> Princess Twilight's Escorts
>  by FerociousCreation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Two Cages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A disgusting dark-green choked the sky. Even the white clouds I was so accustomed to seeing had fled, afraid of Tempest Shadow and her group of aggressors. I sat in the marketplace as Groak, my captor, passed around plates filled with cherries to my group of fifteen ponies, myself included. “You may eat,” Groak said to me and the others.

The order was given, and I removed my muzzle with a quick pull of the strap. But I couldn’t eat too quickly because of the large pits at fruit’s center, making it difficult to stuff myself even though I was hungry. Cherries were the only thing given to us. Groak hated eating the tedious food. Even when somepony would try to remove the seeds by hoof, the Storm Creature would lose interest and want something else, like cake.

Groak walked over to me and sat down at my side. I felt the ground quake from the sheer force of his drop. “Horseshoe,” he said, naming me by the image of my cutie mark, “come up with any new games today?” Today… He said it with no notice that the sun hadn't moved since Canterlot was sieged. Knowing how long Twilight and her friends had retreated was beyond me. Time was lost since her absence. But I knew Twilight would return with a triumphant glow. She always has.

As I sucked on a sour cherry pit, my head lifted up to my large oppressor. It was hard to tell what emotion he was conveying because of his leering mask, but I knew he was genuinely curious about what I might have in store.

“I have something in mind,” I said, not sure what that idea was, but I didn't have a need to worry. Something always came to me when Groak asked for entertainment.

“You are my favorite pony, Horseshoe!” Groak proclaimed, bragging to his nearby comrades in another attempt to make them jealous. “You always have something fun to do!” The spear in his massive paw pointed at the other fourteen in my group. “The rest of you are lousy!” A few stallions looked at me with nasty glares, but most only briefly looked up before returning to their meal. It was not my intention to show off to Groak and gain his favor. In fact, I hated that I was a focus point because of Groak. He always brought trouble along with his comments.

“Hey, Groak! Keep quiet!” Mancer, a Storm Creature who finds himself always arguing with Groak, stomped over. “I don’t care about your Horseshoe pony.”

“Says the guy who tried to sell me half of his ponies for my prized possession,” Groak snorted. “You can’t beat Horseshoe because his special talent is making games for me to enjoy. In fact, others have tried to trade me all of theirs for my one!” The fact that I had a higher value price over others made me sick. All because of what I could do. “Horseshoe is also good at coming up with amazing ideas! Have you ever tried cheese and crackers?” Groak pointed at me with a large finger. “This pony has! And he is willing to share with me!”

Mancer crossed his arms. “Sounds to me like you are friends with a pony.”

A grumble erupted in my guard’s torso. “Stand up, Horseshoe…” Groak said, his gloating tone gone in an instant. My ears fell back, and I closed my eyes; I knew what was coming next. I heard the sound of aluminum plates scrape at the ground; my group was moving away from me. A hard fist bashed into my side, the force pushing me into the ground. I bounced off the surface, and I let out a cry in pain. Both sides of my ribcage cramped from two forces. While I writhed on the ground, I heard Groak yell, “Do friends treat each other like this?!” Mancer did not respond, and I was glad he didn’t. It did surprise me that Groak didn’t hit me as hard as before. He only used maybe… one-fourth of his might. “Didn’t think so. Now get out of my face, or I will show you how hard I can hit you!”

Instead of throwing any blows, Mancer walked to his cluster of ponies and left with them. “Get up,” Groak instructed and I stood. My knees wobbled but didn’t give in. I looked at the fourteen, watching them spectate me as they continued eating their cherries. Groak hunched over and said in a low tone, “Be strong, Horseshoe.”

I knew Groak liked me for my “special” talent, but I didn’t understand why he would turn on me so quickly, and then return to his regular self, whatever that might be. Still, I was two examples for everypony: one who pleases and one who falls. But the pain was something I had to endure. Deep down, I kept telling myself, that at any moment, Princess Twilight Sparkle would return, and save Equestria once more. If she could face trials that would break the normal pony’s soul and come out as the victor, then I should take a punch or two.

“Do you want to hear my new game idea?” I asked while forcing down the urge to wretch at the lingering pain in my barrel.

“Of course! Show me what-” The dull roar of a horn blared through the air. Groak spun around and looked at the nasty sky. “Tempest Shadow is returning.” He looked to the group and ordered, “Muzzles on now! We are going to the city entrance!”

***

I hated seeing the airships hover about Canterlot like vultures over a dying body. What’s more was what they emitted into the air. The airship Groak was claiming was Tempest Shadow’s spat out an ugly dark-green steam. The same green that polluted the air. Several others like Groak had their own groups of ponies. Perhaps he and the others were there to show respect to the unicorn who froze the three princesses in black crystals.

The airship took its time landing, but the door to the vessel quickly opened. I didn’t know what to expect when I looked up the metal ramp other than Tempest. And sure enough, she came forward. I wanted to glare up at her, but Groak instructed me and the others to look afraid, sad, or anything that may resemble depression. My mouth did frown even though nopony could see it, so at least I was trying to play the part.

“I need two ponies to haul a prisoner!” Tempest exclaimed. “Step forward now, and I may consider giving your princess mercy!” A spider made of ice crawled down my spine once Tempest’s words reached my ears. My emotions grabbed control of my legs, and I almost took off in a sprint.

“Good work taking the initiative,” Groak said from behind me. “Good work?” What was so good about what was happening? What might be happening? No. No, I told myself. Twilight Sparkle won’t be a prisoner. She won’t be in the airship. She won’t be so easily captured. My hooves clanked up the ramp, my mind continuing to send positive echoes through my brain.

Twilight was gathering allies. Finding a stronger force than this… Storm King. I brushed passed Tempest, and I heard a crackling from behind me. Twilight will not fail. Twilight will triumph. Twilight will-

A tall black cage towered over me with the most beautiful pony held within it. Princess Twilight Sparkle looked down at her cold prison before blinking up at me. Her voice was caught as she gasped at the sight of me. “Caramel?” Princess Twilight squeaked. The mere mention of my name forced me to run at her. My hooves caught the bars so my face wouldn’t end up smacking against the cage. It was nice for Twilight to recognize me, even though I wore a suffocating muzzle. But the atmosphere was not in the brightest of spirits for a reunion; it was full of ugly pollution.

“I’m sorry…” Princess Twilight said with a crack in her voice. A pool of tears already lingered at her hooves. My nose stuck through a gap, and I extend a hoof to her. Not caring about the small lake she had created, Princess Twilight came forward, walking through her watery sadness. I wanted to remove my muzzle and say something, but I knew that would easily give me a punishment much worse than a punch from Groak. She took my arm and entangled it with her forearm. “Thank you,” the princess whispered. Her touch was warm despite how freezing the small prison cage looked. My cheeks flushed as her affection did the works on my heart. And her eyes. Those wide, beautiful, sad eyes. The detail in the Princess Twilight’s irises shined like her last name. Maybe her tears were what made them glossy.

I gripped the cage with my other hoof, angry- no, enraged with how helpless everything was becoming. The pain of seeing the Princess of Friendship in such a beaten spirit, who I have seen time and time again in Ponyville, overwhelmed my lamenting heart. The sight made me tear up. Why was so much misfortune happening? Why couldn’t I have the power to tear the caged bird from her cold prison? Why must I suffer beside the Princess Twilight Sparkle?

But I could not be angry at Twilight. No. She was not at fault.

A gentle touch opened my eyes back to the amethyst gems held in Twilight’s head. She lifted my chin with a hoof, and the princess opened up her mouth to say something. But her tongue held back and didn’t move. I noticed her eyes were not fixated on me, and instead, looked passed my face.

Before I could turn around, a bolt of blue energy whipped at my hooves. It missed but I did jump, startled by its burst of energy. “I asked somepony to come haul my prisoner, not try and cope with her.” Tempest stood tall in her dark armor. Her horn sparked and hissed with the same color as the bolt, signaling hostility. A little runt beside Tempest cackled while she continued to be poised in place.

“Leave him be,” Princess Twilight said. “He’s done nothing to you…”

“But your friendship has,” Tempest said. “Thankfully, your friendship with those friends of yours failed. And now, it is time for you to meet the same fate as the other princesses.” She looked back and shouted, “I need another pony and a Storm Creature to assist me! The Storm King is arriving very shortly! And he will not be pleased if everything is not in order!”

Not caring about any possible punishment, I turned around and muttered to Princess Twilight, “What happened to the others?” Thanks to my muzzle, it suffocated my words along with the attempt to help comfort my princess. She couldn't hold her stare with me for long, and Princess Twilight scooted back to the center of her tiny prison.

“Aww, does the pony feel sorry his princess is all sad and lonely?” a high pitched and small voice said from behind me. When I turned around, I had to look down at Tempest’s round companion smirking up at me with ugly teeth. There was some courage in my heart which allowed me to glare at him. For once, I was able to look down at something. He scratched his chin, not amused with me in the slightest. “I don't like the way you're looking at me…” I didn't move when I saw him raise his paw at me. The runt smacked me across the cheek as hard as he could, pushing my face away.

The Princess gasped and cried, “Leave him alone!”

“What?” the runt shrugged. “I didn't like his attitude, so I changed it for him.” Despite the sting and small swelling in my cheek, I smiled. If only he knew I can take a hit from Groak. Compared to my conditioning I’ve endured, the runt’s strength meant nothing to me. I gave him the same look which resulted in two more blows to the cheek. Princess Twilight shook her cage, the metal clanking as she tried in vain to help me.

