> The Lord Protector of Equestria
>  by Wang-Tang
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A World of Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been several years since his passing. Wandering the Void, watching the suspended animations of his world. He watched as Emily continued to grow into a fair, understanding, and benevolent empress.

As he continued to walk through the Void, a familiar being appeared before him. "Hello, Corvo. How have you been, wandering the void?"

"What do you want Outsider?"

"Always straight to the point. I'm going to bring you back to life and let you out of the Void."

Corvo looked into the black eyes of the deity in front of him. "What do you mean? Are you going to send me back to Dunwall?" he asked. He knew that the Outsider didn't do anything out of the kindness of his 'heart'. No, he only did things that he would find interesting. So, he couldn't help, but wonder what the being before him had planned.

The Outsider slightly smirked, "Oh no, not this world. I'm going to be sending you to another world that I recently found out exists. A world much more interesting than this one."

Corvo wasn't surprised by his answer of not being sent back to Dunwall, but was caught off guard that there was another world. "A different world?"

"Yes, Corvo. A completely different world. A world filled with amazing beings. Beings that can control the weather, beings that can create things from nothing, that can move the sun and moon," he said. "I'm going to send you there and see how things will unfold. You're also going to be changed into one of them, but you will keep the powers I have given you."

"You're going to bring me back to life, change me into whatever inhabits that world, and let me keep the powers you gave me?"

"Yes, in fact, I'm going to give you some of the powers Daud had. The powers I'm going to give you are Pull and Arcane Bond. I will also give you some of the devices Daud had," the Outsider told him.

"Why are you giving me so much?"

"Because it will be interesting to see what you will do with them," he said simply.

"So are you going to tell me about this world?"

"Oh no Corvo, you're going to have to figure it out for yourself," the Outsider said. He then waved his hand and Corvo vanished from the Void. "I look forward to seeing what you will do in this new world." He brought a hand to his chin in thought, "Perhaps I should introduce myself to the ruler, she's a very intriguing individual."

As Corvo was being sent to the new world, he was aware of the everything around him. He could soon feel his body again. The sensation of the transport was like he was being pulled and stretched. He saw a light, but as he neared it, Corvo fell unconscious.


~~~~


A sudden impact brought Corvo back to consciousness. Blinking away the blurriness in his vision, he pushed himself up. When his vision cleared he noticed that he was on a red carpet over a marble floor. Two metal tips entered the peripherals of his vision. Looking over Corvo saw what was unmistakably a guard pointing a spear at him. The guard wore golden armor and a golden helmet with a blue crest on top. What shocked him was that the guard was a pony. The pony had a white coat, his tail the same color as the crest of his helmet. He was really surprised when he saw that the pony had wings.  Deciding it would be best to not move, he stayed on the floor. Corvo looked over to the other guard. He was gray with a silver tail and had a horn. He didn't understand how these ponies could have wings or horns.

"Guards! Stand down!" a voice called out.

"But Princess!" the guard started to protest.

"I said stand down!" she repeated. The guards hesitated, then slowly raised their spears and stepped back, however they stayed close to keep an eye on him. Corvo looked at the owner of the voice. What he saw greatly surprised him. Standing in front of him was a white pony probably as tall as him with magenta eyes, she had a horn three times the length of the guards, and she also had wings. Her mane and tail shocked him as well, it was four different colors: blue, green, purple, and pink. They also appeared to flow even without a breeze. He noticed that there was an image of the sun on her flank. "What are you?" she asked.

Noticing the crown on her head and the regalia she wore, Corvo pushed himself off the floor and knelt, placing his left fist against the floor and his right arm over his chest, bowing his head. "I am a human, Your Highness," he answered.

His actions surprised her. A being she'd never seen before was kneeling in front her in an unknown manner. However what he called himself confused her. "A human?" she asked. "I don't know what that is, but are you sure? You kind of look like a minotaur, except without horns and your head is shaped differently."

Standing up, Corvo looked at his feet, only to notice they weren't there. In their place were hooves.

"Oh, he's a human. Or at least he was," came a voice Corvo knew all too well, but was a mystery to the princess. Several feet above them, a figure appeared, much to the Princess' surprise. He was very pale, had brown hair, his eyes as black as voids. He wore a brown coat, blue pants and black boots.





The Outsider glanced down to his right and seemed to be looking at something. Noticing this Corvo activated his Dark Vision. Looking at the spot where the Outsider was looking, he saw a familiar yellow highlight, this time of another pony with a horn standing in between him and the ruler. He contemplated using a sleep dart, but decided to instead let the monarch know, "There appears to be another intruder, Your Highness."

She looked at him questioningly, she noticed his eyes had turned from brown to a ruby red. The pony in question noticed his gaze and started to run. Taking immediate action Corvo vanished in flash of light. Everyone gasped at the sight. He reappeared farther down the throne room. When the pony bumped into him, he wrapped his arm around their barrel and lifted them up.

Returning his vision to normal, he saw that it appeared he wasn't carrying anything. "You might as well show yourself. I won't let go until you do."

Not having many other choices, the pony revealed themselves. In his grasp was a lavender mare with a purple mane and tail that had a pink stripe going down the length of them, her eyes were violet. He saw that she had an image on her flank as well, but her's was a magenta six-pointed star with five smaller white stars surrounding it. She gazed at him with an irritated expression, a small blush across her muzzle.

"It's okay. That's my faithful student Twilight Sparkle," the monarch said, with a warm smile.

Setting her down, Corvo bowed slightly, "I apologize if I was rough, Miss Sparkle." He paused for a moment and then asked, "Miss, can you see..?"

"The strange being floating in the air? Yes, I see him. And please, just call me Twilight," she said.

"Okay, Twilight." He then glanced to the ruler and said, "I don't know your name yet Your Highness."

Twilight gaped at the stallion in front of her. "How do you not know who Princess Celestia is?" she practically shouted.

"Because he is from a different world. A world very different from yours," the Outsider said.

"Another world?" Twilight asked, glancing at the floating man.

"Who are you!?" Celestia demanded, gazing up at the man.

"Oh and Corvo?" the Outsider said, not paying any mind to the monarch. "I have something for you." Waving his hand, a crate, case, and a rather large bag appeared next to Corvo. "Some more ammunition and equipment for you. So that you don't run out, I'm giving you the blueprints for your ammo and gadgets to give them so they can replicate them for you. Good luck with your new life." With one last glance at Twilight, which did not escape Corvo's notice, the Outsider disappeared.

Celestia let out an irritated snort, then, turning toward the stallion, she asked, "So, I believe he said your name is Corvo?"

"Yes ma'am, Corvo Attano. Where am I exactly?"

"You are in the throne room of the castle of Canterlot." She then started to walk over to him, Twilight following behind her, "You used to be human?" Corvo nodded. When she reached him, Celestia started to walk around him and look him over. "Well, you appear to have hooves like we do, you also have a tail." Upon hearing that he turned his head and saw he did have a tail, he tried swishing it and was surprised to see move, it was the same color his hair was. When she was in front of him again, she looked at him closely. "And you have a muzzle."

"Do you have a mirror, Princess?" he asked. In a flash of golden light, a full sized mirror appeared in front of Corvo. Surprised by the sudden use of magic and the way she used, he stared at the mirror for a few second before he began to look himself over. He noticed that he wore the same clothes as he had when he was in Dunwall, except that he was now wearing the same gloves Daud had. He had his boots as well, but they had changed to fit his hooves. Turning slightly he saw that he had the three big pouches that he had before on his belt. Looking at his face he saw that he had a dark gray coat, his hair, or mane now, was still the same black, his ears were now on top of his head, and his eyes were the same brown color, but were a great deal bigger. He also appeared to be much younger than he should be. His new pony anatomy threw him off, but if he had to guess, he looked about twenty.

"What do humans normally look like?" Celestia inquired.

"Like the Outsider, but with normal colored eyes," Corvo answered. At the two mares confused expressions, he said, "That man that was floating in the air earlier.

"Oh, so you don't normally have fur then?" Twilight asked.

"We have a thin layer of hair, but not fur, no," he answered.

"Well if you do normally look like the Outsider, then now you look like you're half human, half earth pony," she said.

"Earth pony?"

Celestia began explaining, "Yes, there are four races of ponies in Equestria." She gestured at Twilight, "Unicorns, who can channel their magic through their horns are able to cast spells," then she gestured at one of the guards, "pegasi, who can control the weather and have great speed and agility. There are thestrals, who are similar to pegasi, but they have bat-like wings instead of feathered ones. They are more night dwelling ponies, having slitted pupils that are able to see perfectly in the dark and are a good deal stronger than pegasi. Lastly there are earth ponies, who are connected to nature, animals, and plants. Earth ponies are also very strong and have great stamina."

"What kind of pony are you then, Princess Celestia?" he asked.

"I'm an alicorn. I'm able to use the magic of all the pony races," Celestia told him.

"The Princess and Cadance are the only alicorns," Twilight said.

Corvo saw the slight pained expression on Celestia's face, one that told him that there was something she was keeping to herself. Something that either she regretted or it pained her to think about, or even both.

She quickly changed the subject, asking something that she had been wondering about for a while now, "Corvo, how did you do what you did earlier?"

"What do you mean Princess?"

"Well for one, even though she was invisible, very well done by the way Twilight," she complimented the unicorn. Twilight blushed as Celestia continued, "you were able to see her, and then you teleported in front of her," she said.

"Oh, that was magic that the Outsider gave to me."

"He gave you magic? Why?" Twilight asked.

"Yes he gave them to me. No one in my world just knows magic like here." This seemed to surprise the two mares. "He gave them to me because he knew that I was going to play a pivotal role in the events that were going to unfold in my world, so he gave me powers to make my journey more 'entertaining'," Corvo explained. "The Outsider gives his mark to anyone he finds interesting. It doesn't matter if that person is good or evil, and he doesn't factor in hierarchy or any effort they put in to trying to summon him."

"So what magic can you use?" Twilight asked, interested in seeing new magic.

"I'll show you after I explain the two I used earlier," he said. He decided that he wouldn't show them the Devouring Swarm magic, at least not yet. "What I used to see Twilight is called Dark Vision, it allows me to see living beings through any object. It also lets me see their field of vision and any noise made in the area." They were surprised that the ability let him see so much. "I don't think I need to explain Blink, since you appear to have something similar. Another spell I have is Possession." Hearing this put everyone in the room on edge.

"You can possess ponies?" Twilight asked, apprehensively. Celestia remained silent, listening to his explanation.

"Yes I can possess ponies and animals, but the possession isn't a permanent thing. It only lasts a short time and then I'm pretty much expelled from who I'm possessing." Twilight eased slightly, but still felt anxious that he could possess someone. 

"Can it be used on anypony?" Twilight inquired.

"Pretty much anyo-" he paused when he realized what she said. "Anypony?"

"Yes?" she said questioningly.

"That's not how you say that word in your world is it?" Celestia guessed.

"No, we say anyone," he said.

"We do as well. However when we are just talking about ponies, we use anypony," Celestia explained. "You might have to learn some new words while you're here."

"Alright. Well continuing, another of my abilities is Bend Time. I'm able to stop time for several seconds."

"Stop time? It's not possible to stop time!" Twilight objected.

"There might not be any spells for it, but one of the magic abilities the Outsider gave me can stop time. And like I said it's only for several seconds, it's not like I can leave time stopped for as long as I like," Corvo said. Seeing her incredulous look, he decided to demonstrate it. "Fine, I'll show you." He reached out a hand. Twilight looked at it confusedly. "You need to be holding on to me, otherwise you will freeze as well."

She still seemed skeptical, but put a hoof in his hand. He was about to activate the power when Celestia interrupted. "May I see this as well?" she asked. She didn't outright believe what this ability could do, but wanted to see it for herself.

Twilight looked at her mentor in surprise, shocked that she didn't seem to find this impossible like she did.

"Sure," he said and held his hand out. She took his hand and waited for him to use the power. Before he did, Corvo looked around the room and noticed that it wouldn't really show much to use the Bend Time in here. There wasn't anyone other than the guards, who barely seemed to even blink. He turned toward one and addressed him, "Would you throw your spear at me?"

The request caught everypony completely by surprise. Even Celestia gaped at the stallion. The guard looked at the princess for directions. She was still surprised he would ask, but, while she was rather doubtful of freezing time, she didn't think that Corvo would allow himself to get hurt. So, looking at the guard she nodded.

The guard looked hesitant, but nodded back. Walking in front of them, he aimed his spear at Corvo. He then threw it directly at his chest. When the spear was several feet from him, Corvo activated the ability. The weapon froze in mid-air. Glancing at each mare he saw Twilight's eyes widened and her jaw practically fall to the floor. Celestia was less expressive, but seemed surprised as well as her eyes widened. He leaned to the side and waited for the time to return to normal. After waiting for what should have been eight seconds, Corvo looked around in confusion when he noticed that time was still stopped.

"Is something wrong Corvo?" Celestia asked.

"Time usually returns to normal by now," he said. Keeping his body bent to the side, he ended the abilities effect. The spear soared past Corvo and embedded itself into the floor. Straightening, he released their hooves and crossed his arms, ignoring the stunned guards.

Celestia stood in silence, wondering what Corvo had meant.

"Um, Corvo?" Twilight said, after snapping out of her stupor. He looked down at the unicorn. "You said that there wasn't any magic in your world like there is here right?" He nodded at her.  "Well, it could be the fact that the power of your magic has increased. Also, you have been changed into a species that has it's own innate magic in addition to your own."

"You could be right Twilight. That's a very good hypothesis," Celestia told her. Twilight beamed at the praise. Celestia then turned toward him, "There is magic everywhere in our world. It's in the plants, rocks, the wildlife, it's in the very land and air. The immense amount of magic compared to your world and the greater amount of magic in you might have amplified your powers."

Corvo thought about their explanation for his sudden stronger abilities. He could practically feel the magic around him. Using the Bend Time also didn't exhaust his mana as much as it used to, in fact he barely felt it deplete at all. He started to wonder if his other magic was stronger and, if they were, what about them had been enhanced. "You may be right. There was never this much magic when I used these powers before. But there's something else."

"What is it?" the Twilight inquired.

"I think," he began. Then, closing his eyes, he reached out to his fount of magic. When he wanted to check and see how much mana he had left, this is what he would do. Upon reaching it, he was surprised to sense two different types of energy within him. Opening his eyes, he looked at the mares, "Yep, you were right Twilight, I seem to have two sources of magic."

"Hm. Perhaps the Outsider couldn't mix your magic and Equestrian magic," Celestia guessed.

"That or he just didn't," Corvo said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean that the Outsider does whatever he feels like doing. He might have been able to mix the two magics but just didn't feel like it."

"He sounds like a pain," Twilight said.

"A little, but the magic he gave me helped a great deal back in Dunwall."

"Dunwall? Is that where your from?" Celestia inquired.

"It's where I lived, yes. Anyway, another power I have is Windblast, which is pretty self-explanatory. My last power is a new one that the Outsider gave me when he sent me here. He said it was called Pull. That sounds pretty obvious as well." He flicked his wrist at the still embedded spear. The weapon was pulled out of the floor and flew toward Corvo, who deftly caught it. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He walked over to the guard and returned his spear.

The guard took it and returned to his post.

"I think that was only the first level of it, though," he said to himself.

"First level?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, for some of the powers there are two levels to them," Corvo started to explain. "For example, the first level of Bend Time was just slowing time down instead of stopping it."

"So what does a level two Pull do?" Celestia inquired.

"It pulls people toward me. Conscious people are lifted and bound in front of me to take out."

"What do you mean that they are lifted and bound in front of you?" Twilight asked.

Corvo paused, thinking on how to best explain. Figuring it would be better to display what it could do, he said, "I suppose I could show you but somepony would need to volunteer for it to be used on them."

"You can use it on me," a voice behind him said. Turning toward the pony that had spoken, Corvo saw one of the guards walking forward. He was an earth pony guard.

"Well, if you're sure. May I ask what your name is?" he asked.

Since ponies don't normally ask for a guards name, being asked his was a surprise. "My name is Crescent Slash," he answered.

"Well Crescent, thank you for volunteering, but why are you? I didn't really expect any of you to because you probably don't trust me."

"Well while I don't necessarily trust you yet, you haven't given us a reason to be suspicious of you," the guard said. "So when you are ready you can use that Pull power on me."

His answer somewhat surprised Corvo. That he was going to let somepony he didn't really trust or even know use a spell on him. The guards back in Dunwall would have been very suspicious and wary, and they knew him. That this pony would so readily entrust him with his safety baffled Corvo. Shaking off his shock he prepared to use Pull. Aiming at Crescent, Corvo used his power. As soon as it was cast, the guard started to slide across the throne room. Knowing what was going to happen, he wasn't shocked to be suddenly moving, but even knowing what the effects were Crescent was surprised when he was lifted into the air. He just sat there suspended in front Corvo until he ended the spell, dropping the guard.

Crescent landed back on his hooves. "I'm guessing that's why you wanted somepony to volunteer?" he asked.

Corvo nodded, "Yes, that's why. I had this power used on me before. I was caught off guard and was nearly knocked out from the sudden drop. I wanted somepony to be prepared for what was going to happen."

"Is that all of the magic you can use?" Celestia asked, as Crescent returned to his position. Corvo hesitated for a second, then nodded. She noticed the hesitation, but decided to wait until there wasn't anypony else around to confront him about it. Turning toward Twilight, Celestia said, "You should probably head back Twilight."

"Why Princess?" she asked.

"Because I would like you to teach Corvo about our world. The places in Equestria, the other species that inhabit Equis, the laws that our world has, all of those things and I know that you would like to plan those things out," Celestia told the unicorn.

A gleam entered Twilight's eyes at the thought of teaching somepony, "Okay, Princess I'll teach Corvo about our world." She headed toward the doors, "I should check on Spike too. He's probably getting pretty worried about me." She left the throne room to check on somepony and start to get a lesson plan together.

As she left, Corvo walked over and knelt down to look at what the Outsider had left. He opened the crate first, "Spring razor, normal and sticky grenades, but what are these?" he wondered as he held up two different mines and what seemed to be a tube with some kind of pin sticking out of the top. Deciding to find out what these were later, Corvo moved over to the case. Opening it he listed off it's contents like he did before, "Bullets, bolts, sleep darts, incendiary bolts, explosive bullets, and... are these explosive bolts? I guess shooting them would be quieter than using the gun."

"Did you say that there are explosives in there?" Celestia asked, concern and uneasiness in her voice. She started to wonder why such a young stallion would need such things.

"Yes, there are Princess, but if they are treated with care nothing will happen. As long as you don't crack them or, for the grenades, pull the pins, they won't go off," he explained. Continuing to look through the case, Corvo saw the blueprints the Outsider had left him. He looked over to the Princess and asked, "Would it be to much to ask for you to try and replicate these?"

"And why do you want these replicated?" she asked. Since it involved things so volatile and dangerous, she needed to know what he planned to do with them.

"I only wish to protect those that inhabit what appears to be my new home," Corvo said, trying to put her fears to rest. "However, while I don't know if I'll need them, I have plenty of supplies, so if you want to think it over before deciding about the more deadly ammunitions, I don't mind, but I would ask you to work on the sleep darts. I would rather keep from injuring anyone unless absolutely necessary." Looking through the blueprints, he found the ones for the sleep darts and put it next to him. He then started to look for the ones pertaining to the three gadgets he couldn't identify. He soon found them and read what they were, "Stun mines, arc mines, and chokedust?" The stun mines were self-explanitory and had an idea about the chokedust, but read the description on the blueprints to be sure, "When set off, the gas inside hampers a persons breathing effectively 'stunning' them." He then looked over the arc mine blueprint. He didn't read this one aloud, 'The mine has multiple charges that incinerate anyone in who enters its range.' He grabbed the stun mine and sleep dart blueprints and held them out to Celestia.

As she took the plans in her magic, she inquired, "You have a lot of different gadgets here Corvo. You noticed Twilight earlier, but you hesitated slightly before acting. Were you originally going to tell me or were you going to do something else?"

Corvo didn't answer right away. This was her student after all, and if the look she gave when she realized it was Twilight was any indication, their relationship seemed similar to the relation he had with Emily. Deciding it would be best to be honest, he said, "I did contemplate doing something else."

"And that would be?" she asked, her face expressionless.

"I was going to hit her with a sleep dart," he answered. "I try to not even harm anyone unless I have to. I try even harder not to kill except as a last resort."

A small smile spread across Celestia's muzzle, "I'm glad to here that." Though, she was surprised that he admitted that, if the situation called for it, he would end somepony's life.

"Was she really invisible?"

"Not really, no. She was just making herself blend into the background," she explained. "Once you had caught her, I could tell that you had somepony in your grasp. It's a spell that's best used when your standing still, so the fact that she kept it up so well even when she was moving was very impressive."

"She must be good at magic then," Corvo said as he turned back to the case and continued to look through it.

"She's amazing at it."

"Why did he give me my crossbow and this wristbow? Whatever, it will come in handy if the other breaks or something. Gun, elixirs, remedies, and my sword," he said, pulling out a metal hilt.

Crescent spoke up, "Uh, Corvo that's only the hilt of a sword."

Glancing at the guard, Corvo pressed down on the hilt and tossed it up. As the handle spun in the air, it opened revealing the blade hidden inside. As he caught it, the four prongs at the top opened and the blade shot up. The guards stared at the sword wide-eyed. The sword was the same length of a normal sword, but was made of a black metal that the ponies had never seen before. Pressing the trigger again, Corvo spun the sword in his hand as the blade retracted back into the hilt. He put the crossbow in one of the pouches on the back of his belt, put the gun in its holster, and put his sword in its sheath. He also refilled the ammunition pouches on his side.

Looking back into the case he saw his mask, except that it had been altered to fit his new face. The shape was rounder that it was before and had two protrusions on the top for his ears. Lifting the mask out of the case, Corvo placed it over his face. He soon heard and felt the mask secure onto his face.

Celestia and the guards looked at the mask in slight discomfort. "Corvo, why do you have such an unsettling mask?" she asked.

He sighed, he was really dreading this conversation and had hoped to avoid it. However, after pretty much showing them the mask he had to explain himself. Removing the mask, Corvo began to explain, "Because Your Highness I was framed for a crime I didn't commit. A group called the Loyalists broke me out of jail because they thought that I could take out the real people who had plotted against the Empress. They gave me this mask to hide my identity from anyone who might see me."

"What was this crime Corvo?" Celestia asked.

Corvo's face darkened as he told her of the worst event to happen to the Isles. "Assisting in the kidnapping of Emily Kaldwin and the murder of her mother, Empress Jessamine Kaldwin," his voice laced with anger.

The guards reacted instantly, placing themselves between the princess and the stallion. Four guards surrounded Corvo and pointed their spears at him. He didn't even flinch, but glared down at the guards. They began to feel nervous. The fact that the stallion that had been very calm despite his circumstances was glaring death at them was greatly unnerving.

"Guards! Put your weapons away!" the Princess shouted.

The guards hesitated, but eventually lowered their spears and backed away.

Celestia walked up to Corvo, "That's a very serious thing to be accused of. Something that, while not foreign, doesn't happen often here in Equestria." He focused his gaze on the princess. She gazed into his eyes and saw the intense anger in them, but she also saw the sadness behind them. "I'm going to ask you to allow me to do something that is rather invasive." Confusion appeared on his face at the sudden turn. "Will you allow me to look into your memories?" The confusion spread across his face, as the anger practically disappeared. "You see there is a spell that allows me to peer into a ponies memories. While you haven't given me a reason not to believe you, murder is a very serious crime and the murder of a ruler, even more so. I want to look into your memories to see the events that unfolded."

Corvo nodded in understanding, but didn't answer. There was something he hadn't told Celestia. If she looked at his memories she would see it and think that he was trying to hide it. He decided to tell her before that could happen. "Very well Princess. I know that for something this severe you need proof of what I'm saying is true, but before you do I need to tell you something. I wasn't trying to hide it and you'll see for yourself in a second, but I feel it would be better to tell you myself."

She arched a brow and motioned for him to continue.

"I didn't say this before for two reason's. The first being that I didn't know if this kind if thing happened and I didn't want to bring that kind of thing up. The other reason is Twilight. She seemed rather young if my guess is correct."

"Well she's eighteen, but she's somewhat naïve of the real world. You don't look very old though. I don't know how humans look, but the part of you that's pony looks like you would be the same age as Twilight."

"You'll see when you look at my memories. After all, you'll see them all."

The Princess gave him a look and said, "I think you misunderstood something Corvo. I'll only see the memories you want me to see."

He stared at her in surprise, "But wouldn't ponies or anyone be able to hide things from you?"

"I have no right to pry into their private life," Celestia told him. "Now if the one I'm looking into the memory of is a criminal or some such, then I can force my way into their memories, but it puts a great deal of stress on them so I have to be sure that they are guilty."

Corvo fought the urge to facepalm. He really should have asked about what would happen. "Even so, I feel that as the ruler of this land you should know about the ma- stallion that's going to be staying here. And like I said I would rather tell you, so you don't think I was trying to hide it."

She waited as he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I wasn't lying when I said that I try not to kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. When the Empress was killed I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let revenge consume me. I know that she wouldn't want me to sink to their level and kill any enemy I came across. Plus, the guards were only following what they had thought had happened. Not even the Lord Regent or High Overseer would die by my hand. If they were to die, the law would be the ones to carry it out. Another reason was that I was sure that Emily would hear about the things I did. I didn't want her knowing about those kinds of things. I wanted to protect her from it."

Celestia watched as the anger from before reappeared.

"But there was one instance where that isn't true. When I happened to end up near the base of the assassins that killed the Empress, I broke my promise. I made my way to their base swiftly, but silently, ending every last one of their lives."

As he continued to talk, the Princess noticed sadness and regret appear on his features.

"However, as I entered the base, I looked back at the corpses of the assassins and I remembered my promise. That I broke that promise of not succumbing to revenge, filled me with regret. They had deserved justice, but I had no right to deliver it myself. So as I continued through their base I knocked the rest of them out."

"I see. Well, I appreciate you being honest with me, Corvo."

"Yeah, while I'm being honest. There was a spell that I didn't want Twilight to know about it," he confessed.

"Yes, I noticed your hesitation before when I asked. I was going to ask you about it later," Celestia said.

"You noticed, huh? Well, you see it's not a power I really used because it kills people. Can you make shield Princess?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because I'm going to show you what the spell does, but it's something that needs to be contained," Corvo explained. Aiming at the middle of the floor he cast his Devouring Swarm. A void opened on the ground as a giant swarm of rats appeared.

Celestia's eyes widened as she threw up a shield around them. "What are those?!" she yelled.

"The Devouring Swarm spell. It summons a huge swarm of rats that will attack anything. I have no control over them unfortunately. Which is why I asked if you could make a shield."

"I wish you would have explained better than that," Celestia said, with a reproachful look.

"Sorry Your Highness," he apologized.

"It's fine, I suppose. Nopony was hurt." She returned her gaze to the rats and asked, "They can really kill someone?"

"Yes, they can. You would sometimes come across a swarm of rats in Dunwall. If you weren't careful they would attack and even if you survived you wouldn't be much better off."

"Why's that?" she asked.

Corvo grimaced, "The plague."

"Plague?" she questioned.

"You'll see when you look into my memories. In fact should we do that now?" he asked.

"Yes, let's get to it. But what about those rats?" Celestia asked. She glanced over to the shield the rats just stood idly in spot.

"They'll disappear after a while, Princess. Although with how it took Bend Time longer to end, it might be better to just smash them. Can you shrink that shield?"

Celestia looked at Corvo in shock, "You want me to kill them?!"

"They aren't real Princess Celestia. They are just constructs made by my magic. If you'll open a hole in the shield I'll show you," he said as he approached the sphere.

Celestia hesitated, but created an opening in the shield.

Taking his sword off of his belt, he extended it and thrust it into the shield, stabbing one of the rats. Everypony flinched as the sword sunk into the rodent. However, the rat then burst into a puff of black smoke. They all stared, wide eyed at what had just happened.

"See?"

After seeing the rat vanish into smoke, Celestia contracted the shield, destroying the constructs. After they had all vanished, the shield dissipated as she ended the spell. After the spell vanished she approached Corvo, "Alright, let's look at your memories." Corvo inclined his head as the Princess neared him. Closing her eyes, Celestia lowered her horn to his forehead, a golden aura surrounding it.

"Oh and Princess Celestia?" Corvo said. She cracked open an eye. "I'm sure you figured this out, but I feel like I need to make sure you know that my world is much more violent than yours is. So don't be surprised if you see some terrible things."

Celestia nodded, then cast the spell and Corvo's memories flowed into her, she watched all of them play out. From the assassination of the Empress and the kidnapping of her daughter by a man in red and one of his men, to how Corvo, even when betrayed, didn't end a man's life, but let the law deal with him. She watched as he went through everything without killing any of the enemies he encountered. He even spared the lives of weepers, people at the height of the plague. This only lasted up until he found the assassins hideout however, and she watched the event Corvo had described to her. After, he realized what he had done, she watched in shock and amazement at how he spared the life of the man, Daud, who had killed the Empress, after he told Corvo that when he had done it something inside of him had broken and that he was tired of killing. She then watched as the rest of Corvo's life went by. How a cure for the plague was found, that Emily grew to be a wonderful ruler, how he was her Lord Protector, and eventually, the thing that surprised her the most, his death.

As the Princess' spell ended, she stared at the stallion in front of her. She couldn't believe how much he had gone through. And the fact that he had actually been dead not that long ago shocked her greatly.

"A lot to take in isn't?" he asked. "Especially the most recent event."

"Yes, you've had to go through a great deal. I can't believe you were dead though," she said. The guards eyes widened upon hearing this and tensed. Rolling her eyes, Celestia ordered, "Guards, do not do anything to this stallion unless he gives you reason to. From what I've seen though I doubt that will happen." They looked uncertain, but eased slightly. They stood at attention however, just in case. She shook her head, "I'm sorry about that Corvo."

"It's fine Princess. It's a pretty normal reaction for that kind of thing," he said as he turned his attention to the bag. When he opened the bag, Corvo saw the Heart on top of a pile of Bone Charms and quickly closed it.

"Is something wrong Corvo?" the Princess asked.

"Well, it's that item that the Outsider gave me and those charms," he told her, uncomfortably.

At first, Celestia was confused as to what he was talking about, but then she remembered when he had first met that irritating man. She began to feel slightly uncomfortable as well, as she recalled the Heart and the charms that have mystical powers. "Oh dear, um... do you think anypony can see it? I noticed in your memories no one seemed to notice it."

"I'm not sure. With how the Outsider is, others might be able to see it now."

"You should probably show the guards just in case, so that if they can and you need to take it out they won't completely freak out," she advised.

"If you think that's best."

Reopening the pack, Corvo took out the Heart. All of the guards tensed and gripped their spears.

The monarch sighed at their expected, and admittedly justified, reaction. "Calm down everypony. I know what it is, but know that Corvo had nothing to do with it's creation. That being that appeared earlier gave it to him."

"What being Princess?" one of the guards asked.

She looked at the guards in surprise.

Crescent step forward, "That's actually something we've been wondering about Princess. You, Corvo, and even Twilight started talking to nothing."

"Princess, the Outsider only shows himself to people, or in this case ponies, that he decides to," Corvo explained.

"I'll explain later, Crescent. Should I be worried he showed himself to Twilight, then?" Celestia inquired.

"Well he showed an interest in me and look at where I am."

Celestia thought about his world compared to theirs. Magic wasn't as plentiful as on Equis and having it was considered a heinous crime. Overseer's would burn 'witches' and heretics for going against them. She had also noticed the technological differences between the two worlds.

Returning her attention to him, she asked, "Can I ask you to keep an eye out for Twilight?"

"I will watch out for her as best I can," Corvo promised.

"Thank you Corvo." Celestia then looked outside the window and saw that it was almost night time. "It's getting pretty late. How about we get some rest and Twilight can start teaching you about our world tomorrow?"

"That would be great, Princess. Being given my body back and transported from another world sure took a lot out of me."

"I can imagine. I'll escort you to the room you'll be staying in," she said. Picking up the containers in her magic, she headed through the double doors.

As they walked through the halls, Corvo said, "Um, Princess?"

"Yes, Corvo?"

"Do you happen to have a spell that will change my appearance? I imagine that the other ponies wouldn't exactly take kindly to someone as strange as me," he asked.

"They might be frightened at first, but as they get to know you I'm sure they would be able to see past it," Celestia said. She then thought of the ponies in Canterlot. "But, I will look into it. Other ponies might accept you, but the ones in Canterlot will probably treat you horribly. You may now be a pony like the rest of us, but you are very different and the nobles treat those different than them very poorly."

"Believe me I know, I've had experience with nobles. And thank you, Princess."

They continued walking through the castle making idle chatter as they went.


~~~~


After what seemed like a few hours to Corvo they finally reached the room he would be staying in.

Opening the door with her magic, Celestia walked inside. "Well this your room."

Stepping inside the room, Corvo was somewhat surprised by how nice, what was probably a guest room, was. As he walked around the room looking at everything in it, Celestia put his possessions on the floor. As he came to the bed, he noticed that it was a great deal to small for him.

"Princess? The bed's rather small."

Turning toward him, she looked from the bed to the stallion. "That it is. Hold on a second." Lighting up her horn, Celestia's magic soon engulfed the bed. After a second, the bed expanded in length and width. "There you go."

"Thanks. And Princess would it be too much to ask for some clothes to be made?"

"You're welcome. It won't be any trouble Corvo, but may I ask why?" she questioned.

"As I said earlier, humans don't have fur, so we wear clothes to keep ourselves warm and to cover our... *ahem* modesty. As such I'm rather used to clothes and would like to keep wearing them even if you find a spell to change my appearance," he explained.

A light blush crossed the Princess' muzzle. "I see. Well that shouldn't be a problem. I'll talk to one of the tailors and see about getting you some more clothes. Now you should get some rest," she said, exiting the room.

"I will." Taking off his boots, Corvo got into bed and pulled the covers over him. As he wondered if he would come to enjoy his new life in a completely different world with new people (so to speak) and new things he had never seen before, he soon started to drift off to sleep.
> Learning of the New World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Corvo awoke to the view of the purple canopy of the bed. It took him a moment to realize that he had actually woken up. It had been so long since he had gone to sleep that it might actually take some time getting used to doing it again. The same would probably true for any other things he hadn't done in years.

Taking the covers off, he sat up and moved his legs off of the bed. He started to look around the room for a clock. Finding one, Corvo noticed that it was nine o'clock. 'This is probably the latest I've ever slept,' he thought. He had always gotten up at least at seven to do rounds around Dunwall Tower. Being in the Void so long had thrown him off and everything from yesterday had exhausted him. Getting up from the bed he walked over to the other door in the room. He noticed that as he walked he could hear a clopping sound. 'I suppose it makes sense, since I have hooves now,' he reasoned.

Opening the door he saw that it was a bathroom. Right in front of him was a mirror, with a sink directly under it. Looking around the room he saw that there seemed to be something he could only guess was a toilet, but didn't have the chamber pots he was used to. It was a tall white bowl that was connected to the floor with a strange block attached to the back. Looking into it he saw it was filled with water. Noticing the silver lever on the block, he pressed it down. He jumped as there was a loud noise and the water began to drain out the bottom. 'That makes things easier and infinitely less gross for the maids, if there are any.'

Turning around he was surprised to see curtains hanging up. Walking over, he opened them and saw that it was a bathtub. He noticed however that it was in the floor as well, instead of just being on it. He saw the faucet along with three faucet handles. Taking a closer look at them he saw that the one on the left had an H on it, the right had a C, and the middle had several straight lines on it. Looking up he saw something strange sticking out of the wall. Reaching down, he turned the side handles first and as he expected water started coming out of the faucet. He then turned the middle handle and was shocked to find out the water started to come out of the thing he saw coming out of the top of the wall. He saw that on the side was soap and several bottles of some odd liquid.

Figuring that it was used for the same purpose as a bath, Corvo took his clothes off. After he had undressed he looked at the mirror to look at what his body looked like. It was pretty much the same, except that it was covered in fur. As he turned to get under the water, he noticed that there was an image on what he would guess is now his flank. It was a blood red shield with the Outsiders mark on it and had a sword and gun crossing behind it. After studying it for a minute, he stepped under the water. Grabbing the soap he quickly washed his body and fur of any dirt from the previous day. Picking up one of the bottles, he saw that it was called shampoo and was used for washing the mane and tail. Squeezing some of it out of the bottle, he proceeded to scrub them. He was surprised to find out that it smelled like citrus. After washing the shampoo out of his mane and tail, he turned the water off. Grabbing one of the towels on the rack, he dried himself off. Retrieving his clothes he walked back into the bedroom. He then started to get dressed.

Just as he put his pants back on, his door opened. He was surprised to see a green unicorn with a blonde mane and tail enter. Her eyes were closed so he couldn't see what color they were. She had a tape measure draped around her neck and the mark on her flank was a needle and thread wrapped around a spool. As she walked into the room, she began to speak to him.

"Alright sir, the Princess asked me to make some clothes for you. I will need your measurements before I can begin, so if... you... will please," She seemed to lose her voice as she opened her eyes, which were a dark blue, and got a good look at her client. "Oh my. The Princess told me you looked rather odd, but she seems to have understated how odd. No offense, sir."

"It's fine, ma'am. I understand that I'm not exactly normal here. My name is Corvo, by the way," he introduced himself. He put his boots back on, then he walked over to the mare.

"That is a rather unusual name, but I suppose you are an unusual fellow. Well, it's nice to meet you Corvo," she said, walking up to him. "I'm Fine Point. If you would hold out your arms, I will begin measuring you so that I can start on your clothes." As he held his arms out, the measuring tape was surrounded in light blue aura and she started to measure Corvo. As she jotted down the measurements, she asked, "Is there any type of style you'd like your clothes in?"

"If you can, I would really like a couple in the style of the clothes I'm wearing. I should probably get some casual clothes as well, if you don't mind. It would also be great if they weren't too restricting," he requested.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Though, I'll have to make the casual clothes first because I'm going to need to borrow the clothes your wearing to get the design down," she told him.

"I understand. When you finish them, I'll wash these and see that you receive them. Where should I take them?"

"Oh, you don't need to go that far. I'll pick it up when I bring your other clothes by. I'll let you know when they are done and I'll bring them here."

"Alright, if you're sure. Thank you," Corvo said.

"It's no problem," she said. "Alright I have your measurements. I'll get started on your clothes right away."

"I appreciate it. Also you don't have to make very many, at least not yet."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I asked the Princess to see if there was a way to make me look like a normal pony. So, if she finds a way to do that, I won't need that many."

"I see. Well I'll make a few outfits for this build and start some plans for if the Princess finds a way to do that. I won't be able to actually start anything until I get your measurements for that figure, though."

"That's more than enough. May I ask something, Miss Point?"

"Please, my name is Fine Point and yes you can."

Corvo, looking at the mare in confusion, asked, "Is Fine not your first name?"

"Is that your question?" she asked with a slight smirk. "Anyway, no my name is Fine Point. I don't have a last name and not all ponies do. By the way, you can call me Fine, Point, or Fine Point, I just meant you don't need to call me miss."

"Well Fine Point, I was wondering, you didn't seem very surprised when you saw me. I know the Princess told you I look strange, but you seemed to take it in stride."

"Well, while your appearance did shock me, you look similar to another race that lives on Equis," she told him.

"It wouldn't happen to be a minotaur would it?" he asked.

She blinked, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Princess Celestia said that I looked like a hornless minotaur."

"Ah, well she's telling the truth. I've seen minotaurs and you do kind of look like them." Fine Point's eyes widened, as she seemed to remember something, "Oh, the Princess told me to not teach you anything about our world."

"Why?" Corvo asked.

"Because she told me how Twilight is very serious about learning and that it might carry over to teaching," she explained.

"Well like I said, the Princess compared me to them, so I'm sure that if she is like that and I tell her that the Princess told me about it, it will be fine."

"That's a good idea."

Before they could say anything else, the bedroom door opened. An earth pony guard entered and addressed Corvo. "Sir, the Princess wishes to see you in the throne room."

He felt his ear twitch at the guards voice. "Well Fine Point, I suppose we'll talk some other time," he said, walking to the door.

"Alright, I'll talk you later," she said, leaving the room.

Exiting the room himself, Corvo followed the guard through the castle. "So do you know why the Princess is wanting to see me?" he asked.

"No, she didn't say why. Just that she wanted you in the throne room."

Corvo felt his ear twitch again at the guards voice, "You sound familiar. Is that you Crescent?"

The guard looked up in shock, "Yes, it is. How did you know?" he asked. "There's an enchantment on our armor that either whitens or grays our fur."

"That's interesting. As for how I knew, it's because being the Lord Protector to the Empress I was not only a personal guard, but I was also an adviser of sorts. I would help the Empress with anything she needed help with. Being surrounded by nobles, I learned several tricks. One of them being able to recognize someone by their voice," he explained. As they continued to walk, they came across a familiar lavender unicorn. "Good morning, Twilight."

"Oh, good morning Corvo. It's nice to see that you get up earlier than most ponies," she said.

"Early? I normally get up at seven," he told her.

"You get up at seven too?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes, I do. I was just exhausted last night, which I'm sure you can understand."

"Of course. Being thrown from your world to ours and having your body changed, must have been an experience," she sympathized.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle, but the Princess asked for Corvo to meet her in the throne room," Crescent cut in.

Twilight's eyes widened, "Then what are you doing standing here? Go!" She began to push Corvo in the direction the Princess was. She then turned around and started to head the other way. As she trotted away she called over her shoulder, "Oh, and when the Princess is finished, come to the library so we can start on your lessons about Equis."

"Alright, I'll be sure to head there when we're done," Corvo shouted back.

They soon reached the double doors of the throne room. Crescent opened the door and leaned inside, "I brought Corvo, Your Highness."

Corvo heard Celestia's voice through the door. "Thank you, Crescent. Send him in please."

The guard opened the door and stepped to the side. Corvo stepped through the doors and walked toward the Princess.

"Hello, Princess. May I ask what you wanted to see me about?"

"Good morning to you Corvo. I have a couple things to tell you. First, I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the captains of the Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts. They should be here soon," she said. "The other thing is that there is in fact a spell that can change you to look like a pony."

"That's great, but is it permanent?" he asked. "While I don't want to cause a panic, I have been bipedal my whole life and it will likely take some time to get used to walking on four legs."

"Not exactly, it stays in effect until I cast a spell to revert you back to your now normal form. However, while it will take at least a week to do, I plan on enchanting a bracelet so that you can control when you change from pony to anthro," she told him.

"Anthro?" Corvo asked.

"Yes, when you told me what you were, a memory in my mind stirred. They didn't exist on Equis, but it turns out that some ponies from a millennium ago discovered a certain spell that allowed them to view into another world. Whether it was yours or not, I'm not sure, but apparently ponies used to research them. I don't know where they got the bits to fund the research, though." Then, with a pained expression, said to herself, "Maybe she..." Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyway they named the study anthropology."

'She?' he thought. Seeing the agony that appeared on Celestia's face, he decided to not press upon it, "How much did they find out about us?"

"I haven't finished going through everything, but what I did read, they said that humans looked like hairless, upright apes and that to compensate for their lack of hair, they always wore clothes and shoes." She paused, then said, "Something I found somewhat concerning, and I saw this while looking at your memories too, is that they recorded that humans ate meat."

"Yes we can. We are omnivores, so we can eat all kinds of things, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meat. Given my new form I can probably eat all of the things you eat too. Hang on a second," he said. He then ran his tongue along his teeth, then sighed, "Of course. Princess it seems that I will still have to eat meat." Remembering who he was talking to, he frantically began to rephrase, "Of course I won't do anything to your citizens... or anything else nor..."

Celestia held up her hoof, stopping him, "It's fine Corvo. After seeing what kind of stallion you are, I know that you won't hurt anyone just because your hungry."

He calmed down at her reassurance. "Thank you for trusting me Princess and I swear that I'll do my best not to even harm anyone. Only if I have no other option," he promised.

"I believe you Corvo. How do you know that you still need to eat meat though?" she questioned.

"Because the Outsider saw fit to leave me with my canine teeth and incisors. Which are used to help humans eat meat. So it would be safe to assume that I have the same diet as before," he explained.

Celestia sighed, "The Outsider again. Does he do anything that actually helps others?"

"Not unless he will find the results to be entertaining." Corvo then remembered something, "You said I'm going to meet the captains of your military?" She nodded. "Will I meet the other princess? Cadance I think Twilight said?"

"She's meeting with the rulers of Saddle Arabia right now. I'll introduce you to each other in about a week."

'Saddle Arabia?' Corvo thought. 'Really?'

