ponydora's Box.”

“‘In the lands before Equestria, in the vast ocean now known as Eternity’s Crossing, once stood a proud island. Here it is said that the first alicorns gifted a box to the first mortal mare, with instructions never to open it. However, her curiosity, another gift of the alicorns, made her do so, releasing all the bad things into the world.’” You glanced at your audience, surprised to see all three were enraptured, but then again, this was only just released, so it was new to them and to you as well.

“‘This mare, by the name of Ponydora, managed to close the box in time to keep one thing inside; hope, for all of pony kind. Ponydora became deeply saddened by what she had done, fearing she would have to face the first alicorns’ wrath, but they did not punish her, as they knew this would happen. So, your assignment for this week; the moral aspects of the alicorns, were they right or wrong to give Ponydora the box even though they knew she’d open it? Due in on Monday!’ was the last thing Professor Yearling’s students heard as they moved quickly out of the auditorium, the mare massaging her temples.” You shifted around a little, Applebloom giving a giggle when you moved a hoof and brushed her ribs, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giving each other a knowing smile when the farm filly shifted so that your foreleg was wrapped around her, and she was pressed even closer to your side.

“Come on, tell the story!” You raised an eyebrow at Scootaloo, who just grinned sheepishly at you and settled back down.

“Professor Yearling was looking forward to her weekend, a time to cool off from teaching history students, but it wasn’t to be, as the door to the classroom opened up, admitting a single stallion. ‘Ah, Miss Do, you are here afterall!’

‘Don’t call me that in school,’ she hissed at him, looking past him to ensure he wasn’t heard, then waved him into her office where they sat at her desk. ‘So, what do you want? I’ve got a lot of work to do.’

‘Well, Miss Do, it seems to link with your previous class. The Box has been found, but that is not the issue.’’

‘What is?’

‘It was found by a cult of griffons, who plan to use it to take over the world, believing there is still evil lurking inside.’ And so, Daring Do, Miss Yearling to her students, took a sabbatical from teaching. It didn’t take her long to get ready, and was soon on her way from Canterlot to the eastern seaboard, where she hoped to intercept the griffons and ensure Ponydora's box remained closed.” You continued reading to the fillies, losing yourself in the story as your voice filled the main floor of the library, the trio hanging on your every word.

A sudden hoot made you look up, Owlowiscious now sitting on the back of the couch opposite and staring down. You followed his gaze and blinked in surprise at the sight that greeted you; laying next to each other and breathing softly, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were asleep, and a glance down revealed Applebloom to also be slumbering away.

Carefully moving her to her friends with magic, you marked the page and set the book down on the side, then glanced around the library. If you didn’t get cleaning soon, Twilight wouldn’t be too happy when she got back from Canterlot this time.

...and you’d rather not be forced to wear the maid outfit that Cadance got for her, again.

It was a couple of hours later, the three fillies asleep on the couch as you continued to quietly clean the library, when you heard the screaming, looking out of the window to see a strange creature calmly walking amongst the ponies, and you briefly wondered why they were running from it. The answer came a moment later when it grabbed a mint green unicorn by the name of Lyra around the neck and lifted her up, opening its mouth, and you thought it was going to eat her. That’s not what happened; a strange orange glow flowed from her body into his open maw, and then he dropped her weakened form to the floor.

The townsponies, now frozen with fear, had the same done to them, this strange creature sweeping the magic from within them in one go. There was nothing you could do against power like that, and you turned around to face the trio; a quick teleportation and shadow spell ensured they would not be found. A fist came through the window behind you and the creature opened its mouth once more, but you had already taken action, teleporting into the open behind it and running to the edge of the town. It wasn’t enough though, as it jumped in front of you in a single leap.

“And where do you think you are going, little pony?”

“I’d be careful with that one if I were you, Tirek. He has a very powerful marefriend.” Your eyes went wide in fear as you looked up at the behemoth stood in front of you, the name registering deep within your memories of history books, one you wished was actually a myth. Alas, it was not to be, as his hand gripped you around the body and lifted you to his face. “He has a different kind of magic, you might want to be careful not to take it all.”

“Really, Discord? And why is that?” You turned to Discord with pleading eyes, but he just turned away, knowing full well what would happen if you lost all of you magic; he just didn’t want to watch. And then the screaming started, not from another pony, but from you, as your body was bathed in great pain, like something was tearing out your fur and ripping your skin from your body.