Despite the pain, for once in my life, I wanted to impress a mare. I wanted to stand tall, strong in the face of danger and pain. But most of all, I wanted to try and motivate the brave Princess Twilight I knew. I looked at her, witnessing her tears cry for me. As best as I could, I gave her a confident stare and puffed out my chest. “Hey, buddy!” Another punch hit my jaw, a little more painful than the last three. “Don't look away from me if you want to act tough!” Before looking back at the runt, I looked at Tempest. The mare looked down the ramp and paid no attention to me, Twilight, or her companion. The runt snagged my muzzle strap and gave it a hard yank. His hot breath seeped into my ear, “Stop being heroic, pony. You already lost. Just give up.”

Give up!? Every unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony’s face I knew flooded my mind. Roseluck, Thunderlane, Time Turner, Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, and many other friends and acquaintances came to me. Their smiles. Their happiness. The memories I shared with them. I wanted the good times back! And I wanted the Princess of Friendship to regain her spirit and fend off evil once more. But what could I do? What could an earth pony with no magic and no wings do? Talk? Even that was impossible with the muzzle strapped to my face.

Suddenly, I watched the grunt rise above me. High above me. A Storm Creature had picked him up by the back of his shirt. When the massive guard spoke, I knew who it was. “What do you think you're doing to Horseshoe?” Groak growled.

“H-hey! He was giving me looks!”

While Groak pressed his mask against the weakling, I returned to the Princess, and I was ready to rekindle her bravery. But she didn't change her mood at all. She was insistent on holding onto a sad frown. “Don't put yourself through any more pain,” Twilight said.

Then, she said the words I never thought I would ever hear from the pony who brought others together. “It's over. I failed.”
> Princess Twilight's Escorts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't want to walk anymore, or even stand for that matter. There was no encouragement in my heart. No more strength in my bones. But I had a task to perform, and I had Groak to remind me of that. Funny how my oppressor was the only individual who kept me standing. “Do as you are told,” Groak spoke in my ear as he strapped me down to the trailer’s harness. I didn't need to be told that because Twilight told me to essentially give up.

Me and another stallion I knew nothing about looked at each other. His body was yellow and had a short light-blue mane. I called him Blue in my mind, just to give the stallion something to reference him by. Neither of us needed to make a noise to know how painful the experience was and was going to be. The moment I craned my neck take another look at the Princess, Tempest said, “Eyes forward, Horseshoe!” I snapped my attention forward toward her. The eyes of a displeased and powerful mare pinned me down.

“Yeah!” Grubber added while wagging his finger. “Eyes forward, and no looking at the princess.” I wanted to add my opinion and tell him to shut up, but Groak was there to keep Grubber at bay from me.

“Horseshoe only needs instructions from Tempest, runt!” Groak snarled.

“Silence!” Tempest cried. Bolts of lightning exploded from her nub of a horn. Surprisingly, none of them hit anypony, but the display of power stilled the room. Groak flinched while Grubber, being at her side, hopped away from the unicorn. “Until we deliver the princess to the throne room, no one is permitted to talk.” Tempest’s eyes looked past me. “That includes you, too, Twilight.” My head twitched, wanting to see the alicorn. But I heard Groak thump his spear, and he shook his head at me. He may have not wanted to admit it aloud, but I could tell Groak had some sympathy for me, and not because I was his entertainer. It was hard to know his true intentions when he treated me both well and terribly, while he only scolded the others when they bothered him.

“Come,” Tempest instructed. “Canterlot is expecting their Princess.” Grubber laughed in his paws while looking at me and the other stallion beside me. I nodded to my earth pony companion, and he nodded back. Together, we started to pull forward. The harness pressed into my torso as I tried to get the wheels rolling. It wasn't as heavy as I was anticipating. However, who I was carrying was definitely something very burdensome. The wheels squeaked and started to turn, beginning the long walk ahead of me.

It was much brighter outside than the inside of the vessel, but the ugly sky didn’t make it seem that way. A great weight pressed at my back as I walked down the ramp. With caution, I leaned back into my harness to prevent me and the pony assisting me from being run down from a potential rogue wagon. I also did not want Princess Twilight to get hurt by my incompetence. She had already endured things I could only guess happened to her, and I was not going to be another pony who would give her more.

“Halt!” Tempest cried as we reached the ramp’s end. At once, Blue and I stopped before the crowd of ponies who were gathered at Canterlot’s entrance. I immediately recognized my group waiting at a few meters away from me as Groak jumped from the ramp and walked over to them. Another Storm Creature stood by my group with their ponies mixed among those I barely knew. Groak exchanged a few unknown words to his companion before returning to Tempest.

“Thank you for allowing me to give Chell my ponies temporarily, Tempest,” Groak said with a bow. “I want to be sure the ponies who are mine are given back to me.”

“Glad to know,” Tempest said, though was not in the mood for further discussion. “Now get behind the cage. We have a long walk to do.”

***

On all sides, black metal bars kept me within my caged prison. The air gently brushed at my fur as if to tell me goodbye like my mother did to me when I left for my first day at Canterlot’s School of Gifted Unicorns. My escorts began to pull the wagon forward toward the white castle walls I once called home.

My eyes fell on the back of Caramel, my mind remembering how he ran at me upon entering the airship. The moment I saw him, my heart wanted to crash into the puddle of tears I made to suppress the impact of my fragile emotions.

As the walls of Canterlot came closer, I remembered the day Caramel gave me those lovely roses; the day where he faced me with red cheeks and a handsome face. Part of me was glad to have a pony I knew present to comfort me; I was even tempted to kiss Caramel as a means of thanking him for lending me his arm; wouldn’t be the first time I had kissed him. But deep down, I was more ashamed of myself for inviting him to Canterlot. Not that I did not want him to come. In fact, I invited Caramel specifically to allow some time with himself and I; for mutual activities.

The issue with his presence was because he was enslaved.

I had no idea what the ponies of Canterlot were enduring. And when I saw Caramel get punched by Grubber, not only did it pain me to witness an unjust beating, but I also worried about my parents. How they were being treated, I did not know, but my imagination mustered up the darkest assumptions.

If I didn’t invite Caramel to Canterlot, he might have been able to escape somewhere safe, like Appaloosa. Instead, I allowed another friend to be damaged by my harmful actions. It was as if Equestria wanted to remind me of my absurd errors.

Clusters of ponies watched me pass them by with wide eyes. Several of them began to weep at the sight of their Princess being escorted inside a metal cage. The sight of everypony’s pain brought my eyes down to my prison’s ground. I was too ashamed to allow my pupils to see the wonderful colors of the bodies of ponies that watched me go by.

My mind went to my went friends; the friends I grew aggressive with. Oh, how I regret the wrath that boiled in my breast; how my horn sparked with anger. And how I betrayed the Hippogryphs. I… I had never felt so much shame in my life.

Warm, fresh tears rolled down my cheeks, adding more to the lake I artificially created. A whimper escaped my mouth, my heart trying to cry out for somepony to destroy the helpless nature of my situation.

With one blink forward, I saw Caramel daring to look back at me; an error he was willing to take for my sake. I watched the Storm Creature who followed behind the cage briskly walk up to Caramel, and butted him with a spear shaft to his side. My voice squeaked as I restrained myself from crying out; more tears followed the hurtful action. The cart veered a little before Caramel stabilized.

“Eyes forward, Horseshoe!” the Storm Creature instructed before it turned around to look at me with two, cold, blue beads through the holes of its mask. It said nothing to me, giving me nothing to understand the painful act other than because Caramel didn’t listen to instructions.

Several minutes passed in silence as my destination grew closer and closer. I pondered what would be dealt to me once I came face to face with the Storm King Tempest had mentioned. Up ahead of my path, I saw a pony in a cage similar to mine. I also heard an angelic voice crying to the heavens from within the prison before a Storm Creature beside the cage shoved it, silencing all singing.

To my greatest shame, another pony who I had also invited to come to the Friendship Festival looked to me: Songbird Serenade. Because her eyes were hidden from me, it was impossible to see what emotion she was expressing. I was hoping it was sadness and not anger. Just as I passed Songbird, my eyes returned to my lake.

Nothing around me was positive; only depression expressed itself all around me. And I had the nerve to be so sad and so ashamed of myself, that I refused to look up. But I could not find the strength to be proud. And I worried that the pony who pulled me toward Canterlot Castle, the last pony to ever give me some form of sympathy, was aiding in bringing me to my demise.

***

My shoulders were shaking, my heart was breaking, and my side was aching. A lovely combination of misery suppressed my very soul as I pulled the cart into one of the castle’s hallways. The doors were flung open by Groak’s strength when he shoved them forward. Tempest continued her proud march forward, her metal boots clanking on the ground with hard steps.

I thought that escorting Twilight was going to be the worst experience I had to endure that day. I was wrong.

In dark-black crystals, three alicorns were frozen with expressions of fear and shock. My body wanted to stop to observe the horrible crimes that have been done to the wonderful Princesses of Equestria. I worried that they were dead. And I feared that Princess Twilight would be meeting the same fate as the others. But I didn’t want another blunt strike to the side. So I continued to walk.