At that moment the doors opened and two ponies walked in. Corvo turned his attention to the new ponies. From what he could tell both of them were mares, one looked slightly different than the ponies he had seen so far and the other just threw him off. One mare was a white unicorn with a three-toned cobalt blue mane and tail, with cerulean eyes. She stood somewhat taller than the mare next to her and had dark blue hooves. The armor she had was different than the other guards. It was purple with gold trims, on the front was a starburst on a shield. The other mare was a pegasus that appeared to have blue fur, but with a yellow stomach, throat, ears, mouth, and wings, with lightning bolts wrapped around where a humans wrists and ankles would be. After looking closer he noticed that it was most likely a uniform as the shade of her ears, mouth, and wings were different than the yellow across her throat and stomach. She had a fiery mane and orange eyes, with goggles on her head.

"Ah good, you're both here. Would you introduce yourselves to our guest?" Celestia asked.

The unicorn stepped forward, "Gleaming Shield, Captain of the Royal Guard."

Taking a step forward as well, the pegasus said, "Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts."

Corvo was slightly surprised to see that the captains were mares.

Seeing the shock on his face, Spitfire asked, with a slight smirk, "What, surprised to see that mares are the head of the military?"

"Somewhat." Gleaming Shield seemed to bristle at his admission. He quickly began to explain, "Before you jump to conclusions Captain Shield, it isn't because I don't think mares can do it. In my world women are... uh, I don't think we really have a word for it."

"You mean they were subjugated?" Celestia asked, disgust in her tone.

Corvo looked at the Princess in confusion, "I'm sorry?"

"It's where someone is brought under domination or control," Gleaming explained. "Is that how they were treated?"

"Yes, it was. Most women were maids or servants. There were noble women, but even then the men had more say than they did." Corvo was about to introduce himself, but was interrupted by the Wonderbolt.

"We know who you are Corvo," she said.

He arched a brow at her, "Did the Princess tell you about me?"

The monarch began to fidget somewhat, "Not exactly." She flinched slightly as he turned his attention to her, "I showed them your memories."

Corvo felt panic, worry, and a bit of anger well up in him. Keeping his face straight and his voice steady, asked, "You did?"

"Yes, I did. I hope you aren't too upset."

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "I really wish you had asked before doing that, but I understand that, as the captains of the military, they needed to know. Please ask before you show anypony else, though."

"Of course, Corvo. I'm really sorry I didn't ask before."

"It's okay. So, they know everything I've done. What do they think about it?"

"About you killing all of those men, the fact that you eat meat, that you were dead and brought back to life, or," Spitfire shivered slightly, "the Heart?"

Corvo stiffened, "Well, mostly the first one, but the others are something I was worried about, as well."

"Relax, we aren't going to do anything to you because of what you did to those assassins. They killed your Empress and who knows how many innocent people. If you had killed civilians or something then we would have needed to do something, but you didn't so you don't have anything to worry about," Gleaming said.

He relaxed, "I'm glad to hear that. So what about the other things?"

"Well we have carnivores here, so it's not anything new, but you're going to have to order meat from the griffons," Spitfire told him.

"You being brought back to life worried me as that sounds like dark magic, but you seem okay," the Guard Captain said.

"Yeah he seems fine to me. There really isn't anything to say about the Heart, except it creeps me the hay out," the pegasus shuddered again.

"She's right. I mean, the Outsider gave it to, right?" Gleaming Shield asked.

"That's right. He gave it to me to find Runes and Bone Charms, as well as tell me something about a person I aim it at," he told them.

"It speaks to you?" the Wonderbolt asked. She turned to the unicorn, "Did you hear anything?"

"No, I didn't," she answered.

"I thought you saw my memories."

"That's actually something I left out," Celestia said. They all turned toward her, "I thought that the other stuff was already a lot to take in, but to see a heart talking to you would be too much." Corvo nodded his head in understanding. "Thinking about it, when I was going through your memories again and listening to the Hearts 'voice', it sounded vaguely familiar," the Princess said. "It kind of sounded like..." Celestia's eyes widened in horror, "No, it's not..." she trailed off, not able to bring herself to say it.

Corvo sighed heavily as his whole body slumped, "Yes, I'm all but certain that it's the Empress' heart."

They all shivered at this. "How do you know? Why would he do that?" Celestia asked, appalled.

"The voice like you said, but also because some of the things the Heart says points to it being her's. Every time the Heart would talk about the Empress it would hesitate, as if trying to remember what happened when it was alive." He paused as he thought about the Outsiders reason, "I have no idea why he did it. Maybe because in life she gave me her heart and after death took her away, he returned it to me."

A chill ran down the mares spines as Corvo said such a haunting sentence rather casually.

"So you and the Empress loved each other?" Spitfire asked.

All he could do was nod sadly, the pain, while having lessened, was still there.

Deciding to change the subject Gleaming asked, "So, you're able to do magic rather different than ours?"

Pulled from his bad memories, he answered, "Yes I can." Remembering something, he said, "Speaking of, I forgot to mention something to you Princess."

Celestia arched a brow, "Did you hide another spell from me?"

"Not exactly." She looked at him curiously. "You see I have abilities that enhance my physical capabilities. Such as Vitality that makes me tougher and helps me heal quicker. I also have Agility that helps me jump higher, able to fall from building without hurting myself very much, as well as faster running, climbing, and swimming," he explained. "There's also Blood Thirsty which builds up my adrenaline, increasing my strength. And lastly there is the new one that the Outsider just gave me. It's called Arcane Bond and it... wait seriously?" he said in surprise.

"What is it Corvo?" the Princess asked.

"The Arcane Bond apparently lets me share my powers with others that don't have the Outsider's mark."

All of their eyes widened. "Really?" Gleaming asked.

He turned toward the Wonderbolt and asked, "Would you like to try Captain?"

She looked at him in shock, "Me?"

"Well the other two can already cast spells," he said.

"True." She mulled it over before grinning and said, "Sure, let's give it a try. And Corvo you can just call me Spitfire."

Walking over to the pegasus he said, "Maybe when we are better acquainted, Captain. Now let's try this out." He knelt down next to the Wonderbolt and held his left hand over her head. Soon his mark began to glow.

Spitfire twitched slightly, "Whoa."

"You OK?" he asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, just surprised that I felt something," she said.

Soon, Corvo's mark dimmed and he pulled back. She looked down at herself, "So how do we know it worked?"

"We'll try out one of the spells to see. I want you focus your magic into your eyes. Imagine seeing anyone, no matter if you were hiding behind something or they were in another room," he instructed.

Spitfire closed her eyes and concentrated on what he told her. When she opened her eyes again they were the same ruby red that Corvo's took. She jumped back in surprise, "What the hay?! Why are you all yellow?"

Corvo grinned, "You did it. That's what Dark Vision does when activated." Glancing at the other end of the room, he said, "Look back towards the door."

Turning around, Spitfire saw more yellow figures, "There are two guards standing there. So what?"

"Spitfire," Gleaming said, "those guards are standing on the other side of the doors."

She turned to the Guard Captain in surprise, "They are?"

Celestia raised a hoof to her chin, "Hm."

"Something wrong Your Highness?" Gleaming asked.

"No, nothing's wrong." She turned toward the mares. "There isn't anything else captains. You may return when you're ready."

The two saluted and began to leave. Before she did, Spitfire turned back to Corvo, "How long does this last?"

He thought about her question, trying to discern the time limit. "I'm not sure. If you don't mind, I would like to know when they disappear, so that I know the time limit for if I use it again."

She nodded, "Sure thing. I'll check every so often and let you know when and if they they disappear."

As the two mares left Corvo addressed the monarch, "Is that all Princess?"

She glanced at him, with a slight smirk, she asked, "That eager to leave?"

"Not at all. It's just that Twilight asked that after we were done that I head to the library, so that I can begin learning about your world. I was just wondering if there was anything else you needed."

Celestia smiled, "No, there isn't anything else at the moment." He turned and started to head toward the doors. "But Corvo." He looked back to the Princess, her expression stern, "I'm know Twilight is going to be very curious about your world. I know I don't have to tell you, but please watch what you reveal to her."

He nodded, "Of course, Princess. No one in this world should know about the terrible things that happened in my world."

"Thank you. Crescent?" she called out. The guard opened the door and leaned in, "Please show Corvo to the tower Twilight stays in."

"Of course, Princess," he saluted, exiting the room.

Leaving the throne room, Corvo followed Crescent Slash to where it was that Twilight stayed.





Twilight laid on the floor, setting up her lesson plan for when her student showed up. A giggle escaped Twilight's lips at the thought of having a student. As she continued planning, a small purple and green reptile walked by, carrying several books for her to show Corvo.

"So who are you teaching again?" the boy asked.

Twilight sighed, "I told you Spike, it's a stallion that showed up in Canterlot."

"But what kind of stallion doesn't know the kinds of things that a foal knows?"

"You'll see when you meet him."

At that moment the door to the room was opened and heard a voice on the other side, "This is it. She should be somewhere in here."

"Thank you Crescent." Twilight recognized Corvo's voice. A tall bipedal being walked through the doorway and approached the two of them.

Before anything could be said, Spike shouted, "What in Equestria is that!?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Spike, this is Corvo. The stallion I told you about."

"Are you kidding!? He isn't a pony!"

Corvo seemed rather surprised by the sudden outburst and probably by the fact that Spike wasn't a pony. He quickly recovered, and said, "You're partly correct, Spike was it? Did you not tell him about me?"

"Yes, his name is Spike. Of course I told him, but beings from another world seem to be one of the few things he doesn't believe in."

"So this is who you mentioned yesterday. And what do you mean?"

"I'll explain some other time," she said dismissively. "I have your lesson plan ready." There was an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Alright, so what are we going to start with?"

Spike grabbed one of the books and handed it to the unicorn. "Thank you, Spike." Twilight opened the book as he walked off, "First we are going to start with the inhabitants of Equis. You already know about the different ponies, and you've met Spike so I'll start with him, a dragon. Unfortunately there isn't much on dragons in this library. However, having spent time with Spike has taught me a few things. Such as they like to eat gems." Corvo just stared at the mare. She smirked at his expression, "I know, I was surprised when he first did it too. He's also able to send messages between me and Princess Celestia with his fire." A shadow crossed Twilight's face, "The last thing I know is actually something I only learned recently. Dragons live for a very long time and, as such, Spike is only a baby dragon."

"They live for that long of a time?" Corvo asked.

She nodded, "They can live as long as the Princess has lived and probably longer than that."

He looked at her in confusion, "How old is Princess Celestia?"

"She's been alive for over a thousand years."

"She's what!?"

Both Twilight and Spike jumped at his sudden exclamation. "What? What's wrong?" Spike yelled.

"She's over a millennium old?" Corvo asked.

She nodded, "Yes, is that so surprising?"

"Of course it is! The oldest person I knew was Samuel who was in his sixties." He then muttered to himself, "Well it was actually Granny Rags, but she was a special case."

"Well that's just the Princess and dragons. Other species can only live up to around two hundred years." He still seemed surprised by her answer. "How long do people live in your world?" Twilight asked. 'Do they really only live a little more than a fourth as long as we do?' She took out her notes and an quill, ready to record what he said.

Corvo hesitated in answering, seeming to have trouble with what to say, "Well, like I said Samuel was the oldest person I knew and he was maybe a little over sixty. I have, however, heard of people living for eighty maybe ninety years."

"That's still rather long," she said, writing down his answer.

"I don't really know if that's true though. I've only heard about it, I've never seen someone that old before," he said. He shook his head, "Anyway the Outsider said that he changed me into a pony, so most likely I'll live as long as you do."

Twilight nodded, "Right, let's move on. Next are griffons. They have the body of a lion and the front claws, head, and wings of an eagle." She took the book in her magic and showed Corvo the picture depicting a griffon.

"So, that's a griffon," he said.

She looked at him in surprise, "You know about griffons?"

"I've only heard of them, I don't know anything else about them."

"OK. Well, they are pretty much omnivores. They can eat what we do, but would honestly rather have meat than grass." A thought then occurred to her, "Is your diet the same as ours?"

Corvo flinched slightly, as if he had been dreading the question, "I'm sure it's been changed slightly to match yours, but I'm still an omnivore."

She arched a brow, "So you eat both veggies and meat?" He nodded stiffly. Twilight rolled her eyes, "It's fine, Corvo, like I said the griffons are practically omnivores. Besides Princess Celestia knows, right?"

"Yes, I've told her about it," he said.

"And she still let you come down here with me?" she asked.

"Obviously, but-"

"Then it's fine. The Princess trusts you, so I know I can trust you, too."

A pained expression crossed his face, "Thank you Twilight, but that's a dangerous mindset to have."

"What do you mean by that!? Are you saying that Princess Celestia can't be trusted?" she demanded angrily.

"Of course not. I'm saying that trusting somepony just because she does can be dangerous. Believe me, I've seen it first hand."

Still somewhat upset, she asked, "What happened?"

He shook his head, "I'd rather not tell you. It's not something I want you, or anypony really, to know." Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Corvo cut her off, "If you still want to know I'll tell you later." He motioned his head in Spike's direction.

Understanding what he meant, she nodded and went back to the lesson. They continued uninterrupted, Twilight showing him the other species of Equis and going over several laws of Equestria. When they were finished, she looked at the clock and noticed that it was lunchtime.

"How about we take a break and get some lunch, Corvo?" she suggested.

Before he could say anything, a loud growl came from his stomach. He smiled sheepishly, as Twilight smirked at him and Spike busted out laughing.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, standing. "Are you going to join us Spike?"

"Nah, I have some gems here to eat."

"OK, we'll be back in a little while."

The two left the library and headed for the kitchen to get lunch.





As they walked, Corvo glanced at Twilight and asked, "Twilight, I know we are taking a break, but what are those images on everypony's flank?"

She glanced up at him, "Oh, suppose that's OK. I was going to cover them anyway and we have a ways to go before we reach the kitchen. I guess I can cover it now." She then murmured to herself, "I'm going to have to rearrange the schedule. First off, they are called cutie marks."

'Seriously?' he thought. 'That's what they're called?'

"They appear on a ponies flank when they figure out what their special talent is. For example, my cutie mark shows my talent in magic and Princess Celestia's shows hers in raising and lowering the sun and moon," she explained.

This caught him slightly by surprise, "She raises and lowers the sun and moon?"

"Yes. Why what happens in your world?" she asked.

'I guess she's one of the beings the Outsider was talking about before,' he thought. Glancing over, he saw the gleam in her eyes at learning something about his world. With a slight smile he said, "We are slightly unsure as to what happens, but no one controls the sun and moon. They raise and lower by themselves."

This seemed to shock her a great deal.

Something about what she said about the Princess didn't sit right with Corvo. If her cutie mark is for raising and lowering the sun and moon, then why is her mark only a sun? He decided to keep this to himself and maybe ask the Princess about it later.

"Speaking of cutie marks, do you have one?" she asked. "Since you just appeared here yesterday I'm not sure you would have one."

"Yes, I have a cutie mark. It's a red shield with the Outsiders mark on it. It also has a sword and gun crossing behind it."

"So did you already realize what your special talent was?"

"I don't know about that, but something did happen that made me realize what it was that I wanted to do."

"And that was?" she asked, curiously.

Before he could say anything, Corvo noticed that they had reached the kitchen. "I'll tell you on the way back. It's nothing bad, but I wouldn't want you losing your appetite."

Twilight frowned, but followed him into the kitchen. All of the cooks froze as Corvo entered the room. He smiled uncomfortably and waved at the ponies. She rolled her eyes and addressed them, "Everypony can relax. I'm sure that Princess Celestia told you about the unusual guest we are accommodating?" They all nodded at the unicorn, who gestured with her hoof, "Well this is him, Corvo Attano."

They all relaxed slightly and returned to what they were doing. However, several ponies were watching him out of the corner of their eyes. One of the chefs walked up the two. It was a tan unicorn stallion with brown mane and tail. His eyes were green and his cutie mark was a spatula and frying pan. "It's nice to meet you Corvo. My name is Exquisite Dish. It's good to see you again Twilight. Here for some lunch? I'd be happy to make anything you want," he offered.

She nodded, "Yes we are. I would like a daisy and daffodil sandwich and some fruit."

The chef turned his attention to Corvo. He began to fidget uncomfortably, unable to ask for what he wanted.

Noticing this, he said, "You can ask for anything. Princess Celestia told us that you are an omnivore. Would you like..." he shuddered slightly, "steak?"

"You have meat? Spitfire said that I would have to order it from griffons," he said, surprised.

"You met Spitfire?" Exquisite asked.

Corvo nodded, "The Princess wanted to introduce me to the heads of the military." Twilight glanced at him after hearing this.

"Well, normally you will have to, but we keep it stocked for if griffons visit hear and want to have meat," he explained.

"I see." Having noticed the stallions shudder, he said, "I don't want to make anypony feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine. Like I said, I've made it for griffons before. So is that what you want?"

Remembering blood oxen steak, he said, "Sure, and a salad."

They walked to the other end of the room and walked through the doors. On the other side was a cafeteria, where there were several guards having their own lunch. There seemed to be a rather even split of mare and stallion guards.

Looking around, Corvo noticed several guards with darker armor than the others. He also noticed that they had leathery wings rather than feathery ones. "Twilight are they the thestrals that the Princess mentioned?" he inquired.

Glancing in the direction he was looking, she nodded, "Yes they are. As you might guess from what Princess Celestia told you about them, they make up what's called the Night Guard. There are some other ponies in it, but the majority are thestrals." Scanning the cafeteria, she said, "Let's sit away from everypony, so that they don't have to smell the..." her face turned slightly green as she said, "meat."

"I hope you'll be okay, Twilight. I don't want to stop you from eating."

"I'll be fine. I know of a spell that can filter a smell out of the air. So, you met the captains of the Royal Guard and Wonderbolts?" she asked, sitting far away from any other pony.

"Yes, I did. Why?" he asked as a unicorn stallion levitated their food over, placing it front of them.

"Well for one. The Wonderbolts aren't just the air force, they also put on airshows for ponies, so Spitfire is pretty famous. The other thing is that the Captain of the Royal Guard is my sister."

Corvo's stared at Twilight in shock, "Gleaming Shield is your sister?"

"She didn't tell you her full name did she?" she asked. He shook his head. "Her full name is Gleaming Shield Sparkle. Sparkle is our families last name."

"That's good to know." Taking the fork and knife, he cut a piece of the meat. Lifting the fork to his mouth, he ate the piece of steak. He paused, an let out a groan of satisfaction, "That's so delicious. As good if not better than blood oxen."

"Blood oxen?" Twilight inquired, pulling out her notes again.

Corvo noticed the notes and smiled to himself. "They are a large and aggressive mammal from the Isles." He hesitated in continuing, as he was about to tell her what they were used for.

"You can continue Corvo. I've read about the things that the griffons do to their livestock. As long as you don't go into great detail, you can tell me."

"OK. Um, well we would milk them... I don't think I need to explain why. We used part of them to make leather for shoes and some clothing. Lastly we would use them for food," he explained as he started on his salad. 'This is probably the best salad I've had in a long time,' he thought. 'It's been, what a few decades?'

"Thank you for explaining," she said, eating her own meal. "You said the Isles. I thought you were from Dunwall?"

He nodded, "The Isles are four islands that are part of a constitutional monarchy ruled by an Emperor or Empress. The four main islands are Tyvia, Morley, Gristol, and Serkonos. Gristol is the acting head state of the Empire and Dunwall, where I lived, was it's capital." As he talked, he noticed that even as she ate, her quill was moving across the parchment effortlessly.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Twilight not talking at all, but instead reading a book she had apparently brought with her. It confused Corvo a great deal on where it came from since he was sure that she didn't have anything with her.

Once they were finished, they returned the dishes to the kitchen.

Corvo walked over to their chef of the day. "The food was delicious. Thank you Exquisite."

The stallion grinned, "It was nothing. I'm glad you liked it."

The two then left the kitchen and started to head back to the library.

"So are you going to explain what you were talking about earlier?" she asked.

"About that event that might have led to my cutie mark?"

"That and about not trusting the ponies Princess Celestia trusts," Twilight said, her eyes narrowing. "And if you won't tell me I'll ask her about it."

'I highly doubt she'd tell you.' He sighed in defeat, "Fine I'll tell you. But know that it isn't a happy tale."

"As I've said, I have read the history of other nations. Some of which were rather gruesome," she told him.

Taking a deep breath he began to explain, "There were two people that were high up in the government. The Lord Regent and High Overseer were trusted advisers to the Empress. She trusted them a great deal, but they eventually betrayed her. They planned a coup against her and were unfortunately successful. That's why I said it was dangerous to trust somepony just because the Princess trusts them. They could have some secret agenda that even she doesn't know about."

"*sigh* I suppose I see what you mean, but I think that Princess Celestia would know who to trust or not," she said.

"I'm just saying to be careful Twilight."

"So about that other thing," she inquired.

"Right. Well when I was sixteen I was walking through the streets of Serkonos." Noticing Twilight's inquisitive expression, he explained, "It's where I was born. Anyway, I soon came across several men trying to take advantage of a woman. Not even thinking twice, I unsheathed the sword I had bought and protected the woman. I had managed to injure them and chase them away from her. Once they were gone, the woman ran up to me and thanked me endlessly for saving her from those men. It was then that I realized that I wanted to protect the innocent from those that would do them harm. So, when it came around, I entered and won the Blade Verbena, an annual sword duel festival. It earned me an early officer ranking in the Grand Serkonan Guard. For two years I protected civilians from the evils of the world."

"For only two years? What happened?"

"As a diplomatic gesture, I was sent to serve the of Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin for a top secret matter, after impressing the Duke of Serkonos. Later, Jessamine chose me as her Lord Protector."

"That's very impressive. It sounds like a similar to the position Gleaming Shield has. What did your parents think?"

Corvo flinched, "They... passed when I was very young. Before I even entered the Blade Verbena."

"Oh... I'm sorry, Corvo," Twilight said, guiltily.

He smiled slightly. Since meeting her, he had felt that Twilight was rather distant and somewhat cold. He was glad to know that she wasn't completely closed off to her emotions. Looking down at the mare and seeing the apologetic look on her face, he said, "It's OK Twilight. You didn't know and it was a long time ago. I've come to terms with it."

"Alright, if you're sure," she said uncertainly.

The two soon returned the library, where they continued Corvo's lessons about Equis. He would occasionally tell Twilight a little about his world or about himself when she asked. He made sure to steer clear of anything he thought was to gruesome for Twilight and especially Spike to hear. They continued until it was late into the night.

"*yawn* I think that's enough for today Twilight, it's pretty late." He glanced around the library and noticed that Spike was asleep in the back.

She let out a yawn as well, "Right. I'll see you tomorrow." He started to head out the door, when she spoke up, "Um... Corvo?" He turned to face her and noticed the small smile on her muzzle, "Thank you for telling me the things you did. I feel like I really got to know you better."

He smiled back, "It wasn't a problem Twilight. Good night."

"Good night," she said as she picked Spike up in her magic.

Leaving the library, he started to head back to his room. Along the way he ran into the Princess. "Good evening Princess Celestia."

"Good evening, Corvo. How were the lessons with Twilight?" she asked.

"Very informative. It's incredible the different kinds of species that are sapient here. I've never heard of a lot of them, but I've only known humans were sapient," he said.

"Yes, I noticed. I'm actually somewhat surprised that you are able to treat us like you would a human and not like animals."

"Well, that's because even if you look like an animal I know from my world, I know that you are more than that. You are able to feel, speak, and so much more than an animal can do. So, it isn't really that hard to do."

"I'm glad to hear that. Well, I won't keep you any longer. You should go get some sleep," she advised.

"I'll go do that. I'll see you tomorrow Princess."

"Good night Corvo."

Parting ways, he soon reached his room to get some rest for the days to come.
> Unexpected Encounters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It had been a week since Corvo had appeared in Canterlot and he had grown a great deal closer to both Twilight and Spike. Twilight had opened up a lot since he had first arrived. However, she was still rather distant. Thanks to her, though, he had learned so many things about this world. The different species that inhabited it, the different laws, names of towns (which he had to resist the urge to facepalm at many of them), etc.

After getting used to his presence, Spike was ecstatic to have a guy friend. He had told Corvo that, besides Twilight's father, he mostly only knew mares. That was when he learned that her family had adopted him and the two were actually brother and sister. Corvo and Spike hung out every now and then when they weren't doing anything. Spending time with the drake, he learned about a sport called hoofball and was shown an interesting picture book he called a comic.

During his week in the castle, he trained with the guards, mostly Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash. The training helped all of them. It helped the guards with fighting against enemies that were taller than them, and vice versa for Corvo. Crescent also helped Corvo learn how to control his earth pony magic. He could now control how much strength he put into his attacks and could even feel the magic in the earth.

He also spent some time with Fine Point, helping out with his outfits however he could. He learned a good deal about her job and about fashion in general. He wasn't an expert, but he had some knowledge about it now.

Corvo awoke at the time he normally got up at. He had gotten used to having a body again and all of the things that he had to pay attention to. After taking a shower, as he had been told it was called, and getting dressed, the sound of his door opening caught his attention. Looking over he noticed Princess Celestia entering the room. "Hello Corvo, I finished enchanting something with the spell to help you blend in." She levitated a dark purple bracelet with an onyx gem in the center over to him. "Wear this and you will be able to change from a pony to the form you have now. It will also make anything you are wearing change to fit your form."

Taking the bracelet and slipping it on, he said, "That will be useful for if I have to quickly change from one form to the other. I'll give it a try." Concentrating on the band he focused on changing his appearance. He noticed that he slowly started to shrink and that his posture changed to where he needed to be on all fours rather than on only two. He carefully walked over to the mirror that Fine Point had brought to his room so he could see how he looked in the clothes she made him. He saw that he now looked like a normal earth pony. Although he seemed a bit different than Crescent was.

"Hm, that's interesting. You seem to be slightly leaner than other earth ponies. I think you might be half pegasus," she said.

"Half pegasus?" he questioned.

"Well you didn't think that ponies only dated within their race did you?" she arched a brow at him. "Some ponies do, but it's usually just who they happen to meet. There are a great number of ponies who have all four races in their DNA. As a result of this two earth ponies could have a pegasus, thestral, or unicorn. The same is true for other races," she explained.

"So, what does me being part pegasus mean exactly?"

"You are a great deal more agile and faster than a pony that's more earth pony than anything else. However, you won't have as much stamina as them. Your hearing and sight are slightly sharper as well."

"That's good to know." He walked over to one of his cases and grabbed his mask, "May I ask you for a favor?"

"I suppose. What is it?" she asked.

"Well, it's a few things really. I was wondering if you could have another mask like this made for my pony form. I also hoped that you could enchant this mask to morph to fit anyone's face and to add a way to filter out any hazardous fumes," he requested.

She raised an eyebrow, "I understand the last thing, but why do you want those first two done?"

"The first is because if I'm already in this form I would like to be able to just put it on." Celestia raised her hoof, but Corvo continued, "The other is for if I either want to keep someone's identity secret or if I want to protect them from anything dangerous in the air."

Taking the mask in her magic, she said, "I'm not sure anypony can replicate this, but I'll try to find somepony. The last two requests will be easy enough for me to do and will be done in a day or two."

He bowed, "Thank you Princess."

"It's not a problem Corvo. You should probably come up with a name for this form."

"What do you mean?"

"Corvo isn't exactly a pony name, so you should think of something to call yourself."

Thinking about it, he saw what Princess Celestia meant. All of the ponies he met had very... unique names, her included. He mulled over what he might call himself. Thinking about what he did for others and what one of the meanings of his name was, he grinned, "How's Raven Armor?"

She smiled, "Sounds very good. I'll be sure to let the guards know, so they know how to address you around other ponies. Now you should go. You have lessons with Twilight do you not?"

"I actually have other plans for today," he told her.

"Oh, and what's that?" she asked.

"I'm sure you'll find out," he said, walking out of the room.

He soon reached the library and entered, finding the lavender unicorn reading as she always did. Before he could move, Spike walked up to him.

"Hey who are you?" he questioned.

"Spike, it's me Corvo."

His eyes widened, "Really?"

"You know anypony else that dresses like this?" he asked, gesturing at his clothes, which were a violet version of his old ones.

"Not really, no," he said. "How the hay do you look like a normal pony?"

Holding up the bracelet he explained, "The Princess enchanted this to change my shape whenever I wanted. Also, while I'm in this form and we are around other ponies that don't know me call me Raven Armor."

"Why?" he asked.

"Princess Celestia pointed out how my name isn't very pony like so she suggested I come up with one."

"Oh. I see her point, I suppose. So, should I tell Twilight to get ready?"

"No, in fact, why don't you head back home?"

The drake looked up in confusion, "Home? Why?"

"Because I plan on visiting her home."

"You are?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes I am. She hasn't gone home very often this last week has she?" The dragon shook his head. "I thought so. That's why I'm going to convince her to head home and I'm going to introduce myself, so that they know why she hasn't visited them."

"I see. OK I'll head back. I should tell Twilight I'm going though."

"I'll tell her Spike."

"Thanks," he said, exiting the library.

He walked over to the unicorn, "Hey Twilight."

She glanced over, a slight smile appearing at the sound of the voice, but hesitated at the sight of the unfamiliar stallion. She opened her mouth to say something, but paused, taking a closer look at him. "Corvo!?" she asked in surprise. "Is that you!? You look like a normal earth pony."

He nodded, "Yep, it's me. Thanks to the Princess' help."

"That's amazing! She changed your whole body structure?"

"She enchanted a bracelet, but yes she did."

"That's amazing," she breathed. "Are you ready to continue your lessons?"

"No, in fact I have other plans," he said.

"What?  But I have your lessons all planned out. And if you have other plans why did you come here?"

"Because I thought that we would visit your house."

She looked at him in disbelief.


~~~~


Corvo and Twilight were soon heading to her home. "Do we really need to do this?" she asked.

"Let me ask you this. Do you live in the castle or with your parents?"

"I stay in the castle," she said. "but I do visit my parents practically every day."

"And how often since I arrived here have you seen them?"

She hesitated before answering, "Once."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, "I'll be honest, that's more than I thought, but it still proves my point. You haven't visited them as much as you used too, and I feel like they should know why."

"Are you going to tell them about what you were?" she asked, slightly worried.

"No, at least not yet. I'm just going to tell them that I came here from very far away and that you are teaching me about Equestria. It's pretty much the truth anyway, so you won't have to feel like we are lying to them," he told her. Corvo noticed that she still seemed rather anxious. "Is there something else wrong, Twilight?"

"You know what it usually means when a mare brings a stallion home right?" she asked, a small blush on her face.

Comprehension dawned on him, "You don't have to worry about that Twilight. I plan to head that off before they get too far ahead of themselves. Not that there's anything wrong with you. You are an intelligent, beautiful, and wonderful mare," Corvo missed her blush become more intense at his compliments. "but I don't feel that way towards you."

She looked up in curiosity, "Then how do you feel towards me?"

He paused at this and thought about her question. He wasn't completely sure how he felt about her. He felt that she was more than a friend, but he didn't feel like he was in love her.

Before he could respond, they were both surprised by a blue mare running past them. What really surprised them was that it sounded like she was barking, as well as the fact that an angry mob was chasing her.

"I'm sorry Twilight, but I can't ignore that. That mare needs help and I'm going to," he said. Not waiting for a response he galloped after the mob. He shouted back, "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

"Okay, I'll wait here!" he heard her shout back.





Twilight watched as Corvo raced off to help sompony. She sighed, 'How does he feel about me? I don't really feel hurt that he isn't in love with me, I don't really care about that kind of stuff anyway, but now he has me wondering what he does feel for me.'

Suddenly a voice spoke out, "All alone, are we? This makes things easy."

Whirling around, Twilight tried to see who had spoken, but all she saw was what looked like vines and feathers, before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She fell to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.





As Corvo chased after the ponies, he lost them a couple times when they would turn a corner. Using his Dark Vision he found the mob rather easily. However, something confused Corvo as he used his power. Some of the ponies on the streets or in buildings were pink instead of yellow like the others. Deciding to ask the Princess later, he refocused on the task at hoof. He chased after them until they came to a stop in a dead end alley with the pony they had been chasing trapped in front of them. He quickly pushed his way through the crowd and stood between them and the mare.

Glancing back at her, he noticed that she looked very disheveled. Her silver mane was a mess and she seemed to be whimpering like a dog would. Turning his attention to the crowd, he shouted, "What in the hay is going on!?" A thought suddenly appeared in his mind, 'It's official, I've gone native.'

One of the ponies stepped forward. They were a light gray unicorn stallion with a dark gray mane and tail. He had blue eyes and on the bridge of his snout were a pair of small glasses. He wore a green shirt with a white jacket wrapped around his neck. He rose an accusatory hoof, pointing at the mare behind Corvo and yelled, "That mare built a shoddy orphanage that collapsed right after she declared it open! Do you know how many bits I sunk into that pile of rubble!?"

"Now I'm sure that-" he began, but as what the stallion had said sank in, he scowled deeply. "Are you saying that the only thing you care about is the money you put into it?" he questioned, his voice devoid of all emotion. The mare behind him seemed to notice as she began to whine.

The crowd of ponies, however, seemed oblivious to his sudden change in behavior, as an earth pony mare stepped forward and shouted, "Of course that's what we care about. All of our bits wasted on a building that fell down before it was even used." The mob shouted their agreements as they started to advance forward.

Corvo's anger slowly rose with every word they spoke, finally he stomped the ground and roared, "ENOUGH!!" They all fell silent and a few of the ponies stepped back as they noticed the cracks in the ground he made. He glared at the ponies before him, "You dare to try to harm this mare just because you lost some bits!? I would somewhat understand if you were worried about the children going to live there, but you aren't. All your worried about is the money that, judging by how some of you are dressed, you all have plenty of. If you all want to get to her you'll have to get through me." He moved his hoof to the hilt of his blade. He didn't want to harm them, but he would protect the mare behind him.

They all looked at the pony before them warily, noticing the blade in his belt. Slowly they all began to leave the alley, all mumbling darkly.

Before they could all leave, Corvo called out, "Hold on! You there." He pointed at the first stallion that had spoken out. The unicorn looked over nervously. "This mare looks like she's psychologically unstable, so you will show us where the hospital is, so I can check her in." He walked back to the blue mare and sat next to her.

She flinched and began whimpering.

He petted her mane comfortingly, "It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you." He smiled warmly as the mare gazed up at him. "You don't have to worry, I'm going to take you somewhere that will help."

She looked up at him for a moment before she smiled with her tongue hanging out. She licked his cheek and then lowered herself, wagging her tail.

He stared at her for a moment and then grinned. He stood up and started walking over to the stallion from before. Seeing him, she hesitated and started whining again. He glanced back, "Don't be afraid. He'll behave himself." His gaze hardened as he looked at the stallion, "Right?" He nodded frantically. Corvo smirked, "See? I won't let anypony do anything to you." He continued forward, the mare trotting next to him.

They began walking to the hospital. The stallion in front would occasionally glare at the mare as she walked with them, but when he noticed Corvo's gaze he would quickly turn forward and pick up his pace. They soon reached the hospital.

"Beat it," he said to the unicorn. He was all to happy to oblige, as he was gone in a second. Looking at the mare he whistled, and said, "C'mon girl." He lead her inside and walked up to the counter. "I've brought somepony that needs help."

The receptionist glanced up and asked, "Name?"

"Mine is Raven Armor. I'm not sure what her name is, I just met her." He looked back at the mare and noticed that her cutie mark was a screw. "Is that a screw that's loose?" he asked himself.

"Screw Loose. Alright, I'll get the doctor," he said.

"Wait! I don't know if-" but it was too late. He was gone and the name was down. Looking back at her, he thought, 'Damn it. I honestly hope that's not her name.'

"Hello," said a voice behind him. He turned to see an orange unicorn stallion. He had brown hair and his eyes were blue. Corvo had no idea what his cutie mark was. It was a two colored square with a pointed line going across it. "My name is Doctor Stable. How can I help you?"

Corvo glanced over his shoulder and whistled. The blue mare rushed over and sat next to him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. "As you can probably tell this mare is rather out of it. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but she was being chased by an angry mob after an orphanage she was apparently building collapsed."

"I see. And she seems to think that she's a dog now?" he questioned.

At that exact moment she licked his cheek, "As you can see." He then said, "Um, the receptionist wrote down that her name was Screw Loose, but I just met her and never got her name."

The doctor nodded, "Thank you for telling me, but we are going to need to call her something, so that will have to do for now."

"*sigh* Alright, I hope you are able to find out if that's actually her name or not." Corvo turned his attention to her, "Screw Loose, you need to go with the nice stallion. He's going to help you."

He stepped forward, holding out his hoof, "Come on. We'll take good care of you."

She didn't move though and instead leaned against Corvo, looking straight at him.

"Uhh." He had no idea what to do at this point.

The doctor, however, seemed to have an idea, "You said that you saved her?" Corvo nodded. "I see. Well I think that she has taken a liking to you because of that, for obvious reasons. Maybe if you visit sometimes, we'll be able to convince her to stay and it might even help with her recovery."

He nodded again, then looked toward the mare, "Screw Loose, I need you to go with Doctor Stable, he will be able to help you. I promise that I will visit as often as I can. Will you go with him?"

She hesitated, but slowly walked over to the doctor. He scratched her under her chin and she immediately smiled, while her hind leg started shaking.

"I'll visit tomorrow, Screw Loose. I promise," he said, as he began to exit the hospital. Before he could leave, he felt something against him. Looking over he saw her next to him. She quickly licked his muzzle, then ran back to the doctor. He stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened. Shaking himself, he left the building and started heading back to where he had left Twilight. He had only gone a couple blocks when he noticed five stallions surrounding two mares, a short distance ahead of him. He sighed to himself, 'What's going on today?' He galloped toward them as fast as he could. 'Where exactly are the guards?' he wondered. 'If something else happens today, I'm going to have to talk to Gleaming Shield about more guards and spreading them out more.'





The day had been going good for Octavia. She had put on a good concert for the ponies of Canterlot with her ensemble, the weather was nice, and she was spending time with her good, if not somewhat obnoxious, friend Vinyl Scratch. However, as they were walking around, they had suddenly been surrounded by five unicorn stallions. All of them with disgusting sneers on their muzzles.

"You mares really shouldn't walk around by yourself. The city can be a dangerous place. There's no telling what kind of scum is out there," one them jeered.

"You mean like you slobs?" Octavia inquired. She heard Vinyl snort, trying to stifle her laughter.

The stallions scowled at the insult. "Hey, listen lady, we are trying to be nice here and give you some friendly advice," one of them said.

"You should probably work on the way you look then, or mares are going to just going to run in the opposite direction," Vinyl snickered.

"You two didn't," one said, his sneer reappearing.

"Yes, well, I'm rather used to my roommates behavior," Octavia said, smirking slightly.

"Hey!" she yelled.

One of the stallions opened his mouth to interrupt them, but was cut off himself when another stallion walked past him and up to the mares.

"These hoodlums haven't done anything to you ladies have they?" he asked.

The two looked at the newcomer in surprise, as did the unicorn stallions. That somepony would just walk up to five obvious thugs and stand between them and what they were after. He was also dressed rather strangely. They had never seen clothes in such a design before.

Shaking herself of the shock, Vinyl said, "No, dude. They haven't done anything to us, but that was probably going to change soon."

"Hey, this isn't any of your business pal," one stallion said, putting his hoof on the earth pony stallions shoulder.

He looked down at the hoof and said, "I suppose it isn't." He then grabbed his foreleg and, to everypony's surprise, he lifted the unicorn up and slammed him onto the ground. Leaning close to his head, the newcomer said, "But I'm making it my business." Moving faster then they could react, he quickly jumped between two of the stallions and punched them in the head, knocking them out. His ears twitched as he heard the last two standing unicorns charge and fire spells at him, but he jumped to the side. The spells smashed into the ground, he then ran toward them. Reaching into one of the pouches he wore, he pulled out what looked like a miniature crossbow. They heard the twang of what sound like two bowstrings. The two unicorns fell to the ground, unconscious from the sound coming from them. He glanced at the stallion he had flipped, who looked up in complete shock. He quickly got up and tried to run away, but before he could move even five steps he fell to the ground, unconscious from whatever was in the earth ponies bow.

Octavia and Vinyl were utterly speechless over what had just happened. Some random stallion had come to their aid and took out five unicorns with very little trouble.

Finally Vinyl walked forward and, with a huge grin, said, "That was awesome!"

"It was very impressive," Octavia said, regaining her voice.

He turned toward them, "It was no problem." He walked around grabbing the stallions and dragging them together. Once they were close enough he took a rope out of one of his pouches and began to tie their legs together. "They were undoubtedly going to try and do something terrible to you ladies and I was only too happy to deal with them."

"May we ask your name?" Octavia asked.

"Yeah! You got to tell us who the incredible stallion who's able to kick such serious flank!" Vinyl shouted.

Once he finished tying the stallions up, he said, "My name is Raven Armor."





"My name is Raven Armor. What are you names, if I may ask?"

The light gray earth pony with dark gray mane and wearing a pink bow tie, stepped forward, "My name is Octavia Melody and this is-"

"I'm Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ-Pon3," the white unicorn with electric blue mane introduced. She wore purple sunglasses that completely hid her eyes.

"Well it's nice to meet you both," he said.

He was about to speak again when he suddenly heard, "Hurry."

Corvo looked around trying to discern where the voice had come from. "Did you two hear anything?" he asked.

"No we didn't," Octavia said, Vinyl shaking her head.

"That's odd," he muttered.

Suddenly he heard it again, "She needs help."

Corvo was starting to get a bad feeling deep in his gut. "I hate to just run off, but I left a friend waiting for me and I've made her wait long enough," he said.

"It's fine. You shouldn't make them wait any longer," Octavia said. She then glanced at the unconscious unicorns, "But what do we do with them?"

He raised a hoof to his chin in thought, "Hm, we need the guards." He then got an idea. Reaching for his holster he pulled out his gun. "You might want to cover your ears," he advised. The two looked at each other, but did as he suggested. Holding the gun up, he fired. Octavia and Vinyl both jumped at the loud bang that followed. Corvo looked at his hooves, 'How in the Void did I pull the trigger? For that matter how did I use the crossbows?'

In only a few seconds several guards appeared before them. They all looked at the earth pony stallion, who was smiling at them. They frowned slightly, as one walked forward and asked, "Is there a reason you made such a racket? And what the hay was that anyway?"

"I'll explain later, but the reason is that there weren't any guards around and we needed these lowlifes taken away. They were harassing these mares and were going to do who knows what to them if I hadn't stopped them," he told them.

The guard looked at the unconscious stallions and then to the two mares, who looked somewhat nervous. "Alright, but please don't use whatever you used just to get our attention. We had several ponies freaking out over the sound," he said.

"I'll try not to," Corvo said, as the guards grabbed the unicorns and started to drag them away. Once they were gone, he turned back to the other two. "That's that taken care of. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, but I need to go." He turned around and started to walk off, but was stopped by Octavia.

"Wait, I wish to repay you for saving us," she said.

"You don't have to. I only did what was the right thing to do, I didn't do it to be rewarded," he said, modestly.

"All the more reason," Vinyl said.

Octavia nodded, "Indeed. I would like to invite you see my recital in a few days. I'll let security know that you can come backstage too."

The unicorn rolled her eyes, or at least Corvo thought she did judging by the gesture she made with her head. The glasses made it impossible to tell. "Boring!" she said. "That's such a snooze fest. Anytime you're in Ponyville come visit my club and we can really have fun."

The earth pony mare frowned, "Yes, well to each their own."

He smiled, "Those both sound great. I'll be sure to take you both up on that offer." He then began to leave, shouting back, "I hope to see you both later!" He saw the two mares waving at him. 'I really do hope that I meet them again. They were a couple intriguing mares and neither one of them were even the tiniest bit intimidated from being surrounded by five unicorns. They seemed like they rather tough mares.'





The two watched as Raven Armor galloped off. When he was gone, Octavia said, "He was an interesting stallion."

"Yeah he was!" Vinyl agreed. "Like what were those things that he had? I mean, one looked like a small more advanced crossbow, but I have no idea what that other thing was that made that loud bang."

"Yes, he is a mystery. Like how he took out both of those stallion with only one crossbow," Octavia wondered. Her ear twitched, at her friends snickering. Frowning, she asked, "What?"

"He didn't use only one, Tavi. He had a bow on his fetlock," she said.

"Really now?"

Vinyl nodded, "Yeah, I saw it when he punched those first two stallions. A small device on his front boot."

"Interesting," Octavia said. The two then returned to enjoying the day, both of them hoping to run into the mysterious stallion again.





Corvo soon returned to where he had left Twilight. Only to find that she was gone. Not really thinking, he activated his Dark Vision. He hadn't expected to find anything, so he was surprised to see hoof prints on the ground. He saw a great deal at the edges of the street, but there was only one set in the middle. They were coming from the direction they had been walking. There was a set of paw and claw prints leading up to where he had last seen Twilight. He saw the same prints walking away, but Twilight's hoofprints hadn't moved. Glancing back he saw that she hadn't head back to the castle.

Corvo started to fear the worst. 'She wasn't kidnapped was she? She is a rather important pony, being the Princess' student.'

He suddenly heard the voice again, "You must hurry or she will be lost forever."

Corvo was really starting to panic. Deactivating his vision, he glanced around and noticed a guard. 'Finally! A guard when I need one.' Raising his voice, he yelled, "Guard!" The guard stood at attention from the sudden shout. He ran over to him, "I think that Twilight has been kidnapped. I need you to go and inform Princess Celestia and Captain Shield."

The guard turned around and said, "Corvo? What do you mean you think Twilight's been foalnapped?"

Corvo recognized his voice, "Crescent, I split up with Twilight here to help a mare being chased by an angry mob. She said that she'd wait for me here and now she's gone. It can't have been more than an hour, so I don't think that she would have left. I also saw some strange tracks leading towards where she was standing and then leaving. There weren't any hoofprints leading away from her, so I can't think of anything else that could have happened." Crescent was about to say something, but Corvo cut him off, "If you're going to suggest she teleported, I know that she didn't. She's been practicing, but she hasn't gotten it down yet. I really wish she had now."

Crescent saw the genuine terror on his face, "*sigh* Fine I'll go inform the Princess and see if she doesn't know where she is." He started to trot off, "You should check her home to see if she isn't there."

'Home. That's right!' In the time spent with Spike and Twilight he had learned that the little drake had magic fire that could send letters to whoever he wanted to. He shouted back, "Crescent, Spike is at their house. Have Princess Celestia send him a letter asking about her. I'm going to follow the tracks that I saw." With that he used his vision and started following the prints. 'The bastard responsible for this is just made the biggest mistake of their lives,' he thought, darkly.
> Foalnapping and Announcement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Following the tracks, Corvo soon came to an abandoned looking building. Looking inside with his vision he was confused and shocked to see what looked like wolfhound skulls all through out the building. 'What in the Void are those doing here?' Disregarding them for the moment, he continued to look through the building. He soon saw two figures on the top floor, one of which seemed restrained. He entered the building and started to quickly climb to the top. As he passed one of the skulls he was astonished to see it rise up and take on the form of an undead looking wolfhound. Acting quickly he slashed it with his sword. The hound's body disappeared, but the skulls remained. To be sure that it wouldn't return, Corvo quickly stomped on the skull. As he continued to move through the building, he shot the remaining skulls from a distance with his fetlockbow.

He eventually reached the top floor and found the room in which the two figures stood. Being closer he could clearly see that the one tied up was a unicorn, while the other appeared to be a griffon. He should have known from the tracks what had taken Twilight. Slowly approaching the door, Corvo peered through the keyhole. He first saw the griffon and was stunned at what he saw. If he was right it was a female griffon, but that wasn't what shocked him. She appeared to have vines wrapped around her body, with thorns sticking out of her fur, and had roses sprouting from her chest. Looking over to the tied up pony, he immediately recognized Twilight.

Relief flowed through Corvo as he realized that she was OK. However, he froze as she raised her head. He let out a silent snarl as he saw that Twilight had a cut across her left eye. Looking down he saw that she also had a cut on both of her forelegs. He felt cold anger begin to rise as he gazed at her injuries. Spinning around he bucked the door with as much strength as he could muster. It was sent flying across the room, barely missing the griffon. The griffon immediately turned around in astonishment. Corvo began to stride toward her. After recovering, she fired several strange bolts at him. Feeling adrenaline pumping through him, he deftly dodged them and continued his advance.

The griffon then cast a spell and suddenly a vine appeared in front of him. He paused at the sudden use of magic, but quickly resumed striding forward. He was taken by surprise when the vine suddenly started to pull him toward it. Quickly drawing his sword, Corvo slashed the vine. As it disappeared, she drew the sword on her belt and prepared to defend herself. Corvo lifted his sword and, with relative ease, smacked her's out of her grip.

He quickly raised his blade to her throat. "It would be so easy to end your life. I wouldn't even get sent to prison for it. You foalnapped somepony, you injured her, and you attacked me. I could just say that I killed you in self-defense," he threatened. He glanced at Twilight, who was looking at him in fear. His expression softened and he raised his sword. Bringing it down, he struck the griffon with the hilt of his blade. She fell to the ground unconscious.

Walking over to Twilight, he cut the ropes binding her. She immediately threw her forelegs around him. Feeling his clothes getting wet, he knew that she was crying. He began to stroke her mane comfortingly. "I was so scared, Corvo. She told me I would never see my friends, family, or the Princess ever again. I tried to use my magic to free myself, but she caught me every time and she would hurt me," she cried. "I was afraid that I would never again see Spike, Gleaming Shield, my parents, Princess Celestia..." she paused, and then whispered, "or you. I was so frightened that I wouldn't see you anymore. You've become such an important part of my life and when you suddenly said that stuff to that griffon and that look in your eyes, it terrified me."

He paused at this revelation, he felt horrible that he let his anger get so out of control and she saw him like that. He began to think about how he felt for the mare in his forelegs again. The feelings he felt for her seemed familiar, but immensely different. It felt somewhat similar to... his eyes widened in realization. 'Is that how I feel about her? I have no experiences to draw information from, but it's a familiar feeling I've felt before, except on a different level.' A gasp pulled him from his thoughts.

"Corvo, you're hurt!" Twilight said, looking at his shoulder.

As the adrenaline drained from his system, he started to feel pain coming from one of his shoulders. Looking to his right, he saw that he hadn't dodged all of the bolts. Grunting, he quickly reached into one of his pouches and pulled out two short, wide bottles with a red liquid inside of them. Opening the top of one he held out to Twilight, who took it in her magic, but, not knowing what to do with it, just levitated it in front of herself. Before she could ask what to do with it, she watched as Corvo quickly downed the contents. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood flowing from his wound begin to slow.

"Drink it Twilight. It's an elixir from my world. It won't completely heal your wounds, but it will help them," he explained.

She hesitated, but, trusting Corvo, quickly drank the concoction. Almost immediately she felt her pain start to ebb away.

He changed back to his normal form, but before he could do anything a letter suddenly appeared before him. Opening it he saw it was a message from Princess Celestia and began to read it aloud.


---


Dear Corvo,

Crescent Slash has informed me of your findings and your suggestion. I did as you asked and sent a letter to Spike asking if he knew where Twilight was and unfortunately he does not. He and the rest of their family are now, understandably, very concerned. I have informed them that you are currently searching for her. Hopefully, you've already found her and, if you were correct, have saved her. Please write on this scroll where you are currently located. I put a spell on it, so that it will return after a few minutes. I will arrive there as soon as I receive it.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia


---


"Twilight, do you have-" he was interrupted as a quill was levitated to him. "Thank you." He quickly wrote down where they were located and, after several minutes, the scroll vanished. He then flung the griffon on to his shoulder and gently picked Twilight up. He left the room and started toward the roof, where he told the Princess he would be.

They soon reached the top of the building and, after setting the griffon on the ground, began to wait for the Princess. After a short while, he heard soft snores. He looked down and saw that Twilight had fallen asleep. Smiling softly he laid her down on the floor as gently as he could. As he waited, there was suddenly a sinister chuckle. Looking around Corvo saw a strange statue depicting a pony that had a similar appearance to the griffon.

"Well, well, a being I've never seen before? This is getting very interesting," it said with a feminine voice.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you from a another world?"

"And you're sharp. Indeed I am," she said. "But you will keep that little tidbit to yourself."

"And why would I do that?" he questioned.

"Because if you don't, I'll keep coming after that mare you care so deeply about," she threatened.

'Does she not know who Twilight is? Probably best not to tell her then.' Corvo snorted, "Fine, I won't tell anypony." He walked up to the statue and, clenching a fist, said, "You won't be needing this anymore." He then slammed his fist into the statue, smashing it into pieces. He winced as he realized that he had used his right arm. 'That wasn't very smart,' he berated himself.

Just as the pieces hit the ground there was a bright flash of light. Princess Celestia, Gleaming Shield, and several guards appeared on the roof.

Gleaming rushed forward shouting, "Twilight! Are you OK!?"

Taking a deep calming breath, Corvo walked over to them. "Not so loud, she fell asleep and I really think she needs it," he said.

The Guard Captain frantically looked her sister over. Tears appearing in her eyes, "Oh, sis. I hope you'll be OK."

"She is hurt, but I managed to slow the bleeding and ease the pain she was feeling by giving her one of my elixirs. It's probably why she was able to fall sleep. She should be alright until we get her medical help," he comforted.

Celestia walked up and asked, "You have elixirs?"

"Yes, two kinds. They both have different effects." Glancing back at the griffon, he said, "She is the one responsible for Twilight's foalnapping. Also, I think that there might be some dark magic involved."

The Princess looked up in surprise, "What makes you say that?"

Gesturing to the door, Corvo said, "There were several skulls inside there that would reanimate themselves into undead dogs. I left one intact for you to look at, but I would put it in a shield."

She nodded, "Captain Shield, I know that you are worried about your sister, and I promise you that she will be fine, but I need you to find the skull that Corvo mentioned."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she saluted and headed inside.

"It's on the floor just below us," he shouted to her. He returned his attention to the monarch, "So are we going to the hospital or the castle?"

"We'll head to the castle. I have personal physicians that can take care of her," she told him.

"Are you going to teleport us?" he asked.

Celestia shook her head, "It wouldn't be a good idea with Twilight being hurt. I don't know how the transport would affect her wounds."

"So we are going to have to walk. Alright," he knelt down and gently picked Twilight up.

"I can carry her Corvo," she offered, lifting the griffon in her magic.

"It's fine. I... I would rather carry her if that's alright," he said, anxiously.

Celestia arched a brow, but shrugged and began to descend through the building. As they descended, Gleaming rejoined them with a skull inside of a rose bubble. When they reached the bottom floor, Corvo was the first to exit. As he stepped into the street, all of the ponies there froze at the sight of him. Before they could react, Celestia walked out of the building and stopped next to him. All of the ponies stared in shock as they began walking through Canterlot with a skull inside a shield, an unconscious griffon and unicorn.

"You realize that we are going to have to address this now, right?" Celestia whispered.

Corvo winced, "Sorry for wasting your efforts."

"It's not a problem. In fact, this works out rather well," she said. He looked at her in confusion. "You'll find out."