“Polter, no!” You managed to turn your head, where you saw five weary looking mares trapped in a cage, all looking back at you with horror. The pull intensified, a high pitched buzzing placing itself in your head as your ghostwalking abilities began to activate, Tirek giving a chuckle as he felt what was about to happen. Then, like a fatigued dam breaking, you were ripped from your body and fell to the floor, your limp physical form following a moment later.

You got up and tried to get back into it, but did not have the strength, meaning one thing; you were well and truly dead. It was then that you noticed Discord floating in front of the massive centaur, now that you remembered what he was, and even he had his chaos magic drained from him, Tirek turning and walking away. You saw a few purple flashes and then a large purple contrail in the sky, which turned for the massive creature and skidded to a landing just in front of him, close enough to hear them talk.

“You're going to give me what I want!”

He opened his mouth to absorb her magic, but she just teleported away, and you looked around in the hopes that she was safe. A sudden bright orange light caused you to turn just as it impacted the library, followed by a massive explosion, in which you caught the shadow of your mare. She fell to the ground and slid along, releasing Owlowiscious from her grip, then standing up and teleporting away.

There was a purple flash in the sky followed by an even brighter multi coloured beam, aimed right at the centaur, but he countered with a shield spell and grinned at Twilight after he dropped it. “Now I understand what your fellow princesses have done!” What followed next was little more than spectacular, beams of powerful magic contrasting with the strangely orange sky as Tirek and Twilight went all out against each other, until they launched intersecting vollies, creating a large explosion that threw your limp body against the side of a house.

Seeing as you no longer had a need for it, you paid it little heed, instead walking towards the rubble that now littered the ground. You saw a red arm sticking out from a pile of rocks and breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as Tirek emerged from the pile, Twilight appearing unscathed as well. “It appears we are at an impasse. How about a trade, Princess Twilight? Their release for all the Alicorn magic in Equestria.”

Twilight gave a shocked gasp, looking past Tirek at her friends, all of whom were shouting in protest, except for Discord, who sat facing away in shame. Good, you deserve it, you goatbucker. “What's it going to be?” The voices of her friends continued, causing Tirek to turn around and glare at them all. “Enough! I want an answer, and I want it now!” There was a stunned silence as Twilight looked at the ground, eyes flickering back and forth, before she met Tirek’s gaze

“I will give you my magic, in exchange for my friends.”

“As you wish.” The six bubbles containing the mares and Spike popped and they hit the ground, Fluttershy looking around and then blinking as she turned her gaze skywards.

“All of my friends.”

“After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him a 'friend'?”

“Release him!”

“If that's what you want.” Discord’s bubble was dropped to the floor, where he thanked Twilight and apologised to Fluttershy, whilst Tirek turned back to the alicorn. “Your turn.” Even though not what you went through, you knew losing that amount of magic would be painful, and cringed as you heard Twilight’s screams. They lasted ten seconds, Twilight falling limply to the floor, Tirek roaring as his body glowed gold and grew even larger.

That’s when your hearing and other senses began to fade, the others now around Twilight, including Discord, talking about some chest, and then sprinting away. You were too weak to follow, so just moved over to your body and sat down, waiting for the moment where you would leave the land of the living and reunite with your father and grandfather once more. It seemed to be taking a while, and whilst getting bored you noticed a bright orb lifting from a far canyon, which was attacked by an orange beam of magic that could only come from Tirek.

A few moments later the response came, and he was bathed in a beam the same colours as the orb, eliciting a pained yell from him. You couldn’t see what happened from where you were, but a multicolour aurora burst into the sky and spread across the land, the ponies whose magic was drained coming back around as their magic returned to them. The orb returned to the canyon, from which a rainbow sprouted and something moved along it to the other side. The ponies around you began shaking, and a building started to move out of the ground, forming into a large castle. “Well, you don’t see that everyday.”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, then chuckled as you realised air would no longer be a problem, turning to look at the two unicorns to your side. “Father, grandpa.” The elder stallion lay a hoof on your shoulder, giving you a small nod.

“Come, Polter, it is time.” You looked around the town one last time, then stood up and began walking with your family, giving a chuckle as your grandfather continued. “Just remember, you got to fondle an alicorn’s wings. Not many, either in life or the other world, can say they’ve done that.”

“POLTER!!!” The three of you stopped walking and turned back towards your body as a lavender blur skidded to a stop next to it, Twilight taking it in her forelegs as she began to sob, the townsponies realising what the issue was very quickly. Your first instinct was to go back and comfort her, but a hoof to each shoulder told you that you couldn’t, not any more.