Tempest held up a hoof to signal to Blue and I to stop. I felt a lot of stress remove itself from my shoulders, and I heard Groak grunt before a loud slam crashed onto the tile ground. “Take the two ponies away, Groak!” Tempest cried. “Twilight and I are going to be seeing the Storm King very soon.”

“Yes, Tempest,” Groak said. I looked back to get a look at Twilight again but found a very large paw pressing against my face. “Forward, Horseshoe.” My guard did not punch or strike me as he passed by. Groak simply redirected my attention forward.

“Come,” he simply instructed. Blue was the first to move, while I still had a difficult time willing my legs to walk. The imbalance of Blue walking and me not caused my harness to push myself forward.

I peeked at Blue, his head low and ears as far back as they could go. I could tell he was not in the best of spirits, but I did not know his story as to why he managed to be wound up in Canterlot alongside me. Maybe he was a resident of the kingdom. Or perhaps a visitor from Manehattan. The only thing Blue had in common with me was that we were prisoners. And we helped aid this Storm King against our will.

Another pair of doors flung open by Groak’s might as he pulled them open. The gust of air caused by his pull crashed into my body, chilling my already cold bones. With Groak at the front, nopony was able to supervise my unwavering will to see the Princess of Friendship one last time.

When I turned around, Twilight was looking between the dark silhouettes of the Princesses when she noticed me staring at her. With every ounce of strength I could muster in my heart, I held my stare. I knew if Groak noticed me disobeying, more pain would come. Too bad I was already numb to listening to instructions. My Princess was in need. Somepony needed to look her in the eyes to remind Twilight she could still accomplish the impossible; even though the impossible seemed to be a tall wall with no top. Still, I held onto hope, even if I had to leave it behind me.

Grubber walked to the large doors, his large eyes locked onto me. His small body distracted me from Twilight, and I hated myself for giving him my attention. Just as Grubber pulled the door to close them, he gave me a mocking wave with a grin that anypony would want to punch.

Breaking my attention from the runt, I returned my gaze to the still beautiful mare. Even in her most broken spirit, she still managed to shine in my eyes. “Twilight!” I mumbled, though my words were choked by the muzzle. Thankfully, the Princess still looked upon me, so I continued to speak. “I still believe in you!”

“Pathetic…” I heard Grubber say just before the large doors closed in a loud “thoom!” 

An anger I never thought I had possessed me. I gritted my teeth, and my body tried to shake myself loose from my harness. I hungered for freedom. Everything before Tempest’s arrival was fine. Why did she have to come and ruin what was good? She needed to be placed in my horseshoes, and be given a nickname that only symbolizes what somepony has or looks like. Like Knub.

Blue only looked at me with the same helplessness as earlier as if to tell me to stop. As for Groak, he easily took notice of my actions. He looked over his shoulder, down the empty hallway. Groak’s heavy footsteps shook the ground as he tore the muzzle from my mouth.

“Horseshoe! Why are you resisting?” His voice was strange when he spoke as if Groak’s voice box was shaken by invisible fear.

Free to express my thoughts, I looked up to him and cried out, “I had to escort the Princess I love to her doom! Why else would I be so resistant?” At the corner of my eye, I saw Blue’s ears perk up at my exclamation.

“You… you love her?” Groak asked. He looked behind him, and then back to me. “Also, keep your voice down… If others hear you yelling at me, they might think I’m going soft.”

I didn’t know how to properly respond to Groak’s words. Should I resume telling him why I love Twilight or ask him why he is so worried about the other Storm Creatures on how they think of him? I chose to answer my first question.

“I… I do love Twilight…” I admitted. With as helpless as everything was becoming, I wanted to tell somepony the truth. My face flushed, the blood warm in my cheeks. “I love her for the duty she has done for Equestria. She is beautiful, and smart, and kind, and, of course, friendly; anypony can see that." Saying that I loved Twilight out loud didn't make me feel worthy of even mentioning it. "But Princess Twilight needs a better stallion than me. She deserves somepony who can protect her; who can stand by her. Like a unicorn, or even a pegasus. Not an earth pony.”

Then, a pair of words that I never expected to be said were spoken by Groak, “I’m sorry…”

Another flare of rage escaped me. “Sorry? You’re sorry?!”

At the end of the hallway, two Storm Creatures walked into view. And Groak quickly changed. His paw grabbed my throat and tore me from the wagon’s harness. “I am sorry that you have to be so weak!” Groak yelled as he threw me down the hall. My body bounced a few times before it dragged on the red carpet, creating fresh rugburns. How far I went, I did not know. I then understood Groak’s true abilities. He lept into the air at me, and I feared my tiny body would be crushed by his massive figure. Instead, Groak landed in front of me. Just like before, the Storm Creature gripped my throat. Only, he did not throw me; Groak only held on.

Regret injected itself alongside the adrenaline that flooded throughout my body. Tears began to escape me as I feared the worst was about to happen. While I squirmed, Groak pressed his mask down on my face. “Stupid pony! How dare you think of a second you deserve mercy! You had the privilege to see your precious Princess one last time, and this is how you behave?!”

The corners of my eyes began to darken as the last bit of strength began to falter. To think the last thing I was going to see before I die was a mask only designed to intimidate the oppressed. Before my mind went blank, a drop of liquid tapped my cheek.

It was probably sweat, or drool.
> Wonderful Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing that may happen to somepony when they wake up is to ask themselves one question, “Where am I?” That very same question entered my sore head when my consciousness escaped the darkness. My eyes blinked a few times, the entire scene before me not familiar.

I was on a soft couch surrounded by walls that had a red-rose wallpaper. The light was very dim like a foggy day from overcast. Pictures of a family I knew nothing about clung to the walls. Their smiling faces attempted to bring light of their own but unfortunately failed. My group was in a wide open living room as they sat quietly with one another. Most of the mares were clumped up with each other, while some sat in pairs, and others alone. One couple, a mare and a stallion, whispered quiet words to each other while nuzzling their muzzles. Even in the time of hopelessness, love could still be found.

Blue was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Groak gave him back to the Storm Creature he belonged to.

Children quietly blew at balls of dust, silently passing the time with a mute activity. Since I was quite the inventor for games, I helped create something that might be allowed for the foals to enjoy. When I did invent the simple game, Groak was impressed and allowed the little ones to have one game of fun, since it didn't create any noise. Their game involved trying to blow their clump of dust into their opponent’s ring while preventing their opponents from scoring by blowing back at their foe’s clump. Rings would be anything from a collection of rocks in a circle, to a circle drawn on the ground.

Ponies I began to recognize started to stare at me as I stirred. Before I could ask any questions, a mare said, “He’s awake, Groak.”

An armchair too small for Groak clung to his body as he stood. All activities stopped as Groak shook the chair off, the furniture falling to the ground with a nasty thump.

Instead of interrupting the foals, the Storm Creature walked around the children. Groak’s tall figure loomed over me, my mind fully awake, but my body was still half-asleep.

“Move over,” he grumbled. One small adjustment of my body reminded me of every injury I had endured. Especially my underside; the rug burn was ripe and red. Still, I quickly scrambled out of Groak’s way. I was not pleased with how he treated me, but I still had to listen to him.

Groak sat down as carefully as he could, but his weight broke something in the couch. He grumbled a little with irritation before looking down at me. I opened my mouth to ask how long I was asleep, but Groak held up his paw and gestured me to come close to him.

I was confused by what the gesture meant. Again, I listened and sat a few inches away from Groak. He leaned his massive mask down at me and whispered, “I told the others another Storm Creature tried to take you away to explain why you were asleep. They don't know about you not listening to me, and me forcing to… you know.”

The more time I spent alone with Groak, the more time I became puzzled with him. When it was him and I, he was cheery and excited with almost anything I suggested. But when the other Storm Creatures were around, he was a brute like the rest of his kind. I couldn't tell which side of him was more real. All I could do was hope his kindness was no lie.

Groak placed his paws behind his head, and he began to boast, “Horseshoe, I am glad to know you are alive and well! I cannot believe you were standing after that thief tried to take you by throwing you down the hall back at the castle!”

Funny how Groak wanted me to lie to make myself look strong and make himself look less of a villain. Playing the liar, I carefully said, “If I can take a hit from you, then… perhaps the other Storm Creatures are… nothing compared to you?” If he was looking for a compliment, I did what I could to deliver.

“I know!” Groak rubbed a big paw on my head, roughing up my mane. “Horseshoe, I have come to realize something that I want everypony here to recognize.” My head dipped. I hated when Groak gloated to the group about me. “You are not only a pony of fantastic creativity, but also initiation and endurance. Nopony had to tell you to step forward and pull the Princess all the way to the castle.” My ears retreated, knowing my heart was what yanked me forward. I did not want to believe that Twilight was captured. And when I saw her in the cage, I- “You can also take a punch. When that little runt, Grubber, that follows Tempest around struck you, not once did you move.”

A smile I thought was lost forever found its way on my face. “He wasn't so tough,” I admitted. “I barely felt it.” Of course, Grubber’s final punch did sting a bit. But if Groak was gloating about me, I chose to join in on some of the fun. The foals were invested in my talk with Groak, their eyes wide with interest.

“How hard did he try to hit you?” a colt asked.

I shrugged, “I don't know. I couldn't tell because I didn't feel it.” The children ate up the lie and looked at each other with amazement. It was funny how the little ones gazed at me with awe; as if I was some hero to them.