~~~~


On their way to the castle, a few complications arose. The griffon had awoken and immediately tried to escape from Celestia's magic. Before she could do anything, Corvo quickly moved Twilight to his right arm and shot the griffon with a sleep dart. She instantly went limp in the Princess' magical hold. Then a particularly adventurous colt snuck close to the skull and as soon as he got too close, the wolfhound reanimated itself and started to thrash around in the shield. Corvo shouted for Gleaming to open a hole in the shield. She quickly complied and, as soon as it was open, one of the guards thrust his spear into the hound. It rapidly vaporized and the skull fell to the bottom of the shield. The Guard Captain then restricted the bubble so that it was the same size as the skull. The colts parents rushed forward and began scolding him about approaching something so carelessly.

Once they finally reached the castle, Corvo saw four ponies standing in front of it. Two of them had a stretcher, while the two guards had several cuffs. Corvo softly placed Twilight on the stretcher. The two ponies then lifted it up, and rushed into the castle. Celestia lowered the griffon to the ground and the guards quickly put the cuffs around her wings and foreclaws. They took her away to put her in the dungeons until they could question her. Gleaming left to take the gravehound, as Celestia had been referring to it as, to wherever the Princess had instructed her to take it.

"Come with me Corvo. In a few hours we are going to have to address the ponies of Canterlot about you, so we need to prepare for it," she said, heading toward the throne room.





After several hours, Celestia walked out on the balcony to address her citizens. "Hello, my little ponies, as many of you know there is a new being in Canterlot. I don't want any of you to worry, as he is a very good stallion. In fact I have learned from several ponies that he has saved a few citizens. From a doctor, how he helped a mare with psychological problems to get the help she needs. From my guards, they told me how he rescued two mares from five stallions that were ganging up on them. And not long ago he save somepony from being foalnapped."

Celestia frowned, as a gasp ran through the crowd below. She could tell that they weren't genuine, but feigned in the hope that whatever underhoofed deeds they were doing hadn't been discovered. She knew of the kinds of things the Canterlot nobility tried to get away with. She wished she could do something about it, but couldn't always get the evidence she needed to convict them. 'How many of you aren't plotting something against the other? Who doesn't want to ruin somepony else's life?'

Continuing, she said, "Yes, a pony was nearly foalnapped only hours ago, but was stopped by the stallion many of you saw. He's here now for those of you who haven't seen him. Allow me to introduce Corvo Attano." She gestured to the door, and a being as tall as her walked through the doorway. He stopped next to her and looked at the crowd. "As you can see he looks a good deal different than us, but I assure that he is a pony. I will not hear any of you trying to run him out only for how he looks." She gazed down at her subjects with a rather stern expression. "Now, because of recent events I've come to a decision. As of now a new guard is being established and Corvo here is being put in charge of it." He looked up in surprise at this. She smirked slightly, "They will be called the Crow Guard." Looking at him, she said, "Care to say something?"

Corvo glanced at the monarch, then stepped forward, "Hello everypony, as the Princess said my name is Corvo Attano, or you can call me Raven Armor. I swear to you all that I will do everything in my power to protect all of you. This guard will defend the innocent and bring the corrupt to justice. We will not let those who do wrong to roam free and do what they please."

As several cheers went through the crowd, the two turned and walked back into the castle. "That was a very nice little speech. Did you just come up with that?" she asked.

"Of course I did!" he said, raising his voice slightly. "That came completely out of nowhere. You didn't even give me a warning about any of that."

"Well it was very good for being improvised," she complimented. "It's not completely out of nowhere. Ever since I saw you use those powers I've been trying to think of a way that we might be able to implement them into the guard." She frowned, "These three incidents, especially the last one, were a perfect reason to create it."

"I understand. You must have been really frightened that Twilight had been taken away from you," he sympathized.

"Yes, I was very worried for Twilight's safety. I had a feeling that she would be in good hooves with you going after her, though," she said.

"How is she by the way?" Corvo asked, worriedly.

"Thanks to you, she is doing very well. Luckily the cut over her eye was very shallow, so it wasn't damaged. The doctors also informed me that the wounds were surprisingly clean, very little blood in her fur that got in the way and the wounds were even healed slightly," she said.

"Yes, that's what the elixir I gave her does. It doesn't completely heal one's body, but it helps it to where your body can heal on it's own."

"You said that you had another elixir? Do you mind explaining what it does?" she asked.

"The other one helps the other side of a pony. Where that one helps the body, the other helps the mind and spirit, or at least for others it did." The Princess looked at him in confusion. "It always replenished my mana instead. It'll probably do the same for you ponies if you drink it. The other one actually might even replenish a ponies stamina."

"That's very impressive. Do you think we would be able to replicate it?" Celestia asked.

"You might, but I'm not sure you should," he said.

"Is there a reason you think that?"

"Well, people in my world got rather dependent on these things. It makes sense because they were trying to prevent getting the plague, but they got really hooked on them. If we introduce them to the ponies, where the effects are greater and more apparent, then I'm not confident that a lot of them won't get addicted to them."

Celestia thought about it, "I suppose I can see what you mean. If those do what you said they do, then the ponies might get reliant on them and would use them to work themselves ragged."

"Exactly," he affirmed. They continued walking until Corvo seemed to remember something. "Princess, I just remembered something I wanted to ask you."

"And that is?" she asked.

"When I was running through Canterlot after that mob, I used my Dark Vision when I would lose them behind corners. When I did some of the ponies I saw were pink instead of yellow," he said. He then activated it and looked down the hall. Slightly ahead of him, he saw a guard was pink. "In fact that guard there isn't yellow like the others," he said, pointing at him.

The guard stiffened at the sudden attention. Celestia suddenly froze and stared at Corvo. "You can see through it?" she asked, disbelief apparent in her voice. 'Is his power really so strong that it can even see through their magic?' she wondered.

"See through what?" he questioned, deactivating the spell.

Sighing, Celestia gestured for the guard to approach. He walked over and stopped in front of them. "Now what I'm about to tell you is a secret. Very few ponies outside of the guard knows about this. Not even Twilight knows about it. Do you understand?" she stated.

"Of course, Princess."

"It seems that your vision is able to see through all kinds of magic. This guard isn't actually a pony." She turned her attention to him, "Will you show him? I promise to you he can be trusted."

He nodded and strolled a short distance from them. Corvo jumped as the guard was suddenly engulfed in a green flame. As they died down, he was shocked by what stood in his place. The guard still looked like a pony, except that he was insectile. His horn was curved, had insect-like wings, and had a carapace. Only his eyes looked similar to his other form, except that they were now green.

"You see Corvo, they are what's called changelings," she told him.

"Changelings? Twilight never mentioned such a species," he said.

"You may return to your post," she told the guard. As he walked back, he changed back into what he looked like before. "As you can tell they are able change their appearance. Because of this and their diets, they tend to keep to themselves and stay hidden. As a result not many ponies know they even exist, Twilight included."

Corvo was shocked that such beings existed. Able to change their appearance so easily. However, something caught his attention, "What is their diet?"

"You may find it hard to believe, but they feed off of emotions. From sadness to happiness, from anger to love, any emotion that we can feel, they are able to turn into sustenance," she explained.

He felt somewhat uncomfortable knowing that this species could pretty much eat and instantly know what he was feeling. Taking a steadying breath, he said, "Thank you for telling me about this." Turning to the guard, he bowed slightly, "I swear to you that I won't tell anyone of this. This will remain a secret."

The guard returned the gesture.

He turned his attention back to the Princess. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on Twilight," he said, straightening. He quickly hurrying down the hall.

The Princess watched as the stallion practically ran off. 'He seems to care deeply for my faithful student. I noticed before when he was insistent on carrying Twilight himself, but what just happened makes it all the more obvious. What are his feeling for her, I wonder. It didn't seem like he was in love with her. I may not be my niece, but I have seen plenty of love struck faces to know that he doesn't feel that way toward her.' She continued to ponder on this as she went back to the throne room.





Corvo soon reached where Twilight was being cared for. He saw the two guards standing on either side of the door. "Can I see Twilight?" he asked the guards.

"Not just yet Corvo," Crescent said. "Her family was just visiting not long ago. They left earlier, but Captain Shield is still in there. She asked to not be disturbed."

He nodded in understanding, "Of course. I'll just wait here." He sat next to Crescent and rested until Gleaming was finished spending time with her sister. After a while, he heard the door opening and Gleaming walked out. She noticed Corvo and walked over to him. Before he could move she threw her hooves around him. He froze, unsure of what to do. He glanced at the guards, but they seemed just as dumbfounded as he was.

"I never got to thank you for saving my sister. If it wasn't for you there's no telling where she might be," she said as tears began to fall. "Thank you Corvo. Thank you for rescuing my little sister."

Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around the crying mare. "It was nothing Captain Shield I-"

"Just call me Gleaming Shield, please," she requested.

"Um, OK. Well Gleaming, I was just doing the right thing." He paused, then said, "I didn't want to lose her either."

The Captain pulled back and looked at Corvo. Her gaze hardened slightly as she asked, "What exactly are you feelings for Twilight?"

He fidgeted slightly under her stare, "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it's-" He leaned forward and whispered into her ear what he thought it was that he felt.

A smile spread across Gleaming's muzzle, "I see, well have you said anything?"

He shook his head, "Of course not, I only just figured it out and I'm not even sure if that's right. I've never had anyone like that before, so it's a foreign concept for me."

"You care for her deeply right?" Corvo nodded. "You'd do anything to protect her? You'd help her no matter what?" Again he nodded. Smiling warmly, she said, "Well, then I think that it's rather obvious. I'm sure your feelings would be stronger or weaker if it was something else."

"Thanks Gleaming Shield," he said.

"It's not a problem. Now, she's awake and she asked about you, so no need to keep her waiting," she told him.

Standing, he walked to the door and entered the room. Looking over to the bed he saw her laying in the bed. Hearing the door open, Twilight turned in it's direction. Upon seeing Corvo, she smiled and sat up.

Smiling himself, he walked over to her. As he neared he saw that she had a bandage covering her left eye and wrapped around her forelegs. He felt his anger spark up again. Taking a calming breath, and, doing the best to keep his smile, he sat at the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"The pain's practically gone and the doctors said that my wounds should be healed in a couple days," she told him.

"I'm glad that you're feeling better," he said, placing a hand on her head. He instinctively started to scratch behind her ear. After a moment, he realized what he was doing and quickly stopped. "Sorry about that Twilight. I don't really know why I started to do that."

A slight blush crossed her cheeks, "It's fine. In fact will you do it again? It felt nice." He hesitated, but resumed scratching her ear. She leaned into his touch, humming happily. "You just missed my parents. They were here not that long ago."

"Yeah, sorry for not visiting earlier, but the Princess and I had to address, well me. I had exposed myself to the ponies when we headed back to the castle," he explained.

"You revealed yourself? Why?" she asked, moving away from his hand to look up at him.

"I carried you here," he said.

Her blush grew at this, "Why did you stay in this form just for that? Why didn't you just carry me on your back?"

"I didn't want you falling off. It's a good thing too, because we had a couple situations that had me moving quickly. If you had just been draped over my back, you probably would have been thrown off."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry that you revealed yourself because of me," she apologized, her ears splaying back.

Corvo reached out and began to pet her head, "Hey, it's fine. It wasn't your fault. In fact this whole thing is my fault."

She gazed at him in bewilderment, "What do you mean?"

"Twilight if I hadn't insisted on visiting your parents none of this would have happened. Because I had to change your schedule, you ended up getting hurt," he said, guiltily.

A small smile spread across her face, "And if you hadn't, three mares would have been in a great deal of trouble." Corvo's head shot up and stared at her in shock, "Gleaming Shield told me about the five stallions you took out that were surrounding two mares and don't think I forgot that you went to save that mare being chased by an angry mob. If we hadn't left the castle there's no telling what would have happened to them." A smile appeared on his face. "Oh, and my parents want to meet you," she said casually.

"They do?" he asked in surprise.

Twilight smirked slightly, "Of course they do! You saved their daughter. You think they aren't going to want to meet you?"

"No, it just caught me off guard is all," he said. After a moment, he asked, "Did they find out about me, yet?"

"Yes they know. Gleaming thought that they should know exactly who it was that they were going to meet. I told her that she should at least ask you before doing it, but she figured it would be fine, since apparently the Princess was revealing it. I didn't know what she meant before, but now I do," she explained. She thought for a second, then asked, "What exactly was her announcement? Was it just explaining about you or was there more?"

"There was some more. She's put me in charge of a new branch of the guard. She's calling it the Crow Guard," he told her.

"So will I be seeing less of you?" she asked, sadly.

"A little yes, but I'm not going to stop spending time with you. I'll stop by as often as I can," he promised. "I'm going to let you get some rest Twilight. You've been through a lot today."

He turned to leave, before she called out, "Corvo!" He glanced back. "I never got to say it, but thank you. Thank you for everything."

He was slightly confused by what she meant at the end, but he grinned nonetheless, "It wasn't a problem Twilight. I'm glad I could help." He then exited the room. Glancing out the window, he noticed that it was pretty late. Deciding that he would need rest for next few days, Corvo headed back to his room to get some sleep himself.
> The New Guard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next day found Corvo in the training grounds waiting for the ponies that he would be showing how to use the Outsider's magic. He hadn't been told who he would be training, just that he was to be at the field. As he waited he adjusted the strap across his chest. It was something that he had requested Fine Point to make. The inside of it was hollow, so that he could slide his Bone Charms into them and no one had to see him wearing bones. Since yesterdays incident he was going to be sure that he was prepared for anything.

"I wonder who I'll be teaching my magic to?" he wondered aloud.

Hearing the doors open, Corvo looked over and froze. Leading four ponies over were Gleaming Shield and Spitfire. They soon reached him and he regained his voice, "You two!?"

"You that surprised?" the fiery-maned pegasus asked.

"Well yeah. I mean the two of you are the captains of your divisions. Should you really be part of another?" Corvo questioned.

"We aren't really becoming a part of it. The Princess just thought that as the Captains, it would be a good idea for us to be able to use the magic as well," Gleaming explained.

"I see. That does make sense," he said. He then looked at the other ponies. Two of them wore Wonderbolt outfits, so he couldn't see much except their manes, tails, and wings. The two pegasi's coats were similar in color, with the stallion's being paler than the mares. His mane was a dark blue, while her's was a light gray. Looking over to the guards he saw one was an earth pony and the other was a pegasus. Corvo was confused that the pegasus' coat color wasn't white or gray, but was instead a bright orange. "How come his coat isn't like the other guards?" he asked.

Looking at the guard he was talking about, Gleaming explained, "The reason his coat is still normal is because his build, as you probably noticed, is a good deal different than the other guards, so he has this unenchanted armor until we get some that fit his physique. He's a relatively new recruit, but he shows a great deal of promise and is able to pick up on things rather well, so I thought that it would be a good idea for him to join this guard."

"Right, well I think introductions are in order. As you may know, I am Corvo Attano, AKA Raven Armor. I will be teaching you to utilize my magic to their limits."

Spitfire first gestured to the mare, "This is Fleetfoot and that's Soarin."

Gleaming then spoke, "Crescent Slash and Flash Sentry. We also explained some things about you to them."

"It's good to meet all of you. That's probably for the best, so I don't have to be too careful about what I say. Now if you would step forward and place a hoof under my hand I will share with you my powers," Corvo said.

All of them, except Spitfire walked forward and placed their hooves on top of each others. Fleetfoot looked at the Wonderbolt Captain, "Why aren't you doing it, Spitfire?" As the mare spoke, Corvo noticed that she had a slight lisp.

"Because he already used it on me and I still have the powers," she told her.

"That's true, but we should do it again just in case. I'm still not sure if there's a time limit to this or not," he suggested.

She nodded and stepped forward, placing her hoof on everypony else's. Kneeling down, Corvo placed his left hand over their hooves and activated the Arcane Bond. His mark began to glow and he noticed all of them tense slightly. The glow soon faded and he stood up looking at them all.

"Right, you should now have some of my powers. You have Blink, Dark Vision, Windblast, and Pull. You also benefit from several enhancements that affect you physically rather than being a power. We'll start with teaching you about Blink. Don't focus on your destination with you eyes. That will only limit its power. You know the lay of the training grounds. Instead focus on where you wish to be standing. Now try it out." He watched as Gleaming Shield almost immediately vanished in a dull light and appeared a across the field. "I'm guessing that you can teleport Gleaming," he guessed.

"Yes, I can. Though this is much easier to do and it takes a lot less out of me," she said.

"Well since you basically know how to do it, will you show Crescent and Flash while I teach the Wonderbolts?" he suggested. She nodded and walked over to the guards. Corvo walked over to the pegasi and began to explain to them in better detail how to use the power. He observed them all, as they each made varying progress. Spitfire picked it up rather quickly, able to Blink almost as well as Gleaming Shield. Fleetfoot was able to travel a few feet away in any direction without having to use her eyes, while Soarin was only able to go wherever he was looking. Crescent was able to do slightly better than Soarin, but was still having trouble traveling without using his eyes. He turned his attention to new recruit and was shocked to see him Blinking with relative ease. He was moving several feet away from where he stood without making eye contact with his destination.

Corvo decided to move on, "Alright, you've all got it down more or less, so let's move on to the next one. This one is relatively easy. It's called Dark Vision." He proceeded to tell them what he had told Spitfire when she first tried it. A couple of them struggled slightly, but eventually they all got it down. "I knew that one wouldn't take long. You should be aware that it has a limited area of affect. It's probably increased being here, where magic is stronger, but you need to be careful to not think that you will be able to see everything. Now we are going to practice Pull. The name is self-explanitory. It allows you to pull someone toward you, so that you can deal with them. You are going to practice this spell on me," he said. "I don't think I have to explain this one, but imagine the pony your using this on being dragged to you. Focus on yanking them toward you, so that you can take them out."

Corvo stood a good distance away from them. All of them tried using spell on him with very little success. Only Gleaming and Crescent were able to get it down relatively well. They were able to pull him across the grounds to them, but had a hard time holding him. Soarin and Flash managed to make him stumble, but that was as far as they got. The Wonderbolt mares had a greater amount of difficulty using the spell.

"OK, the last one is Windblast. Now-" Before he could continue Spitfire stepped forward. "Yes?" he questioned.

"The Princess mentioned that you were part pegasus, correct?"

"That's what she said," he verified. "Why?"

"Well, if you are, you might be able to utilize that spell better," Fleetfoot said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Pegasi have weather magic, remember?" Spitfire reminded him.

"Oh right. Then maybe it would be better if you explained it to Gleaming and Crescent. I'm sure that your explanation would be close enough to transfer over," he suggested.

"We should probably try it out before that," Soarin chimed in. He walked over to the training dummies and flicked his hoof. They all watched as the right dummy was knocked off of the pole holding it up.

The guards seemed surprised at what had happened. Noticing this, Corvo asked, "What?"

"Those things had an enchantment on them that kept them from breaking too easily. The fact that they broke shows how powerful that magic is," Gleaming exclaimed.

"It really shouldn't be that powerful. It's only strong enough to knock people to the ground. That seems like it would be strong enough to knock someone out or even kill them if they hit a wall," he said.

"That's probably our magic increasing its strength," Spitfire told him. "If we control how much is put into it, we'll be able to lessen it's strength. Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Flash, why don't you three show Gleaming and Crescent while I explain our magic to Corvo." The three nodded and led the other two to the other side of the field.

"Alright, you have pegasi magic in you, but since you have earth pony magic as well, you need to focus on using weather magic. If you aren't focused, your earth pony magic will take over and there's no telling what that will result in. And, as I said before, if you don't focus on the amount of magic you put into it, you could end up seriously injuring somepony you don't want to hurt," the Wonderbolt Captain instructed.

He closed his eyes and focused on his magic. Tapping into his Equestrian magic, he concentrated on mixing his weather magic with his mana. Soon, he could feel his magic combining with each other and began to channel it to his hand. Flicking his wrist, Corvo sent out a blast of wind  at one of the of the dummies. They were all taken aback when it was smashed into pieces.

Spitfire glanced at Corvo and, with a slight tremor in her voice, said, "Well, you have the concept down, but you focused way too much magic into that blast. You really need to focus on how much power you put into it."

"Right, I'll be sure to practice it before I even try using on anyone," he swore. He walked over to the others, "How'd you guys do? You get it down?"

"For the most part. We'll need to train some more, but we have the general idea down," Gleaming said.

"That's all for the spells. The next things I'll be showing you are the passive abilities you gained. First, is that you are resistant to my Bend Time spell. You will remain unfrozen when I activate it."

Fleetfoot spoke up, "You can stop time?"

"Yes, I can. I'm going to show you so if it happens you'll know that, most likely, something's going on," he said. He tossed his sword up and quickly stopped time. They all stared as it froze in midair. He glanced at them, noticing that they were indeed still moving.

Corvo was about to continue when suddenly there was a bright flash to their right. Looking over, they were surprised to see Celestia standing there. She quickly trotted over to them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, everything's fine. Why?" he asked in confusion.

"You stopped time, so I was rather worried that something had happened."

"Nope, just showing it to them," he said. Corvo glanced at the Princess, "You realize that you are moving even though I froze time, right?"

She seemed to just realize what he said was true. Celestia looked at herself, then around the grounds and saw his sword floating in the air. "But how's that possible? I thought you had to be in contact with someone for them to be able to move," she said.

"That's whats supposed to happen," he said. He pondered on what it could be, suddenly a thought occurred to him, "Princess, you move the sun and moon, correct?" She nodded. "Well, this is just a guess, but maybe it's because you have a huge amount of magic. I mean, I can only imagine how magic is needed to move the sun and moon. If only there was a way to be sure that's the reason."

"There might be," she murmured. Everypony turned their attention to her. "Twilight has a great deal of magic. I'll go check on her to see if she's unaffected. If she is, she's probably in a panic." She then teleported away to check on the lavender unicorn. Only a few minutes passed and the monarch quickly reappeared. "She was in fact unfrozen and was rather anxious that time had suddenly stopped. I think that your guess is probably right Corvo. If they have a sufficient quantity of magic, then they are immune to your Bend Time spell."

"That will make things difficult if we end up fighting against anyone with powerful magic," Corvo said.

"I wouldn't be too worried about that. Most species have only a certain amount of magic. There won't be that many out there that would be immune to this," she told him. She thought for a moment, then amended, "Well, except maybe fully grown dragons, but that's kind of obvioius. Now, I need to be heading back. I was speaking with somepony when you decided to do this." With that, she teleported away again.

He waited a few moments before ending his spell. "That's good to know. The next thing is Vitality which makes you tougher and helps you heal faster than normal. The last thing that you gain from me is Agility. Which lets you fall from heights relatively unscathed and also helps you run, climb and swim faster. It also helps you jump higher," he explained. "Watch." He then bent his knees and jumped into the air, but was very surprised when he did. He had jumped much higher than he meant too. Caught off guard from the unexpected height, Corvo crashed to the ground.

They all rushed over to him. "Are you OK, Corvo?" Gleaming asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. I suppose that's one way to show you about falling from great heights won't hurt that much. But what happened?" he wondered. "I was only trying to jump as high as I normally do before showing you how high I could do it with the enhancment. I also think that was actually higher than even that usually is."

Crescent Slash asked, "Well, how high are you normally able to jump?"

"Probably around a few feet," Corvo answered.

"Don't forget that you have the strength of an earth pony now, so your initial strength is greater than before," Crescent told him.

"I guess you have a point," he said. "That's everything. You all know what spells you now possess and, for the most part, are able to use them. Just keep practicing them and you'll be able to use them perfectly."

"Before you leave, Corvo." Gleaming said. He turned to her. "We saw how stealthily you were able to move through Dunwall and the Princess wants you to show us exactly how you do it."

"I suppose I could, though it's not that hard. I just move around as quietly as I can. I normally crouch down to reduce the amount of noise I make when moving," he told her. He glanced at the guards, "I also didn't really wear any armor, so that really reduced the amount of sound I caused by moving."

Gleaming glanced down at her armor and grimaced, "Yeah these don't exactly work for sneaking around. Is that really all?"

Corvo thought about it for a moment and then remembered, "Oh, right. I have Bone Charms. They didn't do much, but they did help out slightly."

"Yes I remember seeing those. Well if that's all, you can do whatever you want for the day. We are going to practice some more before we head back to our posts," she told him. They all headed back to where the training dummies were and practicing their newly acquired magic.

He left them to their training and thought of what he could do for that day. He recalled a promise he made. Deciding on what to do, he started to head out of the castle. As he walked, he passed by where Twilight was recovering.

Addressing the guards, he asked, "How are you two?"

They looked up in slight surprise, then answered simultaneously, "Fine."

"Do you know how Twilight's doing?"

"Well, she's talking to her friends right now," the unicorn mare told him.

That somewhat surprised him. As he had gotten to know the mare, he figured she didn't really have friends. Though he was very glad that he was wrong in that regard.

"Would you like to see them?" the pegasus stallion asked.

"If they don't mind," Corvo said. He walked forward and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" he heard her call out.

"It's me Twilight," he called through the door.

"Oh, Corvo! Come in and meet my friends," she answered.

Opening the door, he walked into the room. As he entered he saw three unicorn mares standing next to Twilight's bed. One was light blue with a dark blue and white mane. She had blue eyes and her cutie mark was an hourglass. One was yellow with a cerulean mane and had a light blue streak in her tail. She had dark red eyes and her cutie mark were three hearts, two of which were light blue, while the other was light green. The last mare was white with a pink mane. Her eyes were arctic blue and her cutie mark was three blue stars.

As he approached the bed, Twilight said, "This is who I was telling you girls about. I'm sure you've heard about and/or saw him yesterday. He's sort of been the reason I haven't been hanging out with you all lately."

"I'm sorry that I've taken up so much your friends time," he apologized. "Not to be rude Twilight, but I'm somewhat surprised you have friends."

She turned to him, looking slightly offended, "Why's that?"

"Because you were pretty closed off when I met you. I thought you had closed yourself off from others," he told her.

She blushed, "Well, you weren't too far off. I wasn't particularly close to any of them, but after getting to know you, I wanted to get closer."

The mares all turned their attention to him. The blue mare, happily said, "So your the pony we have to thank for Twilight opening up. She's been so distant up until now. Oh, I'm Minuette, but my friends call me Colgate. This," she pointed at the yellow mare, who waved at him, "is Lemon Hearts, and that's Twinkleshine. We have two more friends, but Lyra lives in Ponyville and Moon Dancer was pretty busy today."

"It's nice to meet you ladies and I hope to meet the other two sometime. As I'm sure you know, my name is Corvo, or if you see me in my pony form, Raven Armor," he said.

"You have a pony form?" Minuette asked excitedly.

"Yes, thanks to this bracelet that the Princess gave me, I'm able to change between my normal form and an earth pony. Here I'll show you," he said. They all watched as Corvo began to shrink down and his hands becoming hooves. Soon he looked like normal earth pony. "This is what I look like as a pony, so if you see me out and about you'll know who it is."

"That's amazing," Lemon Hearts said.

"Yeah, it really is too bad Moon Dancer isn't here. She'd love to see this kind of magic," Twinkleshine said.

"She a bit like Twilight?" he asked.

"A bit!?" Minuette exclaimed. "Those two are alike in so many of the same things. They both like studying magic, both of them are rather antisocial."

"Hey!!" Twilight yelled.

"And neither of them have very good senses of humor."

Corvo chuckled as the three mares began to giggle, while Twilight's blush deepened. "Well, I think I've intruded on your time together long enough. I'll see you girls later," he turned to leave.

"Oh you don't have to leave," Lemon Hearts said.

"Yeah you just got here," Minuette said cheerfully.

"Sorry, but I promised somepony I would visit them today and she's in a pretty delicate state," he told them.

Twilight smiled, "Go ahead Corvo. I know who you're talking about. I'm sure she's waiting for you." She looked at him almost pleadingly, "I'll see you later right?"

"Of course you will. I hope to see you ladies again sometime," he said, leaving the room. As he left, he turned to the guards, "Have a good day you two." He resumed heading out of the castle.





As the door closed, Colgate immediately turned to Twilight, "He seems so nice. What's your relationship with him?"

"He's very nice. I'm not really sure." They looked at her in confusion. "He's already said that he isn't in love with me," she said, casually. All three of them gasped. She rolled her eyes, "Relax girls, I really don't mind. Anyway, I had asked him about it yesterday before the incident, but before he could say anything the mare he is visiting was being chased by an angry mob and he followed them to save her."

"Did he ever answer you?" Twinkleshine asked.

"No, I think with everything that happened that day he probably forgot," Twilight said, slightly disheartened.

"That's not right! Next time you see him you should demand that he answer you!" Lemon Hearts said in indignation.

"I don't really think that I need to."

"Why not?" Colgate asked.

Twilight smiled somewhat mischievously, "I'm sure that my parents are going to ask him the first chance they get."

They all grinned at this. Twinkleshine said, "That's a really good idea." 

"Yes, it is. So we don't know about him yet, but what about you?" Lemon Hearts asked. "How do you feel toward him?"

"Well, I'm not really sure how I feel myself. He feels closer than a friend, but I'm not in love with him," Twilight said.

"So like an older brother?" Colgate offered.

Twilight thought about it, "I suppose. It does feel similar to how I feel for Spike, except somewhat different. When he saved me from that griffon and carried me in his arms, I felt so safe. Like he would protect me from anything."

The three mares smiled, as they continued to talk and just hang out with each other.





Corvo soon reached the castle's entrance. Just as he exited, he nearly ran into somepony. The unicorn looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Ah, perfect, just the 'stallion' I was looking for," he said, putting an unneeded emphasis on stallion. "Miss Melody asked me to give you this message. Why she did I'll never know, but that's not really my business." He levitated an envelope into Corvo's hoof. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere."

Corvo watched him leave, glaring slightly. He opened the envelope and took the letter out. Unfolding it he saw a ticket and what looked like some kind of pass. He then began to read the message.


---


Dear Raven Armor (or should I call you Corvo),

In this envelope, I've enclosed a ticket and a backstage pass to my recital as I promised. It has been moved to tomorrow at eleven. I hope that you enjoy the show and to see you afterwards.

Sincerely,

Octavia Melody


---


'I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow,' he thought. He continued on his way toward his destination. He quickly found the building he was looking for. Entering, he approached the desk where the receptionist was.

When he reached it, the stallion asked, "Name?"

'Is that always the first thing he asks?' Corvo wondered. "Raven Armor, I'm here to see Miss Screw Loose," he said.

"What is your relation to the patient?" he asked, not even bothering to look up.

Corvo arched a brow at the pegasus. "I'm the stallion that saved her," he said.

"Only friends and family may visit her at the moment," he said, indifferently.

He didn't like how dismissive this pony was being. "You listen here, I made a promise that I would visit her today and I plan on keeping it," he told the stallion.

Finally the receptionist looked up. "You promised her? She's completely insane, doing nothing, but bark at doctors," he said derisively. "She isn't going to realize if you visit or not. Now leave before I get security to escort you out."

Corvo was getting fed up with this stallion. Slamming his hooves on the desk, causing everypony in the room to jump, he yelled, "How dare you speak about a patient in such a way! She's here to be helped not ridiculed for something that she can't control!"

Before he could do or say anything else, a familiar voice spoke out. "What's going on out here?" Looking over he saw that it was Doctor Stable.

The receptionist shouted, "This madpony won't leave! He was about ready to assault me!"

Corvo glared at the stallion, "He won't allow me to see Miss Screw Loose. I'm just trying to keep the promise I made."

The doctor scowled at the stallion behind the desk, "I believe I told you that this stallion had special permission to see Miss Screw Loose." He then turned his attention to Corvo, "And I would have figured that you would know better than to cause a scene at a hospital."

Corvo hung his head slightly, while the receptionist turned his head in resentment. Doctor Stable sighed, "Come with me Corvo." He looked up in surprise. The unicorn smirked, "I heard the announcement yesterday." He then turned around and headed down the hall.

Before the stallion behind the desk could protest, Corvo quickly followed the doctor.

"I'm sorry about that doctor," he apologized.

"You really shouldn't cause a scene in a hospital," Doctor Stable reprimanded.

"I really wish I hadn't caused such a commotion, but he went too far," he said, his anger resurfacing. The doctor glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "He blatantly said that Screw Loose was insane. That she couldn't be helped and that it was pretty much a waste of time to try and help her. She's only been here a day. She isn't going to get better that quickly."

The unicorn scowled deeply, "He's only been working here a couple months and a lot of ponies have been complaining about his behavior. We've been giving him some time to adjust in case he needed to get used to his work environment, but if his attitude doesn't change soon he's going to be losing his job."

"*sigh* He did bring up an important point, that I'm now curious about," Corvo said.

"And that would be?" the doctor asked.

"Has she had any family or even friends visit her?"

Doctor Stable sighed sadly, "Unfortunately not. She's not actually from Canterlot, so we don't know anything about her. That means that at the moment, you are the only pony that she has any connection with." They soon reached a room with a plaque that said Screw Loose. "This is her room. The doors are always locked because she kept getting out and causing problems for the doctors, nurses, and other patients, so I'm going to lock the doors behind you. There's an intercom in there for when you want to leave."

Inserting the key into the lock, he unlocked the door and let Corvo inside. As soon as he entered, he was practically tackled to the floor by a blue blur. Looking up he saw Screw Loose standing above him. She began to lick his face.

Chuckling, Doctor Stable said, "Let me know when you're ready to go." He closed the door and locked it.

Pushing the mare off of him, Corvo said, "Alright, alright, It's good to see you too, Screw Loose." Sitting up, he changed into his normal form. She jumped back in surprise and began growling. "It's okay girl. It's still me, I just look different. Come on," he beckoned her to come to him. She started to slowly approach him. "That's it, I'm still the same stallion," he said. When she got near him, Corvo reached out and scratched behind her ear. She immediately leaned into his touch and began kicking her hind leg. "There's a good girl." He stared at the mare in front of him, feeling sadness well up in him, he lowered his head. "I really hope you get better. I hate talking to you like your just an animal."

She looked up at him, a confused look on her face. Moving forward, Screw Loose gently licked his cheek. Raising his head, he looked at the mare as a smile spread across her muzzle. Corvo's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he smiled back and began petting her head. He spent several hours playing with and just talking to her. After saying goodbye to the mare he headed back to the castle and to practice getting his more powerful Windblast under control.

However, before he could reach the training grounds, Gleaming Shield ran up to him. "Corvo! Where have you been?" she questioned.

"I was visiting the mare that I helped to the hospital," he answered. Worry began to rise in him, "Why did something happen?"

"Yes, but before you panic, Twilight's fine," she said.

Corvo let out a relieved sigh, "So what happened?"

She glanced back anxiously, "You have to see it. Come on." She turned around started to lead him to where something had happened.

They walked down deep into the castle's basement. Soon, they came to a door that had black markings surrounding it. He looked at the Guard Captain, as she walked forward and enveloped the door in her magic.

Gleaming glanced back at Corvo, "I should warn you, it's like nothing I've ever seen. Even after seeing your memories."

That sentence alone put him on edge. That even after seeing the horrors of his world, this was something that could be even worse. She opened the door and he entered the room. He immediately froze when he saw the inside. Roots ran through the entire room, ripping the floor up and were even climbing the walls. In the epicenter of it all was the scorched corpse of what looked like a griffon. He approached the dead body and took a closer look at it. Surrounding the body was a strange black mist. As he stood there he heard low voices and strange sounds that reminded him of the sound that runes would make.

'Did she explode or something? And these roots. What the hay kind of magic could cause something like this?' he wondered. 'I'm pretty sure this is magic from my world. Which means that the pony controlling that statue most likely either isn't a pony and/or is like me. Damn it!' he swore. 'I can't tell anypony because if I do then that woman will come after Twilight again.' He thought about his options, 'I could probably tell them that so, hopefully they won't question me about it.' He was pulled from his thoughts by Gleaming Shield clearing her throat.

"So do you know anything about this?" she asked.

"*sigh* Yes I do."

Confusion appeared on her face, "Is something wrong?"

"Unfortunately I can't tell what I know," he said, regretfully.

"What!? Why!?" the unicorn shouted.

"Because if I do then Twilight will be put in danger," he told her. Her eyes widened and she immediately went silent. "I was able to speak to her leader and they said if I told you anything about them then they would keep coming after Twilight."

Gleaming Shield looked very conflicted on what she was to do. Sighing, she said, "Fine, I'll let the Princess know what's happened. Hopefully nothing else will come of this, but I kind of doubt it."

"She doesn't know about this?" Corvo asked.

"Not yet. The magic that was used seemed somewhat similar to yours, so we wanted to ask you about it first and then report to the Princess," she explained.

"Alright, I'll see you later," he said. The Guard Captain turned around and left the room. Turning around he stared back at the corpse and prayed that he wasn't making a mistake in not telling them about the mysterious leader of these unknown foalnappers.
> Concert to Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gleaming had informed the Princess about what had happened that day, including the fact that Corvo knew something about the leader, but couldn't tell them anything. At first she wasn't happy that he was withholding information, but when she was told that it would put Twilight in danger, she dropped the matter. Instead, she had unicorns that dealt with all kinds of magic summoned to investigate the phenomenon. Unfortunately, none of them came up with much. Except for one detail, they were all stumped as to what could have happened. All of them had come to the conclusion that dark magic had been utilized. This much was rather obvious however, so nothing was really learned.

Corvo was spending time with Twilight as the investigation had been going on. "So how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good. The doctors said that tomorrow I would be able to leave this room and walk around," she said. With a slight frown, she added, "But they want me to keep this bandage over my eye for a couple more days."

"I'm glad that you'll be able to get out of here. And with how delicate eyes are, it's better safe than sorry," he said.

"I know, it's just going to be hard to get around with one of my eyes covered."

"Well, I don't have anything planned, so I'd be glad to help you out."

Twilight smiled, "Well, my parents want to meet you soon, so that's perfect."

"I look forward to meeting them." He glanced at the clock in the room and noticed that it was ten-twenty. "Sorry Twilight, but Octavia's concert will be starting soon and I don't want to be late," he said.

"I still can't believe it was Octavia that you saved from a bunch of punks. She's a pretty well known cellist," she said.

"I can't wait to see her performance. I'll see you later Twilight," Corvo said and turned to exit the room.

Before he could leave however, Twilight stopped him, "Hang on, Corvo." He looked back at her. "Before you go, I want to do something," she said, motioning him to come closer.

As he stepped closer to her bed, he saw her magic flare around her horn. He wondered what she was doing, when he felt a tug around his waist. Looking down he saw her magic surrounding the pouches on his belt. After a few moments, the magic dissipated and he glanced up at the mare, arching a brow.

"I noticed that, judging by the size of those elixirs, you could only carry two of them, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's as many as I could hold," he confirmed.

"Well, I made it to where your pouches are able to hold more than they normally can. You can't hold an unlimited amount, but you should be able to carry like eight of them."

"That will be very helpful. Thank you Twilight."

"You're welcome Corvo. Tell me how the recital was when you get back," she said.

"Later Twilight," he then left the room. Just as he exited, he nearly ran into a unicorn mare and in order to avoid her, he had to step over her. "Sorry, about that ma'am," he apologized.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have been standing right... in front of..," her sentence petered out as she looked at who she had almost bumped into. She looked up at him in shock.

Corvo took a moment to look over the mare he had avoided. She looked kind of like Twilight with glasses. She had the same mane and tail style, with their colors practically being inverted. Her coat was a pale yellow and her eyes were dark purple. Her cutie mark was a purple crescent moon with three light purple stars around it.

"It's probably pointless to say this considering what happened the other day, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Corvo Attano," he said.

Regaining her voice, she stuttered, "I-I'm M-Moon Dancer. You're Corvo?"

"Yes I am. So you're Moon Dancer."

"Y-You know about me?" she asked, rather nervously.

"Minuette mentioned you," he said. "She told me how you and Twilight are rather similar to each other."

She blushed slightly, "I don't know if we're that alike."

"You here to talk to Twilight?" he asked.

"Yes, I haven't really seen her in a while and then I heard that she's been injured," she said, her voice laced with concern.

"That's really all my fault," Corvo said, guiltily.

Moon Dancer looked up at him in confusion, "How is it your fault?"

"For the past week she's been teaching me about your world, so I've been taking up all of her time. It's because of me that she was where that foalnapper was. I had planned to introduce myself to her family so that they knew why she wasn't visiting them very often. Because I suggested that, she was almost taken and was injured," he explained.

"But didn't you save three mares? If you hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened," she said. Corvo began to chuckle. "W-What?" she asked, slightly defensively.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just that Twilight said much the same thing," he told her.

Moon Dancer smiled, "It sounds like she doesn't blame you."

"I don't!" Twilight called through the doors. "He's just too stubborn to let it go."

Corvo chuckled again, "She's not wrong in that regard." Remembering his plans, he said, "Sorry to cut this short Moon Dancer, but I have a recital to attend. Let's talk again sometime."

"Sure. I look forward to it," she said. Opening the doors with her magic, she entered the room to spend time with her friend.

He started to make his way to the concert hall. As he was heading out of the castle, he ran into the Princess. "Hello Princess Celestia. Did you find out anything else about what had happened?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Unfortunately not. I really wish you could tell me what you know."

He grimaced, "I do too, but, for one thing, what I know isn't really that much and I really don't want to put Twilight in anymore danger."

"Neither do I, which is why I haven't pursued the matter," she said. "By the way Corvo, I've finished what you requested."

She pulled out two masks with her magic. It still baffled Corvo on where ponies would pull things from when they weren't wearing anything, but he figured in a world such as this it would be better not to question things the inhabitants considered normal.

"I managed to find a pony that was able to duplicate the originals design. If you damage it just ask and I'll tell you where you can find him. I've also charmed them both so that they will filter out anything harmful in the air and change to fit anyone's face, unless it's too big. Even putting it on a buffalo would be putting it to it's limit," she explained.

"Thank you for all of your help Princess," he said, bowing. "You've done so much for me since I showed up here and I can't even help you catch whoever is responsible for Twilight almost being foalnapped."

"You've done plenty Corvo. You saved not only her, but three other's. Plus you are helping us to be better prepared if something like that happens again. With a small guard able to use your special kind of magic, they will be able to do what you did. They'll also be able to look through floors and not waste time looking in every single room. And if a building's on fire, they'll be able to look inside without even entering," she told him.

"I told them this and I feel I should tell you. That spell doesn't have an unlimited range. At a certain point you won't be able to see ponies," he said.

"I'll keep that in mind, but my point still stands. The Blink will come in handy for when there's an obstacle that they can't get around. The Pull would be able to move somepony out of the line of fire. The magic you've shared with us will very useful. Also, I'm sure you'll do your best to protect the innocent whenever you can."

"Of course, I will. If they are in danger, I will protect them no matter what. If the one I saved broke some law then you and/or the guards will be the one's to sentence them," he said.

"You'll be saving ponies in more ways than one if you do things like that," she said, impressed with his conviction.

"Of course. Justice should be handled by the law. And if a pony were to carry it themselves, they would only end up regretting it." Glancing down at the device on his wrist, which ponies called a watch, it was ten-thirty five. "I don't mean to be rude Your Highness, but there's a performance that I'm planning to attend," he apologized.

"It's fine, Corvo. Even when you were just learning of our world, you worked nonstop. Go and enjoy yourself for once. But before you do, there's something that my guards mentioned to me."

"Yes?"

"The method you used to get their attention. They said that it sounded similar to an explosion, but not exactly like one," she said.

"Oh that was my gun," he told her, holding it up. "Do you have crossbows here?" The Princess nodded. "Well, it's a stronger, but shorter-ranged version of it."

"That's interesting. May I see it in action?" Celestia asked.

"I suppose. Do you know of something that I can use it on?" In a flash of golden light one of the training dummies from the field was several feet in front of them. "That'll work. Do you have some way of silencing the sound? I'd rather the guards not come running here after the shot and see me with my gun out near you."

"I do know of one spell," she said. Her horn flared and a golden bubble expanded around them. "This is a bubble of silence. Nopony will be able to hear the shot outside of this."

"Alright, but you should cover your ears. Like your guards said, it's pretty loud," he warned. He walked toward the dummy and stopped several feet from it. Glancing over at the Princess, he saw her ears pressed against her head. He pointed his gun at the targets chest and fired.

Celestia watched in slight horror as the dummies chest was ripped open. She felt slightly sick thinking of what would happen if used on a living being. "That's rather disturbing. You aren't going to use it, are you?" she asked, waringly.

"I really hope not. It will be a very last resort kind of thing," he said.

"I hope you don't have to either. Now before I keep you any longer, you should head out," she said.

"See you later Princess." He then walked past the alicorn and left the castle. Before leaving, he changed to his pony form to attract at least a little less attention than if he was in his normal form.


~~~~


Walking through the streets, Corvo was getting several glances from the nobles of Canterlot. Most, if not all, of them were disgust or even anger. He recognized a few from the mob chasing Screw Loose and glared right back. Knowing his strength, they disappeared so fast he almost thought that they had Blinked. The others likely recognized him because of the clothes he was wearing. They were in the style of the ones he was wearing when he had showed himself to Canterlot, except that they were dark red.

Continuing through the road, he soon stopped by a unicorn stallion and could already tell that he wasn’t going to like him. He looked like the most pompous looking pony he had come across. Which was quite the feat considering how haughty the nobles were. He was snow white with an amber mane and light blue eyes. His cutie mark was a compass rose. He was looking at Corvo with utter disdain.

"I can't believe the Princess even associates with a commoner like you," he said, condescendingly.

Corvo arched a brow at him, "And you are?"

The unicorn sneered, "Listen well peasant, because I am Prince Blueblood."

Glancing around he saw that many of the nobles weren't looking at him with contempt anymore. They were now directing their dislike at this Blueblood. Some of them seemed rather conflicted on who to hate more. This only served to increase his dislike for him. Directing his attention back to the unicorn, he said, "Uh-huh." He then stepped around the stallion.

Several gasps rang through the crowd as he ignored the pony standing in front of him. Although he noticed several smirking, obviously pleased to see somepony snub the supposed prince.

"Don't you dare ignore me!" he shouted. "I am the Princess' nephew."

Corvo paused and glanced back. The unicorn smiled arrogantly, probably thinking that he had scared him. Turning back, he said, "Sorry, 'Prince' Blueblood, but I have more important things to do than listen to your prattling." Corvo continued walking to the concert hall. His ears perked, as he suddenly heard the hum of magic being charged. Jumping to the side, he dodged a golden beam of magic. Looking back he saw Blueblood with his head lowered and his horn glowing.

Raising his head slightly, he glared at Corvo and shouted, "You will not ignore me! I will not be disrespected some peasant mud pony!" Gasps ran through the crowd at this.

Corvo scowled deeply. He had learned that long ago ponies were specist and even racist. He could hardly believe it when he had heard, but had found out that it had pretty much disappeared after a certain point. Apparently, though it wasn't completely gone. He didn't care that he was called it, but he didn't like that this stallion was racist against his own species and thought lesser of them because of what they were. He really hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for what he was about to do.





Blueblood was having a rather bad day. Just the other day his aunt had put something that was not only an earth pony, but barely even a pony in charge of a new guard. Just because he had managed to save a few inconsequential mares, he was being treated as though he were a hero, when all he was, was a freak. He was heading to the castle to try and talk her out of such a horrible decision.

On his way, he ran into the stallion in question. He couldn't pass up the chance to degrade him. Now he had his horn pointed at the mud pony, ready to fry him. He continued to glare at him, until he suddenly vanished. Everypony on the street exclaimed in shock.

Blueblood looked everywhere, trying to find where the stallion had disappeared to. Unable to find him, leering at the gathered ponies, he said, "Hmph, run away has he? That's only thing that mud ponies are good at. He was right to though, for not taking me seriously." In his mind, however he thought, 'How in Tartarus did he disappear?'

There was an unexpectedly strong tug on his collar and he was suddenly face to face with the stallion he had just attacked. His legs began to shake instantly as he looked into the earth ponies eyes. He was glaring death at him.

"You listen here you pompous little ass. I don't care what you say about me, but don't you dare insult ponies just because of who or what they are. If you do it again, I swear that you will regret it," he threatened, raising his left hoof and showing Blueblood the fetlockbow on his boot. Shoving him back, the earth pony turned around and walked away.

Blueblood stood in the middle of the road, completely stunned by what had just happened. Hearing snickering, he turned around and glared at the ponies at the crowd. Most of them cowered, still scared of what the prince could do to them. Glaring back at where the stallion had gone, 'I will make you will regret that.'





Now in a bad mood, Corvo practically stomped through Canterlot. He reached the concert hall at around ten-fifty and took out his ticket. He approached the usher and was shown to his seat. Walking through the rows of seats, he saw that the hall was packed. Nearly every seat was filled. He was seated dead center in the front row.

After ten minutes, Octavia walked onto the stage and prepared her cello. Once ready, she began to play her first piece. Instantly, Corvo was enthralled by the music that she was playing. He could feel all of the negative emotions he was feeling from his encounter with Blueblood disappearing. Closing his eyes, he let himself become immersed in the music. He could practically see himself back in his world, relaxing to the peaceful music coming from an audiograph player. He could feel his eyes begin to water as memories from his world began to surface. Corvo hadn't really thought about any of his more personal memories since he had arrived in this world.

He became so entranced by the music and lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed when the next pieces of music began. He was only dimly aware that a piano joined in the final piece of music. However, as soon as it had, the image of him playing the piano for Jessamine and Emily entered his mind. He made a mental note to begin practicing again sometime. It wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder, that he noticed that it was over. Looking to his left he was surprised to see Vinyl Scratch sitting next to him.

She looked at him slightly worriedly, "Are you okay dude? Your eyes are watering."

Corvo began to wipe the tears from his eyes, "Yes, I'm fine. The music just brought back some memories." He then confusedly said, "Miss Scratch? I thought you said these were boring."

"That they are. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate Tavi's music. Especially when she isn't playing for these snobs." She then scrunched her face in annoyance, "And dude, call me Vinyl. None of that 'Miss' crap."

"Very well. Tavi?" he questioned.

"Oh, just my nickname for her. Come on, let's hurry backstage and see her," she said, standing from her seat.

They walked over to where a security guard was standing and flashed their backstage passes. He stood to the side and allowed them to enter. Walking through the hall they soon came to a room with Octavia's cutie mark on the door.

Vinyl, without even knocking, opened the door and waltzed right in, saying, "Amazing and as boring as ever." Corvo, however, stayed outside of the room.

"Honestly Vinyl, can't you at least knock. And thank you for that backhoofed compliment," Octavia said.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey that stallion is here," she said, somewhat excitedly. Turning around, she noticed that he was still standing outside. "What in the hay are you still standing out there for? You don't want to meet her or something?" He didn't really know why, but Corvo could swear he heard anger in her voice.

"That's not it at all, Mi- Vinyl. It's just not exactly polite for a stallion to just walk into a mare's room."

Octavia glanced at the unicorn with a slight smirk. "You can come in Corvo," she called out.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and, exasperatedly, said "It's not like this her bedroom."

"Be that as it may, entering a room that is meant for a mare without her permission is very disrespectful," he said, walking into the room and closing the door.

"You two are like peas in a pod," Vinyl said, irritably. "Complete bores, both of you."

"And yet it seems like you are very good friends with her," Corvo observed.

"Well, we've been friends since we were fillies," Octavia said, reminiscently.

"You two seem like total opposites though. How did the two of you become friends?" he asked.

"It's not that long of a story but, how about we talk over lunch instead of just standing here?" the earth pony mare suggested.

"That sounds wonderful, Miss Melody," he said.

"Splendid. I know just the place. And please just call me Octavia," she said.

Vinyl groaned, "We're not going to go to one of those hoity-toity restaurants are we?"

"With you joining us? No, we'll be going somewhere more low-key. Though, you may be rather overdressed for it Corvo," Octavia said.

He looked down at his clothes, "I figured I should dress up if I'm going to a recital."

Vinyl arched a brow at him, "You realize that a lot of the ponies in there weren't wearing anything right? Hay, even Octavia and, what was his name, Fred weren't really wearing anything, except for a bow tie."

"His name is Frederick, Vinyl," Octavia said, exasperatedly.

"Like I said, Fred."

"*sigh* Anyway, she has a point. Ponies, even the nobles, don't really wear much. Why do you?" Octavia asked.

"I've been doing it my entire life, so it's rather deeply ingrained," he said.

"Why's that?" Vinyl asked.

"You both know how this isn't my normal form, right?" he asked. The two mares nodded. "Listen, this is relatively a secret. Ponies know what I actually look like, but that's all they know. I feel like I can trust you two, though, so I'm going to tell you, but you need to keep it a secret okay?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," they both recited.

Corvo looked at them in confusion.

"Sorry, it's a thing that a friend of ours came up with. We just Pinkie Promised that we wouldn't tell anypony," Octavia explained.

"Yeah, and Pinkie takes them very seriously. If somepony broke one and she found out," Vinyl shivered.

"Is she violent?" he asked.

The two mares looked at each other and then started to laughed.

"Pinkie? Violent? Not at all," Vinyl said.

"She can come on a little strongly, but she a very nice mare," Octavia continued. "Which is why when she gets angry at a pony for breaking a promise, it's more than enough of a reason to not break them."

"Judging by the fact that you know, I'm guessing somepony did break a promise," he surmised.

The unicorn nodded, "Yeah, some stallion promised that he would attend an old friends party that she was putting together. The two hadn't seen each other in a long time and she was throwing it for them to spend some time together. However, he didn't attend. I don't think he ever gave a reason as to why he didn't, which just made Pinkie angrier." The two shivered, obviously remembering the event.

"I see. Well I'm glad that you are taking this so seriously. The reason this is secret is because ponies are already on edge just with me looking different. If they knew this, there's no telling how they would react," he said. "Hang on," he then activated his Dark Vision and looked around.

Vinyl and Octavia's eyes widened as his eyes suddenly turned red.

Not seeing anypony, he ended the spell and turned his attention back to the two mares. They were both looking at him in complete shock.

"Yes?" he asked, slightly nervously.

"Your eyes just turned red!" Octavia said.

Corvo grimaced, 'Shit. Now I have to explain that to them. Oh well, that was going to get out at some point anyway.' He began to explain, "That sort of fits into what I'm about to tell you. You see, I wasn't originally a pony. I was what's called a human. We look like what you saw me as that day, except that we aren't covered in fur like you all are. That's why we wear clothes, so we aren't exposed the elements." He then added quietly, "We also use them to cover our modesty."

At this, a small blush appeared on Octavia's cheeks, while Vinyl snickered behind her hoof.

"That's why I wear clothes. It's something that I did all my life, so it's not exactly easy to stop. Now as for why my eyes turned red," he said. When he said this, they seemed to begin listening intently. Slightly confused on their intense focus, he continued, "It was a type of magic." At his admission, Vinyl seemed to deflate slightly. This only confused Corvo more.

Before he could begin to dwell on it, Octavia asked, "You are able to do more than the normal magic an earth pony can do?"

Turning his attention to her, he said, "Yes, I can. Watch." He then used his Pull to snatch on of the brushes off of the table. Having the object fly past them caused both of them to jump.

"That's amazing!" Vinyl said, seeming to regain her usual energy.

"That is very incredible," Octavia agreed. Glancing at the clock, she said, "Oh dear, it's past time for lunch. How about we just go somewhere to get a snack and we can tell you about how we met."

"That sounds good," Corvo said. Opening the door, he gestured with his hoof, "Ladies first."

Vinyl smirked, "Are you being polite or is it because you don't know where to go?"

Octavia groaned, "Do you always have speak so forthright?"

However, Corvo looked at Vinyl and, smiling, said, "Both, to be honest."

Shock crossed Octavia's face, as he answered her seriously, while Vinyl began to crack up.

"Maybe you aren't completely dull," she snickered.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said.

As they all exited the room, Octavia said, "I'm rather surprised you answered her like that."

"I knew she was just messing with me. It wasn't a big deal."

They then left concert hall, Corvo following behind the two mares.


~~~~


As they walked, Octavia asked, "Did you enjoy the recital?"

"Did I enjoy it? It was magnificent. I was in a rather bad mood when I showed up and your music was very soothing," Corvo said.

"Why were you in a bad mood?" Vinyl asked.

"I ran into somepony named Blueblood," he told them. Immediately, disgust crossed the two mares muzzles. Noticing this he asked, "You heard of him?"

"Heard of? We've met the bastard," she said.

"Vinyl! That's not something you call the Princess' nephew," Octavia reprimanded. She then muttered, "Though I don't know how she could be related to such a miserable stallion." Vinyl let out a snort at this.

"Well, he just pissed me off. I've dealt with a great deal of nobles, but he has to be one of the worst," Corvo said.

"What did he say?" Vinyl asked.

"I'd rather not repeat it, but suffice to say that he called earth ponies the worst thing you can call them," he said, his anger rising.

"He made a racist remark to you!?" Octavia exclaimed.

"I could care less what he said about me. He insulted you, Screw Loose, and ponies that had nothing to do with what was happening." Noticing their confused looks, he elaborated, "The other mare that I saved. I wasn't going to let what he said slide."

"What do you mean you wouldn't let it slide?" Vinyl asked.

"I threatened him," Corvo said simply. They paused and looked at the stallion in shock.

"You threatened him?" Octavia breathed.

A huge grin spread across Vinyl's face, "Way to go!"

"Vinyl, you shouldn't be happy about that! There's no telling what Blueblood will try to do to him," Octavia said, worriedly.

"He can't do anything to me. Even if he manages to get me fired from the Crow Guard, that's all he can do. He doesn't know anything about the ponies I consider friends and I have no family here. And if he tries to fight me, he'll find out that there's a reason I was the personal guard of the Empress of my world."

The two mares glanced at each other. One of the things Corvo said had gotten their attention. The fact that he didn't have any family here made them feel bad for the stallion.

They continued in relative silence, until eventually they reached their destination. The building was several shades of pink with some giant round pink sculpture on it. Walking inside, Corvo saw that it didn't look anything like he was expecting from something in Canterlot. The atmosphere was very laid back and not at all uptight.

"What is this place?" he asked.

However before they could answer a familiar voice called out, "Corvo? Is that you!?"

Looking over he was pleasantly surprised to see three familiar mares. He trotted over to them, "It's good to see you ladies again."

Minuette giggled, "It's nice to see too. What are you doing here?"

"I came with a couple of new friends," he said. Looking back he saw that they were still standing at the front. He gestured with his hoof for them to come over.

Looking over, Twinkleshine gasped, "Is that Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch?"

Corvo glanced back, "You know them?"

"We haven't actually talked to them, but Octavia's a very popular cellist and we've been to Vinyl's nightclub in Ponyville," Lemon Hearts told him.

"Ah. Well Vinyl, Octavia, this is Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine," he introduced them.

"Are they friends of yours?" Octavia asked.

"I only met them yesterday, so I'm not really sure I can call them that," he said.

"What do you mean?" Minuette exclaimed. "Any friend of Twilight's is a friend of ours. Right, girls?" The other two unicorns nodded. "Plus, you made it to where she's really opening up to us. I think that makes us friends. Which means that you can call me Colgate."

Corvo looked at the three mares in surprise. That so many ponies here were as friendly as they were, really blew him away. "Maybe when we've become better acquainted Minuette."

"Fine," she said, pouting slightly. However, it didn't last long and she smiled wide, "So what are you doing here with those two?"

"We're going to eat and just talk," he told them. Looking at their table all he saw were strange circular food. He looked around and saw that everypony had the same thing. Some of them looked different, but were the same type of food. "What exactly are those anyway?" he asked, pointing at the odd ring-shaped food. He had learned a good deal about food from Exquisite Dish, but he had never made or mentioned something like this.

At this, four of the mares stared at him in shock. Octavia seemed only seemed slightly surprised.

"You don't know what a donut is?" Vinyl asked incredulously.

"Vinyl! He's not from," she paused and glanced at the three other unicorns. She then looked at Corvo, who, noticing her look, shook his head slightly, letting her know that he hadn't told them. "Equestria. You can't expect that they'll have the exact same things," she said.

"So, that's called a donut?" he asked, looking at the food.

Minuette suddenly raised her voice, "Donut Joe, a dozen assortment!"

"You got it!" the unicorn stallion called. He levitated a box over to them and set it down on the table. Lemon Hearts, in turn, levitated several bits over to him.

Corvo looked at the shop owner. He was a good deal bigger than most of the stallions he had seen. However, he was smaller than Blueblood was. He had a light amber coat, brown mane, and green eyes.

Returning his attention to the table, he reached for one of the donuts and grabbed the one that was chocolate covering the top and nothing on the bottom. He brought the pastry to his mouth and took a bite. His eyes widened in surprise, as he ate the confection. The small pastry was absolutely delicious, so light, fluffy, and the chocolate on it made it all the better.

"Good, huh?" Vinyl said, smiling.

"Delicious," he confirmed.

Octavia looked around and, not noticing any empty tables, asked, "Do you ladies mind if we join you?"

"Spend time with our new friend, as well as Octavia and Vinyl?" Minuette exclaimed. "Sure, pull up a stool."

The three got stools for themselves and pulled them to the table and sat with the three unicorns.

"So were you going to talk about anything specific or were you just talking about anything?" Lemon Hearts asked.

Corvo glanced at the two mares, "Well, Vinyl and Octavia were going to tell me how they became friends, but with an audience I'm not really sure if they want to talk about it."

"I don't really mind telling you, if they don't mind us talking about ourselves," Octavia said.

"We'd love to hear how you two met," Minuette said. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine nodded their heads enthusiastically.

Octavia began, "Alright. Well, when we were younger, we lived in Manehattan. Both of us already had our cutie marks at the time. We had both joined the music club. Right away, we found out that our tastes in music were completely different. I liked classical, while she liked dubstep, techno, those  kinds of things." She paused to eat one of the donuts.

"Yeah and almost immediately, we figured that we wouldn't get along," Vinyl picked up. "I mean, we were complete opposites in not only the kind of music we liked, but we soon found out that our personalities were completely different. I liked to have fun, where as Tavi was a killjoy."

The earth pony looked at Vinyl with indignation, "I like to have fun too Vinyl. It's just that my definition of fun isn't having music blaring while you go crazy."

"And yet you come to my nightclub quite a lot," Vinyl said, smirking.

A small blush appeared on Octavia's face, but she smirked back, "Well you come to my recitals, despite how boring you think they are." The two continued to playfully glare at each other until Octavia continued, "As we spent more time together, we began to get closer. I listened to some of her music and found out that some of it was pretty good."

"And I listened to some of her's and found out that, while rather dull, wasn't that bad."

"When we got older, we even tried playing each other's genres. Vinyl tried out my cello and came up with a very good idea on how to play it."

"Yeah and Tavi tried out my turntables and came up with an interesting mix of classical and dubstep."

"They sound very interesting. You'll have to show me some time," Corvo said.

"Anytime your in Ponyville we'll be glad to play for you. Right Vinyl?" Octavia said. The electric blue maned unicorn nodded.

"It was nice hearing how you two became friends," Twinkleshine said.

"I'm glad we didn't bore you with talking about ourselves."

"How could anything with me in it be boring?" Vinyl questioned.

Corvo leaned to Octavia and whispered, "She doesn't seem like the kind of pony you would be bored hearing about."

The earth pony giggled, and whispered back, "No she isn't. She's very loud, somewhat obnoxious and is pretty uncivilized, but she's a very good friend, extremely supportive, and a never ending source of fun."

He smiled and stood, "Well ladies, I don't mean to cut this short, but I think I'm going to head back."

"Aw, already?" Vinyl and Minuette moaned simultaneously.

"Sorry, but I haven't trained at all today and I really should," he apologized. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out several bits and tossed them on the table. "Get some more donuts on me. I'll see you ladies later," he said, leaving the shop. He then started to head back to the castle. 'They said that they live in Ponyville. I should find out where that is and visit sometime.' Corvo was so lost in thought that he bumped into somepony. Staggering back from the impact, he apologized, "Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Oh it's alright. I was rather lost in thought myself," they said.

Looking at the pony he had bumped into, he saw that it was a unicorn mare. She was pink with a rose, violet, and light gold mane. Her eyes were light purple and her cutie mark was a crystal heart with two golden arches at the bottom.

"Again I am sorry ma'am. I wasn't watching where I was going," he said.

"Like I said, it's fine. My head was in the clouds," she said. She then took a closer look at him. After a moment her eyes widened, "What's your name?"

Confused on the sudden question, he answered, "Raven Armor. Why?"

She smiled, "So I was right. You're the stallion that save Twilight."

At this, Corvo's eyes widened, 'How does...?' He looked around to see if anypony was listening. Narrowing his eyes at the mare in front of him, he asked, "How do you know that?" Confusion spread across her face, "The Princess never revealed who I had saved. Only that I had helped four mares in trouble. So, I ask again, how do you know who it was that I rescued?"

This time the pink mare looked around, she then gestured toward an empty alley, "Do you mind if we speak away from any prying ears?"

He looked over, then said, "I suppose." He started to walk down the alley, the mare following close behind. He stopped once they were far enough in that nopony would hear them. "So will you explain?" he asked.

"That's politer than most ponies would ask," she said.

"Demanding an explanation could very well make it to where you don't want to explain," Corvo said.

"Very true. Now then, I know because I know the Princess," she said, cryptically.

At this he sighed, "Don't tell me you are another relative of the Princess."

"Another?" she questioned. Comprehension dawned on her and she facehooved, "Damn it Blueblood. *sigh* Yes, Celestia is my aunt, but I am nothing like him."

"You aren't?" he asked. A thought occurred to him, "Hang on, you knew who I was, but I don't know who you are."

"You mean neither of them mentioned me?" she asked, hurt in her voice.

"Princess Celestia never mentioned she had two unicorn relatives, no," he said.

Confusion spread across her face, "Two unicorn..? Oh right I'm still hiding them." She walked past Corvo and further into the alley.

"Hiding what?" he questioned.

She stopped several hoof steps away from him and turned around. She closed her and seemed to begin to concentrate. After a moment, pink wings with purple tipped feathers sprung from her sides.

He stared at her in surprise, his jaw practically on the ground. "Are you Princess Cadance?" he asked.

"Yes I am, but please just call me Cadance. From what Gleaming Shield has told me, you two are pretty good friends, so don't feel obligated to be formal with me," she said.

"That might take some getting used to, Pri- Cadance." He smiled sheepishly, "See?"

The alicorn giggled, "It's fine, Corvo."

"How did you hide your wings?"

"It's something that alicorns are able to do. Aunty can do it to, but since she's like three times the height of other ponies, it's kind of pointless," she explained. Worry appeared on her face as she asked, "How is Twilight? Gleaming told me about the incident, but I've yet to actually get to the castle and visit her."

"She told me that the doctors said that she would be able to walk around tomorrow. She still needs to wear the bandage around her eye for a few more days," he told her.

She let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad she's doing okay."

"How do you know Twilight?"

"I foalsat her," she said.

"She was foalsat by a Princess?" he asked.

"Well, I was still young, so I didn't have any royal responsibilities and I wanted to get to know some of the ponies in Canterlot," she explained. "I found a request for a foalsitter and I applied. That's how I became so close to Twilight and Gleaming."

"Ah, I see. That's interesting to know. I was just heading back to the castle. Shall we go together?"

Cadance's wings disappeared from sight, "Sure. We can talk some more on the way."

They then started walking back to the castle. The two talked about all kinds of things as they walked. Gleaming Shield had informed Cadance about what he was and where he was from, so they took turns talking about each other's world.


~~~~


When they reached the castle they noticed an extra guard standing at the entrance. When they reached her, she said, "Captain Corvo, the Princess wishes to speak to you."

The sudden use of his new title caught him by surprise, but he quickly recovered, "Understood, I'll head to her immediately."

"I'll go with you. It's been a little while since I saw her," Cadance said.

He nodded and the two followed the guard to the throne room. Once they reached it, the two entered. They immediately saw Blueblood standing in front of the throne where Celestia sat. Frowning, the two continued into the room and, while Corvo bowed, Cadance rushed up to the throne and hugged her aunt.

"It's good to see you Cadance," the Solar Princess said smiling. Lowering her head, she gave Cadance her version of a hug. Raising her head, her expression returned to being serious, "Corvo, the Prince has told me that you assaulted him."

Cadance's eyes widened, "Aunty! I really don't-"

She was silenced by a look from Celestia. Returning her attention to the earth pony, she said, "This is a very serious thing if it's true. He is my nephew and if what he's saying is true, I'll need to do something."

Corvo glared at the prince, before focusing on Princess Celestia, "I won't lie Princess. I did threaten him." The pink alicorn looked at him in surprise, while Blueblood smirked. "However, I only did because of what he said," he continued. The prince's smirk instantly disappeared.

The Princess glanced at her nephew, "And what did he say?"

"I'd really rather not repeat it. Would you look at my memories of the incident? There's also the fact that you can't lie about memories," he suggested.

Celestia nodded, "Very well." She stood and approached Corvo. She began to gather her magic, but before she could do anything, Blueblood interrupted.

"Wait! How do we know that he hasn't had his memories tampered with?" he questioned desperately.

"Corvo doesn't seem like the kind of stallion to mess with dark magic, Blueblood." The prince was about to say something else, before she interrupted, "And even if he did, there would be traces of it on him." She then continued to cast the spell and looked at his memories. As they played out in her mind, she slowly began to frown. When they ended, she glared at Blueblood, who shivered under her gaze. "It seems that you withheld a great deal of information. Such as the fact that not only did you make a racial remark towards him and earth ponies in general, but you also attacked him for no reason." She continued to glare at him, until finally she said, "Leave, Blueblood."

The stallion was all to happy to oblige and darted from the room.

Once he was gone, the Solar Princess sighed heavily, "Sorry about that Corvo, but without knowing exactly what happened, I need to be impartial until I do know."

"I know Princess. I've been a part of these kinds of things before and know how you have to act. Plus, as you saw, he, while not telling the exact truth, wasn't necessarily lying," he said.

"Yes, and it's because of this that I need to do something. We can't have the guards threatening civilians. Even if they do insult you," she said regrettably. "I'm afraid I must remove you from being the Captain of the Crow Guard." She then smiled slightly and continued, "But only as Captain."

He looked up in confusion, "Wait, what do you mean?"

Cadance smiled, "I think she's only going to demote you to Lieutenant. You'll still be part of the guard and you'll be able to lead them, but officially you won't be in charge."

"That's rather sneaky," he said with a slight smirk.

Celestia shrugged, "You live as long as I do and you learn things about how to keep ponies happy while still protecting them. Besides, he only said that he didn't want you being in charge. He said nothing about you being completely taking out of it."

Corvo looked back to where the prince had disappeared to, "Are you really related to that prick?"

She sighed, "Unfortunately, yes I am. Thankfully though, he's so distantly related even calling me his great-great-great-great-great aunt is a stretch."

"That's not surprising considering how long you've lived and he's probably only thirty at the oldest. Cadance seems more closely related to you than him."

The Princess cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean 'seems'?"

"Well I'm just guessing, but from looking at you two you don't really look like you're related," he said.

"You realize that your practically saying that Twilight and Gleaming aren't sisters, right?" Cadance asked.

"Well, I don't know what their parents look like so I can still see them as being siblings."

The two alicorns looked at each other and started to giggle.

Corvo looked at them confusion apparent on his face, "What?"

"Maybe looks play a bigger part for humans, but with ponies it doesn't. I mean, I've seen a family where the ponies were green, red, yellow, blue, and all kinds of other colors. So just because a ponies coat doesn't match another's doesn't mean that they aren't related," Celestia explained. "That being said, you are actually correct."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I actually adopted Cadance as my niece. I'm sure you can guess why she's my niece and not my daughter," she said.

"Because your over a thousand years old and she isn't?"

The Princess nodded, "Exactly. Even if she's immortal too, she's much to young to be my daughter by adoption."

"I don't exactly see why that matters," he said. "I mean if you fell in love with somepony and you two had a foal they would be you son or daughter, right?"

"That's... true, but," she sighed heavily. "I suppose, it was that because I raise and lower the sun and moon, as well as me being the ruler of Equestria takes all of my time. I didn't want to become a mother that ignored her daughter. As an aunt, I could spend time with her, but not get so close as to where she would expect to see me all the time like you would a mother."

Corvo could understand exactly what Princess Celestia meant. It was something that Jessamine had to deal with. Even though she spent a good deal of time with Emily, most of the time she had to deal with matters of the government, money-grubbing nobles, and when the plague appeared, it only got worse.

"I know what you mean Princess. Jessamine had much the same problem," he told her. "But she always made time to spend with her daughter. I mean she was the Empress after all," he said with a slight smirk.

"I know that, as princess, I can choose what I'm able do with my time, but there's a great deal to take care of." Her face fell as she murmured, "Maybe if she was still here."

Corvo and Cadance glanced at each other, worry etched on their faces.

"Princess?" "Aunty?"

"*ahem* Anyway, you've given me something to think about Corvo." She glanced at Cadance, a small smile on her muzzle, "I hope we can properly talk about this soon."

Cadance nodded somewhat eagerly, "Of course!"

Corvo smiled, glad that she was taking what he said into consideration. Excusing himself, he gave them some privacy so they could discuss what had been talked about.
> Part of the Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Corvo was on the training grounds practicing getting his Windblast spell's power under control. He was starting to be able to control just how much magic to put into the spell to make it more powerful, but not deadly. He was waiting for the rest of the Crow Guard, so that they could train. He kept practicing until he heard hoofsteps. Looking over he saw the Crow Guard as well as the two captains rushing over to him.

Once they reached him, they stopped and stood in front of him panting slightly. "The Princess just told us about you being demoted," Gleaming gasped out.

"Yeah, why did she demote you? I mean, wasn't this guard made because of you?" Spitfire asked.

"It was made because of the incidents and my magic helped me with them. She did it because of Blueblood," he said.

"What does that snob have to do with it?" Soarin asked.

"He reported to the Princess on how I threatened him," he told them. All of their eyes widened in shock. "He insulted an entire race of ponies. I couldn't stand that and tried to intimidate him. Didn't exactly work, but I knew he wouldn't be able to do much. Especially after the Princess saw my memories."

"What did you show her that time?" the fiery-maned pegasus asked.

"That he made a racial slur and the fact that he attacked me."

"He attacked you!?" all of them, even Flash who had not spoken a word since Corvo had met him, shouted.

"Yes he did, but I dodged it easily. I don't really care that he did that anyway, it's the racist remark that he said. And I don't care that he called me it, it's the fact that he referred to all of them in such a way."

"He made a racial remark against you?" Crescent asked. His eyes widened, "You mean he called you..?"

Corvo just nodded, not wanting to repeat it. All of the ponies faces turned red in anger.

Surprisingly, it was Flash Sentry that spoke up, "That's horrible! You shouldn't have been demoted for sticking up for other ponies."

They all looked at the orange pegasus in surprise. Recovering, Gleaming said, "He's right. I'm going to go and try to talk the Princess into making you the captain again."

"Don't Gleaming Shield." All of them looked at him in disbelief.

"Why not?" she questioned.

"Because she had to do it. If she didn't then she would of had an annoying 'Prince' and a bunch of nobles making a scene about how a guard got away with threatening one them. If I had just threatened him with being put in a dungeon, then it probably wouldn't have been to bad, but I threatened him with this." He showed them the wristbow on his left arm. Their eyes widened at this. "I told him that if he said such a thing again that I would make him regret it."

The four Crow Guards and two captains stood in silence at this information. Suddenly a voice spoke up, "I like this stallion already." Turning around, they saw a thestral walking over to them. "Anypony that's willing to stand up to Blueblood is OK in my books."

"I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" Corvo asked.

"My name is Nightstalker. I'm the new captain of the Crow Guard," he introduced.

"It's nice to meet you Nightstalker. So you're the new captain?"

"Officially yes, but the Princess explained the situation about how when it comes to most things involving this guard that you're still in charge. And I was wondering what would you do if Blueblood didn't heed your warning, which he probably won't."

"I'd probably punch or kick him," Corvo answered, without hesitation.

Except for Nightstalker, everypony's jaw dropped. "You can't! If you do that, the Princess will have to remove you from the guard," Flash said.

Corvo shrugged, "I've almost always worked alone anyway. Sure, I would help the guards sometimes, but most of the time, especially after the assassination, I did things by myself."

"You don't always have to. Plus, seeing that they are willing to try and talk the Princess out of this shows that you are a good captain," the thestral said.

Corvo chuckled, "I don't know about that. I was only a captain for a day and I barely did anything that a captain should do."

"True, but Gleaming Shield and I saw you training with the guards this past week," Crescent spoke up. "While you were fighting, you weren't afraid to shout at them what they were doing wrong when going against somepony like you, even though you weren't part of the guard. You got quite a few of them to train even harder than before. They haven't forgotten what you said and have improved."

"He's right," Gleaming said. "Some of them want to fight you again to see how much better they've gotten."

He looked at them in shock, "Really? But that's all I did. When I saw them outside the training ground I addressed them as I would anypony."

Spitfire smiled, "Just because you're a captain doesn't mean you have to treat them like subordinates all the time. I hang out with the other Wonderbolts constantly when we don't have anything to do and we're all friends with each other."

At that moment Fleetfoot glanced behind Corvo and noticed two cases on the other side of the training field. "Hey Corvo, what are those?" she asked.

Looking back, he said, "Ah right." He walked over to the cases, the others following behind. Kneeling down he opened one of the cases, revealing a bunch of boots. "I asked Fine Point to make these boots and what's in the other case. They are exactly like the ones that I'm wearing," he told them.

"Why are they like yours?" she asked.

"You all know how when you walk your hooves make a clop sound right?" They all nodded. "Well listen when I walk," he said. He began walking around them and, as he did, he noticed confusion cross their faces as their ears twitched, trying to hear his hoofsteps. He then began to run, weaving his way between them.

"How was there not any sound? When you were walking is one thing, but running? There should have been some kind of noise," Crescent said.

"It's my boots. They have a thick layer of soft rubber separating the actual bottom of the boot from the floor. The layer silences practically any noise that you would make," Corvo explained. He then walked over to the other case and opened it. He pulled out an outfit similar to what he was wearing except that it was made to fit a pony. "I'm not completely sure what we'll be doing in this guard, but they are light, very silent, and aren't too restricting. At least they shouldn't be. She didn't know what all of your measurements are so she just went with the typical size. If they are too loose or restrictive then you should talk to her and have it refitted."

"Those don't look like they would protect you a great deal if you had to fight," Gleaming said.

'And your armor does?' he thought. "Normally no, but Fine Point worked together with the blacksmith that makes your weapons and armor, Heated Blade was his name I think, and they came up with these. They're made from a fabric that they created that's made of steel. It should be able to deflect most attacks," he told them. "Now before we start training. Nightstalker will you step forward so that I can give you access to my powers?"

The stallion nodded and stepped forward. Corvo knelt down and used the Arcane Bond. When he was finished, he stood and quickly explained to him about what magic he could now use, their effects, and the abilities he now possessed.

Once finished, he said, "Alright, I'd like to train in combat today, but instead of spears I would like you all to get your choice of weapons." They all looked at him in confusion. "I highly doubt that all of your choice for weapons is a spear. Your all probably efficient with your own type of weapon, but you can't have those with you at all times so you wield a spear when on guard."

"You're right. OK, we'll go get our preferred weapon. Let's go everypony," Gleaming Shield said. They all separated, going to get their weapons.


~~~~


After awhile they had all returned with their weapons. The Wonderbolts had to go to Cloudsdale to get their weapons, but they were quick in getting them. Corvo watched as they walked forward. Three of them had swords, but he could only recognize Soarin's, who also had a shield. Nightstalker had a huge ax and Gleaming Shield had what looked like a spear with a huge blade instead of what was normally on one. Fleetfoot was wearing some kind of claws on her fore hooves and Crescent Slash was holding two bladed weapons he didn't recognize.

"OK, except for Soarin, I don't know what your weapons are, so will you tell me what they are?"

Gleaming nodded while spinning her weapon slightly, "This is called a glaive. As you can see it's similar to a spear, except that the blade is bigger, but thinner. It's better at piercing armor than a normal spear."

"My weapon is called a katana. As you can see it's a slender, curved sword. I use it for quick and accurate attacks," Spitfire said.

"These are scythes. They are used for quick attacks and can get between other species armor," Crescent Slash told him.

Nightstalker spoke up, "You probably know that this is an ax. However, it's what's called a greataxe. It's able to smash through armor and cut whoever your striking."

"We call these gryphon claws. The reason being that we got the idea from them and, like them, we only wear them on our fore hooves and not our back ones," Fleetfoot said.

"This is a falchion. It combines the weight and power of an ax with the versatility of the sword," Flash said.

"This actually works out pretty good because I was going to practice with all of you. I figured that you all would have different fighting styles and, after seeing your weapons, now I know you do have different styles. It'll also be good practice if we come across the weapons in an actual fight." They all nodded, "Alright, let's start with Gleaming and then Nightstalker."

Gleaming Shield stepped forward and they began to fight. Corvo stayed in his anthro form so that they would have more practice against bipedal, as well as larger, beings. His fight with Gleaming was the hardest fight he had ever been in. Her weapon had incredible reach so it was hard for him to get close. Gleaming was quick and had managed to connect several time. After her fight, she had excused herself saying that there were things she needed to take care of.

After she had left, Nightstalker was next. His attacks were slow, but powerful. With him, Corvo couldn't afford to block and had to dodge all of the attacks. And even though he was slower than Gleaming, he was still fast enough to not get caught off guard.

Fleetfoot, Crescent, and Spitfire, weren't any easier. Fleetfoot was fast and agile, able to dodge easily and attack quickly, then move away. Spitfire was even faster, and gave him several bruises from using the blunt side of the sword. Crescent was difficult because he had two scythes, so while one was blocking Corvo's sword, he used the other to attack.

Flash and Soarin were slightly easier, but still difficult. Flash's strikes had a good deal of power behind them and, while Corvo could block them, it staggered him to do so. With his shield, Soarin was about as difficult to deal with as Crescent, one foreleg blocking, while the other attacked.

After a few hours, Corvo was sitting on the ground panting. He had a few small cuts and several bruises on his body. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was eleven o'clock. Wincing slightly, he stood up, "Alright, everypony that was very good practice. You should get practice versions of your weapons and train with each other. Fighting opponents who are fast or have long reaching weapons will be good for you all. I have some plans today, so I'll leave you all to your own devices. Before you do though, Flash can I talk to you?"

The orange pegasus looked at him and followed him away from the others. When they were out of earshot, he asked, "Yes, Cap- Lieutenant?"

"Flash, you don't have to be so formal with me. I don't care if you just call me by my name," Corvo said. 'Guess I know what Spitfire felt like when we met.'

"But sir, I'm just a new recruit and you're my commanding officer."

"We're not here as a Lieutenant and his subordinate, but just as two stallions talking. That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. I know it's only been a day, but until today I hadn't heard you speak at all. Why?"

"Because a low-ranking guard shouldn't just talk to his superior officer?" he more asked than said.

Corvo shook his head, "That isn't a good reason. How am I supposed to know what your feeling if you don't say anything. If you don't say that your not feeling well and I told you to do something, you'd only be hurting yourself."

"Yes, si-" he paused at Corvo's look. "I will speak up more Corvo."

"Good. Besides technically I'm pretty much a new recruit."

Flash looked up in confusion, "But you're a Lieutenant."

"For how long?"

"A day or two."

"Exactly. How long have you been in the guard?" Corvo questioned.

"A few weeks," Flash answered. "But what about your time as Lord Protector?"

"That's completely different than being a guard. Plus, here that doesn't mean anything because it was in another world. So, if you have trouble speaking up, remember that." Flash nodded in understanding. "Now you can do what you like for the day. I'll see you later." He walked into the castle and headed to where Twilight was.

When he reached where she had been staying, he saw her walking out of the room. Her eye was still bandaged, but she seemed to be walking perfectly fine.

"Twilight!" he called, as he continued forward.

She turned and smiled, "Hey Corvo, perfect timing. I was headed to my parents house to tell them that, other than my eye, I'm better. You want to come and meet them?"

"Sure. They're wanting to meet me right?" She nodded. "Then let's go." He changed into his pony form and stood on Twilight's left. They left the castle and headed to her home.


~~~~


As they walked through Canterlot, the two were getting a lot of attention. Surprisingly, most ponies had looks of sympathy, seeing Twilight with a bandage covering her eye. There were still ponies that were glaring at Corvo, but most were focused on Twilight.

The attention was starting to get to her. Her face was flush, her ears were lowered, and she moved closer to Corvo as they walked. Thankfully, they soon reached her house and she knocked on the door.

He barely registered that there were two unicorns standing in the doorway, when he was tackled to the ground. His body throbbed in pain from the injuries he'd sustained during training. He felt something pressing repeatedly against his cheek. Opening his eyes he saw a gray unicorn mare standing above him, kissing his cheek.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving our daughter. Thank you," she cried. She stopped kissing him and she stood above him, her tears flowing down her face.

"Dear, give the stallion some space. He looks rather in pain from you tackling him," a masculine voice spoke up.

As the mare backed up he got a better look at her and the pony who had spoken up. The mare looked rather similar to Twilight. Her coat was gray, her eyes were arctic blue, and her mane was purple and light gray with the bottom of her mane being curled slightly. Her cutie mark was three purple stars. In the doorway was a blue unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane, and his eyes were amber. His cutie mark was a yellow waxing crescent moon with a small waning crescent inside of it.

The stallion walked forward and clapped a hoof on Corvo's back, causing him to wince slightly. "As my wife so clearly put it, thank you for rescuing our daughter. You hurt yourself?" he asked noticing the wince.

"What makes you say that?" Corvo questioned.

The stallion gave him a deadpan stare, "You're talking to the father of the Guard Captain. Me and my wife have become fairly good at noticing when somepony is injured."

Corvo smiled slightly, "It's nothing to serious. Just a couple small cuts and a few bruises. The Crow Guard and I trained today. I asked them to get their actual weapons, so that I could have some practice in going against different fighting styles."

He nodded in understanding, "That was a good idea. Oh, before I forget we should introduce ourselves. My name is Night Light."

"And I'm Twilight Velvet. You can call me Velvet," Twilight's mom introduced. "Don't just stand there come inside."

"It's nice to meet you both. And it really wasn't a problem. I've come to care about Twilight myself and I didn't want to see her taken," Corvo said, as he walked inside. As he entered, he saw Gleaming Shield in the living room. He smirked slightly, "This what you had to take care of Captain?"

She looked at him, "Of course not. I had pick some things up for lunch. We don't exactly have things for your diet."

Worry appeared on his face, "You didn't have to get stuff like that. I'd eat whatever you'd have made."

Gleaming waved a hoof,  "Don't worry about it. We wanted to make something for you."

"Thank you," Corvo said.

"It wasn't a problem. You should have come earlier. You missed Cadance. She told me that she met you yesterday."

Twilight looked disheartened that she missed seeing her old foalsitter. "Yeah I met her. She came to see you all?"

"She came to see one of us more than the others," Night Light said.

"Really? Who do you mean?" Corvo asked.

"Neither of you told him?" Velvet asked.

A blush appeared on Gleaming muzzle, "What, were we supposed to just randomly say that we were dating?"

Corvo's eyes widened slightly, "You and Cadance are going out?"

She nodded, "Yeah, we are."

"That would have been a rather random thing to just mention. It's not a big deal that you didn't mention it."

"Corvo?" Velvet spoke up. "My husband I were wondering about something. Twilight told us about how you had lost your cool and threatened the griffon that had kidnapped her."

He lowered his head slightly in shame, "Yes, when I saw the injuries that were inflicted on her I sort of snapped. I was so angry, that I was almost ready to end the griffon's life." He glanced at Twilight, "But then I saw the look on Twilight's face and remembered why I didn't take justice into my own hands. Why the law should be the ones to deal out justice and not be dealt out by just anypony. The fact that you'll push those close to you away or effect who they are by your actions."

"And now that you are the law?" Night Light asked.

"Dad!" Twilight yelled.

"I'm not the law. I'm just part of it. I'm meant to arrest anyone that breaks the law. It's only in the most dire of situations that I will end anyone's life," Corvo said, not bothered by the question.

Night Light smiled, "You've got a good head on your shoulders."

"If I may ask. Why were you so angry about Twilight getting hurt? I understand that you have gotten close to Twilight, but like you said, you were almost ready to kill that griffon," Velvet asked.

"This might sound rather strange, but I've started to think of Twilight as a sister," he said, somewhat nervously.

Except for Gleaming, all of their eyes widened in surprise. Gleaming Shield, on the other hoof, smiled serenely, having already been told.

Regaining his voice, Night Light said, "I'll admit it's rather surprising, but why would it be strange?"

Corvo glanced at Gleaming, "How much did you tell them?"

"Just about what you were. I figured anything else was something that you should be the one to tell them."

"I see." He thought about it for a minute before saying, "Gleaming, can you use that memory spell that the Princess used?"

She raised a hoof to her chin in thought, "If given some time to practice sure, but not right now. Why?"

"I was thinking of you showing them the memories that Celestia showed you," he said.

"You wanted me to?" she asked.

Corvo nodded, "Yeah, I mean they're your family, so I figured it would be best if you showed them. You would know best what they could handle of my memories."

"Well, it doesn't have to be me that casts the spell you know. I'm sure Twily could use it," Gleaming said.

He arched a brow and smirked slightly, "Twily huh? Anyway I know that, but I figured it would be easier for you to just use it on all of them. I don't know if she can project to two others while she's looking at your memories." He glanced over, "Can you?"

Twilight shook her head, "It would be too difficult to pull off. Taking the memories from Gleaming and also sending them to Mom and Dad wouldn't be possible."

"Then I guess you'll just have to look at Gleaming Shield's memories and after she's shown them to you, you'll show your parents," Corvo said.

Twilight nodded and walked up to her sister. Lighting up her horn, she began to cast the spell as she put her horn to Gleaming's.

Velvet walked out of the room saying she was going to prepare lunch and Night Light walked upstairs saying he had some things to take care of. Corvo followed Twilight's mom into the kitchen. He was rather surprised to see Spike in there as well.

"Were you in here the whole time Spike?" he asked.

The drake looked over and smiled, "Hey Corvo. Yeah, I was waiting for Mom to come in so we could start on lunch. With Twilight almost always studying I cooked all of her meals and Mom showed me how."

Velvet smiled sweetly at the boy, before getting everything she needed to start cooking. "She needed to get fed somehow and Spike was more than willing. He's a very good cook too."

Spike blushed at the compliment. "I had a great teacher," he said. Her smile widened and she tousled his scales.

Corvo saw the meat and spoke up, "I don't mind preparing that, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes, "Please, just call me Velvet. And don't be ridiculous you're our guest we'll make your food."

"That's nice of you Velvet, but I don't want to put any of you out more than I have," he said. She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off, "Plus, I know how to cook meat."

She mulled over what he said and, with a sigh, gave in, "Fine, you can cook it."

He headed over to the oven and turned it on. Walking to counter, he saw two chicken thighs on a cutting board. Corvo grabbed some salt, paprika, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder, and, after mixing the spices together, he covered the thighs with a thin layer. "Do you have any glass pans?" he asked.

"Bottom cabinet," Velvet said.

He walked over and grabbed a small glass pan. He was about to pick the chicken up, when they were surrounded in a dull red aura. Looking over he saw Velvet's horn coated in the same aura. She lifted them up and placed them in the pan. He nodded his head in thanks and picked up the pan and and walked over to the oven. He placed the pan inside and closed the door. He set the timer for twenty minutes.

He was about to ask if Velvet or Spike needed help, when he was practically tackled to the ground again. He'd managed to keep himself standing this time.

"This a thing with the mares in this family?" Corvo asked. "Pretty much all of you have done this."

Velvet looked at him, "All of us?"

He glanced at Gleaming. A blush crossed her muzzle, "I didn't tackle you!"

"If I hadn't been on the ground already, you probably would have knocked me down with how you threw your forelegs around me." He looked down at Twilight and saw the tears in her eyes. "How much did you show her?" he asked, sitting down and placing a hoof on her head.

Gleaming Shield winced slightly, "Except for the really gruesome things, just about everything."

His eyes widened in panic, "You what!? Why in the hay would you show her all that!?"

"I thought that she should know. Plus, I'm sure you wanted our parents to see that stuff as well, right?"

"You could have learned the spell and then showed them," Corvo reproached. "I doubt they're going to like that you showed her that stuff." He sighed, "Velvet?"

She looked over and nodded. "Gleaming Shield will you help me and Spike?"

"Of course, Mom," she walked over to her mother.

Helping Twilight up, he lead her back into the living room. Night Light appeared to be upstairs still. He walked her over to the couch where they both sat down. She leaned against his shoulder, still crying. He rubbed her back comfortingly as he waited for her to calm down. After a few minutes she started to compose herself.

Corvo asked, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm OK. But how can you be okay after everything you've been through? You lost the woman you loved, you were accused of her murder and the kidnapping of her daughter. Then later, you were betrayed by those you thought were on your side and took Emily after you had just gotten her back. Yet through all of that you come out of it the same man you were before everything that had happened. You even let the assassin who had killed the Empress go free."

'Damn it Gleaming. You really did show her pretty much everything.' he thought. "Well, for one, I know that Jessamine wouldn't want me to mourn her for too long. She had also tasked me with saving her daughter so I had even less time to do so. That's another thing, Emily was still alive, so I still had her. I had also made a promise to myself and the Empress that I wouldn't lose myself in vengeance."

"Your a very strong man, Corvo. In more ways than one," Twilight said. "It's really hard to believe that you were dead a week ago."

"I know, after all it's not something that usually happens. The Outsider is a powerful being, though. I also think that he took some of the magic from this world to help bring me back."

At that moment, Night Light walked down stairs and saw them sitting on the couch. Arching a brow, he asked, "Something happen?"

Twilight bolted up at the sound of her father's voice, a slight blush on her face. Chuckling, Corvo said, "You'll see, sir."

He waved a hoof, "You can call me Night Light, Corvo. So, I can see that Twilight and Gleaming Shield are done. Is that why Twilight was like that?"

Corvo nodded, "Yes, it is."

"Should we get Velvet and have Twilight show us?"

"It might be better to wait until after lunch is done," Corvo suggested.

Just then Velvet called out, "Lunch is ready!"

"Guess it's going to have to," Night Light said, walking into another room.

Twilight and Corvo got up and followed him into the dining room. There was a table with eight chairs pushed under it. Three on each side with one at each end. Night Light took the end seat on one side. Corvo sat to his right in the middle seat, while Twilight sat on his right. Velvet, Gleaming Shield, and Spike entered the room with the food in their magical grasp, or claws in Spikes case. After setting the food down, Velvet sat at the other end of the table, while Spike sat on Corvo's other side and Gleaming sat next to Velvet and across from Twilight.

Corvo looked at the food that had been placed on the table. In front of him was his chicken looking nice and crisp. The others were having spaghetti with some kind of flower mixed into it. There were also rolls and sliced carrots. Everypony filled their plates with food. Once they had gotten theirs, Corvo took some carrots and a couple rolls.

As they all began to eat, Corvo asked, "If you don't mind my asking, what do you two do?"

"We're astronomers. We study the sun, moon, stars, and just about anything else out there in space," Night Light said.

"That sounds rather interesting," Corvo said.

"It is when your interested in it. If somepony isn't then it's rather dull," Velvet said. "It has a rather special place in our hearts, too."

"It does?"

"Indeed. It's how the two of us met," she said.

"Yes, it was. I was out with my telescope to study the stars, when I saw Velvet just sitting outside staring up at the stars. I walked up to her and asked if she wanted to use my telescope to have a better look at them."

"I was delighted that he would let me use his telescope," Velvet picked up the story. "We just spent the night together watching the stars. Practically every night after that we would meet up and look at the stars and just spend time together."

"After about a week, I worked up the courage and asked her out. We've been together ever since," Night Light concluded, giving his wife a loving look, which she returned.

Corvo smiled, "That's a wonderful story on how you two met."

"Thank you Corvo," Velvet said. Not long later, they had all finished eating.

"How about me, Gleaming, and Spike wash the dishes while Twilight shows you two the memories that Gleaming showed her," Corvo suggested.

"Corvo you don't have to help. We can handle them," Spike said.

"I know I don't have to. I want to help you guys."

"Alright then, come on," Gleaming said. She lifted most of the dishes in her magic, while Spike grabbed several of them and carried them back into the kitchen. Corvo picked up the rest and followed them inside. When they were in the kitchen they began to clean the dishes. Gleaming washed, Spike dried, and Corvo put them away.

After probably half an hour, all of the dishes had been cleaned, dried, and put away. Once they were done they went back into the living room to find Twilight, Night Light, and Velvet already in the room. The mares were sitting on the couch, while Night Light was sitting in an armchair. When Corvo walked into the room, Velvet quickly rushed over to him and threw her forelegs around him.

He could feel his clothes getting wet, telling him that the mare was crying. "You poor stallion, to have been through so much. Not only everything that happened to you after the mare you loved was taken from you, but you lost your parents so young."

Corvo glanced at Twilight, "You told them about that?"

"I just thought that they should know so they wouldn't accidentally bring it up," she said nervously.

"It's OK, Twilight. I'm just kind of surprised that you told them is all."

Gleaming and Spike looked at him in shock. "You didn't have any parents growing up?" Spike asked.

"No, I didn't. My father was a lumber worker and I lost him in a work accident. I don't know what happened to my mother," Corvo said, his voice wavering. "Jessamine and Emily were the closest to family I've ever had. Now, I don't even have them because one's passed on and I died and have been sent to another world."

Night Light walked up to Corvo and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Velvet, Twilight, and I talked about it. We would like you to become a part of our family."

Corvo stared at him in shock. Velvet took a step back, "Yes, we feel that you shouldn't have to be without any family. You and Twilight already think of each other as siblings. Gleaming Shield, Spike, do you agree?" The two nodded in agreement.

Corvo couldn't believe what he was hearing. These ponies he had just met were offering to let him become part of their family. True, he had become very close to their kids, but it was still a shock that they would be willing to do this for him. He felt his eyes start to water, as he smiled, "Thank you, all of you. If you don't mind a pony from another world, I would be honored to join your family."

They all smiled and surrounded him in a family hug. Corvo spent the rest of the day getting to know his new family.
> Déjà Vu
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Corvo awoke to unfamiliar surroundings. 'Where am-? Oh right. I stayed at the Sparkle's home.' He smiled, remembering the time he had just spent with them. He stood from the bed and noticed that he was in his normal form. Wondering why he had changed, he looked around the room. It seemed normal, but he couldn't shake off a familiar feeling. Walking to the door, he opened it and paused. "So, that's why it felt familiar. I've experienced something like this before," he said to himself.

Instead of the hallway, a vast field was in front of him. He stepped through the doorway and began walking through the field. As he walked, he looked around the area and thought it felt somewhat similar to the Void in his world, but was a great deal different. For one thing it was infinitely warmer and very lush compared to the cold and barren Void. It was also much brighter whereas the Void was dull.

After a minute of walking, there was a sudden flash. He looked where the flash had happened and was stunned at what he saw. Standing in front of him was an alicorn, however it wasn't Celestia or Cadance. She was snow white with a red mane, and arctic blue eyes. Her cutie mark was an ink bottle and quill.

"Welcome to Paradise," she said.

Her voice sounded vaguely familiar. It suddenly hit him, "Are you the one who warned me about Twilight being kidnapped?"

"Indeed I am, Corvo."

"You know who I am?"

She arched a brow at him, "All of Canterlot knows who you are, you think I wouldn't know who you are?"

"I suppose not, but, uh, who are you exactly?" he asked.

Her face fell slightly, "Right, not many ponies know about me anymore until they pass on, so nopony would even mention me." Corvo looked up in confusion. "My name is Faust. I created Equis."

Shock spread across his face, "You created..? Are you a goddess?"

"At one point I suppose you could have called me that, but not anymore."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Creating the sun, moon, Equis and all of the different species that inhabit it took a permanent toll on my magic. While I am still powerful, I have no where near the power I used to have," she explained. "You probably have some question's correct?"

"I do. Are you able to tell me anything about this new body the Outsider gave me?"

"Yes I can," she said. Her horn lit up in a light blue aura. "As you know you are mostly earth pony, but you have enough pegasus in you to utilize their magic. You also have a small bit of unicorn, however only enough to make you slightly resistant to magic. I mean slightly, so don't think you can take a full on magic blast. The age of your body is twenty-one years old."

"I've been wondering about that. You said this was called Paradise?"

"That's correct. It's where ponies go when they've passed on."

"So it is similar to the Void," Corvo muttered.

"In a sense, but only those who aren't completely corrupt are able to come here. Anyone who is, is sent to either the Underworld or Tartarus."

"There are two places they can end up?"

"Yes, you see, the Underworld is the polar opposite to this place, the corrupt who have died are sent there. Tartarus, however, is for those that are still alive, but are too evil of heart to let them wander Equis," Faust explained.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"Because I wanted to speak to you. I've been keeping an eye on you since you appeared here in Equestria. I watched you save that mare from an angry mob, those two musician mares from that group of thugs, and how you rescued my daughter's student," her hoof flew up to her mouth.

"Your daughter's..?" Corvo's eyes widened, "Are you Princess Celestia's mother?"

"Yes, I am."

"She never mentioned you before. Unless you're who she was talking about when she had that pained look on her face."

She shook her head, "I'm not who she was talking about. At least, not in those instances." He gave her a questioning look. "You'll find out soon. Anyway, she probably didn't mention me because I haven't even talked to her in over a thousand years."

Surprise appeared on his face, "Why?"

"I have no excuse, there is no excuse. A thousand years ago something terrible happened to Celestia. There had been signs of it happening, where I could have prevented it, but I did nothing. After that I just couldn't face her," Faust clenched her eyes shut as tears began to appear.

'Is that why nopony knows about you anymore? You've been gone for a thousand years?' he thought. "So you continued to do nothing?" Corvo questioned. She looked up in shock. "I understand that you regret that you didn't do anything to prevent whatever happened, but for her mother to vanish and not even speak to her for a thousand years, doesn't sound like it would help her. The fact that she was able to last this long is astonishing."

She lowered her head, her ears drooped down, "You're right, me vanishing along with what happened, no doubt hurt her beyond anything else." Worry appeared on her face, "I hope she doesn't think that I consider her at fault for what had happened that day."

"You should talk to her and tell her that you don't. She's already waited a thousand years," he said.

"I had actually planned on speaking with her, but I encountered somepony eight years ago and what they told me distracted me from it. About four years after that encounter, I saw that a great amount of women were disappearing. Not just ponies, but griffons, diamond dogs, changelings, even a dragon, all of them vanished. No matter what I did I couldn't locate them, but when I saw them I noticed the strange magic they used. It was similar to yours, which is one reason why I was watching you."

"You mean, Twilight's foalnapping was part of a bigger thing?"

"Yes, but something keeps me from finding out what. They even managed to keep Celestia's other student hidden."

"They foalnapped one of her students?" he asked, shocked. He paused, then questioned, "She had other students?"

"Just the two, but yes, she had another student besides Twilight. Celestia sent out search parties to look for her, but they were unable to discover anything. She was heartbroken when it happened. She really liked Sunset Shimmer."

'I get the feeling that's not who the Princess was talking about either,' he thought. "What does she look like? I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to deal with them, so maybe I can keep an eye out for her."

"I don't know if you'll find anything, but I'll tell you. She was golden yellow with a scarlet and yellow mane and she had cyan eyes. Her cutie mark was a red and yellow shimmering sun. If you do find her, I hope that you'll be able to help her."

"I'll do what I can," he promised. "So why did you bring me here again?"

"Right I was explaining that wasn't I? Well after seeing you treat my ponies like you would anyone else, even though they looked like nothing more than an animal from your world." Noticing Corvo's shock she said, "Yes I know you're from another world. I can sense the magic from there inside of you. I also heard your talk with Celestia. I've also seen some of your memories."

He bristled slightly, "You looked at my memories?"

"I've gone into your mind twice now. As I entered, several of your memories entered my mind. I didn't see all of them just some." As he calmed down she continued, "You rescued ponies without the thought of being rewarded and you held yourself back when you encountered that griffon, even if you threatened her. You were even accepted into a family when you shared your past with them." She smiled warmly, "You've treated my ponies as if they were one of you and not just animals. I'm glad that I was right about you."

Corvo was confused what she meant by that, but asked, "So what now?"

"Well, there's something I want to do." She stepped toward him, "Will you remove the glove on your left hand and hold it up?"

Wondering what she was going to do, he took the glove off and slowly raised his arm up.

Faust lowered her horn and touched the Outsider mark. The magic aura brightened momentarily before dying down. Raising her head, she said, "Now I know the magical pattern of what makes up your magic."

"What are you going to do with that?"

"Like I said before, I'm still very powerful. I can copy what the Outsider did and give you my own version of the magic he gave you."

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, I can. Now stand still," she said. Her horn began to glow again and her magic aura surrounded Corvo. The glow kept getting brighter and brighter, until finally it got too bright and he had to close his eyes. After a minute, he felt a familiar burn on the back of his right hand.

When the light started to dim, he slowly opened his eyes. When it had completely vanished, he took off his glove and looked at the back of his hand. Similar to his left, there was a mark there. Instead of the black mark of the Outsider, it was a white image of his cutie mark.

"I've now given you an Equestrian version of your magic. You'll be able to enhance your vision and see farther. You have telepathy, where you'll be able to talk to ponies with your mind. You are able to create illusions. Anything you can think of, you can create an image of it and project it. Only those you want to see the image, will," she explained to him.

"Those sound like they'll be very useful. I'm honored you'd do this for me," he said, bowing slightly.

"It wasn't any trouble Corvo, please don't bow like that. And I wasn't finished." He looked up in curiosity. "These last two things are not to be used lightly, as they are very powerful. Along with your time freeze, you'll be able to reverse time now." Corvo's eyes widened in surprise. "You will only be able to go back several minutes. This spell will affect the whole world, as well as the sun and moon."

"Why would you make the area it effects so big?" he asked.

"So that some ponies aren't left behind while the rest of the world moves forward. I'm sure you wouldn't want to mess up somepony's life by making them late for something." He shook his head at this. "I've also extended the area of your Freeze Time for the same reasons."

"Hang on, what about those strong enough to resist it?"

"The only ones who will not be affected by those spells will be dragons and alicorns." She paused for a minute, then said, "Twilight might be resistant with how much magic she possesses, but she's probably the only one. Very few have the amount of magic that she has. The final thing I've given you is the most powerful and the probably the most unpredictable. I've given you a piece of my magic."

Shock spread across his face, "A piece of your magic?"

Faust nodded, "There's no telling the kinds of things you will face in this world. While it is mostly peaceful, there are those that wish to disrupt that peace. Some of them will be very powerful beings, so I've given you a portion of my magic that will cause miracles to happen. It could give you a boost in strength or it could heal all of your injuries. It could also affect your opponent in some way."

"That's... to have a raw piece of your magic."

"That's exactly right. It's not like the other spells that have a structure to them. As I said, anything could happen when you use it. It's also affected by your will. If you focus greatly on something then you will be able to affect the outcome of the miracle. Which is another reason that you need to be careful when you use it."

"Of course. I'll be sure to use it wisely." A thought occurred to him and he asked, "Will those I use the Arcane Bond on have access to this magic?"

"Only if you want them to. Otherwise, no they won't be able to use your new magic," she said. "There are few more things before we are done. Now this first thing, I need you to not get upset about."

Not sure what she meant, he nodded, "Okay."

"Someone else from your world, besides the person you met, is here on Equis. And it's someone you know." Shock spread across his face. Faust paused, then said, "It's Daud. The man who you probably hate the most is in this world." Corvo's eyes narrowed, as he grit his teeth. "Now Corvo, before you go off, I need you to listen to me."

He took a deep breath, "I'm listening."

"Just like with you I have been keeping an eye on him. He's been here for a few years now and hasn't done anything besides working with the minotaurs. He has harmed some inhabitants, but only when he had to. He has not killed anyone while here on Equis. But, I know that you won't trust him unless you these things for yourself, so I'm just going to ask you to give him a chance," she requested.

"Fine, I won't do anything when I meet him," Corvo said, somewhat begrudgingly. "He steps out of line, though and I'm going to take him down."

"Of course. I'd expect nothing less. Next is this thing," she said, lifting something up in her magic.

Corvo's eyes widened and he snatched the object out of her magic. Faust jumped back in surprise at the sudden action. "This is... Did Daud have it?"

She shook her head, "No, one of the foalnappers had it. What is it?"

"This is called a Bone Charm. They have enchantments placed on them that enhance the abilities of whoever's holding it." He focused on the charm, trying to figure out the effects of it. He was shocked at what he found out, "This was made on Equis."

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"It increases the power of somepony's magic, specifically a unicorn's. If it was from my world it would just increase someone's magic, it wouldn't be specific on what magic it increased, mostly because there was only one kind, but still."

"I see. So they're making new charms to suit their needs."

"It would seem so," he said.

"I'll keep an eye out for them and send any I find to you. Now the last thing, if you hear anything odd involving the moon, don't automatically dismiss it."

"The moon?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry I can't explain, but you will find out soon," she said. "Also, keep me talking to you and your new magic a secret for now. I swear that I'm going to talk to Celestia. If everything goes how I think it will, then it'll be very soon."

Corvo was confused as to what she was talking about, but everything around him started fading.


~~~~


Corvo slowly woke up. He could tell he was actually awake because he was Raven Armor instead of his actual form. As he got up, a somewhat unexpected visitor appeared.

"Isn't this interesting?" came the familiar voice. "Another being of astonishing power in this world. And she gave you some powers as well."

"*sigh* Are you here for a reason?" he asked, looking up at the Outsider.

"You're always so serious when I show up."

"You hardly show up to just say hi." He glared up at the unearthly being, "You brought Daud here?"

The Outsider smirked. This struck Corvo as odd. He had noticed it before, but it was so small that he didn't pay it any mind. This time, he was clearly smirking. He had always been impassive. He had expressed disappointment, but that was the extent of his expression. Was something about this world affecting him?

"Indeed, I did, and it has been rather interesting to see how much he has changed. His attitude is much the same, but his actions are very different." He paused to let Corvo absorb what he said before saying, "The events, near and far, that are going to unfold will be very entertaining. I'm very interested in what will transpire."

As he vanished, Corvo was confused yet again. Now, not only one, but two immensely powerful beings were talking about something happening soon. A call from downstairs pulled him from his thoughts.

"Corvo! I'm going out for some fresh air. You want to join me?" Twilight asked.

He thought about for a minute and figured it would be a good way to clear his mind. "Sure, I'll be down in a minute!" he called. He walked into the hallway and began to prepare to spend the day with Twilight.
> Friendship is Magic - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once upon a time, in the country of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her alicorn magic to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies as well as the other inhabitants of Equis. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger alicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.

She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.


---


"The Princess had a sister?" Twilight said in surprise. "Why did..? Well, considering what happened, I guess it's not surprising she didn't say anything."

Corvo had been listening to his new younger sister as she talked to herself about what she had just read. 'Princess Celestia had a sister and she had to banish her? So, she pretty much lost all of her family a thousand years ago? Can't say I don't know what she's going through, but at least her family is alive. What was that Twilight said, Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon? Is this what Faust was talking about?'

"Hm, the Elements of Harmony. I could swear that I've heard of those before, but where?" she looked back at the tree that was behind her, where he was sitting against it. "I'm going to head over to the tower and look this up. Are you going to stay?"

"Nah, I'll head back with you," he said, standing up. He moved to her left, as he walked back with her. As they walked, they ran into Twilight's friends.

"Twilight, Corvo, there you are," Colgate said. "Moon Dancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You two want to come?"

Twilight hesitated. She wanted to go to her friend's party, but she couldn't get what she had just read out of her head.

Noticing her dilemma, Corvo said, "Twilight, I'll take the book and look up the Elements for you. You go to Moon Dancer's party. When I find out what they are, I'll head over and let you know."

She thought about it for a minute then, with a smile, nodded, "Thanks, Corvo. I believe the book I saw it in was called Predictions and Prophecies." Turning to her friends she said, "Sure, I'll go with you girls."

The three mares smiled brightly and all four of them galloped off.

He watched them leave, before turning around and started walking to the tower. He soon reached it and, after climbing up, he opened the door. He was surprised to see Spike standing right in front of him, a gift in his claws.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Corvo asked.

"I was just wrapping my present for Moon Dancer. She's having a party you know," he answered.

"Yeah the girls just told me and they are taking Twilight over there. Before you go Spike, do you know where Predictions and Prophecies is?" he asked the drake.

His eyes widened in shock, "Sometimes I have to remind myself that Twilight's changed." He pointed to Corvo's right, "It's on the sixth shelf. I'll see you later." He quickly left the room, obviously eager to get to the party.

He quickly changed to his normal form and climbed the ladder. He wasn't completely confident he could climb the ladder in his pony form. Reaching the sixth shelf, he looked through the different books. When he found what he was looking for, he jumped to the floor.

He began flipping through it. "Elements, elements... ah here it is. See Mare in the Moon?" he said, questioningly. He continued flipping through book until he found the page he was looking for. "Here we go. The Mare in the Moon. She is a myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon." Corvo paused, 'Is that why the moon looks like that?' "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring never ending night."

He was unsure about taking this seriously. However, remembering what Faust told him about the moon, he bookmarked the page and headed toward the castle's west courtyard.


~~~~


Corvo walked as slowly as he could, so Twilight and Spike could enjoy the party as much as they could. Eventually, however he saw the party in the distance. As he got near, he watched as Twilight, Spike, and their friends talked, played games and just enjoyed themselves.

As he entered, Moon Dancer noticed him. She smiled and trotted over, "Corvo! It's good to see you again." Twilight turned toward him at Moon Dancer's call.

He smiled back, "It's good to see you too." As Twilight walked up to him, he held out the book, "I bookmarked the page you should read." She nodded and took the book in her magic. Turning back to Moon Dancer he said, "Sorry, I probably just pulled her away from your party."

"It's okay, I suppose. We spent a good few hours spending time together and I hang out with her outside of this, so it's not to big of a deal," she said.

After a minute, Twilight ran passed them. They looked back in confusion, as Spike walked up to them. "Hey, Corvo, the Princess wants us to head out to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration that's going to happen in a town called Ponyville. Twilight took off to prepare and didn't even listen to the rest of the letter. I'm going to go and help." He looked back at the mares. "If you all come to the castle, we'll say goodbye there." He walked off and started to follow Twilight.

Corvo winced, "Sorry, looks like I just took them from you."

Moon Dancer smiled sadly, "It's fine, Corvo. It's something the Princess wants you to do. Besides it's not like I won't see you again, right?"

"Of course not. You'll see us again when we're finished." 'Hopefully,' he thought. "I'll see you girls later." He started heading back to get ready for the trip. As he walked, he remembered something, 'Did Spike say Ponyville? That's where Vinyl and Octavia said that they live. I wonder if they are there now.'


~~~~


After about an hour later the three of them were on a chariot about to leave. In that time, Corvo found out that Octavia had another recital to do, so she, and probably Vinyl, wouldn't be in Ponyville. Seeing them off was Gleaming Shield, Lemon Hearts, Colgate, Twinkleshine, and Moon Dancer.

"See you when we come back, BSBFF," Twilight said to Gleaming Shield. The others all looked at Twilight weirdly, wondering what in the world she had just said.

"Take care Twily," Gleaming said. She glanced at Corvo and whispered, "Take care of her."

"Of course," he whispered back.

Twilight looked at Moon Dancer. "Sorry for bailing on your first party Moon," she apologized.

She smiled, "It's fine Twilight. I know how you are when it comes to Princess Celestia. Besides we'll hang out some other time."

"I'd like that," she said. She then looked over to her other friends, "I'll see you girls later."

"See ya!" Colgate said.

"Bye!" Lemon Hearts said.

"Later!" Twinkleshine said.

"We're ready to go, gentlestallions," Corvo told the pegasi guards. They started galloping forward and flapping their wings. When they had gained enough speed, the guards pushed themselves off of the ground and began flying.

As they flew toward Ponyville, Spike spoke up, "Twilight you took off before I could read you the rest of the letter." He unfurled the scroll and began to read. "My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends?" he said confusedly. "Why would she tell you to make friends when you already have some?"

Twilight blushed slightly, "I haven't told her about Moon Dancer and the others."

"And she hasn't noticed?" he asked.

"She's the ruler of Equestria and raises the sun and moon. She's too busy to notice if I have friends or not," she said.

'I highly doubt that. I'm pretty sure that she noticed that you have friends. There's something more to this,' Corvo thought. "Well, it won't hurt to make some new ones. More friends just mean there's more fun you could have," he said.

As they descended into a rural looking town, she said, "I suppose you're right. But before that we need to deal with the Nightmare Moon situation."

As Spike sighed, Corvo looked over his shoulder and read more of the letter. "Well you'll be happy to know that she's arranged for us to stay in a library," he told her.

She smiled, "That sounds wonderful." When the chariot landed, they exited and turned to the pegasi. "Thank you, sirs," Twilight said to the guards. Corvo gave a short salute and Spike bowed his head slightly.

As they turned around, they nearly ran into an earth pony mare. She was completely pink. The only part of her that wasn't pink were her eyes and her cutie mark. She had light cerulean eyes and her cutie mark was three balloons, two of them were blue and one was yellow.

"Hello miss," Corvo said.

The mare suddenly jumped into the air with a loud gasp. Then somehow, while in the air, she launched herself forward and disappeared from their sight.

The three of them stared after her, before shaking off the shock. "Uh, so Spike. Where are we headed first?" she asked.

"Oh, um, let's see." He pulled out another scroll and looked at it. "Summer Sun Celebration official overseer's checklist. First off is the banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres. It's that way," he said.

As they began walking through the town, Corvo thought, 'I wonder if that was that Pinkie Pie mare, Vinyl and Octavia told me about. I don't want to jump to conclusions just because she has pink fur, but that behavior fit rather well with what they had described.' A sudden shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeehaw!" came a voice.

Looking around Corvo noticed that they were on a farm. 'I need to pay attention when I'm walking.' Turning his attention to where the shout had originated, he saw an orange mare with a blonde mane and wearing a type of hat he'd never seen before, running toward an apple tree. When she was close to the tree, she whirled around and bucked it. The apples in the tree fell into the buckets she had placed around it.

Twilight took a deep breath, "Alright, let's go." They walked over to the country mare, and she said, "Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle--"

The mare took Twilight's hoof in both of hers and started vigorously shaking Twilight's hoof. "Well, howdy there, Miss Twilight, a pleasure makin' you acquaintance. Name's Applejack and we here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends." When she got a good look at Twilight, her eyes widened slightly at the sight of her bandage, but she kept silent on the matter.

"That's nice, but you see--"

Applejack let go of Twilight's hoof, "So, what can I do for y'all?"

Twilight's foreleg was still shaking from the force that Applejack had shook her hoof with. Spike grabbed her foreleg and stopped it from shaking. He then snickered behind his claws.

Clearing her throat, Twilight said, "Well, I'm here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. You're in charge of the food, correct?"

"We sure as sugar are. Would you three care to try some?" she asked.

Twilight glanced at Corvo and Spike. They shrugged, and she said, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Applejack darted off and started ringing a triangle. She then shouted out, "Soup's on everypony!"

The ground suddenly began to shake and they looked behind them. They were shocked when a bunch of ponies galloped toward them and carried them over to a table that was surrounded by several trees. Standing around them were an incredible amount of earth ponies.

"Now, allow me to introduce you to the Apple family," Applejack said, gesturing to the ponies surrounding them. She started listing the ponies off and, as she did, they left down an apple treat that resembled their name and/or cutie mark. As she started to slow down, she took a deep breath and said, gesturing to a red stallion that was bigger than any pony he had seen, other than Princess Celestia of course, "This is my big brother, Big McIntosh, or Big Mac as we call him." She then gestured to a small yellow filly, "My little sister Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. Up'n'attem, Granny Smith, we got guests."

They looked over to see an elderly, green mare with a white mane and light orange eyes, was sleeping in a rocking chair. She snorted and woke up. As she got up, they could see that her cutie mark was a pie. She got up from the chair saying, "Wha..? Soup's on? I'm up, here I come, ahm comin'."

As the elderly mare got up, another mare with a crimson coat and light green mane walked over to them. Her eyes were dark green and her cutie mark was three apples like Applejack except that each one of her's was a different color. They were green, red, and yellow apples.

As she got close, Applejack said, "And that's our Ma, Honeycrisp."

"It's nice to meet you all, though you may have to remind me on a few since you went by so fast. I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is my little brother Spike, and this is my big brother--"

"Raven!"

Everypony looked at Applejack's mother.

"You know him Ma?" Applejack asked.

Honeycrisp nodded and asked, "You are Raven right?"

"That is my name, yes, but how did you know?" Corvo asked.

"You don't remember? It's me Honeycrisp. You saved me eight years ago," she said.

The Apple families eyes widened. "This is the stallion?" Applejack muttered.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but this is the first time I'm meeting you. Plus, I only arrived in Equestria about two weeks ago," he said.

Confusion spread across her face, "But that can't be. You look exactly like him and your name's Raven."

"He's telling the truth," Twilight chimed in. "He only arrived in our country fairly recently. I know because I was there when he got here." She thought for a minute, then asked, "Did he have a last name or something?"

The red mare shook her head, "He didn't, or at least he didn't tell me what it was." She lowered her head, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Corvo smiled reassuringly, "Not at all, Mrs. Apple. I was just surprised is all."

She smiled somewhat shyly, "That's good. Please, call me Honeycrisp. I believe you were going to taste the food we were preparing for the celebration."

Corvo nodded and reached for an apple. He froze after taking a bite of it.

"Is somethin' wrong mister?" came a young voice.

Looking down, he saw the little filly from before looking at him with worry in her eyes. After swallowing, he smiled, "Nothing's wrong, Apple Bloom, right?" She nodded. "This is just the best apple I've ever tasted." A smile spread across her and a few other ponies faces when he said this.

Applejack blushed, "Ah'm sure ya'll are just exaggeratin'."

He shook his head, "Not at all. I lived in an industrial city for my whole life. The fruit we got there were nowhere near as good or fresh as these. I mean, there's no telling what they do to them when they ship them and your's are from right off the tree."

Honeycrisp smiled, "Thank you for the compliment. We take great care of our apples. Don't we everypony?" All of the Apple shouted in affirmation.

Corvo chuckled to himself as he realized what she said had two meanings for them. They took care of each other, as well as their farm.

Him, Twilight, and Spike started eating the treats that had been placed in front of them. Once they finished, they said goodbye to the Apples and left the farm.

As the three of them walked through Ponyville, Spike looked at the list. "That's the food taken care of. Next, is the weather." He looked up at the sky, "There should be a pegasus named Rainbow Blitz clearing the sky."

The other two looked up and saw that there were still clouds in the sky. "Well, it's still cloudy so what's he doing?" Twilight said.

Corvo's ears twitched as he heard sound of rushing wind. Turning his attention toward the noise, his eyes widened at what he saw. He quickly jumped forward and pushed Twilight out of the way. Just as she landed back on the ground, he was knocked to the ground by rainbow blur.

Twilight quickly got up and turned around. Seeing Corvo and another stallion on the ground, she rushed over to them, "Raven! Are you okay?"

He got up dazedly, "Yeah, I'm fine." He glanced down at his body, 'That was a strong impact. How is it that I'm only slightly sore from that? If that had happened in my world, I'd have several broken bones, at least.' He looked at her in concern, "What about you? You didn't get hurt when I suddenly shoved you did you?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm okay. What about the stallion that crashed into you?"

"I'm fine," he said. As he stood, they saw that he was cyan with a blue-red-yellow lightning bolt coming out of a cloud for a cutie mark. His rainbow mane and tail zigzagged outward. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"Are you Rainbow Blitz?" Twilight asked.

"The one and only. Why, have you three heard of me?" he asked. He then noticed her bandaged eye, "Whoa, something happen to your eye?"

Twilight flinched slightly, "I'd rather not talk about it right now. We heard that you are supposed to be clearing the skies. You were flying kind of low for that weren't you?" she asked. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Raven Armor, and that's Spike. The Princess asked us to check on the weather."

The stallion waved her off, "Ah, that's not a problem. I can do that quickly. Right now I'm practicing."

"What are you practicing for?" Corvo asked.

"The Wonderbolts!" he exclaimed. "They are going to perform at the Celebration tomorrow and I'm going to show them what I can do.

"The Wonderbolts?" Twilight asked with skepticism, though Corvo could tell it was feigned.

"That's right!" Rainbow exclaimed, excitedly.

"The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?" she questioned.

"Yeah, that's them!"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Please, the Wonderbolts wouldn't accept a pegasus that can keep the sky clear for one measly day." Corvo glanced at her and knew exactly what she was doing.

Rainbow Blitz narrowed his eyes, "Hey, I could clear these clouds in ten seconds flat."

Twilight smirked, "Prove it."

He quickly took off and started smashing the clouds. As he went, Corvo counted to himself how many seconds were going by. As soon as he reached ten, the pegasus took out the last cloud.

"Loop the loop, and wham! What'd I tell ya. Ten. Seconds. Flat," Rainbow Blitz boasted. "I'd never leave Ponyville hanging." Twilight stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly in surprise. Corvo and Spike were rather surprised as well, at how fast the stallion moved. Noticing her face, Rainbow Blitz snickered, "You should see the look on your face. You're a riot Twilight Sparkle. Can't wait to hang out more." He then flew off, most likely to continue whatever training he was doing.

"That was so cool!" Spike exclaimed.

"It was very impressive," Corvo said.

"Better not let him hear you. He seemed to have a rather big ego," Twilight said, a slight smirk on her face.

Corvo smiled back as they headed to their next destination. They reached the town's square and entered town hall.

"The next thing is the decorations," Spike said, as they walked inside. "Beautiful."

Twilight looked around, "Yes, the decor is coming along very nicely. This will probably be quick. Very beautiful."

"Not the decor, her!" he said. Following his line of sight, they saw an alabaster unicorn. Her purple mane and tail were curled several time and her cutie mark was three blue gems.

She was facing away from them, looking at several different ribbons. "No, no, oh! Absolutely not," she muttered to herself.

Spike began fussing with his scales, "Are my spines straight?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and approached the mare. "Good afternoon--" she began.

"Just a moment, please. I'm 'in the zone', as it were," she requested. Bringing a large red ribbon over, she wrapped it around the pole. "Oh, yes. Sparkle is always marvelous, is it not? Rarity you are a talent. Now, uh, how can I help--" When she saw Twilight, her eyes widened and she looked like she might of screamed if she hadn't stopped herself. She cleared her throat, "Um, darling, I hope that I'm not being rude, but what happened to your eye?"

Twilight winced, "I-I don't really want to talk about it."

The white unicorn nodded, "Of course darling. If you aren't comfortable talking about it, you don't have to explain. My name is Rarity. Did you want something?"

"We're just here to check on the decorations. Which are wonderful, by the way," Twilight said.

"Why thank you darling. I worked very hard on them," Rarity said, smiling. "But, um, why are you checking on them exactly?" she asked, squinting at them. "I don't believe I've seen you around town before."

Corvo stepped forward, "We aren't from Ponyville. We were sent from Canterlot to--"

He was interrupted by her gasping. "You're all from Canterlot? Oh, I'm so envious. The glamour, the sophistication. It's always been my dream to live there. You simply must tell me about it sometime. I'm sure we'll all become very good friends," she said.

Twilight smiled, "That would be nice, but at the moment we still have some things to take care of. Some other time, perhaps?"

"Of course, don't let me keep you from your work."

The three exited the building and started walking through the town. Spike was on Twilight's back because he hadn't move when they had started walking.

He sighed dreamily, "Wasn't she wonderful?"

"Easy there, Romeo. What's next?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, it's the last thing, music," Spike said.

As they walked, they suddenly heard several birds singing what sounded like a fanfare. They followed the sound and found a bright yellow pegasus with a pink mane flying in front of the birds.

She seemed to be conducting them, as, after a moment, she asked the birds to stop and she flew to a blue jay, "Excuse me, sir?" The bird gave his attention. "I mean, no offense, but your rhythm, was just slightly off. Now follow me please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three--"

At that exact moment, Twilight said, "Hello!" The pegasus yelped in fright and the birds scattered. Twilight's ears flattened, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or your birds. Me and my brothers, were just checking on the music and it sounded wonderful." She paused and waited for the mare to say something. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." She paused again, "What's your name?"

"Um... I'm Fluttershy," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?" Twilight asked.

"Uh, My name is Fluttershy, she whispered even quieter.

Twilight was about to say something, when Corvo stepped forward. "Let me try, Twilight," he said. She nodded and stepped back.

He began to walk toward the mare. When he was about eight hoofsteps away, she flinched slightly and Corvo froze. He stayed where he was and sat down on his haunches, his forelegs held out to his sides. He just sat there and waited. After a few minutes, she looked up at him. When she did, Corvo smiled comfortingly at her. She immediately hid behind her mane when he did. He continued to wait until, after a few minutes, she glanced up again and took a few steps forward. As she moved toward him, Corvo kept his smile.

Before she actually reached Corvo, Spike walked out of the bushes. "What's taking so long?" he asked, rather impatiently.

At the sound of the voice, the pegasus mare froze and turned toward Spike. When she saw him, her eyes widened and a broad smile spread across her muzzle as she lifted herself off the ground, "A baby dragon!" She darted forward and nearly bowled Corvo and Twilight over. "I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's just adorable."

"Well, well, well...!" Spike said rather smugly.

"Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons were able to talk." She fluttered in the air, "That's just so incredibly delightful I, I just don't even know what to say!"

Corvo stood next to Twilight. "That was unexpected," he whispered. She nodded her head in agreement.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"It's Spike," he answered. "Twilight already introduced herself, but she's my sister and that's my brother Raven Armor," he said gesturing to his siblings.

Twilight waved and Corvo bowed his head.

The mare glanced over and smiled shyly, "Hello, everypony. I'm Fluttershy." Her smiled widened again, "Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?"

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Absolutely everything," she said, somewhat eagerly.

Twilight sighed and levitated Spike to her back. "Do you mind if we walk while the two of you talk?" she asked.

The two nodded, and they all started to walking. Twilight and Corvo were heading to their temporary residence as Spike and Fluttershy began talking to each other.

Tuning them out, Twilight turned to Corvo, "What was it that you were doing earlier?"

"You mean with Fluttershy?" he asked. She nodded. "I've dealt with shy people before. Granted most of them were children, but I figured it would still work. I get as close as they are comfortable with and then sit on the ground, while keeping my hands to my side."

"Wouldn't putting them behind you back be better? You know, because they'd be even farther away from them?"

"Maybe for some, but putting your hands, or hooves, behind your back could put them more on edge because they won't know if you're hiding something behind your back," he explained.

Twilight nodded in understanding, "I see your point."


~~~~


They eventually reached the library, which was actually made inside of a tree.

Corvo stared at the building as they walked toward it. 'Rather cruel irony for books to be stored inside a tree,' he mused.

As they reached the door, Spike finished his narrative. "That's everything that's happened to me. Well, except for today. Would you like to hear about today?" he asked.

"Oh, that would be wonderful," she said.

Somewhat hastily Corvo said, "Well, we've reached where the three of us are staying." Opening the door, he said, "If you want to continue talking to Spike, you're welcome to come inside. You don't mind do you Twilight?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. She can come inside if she wants."

"I'd love to keep talking to him," Fluttershy said excitedly.

The four entered the building and looked around the room they were in. It was pitch black and they couldn't see anything, except indistinct shapes.

"Where are the lights?" Fluttershy asked, sounding frightened.

Suddenly the lights were switched on revealing a huge crowd of ponies standing around them. As soon as the lights were on all of the ponies yelled, "Surprise!!"

All four of them jumped in astonishment at the sudden shouts. Corvo felt a slight tug on his clothes. Looking back, he saw that Fluttershy was hiding behind him, clutching the end of his coat and shaking.

"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm so sorry!" a voice called out. Suddenly the pink mare they had saw earlier bounced over to them. "I didn't know that you were with them," she said, a worried expression on her face.

"I-It's okay Pinkie. I was just surprised is all."

"I think it's safe to say that all of us were," Corvo said.

The mares face split into a smile, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I threw this party for the three of you. So, you were surprised?"

"Incredibly. Especially since library's are supposed be quiet," Twilight said.

The pink mare giggled, "What kind of welcoming party is quiet? I mean seriously, talk about boring. Y'see, I saw the three of you when you first arrived remember?"

At that question the three had the same thought, 'Kind of hard to forget that kind of greeting.'

Pinkie continued, "He was all 'Hello, miss' and I was all *gasp*, remember? I've never seen any of you before and if I haven't seen you that means that you were new in town, 'cause I know everypony in Ponyville. And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends."

"Hang on, just because I'm new here doesn't I don't have any friends," Twilight said, slightly indignantly.

Corvo placed a hoof on her shoulders, "I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, Twilight. Right, Miss Pie?"

Pinkie giggled, "My name's Pinkamena Diane Pie or, as everypony calls me, Pinkie Pie, not Miss Pie."

Corvo stared at the pink mare with a blank expression on his face. As Pinkie smiled, he just stared at her. After a minute, her smile faltered and she began to sweat slightly as he remained expressionless.

She turned to Twilight, "Um, uh, well, h-he's right. That's not what I meant. I just meant that you don't have any friends here."

"Alright, I guess that's fine," she said, still rather upset.

"A-anyway, because of that, even with each other, I thought that you might get lonely. That's when I had an idea and that's why I gasped. I figured I would throw you a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everypony in Ponyville. Now you have even more friends!" she exclaimed. At that moment, the other three ponies they had met that day stood next to Pinkie.

"Well, thank you for this. It looks very nice," Twilight said, walking over to a table with refreshments. She grabbed a red bottle and started pouring it into a cup. After she finished, she started drinking and suddenly froze. Her face began to flush, her eyes started watering, and steam seemed to come out of her ears. Suddenly her mane and tail changed to fire and she took off upstairs.

"Aw, she's so happy she's crying," Pinkie said.

Spike picked up the bottle Twilight had filled her cup with. Turning it, he saw a fire on the bottle. "Hot sauce," he said.

Pinkie reached over and tipped the bottle onto a pastry that was on the table. She then grabbed it and tossed it into her mouth. Everypony looked at her slightly disconcertingly. She looked at them, "What? It's good."

The others smiled at the pink pony as Corvo approached the table. "What are these?" he asked.

The five ponies, especially Pinkie, gasped at him. "You've never had a cupcake?" the party mare practically shouted.

"Cupcake? I've had cake before, but not cupcakes," he said. He grabbed one of the pastries and took a bite. Corvo was amazed by the taste. "That's really good."

"Well, duh, what kind of cupcakes wouldn't be good? They wouldn't really be dessert's if they weren't any good," Pinkie said.

"Uh, sugarcube, you do know that there are desserts that aren't very good, right?" Applejack said.

"Then they aren't desserts," Pinkie said, rather firmly. They all rolled their eyes at the mare's seriousness toward desserts. The ponies and dragon went their separate ways and began to enjoy the party. Pinkie approached Corvo, "Do you think she'll be back down? I threw this party for her too."

"Probably later," he said. "There was something she wanted to check, so she might come down after that." He looked at the pink mare, "So, you're Pinkie Pie."

"Yeppers. You've heard of me Corvo?" she asked.

"I met some ponies... that knew... you," he slowly said. He stared at Pinkie in shock. He grabbed her foreleg and pulled her away from everypony else. Making sure that nopony would hear their conversation, he asked, "How in the Void do you know that name?"

Pinkie tilted her head to the side, "The Void?"

He silently cursed himself. "Never mind that. Where did you learn that name?" he questioned.

She giggled, "I heard somepony call you by that name."

"Nopony has called me that," Corvo said.

"See! You were just called it again," she said, pointing at nothing.

He stared at the mare in complete confusion, when what Octavia and Vinyl told him entered his mind. That Pinkie was one of the most random ponies ever and that trying to understand her would drive you up the wall. He took a deep breath, "Alright, I still don't understand where you heard that name, but please keep it a secret for now. It's going to get out anyway, but I would like to not draw any more attention to myself than what's already on us."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said, making movements with her hooves that matched what she recited.

"Thank you," he said.

"So, who was it that told you about me?" she asked.

'You know my name, but not that?' he questioned to himself. "Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody mentioned you," he answered.

"Oh, oh, I know them. They are musicians that live together as roommates," Pinkie said. "Vinyl runs an amazing night club and Octavia is an amazing cellist, though that kind of music always makes me sleepy."

"Yes, Vinyl told me about her club and I plan to go sometime. I've heard Octavia play when I was in Canterlot," he told her.

"That's great!" she said. She glanced off to the side and gasped, "Oh no, we're running low on punch." And with that, she darted off to refill the punch bowls.

"That mare doesn't sit still does she?" he asked nopony in particular.

"Not really darling," somepony spoke up.

Turning around, Corvo saw Rarity standing next to him. "Hello, ma'am," he said.

"Please, call me Rarity, Mr--?" she asked.

"How rude of me, I never introduced myself. My name is Raven Armor."

"It's nice to be formally introduced to you Raven Armor," she said. "I must say, I've never seen clothes like those before."

"Yes, well, I'm from very far away," he said. "The design is from my home, but they were made by a pony in Canterlot."

"Who were they made by?" Rarity asked.

"Fine Point ma--" he was interrupted by Rarity squealing.

"Those were made by Fine Point!?" she exclaimed.

"Yes. Have you heard of her?"

"Anypony who calls themselves a fashion designer has heard of her. I mean, she makes dresses for the Princess," she gushed.

"Well, like we mentioned when we met, the Princess sent us. So, when I went to the castle to visit Twilight, I happened to meet her and she took a liking to the design," he said. 'Not a total lie. She did rather like the design and asked if she could see if other ponies would like them. Didn't see the point in denying her. I just hope it isn't a waste of her time.'

"Will you introduce me to her?" Rarity asked.

"I suppose I could talk to her and see," he said.

The white mare squealed again, "Please let me know what she says." She then walked away, giggling to herself slightly.

As he watched her go, Spike walked up to him. "Have I gotten too used to the Canterlot ponies or are the ponies here rather... eccentric? I mean, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Moon Dancer didn't act like this," Corvo said.

The drake shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but Pinkie kinda seems like an even more upbeat Colgate. Didn't really think that was possible to be honest. What were you talking to Rarity about?"

"I told her I would see about introducing her to Fine Point."

"The Princess' designer?" Spike asked.

"That's right. Apparently she's one as well."

"She's so talented," he said wistfully.

Corvo rolled his eyes and started to enjoy the party that had been thrown for the three of them. He tried more of the treats, played some of the games that Pinkie Pie had brought, and met some more of the ponies of Ponyville. Corvo met a mare named Cheerilee who was the teacher for the foals in the town, a stallion named Thunderlane that was part of the weather team, and many more as the party continued into the night.

After a couple hours, Corvo walked up to the building's bedroom. He found Twilight laying in the room trying to find something on what she had read about before, but the party downstairs and the sounds of everypony having a good time kept distracting her. It seemed like she wanted to join, however she just couldn't ignore what she had found out. When he closed the door to block out as much noise as he could, Twilight turned toward him.

She smiled, "Hey, how's the party?"

"Great. You should really join," he said.

Sighing, she said, "I'd like to, but this just keeps nagging at me. Like it's something important that could happen tonight."

'If this is what Faust was talking about, you're more right than you realize,' he thought. "Twilight if it does come to fruition, the Princess won't let anything happen and I'll do anything to protect the ponies of this world."

A smile spread across Twilight's muzzle, "Alright, I'll join the party." She got up and headed downstairs, joining in the fun with everypony.

As dawn approached, the party ended and everypony headed to town hall. As they all waited, Pinkie suddenly showed up next to Corvo, Twilight, and Spike.

"Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited-- well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went *gasp* but I mean really, who can top that?" she said, quickly.

Just then Fluttershy's birds began to sing a fanfare and a tan earth pony mare with a gray mane walked onto the stage. When she reached the center, she raised her voice, "Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" Everypony cheered at her proclamation. "In only a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate the longest day of the year."

As the mayor continued to talk, both Twilight and Corvo looked at the moon and saw four stars moving slowly toward the moon. As the mayor finished her speech, the stars went behind the moon and the image of the mare that was on it disappeared. Worried expressions crossed their faces and they returned their attention forward, just as the mayor announced the Princess.

The birds let out another fanfare and Rarity opened the curtains, only to reveal an empty balcony. Rarity gasped in shock and the crowd began to murmur to themselves.

"This can't be good," Twilight muttered.

"I'm afraid you're right," Corvo said.

"Remain calm, everypony, there has to be a reasonable explanation," the mayor called out, trying to keep the ponies from panicking.

"Oh, Oh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?" Pinkie said, looking around.

"She's not here!" Rarity called out.

"Ooh, she's good," the pink mare said, obviously impressed. She suddenly let out a shout of fright.

A cloud of sparkling blue mist, suddenly appeared on the balcony. Spinning, the cloud pulled itself together and revealed a tall black furred alicorn.

"Oh no. It's Nightmare Moon," Twilight whispered to herself. Spike fainted and fell off of her back.

"Oh, my beloved subjects. I haven't seen your precious little sun-loving faces in so long," she said.

"Where's our Princess!?" Rainbow Blitz shouted. He began to charge toward the alicorn, but Applejack bit down on his tail and held him back.

"Hang on there, partner," she said.

Nightmare Moon chuckled, "Why, am I not royal enough for you?" Her eyes narrowed slightly and she frowned, "Don't you know who I am?"

Pinkie Pie jumped up and down in excitement, "Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty--" Thankfully, before she could say anymore, Applejack shoved a cupcake into her muzzle, effectively silencing her.

The dark alicorn looked around with a displeased look on her face. "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" she asked, as she neared Fluttershy causing her to flinch back and her birds to take off. "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" she questioned, getting in Rarity's face. 

"We did. And we know who you are," Twilight spoke up.

"The Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon," Corvo finished. Everypony gasped at this.

Nightmare Moon sneered at the two. "Well, well, well, so there are ponies that remember me. Then you two know what I have planned," she said, smiling wickedly.

"You're here to... to..." Twilight gulped, unable to finish. She glanced at Corvo, who was staring at Nightmare Moon.

The alicorn chuckled evilly, "Remember this day, little ponies, because it is your last. From this moment forth, the night shall last forever!" She began to laugh maniacally, as her mane and tail began to swirl above her and lightning curved out of it.

A feeling of dread and fear washed over Twilight. The day was going to disappear and the Princess was gone. What could they do? That's when she remembered how the book mentioned artifacts called the Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, a gray blur charging forward got her attention. Looking in its direction, she was shocked to see Corvo rushing toward Nightmare Moon.

"Raven!" Twilight shouted, scared for what might happen to him.
> Friendship is Magic - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Corvo didn't waste any time and charged forward, jumping to the balcony where Fluttershy was. She jumped as he grabbed the railing and pushed himself off it, landing on the balcony Nightmare Moon was on. He'd considered using his Blink, but decided to not reveal his magic just yet.

"What did you do with Princess Celestia?" he demanded, taking an fighting stance.

Nightmare looked at him slightly impressed. "My, you are a fast acting stallion. Why don't you join me?" she offered.

"Not on your life," Corvo growled, reaching for his blade. He froze as he remembered Rarity was behind the alicorn. Snorting in frustration, he charged forward. Nightmare Moon fired a beam of magic at him, but he slid under it and passed her. Once on her other side, Corvo picked up Rarity in his forehooves, causing the mare to let out a yelp of surprise. He quickly jumped off of the balcony. Rarity let out a scream as they fell, but Corvo landed perfectly on his hind legs. He gently put her down and turned back toward the alicorn. However, before he could confront her again, Nightmare Moon turned into a cloud of mist again and flew out of the building. 'Dammit,' he cursed.

Turning around he met Twilight's gaze. They nodded to each other and, after grabbing Spike, they ran out of the building and headed to the library.

When they reached their temporary home, Twilight headed upstairs and placed Spike in his basket bed.

As she put him down, he bolted up, "We gotta stop Nightmare..." He then fell back and went to sleep.

"You need to sleep Spike. You've been up all night and you are a baby dragon," Twilight said. She then went downstairs, where Corvo was already looking for a book on the Elements. "We need to find a book about the Elements," she said to herself. After looking through several books, she groaned, "Ugh, how are we supposed to stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?"

Suddenly, Rainbow Blitz barged in and got in Twilight's face, "And just what are the Elements of Harmony? And how did the two of you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you two spies?"

He let out shout of surprise when Applejack pulled back on his tail. "Calm down, Blitz. They ain't no spies. But they sure know what's going on. Don't  ya, Twilight, Raven?" she questioned. All five of the ponies they had met earlier gave the two of them questioning looks.

Twilight hesitated, then said, "We read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects that are called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that are able to stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!"

Pinkie then spoke up, "Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide."

Twilight rushed over to her and looked at the book. "How'd you find this?!" she questioned.

"It was under E~." the party mare said in a sing-song voice.

Twilight blushed slightly, "Oh."

Corvo facehoofed. In their rush to find the book, they didn't look in the most obvious spot.

"There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Honesty and Generosity. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now the Everfree Forest," Twilight read out. Having a lead, Twilight immediately rushed out of the library.

"Twilight, wait!" the five ponies shouted chasing after her.

Corvo stood there for a minute in confusion, then quickly followed. They all soon reached the edge of a forest with probably the most gnarly looking trees he'd ever seen. The five mares and stallion were standing at the entrance of the forest. As he approached them, Pinkie hopped forward.

"Whee! Let's go!" she said excitedly. She was about to enter before Twilight stopped her.

"Not so fast! Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather if just me and Raven took care of this," Twilight said.

"No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friends of ours go into that creepy forest by themselves. We are stickin' to y'all like caramel on a candy apple," Applejack said defiantly.

"Especially if there's candy apples in there," Pinkie Pie said happily. Corvo and Twilight looked at the pink mare weirdly. "What? Those things are good." She walked in after the others.

Twilight sighed in defeat. Corvo walked forward and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"I know that you're worried about them, but they might be able to help us," he said.

"Maybe. I just hope they don't get hurt," she said. The two entered the forest and caught up to the others.


~~~~


After a while of walking, Twilight spoke up, "So none of you have ever been in here?"

Rarity made a look of disgust, "Heaven's no! Just look at it. It's absolutely dreadful."

"And it ain't natural. My ma told me that it doesn't work like the rest of Equestria," Applejack said.

This bit of info intrigued Corvo. 'So, if it doesn't work like Equestria then does that mean it works like my world?' he wondered.

"What did she mean by that?" Twilight asked.

"Nopony knows. You know why?" Rainbow said eerily.

"Blitz, knock it off," Applejack said in annoyance.

He didn't pay her any mind however and continued, "'Cause everypony who's ever entered has never come out!"

Just as he shouted, the ground began to rumble and Corvo instinctively jumped back. The cliff they were standing on crumbled, taking the four earthbound ponies down with it.

"Fluttershy! Quick!" Rainbow exclaimed, taking off after them.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" Fluttershy said fearfully.

Blitz grabbed Pinkie Pie and lifted her up, while Fluttershy grabbed Rarity's tail and stopped her decent. Applejack grabbed an outgrown root and stopped herself. Twilight unfortunately didn't find anything to grab and fell to the edge of a cliff. She held onto the edge, trying to keep herself from falling. Seeing this, Applejack let go of the root and slid down to Twilight. The farm mare then grabbed Twilight's hooves and held onto her.

As this happened, Corvo's mind was going into overdrive. He didn't know what he could do. Stopping time wouldn't do anything because it wouldn't even affect her with the amount of magic Twilight had. Blinking wouldn't do anything except scare Applejack, causing her to drop Twilight. He was really starting to panic as he was unable to think of a way to help his sister. Suddenly a scream echoed out and his blood ran cold as he realized it was Twilight. Looking down, he saw that Applejack wasn't holding on to her anymore. His mind stopped at the sight and he charged forward. He didn't care how, but he was going to save Twilight from falling.

Applejack turned as the sound of hoofsteps reached her ears. Her eyes widened at what she saw and jumped in front of him. When he reached her, she grabbed ahold of him and skidded to a halt. "Whoa, there partner. Ya'll need to calm down," Applejack said.

Corvo kept trying to get passed the farm mare and began to push her back.

'Holy hayseeds, he's strong!' Applejack thought. "Look I know you're worried about Twilight, but I need ya to settle down." His pushing grew weaker, but he still kept at it. "Raven, look me in the eyes." He complied and met her gaze. "Now, what I'm about to tell you is the honest truth. Your sister is fine. I wouldn't just drop her off of the cliff like that. Look over the edge and you'll see what I mean," she instructed, moving out of the way.

Corvo moved to the edge and slowly looked over it. He was both shocked and relieved to see Twilight completely fine and standing with the others.

Applejack spoke up, "Rainbow Blitz and Fluttershy had gotten Pinkie and Rarity to safety and were heading up to help the two of us. However, I was losing mah grip. So instead of just letting her fall and flailing around, making it hard for them to catch her, I told her that if she stayed calm as she fell, then she would be fine."

He turned to Applejack and lowered his head in shame. "Sorry for not trusting you," he apologized.

She smiled comfortingly, "It's alright sugarcube. I would be actin' the same way if it was mah family."

Looking back over the edge, Corvo saw several ledges sticking out of the cliffside. "I see a way for us to get down there," he said pointing at them.

She looked down, "Good eye, Raven."

Jumping from ledge to ledge, the two descended and met up with the others. When they reached the bottom, Corvo rushed forward and wrapped Twilight in a hug.

"Raven?" she questioned.

He stepped back and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but your scream really scared me," he said.

"It's fine. Sorry for scaring you," she said smiling.

"Alright enough of the mushy stuff," Rainbow Blitz said. "We have an evil alicorn to stop."

"As rude as that was, he does have a point darlings," Rarity said, glaring slightly at the prismatic pegasus. "Let us continue shall we?"

They continued their journey and as they walked Rainbow Blitz started bragging about what had happened earlier.

"And once Pinkie and Rarity were saved, whoosh... Me and Fluttershy loop-de-loop around and WHAM! Caught you right in the nick of time," he flew above Twilight while spinning and landed next to her.

"Yes, Blitz. I know, I was there and I'm very grateful, but right now we gotta--" She was interrupted by a loud roar. She gasped, "A manticore!"

Corvo was shocked when a large animal suddenly jumped out. It was as large as a blood ox with the body of a lion, a scorpion tail, and dragon-like wings. Something that surprised him was the fact that there appeared to be a scar across it's snout, that something could harm such a beast.

"We need to get past him!" Twilight exclaimed.

Corvo stepped forward and took a fighting stance. "All of you stay back. I'll take care of it," he said.

"Are you crazy!?" Twilight shouted. "You can't take on a manticore by yourself."

He was about to reach for his sword, when he heard a small voice call out.

"Raven, wait."

Turning around, he asked, "Did one of you say something?" Instead of answering they all shrieked in terror, as he heard a roar from behind him. He quickly jumped up, narrowly dodging the manticore's swipe. Doing a backflip, Corvo slammed himself onto the manticore's back, forcing it to the ground. Returning his attention the others, he saw shock and awe on all of their faces. "Now, I'm pretty sure I heard somepony a second ago," he said.

Fluttershy stepped forward, "It was me."

"What was it that you wanted?" he asked.

"To talk to the manticore," she answered. "Would you please let him up?"

Corvo hesitated, but seeing the pleading look in Fluttershy's eyes, he relented. He jumped off of the manticore's back and stood next to the others. It immediately roared and raised it's paw, it's claws extended. The others flinched back and Corvo reached for his crossbow, when something completely unexpected happened.

"Shhh... It's okay," Fluttershy said. She nuzzled it's other paw and it hesitated. The manticore looked at the paw she nuzzled and held it out. To all of their shock, there was a thorn stuck in it's paw. "Oh, you poor, poor little baby."

"Little?" Blitz said, incredulously.

"Now this is going to hurt for just a second," she said. Leaning forward, she bit down on the thorn and pulled it out. The manticore let out a roar and grabbed Fluttershy. The others shouted in fear and Corvo tensed, but the manticore began licking her. She giggled, "Aw, you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are."

Smiling at Fluttershy, they all began to walk pass the manticore. When Twilight approached them, she asked, "How did you know about the thorn?"

"I didn't. Sometimes we just need to be shown a little kindness," she said. When Corvo started to pass the manticore, it let out a low growl. He jumped back and took a stance. Fluttershy looked back at it and a worried expression crossed her face, "Uh Raven, he said that he wants to settle things with you."

He glanced at the manticore. As he looked into his eyes, Corvo could see that there was more to him than just an animal. He may not have the same sentience as the ponies, but he wasn't like the animals of his world. "Very well, but later. We have things to take care of," he said.

The two mares looked at him in shock. "Are you actually saying that you'll fight him?" Twilight asked.

Corvo nodded, "Yeah, I can tell he's not just an animal, so we'll finish this later." He was rather surprised to see the manticore smile. "However," he said, and the smile faded. "I'd rather it not be to death or anything because I have ponies that I've come to care for and I'm sure that Fluttershy wouldn't like anything happening to you. So, instead we'll only fight until one of can't anymore. Deal?"

The manticore gained a thoughtful look and then nodded. He growled again and trudged off.

Fluttershy looked after him and turned to Corvo as they began walking again, "I really don't like the thought of you two fighting, but it's something that he really wants, so I won't say anything. However, there was something strange about how he addressed you Raven."

He glanced at the timid pegasus, "And that is?"

"He seemed to know you. When he wanted to finish things, he wasn't talking about earlier. He was talking about the scar on his snout, but it seemed to be at least a few years old," she told him.

This confused Corvo greatly, "That doesn't make sense, I've only been in Equestria for a couple weeks."

"I don't know, but he said that he'd never forget your scent because of how unusual it was," Fluttershy said. He looked at her questioningly. A nervous expression crossed her face, "He said that you smelled like blood, but only slightly. As if you had ended ponies lives, but you didn't do it all the time."

Twilight tensed, as Corvo chuckled darkly, "Suppose, you can't fool a born predator, huh?"

She looked at him in shock and fear, "You mean you did?"

He nodded, "Yes, but, except for one instance, it was only as a last resort, Fluttershy. I didn't just end peo- ponies lives."

Twilight spoke up, "It's true Fluttershy. He let me look into his memories and he always did all that he could to make sure that he didn't spill any blood."

Corvo smiled and pulled Twilight in for a brief hug, "Thanks, sis."

She smiled back and returned the hug, "No problem, bro."

Fluttershy looked at the two with a small smile. "I trust you two," she said.

"Thank you Fluttershy," Corvo said. As the three caught up with the others, they heard Rarity speak up.

She groaned in disgust, "Ugh. My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck." At that moment the light began to fade, leaving them in darkness. "Well, I didn't mean that literally," she said.

"The ancient ruins could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it," Twilight said.

There was a squishing noise. "Hang on, I think I stepped in somethin'," Applejack said. Fluttershy suddenly screamed. "It's just mud," the farm mare said, walking forward. When she faced forward she saw that the tree in front of her had a frightening face.

Everypony began screaming in fright. Except for Corvo, who looked at the ponies, then the trees. 'They aren't serious, are they?' he thought, incredulously.

Suddenly they all heard laughing. Turning around, they saw Pinkie Pie laughing at one of the trees and making faces at it.

"Pinkie, are you crazy?"

'Possibly,' Corvo thought.

"Run!" Twilight yelled.



Corvo watched as the five mares and stallion fell to the ground laughing their flanks off. He smiled and glanced to the side seeing one last 'scary' tree. Turning toward it, he said, "Ha, ha, ha." The face immediately disappeared. Returning his attention to the ponies, he saw them get up and start heading through the forest, still laughing. He quickly followed them until they came to a stop. Looking around them, he saw a raging river was blocking their path.

"How do we get passed this?" Pinkie wondered.

They all heard what sounded like crying in the distance. Following the sound, they found a sea serpent was flailing around in the river, causing the rapids in it.

"What a world, what a world," he, at least Corvo assumed it was a he, the voice was rather effeminate, wailed.

Twilight approached him, "Excuse me, sir. Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

He answered rather flamboyantly, "Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, not bothering anyone, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look just horrid." He fell backward into the river and caused a wave of water to drench everypony.

Rainbow facehoofed and muttered to Corvo, "Is he serious?" He shrugged at the pegasus, but was of mind to agree.

"Is that really what the fuss is about?" Applejack asked.

"Why, of course it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales," Rarity complimented.

The serpent sniffed, "I know."

"And your expertly coiffed mane," she continued.

"Oh, I know, I know," he said.

"Your fabulous manicure," she said.

He gasped, "It's so true."

"All ruined without you beautiful mustache."

"It's true, I look absolutely hideous," the sea serpent wailed.

"I simply cannot let this crime against fabulosity to go uncorrected," Rarity said. She leaned forward and yanked out a scale with her teeth.

He let out a shout of pain, "Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Rarity what are you--?" Twilight began to ask, but she was stunned at what Rarity had done. She used the scale to cut off her tail. She lifted it up and attached it to the serpent's mustache.

When he saw what she had done, a smile spread across his face and he laughed. "Oh, my mustache! How wonderful," he exclaimed.

"You look smashing," Rarity complimented.

Twilight walked up to her, "Oh Rarity, your beautiful tail."

"Oh. It's fine, my dear. Short tails are in this season," Rarity said, slightly dismissively. "Besides, it'll grow back."

"The mustache would have grown back too," Blitz muttered.

Twilight turned toward the river and gasped, "We can cross now! Let's go!" She started walking through the shallow water, when suddenly she was lifted up.

"Allow me," the serpent said. He arched his body to make stepping stones for them all to jump across. For which they gratefully took advantage of.

Once on the other side, five mares and stallion walked forward. Corvo turned back, "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, please, the name's Steven Magnet," he introduced.

"Well, thanks for your help Steven." He glanced back and, seeing the others were far enough away, said, "I'm Corvo Attano."

"I'm glad I could help," he gave Corvo a weird look. "But may I ask why you looked at them before introducing yourself?"

"It's sort of a secret at the moment, but they'll learn it soon enough," he said. "I go by Raven Armor until I introduce myself properly."

"Well, as long as nothing comes of you hiding it," Steven said.

Corvo shook his head, "I doubt many ponies outside of Canterlot even know it." 'Besides Pinkie Pie. Still don't understand how in the Void she found it out.' He turned around and started to catch up with the others. "Hope to see you again Steven!" Corvo shouted back.

"Goodbye, Raven Armor," he called back.

As he rejoined the others, he saw that there was a chasm separating them from the castle.

Pinkie sighed, "Now what?"

Blitz fluttered his wings, "Duh." He took off and glided down to grab the broken bridge that was hanging off the side of the cliff. He then brought the bridge up and started tying it to the posts on the other side. Suddenly, he dropped the rope and began punching the air in front of him.

Even with his enhanced hearing as a pony, Corvo couldn't hear what Rainbow Blitz was talking about or who he was talking to.

Twilight shouted over, "Blitz, what's taking so long?" They then saw three pegasi dressed in outfits similar to the Wonderbolts, except that the outfits they wore were black at the heads and hooves, with purple bodies and a picture of a skull with wings where their cutie marks would be. "Oh no. Blitz don't listen to them," she yelled out.

However, as she called out, the center pegasi's eye's glowed and the fog obscured their view of the pegasi. The others started panicking, but Corvo stayed calm. These ponies had proven themselves time and again that they are very capable. So, he kept his gaze on the fog. As he watched it, he noticed the bridge move slightly. Suddenly, Rainbow Blitz burst through the fog, pushing it away.

"See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'," he said.

As Blitz said this, something clicked in Corvo's mind. The Elements of Harmony consisted of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty. All of which these five ponies have exhibited. 'Is this why Princess Celestia told Twilight to make friends? Because her closest friends didn't exhibit these characteristics? I mean, Minuette might have worked with the Element of Laughter, but the others don't really fit any of the Elements. Do these five represent the Elements?'

They all entered the ruins and in the center of the first room they saw a huge pedestal similar to the one in the book with five small boulders on it.

"Whoa," Applejack said. "Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?"

"The Elements of Harmony, we've found them," Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow Blitz and Fluttershy flew up, grabbed the small boulder and brought them down. "Easy, gently," Twilight said, as they placed them on the ground as gently as they could.

Pinkie began counting them, "One, two... There's only five!"

"Why isn't the sixth here?" Blitz asked.

"The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed," Twilight recited.

Everypony looked at each other in confusion. "What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked.

"I don't really know, but I have an idea. Stand back. There's no telling what will happen," Twilight warned.

"Come on, y'all. She needs to concentrate," Applejack said, heading back outside. The others followed her, but Corvo hesitated. The last time he left Twilight alone, she was foalnapped. "Raven!?" Applejack called.

Against his better judgement he followed the others, however he stayed near the entrance. As he stood there, he heard Twilight start using her magic. Everything seemed fine until the sound of rushing wind reached his ears and he heard Twilight shout in surprise. Corvo was already rushing inside as the other's shouted out Twilight's name in shock. However, he was to late as he saw her jump into a small tornado the same color as Nightmare Moon's smoke transformation.

As the others entered and started calling out, Corvo stomped the ground, breaking part of the floor in frustration and anger. "Dammit!!" he cursed, causing everypony to jump in shock at his outburst. "Not again!"

They all looked at each other in confusion. "Again?" they wondered. Turning back, they saw that he was gone.

"Where in the hay did he go?" Blitz asked.

"I don't know, but look!" Rarity said, pointing out the window. They all saw a flash of light in tower across from where they were.

"Come on, y'all!" Applejack said.





Twilight suddenly appeared in a flash of light, smoke spreading everywhere causing her to cough. She stood up and gasped when she saw Nightmare Moon on the other side of the room, standing above the Elements. Twilight narrowed her eyes and pawed at the ground with her forehoof, magic building up in her horn.

Noticing this, Nightmare Moon condescendingly asked, "You're joking. You're joking, right?"

Twilight kept building magic in her horn and she charged forward. As she ran, Nightmare Moon started charging with her head lowered. When they got near each other, Twilight disappeared, causing Nightmare Moon to slide to a halt. She quickly turned around as Twilight reappeared near the Elements.

She groaned from the magic exertion, but quickly recovered. She then began focusing her magic on the stones, "Come on, just one spark, please." Electricity started jumping from the stones. Nightmare Moon turned to smoke and raced back to the Elements. As she reappeared, a bolt of electricity arched out and struck Twilight, sending her flying backward.

Twilight sat up and looked back at the Elements. She saw the electricity jumping between the stones.

Nightmare Moon looked at them in fear, "No, this can't be!" However, the electricity died away and the stones remained unchanged.

"But, where's the sixth Element?!" Twilight questioned.

Nightmare Moon started cackling and reared up on her hind legs. Twilight watched in horror as the dark alicorn brought her forelegs down,  smashing the stones into pieces. "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your Princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!" Nightmare gloated.

Twilight fell to her haunches, completely stunned from what just happened. Just then, she started hearing voices. Turning in the direction the voices were coming from, she saw a flight of stairs and recognized the voices of the ponies she had come to know. As the memories of the five ponies resurfaced in her mind, she felt a warmth in her heart. Her eyes widened as everything fell into place.

Twilight stood up and stared defiantly at Nightmare Moon, "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here." Just then the others appeared around her, ready to take on the dark alicorn. Suddenly, the shards of stone started to shine and lifted off the ground.

"What?" Nightmare Moon said, in shock.

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Blitz, who could not abandon his friends for his own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty!" Twilight finished, as all the shards of stone surrounded each of the five ponies. "The spirits of these five ponies got us through each and every challenge you threw at us."

Nightmare Moon was starting to panic, "None of that matters because the spark didn't work. You don't have the sixth Element."

"That's where you're wrong!' Twilight exclaimed. "It was a different kind of spark." She turned to the others, "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!" A bright light suddenly appeared. Looking up they all saw another stone floating above them. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!"

The stone began to glow even brighter and started to descend onto Twilight's head. Before it reached however, Nightmare Moon shouted out.

"NO! I will not be stopped by six random ponies from nowhere!" Her horn ignited and she lowered her head. She fired off a cyan beam of magic.

They all closed their eyes and braced themselves for the impact. When it didn't come they slowly opened their eyes and five ponies jaws dropped, while worry spread across Twilight's face. Standing in front of them was a being about as tall as Nightmare Moon, but stood on it's hind legs. It stood in front of them with it's arms crossed, blocking the magical beam from hitting them.

"Corvo!" Twilight shouted in panic. Her hoof flew over her mouth. The other five looked at Twilight in confusion.

His sudden appearance seemed to throw Nightmare Moon off, as her magic faltered for a minute. Taking advantage of her diverted attention, Corvo swung his arms outward and broke the beam of magic, causing the dark alicorn to stagger backwards.

He began panting slightly from the exertion, but kept at the ready in case Nightmare tried anything.





"Corvo, I'm so sorry. I said your name just then," Twilight apologized.

"It's fine Twilight. After seeing this, they were going to find out anyway," he said. He glanced back and saw the necklaces around the other five ponies and a tiara on top of Twilight's head. "Those will probably take some time to charge. I'll deal with Nightmare Moon."

"What!? You can't beat an alicorn," Twilight said.

"I didn't say anything about beating. I'm just going to keep her busy. Get those Elements ready!" he said. He grabbed his sword and charged forward.

"Twilight, who in the hay is that?" Applejack asked.

"He's Raven Armor," Twilight said. Shock spread across all of their faces. "I'll explain later. Right now we need to get the Elements of Harmony ready," she said, staving off any questions.

Once Corvo had reached Nightmare Moon, he swung his sword forward. At that moment, she snapped out of her stupor and swung her head and blocked his strike with her horn. He winced as his muscles were jarred from the impact. He raised his left hand and aimed his wristbow at her legs. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the weapon. Flicking his wrist, he fired a bolt at her. Nightmare Moon quickly changed into smoke, causing the bolt to pass straight through her, and she flew away from him. Corvo immediately took off after her. He jumped up and, when he was directly over the cloud of smoke, he launched a Windblast at her. The spell didn't do any damage, but it pushed her toward the ground. She immediately reformed herself and fired a bolt of electricity at him. Nightmare smirked, thinking she had him because he couldn't dodge while in midair. Her eyes widened in complete shock as Corvo vanished. He reappeared next to her while still in the air and kicked her in the side of the head.

As Nightmare Moon fell to the ground in a daze, Corvo shouted, "Now!"

In that instance, a blinding light started shining from the Element Bearers. They all began to float into the air and Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Blitz, Pinkie Pie and Rarity surrounded Twilight. Suddenly, a rainbow erupted from the Elements of Harmony and flew toward Nightmare Moon. When the rainbow connected, it started swirling around the dark alicorn. As the vortex reached its apex a blinding light shot outward, forcing Corvo to shield his eyes.

When the light died down, he lowered his arm and, seeing everypony on the ground, he made his way over. He hung back, as they woke up and began talking to each other.

"Ugh, that made my head hurt," Blitz complained.

"Is everypony okay?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, thank goodness," Rarity said in relief.

"Rarity, it's absolutely lovely," Fluttershy complimented.

"I know I'll never part with it again," Rarity said, flipping her tail.

"Oh, I meant your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark," Fluttershy clarified.

The fashionista looked down at her necklace and gasped. She was right, the necklace had an deep purple gem embedded in it that was shaped like one of the gems of her cutie mark. Looking at Fluttershy's, Rarity said, "So, does yours darling."

She looked down and gasped as well. Her necklace had a pink butterfly shaped gem in it. Applejack's had an orange apple gem, Pinkie's was a light blue balloon, and Rainbow's had a red lightning bolt. Twilight's tiara had a magenta six pointed star on top.

"Gee, Twilight! I thought you were just tryin' to keep her attention off of somethin', but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship," Applejack said.

"Indeed you do," a voice said. Looking out the window, they all saw the sky outside brighten. A light entered through the window and, after a  golden flash, Princess Celestia appeared. Everypony immediately bowed to her, as Twilight ran up to her and gave her a hug. "Twilight, my faithful student. I knew you could do it."

"But you said that it was just an old pony tale," Twilight said.

"I told you to make some friends, nothing more," Celestia clarified. "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but the Elements of Harmony's power could not be unleashed until a pony let true friendship into their heart," she explained. "And thanks to Corvo, that happened before the signs even began to form." She then turned around, "Now if only another will as well. Princess Luna!"

They all turned to see a small light blue alicorn laying on the ground, surrounded by Nightmare Moon's shattered armor. At the mention of her name, her eyes shot open and she gasped in fear.

Celestia approached slowly approached her. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. It's time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together little sister."

"Sister?" everypony gasped, except for Twilight and Corvo.

Tears appeared in Luna's eyes and she jumped forward. "I'm so sorry, Tia! I missed you so much!"

Celestia sniffed as tears appeared in her eyes as well, "I've missed you too, Lulu."

"I really hate to interrupt, but I don't think we're done," Corvo said, bringing attention to himself.

A serious expression crossed Celestia's face, "You are very correct Corvo." She looked up and everypony followed her gaze, gasping at what they saw. In the air was the cloud of smoke that Nightmare Moon kept turning into. "The Miasma," she said darkly.

"The what?" Twilight questioned, fear in her voice.

"A manifestation of hate and malice. It sensed Luna's discontent and possessed her, creating the being known as Nightmare Moon," Celestia explained.

"It didn't just take control, Celestia. I let it take control," Luna said, her voice filled with regret.

Celestia wrapped a wing around Luna, "It's okay, Luna. We are going to end this." With a determined expression, she addressed the Element Bearers. "My little ponies, I know that you just used the Elements of Harmony and are probably rather exhausted, but it's the only way to rid the world of this evil."

Corvo looked down at his right hand and flexed it. "Perhaps not the only way," he said. They all looked at him in confusion. "Hey, Nightmare!!" he shouted. The cloud turned and 'looked' at him. He smirked as it seemed to bristle at the sight of him, "Yeah, you recognize me don't you? The stallion that just beat your ethereal ass!" At this the Miasma flashed red and launched itself at Corvo. It slammed into Corvo and entered his body, the force of the impact making him close his eyes.

"Corvo!" Twilight shouted in fear.

When his eyes opened, they saw that they had become slits like Nightmare Moon's eyes had been. A sinister smirk spread across his face and he began to chuckle evilly, "I'm no longer Corvo or whatever name that fool of a stallion used. I am now Nightmare Blade!" Just then, Corvo's right hand began to glow brightly, causing Nightmare to flinch. "What!?" it shouted.

One of his eyes suddenly, changed back to normal. "Sorry Nightmare, but you won't be using my body for your sinister purposes. You see, inside of me is a magic probably even more powerful than the Elements."

"What!? Nothing's more powerful than them!" it shouted.

Corvo chuckled, "That's where you're wrong. You've either forgotten or never knew in the first place that there's one more alicorn. One even more powerful than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. With the purest magic I've ever felt." Celestia and Luna's eyes widened and hope filled them, as they realized what he was talking about. He raised his right hand over his chest, "Feel the magic... of Faust!!" His hand began shining brighter and brighter until everypony had to cover their eyes to protect them from the intense light.

An echoing scream erupted from the light, sending chills down everypony's spines. As both the scream and light died down, they all looked at Corvo, who was flat on his back panting hard.

"Corvo!" Twilight exclaimed running forward. When she reached him, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Aside from being rather tired, yeah I'm fine," he said, pushing himself up. His eyes widened in surprise, "Twilight, your bandage is gone." She raised her hoof and felt her left eye. Shock spread across her face as she noticed it was gone. When Corvo saw the scar across her eye, his anger sparked again. However, he pushed it down and asked, "And your eye is fine?"

"Yeah, I can see fine and it doesn't sting at all," she said. "Is something wrong? I thought I saw something in your eyes."

He smirked, "You've become pretty good at reading me huh?" She blushed, and Corvo chuckled briefly before his smile turned sad, "It's just that you have a scar across your eye and my anger sparked again."

Twilight rubbed the spot, "Oh, it does?"

Corvo reached out and lifted her head, "Hey, you're still a beautiful and wonderful mare. Don't let this get you down, okay?"

She smiled, "Thanks, Corvo."

"Corvo?" somepony called out. Turning around, he saw Celestia and Luna standing next to him with hope filled eyes. "Is it true? Was that our mother's magic?"

"Mother!?" everypony exclaimed.

He smiled, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Celestia opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, another flash of light appeared, this one a light blue. As the light faded, in it's place stood a snow white alicorn with a red mane. "Hello, Faust."

She turned to him and smiled warmly, "Hello, Corvo. Thank you so much for your help with this."

He shrugged and gestured at the Element Bearers, "I didn't really do much. It was these six that saved her."

Faust turned to the six ponies and bowed her head, "Thank you very much, my little ponies." They all stood in shock over what was transpiring. She turned back to Corvo, "You shouldn't sell yourself short Corvo. You rid the world of the Miasma. For which I will always be grateful." She then turned to her daughters and smiled sadly, "My little girls." She approached them and pain spread across her face. "Luna, I am so sorry for not helping you with what you were dealing with. And Celestia, I'm so sorry for disappearing, but after not even helping Luna with what happened and practically forcing you to banish her, I just couldn't face you." Tears sprung from eyes, as she began crying.

The two sisters immediately hugged their mother. Faust's eyes snapped open and she looked at them in shock.

"I never blamed you mom. If you were able to, I know you would have saved Luna from the Miasma. I later found that it was because I wasn't able to fully wield the power of the Elements, that Luna was banished instead of freed from it's grasp," Celestia told her.

"It wasn't your fault mother. I was too stubborn to listen anypony. I didn't even fight the Miasma, I let it take over," Luna said, tears in her eyes. She looked up, with pleading eyes, "You aren't going to leave are you?"

Faust wrapped her wings around her daughters and smiled, "I'm not going anywhere."

Corvo watched the scene in front of him with a large smile on his face. He felt a nudge on his arm and looked over to see Twilight standing next to him, smiling with tears in her own eyes. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a sideways hug. Hearing sniffing behind him, he turned and saw that the other five ponies had tears in their eyes as well.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a lovely reunion," came a sudden voice.

Everypony whirled around to the sound of the voice and were shocked at what they saw.

The three alicorns separated. "Outsider," Faust said.

"Hello, there Faust. I must say, I'm impressed you were able to copy the magical pattern for my magic and gave Corvo more magical abilities," he said, condescendingly. He turned his attention to the six ponies and Luna who, except for Twilight, were looking up at him in shock. "The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the banished Princess. All very interesting ponies."

Luna hid behind Celestia, who lowered a wing to block her. Faust was about to say something, but Corvo stepped forward.

"You do anything to them and I swear I will find a why to make it to where I can kick your ass!" he threatened, glaring at the Outsider.

He turned his attention to Corvo, "Threatening me, Corvo? My this world has effected you a good deal hasn't it?" Corvo continued to glare at him. "Don't worry, I didn't plan on doing anything to them."

Suspicion spread across Corvo's face, "You aren't going to do anything?"

"Not at all. Giving them something in addition to what they can already do would make things so boring," the Outsider said. "I just thought I would introduce myself to the Element Bearers and the Princess." After that he disappeared, leaving everypony confused.

Shaking herself, Faust approached Corvo, "Thank you for standing up for us." She then gave him a stern look, "Now, as much as I appreciate how you helped and that you protected everypony from Nightmare Moon, you really shouldn't have blocked that blast of magic with your arms."

"Why not?" Corvo asked.

"You know exactly why," she said. She used her magic to pull his sleeves up and everypony gasped. His arms were covered in cuts and scrapes. "You're lucky you were wearing those special clothes that Fine Point and Heated Blade made or you'd be much worse off," she reprimanded.

Blitz walked up to Corvo. "Are you saying that you fought Nightmare Moon, an alicorn, with injured arms and still came out on top?" he questioned.

"Well, it only happened because I was able to catch her off guard with the fact that I could use magic," he said.

"Yeah, and how in the hay could you use magic?" Applejack asked. "Earth ponies aren't able to use that kind of magic."

"That has to do with the Outsider. I'll explain everything to you all, but how about we get out of here first?" Corvo suggested.

"Good idea, Corvo," Faust said. Her horn lit up and she began to charge her magic. However, she paused as she looked around, "Hold on, are we missing somepony?"

Everypony looked around and noticed that a certain pink pony wasn't there anymore.

"Pinkie seems to have disappeared. Don't worry Your Highness, she probably left ahead of us," Applejack said.

"You don't have to call me that Applejack. I'm not the ruler of Equestria, my daughters are," Faust said. "Why would she leave though?"

"I'm sure we'll find out when we get back," Blitz said.

The alicorns looked at each other and shrugged. Faust cast her spell and teleported them all back to Ponyville. They were all shocked to see a party waiting for them. The ponies of Ponyville started to rush forward, but faltered when they saw Corvo.

Pinkie bounced up to him, "Hey, Corvo."

"Hey, Pinkie. How in the hay did you get here before us and set this all up?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked.

He began to say something, when he felt a tug on his coat. Looking down he saw Rarity standing there.

"It's better you don't question it darling," she said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Right, I forgot about that."

"You know about Pinkie?" Blitz asked, suspicion in his voice.

"I met Octavia and Vinyl, who told me about her," Corvo answered.

"Oh, how are they?" Rarity asked.

"They are perfectly fine. Almost got jumped by five unicorn thugs, but they're fine," he said.

"They were assaulted?" Rarity asked, aghast.

"Almost, Rarity. I took them out before they could do anything," Corvo told her.

"You took out five unicorns?" Blitz questioned. "You used your magic against them didn't you or were you in this form?"

"Neither," he said. "I didn't need an advantage to take down five overconfident thugs."

"Cool," Rainbow Blitz said, impressed.

"Hang on," Applejack spoke up. "Y'all left before us, so how in tarnation did we beat you to where Twilight was?"

Corvo smiled sheepishly, "Because something I tried to do had unexpected results."

"What did you try to do?" Rarity asked.

"I tried to combine my Dark Vision with the Enhanced Vision that Faust gave me," he told them. "The result was that it blinded me for several minutes. Needless to say I couldn't do anything until it wore off."

"Suppose you won't be trying to mix powers again huh?" Celestia said.

"I don't really have any other spells that I could mix, but yeah, I'm not doing that again," he said. He turned to the party pony, "So what exactly is this for?"

She bounced up and down, "It's a 'Welcome back to Equestria Princess Luna and Faust' party, as well as a 'Glad your family is back together' party."

"You threw this for us?" Luna asked in surprise.

"Duh!" Pinkie said as though it was obvious. The other ponies gasped at her blunt answer, but Faust just laughed.

"Thank you Pinkie Pie, but unfortunately we can't stay here very long. Can't leave Canterlot unattended for too long," she said. She glanced over and saw that Twilight had a gloomy expression on her face. She nudged Celestia and whispered, "I think your student needs you."

Celestia walked over to Twilight, "What's wrong my, faithful student? Aren't you happy that your quest is complete and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"

"That's just it. I made such wonderful friends here and now I have to leave them. I still have a lot to learn about friendship, and I just feel like they would be able to help," Twilight said.

Celestia smiled, "It's good to listen to your feelings Twilight. Spike, take a note, please." The drake pulled out a quill and parchment and began writing as Celestia spoke, "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville."

A grin spread across Twilight's face, "Thank you Princess. I'll study more than ever." Then she slowly frowned, "What should I tell my other friends?"

Corvo spoke up, "Explain to them what it is that you're feeling Twilight. I'm sure they'll understand. Besides, you can always visit them any time."

"You're right, Corvo. Thanks," she said.

Celestia looked around at the ponies gathered and, gesturing at Corvo, said, "My little ponies, I'm sure that you're all wondering about the stallion here." Several of the ponies nodded their heads. "This is Corvo Attano. He is from a different world than ours," the town gasped at this. "However, despite this he has protected the ponies of this world as he would anyone else. He is also the Lieutenant of the newly established Crow Guard." Everypony's eyes widened at this. "He will be staying in the library with Twilight and I wish that everypony treat him like you would any pony else."

Once that was said, Faust teleported the three of them away. More than likely back to Canterlot and hopefully they were going spend some time together as a family.

Corvo quickly changed back to his pony form causing the town gasped.

"That was so cool! How did you do that?" Pinkie questioned.

"Princess Celestia enchanted a bracelet that let's me change between how I actually look and this."

"Are you going to explain yourself to us?" Blitz asked.

Corvo sighed, "Yes, but I don't want the whole town knowing everything about me. If you all don't mind waiting a little while, I want to try and find some way to make it easier to explain everything."

"I suppose that's a good idea. If it makes things to where we can better understand it, that would be for the best," Applejack said.

"Hopefully I can find something and if you want Applejack, you can bring your family," he said. Then remembering the size of her family, he quickly amended, "And I don't mean all of them."

"I know what you mean sugarcube," Applejack said, with a slight smile.

"If you do bring them, I wouldn't bring Apple Bloom. A lot of it isn't happy and is definitely not for a filly to hear about," he told her. She nodded. "Now I don't know about all of you, but as much as I want enjoy this party I'm pretty beat, so I'm going to head back to the library and rest," he said.

"I'm rather tired myself, I think I'll head back too," Twilight said. "You can stay Spike, but be sure to not stay out all day, okay?"

Spike smiled brightly and nodded happily.

The two started heading back to their new home. Once back, they headed to their rooms and were out like lights as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
> Royal Summit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It had been a few days since the Nightmare Moon incident and Corvo's introduction to Ponyville. The ponies were still rather wary of him, but thanks to his sister and the new friends he had made, and probably because even in his normal form he looked like a pony, they were slowly accepting him. He'd spent the days trying to find a way to easily show five or more ponies his past. Today however, Corvo and Twilight, along with Spike, were helping Applejack on the farm.

"Thank ya kindly you two, for all of your help. I bet Big Mac that if I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime, he'll have to walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny's girdles," she said, laughing at the thought.

"Isn't that cheating?" Corvo asked.

"Hey, he said nothin' about ponies helpin' me out," she said with smirk. He chuckled at her response.

"It wasn't a problem Applejack. I'm glad the goal is lunchtime. All this hard work is making me hungry," Twilight said.

"I know right?" Spike said tossing an apple over his shoulder, which bopped Twilight on the head. He smiled sheepishly as Twilight glared at him.

"Spike, you were lounging on my back all day while the three of us worked," Twilight said in annoyance.

"Exactly, the three of you took so long that I missed snack-time," he said.

While they kept talking, Corvo asked, "Applejack, would it be alright if I helped out on the farm every now and then?"

She glanced at him, "I don't see why not, but why exactly to do you want to? What do you not get paid enough in the guard?"

"No, it has nothing to do with bits. I just figured that working on the farm would be a good way to keep myself in shape," he explained.

"What about training?" she asked. "Are you not going to do that?"

"Oh, I will, but without somepony to spare with it's more just making sure that I don't get rusty and my body stays limber. So I won't hurt myself when I'm fighting," he said.

"Well, I don't mind. I'll talk to the family and see what they think, but I'm sure they'll be all for it," she said.

"Thanks Applejack," he said. At that moment there was a sudden roar, causing Twilight, Applejack, and Spike to huddle behind Corvo. Turning around he saw a manticore flying toward them. Using his Enhanced Vision, Corvo took a closer look at it. He saw the scar and immediately knew who it was. He trotted forward as the manticore landed. "Hello, Manny," he greeted.

The manticore, as well as his friends, looked at him in confusion. The manticore raised his paw and pointed at himself.

Corvo nodded, "Yeah, it's a name that Fluttershy came up with. You know, the yellow pegasus that helped you in the Everfree Forest?" A peaceful smile spread across the manticore's face at the mention of the kind mare. "So do you like the name?"

He thought for a minute, then, with a smile, he nodded.

Corvo smiled as well, "Fluttershy will be happy to hear that." At that moment, Spike burped and a letter appeared.

He unfurled it and briefly read it, "It's for you Corvo."

"You mind reading it out Spike?"

The drake nodded, and began to read.


---


Dear Corvo,

Your presence is required in Canterlot today. I apologize for the short notice, but we had been so caught up in getting things together we forgot to inform you that you were needed. Please take the next train to Canterlot and we'll see you in a little while.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia


---


"Well that's surprising," Corvo said. He heard a growl and turned toward Manny. "You wanted to settle things now didn't you? That's why your here?" He nodded. Corvo thought about what to do, when an evil idea came to mind. Taking off the baskets of apples, he walked up to the manticore and whispered into his ear. A rather sinister smirk spread across his face and he nodded. He jumped onto Manny and addressed his friends, "Tell the Princess that I'll be there very soon. Manny here agreed that he'd fly me there and, after what she wanted me for is finished, we'll use the training grounds to fight. I told him that they're big and open so it would be better than here, where things and ponies would get in the way."

"You can't fly a manticore to Canterlot! You'll cause a panic!" Twilight yelled, aghast.

Corvo chuckled, as did Manny in a growling sort of way. "Exactly," he said. With that, the manticore took off and headed for Canterlot, ignoring the shouts of his friends.


~~~~


When they reached Canterlot, Manny angled himself and began flying to the castle. Below them, they could hear a great deal of ponies screaming in fear. Corvo and Manny began laughing. The nobles needed to be showed that they didn't control the world. It did whatever the hay it wanted to.., but mostly he wanted to scare the crap out of the nobles. When Manny reached the castle, he descended into the training grounds.

Corvo jumped down, "Thanks Manny. Don't worry, we'll have our fight once everything is done." Just then several guards appeared with their spears at the ready. "Stand down!" he yelled. "He's not a danger to you."

"Not a danger!?" Gleaming Shield shouted, walking onto the field. "Corvo, that's a freaking manticore!"

Manny growled at her and took a step forward.

Corvo held out a hoof, "Hang on Manny. If you do something here, you won't be able to settle things with me." The manticore immediately stopped growling and sat on the ground, however he glared at Gleaming Shield. Corvo suddenly remembered something. 'I wonder if this will work.' He activated his Telepathy and directed it at the manticore, "Manny, can you hear me?"

The manticore's eyes widened in shock and he turned toward Corvo. "How..?" a deep voice echoed in his mind.

'By the Void, it did work,' Corvo thought in shock. "It's a magic ability that Faust gave me, allowing me to talk to others with my mind."

"So... we can actually talk to each other?" Manny asked.

Corvo smiled, "That's right. I won't have to guess on what you are thinking, I can actually talk to you." He was interrupted by a cough. Turning around he saw the guards looking at him weirdly. "Yes?"

"Why are you just staring at him?" Gleaming Shield asked.

"I'm talking to him," Corvo said in complete seriousness.

"Talking to..? He's just an animal," one of the guards spoke up.

Manny immediately roared at the pony and started forward. However, Corvo jumped forward and stopped him.

"Easy big guy," he said. He turned to the guard, "He is not just an animal. He is able to understand us like any other pony. I don't know if all animals are like this or if he's just an exception, but I won't allow him to be treated like he doesn't have feelings."

Everypony, even Manny, stared at Corvo in shock, when somepony spoke up, "You really are an interesting individual."

Turning, they saw Princess Luna approaching them. They all bowed and, surprisingly, Manny bowed his head.

"Please rise," she said.

As they all stood, Corvo asked, "What did you mean Princess?"

She looked over and smiled slightly, "Please Corvo, you helped free me from the Miasma, you can just call me Luna. Celestia agrees and hopes you'll extend the courtesy to her as well."

They all stared at her in surprise. "Really?" Corvo asked, in complete shock.

"Yes. In answer to your other question, I was talking about the things you've done since you appeared here," Luna said. "You saved a mare from an angry mob and visit her as often as you can to help her recover, two mares from five unicorn thugs, and Twilight Sparkle from being foalnapped. You stick up for a race you have only been a part of for a couple weeks and are unafraid of the nobles of Canterlot. You convinced Celestia into adopting Cadance as her daughter rather than her just staying a niece."

"She did it?" Corvo interrupted.

"Indeed she did. She said that you made several good points and decided that you were right and adopted her," Luna said.

A wide grin spread across Corvo's face at this news. He was glad for both Celestia and Cadance. His smile turned sly, "I bet you were surprised when you heard huh?"

"You have no idea. I, of course, jumped to conclusions and didn't let her explain until mother finally calmed me down enough to listen," she said, blushing. Recovering, she continued, "And now, you're here standing up for some... one that most ponies consider an animal. You are very interesting."

"Well, I could see in his eyes that there was no way he was just an animal. The magic your mother gave me, just solidified that," he said.

"That's very impressive that you were able to notice that," Luna said. "Now how about we head inside and we'll explain why you're here."

"What about Manny?" Corvo asked.

"As long as he promises to not do anything to anypony then I'll make sure he's kept comfy," she said.

He glanced at the manticore, who nodded his head, "I swear that, as long as I'm not provoked, I will not do anything to any of the ponies."

"He swears that he will do nothing unless provoked," Corvo relayed.

Luna nodded, "Of course. I'll have somepony bring him some meat so he won't be hungry."

Manny licked his lips at the mention of meat. "Looks like you made him happy," Corvo said. "Alright, let's go then." As the guards returned to their posts, he entered the castle and began following Luna.

As they walked Corvo reached out to Manny with his Telepathy, "Hey, Manny?"

"Corvo? How far can that reach?" the manticore questioned.

"I haven't the slightest. Should probably ask Faust," Corvo answered.

"It has a pretty wide range. You could reach about anypony in the castle," a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Faust?!" they both exclaimed.

"Yep. I must say that you've surprised me with how you're using the Telepathy to talk to a manticore," she said.

"How is it that someone that ponies consider an animal is sentient?" Corvo asked.

"To be completely honest, I'm not exactly sure myself. Some animals in this world are actually rather sentient. There's no set pattern and the level of sentience varies," she told him.

"She's right. The other manticore's aren't able to think like I do and are never able to understand they way I act," Manny said, sadness in his voice. "I'm not like any other manticore, but to everyone else I'm just an animal."

Corvo couldn't help, but feel sorry for Manny after hearing he couldn't even relate to his own species. "Well you don't have to be alone anymore," he said. He could feel confusion emanate from Manny and even Faust seemed somewhat confused. "I'm saying that I'll be your friend." He felt surprise coming from the manticore.

"Really?" Manny asked in shock.

"I kind of know what your going through. It may not be the same extreme as you, but I'm not actually a pony and the world I'm from is much more violent than this one. Which makes my way of thinking slightly darker than the ponies of this world. Besides, you aren't just a wild animal, so I don't see a problem with it," Corvo answered. "So, what do you say?"

"If you don't mind it, I'd be happy to call you friend," Manny said. "Don't think this means you're getting out of fighting with me because of this."

Corvo chuckled, "Of course not."

"You continue to surprise me Corvo," Faust said.

"Where are you by the way?" he asked.

"I'm in Paradise. I figured that I'd let the girls handle speaking to the rulers like they are meant to. I don't really know what me being there would cause," she said.

"I suppose that makes sense," Corvo said. "...Wait rulers?"

However, at that moment, him and Luna soon entered a room ending his conversation with Manny and Faust. The room had a long table with a bunch of chairs set around it. "A summit room?" Corvo asked.

"That's right. Celestia has called a summit with the rulers of Equis." A worried expression crossed Luna's face, "She's telling them of my return."

Seeing her worry, Corvo stepped forward and, after standing on his hind legs, placed a hoof around her. "It will be fine Luna. You aren't, and never were, Nightmare Moon and the Miasma is gone. You are free from it forever."

She smiled, "Thank you Corvo. She's also telling them about you, the guard you're part of, and about the Outsider being in our world."

"That on the other hoof, will be a problem," he said, getting back on all fours.

"You're a good stallion Corvo. You won't have any problems," Luna said. "Now, I've got to get your manticore friend some food and then I have some things I need to prepare for," she told him, teleporting from the room.

After the Princess left, Corvo looked up and saw several strange structures jutting out of the walls near the ceiling. 'What are those for?' he wondered.

A guard suddenly entered the room, "Princess?"

"Neither of them are here. Is something wrong?" Corvo asked, approaching the pegasus guard.

She saluted, "Not wrong, it's just that there are two individuals here that are here for them."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Take me to them. I'll see who they are and tell them that the Princesses are busy at the moment."

She nodded and they headed to the entrance of the castle. When they reached it Corvo was surprised to see two dragons standing there. One looked about the same age as Spike, except their spines seemed sharper than his. Corvo wondered if that meant they were female or they just took care of their spines differently, although there seemed to be a feminine quality to the dragon. Her eyes were closed, in what looked like worry. Her scales were sapphire blue, an ivory white underbelly and dark blue spines. The other dragon stood about as tall Celestia and had red scales, a yellow underbelly, and orange spines. He looked like he wished to be anywhere but where he was, tapping his foot impatiently.

"May I ask who you two are and why you're here?" Corvo asked.

The bigger dragon gave him an irritated look, "Finally. For whatever reason the Empress told me to bring this brat here. Now that one of you sissy ponies are here, I'm leaving." Spreading his amber wings, he immediately took off, leaving the young dragon alone.

Corvo glared after the bigger dragon before turning his attention to the smaller dragon, who flinched at the attention. His expression softened and he knelt down, so he was eye level with her. "Hello," he began. "You don't have to be scared."

"I-I'm not s-scared," she stuttered out. "D-dragons don't g-get scared. We're b-brave and fearsome."

He smiled at her, "Being scared doesn't mean that you aren't brave, you know."

She looked up at him and Corvo saw her eyes. They were a deep purple. "It doesn't?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "No, in fact feeling fear can help you survive. If you didn't feel fear, then you could end up in dangerous situations because you might not realize that it was dangerous. And even those with great fear can do amazing things."

"That's not true," she said.

Corvo chuckled, "It's very much true." The young dragon looked up at him. "A pony I know named Fluttershy is very shy and, from what I've seen, fears a great many things. However, despite this when she saw a manticore, you know what the first thing she wanted to do was?" She shook her head. "She wanted to speak with him." Her eyes widened at this. He grinned, "That's right she wanted to talk to a manticore. So, don't think that fear is a bad thing, alright?" She nodded. "Good, now why don't you hop on?"

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"The castle's pretty big, so I figured it would be better for me to carry you to where the summit will take place," he explained.

"OK," she said, climbing onto his back.

Corvo stood and walked into the castle. As he walked, he asked, "So, first off how about introductions? My name is Raven Armor. What's your's?"

"Ruby Blaze," she answered. "So you're Corvo?"

He froze and looked back at her, "How did you know that?"

"Our Empress sent out an announcement that Faust told her about two spells of yours that affect the whole world, but won't affect us. You know, since we are only affected by the most potent of magic, like the Princesses," she explained. "She also warned us that if we took advantage of or did anything to anyone, we would have to face Faust."

He nodded and resumed walking, "It's good to know that she addressed that. But how many dragons even know about Faust?"

"We all did," she said. He glanced back and arched a brow. "The oldest of dragons always told everyone about Faust. Not one of us grew up without knowing about her."

"I see." After a few minutes, he asked, "If you don't mind my asking, why exactly is your name is Ruby?"

She deadpanned, "Because there isn't a speck of red on me, right?"

Corvo smiled awkwardly, "You get asked that often?"

Ruby sighed and nodded, "Yes, a whole lot. The reason my parents called me Ruby is because, from what they told me, not long after I was born I somehow found a few fire rubies."

"Fire rubies?" he questioned.

"They are very rare rubies that are a delicacy for dragons," she said.

"I assume that's where Blaze came from as well?" he asked.

"That's part of it," Ruby said. "The other reason is that my grandmother is named after fire as well."

They soon reached the meeting room and entered. As he walked in, he saw that Celestia was sitting at the far end.

"Hello, Celestia," he greeted. He heard Ruby gasp behind him. He glanced back at her.

"You refer to your ruler by just her name?" she questioned.

"Only because she wanted me to," he answered. "At least that's what Luna said."

"That's right," Celestia spoke up. "He helped get my sister back and, thanks to him, the Miasma is gone too." She stood and approached them, "And who's this?"

"This is Ruby Blaze, Princess," he said, as she jumped off his back. Celestia arched a brow at him. "Just because I'm going to call you by your name, doesn't mean I'll stop referring to you and Luna as Princess."

She rolled her eyes, "It's nice to meet you Ruby."

"You too, Your Highness," she said, bowing.

"You don't have to bow," Celestia said. As the young dragoness stood up, the alicorn asked, "So you have been sent with it?"

Ruby nodded and held out a crystal. It was as long as one of Corvo's health elixirs, but only as thick as his mana elixirs.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's a video crystal," Celestia said.

"A video crystal?" He knew of video because his world had developed it, but a video crystal?

"Yes, each one has a wavelength that they use to contact the other. When you connect to the one you want, a sort of screen is projected from the crystal that allows you to see who you are talking to," Celestia explained.

"That's very interesting," Corvo said. "When do you think the summit will take place?"

"It will probably take a few hours," she said. "I didn't expect you to be here so early, so I don't really know what you can do until then." After thinking for a minute then said, "Although I'm thinking of contacting the dragon's ruler and talking to her beforehoof. Would you like to stay and introduce yourself?"

He thought about it, then nodded, "Sure. I'd like to meet her."

Celestia smiled and took the crystal in her magic. Placing it on the table, she fired a beam of magic into it. A screen rose from the crystal, and eventually a dragon appeared. Her scales were golden, with an alabaster underbelly, and dark red spines. Her eyes surprised Corvo greatly. They were like fire.

Celestia bowed slightly, "Empress Blessing Flame."

The dragoness smiled, "Celestia, it's been far too long!"

The alicorn giggled, "It really has. It's been what, about a hundred years?"

"Yes, last time we saw each other was when you took that dragon egg. How is it by the way? It's getting close to the time limit," she asked in worry.

Celestia facehoofed, "I knew there was something I was forgetting at the time, but so much happened, it completely slipped my mind. He actually hatched about thirteen years ago. A unicorn with powerful magic managed to hatch him and he has been living with her family since."

Corvo looked between them in confusion, "Hang on, are you talking about Spike?"

"So, his name is Spike," she repeated. "It's a nice name. So he's being well taken care of?"

"Yes, Twilight and her family have loved and cared for him a great deal. They even adopted him," Celestia said with a warm smile.

Blessing smiled as well, "I'm glad."

"Wait, you said that you got that egg a hundred years ago didn't you?" Corvo questioned. "Are you saying that Spike's actually a hundred years old!?"

"Since he was born yes, but a dragon doesn't actually age until they are hatched," the Empress said.

"So why did Princess Celestia have him?" he asked.

Blessing Flame's fire-like eyes seemed to flare as anger spread across her face, "His parents were slain in their sleep. We don't know by who or why they did it, although there's no excuse for it. As for why she had it, only two things can hatch a dragon egg. The flame of their parents or very powerful magic. I sent him to Celestia to have her hatch him and for him live with ponies. I wanted to learn more about them and having a dragon grow up with them seemed like the perfect idea."

"I was going to, but I didn't because I thought it would be better if a pony hatched him themselves. If in a hundred years, he wasn't hatched, I would hatch him and find a good home for him," Celestia explained.

"You keep mentioning a hundred years. Would he have died if you didn't do it before then?" Corvo asked, filled with dread.

All three of their faces fell, and the two rulers nodded solemnly. "Even dragons have a limit Corvo," Celestia said.

Hearing his name, Blessing brightened up a bit, "So this is the stallion Faust told me about."

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm Corvo Attano," he said.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I've told my subjects about your magic and warned them what would happen if they did anything to the inhabitants of Equis." Corvo bowed his head in thanks. "How's my granddaughter?" she asked suddenly.

His eyes widened at this, "Hang on, she's your granddaughter?" The Empress nodded. "Well, you might want to talk to that dragon that you had escort her here."

"Garble? Why?" she asked.

"For one, he called her a brat," he said. Blessing's eyes narrowed at this. "And the bigger reason, is that he just left her with the first pony that walked up to them." Blessing's nostrils flared and smoke escaped the sides of her mouth as she let out a low growl. "If it had been a noble or something, there's no telling what would have happened. Especially if it was Blueblood."

"If it had been Blueblood, I'm sure he would have insulted the dragon and I'd be dealing with them instead of here talking with you all," Celestia said.

"Well, I'm glad he didn't. For Ruby's sake and the fact that I would have to save his flank from that dragon," Corvo said. "Probably wouldn't do it right away though."

"Corvo!" Celestia exclaimed in surprise.

"What? I didn't say I wouldn't save him. I'd just wait and see if the dragon couldn't burn off some of his arrogance," he said, smiling slightly.

Blessing let out a deep, but feminine, chuckle, "I like him Celestia. He's not afraid to speak his mind, but is still respectful."

"Well, I was an advisor before so I had to be honest. Dancing around the issue would only lead to trouble," Corvo said. The two rulers nodded in agreement. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to visit Screw Loose. I think it's been almost week since I last visited her."

"It's fine Corvo. Go see her," Celestia said.

He glanced at her and asked, "Speaking of her. Do you think I could ask a favor involving her?"

"What is it?" the Princess asked, curiously.

"Would you be able to move her to Ponyville? Since I'll be living there now, it'll be hard to visit her here," he requested.

She raised a hoof to her chin in thought, "You'll have to speak with the doctor, but if there wouldn't any problems then I don't see why not. It might even be better for her to be in a town rather than a city."

"Yeah, especially this city," Corvo said, referring to what had happened to her.

"That's true. Since you are going over there anyway, you should talk to the doctor," she suggested.

"I'll do just that," he said. "It was nice meeting you Ruby, Empress Blessing Flame," he bowed to the Empress, then turned and exited the room. Once out of the castle, he headed toward the hospital.


~~~~


As Corvo walked, he thought, 'I wonder what the others are doing in Ponyville right now.' He soon reached the hospital and entered. He was glad to see that the doctor was standing in front of the room. Walking forward, he called out, "Dr. Stable."

The orange unicorn looked over and smiled when he saw him, "Corvo, good to see you again. It's been a little while. What have you been up to?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

The doctor arched a brow, "Alright, let's head over to Screw Loose's room and you can tell me while we walk."

They started walking and Corvo said, "So, the reason I haven't visited in a while, is that I've moved to Ponyville."

Dr. Stable looked at him in surprise, "You did? Is there a reason why?"

"My sister is living there now. I know she can take care of herself, but I would rather stay near her," he explained. 'Especially if that one group try's anything again.'

"I see and what is it that you want to talk to me about?" Dr. Stable asked.

"Would be at all possible to move Screw Loose to Ponyville?" Corvo asked. "I want to keep visiting her, but her being here and me moving there makes things hard. I also thought that getting out of this city might help her."

The doctor thought for moment. "You have a point. Moving her to a small town instead of a city would probably help her a good deal. And keeping her in the same town as you would be better." He thought a bit longer, then nodded and said, "I think it should be doable. She isn't physically harmed, so the only problem would be keeping her with her escort. I'll probably have to transfer over there too."

"Why?" Corvo asked.

Dr. Stable gave him a look, "She's used to me more than any of the other doctors, so if we move her somewhere new then I'm going to have to come with her."

"I don't want to make you move."

"Nonsense. I'd like to get out of Canterlot and away from all the uptight nobles myself," the doctor said.

"Well, if you're sure," Corvo said.

Dr. Stable nodded, "I'm sure. Ponyville sounds like it would be a good change of pace." They eventually reached Screw Loose's room. Stable unlocked the door and let Corvo inside.

Corvo turned to see the blue mare sleeping on her bed. Her legs were splayed out as she laid on her side. Smiling, he started walking over to her. As he neared, her ear twitched and her eyes slowly opened. She glanced over and, when she saw Corvo, she jumped up and rushed over to him. He quickly changed back to normal and sat on the floor. When Screw Loose reached him, she jumped into his lap and laid across his legs.

As she laid back down, Corvo began petting her back, "Hey, Screw Loose. Sorry I haven't visited in a while. Had to take care of something a couple days ago and I've been settling in." As he said this, Screw Loose looked up at him in confusion. "I've moved to Ponyville," he said.

Immediately, Screw Loose's eyes widened and she jumped forward, wrapping her forelegs around him. The action took Corvo completely by surprise. This was the most pony-like thing she had done since the incident. It took him a moment before he shook off the shock and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Dr. Stable says that you should be able to get moved there as well," he said. She pushed back and gazed hopefully into his eyes. He smiled warmly, "Yes, he said that you'll be able to come and that he'll be going as well." A smile spread across her muzzle and she began wagging her tail. Chuckling, Corvo leaned back against the wall, while Screw Loose laid back on his lap.

After two hours of just spending time with her, he exited the room and bumped into Dr. Stable, who smiled at him. "Corvo good news, we'll be able to move Screw Loose to Ponyville and I've already started on my transfer papers."

"I'm glad that it won't be too difficult to visit her. I still feel like I'm making you move," Corvo said.

"It's fine. Like I said, I'd like to get out of Canterlot anyway," Dr. Stable said reassuringly. "It will most likely take a few days to put in motion."

Corvo nodded, "Thanks again Dr. Stable. I know you didn't have to do this, but I'm grateful that you are."

"It isn't a problem," the doctor said. "We'll see you in a few days." He then walked off to tend to whatever patients he needed to take care of.

Corvo began walking out of the hospital, when he noticed that he wasn't in pony form. He was still bipedal and didn't have to crouch down in the hall or have to duck under the doors. He knew that they wouldn't make them only as tall as themselves, but the fact that his head didn't even graze the ceiling made him think that the halls were slightly taller than he thought that they'd be.

"Why are the halls so tall?" he wondered aloud.

"That's rather simple, old boy," a voice spoke up.

Corvo turned around and saw two unicorns standing there. They were both white, one a stallion and the other a mare. The stallion had a light blue mane with three crowns for a cutie mark and the mare had a mane that was a lighter pink than Fluttershy's with a stripe of white down the middle and she had a cutie mark of three symbols that Corvo had never seen before. The two small ones were lavender and the larger one was golden.

"Hello, may I ask who you two are?" he asked.

"Ah, yes of course. I'm Fancy Pants and this is my wife Fleur de Lis," the unicorn stallion introduced.

'Fancy Pants? Odd name considering I've never seen ponies wear pants before. Though now that I think about it, how did Fleetfoot's parents come up with her name? None of the inhabitants on Equis have feet. Maybe one of her ancestors worked on the anthropology research that Celestia told me about.' Shaking himself from his thoughts, Corvo inclined his head to both of them, "It's nice to meet you. You know why everything is a good deal taller then it would probably be normally?"

"Indeed, but don't you think you should introduce yourself?" Fancy asked, smiling with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you already know who I am?" Corvo questioned, arching a brow himself.

"Yes, but it's always nice to be formally introduced to somepony," Fleur said.

"Alright. Well, I'm Corvo Attano," he said.

"Nice to finally meet you. Now then, it's become such common place that most ponies don't even notice anymore, but every building is made as such for the Princess," Fancy Pants explained. "You see, it used to be that she would visit ponies sometimes, so the building were made to accommodate her tall stature. There were also times when she needed to enter a building. Like if she were to talk to a family about them losing a loved one or if she tried to put a stop to some crime herself."

"It's incredible that she would take matters into her own hooves," Corvo said, impressed.

"Of course. She's plenty capable of dealing with criminals," Fleur said.

"Very true," Corvo agreed. "Well, it was nice meeting the two of you. I have something to attend to, but I hope to see you again sometime."

"Same here," Fancy Pants said. "Don't let us keep you."

After saying goodbye to the two unicorns, he started to head back the castle to prepare for the summit.


~~~~


Corvo soon reached the castle and quickly returned to the summit room. The room was still empty, save for Celestia, Ruby and the screen that showed Blessing Flame.

"Corvo, you're just in time. The other rulers will be arriving soon," Celestia said.

"Where's--?" he began to ask, but Celestia raised a hoof to her lips. She gestured behind her with her head. He nodded in understanding.

"Corvo, would you mind waiting out of the room?" Celestia requested.

"How about I wait up there?" he suggested pointing to the ceiling.

She looked up and saw the perches he was talking about. "Why?" she asked in confusion.

"While I don't expect anything to happen, I would rather be in the room should something go amiss," he explained.

"I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in it, but I assure you nothing will happen," she said.

"Just being safe Celestia," he said, before Blinking onto one of the perches. He knelt down and waited for the other rulers to show. He didn't have to wait long as soon the doors opened and the guards spoke up.

"King Steel Strike," he announced. A purple furred minotaur walked into the room, who looked like he was slightly taller than Celestia. "Empress Diamond Talon." This time a griffon entered the room. Her fur was a bright red, head feathers were black, her wings were dark red, and her eyes were a golden yellow. Corvo was very surprised to see that her right claw looked like it was made of diamond. "King Alpha Digger." A diamond dog entered next. He was a dark brown and his eyes were light blue. "Queen Alestern." Next was a zebra that walked inside.  She had a long wavy black and white mane and she wore golden rings around her neck, left foreleg and right hind leg. "Emperor Tartarius." The last individual to enter the summit room shocked Corvo slightly. He was a changeling that stood as tall as Celestia. He had a dark green webbed mane and tail and his horn was curved, similar to the smaller changeling he'd seen. "And Empress Blessing Flame," the guard finished announcing the rulers and stood back outside the door.

As the rulers took their seats, the griffon Empress glanced at the ceiling. She did a double take as she stared at Corvo. He started to feel nervous that she would expose him before Celestia could introduce him. Taking a chance he raised his hoof in front of lips, asking her to keep quiet. She smirked slightly, but kept quiet about what she'd seen, at least for now.

He activated his Dark Vision and was mildly surprised at what he saw. Each species was a different color. The zebra was purple, the diamond dog was green, the minotaur was red, the griffon was silver, the dragon was blue, and, as he'd already learned, the changeling was pink.

Before anything could be said, a pegasus guard walked in. "Princess, we were unable to find Chief Thunderhooves."

Celestia sighed slightly, "Thank you, you may return to your post." The guard exited the room and the Princess addressed the other rulers. "Thank you all for coming today," she started. "I have several announcements to make." Her horn lit up and a door behind her throne opened. Standing behind the door was Luna, who entered the room. "My sister, after a thousand years, has returned and has been freed from the Miasma." Upon seeing Luna, the rulers all gasped in shock.

"Luna!!" the changeling Emperor called out. He jumped from his seat and rushed over to the young princess. He practically picked her up in a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again." He got a better look at her, "You are smaller than before."

"I believe it's from the Elements of Harmony stripping the Miasma from her," Celestia said.

Movement from one of the rulers caught Corvo's attention. Glancing back at the table, he saw the diamond dog King's arm slowly moving away from under the table. His eyes widened at what was in the King's paw. He quickly jumped from his perch and landed right in front of the diamond dog, causing the other rulers to jump in surprise. Just as he landed on the table, Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash appeared behind the ruler. Gleaming had her glaive pointed at the back his head and Crescent had one of his scythes at Alpha Diggers throat.

The sudden appearance of the three ponies shocked everyone. Alpha Digger glared at Corvo, then the Princess, "What is the meaning of this Celestia?"

Before she could answer, Corvo stepped toward the diamond dog. "How about you explain what you were going to do with this?" he questioned. Grabbing Alpha Digger's right arm, Corvo lifted it so that everyone could see. They all gasped as they saw that in his grasp was a crossbow. Corvo glared at the King. "What could you possibly need this for?" he asked, wresting the weapon from the dog.

The diamond dog growled, grabbing the scythe he pushed it away from his throat. "To get rid of a threat!" he shouted. "She may have fooled you all, but she fell before and she will again!" Luna flinched at his declaration and her ears lowered in sadness. Before anyone could do anything the King jumped from his seat and rushed out the door. As he ran, he shouted, "The Miasma will return and you'll regret letting her go!!"

Gleaming Shield and Crescent made to chase after him, but Corvo stopped them. "Don't!" he ordered.

"Why not!? He was going to attack the Princess!" Crescent Slash shouted.

"We know that, but his subjects won't," Corvo explained. "They would see it as us taking their ruler as hostage."

"He's right Crescent. It's for the best that he returns," Celestia said, calmly. However, Corvo knew better. She was forcing herself to be calm, so that she could tend to her sister. Celestia stood and walked over to Luna and enveloped her in a hug, rubbing her back comfortingly.

Corvo suddenly heard a low growl. He turned toward the sound and saw fury in the dragon Empress's eyes. "That mutt is lucky I'm not there or I would swallow him whole!" she roared.

"Then it's a good thing that you aren't here," Alestern said.

Corvo walked up to the Princesses and placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened, Princess. You don't deserve to be treated like that," he said.

The Night Princess smiled gratefully at him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you Corvo," Celestia said.

He bowed slightly. He then called out with his mind, "Faust?"

"Yes Corvo?"

He heard the rulers inhale sharply, alerting him that Faust talking to all of them. "Is what Alpha Digger said true? Will the Miasma return?" he asked. Corvo saw Celestia glare slightly at him at his first question, but when he clarified his question, her glare lessened.

The alicorn sighed heavily, "Unfortunately yes it will. While what I told you before was true, that you rid the world of the Miasma, that is unfortunately only for a while. As Celestia said it's a manifestation of hatred and malice. As long as those exist in the world, it will return."

Worry spread across everyone's face, but Corvo formed a determined expression. "Well, either you or I will be here to destroy it when and if it returns," he said, stomping his hoof confidently.

Celestia smiled warmly at Corvo's declaration and Luna stared at him in slight wonder.

"And who are you to place yourself along with Faust?" Steel Strike questioned, scowling slightly.

"Princess?" he asked. She nodded in affirmation and he turned to the rulers. He returned to his normal form and they all stared at him in shock. "I am Corvo Attano, a being from another world brought here by someone as powerful as Faust. She has seen fit to give me a piece of her magic," he said.

"Another one?" the minotaur asked.

They all turned to him. "What do you mean another one?" Diamond Talon asked.

He raised his voice and called out, "You're there aren't you?"

Confusion spread on all of their faces. Suddenly, another figure appeared that looked similar to Corvo and stood on two legs like he did. He had  blood red fur, with a black mane, and had deep blue eyes. He was wearing the same clothes he wore in Dunwall, except that now they were dark purple.

"Daud," Corvo said, his voice filled with malice.

Celestia's eyes widened in shock. "Daud!? What's he doing here!?" she shouted, placing a wing in front of Luna and standing in front of her. She started to charge her magic and looked ready to attack, as did Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash. However, the last person they expected to stop them spoke up.

"Celestia, Gleaming Shield, Crescent Slash, don't," Corvo said almost emotionlessly.

They stared at him, not believing what they were hearing. "Why!?" she yelled.

"Because Faust told me that Daud had not done anything like he did in my world. The Outsider said that he had changed as well." He stared at Daud with a hate filled expression. "I told her that I would give him the benefit of the doubt and see for myself if he has changed." Corvo took a calming breath, "Besides, I spared his life before, so I'd like to see if I made the right decision."

"Again you show amazing restraint Lord Protector," Daud said, bowing slightly.

The magic faded from Celestia's horn and she glared at the assassin before her. "Fine, I won't do anything yet. I know a good way to see if he has changed," she said.

"And that would be?" Daud asked.

"You are to befriend the Elements of Harmony," she instructed. "If they are able to see passed your sins and become friends with you, then I will trust that you aren't the same individual that Corvo showed me."

"Very well, Princess. To show you that I'm a changed... stallion, I'll befriend these Elements of Harmony you speak of. Who are they?" he asked.

"Friends of mine," Corvo spoke up. "They live in Ponyville, so you'll have to move there. You'll head there with me when I go back." Daud nodded in understanding.

"Corvo is one of the reasons that I called you all here. He already explained to you who he is, but I also wanted to tell you about our new guard. It is called the Crow Guard and every member of the guard has special magic that he, and Daud, are able to wield," she explained.

"They are able to use magic?" Diamond Talon questioned.

"Yes, they can. A being known as the Outsider gifted them with it," Celestia told them.

Steel Strike nodded in agreement, "She's telling the truth. I've seen Daud use it as well and he told me about the Outsider."

Daud glanced at Corvo, "You're able to use the Arcane Bond? I noticed that those two Blinked in here."

"Yes, I can. The Outsider decided to give it to me, as well as Pull and several gadgets that you used before he sent me here."

"Interesting. He did the same for me. I can use all the magic that you can and he gave me the gadgets that you possessed," he said.

"You keep mentioning someone called the Outsider. Who is he?" Tartarius inquired.

"That would be me, Emperor," a voice rang through the room.

Everyone started looking around the room, searching for the owner of the voice. They soon found it. A man floating in the air, of similar anatomy to Corvo and Daud.

"Outsider," Corvo, Daud, and the Princesses said simultaneously.

The Outsider scanned those present before saying, "Rulers of Equis. I came to this world after finding out that just how interesting it is." He stared at them and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I will be watching everything with an even keener interest than I did in my world." With that he vanished, leaving the rulers to debate with themselves what he meant. However, Corvo and Daud had other thoughts on their minds.

"Daud, did you see--?" Corvo started.

"That ever so faint smile? Yeah," the assassin confirmed. The two glanced at each other, wondering what was going on with the Outsider that got him showing even the slightest hint of emotion.

Celestia speaking brought there attention back to the rulers. "More than I expected was revealed here today, but all of it was important. Thank you all for coming and not freaking out when Luna entered," she said. "You may stay the night if you so wish, but otherwise you may return whenever you're ready."

King Steel Strike stretched, "I think I'll take you up on your offer." The others nodded in agreement.

"Very well, the guards will show you to the room you will spend the night in," Celestia said. The rulers exited the room and followed the guards to their rooms. The Princess then turned to the two stallions. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Manny wants to fight, but since I'm sure he doesn't want me to be drained, I think I'm going to rest and fight him tomorrow," Corvo said. "That OK with you Manny?" he asked the manticore using his Telepathy.

"Yeah, that's fine. I want you to be at full strength when we fight," he said.

"Then I suppose I'll be staying as well," Daud said. "Since Corvo has to show me who the Elements are, I can't head to Ponyville yet."

"Very well, you can rest here," Celestia said. "Corvo, you can head to the room you stayed in before."

Before he left, Corvo walked up to the Princesses. "Don't worry Luna. I know you'll be able to prove to everyone that you are back to your old self and that you will not let what happened, happen again," he said.

Luna smiled, "Thank you Corvo."

He nodded. However, before he could leave, a letter appeared in front of Celestia. Taking it in her magic, she opened it and began to read it. Once she finished, confusion spread across her face.

"Is something wrong Celestia?" Corvo asked.

"Apparently Twilight only received two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, but she was supposed to receive one for each of her friends," she told him. "The pony in charge of distributing them must have thought it was an error or something," she said with a sigh. In a golden flash, five more tickets and two scrolls appeared. She began writing her response to Twilight and placed six of the tickets in it. She then sent the message.

Luna noticed that she still had one ticket and asked, "What about that one?"

Corvo smiled, "It's for Spike isn't it? I'm sure that all day he's been saying that he wouldn't want any part of something like a gala, but he'd, of course, want to go with his friends."

"Exactly," Celestia said. She wrote a short letter and placed the last ticket in it, before sending it off. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

They nodded and, after entering the hall, went separate ways. Corvo started walking to the room he had stayed in before. As he walked, he called out to Faust. "Faust?" he said.

"Is something wrong Corvo?" she asked.

"No everything's fine. I was just wondering if those crystals that Empress Blessing Flame used could be used to show my memories," he inquired.

"They don't normally, but I could make it to where they will," she said.

"If you can, it would make things easier to explain to the others."

"It will be easy to do. They will be ready by tomorrow, but I'll give them to you after your scuffle with a manticore," she said. He could practically see her smirking as she said this. She then said with a serious tone, "I'm going to have to see your memories you know."

"Of course and thank you," he said, reaching his room. He laid in his bed and soon fell asleep. As he slept, his memories played in his mind as Faust looked them over and recorded them onto a gem for Corvo.
> Sins of the Past part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Corvo awoke with a start. His slaying of the Whalers flashing in his mind. Panting slightly, he slowly sat up, 'Damn it, the same nightmare.' It'd only happened a few times, but he'd dream of the massacre he had caused. He looked at the nightstand and saw two golden tickets laying there with a note under them. Picking them up, he read the note.

Here are two tickets for you to join your friends at the Grand Galloping Gala. There's an extra in case you find a special somepony to take with you. -Celestia

A blush crossed his face as he read the note. Twilight had told him that calling a pony your special somepony was pretty much saying that you were going out with them. Shaking himself, he pocketed the tickets and started toward the training grounds.

Reaching out with his Telepathy, Corvo said, "I'm on my way Manny. You ready?"

"I'm ready when you are," he replied.

When he reached the grounds entrance, Corvo was surprised to see Daud leaning against the door frame. Corvo felt his anger rise, but quickly stomped it down and approached the former assassin.

When Corvo reached him, Daud spoke up. "Why in the Void do you look like a pony Corvo?" he asked.

"To blend in, Daud. Ponies will find out about my actual form, but won't know who I am until I tell or show them," Corvo said. He smirked slightly, "Plus the Diamond Dog King left before he learned of this."

Daud smirked as well, "He won't be expecting you to change or someone like me if he decides to do something." Corvo nodded. Daud then questioned, "You're really going to fight something that's as big as blood ox and probably ten times as dangerous?"

"He isn't just an animal and we agreed to not fatally or heavily injure each other, so I don't have worry about anything," Corvo said. Daud arched a brow at him, but stayed silent. When he entered the grounds, Corvo was rather surprised to see a bunch of guards had gathered. Noticing Gleaming Shield, he approached her. "What's going on?" he asked.

She looked over and said, "You kidding? Once word got out that you were going to fight a manticore and that it had behaved itself yesterday, they want to see how you handle yourself against him." She frowned slightly, "I even found out a few guards betting on who would win."

Corvo waved his hoof, "It's fine, I'd be somewhat surprised if they didn't. I'd sometimes see the guards in my world making bets about things before and about much more morbid things than this." He walked across from the manticore. "You care what form I'm in when we fight?" Manny shook his head in negative.

"Corvo, here!" Crescent shouted, throwing a sword to him.

"Crescent, I don't want to injure him," he said, catching the weapon.

"It's a dulled blade for practice, Corvo," Gleaming told him, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, alright." He got in a stance and readied himself. He decided to stay in his pony form. He wanted to get more practice fighting in this form in case he ended up somewhere he couldn't be in his normal form. 

Corvo watched Manny as he stalked around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw him pounce and Corvo sidestepped the attack. He then moved forward and slashed with his sword. Manny jumped to the side and backpawed Corvo. He slid several feet, but managed to stay on his hooves. Corvo charged forward and, just before he reached the manticore, he slid under him, striking Manny's stomach as he went. When he was out from under him, Corvo jumped away just as the scorpion tail swung at him. Manny turned around and stared at Corvo, a grin working its way across his muzzle. Corvo smiled slightly as well, then charged and swung his sword forward. Manny lashed out with his tail and clashed with the sword.

Corvo frowned slightly, "You trying to poison me?"

Manny rolled his eyes, "Unless I actually wanted to, all this would do would wound you. All you said was that we weren't to kill each other."

"You have that much control over it? I thought it always injected someone with poison."

"From books about us right?" the manticore asked. Corvo nodded, and Manny sighed. "That's not surprising. I mean whenever a manticore hits something with their tail, it's usually to poison them. However we do have control over it."

"Good to know," Corvo said.

He then swung his sword upward, swatting his tail away and punched the manticore in the snout. He reeled back from the impact and glared at Corvo. He then tackled the earth pony, sending him skidding across the field. He stopped in front of Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little sore, but fine," he answered.

Corvo charged forward, but as he reached Manny, he Blinked next to the manticore and bucked his side. He was launched several feet away, where he landed with a dull thud. He quickly got up and and took off.

"If you're going to use your magic then I'm using my wings!" Manny roared.

He dove at Corvo and swiped at him, but he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the strike. Getting up, Corvo launched a weakened Windblast at the manticore. The gust of wind knocked Manny out of the air. He landed on his paws and was about to pounce when a voice spoke up.

"I must say I was not expecting to walk in on something like this."

Turning around, they were surprised to see all of the rulers, as well as Ruby Blaze, standing there, Tartarius had the screen for Blessing Flame held in his magic. The guards, Corvo, Daud, and, to the rulers, young dragon, and former assassin's astonishment, Manny bowed.

They all stared at Manny until Corvo asked, "Is there anything you need, Your Highness's?"

Snapping out of it, Diamond Talon spoke up, "No, we just heard a commotion coming from out here and decided to see what it was."

"Ah," he said. He glanced at her claw, "Empress Diamond Talon, if it's not too personal--"

"You're wondering about my claw being diamond, right?" she guessed. He nodded. "Well, first off it's completely diamond, it isn't just covered in it. Watch," she said, walking up to a stone bench. She ran her claw along the bench and they were all shocked when it fell inward, cleanly cut in half. "Tartarius?"

The Emperor's horn lit up dark green aura and he fixed the bench.

"Thank you," she said. She then turned back to Corvo. "To answer your question, I was born without a right claw and, with griffons, this is a major handicap. You only have half of your fighting and defensive capabilities. I was always treated rather harshly because I was considered weaker than other griffons. But that didn't stop me, I worked harder than any other griffon and I eventually reached where I am now. Seeing me overcome such a thing, Celestia and Tartarius combined their magic and made this for me," she held up her claw. "They took several diamonds and molded them around my arm. They made it to where it's malleable enough to move like an actual limb, but was still as tough as a diamond should be."

"I see. Well, thank you for the explanation," Corvo said, bowing slightly.

"It isn't really a secret, it's just that no one's really asked," she said.

"Probably cause not only are you an Empress, but also because you're a griffon," Alestern mentioned.

"Probably," Diamond Talon said. She glanced at Manny, who was just sitting on the ground. "I've never seen a manticore act the way he is."

"Yes, he said that he's the only one that he knows of that is sentient like him," Corvo said. "We've also become friends."

Everyone's gaze shifted from Manny to Corvo. They all stared at him in stunned silence.

Blessing Flame chuckled, "Becoming friends with a manticore. Even with my long life, I never thought I'd live to see something like that."

Corvo shrugged, "It helps when you can see something's intelligence from their eyes... and have telepathy."

"You have telepathy?" Tartarius asked in shock.

"Yes. Why?" Corvo asked.

"It's normally something that only powerful unicorns are able to do and it's usually only with their families," the Emperor said.

'So can Twilight use it along with her family?' Corvo wondered. 'I'm sure the Princesses can use it with anyone like their mother can.' "Well, Faust gave me the ability to do so," Corvo said.

They all 'ah'd' in understanding, before they went back inside the castle. Except for Tartarius, who placed the screen that Empress Blessing Flame was using on the bench that had been cut and repaired. He then walked back inside as Ruby sat on the bench.

"Corvo there's something I'd like to ask you," the dragoness said.

"If I may have a moment," Corvo said. He turned to Gleaming and asked, "Will you bring the rest of the Crow Guard here?"

"It will probably take a little while for the Wonderbolts to get here, but I can. Why?" she asked.

"I'll explain when everypony's here," he said.

"Alright," Gleaming said, and entered the castle.

"Okay Empress, you wanted to ask me something?" Corvo questioned.

Blessing waved a claw, "You don't have to address me like that. Celestia and Luna see you as a friend so I do as well. Just call me Blessing Flame when there aren't any dragons around. Besides, Ruby and Spike anyway."

"Very well, Blessing Flame," he said.

"Anyway, there is something I wish to ask of you," she said. Corvo looked at her curiously. "I had Ruby go to Equestria for a reason. I wanted her to help Spike out with getting to know ponies better. I think it would be beneficial to have two points of view. Especially since Spike might end up being slightly biased having become family with them."

"I suppose I see your point. What does that have to do with me though?" Corvo asked.

"I was hoping that she would be able to stay with you. Do you have room for her?" she questioned.

"Yes, we have a whole other guest room. I'd need to talk to Twilight though. She lives there as well," he told her.

A smirk spread across the Empress's maw. "You're living with a mare?" she teased.

A faint blush crossed Corvo's muzzle. "She's my sister," he said.

Blessing Flame chuckled, "I'm just messing with you Corvo. Take this crystal with you, so that you can tell me whether or not she'll agree and that, if she does, Ruby will be able to contact me when she wants to."

"I'll speak to her as soon as I can," he promised. He took the crystal and placed it in his coat. Turning to Manny he asked, "Do you want to continue or are you satisfied for now?"

"I'm fine for now, but I'd like fight again," he answered with a smile.

"Sure, just let me know," Corvo said. At that moment, the rest of the Crow Guard walked onto the field. They paused when they saw Daud and bristled when they realized who it was. "That was pretty fast. And stand down you all, Daud's under surveillance for now."

"Well, I'd forgotten that the Wonderbolts were here for the summit, as well," Gleaming explained.

"So, what'd you want us for?" Soarin asked.

"Because Faust gave me some magic and she said that I can let you use them. That's what I intend to do," he said. They all nodded and placed their hooves over each other's. Corvo placed his right hand on top of their hooves and activated his Arcane Bond. After a moment, the glow dissipated and Corvo stepped back. "You can now cast illusions, enhance your vision, and speak with others telepathically. Oh, and don't mix the two vision spells," he warned. "It temporarily blinded me when I tried." When they nodded, Corvo said, "That was all, I just wanted to make sure you all were able to use the new spells I could. You can return to your posts." They saluted and headed back into the castle. He turned to Daud, "You ready to go to Ponyville?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready. How are we going to get there?"

"You don't mind flying us back do you, Manny?" Corvo asked.

"I don't mind, but don't go thinking I'll do this all the time," he said.

"Of course not. I'm not going to ask you to take me everywhere. And if I want you to take me somewhere, I'll be sure to ask you before hand," Corvo said. He turned to Ruby, "Come on, Ruby. We're heading to Ponyville."

"A-are you sure it's safe?" she asked, shakily.

"Yes, Manny here is a good guy. He flew me here in the first place," Corvo told her. "I'll have a hold of you while we're flying okay?" Ruby nodded reluctantly and he changed back to his normal form. After placing Ruby on the manticore, he climbed on and held onto the young dragoness.

After Daud climbed onto Manny's back, the manticore spread his wings and took off. The screams of the nobles making Corvo, Daud, and Manny to smirk as they flew back to Ponyville.


~~~~


When they reached Ponyville, Manny landed in front of the library. The ponies looked at the manticore in panic, but when they saw Corvo riding on it they went about their day. They kept a wary eye on him though. Corvo and Daud jumped off of the manticore's back and Corvo helped Ruby to the ground. Suddenly a blue crystal appeared in front of him.

As he caught it a familiar voice spoke to him. "There you go, Corvo. That crystal has all of your memories from the point that the Empress was assassinated to before you moved to Ponyville. As well as when you protected that woman in Serkonos." Faust paused, then said, "I thought I should include it since you mention something important afterwards. I hope you don't mind that I put those there."

"It's fine. The others are probably wondering how Twilight got that scar over her eye. And while I'm sure that Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy have some self-control, I'm pretty sure that Pinkie and Blitz don't," Corvo said.

"Actually, when Pinkie saw how unhappy asking that made Twilight she dropped it," Faust said. She then sighed, "Unfortunately you're right about Rainbow Blitz. He's asked her twice since yesterday. If you don't explain it soon, he'll likely keep at it until Twilight finally snaps."

'Damn it Blitz,' Corvo cursed. "Thank you for doing this Faust."

"It's nothing Corvo. I'll see you later," she said. She seemed to remember something as she spoke again, "Oh, and Corvo, you can pause, rewind, and fast forward the video. All you have to do is be in contact with the crystal and think what you want it to do."

"OK, thanks again, Faust." Corvo turned to the manticore next to him. "Manny, I feel I need to ask this," he started. "You're not going to do anything to ponies are you? I ask because everypony is going to ask."

"I swear to you Corvo that the only time I'll do anything to anypony is if they do something to me, you, or anyone you care about," the manticore said.

Corvo nodded, then turned to Daud. "Before we go in, there's something you need to know," he started.

"And that is?" Daud questioned.

"I'm going to be showing them all my past. That's going to obviously include the things you were responsible for," Corvo said.

The former assassin nodded, "Of course. I didn't expect you to not explain to them about me and why I was here."

"Right. Well, let's head in." Corvo opened the door and stepped inside. He froze at what he saw. All of his friends were already sitting in the library, even Octavia, Vinyl, and, surprisingly, Moon Dancer were present. Honeycrisp, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were also there. "What's everyone doing here?" he asked.

"Lady Faust told us there was something you wanted to show us," Rarity said.

"I highly doubt she wants you to refer to her like that Rarity," Corvo said. "Anyway that's right. She helped me get a way that I can show you all my past that's much easier than what we've been doing and do it at the same time instead of individually."

"Corvo, who are they?" Twilight asked, a look of shock on her face.

Corvo gestured for them to enter. Once they did, Corvo introduced the dragoness first. "This is Ruby Blaze. Her grandmother asked if she could stay with us, so that dragons can better understand ponies," he said.

"Couldn't Spike do that?" Blitz asked.

"He can, but she thought that it would be good to have another point of view. Especially since he's been raised by ponies and some would probably view his opinions as being biased," he explained. Most of the ponies nodded their heads in understanding. "So, Twilight, would you mind if she stayed with us?"

Twilight was surprised by the question, but then gained a thoughtful look. "Well, Moon Dancer is taking the guest room." She glanced at the unicorn in question. "She's moving to Ponyville too, and asked to stay here until she can get a place of her own. Although if they don't mind sharing a room," she trailed off, looking between the two.

Moon Dancer smiled slightly, "I don't mind her staying in the same room, if she doesn't mind."

Ruby returned the smile, "That sounds nice. Having a roommate."

Twilight nodded, "Alright then, she's more than welcome."

"What are you going to do about a bed for her?" Corvo asked.

"I could do what I did for Spike," she offered.

"The basket?" Corvo questioned, arching a brow.

Knowing what he was thinking, Spike spoke up, "There's actually a mattress in it. Twilight shrunk one down for me and put it inside."

Glancing at his sister, Corvo said, "Good thinking Twilight." She blushed, as he continued to speak, "Is that OK with you Ruby?"

She nodded, "That sounds fine."

"Then we'll get a bed and basket after this," Twilight said. She then looked at the other stallion. "So, who's this and why does he look similar to you?"

"Twilight, I need you to remain calm when I tell you his name. Faust says he's changed and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt," he said. Twilight looked confused, but nodded. Corvo took a deep breath, "It's Daud."

Twilight's eyes widened and Corvo thought for sure that he saw her mane flicker like fire, before she forced herself to be calm.

"She already knows?" Daud asked, noticing her reaction.

"Yes, she and her family all know. I felt that her parents deserved to know who their daughter was spending so much time with and why she spent so long with me. So, I showed them my memories and that obviously included you," Corvo explained.

"So Faust says he's changed?" Twilight questioned, suppressing her anger.

"Her and the Minotaur king," he answered.

This caught them all by surprise. "The minotaur king?" Octavia asked.

"Yes, the Princess had called a Royal Summit yesterday to tell them about Luna's return, the Crow Guard, me, and the Outsider," he told them. "It was there that Daud showed up. Apparently he's been helping the minotaurs."

Twilight sighed, "Fine, but I'm keeping an eye on him."

"That kind of why he's here. Princess Celestia said that she wanted him to come here and that if he could get you and the other Elements to at least look passed what he's done, then she'd trust him," Corvo explained.

"What did he do?" Applejack asked.

"A-and why u-us?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"You'll see in a moment, Applejack. As for why you, as I said the six of you are the embodiment of the Elements of Harmony. I think that's rather self-explanatory," Corvo said. He walked to the table in the middle of the room and placed the two crystals on it.

"Are those video crystals?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, although Faust altered one to show my memories," he said. "Before that though, I need to tell Ruby's grandmother that you agreed to let her stay here. You mind activating it Twilight?"

She gave Corvo a weird look. "You can activate it Corvo," she told him. He looked at her questioningly. "Just focus your magic into it and it'll activate."

He placed his hand on the purple crystal and focused his magic into it and the screen appeared. "Hello again, Blessing Flame," he said.

"Wait, her grandmother is the Empress!?" Twilight shouted in shock.

"Oh, so you know her," Corvo said.

"Of course I do. The Princess would talk about her and Emperor Tartarius," she said. "Although she never mentioned what the Emperor is," she muttered.

Corvo turned back to the Empress. "Well, Blessing, Twilight agreed to let Ruby stay here," he told her.

She smiled and turned to the panicking unicorn, "Thank you Twilight. Did Corvo explain to you why I wanted her there?"

"Y-yes Your Highness," she said, bowing.

Corvo stepped to the screen and whispered, "Before you try, she won't refer to you by just your name. She's known Celestia longer than me and still refers to her as Princess."

The dragoness sighed and muttered, "She's one of those kinds of ponies." She then noticed Spike and smiled, "Hello, there little one. You must be Spike."

The young drakes eyes widened, "How do you know my name?"

"Celestia and I told her about you," Corvo said. Everyone gasped at him calling the Princess by her name. He rolled his eyes, "Oh would you all knock it off. Both she and Luna asked if I'd just refer to them by their names."

"You didn't tell him?" Blessing Flame asked.

"It's not exactly something that's easy to tell someone," he said.

"True," she sighed. She focused on the young dragon. "Spike there's something that you need to know and I can't think of a better time than when you're surrounded by family and friends. First off, you were born a hundred years ago." Everyone's eyes widened at this piece of information. "Now for the hard part. Spike, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. There's a reason that Celestia had your egg." Blessing took a deep breath, "Your parents were killed." Horror crossed all of their faces. "We don't know by who and they've most likely long since died, if they weren't some other dragons anyway." Seeing the pain on Spike's face, she looked at him sympathetically, "I know this is a lot to just drop on you, but I felt that you needed to know." She glanced at Twilight, "Besides, there are those that consider you family that will undoubtedly help you through this."

"Of course I will," Twilight said, pulling Spike into a hug.

Corvo walked up and placed a hand on Spike's head, smiling down at the drake. Spike smiled back as he returned his sister's hug.

"Be sure to call, Ruby," Blessing Flame said to her granddaughter.

"I will grandma," she said, before the screen disappeared.

"Right well, I suppose I should get to showing you all about my past," Corvo said, approaching the other crystal. "If you want to know about me, you might want to come in," he called out.

Twilight, Applejack, and Spike looked at Corvo in panic as they had an idea who he was talking to. However, before they could say anything, the manticore walked inside. Everypony immediately freaked out as he entered, except for one pony. Much to Corvo's amusement, Fluttershy flew up to the manticore and gave him a hug, nuzzling his mane. Manny smiled and nuzzled her back, shocking everypony.

Corvo chuckled, "You mind sitting in the back, Manny? Don't want you blocking anypony's view of the crystal."

Fluttershy gasped, "You liked the name?" When Manny nodded, the pegasus grinned widely and hugged him again. She then laid on his back as he walked to the wall and laid down.

Honeycrisp approached Corvo and he was surprised at the look in her eyes. There was anger, anguish, and fear apparent in them. "May I speak with outside for a moment?" she requested.

"Sure," he said, following her outside. "What's wrong Honeycrisp?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong!?" she hissed. "What is that manticore doing here!?"

"Manny? I offered to be his friend since he wasn't like other manticore's and he was by himself," Corvo explained. "Why?"

Honeycrisp sighed as tears stung her eyes, "That's the manticore that killed my husband. I recognize the scar on his snout."

Corvo's eyes widened in shock, "I-I'm sorry Honeycrisp. I didn't know he was the one--"

She interrupted him by raising her hoof, "It's fine Corvo. I need to face this eventually anyway. He's not going to hurt anypony right?"

"No, he isn't. He swore that he wouldn't unless provoked," he told her.

"Very well. Though I'm still going to be keeping an eye on him," she said.

"Of course," he said, as they both reentered the library. Before he started the video, Corvo glanced at the young dragons. "What should we do about them?" he whispered to Twilight. "Should we show them?"

"I don't think we should, but I get the feeling that they'd try and get that crystal so they could see it. At least, I'm sure Spike would," she told him.

He nodded and decided to let them watch. "There are a few things before I start," Corvo addressed everyone gaining their attention. "First I want you all to Pinkie Promise that you won't tell anypony about what you are going to see without my permission and that you won't freak out when Daud appears." They all looked confused at the last thing, but did the motions. Twilight, Spike, and Ruby looked at the others in confusion. "Twilight, Spike you two don't have to worry about it."

"And why's that?" Blitz asked.

"Because I consider them family and trust them not to do anything against my wishes," he said.

"What do ya mean ya consider them family?" Applejack questioned. "I thought ya said she was your sister?"

"You'll see in a minute Applejack, but suffice to say my situation was similar to Spike in a way." Turning to Ruby he asked, "Can I trust you to not tell anyone about what I'm about show you?" When he saw the conflicted look on her face he said, "You can talk to the Empress about it if you want." After hearing this she nodded. "I'm sure you'll need to after seeing everything," he muttered to himself. "Now the other thing. There will be quite a few gruesome things, so I want you all to be prepared for when they happen." Everyone looked hesitant as he said this, but they nodded in understanding. Corvo took a deep breath, "Alright, well here it goes. Oh, and the first thing your going to see is violent." He focused his magic into the crystal and, once the screen appeared, he stepped back and waited. They all watched as Corvo's life played out before them.


*****


A young Corvo was walking through Serkonos, heading home. A scream of terror caught his attention and he immediately took off in its direction. He eventually found three men approaching a woman, who's back was pressed against a wall. The men all had lecherous smirks on their faces. Corvo immediately drew the sword he'd bought recently and rushed forward.

When he reached the men, he slashed one across his back, one on the arm, and the last on the thigh. They all let out shouts of pain and Corvo put himself between them and the woman, who gasped in shock.

The men glared at Corvo, "And just what do you think you're doing brat?"

"Protecting an innocent woman from a couple bastards," Corvo answered. He held up his blade and said, "Leave, now."

They scowled and ran forward. Corvo sidestepped one of their strikes and slashed him in the side. Ducking under a swinging fist, he slashed the man across his chest. The last one managed to land a kick to Corvo's side, pushing him back several feet. Regaining his balance, Corvo charged forward and drove his sword into the man's shoulder.

He then moved back in front of the woman. "Leave," Corvo repeated. One of the men started to move. However, before he could Corvo moved first and pressed the blade against the man's neck. "Now."

Corvo didn't remove his gaze from the three men as they ran away. When they were out of sight, he turned to the woman, who immediately threw her arms around him and sobbed into his small shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you," she sobbed. She pulled back, "How are you able to fight so well, when you're so young?"

He winced as tears stung his eyes, "My parents passed away and I've had to protect myself."

"Oh, you poor dear," the woman said, pulling him into another hug.


*****


As the scene ended, just about everypony's eyes were watering.

"You lost your parents?" Pinkie asked, her mane seeming to deflate slightly.

"Yes, I did," Corvo answered. "My father died in a lumber accident and my mother passed away a few years before that." He suddenly found himself wrapped in a hug by everyone, minus Daud and Manny. For some reason, Corvo felt his face heat up when he realized Octavia and Vinyl were each hugging his side. "Thanks everypony," he said, smiling and hugging them back. "But, before you do this again please wait until the end everypony. If you get up every time something like this comes up, you'll being getting up like twenty times." The screen changed to show Corvo on a boat. 


*****


Corvo was returning from his trip around to the other cities in Gristol in search for aid with the Plague that ran rampant through Dunwall. The small boat he was aboard was lowered into the water by a whaling ship. Once the boat was in the water, they made their way back to Dunwall tower. Corvo half listened as the two guards talked about there being a curse on Dunwall. He was more concerned with what the other cities had decided.

'Weakling bastards,' Corvo thought derisively. 'Not even willing to try and help.'

They soon reached a closed off area. The massive door behind them closed and water started to fill the area, lifting them to the top. Corvo raced to the front of the boat and leapt off, not wasting time with the ramp.

"Sorry, guys, but I want to get this to the Empress as soon as possible," Corvo shouted back. As he crossed the small bridge, a familiar little girl ran toward him. He smiled and knelt down, catching her in a hug. "Hey there Emily. How have you been?"

"OK. Can you tell me about your trip? Did you see any whales?" she asked.

"Not besides the ones that were caught," he answered.


*****


"Caught?" Fluttershy asked, worry evident in her voice.

Corvo winced, he hadn't been looking forward to explaining to Fluttershy about what they did to whales.

"It would be better if you didn't know, Fluttershy," Daud spoke up, much to Twilight and Corvo's surprise. "If how you treat Manny is anything to go by you love all manner of animals don't you?" When the timid pegasus nodded meekly, he said, "Then yeah, I saw a captured whale up close. It would really be better if you didn't know what happened to them."

This only worried Fluttershy more, but she decided to drop it, at least for now.


*****


"I need to get this letter to your mother," Corvo said.

"Wait, can't we play hide and seek first?" Emily asked, hopefully. "You have time. She's talking to that nasty old Spymaster."

He chuckled, "Now that isn't very nice Emily." He knelt down and whispered, "No matter how true it is." She giggled at him. "Alright, let's head below and play a quick game."


*****


Everyone smiled as they watched Corvo play hide and seek with the young Princess. After the game, they headed to where the Empress was.


*****


As they walked, they paused when they saw Sokolov painting a picture of the High Overseer. After listening to the two talk about how Corvo was sent seeking aid from the other Isles and how Sokolov believed his elixir would banish the Plague, Corvo and Emily continued on their way.

"I'm not sure he's painting Campbell right," Emily commented. Corvo shook his head in amusement.

"She'll see you at once," the guard said. Corvo nodded and walked through the gate as Emily ran ahead of him.

As he approached the gazebo he heard the Empress and Lord Regent arguing over what to do about the sick citizens of Dunwall. The Regent wanted to persecute, and possibly eliminate, anyone that was sick. The Empress of course disapproved of such a plan and wanted to protect and eventually cure the people.

"Mother, Corvo returned!" Emily said excitedly.

"Thank you Emily," Jessamine said. She turned to Hiram, "Please, leave us."

Hiram bowed and walked away. "Corvo, you're back two days early. As always, you're full of surprises," he said, as he passed the Lord Protector.

Corvo approached Jessamine and gave her a loving kiss. "It's good to see you, Your Highness," he said, when they broke apart.

"Corvo, you can just call me Jessamine," the Empress said, placing a hand on his cheek.


*****


Everyone was surprised to see how close Corvo was to the Empress. That the stallion they'd met had been in a relationship with royalty was a shock.


*****


"What news did you bring?" she asked.

Corvo grimaced and handed her the envelope with their response. She opened the letter and began to read it. As she read, her face fell. She dropped the letter and looked out across the water at the city beyond.

"I hoped that one of the cities had dealt with this before and might have had a cure. This news is very grave. We're at the breaking point," Jessamine said. "They're all cowards. They are going to blockade us and see if the city is turned into a graveyard."

"Are you okay, mother? You seem upset," Emily asked, worriedly.

"Yes, don't worry dear. Mother's fine," the Empress said. She then looked up, confusion and worry spreading across her face. "Wait, where are the guards? Who sent them away?"

"Mother look! What are those people doing on the roof?" Emily questioned, pointing to Corvo's left. They followed where she was pointing and saw several people running across the roof.

"Emily get back!" Jessamine exclaimed pulling her back.

Corvo drew his sword and unholstered his gun. He was shocked when the man suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of him. He was wearing a gas mask, hiding his face from view. Seeing them wielding weapons, he immediately fired his pistol, killing the man. He then turned to other man and swung his sword. Their weapons clashed and they pushed against each other. Corvo managed to push the assassin back and drove his sword into the man's chest.

As the man fell, Jessamine called out, "Corvo behind you!"

Spinning around, he saw another assassin suddenly appear in front of him. He raised his gun and shot him directly in the head, launching him backward. Corvo looked around, making sure there weren't any others. Confident that they were gone, he put his weapons away. As soon he did, Emily ran forward and hugged him. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you Corvo. If you hadn't been here-" she was cut off when another assassin appeared and somehow lifted Corvo off of the ground.

Emily immediately ran over to her mother. Before she reached Jessamine however, another man, this one without a mask, grabbed ahold of Emily. Jessamine pushed the man away from her daughter. The man slapped her and approached her threateningly.

As the man lifted his blade, Corvo shouted, "NOOOO!" But the man ignored him and drove the sword into the Empress.

Emily screamed and tried to run away, but the assassin holding Corvo grabbed her and vanished. The hold on Corvo disappeared and he fell to the ground, his head colliding with the stone. The impact nearly knocked him out, but he managed to keep himself conscious. The man glanced at Corvo before disappearing as well.


*****


Everyone was horrified when they saw Empress Jessamine murdered in front of her daughter and Corvo. They glared at Daud when they realized that it was him that ended her life, Fluttershy of course, looked at him in fear. Daud didn't even flinch at their gazes, but instead watched with a haunted look in his eyes, which did not escape Twilight's notice. They returned their attention to the screen when they remembered their promise, though they all looked more than willing to break it, even Pinkie Pie.


*****


Corvo scrambled over to Jessamine and listened to her last wishes. "No, please, don't die," he begged.

She smiled sadly, "Goodbye Corvo. I love you." With that her head fell to the side and her hand dropped to the ground.

Corvo gently laid the Empress on the ground, several tears running down his face as he stood up. As he did, Hiram and Thaddeus rushed to gazebo, two guards following behind them. Looking around, Corvo noticed that the bodies of the assassins had disappeared, leaving no evidence of anyone besides him being there.


*****


Shock and anger spread across all of their faces when the Lord Regent and High Overseer immediately accused Corvo of murdering the Empress and helping Emily be kidnapped. They winced when they saw Corvo being practically tortured, as they tried to get him to sign something that said he was the one responsible for what had happened to the Empress and her daughter.

They watched in shock and awe as Corvo quietly escaped from the prison, not spilling any blood, but instead knocked all of the guards out. Everyone jumped when the bomb went off, not expecting such a loud noise. They all gasped as Corvo ran through the destroyed door and dived into the water below without hesitation despite the height of the fall. When he entered the sewer, Corvo paused the video.

"I'm going to warn you all, what you about to hear is very unpleasant. I didn't need to look because things like that constantly happened in the city. You'll be able to guess what's happening from the sounds," he said, resuming the video.

They watched as Corvo climbed to the top of a caged off area and saw a swarm of rats below him. They suddenly heard voices and saw two men enter. Corvo passed them, not even giving them a second glance. A sickening crunching sound and the two men screaming caused practically everypony to turn green and a shiver to run down their spines as they imagined what was happening. Fluttershy looked absolutely horrified that the small rodents could and would be so vicious. They watched as Corvo made his way through the sewer and were terrified when they saw dead bodies suddenly drop onto a platform. Corvo quickly jumped onto the platform, so as to avoid the immense swarm of rats. He knelt next to the bodies and apologized for what he was about to do. He threw the bodies off of the platform and, as the rats swarmed the bodies, he quickly opened the door and made his way through the sewer. After sneaking past some guards, Corvo met up with an older man with a small boat. They watched as Corvo met the Loyalists. When he met Piero, Fluttershy spoke up after hearing him mention something.

"Whale oil?" she asked questioningly.

"Yes," Corvo said uneasily. "It's something that we extracted from whales and what we used as a fuel source for many of our technological devices." Silence permeated the room for a few minutes until Fluttershy spoke again.

"Is that all you used them for?" she asked.

"W-what?" he asked in surprise.

"I raise all kinds of animals Corvo. I understand the need of hunting animals, but if that's all you used the whales for..." she trailed off.

"I don't know if I mentioned this before, but humans are omnivores." Corvo glanced around the room and said, "For those who don't know, it means that we need to eat both plants and meat." He turned to Fluttershy, "So, no Fluttershy, whales weren't caught only for the oil they are able to produce."

"OK, while I still don't like animals being killed or even harmed, I'm glad that you weren't only going after them for their oil," she said.

"Are ya'll still omnivores?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, we are," he answered. He showed them his teeth and they all gasped at the sight of his canines. "The Outsider decided to keep our diets like they were before."

"Are you going to tell them about what some people used whales for?" Daud spoke up. "They're going to find out anyway."

"True," Corvo said. "Listen, there's something I'm going to tell you, but you should know that these were made a long time ago and aren't really created anymore."

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

Reaching into his pocket, Corvo pulled out one of his charms and showed it to everyone. All of them gasped and their eyes widened in horror.

"What in Celestia's name is that!?" Rarity and Octavia practically screeched.

"This is a Bone Charm. These and Runes are things made from the bones of whales," he said. Several ponies turned green and Fluttershy whimpered. "They were made back before the industrial revolution of our land and are probably even now being found throughout our world. Bone Charms in particular are used to enhance one's abilities or give them some type of benefit. This one for instance, is one I refer to as Spirit Water. When I drink something it replenishes my mana slightly," Corvo explained, before he turned back to the crystal and let it resume.


*****


Corvo awoke and sat up from his bed. As he stood up, he could feel something wasn't right. He walked up to the door and opened it. He froze as he saw a practically infinite space in front of him, with things floating and/or frozen in place. He climbed to the top of the structure and approached a spot where the air felt heavy. When he got near it, a being suddenly appeared floating in front of him.

Corvo's eyes widened in shock, "The Outsider."

"That's right Corvo," the entity said. "Your life's taken a real turn hasn't it? The Empress's life has been taken, her precious daughter Emily is somewhere in the city, lost to those who care for her, and you, who will play a pivotal role in the coming days. It is because of this that I have chosen you and drawn you to the Void."

"What are you going to do?" Corvo questioned.

"This is my Mark," the Outsider said, waving his hand.

Corvo winced as he felt a burning sensation on his left hand. Looking down, he saw a strange symbol on the back of his hand.

"There are forces in the world and beyond the world, great forces that men call magic, and now these forces will serve your will," he said. "Use these new found powers. My gift to you. Come find me."


*****


They all teared up slightly when, as Corvo moved to the first platform, they saw Jessamine's corpse on the ground. They all looked in horror as they saw what the note next to her said. 'YOU CANNOT SAVE HER' over and over. They all felt mild satisfaction watching Corvo ripping the paper to shreds. Everyone was surprised to see Emily frozen in the Void and they all frowned seeing a man in black trying to drag Emily somewhere. They watched as Corvo saw the letter floating near her hand and read it. Sadness and slight happiness, showed on everyone's faces when they saw that the note said Emily was scared, but that she still believed Corvo was alive and well. Corvo looked to his left and everyone gaped at what they saw.





"Those are the whales of your world!?" Blitz shouted in shock.

Corvo chuckled slightly. Having seen the whales of this world he understood the shock they felt. "Indeed, they are," he said.

They were stunned into silence as the memories continued. The sight of the Tallboys only caused them to glance nervously at each other. While not to much of a threat to them with their magic to the humans they looked very dangerous. They were especially concerned, when they noticed the flaming projectile that, if they weren't frozen, headed straight at two sickly looking men. Corvo eventually reached a certain spot and the Outsider reappeared.


*****


As soon as the Outsider appeared, he began speaking, "The trials you face in the days to come will be great Corvo. Seek the ancient runes that bear my Mark in the lonely places of your world and at shrines that were raised in my name," he told Corvo. "They will grant you powers beyond those of other men. To help you find these runes I give you this: the Heart of a living thing, molded by my hands. You will hear many secrets with this Heart, and it will guide you toward my runes, no matter how and where they may be hidden," he said. "Listen to the Heart now, and find your first rune."


*****


Shock, disgust, and horror showed on everyone's faces as an actual heart appeared in Corvo's hand, even Daud looked perturbed at the sight. The Heart had been messed with however, having metal wrapped around and sticking out of it. There was also a hole in the heart with a small circular piece of glass protecting the inside circuitry. They watched as Corvo gave the Heart a light squeeze and were horrified when they heard the voice that spoke to him. It sounded exactly like Empress Jessamine. Corvo eventually reached a shrine with a strange item floating above a table.


*****


Corvo grabbed the rune and ran a hand over its surface. A second later, he felt that he was able to use a new power. The Outsider appeared once again and spoke.

"How you use what I've given you falls upon you, as it has to the others before you," he said. "I will now return you to your world, but know that I will be watching the events that unfold with great interest."

The world around Corvo darkened. Opening his eyes, Corvo thought, 'That was an odd dream.' Sitting up, he glanced at his hand and saw the mark on it. 'I guess it wasn't a dream.' He focused on the Heart and it suddenly appeared in his grasp. Looking at it forlornly, he wondered, 'Is this truly your heart Jessamine? The Outsider's a bastard if it is.'


*****


They watched as Corvo met with Admiral Havlock. Twilight frowned at the sight of the man. Having seen everything already, she knew of his inevitable betrayal, but she stayed silent as the man explained to Corvo the Loyalist's plans and his mission. Corvo left the bar and made his way to the harbor. Before he reached it, a woman named Callista called out to him and asked him to save her uncle that was going to be assassinated by Campbell for not being corruptible like the other guards. Corvo then headed to the boat and he and Sam headed toward their destination.

"And that's just the beginning," Corvo said, noticing that a lot of them seemed rather emotionally drained. "Do you all want to take a break?"

"No, let's get through this now, if we don't, I'm not sure how well I'll be able to sleep," Moon Dancer said, the others nodding in agreement.

Corvo sighed, "Very well, but I'd get comfortable. I wouldn't be surprised if this took until tomorrow morning at least." Everypony started getting comfortable, several even laying down, and waited for Corvo to continue showing his memories.