“Leave her to mourn, Polter. Come.” Turning away, you continued walking from the town until you arrived at a beach, one that you had seen before. “Well, son, this is it for you. I’m sorry it was so soon, but you’ve made me proud.” Even though the words would have warmed you if you had a physical body, you could still hear the grief stricken cries of Twilight Sparkle, once target of your misdeeds, but always a target of your affection.

You did your best to tune them out as you moved into your new home, and the building that your forebears’ spirits inhabited. “You’ll be feeling tired for awhile as you get used to it, so you should let your spirit rest. Trust me on this.” You did feel rather sleepy, so moved past your grandfather and settled onto the spectral couch, muffled voices around you as you drifted off to slumber.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, element of magic, princess of friendship, and another notch under her belt as Equestria’s saviour… was miserable. Her friends and family all tried to help, but none could get through to her as she sat in the lowest level of her new castle. It had been an act of desperation, but it had succeeded somewhat. Now she spent her days listlessly staring at her creation, only eating small meals, and even then not much of it before she returned to her visuals.

Medical professionals had tried to persuade her that nothing could be done, that it was pure luck she had even got the heart started once more, but she would not believe he was gone. Even when Celestia came to talk with her, Twilight was aggressively defiant, telling her mentor and fellow princess that the body she was keeping alive wouldn’t be leaving her care until the day she died.

Even Cadance had failed in persuading her otherwise, and slowly only two beings came to visit her, one being her faithful assistant Spike. The other was more because his guilt forced him, and he didn’t even try to stop her when Twilight attacked him; if he were a mere mortal, he would be very lucky to still be alive. So now Discord was helping in his own way, protecting this room from entry to all but those Twilight wished to see. The draconequus set a paw down gently on her shoulder, and she found a strange comfort in his presence. They had become close friends as of the past two weeks, and he had tried to dissuade her from her planned course of action, but even he couldn’t outright control free will. “Are you sure you still want to go through with this?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I just hope I’m not too late.” What Twilight didn’t know was that outside the shield waited a whole host of ponies, primarily the alicorn’s friends and family, ready to move in once Discord let them through. Back in the room, he carefully helped Twilight mark out the symbols with which she needed to make this work, and she carefully checked them over. “Okay, that’s perfect. Now one last thing.”

“Twilight, please be careful. I’d hate to lose such a good friend.” Seeing the mare waving the him down, he crouched to her level and she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, sending him into a confused silence as he left the room. Ensuring she would be ready this time, Twilight took a knife in her magic and cut into her leg, letting her blood drip into the centre of the magic circle. She quickly dressed the wound and lay down on the floor, watching as a swirling blue portal appeared. Then she felt herself drawn towards it.

Epilogue

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After several long hours with no sign of Twilight, Discord finally gave in and dropped the shield to the basement. The ponies that had gathered quickly moved down the steps, stopping in shock at the mare lying on the floor, a bandage with a dark red stain wrapped around a foreleg. To her side was a gurney, upon which lay the body of Polter Dawn, being kept alive by various machines. The slow echo of hoofsteps could be heard and the crowd parted, allowing a unicorn stallion that had just joined them through.

Without a word he picked Twilight up with his magic and floated her over to the bed, laying her down gently. The mare that had followed walked over and moved Twilight’s hoof so that it was wrapped around Polter’s, then sat back and leaned into the stallion.

Shining Armour stroked his sister’s mane much like he used to when she was younger and having a nightmare, laying his head across his wife’s neck. It was quickly agreed amongst the group that at least one pony would be present in the basement at all times, two when Applejack was rostered in for her watch, as she still had to keep an eye on the thief. Having chosen to take the first few hours, all but her, her ward, and Discord left the castle, the draconequus summoning a large couch for them all to sit on.

“Discord, what do you think? Reckon Twi will bring ‘im back?”

“I don’t know, Applejack. Something like this requires more than chaos magic, a lot more, and that’s if he even wants to come back.” The pair settled onto the couch, Cage several feet away, Discord glancing at Applejack to see she wasn’t looking at the two unconscious ponies in the room. She noticed his stare and turned towards him with a frown.

“Discord, Ah’m not in the mood. What’re ya doin’?” Trying to lighten the mood with some humour, he clicked his fingers and began laughing as a blush spread across Applejack’s cheeks, for now Cage was lying on his back with his head in her lap, staring up at her. “DISCORD!”