Too bad I knew I did not fit their criteria. If I was a hero, Princess Twilight would have been freed by my hooves. My non-existent strength would have bent her cage’s bars like they were hot, flimsy metal. Twilight and I would then fight against the Storm Creatures, defeat Tempest, combat the Storm King, and to end it all, I would sacrifice myself to protect Twilight Sparkle from a fatal blow while she fires the last attack to end it all. And as I died, she would kiss me on the lips before I too grew wings like her.

But my fantasy was nothing more than a fictional tale. A tale only the strongest were worthy of.

The home my group took refuge in was suddenly engulfed in a darkness. Everypony who was close to somepony bunched up even closer to each other. I myself was startled by the change in light. Only Groak made any noticeable movement and got up from the couch. He looked out the window to see what had engulfed the light.

“It’s nighttime,” Groak said.

At once, my heart was lifted high up in my chest. The only pony I knew who rose the moon was… “Princess Luna...” I muttered.

Every ear in the room perked up at my words. A wave of whispers weaved among the ponies. As for myself, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with joy. Princess Twilight had done it! What ever she did, she had actually done it! She saved the other Princesses!

But my joy was evaporated by confusion when the home filled with light again. “Now it’s… daytime,” Groak said. His massive paw scratched his head, perhaps just as confused as I was. Then the darkness returned. Then the light came back. Like a flick of the switch, the light came and went before coming to a complete halt.

When the flickering stopped, there was a little more light than what I had adapted to since my enslavement. Being more curious than the rest of my group, I got up from the couch. Every nerve told me to stay put, but I waded through the aching pain; I was used to it.

Groak looked down at me when I came into his view before looking back at the sky. “What do you think is happening?” he asked me.

“I don’t know,” was all I could say.

As we stood at the window, something even stranger moved down the empty street of Canterlot. A cluster of bodies pulled a massive cake that proved to be higher than any treat I’ve ever seen. Perhaps a Storm Creature requested one to be made fit for their size. A feline on two legs walked at the head of the haulers. When the ponies who pulled the cart came closer, my day became even worse.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack all pulled the massive cake with expressions of defeat and misery. I was curious as to who the feline was, but there was no doubt that he was with the Storm King. He walked so proudly with his paper in his paw and... apron on his figure? When I noticed the feline’s apron, something felt off. I would expect somepony like Pinkie Pie to be wearing it. Not to mention, Spike was propped up top, blowing a flame from his mouth like a candle.

Groak grumbled, his head slowly turning as the wagon passed by. “Wait here…” he said. He stomped over to the front door, picking up his spear along the way. “Nopony leaves,” Groak ordered before exiting the house and closing the door. At once, everypony stood up and went to any window that was available to see what was going on outside.

I wanted a better view of the outside world and chose to make for the door. As I waded through the bodies of ponies, a filly stepped in my way and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Going to get a better view,” I said as I walked to the door. The foals noticed what I was doing and followed in my hoofsteps. I cracked the front door just enough for me to see the cake pass by. A small cluster of bodies formed at my legs, the foals climbing over one another to see the outside world. I allowed some more visibility to the little ponies and opened the door a little more. The door hinges squeaked loudly like an alarm to inform everypony what I was up to. But I heard nopony speak up, and I could only guess that everypony was more invested with what was going on outside.

A small body peaked from a street corner and quickly hobbled after the cake. It was Grubber. Instead of getting angry at the sight of the runt, I whispered to the foals, “You see him? That little one?”

“Yeah,” one of them answered.

“He was the one who punched me.”

“The one who hit you, but you didn’t feel it?”

“Yup!”

A foal tapped my leg and said, “What are you waiting for? Go beat him up!”

As much as a good kick to his head might have relieved some frustration, I simply replied, “Let’s just watch him for now.”

And we did. Grubber hopped onto the back of the wagon, struggled a bit as he climbed, and stood proud like he accomplished something great. His arm swiped at the side of the cake. 

And he suddenly went stiff. “Gua-!” Before I knew it, he was sucked into the cake.

And then, from within the tall dessert, several bodies burst out of it in a spectacle of frosting and flare. A band of what looked to be griffins on two legs lept into action with swords and hooks, and they began to combat the Storm Creatures. Among the bodies who jumped from the cake was a pegasus with an impressive wingspan. She had to dodge a few spears before landing in front of the wagon. To my great pleasure, the ponies who were pulling the cake were freed from their harnesses, thanks to the tall pegasus.

It was chaos in the street; great, glorious, and cake-stained chaos. I heard cheering erupt from behind and below me as a mix of known and unknown heroes began to fight back against the Storm Creatures. A blur of rainbow dashed here and there, knocking every tall foe it bounced into; the signature flair by Rainbow Dash. One Storm Creature was felled by Pinkie Pie because of… cupcakes. Maybe she made her opponent succumb to a sugar comma? Rarity and the feline made a combined effort to incapacitate a Storm Creature with style. And Applejack simply did what she was known for to any who opposed her: bucking.

As I was filled with hope and joy to see the Storm Creatures fall one by one, I saw Fluttershy skittishly trying to avoid the violence happening around her. I couldn’t hold that against the yellow pegasus. Nopony around Ponyville saw Fluttershy as a mare who looked for trouble. However, despite her attempt to avoid conflict, a Storm Creature stopped her retreat.

She looked up at it with no fear in her eyes, and she began talking to the Storm Creature. Instead of using the massive spear in its paw, the Storm Creature stood tenaciously. I wondered to myself, what Storm Creature would not fight alongside their comrades to fend off the aggressors. It wasn’t a longshot, but I was not sure if it was safe to assume Fluttershy was talking to Groak. Every Storm Creature wore the same uniform and was equipped the same weapons. The only way for me to distinguish one Storm Creature from another was their voice.

Because Fluttershy’s conversation stood out more than the actual fighting, I was fixated on the pony and Storm Creature. Before long, the tall spear the behemoth was holding leaned its weapon against the wall and placed both paws on its mask.

“Look!” a filly from below me cried out, “I think Fluttershy made that big one cry!”

I could not tell if the Storm Creature was truly crying, but that didn’t mean I was not disinterested in Fluttershy’s effect on the dark-blue being. The Storm Creature removed both paws from its face and turned its head toward where I was standing. A large finger pointed straight at me as Fluttershy’s eyes met mine.

“I think… that one is Groak,” the same filly who spoke moments ago said.

There was no doubt about it. The Storm Creature was Groak. I was in shock. Why was he crying? He wasn’t hurt or damaged by anything, so why would Groak be anywhere near sad? I would expect him to be enraged by the intruders. But he refused to fight. All Groak did was sit and cry.

“Fluttershy!” a combination of voices cried out. I looked down the road to see the colorful group of Twilight’s friends gathered with the feline in a group. In a carefree leap, Fluttershy jumped away from Groak, leaving him to cry alone. Groak waved a paw at her before standing up.

The number of unconscious bodies that littered the streets meant nothing to me as Groak walked toward the home that housed his ponies. He left his spear, the object he loves to keep in his sight, on the wall.

As he came forward, Groak reached for his mask and began to remove it. A cold chill ran down my neck, and I wondered both why he was removing his mask, and what was his face was going to look like.

The foals at my legs retreated while I held fast at the door. Just as he was within arm’s reach, I opened the door. “Horseshoe…” Groak said, “...I’m sorry…” And finally, the Storm Creature unveiled his face to me.
> In a Corner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing I noticed was the tears rolling down his long face. And despite the two small teeth poking out from the bottom of Groak’s mouth, nothing about how he looked was intimidating for some reason. It never occurred to me the white fur around the Storm Creature’s neck was actually a part of them; I thought it was from their armor. But that theory was disproved as I saw white pricks spotting his upper neck. As for Groak’s face, it was an oval shape that had a healthy and strong jawline. What would be the whites of my eyes, Groak’s was a light-blue, and his iris’ had a darker shade of blue.

If I were to have met Groak without his mask when he and the other Storm Creatures arrived, I would have definitely been afraid of his face. But the tears made him look gentle.

Curious where the others were, I looked behind me. And everyone I had become acquainted with stood at my backside, looking up at their crying captor. Not one, not even the stallions, gave Groak a look of anger. We were all curious about what Fluttershy said that made him cry.

Because I was the closest one to Groak, I spoke up and offered, “Come inside.”

The tall creature blinked and smiled while several more tears accompanied the change of expression. I backed up as Groak stepped into the home. He didn’t bother with closing the door; there was nothing to hide.

“Why are you sorry?” I asked. My mind went to earlier when I confessed to Groak that I was in love with Twilight, and he told me he was sorry. Maybe there was a reason for the earlier statement.

“Because…” The firm muscles in Groak’s face sagged. “...I never liked hurting you, Horse-” Groak shook his head, “No. No more calling you that. I need to know your real name.”

Two shocking blows to my mind almost knocked me off my feet, and I wasn't punched by anything. First, Groak tells me he never liked beating me down, then he wanted to know my name. The Storm Creature continued to loom over me, waiting for me to speak. “C-Caramel,” I said. My eyes shied away from Groak to the others behind me. Some whispered among themselves, while the rest either looked at me or Groak.

A small filly’s voice from the ground spoke up, “But why were you so mean to Caramel if you didn’t want to hurt him?”

Everypony, including myself, looked down at the little girl. Her knees quaked, nervous at how all eyes were on her. Groak took a knee and said, “Because where I come from, the strongest rule. Kindness is not common in my country. Those who assert and put others down is what is expected from me and my comrades. Any sign of weakness will get you…” Groak’s eyes fell upon me as if the filly intimidated him. “...hurt.”

“What did Fluttershy tell you?” a colt said next. “What did she say that made you cry?” It amused me to see the children being braver to ask the questions than the adults.

“She asked me, ‘Why do you fight?’ My answer was simply, ‘My King.’ That yellow pony then asked me if I was afraid of my king. I then asked her, ‘Why does it matter?’” A big paw slapped Groak’s face as he shamefully began to cry again. “And then she asked me, ‘Do you like to hurt others just like Tempest and the rest of the Storm Creatures?’ That is what that pony, Fluttershy, told me. Her kind words broke me. And now I am afraid…”

After everything Groak had put me through, even though I had to endure so much of his strength, he never meant to hurt me out of malice. He only did it to impress the others.

The same filly from before spoke up again, “But why are you scared?”

The large voice me and the other ponies were very familiar with roared out of Groak, “Because I have this flaw that will get me in trouble! I can’t be nice! I have to be cruel, or else the other Storm Creatures will see my kindness as weakness, and they will take you all away!” Groak removed his paw from his face and pointed a finger at himself. “I know what fear is! The Storm King is good at suppressing fear! And if I am not good at delivering fear like my King, you can say I wouldn’t last much longer among the other Storm Creatures…”

My heart took control of my voice, “I… never thought you were so scared. You seemed so proud to have me every time you boasted about me.”

“I am glad to have somepony like you, Horse- Caramel.” Groak’s smile made the room glow just a little brighter, as well as embarrass me. “Never in my life have I enjoyed myself as much as I have in the time I gathered you and the others. When the siege of Canterlot happened, I wanted to make sure I could get as many ponies as I could so you all could avoid the harsh cruelty the others could do to you.” The grin faded away as Groak asked me, “Do you remember what happened when I cornered you and the others?”

How could I forget? Me and the other fourteen were chased into an alleyway by Groak. I could still remember the foals crying at my legs. “Yes,” I answered. “And when you stepped forward, I begged you not to hurt the others as long as I gave you entertainment.”

“That moment, when you were so brave to step forward and protect the others, I knew I found a unique pony: one who rises and one who falls.”

“So that's why you never hurt anypony else other than Caramel,” a mare said from the group.

“Correct,” Groak nodded. “And the reason why I boasted about him was that he deserved some praise.” The Storm Creature gave me a light push. “You can take a punch from me after all. And that is impressive. Most of the others would never stand a chance against my might.” Again, the compliments continued to fluster me. Though, I never thought Groak would see so much in me.

“I appreciate the compliments,” I said, “ and every word of encouragement you told me when I was down.”

“It does make me happy to know you don't hate me, Caramel.” The large Storm Creature only used one arm to bring me closer to him. “Also,” he whispered into my ear, “that Princess is lucky to have you love her.”

“She… doesn't know that I do,” I admit, though breathing was difficult because of how Groak was pressing me against his body. “But that's okay…”

The sound of thunder cracked through the air. The foals screamed and huddled together, startled by the spontaneous sound. My heart jumped and began pounding against my ribcage, and I almost yelped myself.

“Look! The castle!” somepony cried. I had to peak around Groak’s massive physique to whiteness a horrible whirlwind began to engulf the tall castle.

Princess Twilight was the first pony that came to mind. I was sure that a whirlwind was not the sign of anything good, and I worried that Twilight was- No! I didn't want to say it. I didn't want to admit it. Twilight would never allow herself to be defeated. The only reason why the whirlwind existed was because… I couldn't think of a reason what was happening to Canterlot Castle. All I could do was hope that Twilight’s friends would get to her in time.

Before my mind could think about anything else, Groak yelled, “Get down!” A horrible sound of glass shattering exploded from inside the home. The mares and children screamed while several stallions let loose a few swears. The wind from outside had quickly increased to dangerous speeds. And the wind threw something into the windows. Groak did not let me go as he tried to close the door. But the strength of the whirlwind grew too strong and tore the door off the hinges.

“We need to stay low!” Groak ordered. “Hold hooves and move to where there aren't any windows!” The order was said, and everypony grabbed hooves and began to crawl toward the back of the room. As for myself, I was not allowed to join the other fourteen. I was still within Groak’s hold. “You are with me, Caramel. I won't let go.”

“Thanks!” I shouted over the wind’s growing whistle.

I was glad to have a living anchor keep me close, while also not liking how Groak held my body in a painful grip. When he managed to get to the corner where everypony huddled in, Groak faced them, guarding them and myself from as much of the wind as possible.

The wind was very cold, even though Groak’s body heat did what it could to prevent me from freezing. I cracked my eyes to see the group holding each other close. I marveled at the sight of how, despite the winds, Groak, myself, and the others, all stood together in what seemed to be another hopeless situation.

More glass from inside the house began to break, causing me to grip one of Groak’s large fingers tightly. A stallion to my right had his arm entangled with a mare. I extended my hoof to him to ensure extra security for him. Just as he cracked his eyes open, the stallion saw my offer and snatched it up.

Time began to move at an unknown rate. It was hard to know how long the wind was blowing, and how long my group was huddled in the corner. However, the will to survive was within us all. And with the help of Groak, nopony was moved by the whirlwind.

It was subtle, but I began to notice the harsh winds were beginning to dim. Soon, the harsh gusts became a breeze, then faded to nothing. The departure of the wind did not make anypony break hold of the pony they held onto. All we did was look among each other, wondering what caused the wind to go away. A light that was once lost began to creep into the tattered home. Groak’s hold loosened, and I was free to escape his arm.

I walked to the doorway and saw the terrible damage done by the wind. Carts were turned over, holes riddled the rooftops, and even a few Storm Creatures laid limp in the streets. “Get out of the way, Caramel!” Groak cried as he shoved me aside.

After recovering from Groak’s push, I watched him run over to the nearest Storm Creature. “D-Discrete! Get up!” Discrete replied with silence; he or she did not move. My heart began to break as Groak ran to every Storm Creature on the road, trying to see if any were… alive.

“Momma!” A cold shiver trickled down my spine as a filly’s voice shattered the quiet air. Down the street, a mare who glittered like gold rested on the ground as two foals shook her shoulder. “Wake up, Momma!” the child cried again.

I couldn’t hold still any longer; they needed my help. I charged down the street, my hoofsteps echoing off the walls that still stood. When I came close, I noticed the mother and children were Crystal Ponies.

“Help us!” the colt begged me, his hoof yanking me toward the mare. “Mom won’t get up!” My first instinct was to see if she was breathing. My eyes darted to her belly, and thank Celestia, it was still moving up and down.

“She is…” I didn’t want to say the wrong words to further worry the foals, so I collected the best thought I could muster. “...She is unconscious.”

The light in the filly’s eyes shined, though her brows furrowed with worry. “Will she wake up?”

That was a question I did not know. But I knew a child didn’t want to hear any bad news. “Of course she will.” Not wanting to abandon the little ponies, I sat down with them as the foals rested against their mother to keep her warm. As we sat, I looked at the sky to see beams of light cracking through the dark-green fog. It was a sight to behold. Hope bloomed in my heart as I turned my attention toward Canterlot Castle. An even larger spotlight shined down on the old architecture as I watched a spec fly through the air.

“Look!” I said, my voice alerting the foals. I pointed a hoof at the castle and said, “I think that is Princess Twilight!” What was I saying? Of course that was her.

The siblings looked at each other with joy. “Does that mean she will help Momma?” the filly asked.

Without a doubt, I answered, “Yes. And not just your Mom, but the entire kingdom.”

A wonderful power began to engulf Canterlot Castle in a beautiful spectacle. My mind recalled the memory of when Princess Twilight’s own castle was birthed from the ground. It was such a glorious sight to see her earn a wonderful reward after defeating the evil Tirek. Once again, I was falling in love with Twilight, amazed by her ability to save the day once again from the most terrible scenarios.

Magical wisps began to weave their way from the castle and into the kingdom. I watched the essences crawl up every building, every kart, and everybody they touched. Cracks began to heal. Properties became revitalized. Even the Storm Creatures started to move. The sound of Groak’s boastful joy roared throughout the kingdom.

One wisp sped past me and paused at the foals. They looked at it with such amazement as it quickly spun around their mother before speeding away. A moan escaped the mare, stirring from her sleep.

“Momma!”

“Mom!”

Both son and daughter leaped onto their mother with joy only a child can create. The golden mare was startled by their pounce and asked them, “What happened? Where are we?”

I knew just how to answer her question. “You are safe; all thanks to Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
> View From Above
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The streets were filled to their capacity as I tried to wade through the crowd. Even Groak began to drown in the mass of bodies despite his bulk. “Why must everypony in Equestria be on this one street?!” he complained.

“Because the concert is being performed this evening,” I called over the voices of ponies. “Everypony wants to listen to Songbird Serenade perform.”

I quickly found my body off the ground as Groak wrapped his arm around my barrel. “Forget walking!”

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait!” My resistance was not enough to be freed by Groak’s strength. The Storm Creature hunched over before leaping high into the air. I yelled at the top of my lungs as we soared through the night sky.

“This is so much better than being on the darn street!” Groak said. We landed on a rooftop with a less than comfortable bounce.

“Must you always do this?” I complained. “Every time you get impatient, you have to pick me up and take me on a crazy roof-jumping ride.”

“Don’t be like that, Caramel. You get to have a better view of Canterlot while we are up in the air.” There was no time to react to the second leap. At the peak of the jump, I did get a good look of the speeding world below me. The city lights were like a top-down view of a Hearth’s Warming Eve lighting ceremony. Only, I couldn’t enjoy the spectacle without fearing for my life. Even after a week of the Storm King’s defeat, I still had not gotten used to heights, or Groak’s fantastic rides.

Several long jumps later, we landed at the castle entrance. And I don’t mean at the front. No. I mean on the opening arch that lead into the grounds of Canterlot Castle.

“Here we are,” Groak said casually. The Canterlot Guard looked at the Storm Creature with a startled look in his eyes. I didn’t blame him for looking so frightened. If a hulking being lept from the night sky and into the castle grounds, I too would be scared. “Good evening,” Groak waved to the pegasus.

“H-hey…” he responded.

I still never knew the extent of Groak’s strength as he scaled the wall with one arm while he held me in the other. Even as I tried to remember how he punched me, I truly wondered how strong the Storm Creature was if he could jump so high into the air. Maybe his legs had more power than his arms.

Groak placed me down with ease. My hooves were happy to touch something solid, and I was eager to kiss the ground. I ran a hoof through my mane, upset that Groak had to mess up my hair. “Can you for once, not do that to me? I want to make it to the next day without worrying about death.”

A hard slap pounded into the back of my neck. “What happened to the enduring pony I knew when I came to Canterlot? You can handle anything!”

“Apparently heights is more challenging to get used to…”

Unlike the other Storm Creatures, Groak didn’t wear his mask. His smile aimed at me, and I wondered if he still believed that I, as he said, “can handle anything.” But there was only so much I could endure.

The crowd of ponies was much less dense than when Groak and I took the streets. That did not mean it was easy to get to the castle square. My burly friend suggested we should jump there, but I managed to talk him out of it. I also didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself.

“So tell me,” Groak said as we obtained some snacks from a vendor, “do you plan on confessing your love to Princess Twilight this evening?”

My blood went cold as my friend asked a very sensitive question. The mare running the snack stand looked at me and giggled. For once, I wanted Groak to pick me up and take me away from the embarrassing mood he created.

“I didn’t say I was going to do that!” I barked as I scrambled to obtain my pretzel and melted cheese dip.

Just as I spun around to flee the vendor, she said, “Invite me to the wedding when it happens!” I felt like dying.

Groak quickly caught up to me, his arms filled with popcorn, cotton candy, some churros, and a candy apple. His clueless concern for my embarrassment made me aggressively bite into my pretzel; there was no need to dip it into my melted cheese. “But you told me you loved Princess Twilight. Why don’t you go and tell her? All week, you’ve been talking about wanting to see how she is doing. Instead, you have done nothing but volunteer work and help the citizens of Canterlot.”

“I think helping lost children finding their parents is much better than confessing my love to a pony I have no solid relationships with,” I countered. “The only thing I have done for Twilight was give her some flowers and tell her she was beautiful.” I took a seat on a bench that was a good ways away from the stage and crowd of ponies. If Groak wanted to discuss Princess Twilight subject matter, I wanted to avoid others from listening in on my discussion with my friend.

A large finger wagged at me. “But didn’t you say Princess Twilight invited you herself to the Friendship Festival?”

“She invited all of Ponyville, I was just apart of that.”

”That’s not how you explained it before.”

Groak was right. I did specifically tell him she wrote a personal letter to me, going into detail about how Twilight loved the roses I gave her. And I also told Groak she wanted some time alone with me. Of course, just the idea of Twilight wanting to share personal time with me was a delight, and I wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity. Even so, I was still not used to Twilight being around me, and I was cursed to be flustered whenever she came to mind.

The lights from the stage began to dim, a saving grace in disguise. “The show is starting,” I said while shushing Groak. He didn’t appreciate being hissed at, and Gorak flicked some popcorn at my face.

Ponies and even some Storm Creatures from within the crowd began to cheer as Songbird Serenade came onstage. Her voice echoed throughout the square as she began to sing. The words coursed through my very soul as I related to every word she exclaimed. And as she began the chorus, the eyes of Princess Twilight entered my mind.

“I can see rainbow in your tears as they fall on down,” Songbird sang to the world. I vividly remember how Twilight cried when Grubber gave me a few hits to the face. And even though she wept for my pain, I could not deny how lovely she managed to look. My eyes closed, and my body swayed to the wonderful performance.

The song continued with wonderful grace as I ate my pretzel. Groak was making a bit of noise as he chewed on popcorn. I took a final bite out of my snack, and I opened my eyes to look at my neglected cheese dip. Part of me wanted to lap at the cheese, but that might make me look weird.

A pony from the crowd flew into the air, away from the performance. I was curious as to who would want to leave during such a wonderful song. Then I saw who it was.

“Caramel!” Groak nudged into me. “Look! It’s Princess Twilight!”

“I see that, but… where is she flying off to?” I asked as my eyes followed her. When she landed, Twilight approached Tempest Shadow who stood by the square’s ledge. I didn’t even notice Tempest standing alone or know when she got there. Leave it to the Princess of Friendship to notice a lone pony.

“Tempest...” Groak said in a low tone. “She’s been quite beaten up even though there is peace among ponies and my kind now.”

“Do you still care about her?”

Groak nodded. “Even though she had her moments of bitterness, Tempest knows she regrets her decision to become allies with the Storm King.”

“At least the other Storm Creatures seem to like the change of being treated more kindly,” I said with a smile.

“All thanks to Princess Twilight.”

“Yeah…” I said like I was lost in a dream. “All thanks to her.”

A magical missile fired from Tempest and soared into the night sky before exploding in a wonderful burst of color. One after another, the missile darted here and there, blasting into different colors every time it changed direction.

“So, Caramel,” Groak said as he placed a paw on my shoulder, “Since the Princess is over there, how about you go over to her now?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said, looking away from the two mares. “Twilight is talking to Tempest. I wouldn’t want to interrupt their conversation.”

“Hmm… I see.” Against my will, Groak picked me up while still managing to hold onto the remaining of his snacks.

“What are you doing!?”

As I pointlessly tried to free myself, Groak replied, “I know you don’t want to interrupt Twilight and Tempest. So I will be doing the interrupting.” Groak’s heavy steps shook me as he walked. Both ponies noticed his approach, and I flushed with horrible embarrassment.

Tempest’s brows twitched with confusion. “What are you doing to that pony? I thought I did a speech to the other Storm Creatures that taking ponies is now a crime.”

“Sorry for interrupting,” Groak said before gesturing a paw at me. “But my friend here needs to speak to the Princess. He keeps telling me he wishes to talk to her, but can’t seem to muster up the strength to do so.”

A sweet smile was sent my way as Twilight took a few steps toward me. “Caramel, why do you look so nervous?”

“I uh…” I leered up at Groak, still displeased with being held like a child. “Please put me down…” It was as simple as lifting an arm for Groak, and my friend let me catch the ground on my own. “Let's just say that when someone lends you a helping hoof and they give more than what was asked for, you might become a little overwhelmed.”

“I have those moments with Pinkie,” Twilight laughed. “But I don't understand why you have to look so nervous around me. I told you before, I'm just a pony.”

“Who happens to be a princess,” Tempest added. “Don't be surprised that a common pony would behave nervously around you, Twilight.”

“Thank you!” I exclaimed. Even though I had a short moment with connecting with Tempest, my mind quickly recalled the past about her; how she called for two ponies to haul Twilight to the castle. I couldn't look at Tempest for very long, and my ears fell back.

“It’s okay, Caramel,” Twilight said. “Tempest has changed dramatically since the Storm King’s defeat.” It was no surprise to how transparent I was behaving. It would be hard for anypony to trust an old oppressor if their intent was to harm just for their personal pleasure. Groak was different.

Tempest herself shied away from me. “If you despise me, I understand.”

My ears twitched, her words stinging my head. “N-no! I don't hate you!” I swallowed, walking carefully to not upset Tempest. “It’s just… things are just very recent. I'm sure you yourself are adapting.”

“I am,” Tempest nodded. “And it seems you have done a great job with adapting with Groak, as he is with you.”

Groak shook his head, “Caramel doesn't need to adapt. He is naturally good at many things.”

“He's very good with words, so you are not wrong,” Twilight said and winked at me. Thankfully, the Princess didn't delve too deep into what she meant. She could tell I was still nervous around her. “So, Caramel, since your friend brought you over here, why don't you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?”

A smile grew on Tempest, one that had to be witnessed to believe she actually could appear happy. “I see you two need time alone.” She turned around and said, “Come, Groak. Leave them be. And don't bother trying to pick me up.”

It did make me feel a little guilty to have stolen Princess Twilight’s attention away from Tempest. Then again, the blame was not in my hooves, thanks to Groak.

Just as Groak and Tempest were about to walk away, a voice called out, “Yoo-hoo! Prince Caramel!”

Oh no...

That voice… that great and obnoxious voice. I didn't want to look behind me, hoping my sanity was starting to crumble and play tricks on me by hearing noises. However, the world wanted to be cruel and be very real.

In her signature cape and cap, Trixie began to make her way toward me.
> City Lights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deep down, I had a strong feeling Caramel wanted to discuss with me about how I was doing alone. I couldn't blame him. If I had to haul one of my friends over a mile as a prisoner, I would easily ask them if they were doing well.

Unfortunately for Caramel and myself, Trixie had to be present for the Friendship Festival. If Starlight hadn't allowed Trixie to literally house herself outside my castle, my invitation would have been “lost” during the mailing process. I hated the part of me that couldn't tolerate Trixie most of the time. But Trixie just has to press EVERY. SINGLE. BUTTON. with me. And poor Caramel didn't look in anyway joyful to see Trixie either. I wanted to flash him and me away from the eventual “Prince Caramel” comments. I knew how to endure her barrage of comments. He didn't.

Groak scratched his chin and looked at Caramel. “You know her?” he asked, pointing a finger at the fast approaching magician.

“You know her?” Tempest asked me.

“Yeah,” I simply reply. “She and I have a… history together.” Being in the public setting meant I had to behave how most ponies saw me as: not unfriendly. And I had to set a good example for Tempest; wouldn't want her to regress because of me lashing out at Trixie.

“Good evening,” Trixie proclaimed, levitating her hat and followed up with a respectful bow. “I am Trixie Lulamoon.” She eyed Tempest with interest. “You must be Tempest. I assume you have been treated well by the Princess of Friendship.”

“I have,” Tempest nodded. “You appear to be a good mare.” I had to cough to prevent myself from laughing. Trixie did have her good moments, but little did Tempest know of her past. Then again, Starlight had a strong friendship with Trixie because of their personal experiences. Maybe Tempest and Trixie would get along.

Caramel seemed to be less stressed by Trixie’s presence, but I didn't put it past her that she wasn't up to something. “Have you been enjoying the festival?” I asked.

The smirk I have been well accustomed to seeing flashed at me. “It’s been fun. How's your time with Prince Caramel?” And there it was, the expected tease.

What made the comment worse was how Groak ate up Trixie’s lie. “Wait… Caramel is a Prince!?”

Even Tempest was charmed. “Oh my goodness! I- I never knew Caramel was-!” Tempest and Groak knelt out of respect before Caramel. “Please, forgive me for forcing you to pull Princess Twilight across the Kingdom of Canterlot!”

“I always knew my friend was a pony more special than any friend I could ask for,” Groak said.

It was actually quite amusing to see Caramel be bowed to. And to know how gullible Tempest and Groak were. Caramel looked more confused and didn’t know how to react to the sudden praise. And I knew he couldn't handle all the attention being fed to him. He would break from embarrassment. But before I could wave them off the Prince, Trixie was much faster than I could have anticipated. She exclaimed, “Rise, Tempest! For I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, who is one of Princess Twilight’s Ambassadors of Friendship, forgives you! And I know, that in due time, the Prince will share his gentle emotions with you.”

Ambassador?! Caramel looked at me and rolled his eyes for me. Sure, Trixie saved Equestria once, but she was making it sound like I gave her a seat at the Cutie Map Chamber.

“Thank you, Ambassador Trixie,” Tempest smiled as Trixie lent her hoof to the reformed unicorn. At least Tempest looked pleased to be forgiven by another pony. She looked at Caramel and nodded, “I hope that one day you can look upon me without having any worries, Prince Caramel.”

“I’m… There is nothing to be worried about between you and me,” Caramel said.

“Don’t give me an apology just to pity me. Tell me when you are ready.”

Groak stood up and placed his paw on Caramel’s shoulder. “Thank you for allowing me to be your friend.”

“And thank you for… allowing me to show you… umm… the wonderful snack of cheese and crackers.” The Storm Creature let out a hysterical laugh and slapped Caramel on the back so hard, it knocked him over. “Sorry!”

As Caramel struggled to stand, I made my way over to help him up. “Here,” I said, lending my hoof to him. “It’s the least I can do for when you…” My eyes shied away from the, hehe, unofficial Prince. “...comforted me when I was in my cage.”

“Th-Thank you, Prin-”

“A Prince doesn’t need to call a Princess by her title.” For once, Trixie’s game worked in my favor. “Please, as I have told you before, call me Twilight.”

It was too cute to see Caramel flush as he grabbed my hoof. The spell of a long lost school-girl crush was cast on me, and the stallion I helped up began to do the works on my heart.

“I think we should leave them alone,” Trixie said. It was like a dream to hear Trixie want to go away from me. If only she chose to stop living at my castle and got back to traveling.

“Let’s go, Groak,” Tempest said.

Groak nodded and politely gestured Trixie to walk ahead of him. “Lead the way, Trixie.”

“You are just as sweet as Caramel.” Trixie giggled in her hoof. “In more ways than one.” Caramel looked at the stage, and from what I saw, he had the faintest smile.

“He does know how to pick the best of friends,” Groak said.

“Give yourself some credit. Prince Caramel may have his way of brushing off that flattering stallion magic, but you too can be kind all on your own.”

Just before Tempest walked away with Trixie and Groak, she whispered into my ear, “He does look cute when he is blushing.” It was impossible to deny. But as much as I wanted to tell Caramel he was… charming, flattering him any further may cause him to die of embarrassment; and I was too embarrassed to tell him myself. Tempest looked down at Caramel, and his ears fell back. “Have a good time talking.”

“Mmhmm,” he nodded.

The crowd applauded behind Caramel and I as I gestured to the ledge. I always wanted to talk with a cute stallion while overlooking a city during a festival. I know it may be a little too specific, but a mare does daydream sometimes. “Let’s talk over here.”

“Okay,” Caramel said. We walked over to the balcony and I placed my forehooves on the stone guardrails to overlook Canterlot. I quietly waited for Caramel to initiate the discussion on purpose. If he wanted to talk to me personally and like a normal pony, Caramel should at least try forming a coherent sentence without getting nervous.

“How have you been, Twilight?” he asked. “I am sure you have had quite a lot to do this week.”

Since I was well prepared to talk about anything, and I knew Caramel would listen, I began to vent my stress. “You have no idea how crazy it has been for me,” I said with a smile.

“Then why do you look so happy about it?” Caramel asked, joining me by resting his hooves on the railing.

“Well, since you are a Prince, I am sure you know what it is like to have a royal pain in your flank at all times.”

“I assume you are talking about Trixie.”

I gave Caramel a playful shove. “That’s so mean!” I said with a guilty grin.

Caramel shrugged, “I’m not wrong when I say she can be quite a hoofful. I mean, how am I going to explain to Groak that I’m not a Prince?”

My hoof batted at him, “Just play along. I think it is a little silly to watch.”

A curious brow rose on Caramel’s face. “Is the Princess of Friendship encouraging me to lie to my friends?”

I knew it was a playful tease, but part of me was guilty for allowing it to happen for amusement’s sake. So I chose to change the subject to Caramel. “I’m glad you can now talk to me normally.”

However, my words reminded him of my title, and he said, “Well… I was distracted and forgot that you were a Princess. And it is nice to finally just… talk with you.”

“Me too,” I beamed. “So tell me a little about your week?”

That got Caramel thinking about not being nervous. “You are going to love this.” I had to adjust myself and got just a few inches closer to him, just so the crowd did not swallow his voice. “So, after you, once again, saved Equestria, I convinced a couple to help house lost foals in their massive home to help reunite them with their parents.”

“Really? How sweet!” I never thought Caramel would do something so kind and clever. Then again, I don’t know much about him. All I knew about Caramel was that he was a sweet stallion who knows how to make me feel special, be it in my castle by giving me roses, or by lending me his hoof while I sat in a cage.

I found myself staring at Caramel, remembering that day he came to me when I sat in my cage; and how Grubber started beating on him for no reason; and when he looked back at me, a Storm Creature struck him at his side-

“Twilight?” Caramel asked. I blinked a few times, my mind not fully present for my talk with Caramel. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” I said. It was a lie, though I told myself it was a white lie. “Go on. Tell me your methods on how you united families.”

My entire body was scanned by Caramel before he continued. I didn’t want him to worry about me. He admired me. And to see me break again was not something I wanted him to whiteness a second time.

“So, what I chose to do was have the children write their name on a piece of paper. I then went to the printing press store and made two fliers. One was an announcement, telling lost foals to come to Upper Crust’s and Jet Set’s big mansion if they need help finding their parents. The second flier involved the list of the foals’ names, and on it, said, ‘Come to Upper Crust’s and Jet Set’s mansion if your child is on this list.”

“And how successful was your plan?” I asked, leaning forward with eager anticipation for Caramel to continue.

“A huge success!” Caramel beamed. “ In fact, the last colt was picked up at noon today; everypony had a happy ending.”

I grabbed Caramel’s hoof, overjoyed to hear his idea end up with all foals going home. “It makes me happy to know you did something so thoughtful!”

The stallion flushed and shrugged, “Like Groak would say, ‘I’m naturally great with coming up with ideas.” Caramel tangled his forearm around my hoof.

And the warmth of it reminded me of my I imprisonment. I claimed Caramel’s arm close to me, yanking him along with it. Both Caramel and I flushed at my reflex, and I easily surrendered his arm. “Sorry…”

It was a microscopic movement, but it was enough for me to notice Caramel inch a little closer to me. “Is everything okay…?”

“It’s nothing…” I replied while shying away. Don’t let him worry about you. Caramel looks up to you.

“But you wouldn’t have done something like that if there wasn’t.” Just like I did for him, Caramel grabbed my hoof but was much more gentle with it.

Dang it…

Since he already had my hoof, and because Caramel was such a sweetheart about being concerned about me, I felt like I could tell him about what has been on my mind. “Caramel, did I disappoint you?”

“What? No! Of course not! Never!” The stallion was doing his best to cheer me up, but just like me, I knew Caramel had a different answer. I looked at Caramel and shook my head. His smile slowly faded, and he looked to the city. “I did… lose some hope when you told me to give up.” Caramel was fast to change his mood, and he gave me a determined stare. “But I never gave up on you! Why else would I keep looking back at you when I walked? Because I knew you would come out as the victor.” His smile was as bright as the city lights. “And now, look at where we are now! The Prince and Princess get to enjoy a wonderful view of Canterlot here on the ledge.”

I wanted to be happier because of Caramel’s wonderful words. But there was something I had to tell him. “I may be the one everypony gives credit to, but you need to know something. When I was on my adventure, I really messed up when I was seeking the Hippogryphs. And I was so obsessed with saving Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, I lashed out at my friends.”

“But everything turned out well.”

“That does not mean I came out unscarred,” I said.

Caramel creased his brows. “What do you mean?”

Oh no… Everything came back to me. And so did the tears.

“Twilight!” Caramel gasped. “Why are you crying?” Instead of me leaping into his arms in helpless abandonment, Caramel wrapped his arms around me and claimed my quaking body against his warm chest.

He deserved another kiss after we finished our talk.

“Everypony acts like I did nothing wrong, even though I know they have forgiven me,” I sobbed. “And yet, everything haunts me. Pinkie Pie’s expression of fear. The Hippogryph Queen’s anger against my treachery.” I looked up at Caramel, and I tightened my hold on him. “You getting punched and hit over and over…”

Caramel’s throat bobbed as he swallowed something. He only looked down at me, tenaciously waiting for me to either continue crying, talking, or both. “You look up to me with such positivity, and I told you to give up! That still… That actually haunts my dreams… Along with everything else that I did wrong.”

“Oh…” Caramel muttered. His eyes did not once look at me with disgust; only concern. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t get angry with me.

“Why are you not disappointed in me, Caramel?”  I asked. “How can you not be angry with me? I invited you to Canterlot and got you hurt.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” he said. “You didn’t know an invasion was going to happen. Throughout my life in Ponyville, I never thought it would have its mess of problems that has happened to it. But those things did happen.”

Something inside of my heart wanted to find anything that made Caramel upset with me. “Then what about when I told you to give up? How can you hold me like this if your Princess had no hope left?”

Finally, Caramel looked down at me with a bothered crease in his brows. “Stop beating yourself up. Please.” I opened my mouth to argue, but my brain temporarily forgot how to use my voice. “You want to know why I am holding you?” Caramel’s face went beet-red, and his ears were pinned back.

Is he…?!

“Tell me,” I whispered. I brushed a hoof on his chest to feel his heart pulse. It pounded against his ribcage as if it wanted to be held by my hoof. Even I flushed, anticipating the most extreme.

“Because you mean the world to me, Twilight Sparkle,” Caramel confessed; though, it was not the confession I was expecting to hear. “Even now, you mean the world to me. That day, when I saw you in your cold cage, that was an all-time low for you. Now a week has passed, and you are soaring over that low pit you were stuck in.” He smiled down at me, his sapphire eyes never moved from mine. “We all have those moments when we feel like we may never get out of our pit of despair. But even when we feel like that, somepony will come around and want to help. And I saw that you needed motivation when you sat alone in your cage. I wanted to show you that you still gave me hope by looking at you and took every blow I could. Because good resists evil. And I wanted to impress the mare that impressed me.”

The only word that could express my shock at how Caramel easily swept away all the sadness from my pillars was… speechless. I looked at the yellow stallion in silence as he breathed heavily. Caramel’s blush did not fade, and in fact, became irritated and got brighter.

“Even ponies who are famous get down,” Caramel said. “I would know. I am a Prince.”

To think, that even in my crying fit, Caramel still managed to make me smile; which, in turn, made him widen his grin as well. “Do you have any royal pains, Prince of Toy-Making?”

He rolled his eyes at my joke. Rude. “Only when customers don’t have patience in waiting for a product to be finished,” Caramel said. “All my toys are hoof-made, never for an assembly line.”

“Then I am sure you have your days when you want to give up because of orders, or because you simply don’t want to work,” I said.

“Yup!”

It was my turn to begin flattering Caramel… Well, only a little bit. “Sounds to me you and I have a few things in common.”

His eyes widened at my comment. “Y-You really think so?!” Caramel kept looking around me like a magnet refusing to connect to the same pole as another magnet. “You're just saying that…”

“Then you are just holding me just because based on that logic,” I countered, obliterating his silly thought. “You must simply walk over to mares and ask to hold them ‘just because.’”

Caramel pursed his lips at me. “Don’t make it sound weird, Twilight.” I couldn’t help but giggle at his expression. “But you do make a point.”

“And…” I was far from finished with complimenting him. “...throughout our talk, you have been using my regular name. Are you just saying that? Or are you actually connecting with me and enjoying our talk?”

That got his gears working in his head. Caramel rotated his magnet and managed to hold his muzzle still to attract to my own. “You really are something.”

“Are you just-”

He held up his hoof and interjected, “Alright, alright, I get it.” We laughed with each other, our arms still claiming the other. It was such a sweet moment. I looked out to the city; the city that me and my friends saved. So many ponies did look up to be, especially Caramel.

And he was right. He was right about how I was at my lowest point, and that there are those who will come to aid me when those times come. Part of me wanted to leave and write down this moment in the Friendship Journal. But my heart told me to enjoy Caramel’s company for just a little longer, giving me time to wonder about the detail I was going to go into for my entry.

“I hope you are feeling better, Twilight,” Caramel said.

“I'm feeling much better,” I winked. My eyes looked up to his forehead, a perfect target for my gift to him. He had no time to react, and Caramel froze as I lurched my head toward him. I let out a drawn-out moan as my lips smacked against his soft head. I recalled the day he came to give me flowers and remembered the rush I felt when I kissed him that day. The same surge ran through my system. My heart pounded against Caramel’s chest to inform him I can be his friend.

A very, very close friend at that.

I parted my lips from Caramel’s brow and saw him unable to dissolve himself from being surprised. “Thank you for being so sweet.”

The corner of Caramel’s mouth twitched upwards, his petrification flaking away. “Your welcome…”

Our little moment together was starting to embarrass me a little, and I wanted some time away from Caramel to ponder a few things in my head. “I don’t want to be rude, Caramel, when I ask if you want to get back to listening to the concert with your friend.”

“No, it’s okay,” he said, though there was a disappointing twitch in his brow. “I did come with Groak to hang out, and I don’t want him to be a third-wheel. Besides, I am sure you want to see your other friends as well.”

“Okay,” I simply replied. It was difficult to not feel bad to part from Caramel so suddenly. But I knew what to do to end our time together. “How about you and I have an entire day together once we get back to Ponyville? I would love to see your workshop and how you make toys.”

Caramel smiled as his ears fell back, “Are you sure that would be something you would want to do with me?”

“I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t want to spend time with you,” I answered.

It was difficult for either of us to make eye contact. “Then… is it a date?” Caramel asked. “Or are we just hanging out?”

His question perplexed me. Were we going to make a date of our time together? Or was my time with Caramel going to be a mutual experience? I noted to myself that research would be needed to understand if time alone with a stallion was a date or not.

“Let’s spend time together,” I said, leaving his question answered in a vague response. “I think that is what is important.”

“Okay,” Caramel nodded.

I loosened my hold on my friend, and Caramel did the same. But the two of us looked at each other, locked in a friendly stare.

But good things all have their end.

A blinding flash engulfed Caramel and I. My body flinched at the unexpected blink of light. When I looked back toward the source, there she was…

“Perfect!” Trixie exclaimed to Photo Finish. Beside the obnoxious unicorn stood Tempest, smiling alongside Trixie with a cheerful grin; at least Tempest didn’t look like she was purposefully trying to embarrass me.

“Of course it was perfect!” Photo exclaimed, running a hoof through her mane. “I only capture moments that can never be replicated!” She looked at Trixie and asked, “Are you sure he is a Prince?”

Tempest’s tall figure loomed over the photographer. “Do you think the Great and Powerful Ambassador Trixie Lulamoon would lie?”

That was quite the title to say… 

“N-No! I was just… making sure. That’s all… ehehe…” I knew Tempest’s heart was in a much better place. But it was hard to deny that she had a natural, intimidating demeanor; mostly because of the scar and chipped horn.

“I will be sure that the world will see Prince Caramel caress the beloved Princess of Friendship!” Photo Finish said.

Trixie… Why must you embarress me?

***

“And here you go,” Groak said as he gave a piece of paper to the vendor. “I will be sure to write to you when the wedding happens.”

“Thank you,” she nodded.

“Groak!” I yelled. “I thought you just wanted to get some snacks!”

“I do want some snacks, Caramel.” He gestured his massive paw to the mare. “Also, before we left the stand earlier, she asked to be invited to your eventual wedding with Princess Twilight.” Groak scratched his chin and asked the vendor, “Can you prepare food for a wedding? I think guests will love having your wonderful invention, popcorn.”

“I can make caramel popcorn to make the snack more unique,” she said.

Groak’s small eyes shined in his long face. “Did you just come up with that?”

The vendor looked at me and winked. “You could say somepony inspired me to do that.”

To be continuuuuuuuuuuuuuued?