“Polter! Polter, where are you?”

You frowned as you slowly came awake, the voice distant, but close at the same time and easily recognisable. Briefly you wondered if your talent meant you could visit the living world, but shrugged the thought away. The next sound you heard jolted you to full alertness, and then there was another snarl. You slowly rolled over, finding yourself face to face with the very, very angry spirit of King Sombra, who was baring his teeth as he leaned closer. “No, bad Sombra!”

He was suddenly pulled from your bed and thrown against the wall in a familiar lavender aura, the voice the same as you heard moments ago. Slowly turning your head, you blinked in disbelief upon seeing the lavender alicorn staring at you. You went to move to her, but a growl from the corner made you freeze. “What about our deal, Sparkle? I let you use dark magic without any consequences, release me from this hell.”

“Our deal? Forget it, you’re going back to where you belong.” Sombra gave an angered roar and leapt at Twilight, but you jumped in front of him with a glare, causing him to stop and back off slightly. For some reason, he was scared of you, an advantage you pressed as your horn began to glow, Twilight stepping next to you. “Time for you to go back to Tartarus. Give my regards to Tirek whilst there, would you?”

Regaining his courage, Sombra tried to lunge for Twilight once more, but suddenly found himself surrounded by a cage. A swirling red portal then appeared underneath him, and the cage started to sink into it. “Curse you, Sparkle! One day we will rise again, and you will be sorry!”

“Try it, mister. We’ll stop you!” The glowing green eyes of the stallion disappeared, and the portal closed behind him, leaving you alone in the room with Twilight. “Polter?” Instead of facing the mare, you moved back to the bed and sat down, staring at the floor. “I’ve come to take you back.”

“Back? Back where? My body is destroyed.”

“No, it isn’t. The only injury it gained was merely a broken leg and some scratches, I… I couldn’t let you go, but you had already left your body. It’s alive once more, in my basement.” She slowly walked towards you and brushed her cheek against yours, wrapping her forelegs around your neck. “Please, Polter, come home.”

“You’d best be going with her, colt.” You looked past Twilight, seeing your father and grandfather looking in through the door. If Twilight was right, then returning to your body would be as easy as the last time you did it, so you gave them a nod as you stood up from the bed. They came closer and wrapped you in their hooves for a few moments, then stepped back and motioned for Twilight to stand next to you. “You two be good to each other, you hear?”

A smile came to your face as Twilight nuzzled under your chin and you lit your horn, feeling your physical form calling for you.

Pain. It causes you to know that you’re still alive, and you had two weeks of a broken and healing leg to catch up on, a hiss escaping your mouth as you came awake. That wasn’t the only feeling you had, as your heart beat strongly within your chest, and your lungs burned as you breathed properly in what seemed like years.

Somepony stirring to your side made you turn your head slowly, your gaze meeting the shimmering violet orbs that were the eyes belonging to Twilight Sparkle, the mare that had brought you back. Stretching your forelegs out, you pulled her close, and she buried her head against your chest as she began to sob.

“Well well, looks like somepony was successful.”

You looked up and grew angry, pulling Twilight closer and summoning as much offensive magic as you could, but the draconequus backed away. You didn’t let your magic lower at all… at least not until you saw the other ponies rolling around the floor.

“Consonarit, Discord! Let me outta here!” Applejack and the young stallion she had under her care were facing each other, their muzzles inches apart and their bodies tied together with a lot of rope. The farm mare was glaring daggers at Discord whilst the pegasus was staring at her with a very visible blush. It wasn’t until you felt a soft set of lips press against your cheek that the glow around your horn faded, but only a little bit, as you squeezed Twilight a bit harder and made her giggle.

“So, how did you keep my body alive?” Twilight waved her hoof to your other side, and you looked around to see several medical machines, wires coming from them and trailing under the blanket that covered you. Evaluating the price of the equipment you could only stare at Twilight with mouth agape, which made her laugh the most cheerful of sounds.

“I had some pocket money saved for emergencies like that.”

You lifted Twilight’s muzzle up and was drowning in her eyes for a few moments, then held her close as you kissed her passionately, hearing but choosing to ignore the draconequus as he spoke.

“Now that is my favourite kind of magic.”

It's A Kind Of Magic

by Lucky424

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08 (sex)

Chapter 09 (sex)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue