> The student and the Princess: Best of both worlds > by Postwarmonkey50 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: The student recaps > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Normally, like any other day, you wake up and try to start your life normally like everybody else. You get up, clean yourself up, get dressed, eat breakfast and try to live your life through the day whilst doing minor tasks that one would do, come back home, do the little things, try to have a little fun, and go to bed, so you could repeat the day once more. However, when you’re all grown up, that’s what you would do. But in a teenager’s case, that’s a different subject. Half the same, but half different. This one particular one, is named Invictus. He is like any other teenager going through certain phases in your life. But in this case, you’re willing to make an acceptation. He had been living in Canterlot City since the day he was born. His father, Atreus, is a very well respected man. Back in the day, when he was a teenager, there was a war going on, and he was drafted when he was sixteen, three years before he could even have a chance to graduate. Thankfully, he survived the six years of war before it was declared over. But thankfully, because of the hard work he had done, and the fact that he was a war hero when he fought an entire legion whilst making sure his squad would get out alive. The government, even his general, paid for his education at Everfree University, one of the finest educational places in the country. And because of it, he gained five PHD’s and now works as a professor at one of the colleges in Canterlot City, so that he could be close to his son. His mother on the other hand, is another story. She is known as Stardust Horizon. She is a very loving and kind woman, but what no one knew until a few years after he was born, she revealed that she is a Unicorn from another dimension. Not the land where a girl named Sunset Shimmer, the former bully of Canterlot High, came from, but another dimension that was similar to theirs, which was also known as Equestria. Not only that, she was also a princess. When she crossed over, one would expect that she wouldn’t be able to use her magic like Sunset did, but when she crossed over, she still had her full magic with her, as she had a gift of opening portals to another world. She used her power to turn herself into a human so that she could explore. Whilst she was exploring the strange and mysterious world that fascinated her, she bumped into Atreus when he was about to go to his first day on the job. It was really awkward for her, considering she never met a human face to face. Oh sure, she may have seen many humans whilst she traveled, but she never bumped into one before. The two of them became fast friends as they went to Atreus’ favorite coffee shop. The two of them having been seeing each other for the past few months. And during their time together, she suddenly had the courage to ask him out. He felt nervous at first, but after giving some thought, he accepted, which left her excited. The two of them went out and after a romantic night, they kissed. They dated for the next few months, until Atreus asked her to marry him. She was afraid at first, considering she has responsibilities back home, but her heart let her do the talking, and she accepted. Soon after that they got married. Though one day, as she tried to go back, she realized that she couldn’t, because she was pregnant and it would hurt the baby. When Princess Celestia, the other one where Stardust Horizon came from, came over to see why she was away for so long, she was surprised to find out that she was pregnant, and also happy for her. She would allow her to stay until the child is born. And within nine months, Stardust Horizon gave birth to Invictus. With him being born, she was able to go back. However, when Invictus was two years old, Stardust Horizon to her husband Atreus who she is. He was surprised at first, but he could never be mad at her, for his heart belonged to her and no one else. One day, whilst Invictus’ father was on vacation, he asked if he could visit her home, which she did. It was a struggle for both Invictus and their father at first, being able to walk as a pony, but it was worth it. They were greatly welcomed among the populace. However, one day, when Invictus was ten and he and his father visited, the other Equestria’s enemies united and launched a full invasion of the kingdom. When they killed Celestia, turned out it was a big mistake. For whilst the kingdom invaded, she made a mistake of controlling the sun before she was killed. With nopony controlling the sun, the sun began to go straight to their world, slowly destroying everything in their path. Before their end, Stardust Horizon begged them to go back, with Atreus pleading that she shouldn’t stay, with her saying that she didn’t have any other choice. But before the world came to an end, Princess Luna, the other one, came along and said that they need to survive, causing her to push them through the portal, a last act of selflessness before their world came to an end. With her world gone, Stardust felt she had no other reason to live, but her husband assured her that everything will be alright. Sure enough, Atreus was right. For in time, the thoughts about her old home became nothing more than a forgotten memory. But like her husband, she also loved to teach, so she applied to work at the same college too, so that she could be closer to her husband, as well as spend as much time with her son, who had just joined CHS during the Freshman Fair. He became friends with most of the kids, and they developed a mutual respect for him, including a certain pair of students, namely the cowgirl, the athlete, the Fashionista, the party planner and the animal caretaker. However, he didn’t like Sunset Shimmer, for he could tell something was off about her. When he told his mother about this, she took a good look at her, and to her surprise, she sensed Equestrian magic in her. It was faint, but she could detect it. After she investigated, she discovered that the Wondercolt statue was a portal to Equestria in disguise, however, the portal was closed, making her realize that the portal there would open up every thirty moons. She would go herself, but for the sake of this world, she needed to keep this quiet. One day, after his next year, Invictus enjoyed his time there at CHS, however, he noticed Sunset was causing trouble and he knew she was driving friendships apart. He didn’t like it one bit and confronted her, saying that she should learn to back off if she knew what was good for her. Then Sunset ended up making a mistake; she said that his mother must’ve been a dumb broad to give birth to an idiot child. Enraged, the unexpected happened, Invictus’ magic kicked in, allowing him to use it to pin Sunset against the lockers, which surprised the rest of the students, with him threatening that if she ever says something like that again, he’ll end her, for the fire in his eyes proved that. Sunset was so scared of him, she didn’t want to ever mess with him. Invictus’ parents told the Principle the truth, and she promised to keep their secret, for it was understandable, for he just lost his temper because Sunset insulted his family. But one day, about a few days before the Fall Formal, with Sunset continuing to torment others and break friendships apart, he encountered a strange person. That was none other than Twilight. But there was something different about her, so he asked his mother to come over again. The two of them watched her for some time, and to Stardust’s shock, Twilight was from Equestria, and she is none other than an Alicorn Princess, which they realized the portal was opened for the next few days. However, there was something about Twilight, something that made him being drawn to her. During her confused state, walking down the school halls, she accidentally bumped into Invictus. As the two of them stared into each other’s eyes, their eyes widened, for there was something, a powerful spark, something he hadn’t felt before. She excused herself and walked away before things would get weird. But Invictus on the other hand, his heart suddenly skipped so many beats he felt like he was having a heart attack. What really caught her attention was that the certain pair of girls that she made friends with were with her, he realized she was able to help them forgive each other, and convinced them to help her stop Sunset for some reason. During her time there, she was able to unite the school after they were divided for so long. But Sunset, she had two of her lackies, Snips and Snails, wreck the room where the Fall Formal Dance was about to be prepared and framed Twilight. But thanks to Flash Sentry, he was able to help clear her name. Somehow, she told her friends the truth about who she was, and eventually, with the help of the entire school, they were able to get things fixed and the Fall Formal would continue. Later that night, as the dance went on, Twilight won Princess of the Fall Formal, but Sunset kidnapped Spike and threatened to destroy her only way home, Heh, if she only knew. But Twilight stood firmly and protected the crown, just what was so important to it? When Sunset took it, she ended up accidentally activated the dark magic inside the crown, it consumed her, and turned into a she-demon. Right then and there, he wanted to help her, but he couldn’t risk exposing himself once more. But because Twilight used the power of the crown, she and her new friends used the power, to his surprise, Harmony, they were able to purge the darkness from her. Invictus was among to see her. But was unexpected, she was in tears. The power of the crown frightened her, which she then began to realize power was something that you couldn’t just take if you were unworthy. As he once learned the hard way. But because of Twilight’s kindness and mercy, she was able to forgive Sunset for her actions, and so did her friends once she convinced them to help her in her time of need. Invictus wanted to ask her out, but Flash beat her to it, which he felt depressed. But what made him sad, was the fact that she had to go back home, which meant he would never see her again. Then came the showcase, which was for Charity. But because of the Dazzlings, otherwise known as the Sirens, creatures from another world that he recognized because of their aura, they turned every student against each other and turned it into the battle of the bands. But because a reformed Sunset and her new friends were unaffected, they took it upon themselves to call Twilight for help. Twilight, he’d have a chance to talk to her. But during her time here, he couldn’t get the chance. One distraction after the other, and he really wanted to help her when he noticed that she felt discouraged further and further and that he couldn’t help her. But they rallied together, and with the help of Sunset, they were able to beat them and save the world. However, Twilight went back again, and he missed his chance once more. Then came the Friendship Games, and the students from Crystal Prep came. Among them, to his surprise, was Twilight. But it wasn’t Princess Twilight, for she didn’t have the aura. But somehow she stole Sunset and the others’ magic, and because of the dick move from Cinch, Twilight, or Sci-Twi in this case, ended up being absorbed by the magic, and ended up being consumed by it, turning her into a monster. But thanks to Sunset, she saved her. As a result, both schools won after Cinch gave up into trying to win in her favor. Sci-Twi was able to transfer to CHS. But as the girls were having lunch, Princess Twilight came back, and said that she was stuck in a time loop, which meant there was trouble back at her home dimension. During their trip to Camp Everfree, he overheard from Sunset that Princess Twilight wasn’t coming back, and that she had her own responsibilities back home, which left Invictus really discouraged, for he missed the once chance to talk to the one girl that he fell in love with, but didn’t have the courage to tell her. Soon afterwards, one problem after another came along. The Rainbooms, that’s what he heard they were called, were trying to raise money for Camp Everfree, so Rarity had the idea of doing a music video, only for her ideas to be stolen by the Shadowcolts. But after overhearing them, they realized that they just didn’t want to disappoint their classmates, so they worked together and they both won. Shortly after that, they went to the movie studio, where they were filming Daring Do. Unfortunately the stage was sabotaged, the actress were having some trouble to fulfill her role and the props were missing. And it turned out, it was none other than the director’s own niece, Juniper Montage, that did all that because she was jealous and wanted to be Daring Do. But her uncle was right, she was too young and too inexperienced. And because of the fact that she betrayed her uncle’s trust, he kicked her out and banned her until further noticed, making her angry at the Rainbooms. At the movie release, Juniper was still bitter at them, and her mirror was affected by Equestrian Magic. So she used the mirror, when she saw them, to trap them inside in order to get back at them, and ended up turning into a giant woman when their geodes, magical artifacts that they received that gave them special abilities from Camp Everfree, were absorbed by the mirror. But thankfully, Starlight Glimmer, a student of Princess Twilight, wanted to visit. And thanks to her, because of her own past experience, she was able to convince her to turn her over a new leaf and released the others. They were able to forgive her and she became their friend too. Then came Wallflower Blush, who used the memory stone to teach Sunset a lesson by lashing out at her friends and taking their good memories of her away. But Sunset was able to ask Princess Twilight for help, but didn’t come back with her. Which was a good thing, because if her memories were taken, who knows how much damage she could’ve done. But thanks to the annoying Trixie, Sunset was able to save her friends when they destroyed the memory stone and restored their memories. She forgave them and apologized to her for making her feel invisible. Focusing back in his room, Invictus woke up and looked at the date. It was now July 1st, the middle of Summer Vacation. Thankfully, with the last summer job he had, he was able to have enough money to have some fun, but not in a crazy kind of way. His mother left to visit his father’s parents at Van Hoover and his dad... Well it's complicated, and she was going to be gone for a month, which suited him just fine. He could use some time to clear his head. But he felt more than down, he felt sad. Normally, like any other day, he would walk to the mirror and stand in front of it, hoping to have the courage to visit her, but he wasn’t sure that he would feel welcomed, considering it’s a different Equestria. It even brought back some childhood trauma, where his mother’s old home was destroyed. But sometimes he hoped that she would come over for a visit, then he would have the courage to talk to her, but was afraid he would miss his chance again. On that morning, after he was done with his daily routine, he walked over to the school, which was closed, but he kept walking to the mirror, thinking about her. He at first wanted to stand near the mirror and want to have the courage to talk to her. But he just couldn’t wait anymore, or walk into the mirror. So he just sighed and walked past the mirror. When all of a sudden… FWOOSH!! BUMP!!! Invictus groaned, holding his head, for that was painful. He realized he must’ve bumped into someone without looking. He has a habit of doing that. Just when he wanted to apologize, he was shocked to see who it was. For this person, he recognized her aura. But when he looked into her eyes, and realized the outfit, especially the fact that she was nose to nose with him, which caused her to blush as she looked into his dark blue eyes, and he in her moderate violet, which made him blush too. It was in that moment, he had realized one thing that he never thought would happen… Fate had granted him a chance after all. > Chapter 2: Introductions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the embarrassing entrance, as well as them staring at each other for almost ten minutes, Princess Twilight instantly snapped out of her senses and panicked. ‘Oh my gosh I’m so sorry.’ said Twilight as she quickly stood up ‘I didn’t mean to bump into you. I wasn’t expecting anyone to stand so close to it.’ ‘It…it’s okay.’ said Invictus, not wanting to make a further fool of himself, nor address her to her title. ‘I didn’t expect you to come back from Equestria.’ Twilight was surprised that he knew her. ‘Wait, you know who I am?’ ‘I kinda bumped into you when you first came here.’ said Invictus. Twilight remembered she bumped into another boy earlier besides Flash Sentry. She giggled sheepishly, remembering him ‘Oh yeah, right.’ ‘But uh, what are you doing back here?’ asked Invictus ‘If you don’t mind me asking?’ ‘Oh, I wanted to visit Sunset and the others for some time.’ said Twilight ‘I wanted to surprise them. Have you seen them lately?’ ‘Sorry, but they’re not here.’ said Invictus. ‘Huh,’ said a confused Twilight ‘Then where are they? Come to think of it, where is everyone?’ ‘Oh, school’s closed for the summer.’ said Invictus. ‘On no, did something bad happen here?’ said Twilight, thinking that something bad might’ve happened. ‘Not really, they’re on summer break.’ ‘Summer break?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he explained ‘An educational system where the students tend to take a break from school for the next three months, hence summer vacation. But if a student does bad at their grades, they have to stay behind to finish their schoolwork so that they don’t get tardy on their grades.’ ‘Oh,’ said Twilight ‘I didn’t know that.’. Twilight suddenly thought to herself ‘Interesting. It’s almost the same as Equestria’s Summer breaks.’ ‘And in case you wonder, your friends aren’t here either.’ said Invictus. ‘What, why?’ said Twilight, clearly worried. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he explained to her. ‘Pinkie Pie is currently with Maud visiting their family. Applejack and her family went to a family reunion. Rarity went to Manehattan for a fashion seminar. Rainbow Dash and her soccer team are currently traveling the country to play some soccer against another team at Appaloosa. Fluttershy went to Van Hoover to attend at the Caring for Animals Foundation, she’s a junior member. Twilight and her parents went on a week’s cruise and she invited Sunset to come with them, seeing that she needed some company.’ ‘Oh no.’ said Twilight as she felt discouraged and sad ‘I really wanted to see them. And after I said to my friends back home that I wanted to take a month’s vacation.’ Not liking to see her like that, he offered her a solution. ‘Well, considering that you didn’t want to come here empty handed,’ said Invictus ‘Mind if I take you to the Sweet Shoppe? Mrs. Cake made a new type of sponge cake that everyone’s going nuts over.’ Twilight was a little surprised that a total stranger had offered to take her. But he was right, her friends weren't here at the moment. And she needed someone to talk to. She then smiled as she said ‘Alright then, I’ll take you up on your offer.’ ‘Really?’ said Invictus, nearly wanting to give himself away, but he was able to quickly compose himself and cleared his throat whilst he said ‘Alright, that’s cool.’ Twilight flexed her left eyebrow, not sure why he was suddenly acting like that. But she quickly shrugged it off whilst she followed him. After they got to the Sweet Shoppe, Mrs. Cake had already given them their cake, as well as the coffee to go with them. Twilight was able to take a bite out of the cake. As she chewed it, she murmured in approval, for this cake really is delicious. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight after she swallowed her cake ‘You were right, this cake is amazing.’ ‘I know right?’ said Invictus ‘Mrs. Cake really outdid herself.’ Hearing that, Mrs. Cake smiled as she said ‘Oh, why thank you dearie.’ After he took a bite of his own, he then said ‘Though I take it the Mrs. Cake from your world also worked up some miracles.’ ‘Oh, she sure has…’ said Twilight, before she cut herself off whilst she looked at him surprised. ‘Wait, how did…?’ ‘That you’re a pony Princess from another dimension named Equestria?’ said Invictus before he took another bite out of his cake with a flexed eyebrow. Alarm bells were staring to ring in Twilight’s head. For he somehow knows about what she is and that she’s from another dimension. Until he reassured her as he raise his hand a bit, signaling her to calm down. ‘It’s okay, I’m from another dimension too.’ said Invictus, surprising Twilight. ‘Wait, you’re from Equestria?’ said Twilight as she whispered, not wanting to cause a scene in the shop. ‘In a manner of speaking.’ said Invictus, feeling nervous of telling her further, but tried to press on ‘I’m from a different Equestria.’ ‘Another Equestria?’ asked Twilight, clearly intrigued by what he said. ‘Yeah, but this one is different.’ said Invictus ‘But answer me this…did Celestia ever did try to find a suitable suitor in her time?’ She was surprised by this question. But she kept her composure as she said ‘She did once, before I became her student. But uh…it didn’t work out.’ ‘In my world, she got married and gave birth to a powerful Unicorn.’ said Invictus ‘So powerful in fact, that she nearly rivaled Starswirl the Bearded’s magic.’ Twilight was greatly surprised by the discovery. ‘Really? What was her name?’ ‘Stardust Horizon.’ said Invictus. ‘As she studied, she somewhat made some friends of her own, but she didn’t have the spark like you did. All of you did exist in that Equestria, but things were a little different.’ ‘How different?’ asked Twilight. ‘She studied and created a lot of spells over the years.’ said Invictus ‘But among her greatest discoveries…’ Invictus looked around, then leaned closer to her, allowing him to whisper to her as he said ‘She was able to open a portal to other dimensions without exhausting her magic and using a magical artifact.’ Twilight was greatly surprised by the discovery with widened eyes. ‘Really?’ said Twilight, nearly wanting to stand up, but also whispered. ‘But how come we’ve never heard of it?’ ‘Probably because she was able to see things whenever she tries to create a new spell.’ said Invictus. ‘She also turned into a human the moment she got here.’ ‘Oh,’ said Twilight as she remembered her first experience ‘Did she also have trouble trying to fit in and couldn’t use magic?’ ‘Yeah, she did.’ said Invictus ‘But she somehow found a way.’ ‘Found a way?’ asked Twilight with widened eyes. ‘Yep,’ said Invictus, giving a small smile with pride to ensure she didn’t pick it up yet ‘She went back and did a couple of spells. So when she crossed over again, she was able to use her magic there, only through her hands and spoken words, a little something that most magic users learned in case their horns weren't working right. She even used a mind reading spell, so that she could learn on how to walk on both her legs and use her appendixes like a normal human being.’ ‘Oh, I hope that human didn’t give her trouble or anything.’ said Twilight, worried that Stardust Horizon might’ve abused her power. Invictus nearly chuckled out loud as he said ‘Not really, that’s how my dad met her.’ Twilight was greatly surprised by this. ‘So wait,’ said Twilight as she put two and two together ‘You’re telling me that the very pony from another dimension, who met your dad, happens to be your mother?’ ‘You bet.’ said Invictus, he then conjured a small cupcake in his hand, taking her by surprise whilst he said ‘I even inherited most of her magic.’ Twilight was greatly surprised by this discovery, as well as getting excited. ‘This. Is. Amazing. How different is it in the Equestria you came from?’ ‘Well let’s see…’ said Invictus as he thought about it. ‘Did you refuse to make friends because you were obsessed with studying?’ ‘Yeah, why?’ asked Twilight. ‘In my world,’ said Invictus as he started ‘The day you got your Cutie Mark, my mom could sense that others had also gained their Marks, so she set out to find them. She brought you six together, and you lot ended up being friends at an early age. And whenever Celestia told you to take a break from your studies, which you did, you visited Ponyville a lot to visit them.’ Twilight was taken aback by this information. ‘Whoa, really?’ ‘She sure did’ said Invictus ‘And during that time, your Unicorn friends, namely Minuette, Twinkle Shine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra Heartstrings and Moondancer, were curious of why you kept going there, so they came along with you, and became fast friends too. And by the time that you uh, predicted Nightmare Moon’s return, you had already moved to Ponyville by then.’ ‘But let me guess,’ said Twilight as she remembered that moment that Moondancer felt betrayed that she didn’t want to come to her party ‘I didn’t show up for Moon Dancer’s party?’ ‘On the contrary,’ said Invictus ‘You asked Pinkie Pie to organize a party for her.’ Twilight was again surprised by the discovery. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight ‘I never realized how different both our worlds would be.’ ‘I felt the same way when I first met all of you.’ said Invictus ‘It was strange, having both a horn and some wings on…’ ‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she shockingly looked at him ‘You were an Alicorn?!’ ‘What, it’s not like I was the only one.’ said Invictus ‘There are thousands of Alicorns.’ Twilight’s jaw dropped as she shock of realization kicked in. ‘Thousands?’ ‘Yep, only thing is, none of them are immortal.’ said Invictus ‘Heck, even Celestia and Luna stopped being immortal ever since you and your friends freed Luna from Nightmare Moon, even you didn’t become immortal when you became an Alicorn.’ ‘Wow.’ said Twilight. But then something had hit her. ‘Wait, if you and your mother live here now, how come you don’t live there anymore.’ She noticed that Invictus had lowered his head, feeling dread. She took notice of that. ‘Did…something happen?’ He spoke in a soft tone, but thankfully she heard it when he said ‘Did the changelings attack all of you when Chrysalis wanted revenge?’ ‘Well yeah,’ said Twilight, then ended up smiling ‘But if it weren't for Starlight, Trixie, Discord and Thorax, we would’ve been at their mercy.’ He then let out a sigh, as a tear began to fall. ‘In my world, Equestria was destroyed.’ Twilight gasped in shock, not realizing how touchy of a subject that was for him. ‘What…what happened?’ she asked, clearly at a loss for words. Invictus sighed, then looked at her. ‘Chrysalis decided to invade everywhere at the same time, but she knew she couldn’t do it alone, so she was able to help Tirek escape from his prison, as well as brought a maniacal tyrant into attacking Equestria. But during their attack, Celestia was trying to raise the sun, which was a mistake. Because in doing so, the sun began to hurtle towards Equestria. The ponies had no chance of escaping, even you and your friends didn’t make it. My parents and I, when we decided to visit, tried to escape. And Princess Luna, before her demise, was able to sent us back before the sun destroyed them. I…was only ten years old at the time.’ Twilight was greatly shockened by what happened. She held onto his hands, gaining his attention as she said ‘I’m so sorry to hear that.’ ‘Yeah, it was a struggle for me,’ said Invictus ‘Even after I went to Canterlot High during my Freshman Year, I had trouble coping what happened. All my friends…gone. But mom…she was the most devastated. She moved on, but she felt like she lost a piece of herself.’ He managed a small smile. ‘I did however make friends at CHS that put up with me and my issues, even developed a great amount of respect for them. I even made friends with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.’ ‘And Sunset?’ asked Twilight. He took a deep breath through his teeth, whilst rubbing the back of his head, thinking about the incident a while back. ‘Yeah, let’s just say we didn’t exactly meet on a good note.’ ‘Huh?’ said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Let’s just say,’ said Invictus as he started ‘I knew she was bullying others just to get what she wanted when others kept denying her of that. Both my mother and I recognized her that she was from Equestria and we could sense magic inside of her. It was faint, but it was something. We even realized that the statue was a portal to Equestria in disguise. She wanted to investigate herself, but we didn’t want to mess with the balance of the world.’ ‘Understandable,’ said Twilight as she agreed with him. ‘The others and I kind of felt the same way if we were to tell the entire world the existence of magic here. But what about Sunset.’ ‘Still your patience young one,’ said Invictus as he pretended to be an old man ‘Your answer will come in due time.’ Twilight simply flexed an eyebrow on that, causing the two of them to laugh at that, for it was a pretty good impersonation. ‘Anyway,’ said Invictus ‘About a year after I enrolled in CHS, I noticed Sunset was causing trouble and I knew that she was driving friendships apart. I ended up confronting her and told her to stop, telling her she should back off. Then she said something that I ended up losing it.’ ‘What did you say?’ said Twilight out of curiosity. ‘She said that my mother must’ve been some dumb broad to give birth to an idiot child like me.’ said Invictus. Twilight simply stared at him with widened eyes. ‘Yeah, believe me, she was way different back then.’ ‘Oh, I hope you didn’t hit her or anything.’ said Twilight. Normally, she would’ve thought that Sunset deserved such a thing, but now that she’s reformed, she’s having a different opinion about it. ‘Worse,’ said Invictus ‘I got angry and ended up exposing my magic to her and pinned her against the wall. I even threatened to kill her if she were to ever mention my mother again. She was so scared of me, she didn’t want to cross paths with me, or tried to blackmail me.’ If Twilight’s eyes were any wider, they’d be bigger than a tire, for she was shocked to hear what he said and did. he raised his hand to reassure her, saying ‘I wasn’t proud of what I did back then.’ He then leaned forward as he said ‘And you know how Principle Celestia didn’t freak out about you being a pony?’ Twilight was surprised and thought about it, for it was true, when she revealed herself, the Principle didn’t freak out about this. She nodded to assure him he understood. ‘My parents told her the truth about Equestrian Magic and the portal to your world. They told me about my powers and what I could do. And for my sake, she promised to keep our secret.’ said Invictus. ‘But ever since you arrived, I’m actually really happy that you helped turn Sunset’s life around, even if she didn’t want to admit it.’ Twilight giggled sheepishly at that. ‘Yeah well, I did what I had to do to get my crown back.’ ‘And you touched others’ lives too.’ said Invictus ‘Plus thanks to you and the others were able to forgive her.’ But then he rolled his eyes as he remembered that one specific detail ‘At least until her friends’ little sisters spilled their secrets online and framed Sunset.’ Twilight looked down, remembering that detail. ‘I still couldn’t believe that they would do such a thing.’ ‘They were just kids, they don’t know any better.’ said Invictus ‘I know they love their family and all, but they need to realize one thing when it comes to growing up.’ ‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘Nothing lasts forever.’ said Invictus. ‘We think that everything will be alright in the future, but in the end, there will always be obstacles coming and going. We need to accept for the fact that growing up, means giving up a few things in life, even if it’s too scary to think about. My mother and I learned that the hard way.’ ‘I can imagine.’ said Twilight, thinking about what she had to do over the years as she was forced to grow up. ‘I’m just glad they learned their lesson afterwards.’ ‘Not to mention that it was thanks to Sunset,’ said Invictus as he remembered some moments that made him smile ‘This world’s Twilight now has friends and a life here at CHS. Even they and Crystal Prep became friends.’ He then admitted something that he wanted to get off of his chest ‘Though it was kinda sad that you weren't there.’ Twilight was confused and surprised at the same time as she asked ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ said Invictus ‘This world’s Twilight is great and all, but she wasn’t you. She didn’t have that same spark like you did. I think your certain infectious charm kind of rubbed off on others. Plus I really wanted to meet you, considering that you were from Equestria. And I wanted to know what that world was like, considering that I missed my old home.’ ‘Oh, really?’ said Twilight, feeling flattered by his comment. ‘Also, what you did by rallying everyone to your side, confessing to your new friends who you are, standing up to Sunset, freeing her, make her see sense, not to mention when you guys stood up to the Dazzlings.’ said Invictus as she looked down for a bit, then looked back at her with his tender and honest smile ‘That’s something I admire. And one that I greatly respect. You’re truly special and have a great gift.’ Twilight was surprised by this, as well as blushed by his comment. She didn’t know why, but the way he said it made it feel…okay. Invictus on the other hand, realized what he just said and cleared his throat, whilst also trying to hide the blush from his face. ‘So uh…’ said Invictus, trying to compose himself ‘How have you been since you were last here?’ ‘Oh, I was busy with my duties back at Equestria.’ said Twilight. ‘And how’s Starlight doing?’ asked Invictus. ‘Oh, she’s doing great.’ said Twilight ‘She finally graduated from being my student after she and her friends accomplished a lot of great things there. And uh…I needed a break.’ Invictus raised an eyebrow ‘Really, what happened?’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she rubbed the back of her head. She then sighed and told him ‘Well, a while back I needed a break from all the constant workload I keep getting. Until my mother suddenly got a free vacation and that she could take her whole family.’ ‘Whoa, re…?’ he then stopped a bit and realized something. ‘Wait a minute. She wasn’t scammed into going on that vacation was she?’ Twilight was surprised that he quickly picked that up so quickly. ‘Uh, yes. How did…’ ‘Same thing happened to my mom.’ said Invictus ‘Apparently my father was famous for winning a Nobel Peace Prize and my mom saved the Mayor’s life when she nearly had an accident, so some dope tried to make money out of it by offering us a… He the cleared his throat and quoted with both his fingers saying ‘…“Free vacation”… ’ Twilight was surprised that he also went through with it. ‘When my dad and I confronted the guy about this, he claimed that he put that in the fine print in the contract when he gave it to her. And her excuse, when someone offers her a free vacation…’ ‘Who reads the fine print?’ said Twilight, clearly surprised by this. Invictus looked at her surprised and asked ‘You too?’, causing Twilight to nod. Invictus then slapped his forehead and groaned. ‘What is it with people who don’t read the fine prints?!’ ‘I know, right?!’ said Twilight as she too raised her arms in the air about this ‘Everyone reads the fine print when somepony offers them a contract!’ He then sighed whilst holding his milkshake and said ‘Stuff like this is what drives people down the wrong path. That’s how you lose your soul that way.’ Twilight looked at him with a flexed eyebrow after she took a sip from her milkshake. Invictus cleared his throat as he said ‘In the old stories, some guy, who happens to be a demon in disguise, comes to offer the other a deal. Out of greed and stupidity, he took the deal, but he failed to read the fine print that once the contract expires at the tenth year, you’ll end up losing your soul.’ Twilight was surprised by this with widened eyes. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she pointed a few things out ‘That’s twisted.’ ‘Not as twisted as some demons who try to bend the rules by trying to kill those who accepted the contract and claimed “Accidents happen” or some stuff like that.’ said Invictus, but clearing his throat as he said ‘So what else happened?’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she looked down ‘I tried to keep everypony happy. And because of that, I missed the Northern Stars. I got pretty upset about that, even the pony who kept following me like an obsessed Fanboy. I was focused on what they wanted.’ ‘But not you?’ asked Invictus. ‘No,’ said Twilight as she looked down with a sad expression ‘I just wanted everypony to be happy.’ Invictus felt sorry for her, so he picked up his chair and placed it next to Twilight so that he could sit next to her. As he did, he tried to instill his words of wisdom his mother taught him some time ago. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he gave it a try ‘When it comes to pleasing others and fulfilling the responsibilities that have been laid out to you, it can hard to have a normal life, and it can also be hard to know where to draw the line when it comes to making the right or wrong decisions.’ He then wrapped his arm around her. She didn’t pay any attention, but he kept trying ‘You may have an obligation as a Princess for the sake of your kingdom and your fellow ponies, but you also have an obligation to yourself for the sake of your happiness and friendships.’ Twilight nearly chuckled, but kept her smile as she said ‘That’s almost what my sister in law, Princess Cadance, said when she tried to help me see things differently.’ ‘Well, my mother also once told me that when someone is in trouble and loses their way, it doesn’t mean that they’re lost forever.’ said Invictus ‘Sometimes we all need a little help.’ He then rubbed the back of his head with his other hand as he said ‘Look, I may not know anything about royalty, but I do know what other people think and do, and they need balance in their life. That’s what you’ve been deprived of every time something like this happens.’ He chuckled a bit, thinking about the short time she was here and helped others. ‘What goes on in your mind, no one will ever understand. But what goes in within your own heart, will never let us down.’ Twilight smiled at his kind words. ‘Thank you,’ said Twilight before she faced him ‘I really appreciate that.’ He looked at her too. But what they didn’t realize, was that they were nose to nose, and their lips were close to one another. The two of them were surprised by this position, causing the two of them to blush. They then backed away a bit, but their blush still remained, as well as the smile on both their faces. He then went back to his spot in order to finish the last of his cake and coffee. ‘So uh,’ said Invictus whilst he was also curious ‘How long are you planning on visiting? If you don’t mind me asking that is?’ ‘Well, I kinda told them I was going to be on a vacation for a month since I really needed it.’ said Twilight as she rubbed the back of her head, not wanting to think of them being nose to nose. ‘And I wanted to spend that time visiting my friends at CHS, considering I didn’t have enough time to spend time with them.’ ‘But now that they’re not here, you felt like you missed your chance.’ said Invictus. ‘That’s…pretty much it.’ said Twilight as she looked away, feeling down because she missed her chance to see them again. Invictus then thought about something whilst tapping onto his chin. He then somehow had an idea and looked at her. ‘Well, if you want, I could help you out.’ Twilight looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, thinking about what he had in mind. ‘You would? Why?’ ‘Well, from what I’ve heard and seen,’ said Invictus as he pointed a few things out ‘You’ve only been at CHS, some parts of the city and at their homes. You’ve never had the chance to explore the entire world. You could even see if there’s a difference between this world and Equestria.’ Twilight was surprised by the offer. Then again he did have a point. She didn’t spend a lot of time in this world, and it would give her a chance to explore the differences between Equestria and this world. Plus it would be a good chance to make a few new friends. Both Sunset and her friends’ alternate selves didn’t count however, for they were nearly one and the same as their friends in Equestria. With a smile, she made up her mind and looked at him. ‘Alright then, it’s a deal.’ said Twilight, with Invictus nearly wanted to lose it and shout in joy, but he kept himself in check in order not to make a scene. ‘It would be nice to explore this world for a bit.’ ‘Great,’ said Invictus as he stood up and paid for the bill ‘But first we’re gonna have to go wardrobe shopping first.’ ‘Huh?’ said Twilight, confused by this action. ‘Well you don’t want to wear the same outfits every single day now, would you?’ Twilight looked at her wardrobe, for he did have a point. If she wanted to blend in a bit, then she needs to dress the part. She still didn’t get the whole clothing thing, even after she’d been in this world for a while during the events of both before the Fall Formal, and during the Battle of the Bands. Then again, she didn’t want to walk around naked, not after what Sunset and the others had to go through to explain the whole clothing concept to her. But thankfully she chose to suck it up and gave it a try. ‘Alright then, we can do that.’ said Twilight. But then she wondered something ‘But…won’t your parents object to that?’ ‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus ‘My folks are visiting my dad’s parents on the other side of the country. Plus I have a car of my own, we can just drive to any place in the country you want, so that you can see the world for yourself.’ ‘Oh really? That would be great.’ said Twilight. ‘Alright then,’ said Invictus as planned a few things out ‘We’ll head over to the mall to buy some things, as well as some food for the road, enough clothing for half a month.’ Twilight giggled the way he was planning things out, with him responding with ‘What?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Twilight as she waved a bit and kept her smile ‘You’re kind of like me when it comes to planning things ahead.’ ‘Good to know.’ said Invictus as the two of them stood up and walked out of the door. He then stopped and looked at Twilight ‘Now I’m gonna try something, but it’s gonna get weird.’ ‘Huh, weird ho…?’ said Twilight before she was cut off. Invictus quickly moved towards Twilight and did the unexpected, his lips were placed on hers, which took her by surprise as her eyes widened and her cheeks were red. The position held like this for a few minutes, until Invictus broke the kiss, which Twilight still felt speechless. ‘Uh,’ said Twilight ‘What did you just do?’ ‘A spell my mother taught me.’ said Invictus ‘When one wants to pass down knowledge to another, like as in, if you’re in a new body and you want to learn to adapt in a new world, you’ll be able to walk and use your appendages like a proper human being. But the only way to work is through lip contact. So I’ve been able to give that to you, so now it’ll be like second nature.’ Twilight was surprised by that spell. ‘Really?’ ‘Yep.’ said Invictus ‘But there was also another spell that involved it.’ ‘Huh?’ said Twilight ‘But wait, if there was another spell to pass knowledge, then why did you…?’ Invictus blushed and smiled sheepishly and said ‘I always wanted to kiss a Princess.’ Twilight was a little surprised by this, but in a strange way, what she didn’t want to admit to him…it felt really…nice. But she felt awkward and said ‘So uh…wanna go do that shopping now?’ ‘Uh, yes sure of course.’ said Invictus before things would get weird, allowing the two of them to go straight to the mall to get what they needed. > Chapter 3 Camp Everfree > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been for more than a few hours since they had left the mall and thankfully they had some lunch before they let. Everything that they needed was packed in bags where their clothes and accessories would be stored, even other essentials, like snacks and drinks, and thankfully Invictus got the nutrition variety, which Twilight seemed to agree. Once he placed them next to the RV that he got for working at the car dealer’s place as a way of saying thanks from the manager, Twilight suddenly had a checklist with her, wanting to go over the things that was on the list so that they would be prepared. ‘Alright, let’s see.’ said Twilight as she wrote things down, and thanks to Invictus, she was able to write like a pro. ‘Clothes for three weeks?’ Invictus looked at the bags with clothes, then focused back on her. ‘Check.’ ‘Bathroom essentials?’ He looked at the bags with the bathroom essentials in it. ‘Check.’ ‘Emergency medical kits?’ He took out to medical kits and showed it to her ‘Check.’ ‘Snacks and drinks for the road?’ He opened one box filled with snacks and a cool bag with drinks inside. ‘Check.’ ‘Food to make for the night and morning?’ He looked at the RV’s cupboards and fridge, filled with food as he said ‘Check.’ Invictus then came out with two more large bags, with Twilight wondering what they were. ‘What are those?’ ‘Oh, books of course.’ said Invictus ‘Don’t want you to get bored during the road trip. I even got a list over here to see what you might like.’ Twilight nearly wanted to make a squee sound, for it was thoughtful of him for packing in books too. She looked over the list whilst she said it out loud ‘Wow, a couple of Daring Do books I’ve never heard of. A few Mystery Novels. A few history books and…an entire encyclopedia set?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘They update those every year so that the world can catch up on what’s going on. So I figured that you might like some, as well as learn a bit of the world around you. I even packed in some paper and writing material so you can take notes. You do love to take notes.’ She giggled a bit at that, but he was right about that, she does love taking notes. She then noticed that he had a few mix CD’s with him, whilst he explained ‘I even packed in some music. Every different genre on it. Figured you could use some good music to pass the time.’ ‘Hmm,’ said Twilight as she looked through them ‘This would also give me a good chance to study the different music genres in another world.’ Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle and roll his eyes; classic Twilight. Once everything was packed in, they were able to strap themselves in on their respective seats. Once they were settled, they set out on the road. Twilight kept looking at the city, for even though she wasn’t around here for long, she still can’t over of how amazing the city is, which she couldn’t help but smile just by looking at the place. Sure enough, both of them have left the city and were on the road. Twilight kept looking out the open and she was amazed by the vast amount of forest outside of Canterlot City. Invictus noticed how Twilight was looking. For a mind like hers, it’s always nice to see people, er, ponies, having a fascination in learning and want to explore the great unknown around them. An hour later, Twilight began to write a few things down, making Invictus notice. No doubt writing about her journey that she would be experiencing throughout her travels. ‘You looking forward to where we’re going?’ asked Invictus. ‘Oh absolutely.’ said Twilight ‘Sunset wrote to me a lot about Camp Everfree and though I was surprised that there was magic there, I really wanted to see what they look like up close.’ ‘The forest may not look like the Everfree Forest,’ said Invictus ‘But there are some spots that have similarities. I’m sure you’ll love it there.’ ‘Oh, by the way,’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus ‘Thanks for that spell earlier. It’s really helpful. I can’t believe I never thought about this in the first place.’ ‘Told you it can feel like second nature the moment you give it a try.’ said Invictus, however, he blushed and slightly looked away, remembering the kiss he gave Twilight just to pass the knowledge spell down. But it felt really…nice. Twilight somehow noticed the blush on his face, which she realized that he was thinking about the kiss, causing her to blush to and look away. Trying to distract herself, she looked at the CD’s. ‘So uh…’ said Twilight whilst she pointed at the CD’s. ‘What kind of music to they contain?’ Trying to distract himself, he gestured for her to take a look, which she did. She looked through the CD’s. There were quite a few to select. Not realizing what to take, she placed in a disc called “Natewantstobattle” and placed it inside. Sure enough, she heard him sing. She was amazed how his voice sounded. She then looked at Invictus and asked ‘Wow, who is this guy?’ ‘Natewantstobattle?’ said Invictus, remembering the name on the disc. ‘Oh, that guy is good. He’s a talented singer. Every song that people have ever made, he also sings their songs. He’s got quite the voice. He sang a few great songs from that collection of video games I like so much. He even sings a few songs that came from movies and television series. But every now and then he sings his own songs.’ ‘Oh, wow.’ said Twilight ‘Did you meet him at some point?’ ‘Once,’ said Invictus ‘Principle Celestia wanted to do another showcase, considering the fiasco that Bossy, Grouchy and Dummy ruined it last year.’ ‘Huh?’ said a confused Twilight. She then remembered the Dazzlings, aka the Sirens, tried to take over this world. But then she realized who she was talking about, as well as who he described, causing her to laugh out loud whilst she was holding her gut. After five minutes of laughing, she wiped a tear away, for it was really funny. ‘Oh now that’s funny.’ said Twilight ‘That’s exactly how my friends would describe them.’ He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, for it was really funny. He then cleared his throat, trying to continue their conversation. ‘Anyway,’ said Invictus after he was able to think what he wanted to say ‘Natewantstobattle came along and asked everyone at school if he could sing their songs or sing with them. Rainbow immediately volunteered at that.’ He the whispered to Twilight, saying ‘The only reason she did that was because she’s got a huge crush on the guy.’ ‘Really?’ said Twilight with her one eyebrow raised. ‘Yep.’ said Invictus, until he snickered, catching Twilight’s attention. ‘I told her that if she didn’t do it, I’d show everyone at school this.’ He then showed Twilight a picture of Rainbow Dash, kissing a picture of Natewantstobattle whilst it was attached to a mannequin. Twilight stared at it with her jaws dropped and wide eyes. She eventually couldn’t help herself as she laughed out loud whilst she raised her head in the air. Invictus on the other hand placed the picture away whilst he tried to contain his laughter, for he was busy driving. ‘She did not.’ said Twilight as she wiped her tear. She then stopped as she realized something. ‘Wait, did you blackmail her into doing it?’ ‘Let’s just say it was payback time.’ said Invictus with a smirk. ‘What did she do?’ asked Twilight. Invictus whispered into her ear of what Rainbow Dash did. After that quick whisper, Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. She then looked at him as she said ‘Okay, if she did that to me, I would’ve wanted payback too.’ ‘Right?’ said Invictus whilst he rolled his eyes. ‘So did they enjoy singing with him?’ asked Twilight, hoping to change the subject. ‘They sure did.’ said Invictus ‘He even made an album of it.’ He then rolled his eyes whilst he said ‘Poor Fluttershy couldn’t handle the fame and stuff, but thanks to Natewantstobattle, they were able to give her some space.’ ‘I can imagine.’ said Twilight as she remembered her own experience back in Equestria. ‘My Fluttershy back home didn’t want to perform live on stage because she has stage fright and she’s afraid others would judge her the wrong way.’ ‘I mean I don’t get it,’ said Invictus as he said what Twilight talked to him about whilst they were packing and before they were on the road ‘She faced against Nightmare Moon, Tirek, Sombra, a big dragon, Chrysalis, as well as Starlight. If she could get over something like that, why couldn’t she do the little things.’ ‘You know both our Fluttershy’s.’ said Twilight ‘They don’t believe in violence or doing things that’ll risk hurting others.’ ‘Can’t argue with that.’ said Invictus, thinking about how Fluttershy was kind to him when he was either stuck in a rut, or when he needed a pet ‘They can be real sweethearts though. Even if they are painfully shy.’ ‘Oh,’ said Twilight as she caught a hint of what he was talking about ‘You know this world’s Fluttershy too?’ ‘In a manner of speaking,’ said Invictus ‘I once helped her out at her shelter to try and fix a few things. Although, she was afraid to talk to me.’ ‘Really? Why?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well for one thing, she’s very shy.’ said Invictus, which Twilight nodded, over classic Fluttershy ‘And she thought I was going to ask her out on a date. Was it my fault I couldn’t understand a word she was saying?’ ‘Trust me, my Fluttershy was also like that when we first met.’ said Twilight. ‘I know the girls here.’ said Invictus as he explained ‘I like Applejack because she’s always honest. I like Rainbow Dash because she’s kind of the cool one. I like Rarity because she made me that outfit I admired. I like Fluttershy because she’s always nice to me. I like Pinkie Pie because she hosted a great birthday for me. I like Sci-Twi because she always works so hard…’ ‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she gave him an odd look ‘Sci-Twi?’ ‘That’s what everyone calls her,’ said Invictus ‘Apparently when she was at CHS during the Friendship Games, everyone got confused and mistook her for you. So Pinkie Pie came up with a nickname for her. That and she’s a wizard at anything science related. Though I kinda thought she would continue to study magic, even if she did turn into a she-demon.’ ‘Wait, study magic?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well a certain someone from a long time ago once said, “Magic is just another form of science we haven’t yet fully understand.”, whilst another said “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” and so on and so on.’ Twilight was a little surprised by the human from this world’s statement. ‘I mean think about it,’ said Invictus as he talked about Equestria ‘Earth Ponies use magic all the time, how else do you explain they’re able to plant, water and grow things until they finally reap what they sowed. Or the Pegasi, who can control any form of weather, whether is either small to extremely dangerous weather. The Unicorns were always the masters of magic, which is why they taught most ponies how to use it, even if they didn’t have any horns, whilst there were also rumors that there were once non unicorns that could wield magic through words that died out centuries ago. The Alicorns were born from all three races to instill balance in their kingdom to show that equality still exists through teamwork and ideals.’ Twilight’s eyes widened from every word he said. ‘Wow,’ she responded ‘You really have thought about this a lot didn’t you?’ ‘I like to keep an open mind,’ said Invictus ‘Unlike most hypocrites that everyone knows that tends to misuse information like that. Like that stupid Top Jewel back from my Equestria.’ ‘Top Jewel?’ asked Twilight, lifting an eyebrow. ‘He’s a member of Canterlot’s High Society members,’ said Invictus ‘Let’s just say ponies like him tend to voice their own opinions and take things too far. Heck, because of that guy, as well as his own racist remark, he ended up nearly starting a three way war between Equestria, the Yaks and the Griffons.’ ‘What?!’ exclaimed Twilight ‘Why would he do that?’ ‘Three things.’ said Invictus as he pointed things out. ‘A; he’s a greedy pig who’d rather hoard on bits rather than donating them. B; he’s a power hungry lunatic who wanted to kick ponies like Fancy Pants out of office. And C; he’s a racist.’ Invictus ended up smirking as he said ‘But he’s been taught a valuable lesson.’ ‘What happened?’ asked Twilight ‘Well when I was eight, I was curious over what was going on,’ said Invictus ‘I accidentally stumbled into a secret room which belonged to Top Jewel. I looked it over and it turned out that Top Jewel and a few others from different kingdoms had conspired both a coup and an assassination attempt on Princess Celestia and the kings of the Griffons and Yaks. I took the information and the list of their fellow conspirators with me before I was caught. When I entered the large room, things were starting to get out of control.’ ‘And you were able to calm them down,’ asked Twilight, with her noticing that he blushed bright red. ‘What?’ ‘Let’s just say…’ said Invictus as he nearly wanted to trail off ‘I ended up taking the tacos in the castle’s green room by mistake.’ ‘Why, what…?’ said Twilight, until she blinked in surprise and ended up blushing too, realizing what happened. She then raised her hands as she said ‘You know what, don’t tell me.’ ‘Anyway,’ said Invictus, until he looked ahead and said ‘Oh, we’re here.’ Twilight looked ahead and saw Camp Everfree. She was surprised to see the cabins and everything else around. She even saw that some of the tree structures looked almost like the Everfree forest back in Equestria. Invictus couldn’t help but stare at her and nearly chuckled, for the way she becomes fascinated by what she sees around her is quite a treat to see. ‘I take if you’ve never been to a summer camp before, have you?’ asked Invictus with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk. Twilight noticed and ended up blushing and smiled in a sheepish manner. ‘Not really’ said Twilight as she curled her hair a bit. ‘I’ve never been outside of Canterlot until the day I went to Ponyville.’ ‘You really need to work on your social skills.’ said Invictus. He then stopped where a handful of other cars were there. ‘Oh,’ said Twilight ‘I didn’t know there would be people here.’ ‘Every now and then people make arrangements to stay here for either the week or the weekend.’ said Invictus ‘They even have schools coming here from all over.’ As they stopped at a parking area, both Twilight and Invictus stood up. But just when Twilight wanted to go outside, Invictus stopped her as he said ‘Hold it.’ ‘What?’ asked Twilight as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. ‘You’re not gonna go out dress like that.’ said Invictus as he pointed at her outfit. ‘What’s wrong with my outfit?’ asked Twilight as she looked at her outfit. ‘See that?’ said Invictus whilst he pointed out of the window. Twilight looked outside to see what he was referring to. She saw that all of them were wearing different outfits. Namely shoes, aka boots, that they wear for hiking, shirts that had the Camp Everfree logo on it, whilst also wearing different kinds of pants. Just as she was about to ask, Invictus had already began to explain to her. ‘They wear them as part of a whole camping experience. Kind of like a dress code. They would do other clothes, but then they would miss out on the whole camp experience.’ ‘Ah, I see.’ said Twilight as she stood up. ‘So where do I…?’ ‘Oh, not to worry,’ said Invictus ‘I took the liberty of picking them out for you.’ She saw that her Camp Everfree outfit was ready. It nearly resembled to Sci-Twi’s outfit, but her purple pants had only two marks on both sides of her pants that looked like her Cutie Mark. ‘Oh, well thank you.’ She walked over whilst Invictus backed away and took his clothes and went outside. Twilight looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and asked ‘Uh, where are you going?’ ‘What?’ said Invictus ‘I’m just giving you your privacy.’ ‘Oh, right.’ said Twilight as she rolled her eyes and sighed. ‘I’m still not use to this whole clothing and privacy thing.’ ‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus ‘It’ll feel like second nature to you. If you need anything, just call out to me, okay?’ ‘Sure thing.’ said Twilight. After he got outside, he was able to find a private spot behind the truck. He was able to change quickly into his Camp Everfree getup. After he tied his shoes, he walked over to the door. And like a civilized person, he knocked on the door. ‘Excuse me, Twilight.’ said Invictus ‘You doing okay in there?’ ‘Uh, sure.’ said Twilight from within ‘Could you come in here please?’ Invictus walked in after he opened the door. He then saw Twilight, thankfully both the shirt and pants, but she seemed to be having trouble with her pants. ‘Something wrong?’ asked Invictus. ‘I’m uh, having some trouble with this.’ said Twilight ‘You think you could…?’ ‘Oh, sure, no problem.’ said Invictus as he walked over to her. He stood close to her and helped her with her belt. As she looked down, she asked ‘Why would people even need these?’ ‘In this world,’ said Invictus ‘The male and female would use them to keep their pants up in case they wanted to run or do something else. And the crueler humans on the other hand, would use the belts to spank their kids with it.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight whilst she was shocked to hear that part ‘Why would they do that?’ ‘Trust me when I say this;’ said Invictus, then looked at Twilight as he then said ‘You get a lot of sick people these days.’ After tying it up, Invictus was able to make sure to tie up her belt, but had to make sure that it wasn’t too tight, just right. ‘There you go,’ said Invictus ‘Now just put your socks on and I’ll be able to put your shoes on.’ Twilight nodded and sat down, allowing her to put her socks on. She placed her feet in the shoes, allowing Invictus to tie them up. She watched as he tied her shoes. It wasn’t too tight, but just right, then tied them again, then formed two rabbit holes around them, then pulled them, completing her shoe tying. ‘Aw, that’s so cute.’ said Twilight as she looked at the way the shoe laces were tied ‘They look like rabbit ears.’ Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle at her, which she noticed. ‘What?’ asked Twilight. ‘Forgive me,’ said Invictus as he smiled ‘It’s rare to spend time with someone who has a fascination in life. It’s really inspiring.’ Twilight blushed a bit, then ended up curling her hair with her index finger and smiled whilst she said ‘Oh uh, ahem, thank you.’ Invictus stood up and gestured at the door. ‘Lady’s first; only proper manners.’ Twilight still kept her blush, but she also kept her smile. She then stood up and headed for the door, with Invictus following her out. After they got out, they walked towards the camp grounds, where most of the tourists had gathered. When all of a sudden… ‘Twilight?’ came a voice. When they looked, the said girl was none other than Gloriosa. She seemed happy to see her, which confused Twilight. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you went on a cruise with Sunset?’ Before Twilight was going to say anything, Invictus cleared his throat, gaining Gloriosa’s attention, surprising her. ‘Oh, Invictus. I didn’t know you’d come out here. I thought you were at home?’ said Gloriosa. ‘I was, till I bumped into her.’ He gestured to Twilight. Before Gloriosa asked, he then said ‘Remember the geodes that you found in the cave?’ She was surprised that he remembered that. ‘Oh, uh, yes I do. Then the geodes went to Sunset and the others.’ Invictus gestured to Twilight as he said ‘This happens to be Princess Twilight. You know, Twilight’s other, where she happens to be a pony from Equestria. The same world where both Sunset and the magic geodes came from.’ Gloriosa was greatly surprised by this. ‘Really?’ she said. She smiled widely and went over to her and shook her hand. ‘Oh my gosh, it’s such a huge honor to meet you. Sunset told me so much about you.’ ‘She did?’ said a surprised and also confused Twilight. ‘She did.’ said Gloriosa. She then suddenly looked sad and looked down, much to Twilight’s confusion again. ‘I owe your friends so much for what they did to Camp Everfree.’ said Gloriosa. ‘I’m sorry for misusing Equestrian magic to save my camp and turned into a monster.’ Twilight placed her hand on Gloriosa’s shoulder and said with a smile ‘It’s alright, I understand. You wanted to save a camp that meant so much to you. But you realize that you could’ve just asked for help in the first place.’ ‘I know,’ said Gloriosa ‘But I was too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything. I just wanted them to experience the best time at the camp.’ She then looked at Twilight with a teary smile ‘But because of your friends, they saved it. I owe them so much, and you too.’ She then hugged Twilight and said ‘Thank you.’ Twilight hugged her back and smiled too whilst patted on Gloriosa’s back. After the hug broke, Gloriosa wiped her tear and asked ‘So what are you doing here?’ ‘Oh, see,’ said Invictus ‘When she first set foot in this world, she didn’t explore much. She only explored bits and pieces of Canterlot City. So I offered to show her most of the world, to see what it has to offer.’ ‘Wow, that’s so nice of you.’ said Gloriosa. Then she looked at Twilight and said ‘Well in that case Twilight. On behalf of myself and staff, welcome to camp Everfree.’ ‘Thank you.’ said Twilight. Invictus looked around and noticed someone wasn’t among them. He then looked at Gloriosa and asked ‘Where’s Timber Spruce?’ Gloriosa frowned a bit, and said ‘He uh, got arrested a while back.’ ‘Wait, what?’ said Invictus, clearly surprised ‘Why?’ ‘He uh, kind of made a mistake of going into the girls’ locker room at the beach when he wanted to surprise Twilight, but clearly didn’t think that she wasn’t there that day and ended up being called a pervert by a handful of woman and then got arrested.’ Invictus groaned loudly and said ‘Seriously? He knows better than doing that.’ ‘That’s what I thought too.’ said Gloriosa. ‘Oh, wait.’ said Twilight whilst she realized something ‘But won’t you be understaffed?’ ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ said Gloriosa whilst she reassured her ‘The last funding we got allowed us to hire more staff members on site. Now that all of them are here, camp has been going great so far.’ ‘Oh, that’s good.’ said Twilight with a sigh of relief. ‘You shouldn’t overwork yourself. If you want, you could learn to take a break every once and a while.’ ‘Oh, don’t worry, I will.’ said Gloriosa. ‘After what happened last time, I will.’ ‘So,’ said Twilight as she was curious about the plans for Camp Everfree ‘What kind of camp activities are we doing here?’ Invictus whispered to Gloriosa and said ‘She hasn’t spent much time in the real world. She knows how to properly use her hands from time to time, but she doesn’t know how to do other stuff when it comes to simple activities.’ ‘Ah, okay.’ said Gloriosa as she nodded in understanding. She then looked at Twilight and said ‘Don’t worry, if you have some trouble with any activity, we’ll be able to help you out.’ ‘Oh, thank you.’ said Twilight. ‘No problem,’ said Gloriosa, whilst handing Twilight a schedule for Camp Everfree. ‘Here’s the morning schedules, as well as the one in the evening. At night, we’ll gather at the campfire for dinner. Feel free to look around in the meantime.’ ‘Thank you Gloriosa.’ said Twilight. As Gloriosa left, Twilight looked over at the schedules. ‘Anything you want to do?’ Invictus asked Twilight. Twilight thought about something, then looked at Invictus ‘Actually there is. Do you happen to know where the cave where the geodes were found?’ ‘Sure do,’ said Invictus ‘But first.’ He then pulled out what appeared to be a different kind of belt, as well as a few walking sticks. He tied the belt around Twilight, and handed her a stick. She was curious about them, then looked at Invictus with a flexed eyebrow, which he noticed. ‘It’s gonna be a long walk from here.’ said Invictus ‘The bottle on the left of your belt happens to hold your water can. Don’t want you to dehydrate. And the fanny pack on the right happens to hold a couple of snacks in there. Namely some apples and a candy bar called “Apple Yum-Bo’s”.’ Twilight cocked her eyebrow at the mention of that candy bar. ‘Trust me, they’re really good.’ said Invictus whilst he reassured her. ‘They’re also from the healthy variety.’ ‘Okay then,’ said Twilight ‘Lead the way.’ Invictus nodded in response, allowing him to walk, with Twilight not far behind. As they walked, Invictus was able to stick to a forest path that would allow them to easily find their way back without having to worry about getting lost. Twilight looked around and was fascinated by the forest around her, whilst Invictus was busy taking some photos for her. Twilight noticed what he was doing. ‘Uh, what are you doing?’ said Twilight whilst she flexed an eyebrow at him. ‘Oh, taking some pictures.’ said Invictus ‘I figured that you’d like some memories to remember, so I decided to take some pictures for you so that look back at this, maybe even take notes on the references and differences between this world and Equestria.’ Twilight smiled at his thoughtfulness, for that was something she would definitely do, if she knew how to use a camera. Granted she may know how to use her magic from Equestria, but she can’t operate one with her hands. ‘Oh, thank you.’ said Twilight, then she looked around and said ‘You know, now that you mention it, there are some parts of this place that reminds me of the Everfree forest.’ ‘Without the Timber Wolves, Manticor, Roc birds, or poison jokes?’ said Invictus. ‘That’s right.’ said Twilight, until she blushed and thought about her embarrassing moment back then. ‘Back when I was still a unicorn, we thought that a zebra named Zacora was evil. Technically, I was the only one with any sense to see she wasn’t a threat, until they dragged me into this when we got infected by Poison Joke. It made my horn all floppy whilst they were covered with polka dots.’ ‘You’re lucky,’ said Invictus ‘My experience was extremely painful.’ ‘Really?’ said Twilight with an arched eyebrow ‘What happened?’ ‘Let’s just say,’ said Invictus as he was embarrassed by the ordeal ‘I burped bubbles and farted fire.’ Twilight stared at him with an open jaw and wide eyes, the fire part was what caught her attention. ‘You? Farted fire?’ said Twilight as she was partially in disbelief. ‘My mother took pictures.’ said Invictus through his mumbles, which surprised Twilight. ‘So uh,’ said Twilight, desperately trying to change the subject ‘What happened after you exposed Top Jewel.’ He looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, bug shrugged his shoulders as he said ‘After he got exposed, he was arrested, along with other conspirators from both Equestria and the other kingdoms. I was the youngest for receiving an award for special services of Equestria.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘You were quite the investigator.’ ‘Let’s just say it’s what I’m hoping to become once I graduate.’ said Invictus ‘I have a habit of seeing the impossible and find clues that no one else would do.’ ‘Like a private eye?’ asked Twilight. ‘In a way,’ said Invictus as he thought about it ‘But I’d be working alongside Law Enforcement rather than crossing lines.’ ‘Smart thinking.’ said Twilight. She then stepped on a lose stone, which nearly made her trip. Thankfully, Invictus saw that and quickly went over to grab her before she fell. He held her close to make sure she would be alright, whilst she placed her hands on his chest as if she was suddenly scared out of her mind. ‘Whoa, you okay?’ asked Invictus. ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ said Twilight ‘I must’ve stepped on a lose stone or something.’ ‘It happens.’ The two of them looked at one another, and were suddenly surprised. For they were holding one another close, which caused Twilight’s cheeks to show a faint blush. As did Invictus. Both of them slowly let one another go, whilst they felt awkward at the same time, with Invictus rubbing the back of his head. ‘Uh, sorry about that.’ said Invictus as he apologized. ‘No, no, it’s fine.’ said Twilight as she chuckled nervously ‘I should’ve seen where I was going.’ ‘No, it’s cool.’ said Invictus. He then looked to his right and said ‘Oh look, there’s the cave.’ Twilight noticed it and said ‘Oh, so it is.’, causing her to move forward in order not to feel any more awkward about this. Invictus then sighed, then groaned in frustration. He couldn’t believe he screwed it up so badly. But then again, he didn’t want to rush it. He watched her from afar since the day she came to CHS, but to actually spend some time with her. It felt amazing for some reason. But as he watched her walk, he noticed how beautiful she looked. Though he sometimes sees her as a pony or a human, it didn’t matter what he’d think, she’s still amazing. With him muttering ‘She’s perfect.’ He then shook his head to snap himself out of it, allowing him to go after her to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. As he was inside, Twilight was busy looking all over the place. She was amazed by the crystals inside. ‘Wow.’ said Twilight whilst she observed the place. ‘I never realized that this place looked so beautiful.’ ‘It sure is.’ said Invictus. He guided Twilight towards a crystallized pedestal. He showed it to her and said ‘This was where Gloriosa found the geodes. When Sunset and the others arrived, they could feel the magic here.’ Twilight walked over to it and placed her right hand on top of the pedestal. She suddenly began to sprout wings, which surprised Invictus. ‘It may be faint,’ said Twilight once she opened her eyes whilst she observed the place ‘But I can definitely sense Equestrian Magic here.’ She heard Invictus clear his throat, which made Twilight look at him. He pointed at her wings, which surprised her the moment she looked at them. ‘Whoa, that’s new.’ Invictus tilted his head and looked at both her and her wings. ‘Huh…’ said Invictus. Twilight noticed he was looking at her and asked ‘What?’ He cleared his throat, looked at her and said ‘I know that back in Equestria, wings are natural for all creatures. But here, whilst you have them now…it kind of makes you look like an angel.’ Twilight was a little surprised by that, as well as a little blush. At the same time, the wings faded away. Invictus looked at his watch and said ‘Oh, we’d better get back. We still have some activities to do.’. He gestured at the exit and asked ‘Ready to head back?’ Twilight was still reeling in on what Invictus called her earlier, but she shook her head and cleared her throat whilst she said ‘Uh, sure, of course.’ As they walked out of the cave and walked back, Invictus asked ‘So, I know you just started to travel, but what did you think of your first road trip travel?’ ‘Oh, it’s wonderful.’ said Twilight ‘Seeing the rest of the world for the first time besides the city, it feels so great. I just don’t know where to go next.’ ‘And along the way,’ said Invictus ‘On this journey, you never may know which friend you’ll meet next.’ Twilight looked at him surprised, with him noticing. ‘I mean think about it, you’ve made tons of friends back in Equestria. But just think about who else you’d meet along the way. You already met your friends and half of the Equestrians’ human counterparts, imagine who else you’ll find along the way.’ Twilight thought about it, and said ‘Well, it would be interesting to meet them.’ And at the same time, as he walked (And music began to play at the background, which is common in every story. Sorry for breaking the fourth wall.), he then said ‘And just think, the moment you do, you’ll be able to reach your hooves/hands to others who could use a friend along the way. And pretty soon, you’ll say…’ As he took two steps, he began to sing. Tell everybody I’m on my way Twilight was surprised by the sudden tune he was in. New friends and new places to see He took a step on a large rock whilst he pointed at the sky With blue skies ahead yes I’m on my way And there’s nowhere else That I’d rather be He took another step down and walked next to her. Tell everybody I’m on my way He then walked like a goofball. And I’m loving every step I take Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at Invictus’ antics, then he stood next to her and held her close whilst he pointed his walking stick at the sky With the sun beating down yes I’m on my way Invictus then walked backwards whilst he showed the smile on his face. And I can’t keep this smile off my face… He suddenly yelped as he fell backwards in a puddle, with him making a pouty face whilst spitting out the water, making Twilight laugh even louder. They were then near a river stream with rocks on top. Cause there’s nothing like seeing He then skipped on some of the rocks playfully, until he was on the other side. Each other again He gestured Twilight No matter what the distances between Twilight was able to skip across, until Invictus caught her, which she smiled at the kind gesture, allowing Invictus to guide her back to the camp. And the stories that we tell Will make you smile Oh it really lifts my heart As they walked down the path, Twilight began to dance a bit as she was now feeling it. So tell ‘em all I’m on my way She then pointed at the people whilst she waved to them with a smile, and them smiling back, returning the gesture. New friends and new places to see As they made it to the campsite, the stars slowly began to shine whilst the sun began to set. And to sleep under the stars Who could ask for more Twilight pointed at the moon as it began to rise on cue. With the moon keeping watch over me Invictus then came out, holding both a piece of snow, and poured water out of a watering can. Not the snow, not the rain Can change my mind Twilight came out with a picture of the sun, whilst also feeling the cool wind in her face The sun will come out, wait and see And the feeling of the wind in your face They stood near one another as they sang. Can liftyour heart Oh there’s nowhere I would rather be They walked towards where the campers were going, no doubt for the night dinner that Gloriosa’s helpers were going to make. Cause I’m on my way Well and truly I’m onmy way They soon joined many others who were at the camp, all who were sitting around as the fire was made. (I’m on my way now) (I’m on my way now) At the campsite, and with the stars shining so bright, many people began to sit around, with Invictus playing on what appeared to be a guitar. As the food was being cooked, Invictus and Twilight began to sing to entertain the people as the food was being prepared. Tell everybodyI’m on my way And I just can’t waitto be there With blue skies ahead yes I’m on my way And nothing butgood times to share Everyone clapped their hands when they saw the two singing, especially Gloriosa, who was enjoying the sight as her helpers were helping her cook the stew for tonight. So tell everybodyI’m on my way And I just can’twait to be home With the sunbeating down yes I’m on my way And nothing butgood times to show I’m on my way Yes, I’m on my way After the song, the two of them couldn’t help but laugh. Watching Twilight smile, it felt really good. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw her having a great time. ‘Alright everyone,’ said Gloriosa ‘Food’s ready.’ Sure enough, the food was passed to the rest of the campers as the helpers dished and handed the food to them, with Invictus handing Twilight her bowl. At first she seemed a bit nervous when she saw meat in it. Invictus, remembering that she hadn’t eaten other kinds of food when she visited last time, decided to fill her in. ‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus, gaining her attention as she looked at him ‘I felt the same way too after I got back.’ ‘How do you cope with it?’ asked Twilight. ‘It’s like this,’ said Invictus as he explained things to her ‘When I went to Equestria, I craved for something meaty, which I secretly took with me at one time. But when I ate it, I ended up losing my lunch. It was then I realized that our physiologies are a bit different from other races. When Pony kind in general tends to eat meat, well you know what happens. But as a human, you’ll be able to digest any food.’ ‘Any food?’ asked Twilight with one eyebrow raised. ‘Except,’ said Invictus as he pointed something else out ‘In this case, if you’re allergic to them.’ Twilight took another look at the food, not feeling so sure. But if what he said was true, her human body should be able to handle it. She used her fork and gently jabbed it in the meat, lifted it up, whilst also noticing that it was kind of greasy. ‘Is it…always like this?’ asked Twilight. ‘Some foods,’ said Invictus ‘Sometimes they overdo the sauce of the food, but sometimes they add a tasty sensation to it. Just uh…make sure that you eat over your bowl, don’t want any sauce to mess on your shirt.’ ‘Why no…?’ asked Twilight, until she remembered how Rarity one time threw a hissy fit of clothes being a mess. And the fact that you couldn’t get a greasy oil stain removed from your clothes, send her into an ice cream bender for a week, making her shudder, and eventually saying ‘You know what, never mind.’ She then ate over the bowl as she placed the meat in her mouth. She carefully began to chew on it, hoping that what Invictus had said to her was true. To her surprise, and soon her delight, it tasted heavenly, causing her to murmur in approval. ‘You see?’ said Invictus when he realized that she was smiling and enjoying the food. ‘Wow, I never knew it tasted so good.’ said Twilight as she took another bite. ‘What kind of meat is it?’ ‘Ox,’ said Invictus ‘You wouldn’t believe the amazing stew they make out of it. Although I did try that one stew, which I was so disgusted I didn’t want to eat anything without making sure it wasn’t in any of the meat.’ ‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘Horse meat.’ said Invictus blankly. Twilight nearly spat her food out in shock and looked at him. ‘They eat horses?’ asked Twilight, clearly freaked out. ‘Yeah trust me,’ said Invictus ‘Don’t know what the heck they were thinking for doing something like that. Which is why I always double ask and double make sure that there aren’t any in it. You wouldn’t believe what my mom did when she protested against something like that.’ ‘She took it to City Hall?’ said Twilight, clearly wondering what his mother thought, considering that she was born a pony from Equestria. ‘Yeah, and she won,’ said Invictus with a prideful smile ‘And since then, all horse meat was banned from Canterlot City, and no store would think twice about ordering them.’ ‘And Camp Everfree?’ asked Twilight. ‘Oh, it became part of Canterlot City’s property ever since they made it into a national monument.’ said Gloriosa with a prideful smile ‘Apparently the mayor used to come to Camp Everfree since she was little, and she gained a lot of good memories here. Which is why I was so happy that Filthy Rich won’t make any attempts to take this land for himself.’ Twilight was surprised to hear this, with Invictus saying to her ‘In Equestria, Filthy Rich is a reasonable being. This world’s one however is a jerk, who couldn’t care less of what other people think.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘Same individuals, different personalities.’ ‘Got that right.’ said Invictus. Through the next hour or so, Invictus and Twilight continued to talk whilst they also tried to enjoy their meal at the same time. They even shared a few laughs every now and then. After the meals, they decided to turn in. Twilight and Invictus already had their own PJs on as the two of them were getting ready for bed. ‘I hope you liked your outing Princess.’ said Invictus. ‘Oh, I did.’ said Twilight as she smiled whilst sitting on her bed ‘Now I see why Sunset and the others liked the place. If the camp and forest are this beautiful, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the world is like. Where are we going next?’ ‘Remember the place where Applejack’s cousin Braeburn lives?’ asked Invictus. ‘Wait, Appaloosa?’ asked Twilight as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Back in Equestria, it’s at least a train ride away from Ponyville. Isn’t far from here?’ ‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus as he waved off her worries ‘I’ll go over things in the morning. In the meantime, you just get some rest.’ ‘Okay Invictus,’ said Twilight, causing her to yawn and slowly lie down on the bed ‘I can’t wait to see what it looks like when we’re there though.’ ‘Trust me,’ said Invictus ‘You’re gonna love it there.’ He then walked over to take a bottled water out of the fridge. ‘You want some water before you…?’ When he turned around, he saw that Twilight was already fast asleep. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. He walked over to her and gave her a light kiss on the forehead and said ‘Sleep well Princess. Sleep well.’ Sure enough, Invictus went back to bed, for tomorrow, will be another good experience for her. > Chapter 4: Appaloosa (Re-edited on 13/09/2021) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though it had been a few days at Camp Everfree, Twilight had an amazing time and made a handful of friends along the way. She was really glad to have met Gloriosa, for those two had gotten along like two peas in a pod. Invictus couldn’t help but smile when he saw them bond. Though Gloriosa may have been good friends with Sunset and the others, her becoming friends with Twilight had been a great bonus. They had a lot to talk about, even some issues that Gloriosa had in the past that Twilight was able to help her get over. The day after that they left, with Gloriosa saying goodbye to Twilight, with the said princess promising to be in contact with her soon. Once both Invictus and Twilight boarded their ride, they drove off to their next destination. As they drove off the road, Twilight looked through the pictures and notes that she took, which she smiled with pride about. Invictus couldn’t help but smile and chuckle when he saw her like that, with him saying ‘Enjoying yourself?’ ‘How could I not?’ said Twilight with clear excitement in her voice ‘There are so many similarities between Camp Everfree and the Everfree Forest, even some differences.’ ‘And not to mention with a handful of friends you’ve made when you got there.’ said Invictus as he pointed out a few things ‘Including Gloriosa.’ ‘Oh, she’s amazing.’ said Twilight ‘I’m glad to see she’s doing great ever since Sunset and the others helped her out a while ago.’ ‘Yeah, she’s really come far,’ said Invictus, then pointed out ‘Except for her brother. Didn’t expect that to happen. Though then again, I don’t know how Sci-Twi’s going to react once they get back. I’m surprised that Gloriosa didn’t tell her about it.’ ‘I guess she just didn’t want my other me to have her heart broken if they told her the truth.’ said Twilight. ‘Yeah, usually being protective is Sunset’s job.’ said Invictus. He looked at Twilight and said ‘You should really see her, she’s really changed for the better. She’s ever really protective over her friends. Ever since that incident with Wallflower…’ ‘Wait, how did you know about Wallflower?’ asked Twilight. ‘Let’s just say,’ said Invictus as he rolled his eyes ‘I sensed that she was going to use the memory stone, so I was able to use a spell of my own to protect my mind.’ Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘If you weren't affected, why didn’t you help her?’ ‘Well for one I still had trust issues and I was still mad at her at her for insulting my mother.’ said Invictus, with Twilight rolled her eyes a bit backwards whilst she nodded, for he does have a good point. ‘Second, if I had to step in, then she wouldn’t have learned her lesson about being mindful of not hurting others’ feelings without her even realizing it and that she shouldn’t brush them off like that.’ He then thought out loud as he said ‘Well then again, Wallflower should’ve tried to talk to someone rather than just use the memory stone, it’s what got her into that mess in the first place.’ Twilight was a bit speechless, but then she said ‘But if you forgave her then, why didn’t you say something, or even helped her.’ ‘Did Princess Celestia helped you make friends and helped you face Equestria’s enemies when you were facing a lot of unknowns?’ asked Invictus with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Touché.’ said Twilight, realizing that he had a good point. He then sighed whilst he shook his head, gaining Twilight’s attention. ‘Is something wrong?’ asked Twilight, wondering what he was thinking. ‘Why the heck didn’t I apologize to her or ask her to be my friend.’ said Invictus as he thought out loud. Twilight was a little surprised, and noticed he had a guilty look on his face. ‘You really feel bad about hurting Sunset?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘What I did back then was out of line, and every time I wanted to apologize, I felt like a part of my pride kept me at bay. And thinking about it kind of reminds me of what happened between me and Dashie.’ ‘Rainbow Dash?’ asked Twilight. ‘Yeah, see,’ said Invictus before he trailed off. He didn’t want to share it, but seeing that Princess Twilight was one of the most understanding ponies he knew, he decided to tell her to get things off of his chest. ‘I kind of lied when I said that Dash and I got along.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight surprised. ‘Back then, Dash and I were best friends since we were in preschool.’ said Invictus as he started ‘We always enjoyed each other’s company, always had a few laughs. I loved hearing her quips and she loved my sense of humor and jokes.’ He then looked down with sadness ‘But by the time when we attended Freshman year, her ego sometimes get out of hand, and I wanted to…take our relationship to the next level.’ Twilight was surprised by this, and said ‘You have a crush on her?’ ‘I used to.’ said Invictus ‘She didn’t want to commit and soon enough, I got so frustrated with her we ended up arguing. After that, things got a lot worst, and we stopped being friends after that.’ Twilight was surprised by this, with Invictus continuing ‘And after you helped set Sunset right, they had a hard time trusting her, and after all the hard work she did to earn their trusts, they didn’t trust her when they claimed her to be a Cyber bully. I confronted Dash about that and said that she shouldn’t have just brushed her off like that, for they didn’t have any solid proof that it was her. Sure it may look like that, but she would never do that, not whilst she was afraid to lose them.’ ‘And I take it she didn’t take kindly that you defended a bully?’ asked Twilight. ‘Nope,’ said Invictus with a nod ‘She then said that it was typical of me for standing up for the wrong people that I was selfish, and said that she wondered why we weren't friends anymore. I also told her that we weren't friends because I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with and her ego was getting out of hand, so she pretended to not know me anymore, until she needed me to help do her homework, because she was too stupid and lazy to do any of them herself, and it was no wonder she was failing miserably at her grades.’ Invictus then pointed out at a few recent events. ‘Not to mention ever since she had magic inside of her, her ego kept getting out of hand. Oh sure, she said that she never left her friends hanging, and she was looking out for them. Yeah right, like she “Looked out” for them when her ego was getting out of hand during the battle of the bands. Like she “Looked out” for Sunset when they accused her of being a cyber bully. Like she “Looked out” for her friends when she got them trapped in the magic mirror, which wouldn’t have happened if she had just kept her trap shut instead of running her mouth off at Juniper Montage when she was still upset about certain events. And my personal favorite, like she “Looked out” for her friends when she ruined their Spring Break a few months back.’ Invictus then sighed as he said ‘I should’ve tried harder, but I wasn’t strong enough.’ Twilight stared at him with her mouth agape, with her saying ‘Wow. I didn’t know it was that bad.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus, until Twilight noticed that a tear was running down his eye, making him wipe it away as he said ‘I miss my best friend.’ Twilight couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention and said ‘When this trip is over, maybe I can help you patch things up with her, and maybe apologize to Sunset too.’ He looked at her and noticed her sympathetic look. If there was one thing about Twilight, is that once she sets her mind onto some things, she never stops until it’s fulfilled. Which is why she was worthy to be a Princess in the first place. Invictus managed a smile and said ‘Thanks.’ Twilight then changed the subject as she said ‘So, you mentioned something about getting to Appaloosa faster?’ ‘Indeed I do.’ said Invictus as he managed a smirk, then used his magic to open a portal, allowing them to drive right through. Sure enough, they were in a completely different part of the country, whilst passing a sign that says “Appaloosa, five miles way”. Twilight was surprised by this, then looked at him and said ‘You can use your portal magic to travel all over the world?’ ‘How else did you think we saved a lot of money on fuel whenever we travel.’ said Invictus with a smile. Sure enough, once they arrived, Twilight was amazed by what she saw. When she was at Appaloosa on her world, it had somewhat of a Western type of look, but looking around is a quaint kind of town. The kind you would expect to thrive with the most upmost of care. ‘Amazing,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘I thought this place would look more like the Appaloosa I once visited some time ago.’ ‘Trust me,’ said Invictus whilst he also remembered his own version of Appaloosa ‘The place had a bit more of a two hundred year ago look, but in this world, they’ve finally come out of the dark ages and adapted to modern society.’ Twilight looked at him, thinking about the Buffalo tribes as she said ‘And the Buffalo tribes?’ ‘They’re still around.’ said Invictus whilst he thought about them ‘Their people have learnt to adapt here and are living happily among the Appaloosa townsfolk. Braeburn is doing okay though, but he’s doing much better ever since he and Little Strongheart started to date a while back.’ ‘Wait, those two are dating?’ said a surprised Twilight. ‘I assume that those two in your world are?’ asked Invictus. ‘Well, they have much respect for each other,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘But other than that, I haven’t seen a slight hint of those two dating or anything.’ ‘They should give it a chance.’ said Invictus. He then did a devilish smirk and said ‘Although, I wonder how they would react when they get in heat? A dashing pony cowboy, a buffalo of great strength and stride, together in a teepee in the same…’ ‘Ugh, stop!!’ shouted Twilight as she raised both her hands in the air, much to her disgust and much to Invictus’ wide smile. ‘I don’t wanna think about that!!’ Invictus laughed out loud whilst he slammed his hand on the top of the steering wheel a couple of times, which caused Twilight to do a frustrated growl as she said ‘It’s not funny.’ ‘I don’t know what’s more funny,’ said Invictus whilst he tried to contain himself ‘Your reaction when you turned into a human, or your reaction of a crossbreed mating season!!’ Invictus continued to laugh, with Twilight going ‘Oh, ha, ha. Very funny, can we please park somewhere?’ ‘Sure, there’s a place where we can park at the hotel.’ said Invictus. Sure enough, after stopping their ride at the parking lot, and checking themselves in at the Hotel, they walked out with proper Appaloosa attire. Invictus had dressed up like the way Applejack and the others dressed during their Western night. He wore proper boots, blue jeans, a black shirt, a leather jacket and an awesome cowboy hat with glasses. Twilight’s on the other hand almost looks like her counterpart’s, except that her cutie mark is on top of her hat, on the front and back of her vest. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she inspected herself ‘I really like this outfit.’ ‘Thought you might,’ said Invictus ‘That outfit you’re wearing happens to nearly resembles to Sci-Twi’s outfit, except for your Cutie Mark I placed on both your hat and vest.’ ‘So, what should we do in the meantime?’ said Twilight once she’s done inspecting herself, until her stomach growled, much to both their surprise, making her hold her stomach in embarrassment with a sheepish smile. ‘Well we can always eat at the diner there,’ said Invictus ‘They give out the best pancakes, as well as some pies over there.’ Twilight thought about it, then said ‘This would be the perfect opportunity to test out the taste differences between Equestria and this world’s pancakes and pies.’ Invictus couldn’t help but snickered at that, then said ‘This is the first time I’ve seen you interested in food experimentation, rather than taking notes.’ ‘Ooh, good idea.’ said Twilight as she walked forward. Invictus then realized what he did and slapped his forehead, saying ‘Me and my big mouth.’ Sure enough, they were at the local diner in town, where Twilight would sample both a pie that caught her eye as well as the pancakes. The waitress next to Invictus was about to ask what Twilight was doing, with Invictus saying ‘She’s trying the different cuisine between Canterlot City and Appaloosa, see if the rumors are true that both the pancake and the pie are the best in this part of the country.’ The waitress smiled and walked away, knowing that Twilight will definitely enjoy them. Twilight took her first bite out of the pancake. The moment when she placed it in her mouth, one could’ve sworn one would see stars in their eyes. She looked at the pancakes and smiled widely, as well as blushing at the same time, whilst holding both her hands close and shaking back and forth in the cutest manner. Invictus couldn’t help but be hypnotized by her cuteness. ‘Wow, these pancakes are amazing.’ said Twilight. ‘I hope you won’t let Mrs. Cake hear you say that. Or Pinkie Pie for that matter.’ Twilight blinked at that and looked at Invictus, who couldn’t help but chuckle. Twilight did the same, knowing that he was kidding. She then sampled the pie next, which she thought it was heavenly. ‘Ooh,’ said Twilight as she held both her hands on both sides of her face, whilst staring dreamingly in the air ‘This coconut custard pie with whipped cream is fantastic.’ ‘Good thing you didn’t say it’s better than Apple Pie,’ said Invictus, ‘Otherwise Applejack go all “What in dag nabbit tarnation are y’all talkin’ about, no varmint disrespects mah pie and gets away with it.” and stuff like that.’ Twilight couldn’t help but bawl with laughter when Invictus imitated her. When all of a sudden ‘Ahem.’ The moment Invictus turned around, his eyes were wide as saucers, for standing behind him was none other than Applejack, tapping on her wrist with her finger whilst her arms were crossed, giving him the stink eye. ‘Oh, uh,’ said Invictus before he chuckled nervously whilst waving at her ‘Hi Applejack.’ ‘Y’all are lucky that ah like y’all and yer one of our best customers Invictus,’ said Applejack sternly ‘Otherwise y’all would get firsthand experience of what a bull whip feels like.’ ‘Applejack?’ said Twilight, clearly surprised to see her. ‘Twilight?’ said Applejack. However, she squinted her eyes, then widened when she realized who it was. ‘Twilight?!!’ Twilight stood up, walked over to Applejack and gave her a big hug, with AJ doing the same. ‘It’s so good to see you.’ said Twilight as she was excited. ‘It’s great to see ya too Sugarcube.’ said Applejack. ‘What are y’all doin’ here? Ah though you were still in Equestria.’ ‘I wanted to come over to surprise all of you.’ said Twilight ‘But Invictus said all of you were away for summer break.’ ‘We are,’ said Applejack ‘Ah’m here for the family reunion.’ ‘They’re holding the reunion here this year?’ asked Invictus whilst he stood up to give Applejack a quick hug ‘I thought all of you were going to hold it in Van Hoover this year.’ ‘We were,’ said Applejack ‘But unfortunately a wild storm kinda ruined the place a bit, so we moved it here.’ ‘I’m so glad to see you,’ said Twilight ‘I heard that Rainbow Dash was here too.’ ‘If yer lookin for her too, y’all just missed her,’ said Applejack ‘They just finished playing and are on their way to White Tail, then Everfree University is next on their list.’ ‘Aw,’ said Twilight as she was somewhat disappointed ‘I really wanted to see her again.’ ‘Oh don’t worry,’ said AJ as she assured the princess ‘Ah’m sure y’all will catch up with her sooner or later.’ She then looked at Invictus and asked ‘So what are y’all doin here?’ ‘Well, see, it’s kind of like this…’ said Invictus as he began to explain. One complicated recap later ‘So I decided to show her around a bit to see what the world has to offer.’ said Invictus as he finished concluding the story. Applejack was taken aback what happened. ‘Ah still can’t believe that Iron Will would do something like that.’ ‘I can’t believe it either.’ said Twilight as she looked down ‘I still couldn’t believe my mother didn’t read the fine print. I just wanted others to be happy.’ Applejack placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder and said ‘If there’s one thing y’all gotta learn Sugarcube, y’all can’t always please everyone.’ Applejack then looked at Invictus with a smile whilst elbowing him gently and said ‘And thanks fer showing her around. Glad y’all decided to help her explore the place.’ ‘Thanks.’ said Invictus. ‘So, y’all gonna be at the Appaloosa jamboree?’ asked Applejack. ‘The what?’ asked Twilight. ‘It’s the biggest party event at Appaloosa,’ said Applejack ‘Mah entire family’s gonna be there to help celebrate their family reunion there, and many other townsfolk are also invited. Y’all should come too.’ ‘That’s sounds great.’ said Twilight. ‘Where do we buy tickets?’ asked Invictus. ‘Thankfully the diner’s got people that sells tickets. So y’all had better hurry.’ ‘Got it.’ said Invictus as he walked over. Applejack then spoke to Twilight ‘It’s good to see you again Twilight.’ ‘You too.’ said Twilight, then thought about something and asked ‘How well do you know Invictus?’ ‘Oh, he’s a nice fellow,’ said Applejack ‘He sometimes comes to the farm and help out whenever we have problems.’ Twilight somehow felt uncomfortable, for it was none of her business to bring it up, but she decided to do so. ‘Did…’ she started ‘Did you know that Invictus and Rainbow Dash used to be best friends since preschool?’ Applejack was surprised by this, then said ‘Really? Well, ah know she was friends with Gilda before things went south between them, but ah never knew that they were friends before.’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight, before she looked to see that Invictus was still busy, then looked back at Applejack ‘You gotta promise not to tell anyone besides our friends.’ Applejack nodded yes, agreeing with her friend. Twilight told Applejack what Invictus told her. After the whole story, Applejack’s eyes were widened with shock. ‘Whoa,’ she responded ‘No wonder she can’t sometimes stand him.’ ‘More like the other way around.’ said Twilight ‘They used to be such good friends.’ ‘Yeah, but like we all could expect,’ said Applejack whilst she crossed her arms ‘Rainbow has a tendency to let her ego get the better of her.’ ‘Do you think that you could help find a way to help bring those two together,’ asked Twilight ‘Just to talk things out with them?’ ‘Well,’ said Applejack as she thought about it ‘Ah suppose we could. Ah mean, from the sound of what y’all said, he sounded pretty hurt that they drifted apart ever since after the Freshman fair. That and he needs to apologize to Sunset before she got reformed.’ Twilight smiled and hugged Applejack, which her human farm friend hugged her in return. After they broke the hug, Invictus approached the girls and said ‘Alright, I got the tickets, so everything is set.’ ‘Great,’ said Twilight as she held both her hands together with a smile ‘I can’t wait to see what the party will be like.’ ‘Well then,’ said Applejack as she adjusted her hat ‘Ah’ll see y’all at the party.’ ‘See you later Applejack.’ said Invictus as he and Twilight waved her goodbye. Later that night Sure enough, nearly half the town had gathered at a large building near the center of town. Everyone walked through the doors, whilst among them, both Invictus and Twilight, after they checked in the hotel and had a good shower, arrived at the building. Twilight looked around and were surprised to see so many people together. Whilst she looked around, she recognized half the people, for they have a resemblance to Applejack’s family when she met all of them in Ponyville the first time she visited. She smiled when she saw Babs Seed, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Little Strong Heart, even Big Mac and Sugar Belle (though she wasn’t related, Big Mac was allowed to bring a date over). ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said Twilight, amazed by what she was seeing. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he was slightly distracted by looking at Twilight without her noticing ‘It sure is.’ From afar, Applejack saw the two of them walked together. She then noticed that Invictus wanted to hold her hand but was really nervous. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk when she saw him trying to do that, for she knew that had to be another reason that he wanted to take her on the road trip in the first place. As the crowds have a tendency to bump into one another whilst going inside a building, one of them bumped into Twilight by accident. Before she stumbled, Invictus immediately grabbed her hand out of instinct. ‘Here,’ said Invictus as he held her close ‘Don’t wanna lose you in the crowd. Things can get really crazy in crowed places like this.’ ‘Thanks,’ said Twilight ‘Sometimes I wonder why everypony has the tendency into bumping into one another.’ ‘Trust me when I say this Twilight,’ said Invictus ‘That question has been left unanswered since the beginning of the twenty first century.’ Applejack couldn’t help but smile when she saw the two of them close like that, which confirmed her suspicions. Sure enough, both of them have made it to the table, where they saw so many Apple Families coming together for the celebrations, even a handful of other guests that were great friends with them. They looked around and saw that all of them have gathered. On stage, they could see Granny Smith talking to everyone from stage. ‘Alright there everybody!!’ said Granny Smith ‘Welcome to the Fiftieth Apple Family Reunion!! Everyone cheered as some clapped their hands, with some whistling, for this was truly a momentous occasion for everybody. ‘We’d like to welcome all Apple Family Members and new friends that came from afar for our little shindig!!’ said Granny Smith ‘So without further ado, we’d like to get this Apple Party on the way!! So without further ado, let the fun begin!!’ Everyone cheered for the announcement. Sure enough, within the first half hour, everyone was singing, dancing, and enjoying some of the festivities. Even Twilight was enjoying most of the foods, especially a certain pastry. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘I love this.’ ‘Glad you like them.’ said Invictus ‘Applejack learned how to make them. They taste great and all, but she couldn’t come up with a better name. Then Rainbow Dash kinda ruined it for everyone when she gave it a name.’ ‘Like what?’ asked Twilight. ‘You don’t wanna know.’ said Invictus quickly. Sure enough, everyone began to gather near the dance floor. Invictus looked at the dance floor and had a sudden idea whilst a smile had grown on his face. ‘Hey,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘If you want, do you wanna dance?’ Twilight, who was a little surprised at first, nearly chocked when he asked her that. She twiddled her hair a bit at first, which he knew she was nervous at first. She then said ‘I…I don’t know. I’m…not much of a dancer.’ ‘That’s okay,’ said Invictus as he made a bold move by holding her hand and said ‘Stick with me and the Apples and you’ll do great out there.’ Twilight still felt a bit nervous, especially since he was holding her hand. For some reason, she felt more nervous whilst he was holding her hand, but in a strange way, she couldn’t help but smile at his words. He then stood up and said ‘Be right back, I gotta do something.’ He quickly went over and up to the stage to ask the announcers on the stage, even Granny Smith, who was up there. He quickly whispered to them, requesting them for something. After a minute, they instantly smiled, for what he was suggesting was something they would gladly do. he quickly went back to Twilight, whilst she was curious of what he was planning. ‘What did you do?’ asked Twilight. Invictus couldn’t help but smirk as he said ‘You’ll see.’ On stage, Granny Smith whispered to Applejack, who smiled and agreed to the request. ‘Alright now y’all,’ said Applejack as she spoke through the microphone, gaining everyone’s attention. ‘We got a request to play a classic that none had heard in a long time. Now for those who are interested, come on up on the dance stage and show us what yer made of!!’ ‘So,’ said Invictus as he stood up ‘Are you ready?’ Twilight still felt nervous, for she still didn’t know how to dance all that well. ‘I…’ said Twilight, not feeling sure about herself ‘I don’t know…’ ‘Do you trust me?’ asked Invictus. ‘What?’ said Twilight as she looked at him. He held his hand out to her with a warm smile and asked ‘Do you trust me?’ Twilight slowly placed her hand in Invictus’ hand, allowing her to accept his hand whilst she stood up. He guided her towards the dance floor, with Applejack saying ‘Alright y’all, here we go.’ As Invictus and Twilight were at the center of the dance floor with the rest of the dancers, they were up front to see how Applejack was going to dance for them. She first clapped her hands in the air in order to rile up the crowd. Boom, Boom clap Boom de Clap de Clap (x4) ‘Try it with me, here we go’ said Applejack as she tried to get the crowd excited, which seems to work. Boom, Boom clap Boom de Clap de Clap (Whoa, whoa) ‘That’s right y’all, show that there dance there.’ said Applejack whilst she got them into the beat Boom de Clap de Clap Boom, Boom clap Boom de Clap de Clap (Whoa, whoa) Sure enough, Applejack started to sing. 1, 2, 3 Everybody come on, Off your seats I’m gonna tell you, all about a beat That’s gonna make you move your feet I’ll give the Bar-B-Q, show And to tell you how to move If you’re 5 or 82 This is something you can do (Whoa, whoa) Applejack began to dance, with the others watching. Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it Country-fey Hip-Hop Fit To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side Jump to the left, stick it, glide ‘Come on y’all,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all see what I did there, now let me see y’all do the same.’ As soon as Applejack began to dance, so did a handful of others, with Twilight and Invictus following her lead. Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it Country-fey Hip-Hop Fit To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side Jump to the left, stick it, glide Whilst they tried to dance, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh over how ridiculous she felt, as did Invictus, but they kept a brave face whilst doing this. Zig, Zag, cross the floor Shuffle in Diagonal When the drum hits, hands on your hips One foot in, 180 twist and then a… Zig, Zag, step, slide Lean in left, clap three times Shake it out, head to toe Throw it all together, that’s how we roll As she sang, most of the crowd began to sing too. Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3) Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Applejack took another peek at both Twilight and Invictus, and she saw that they were having fun. She couldn’t help but smirk. She then had an idea and jumped off of the stage and sang between them, signaling them that they should follow her lead. We get to 4, 5, 6 And you’re feeling busted But it’s not time to quit Practice makes you perfect (Whoa, whoa) The moment AJ began to dance, so too did Twilight and Invictus whilst they followed her lead. Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it Country-fey Hip-Hop Fit To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side Jump to the left, stick it, glide Sure enough, Twilight got into the hang of this, as did Invictus, whilst he enjoyed the festivities. Zig, Zag, cross the floor Shuffle in Diagonal When the drum hits, hands on your hips One foot in, 180 twist and then a… Zig, Zag, step, slide Lean in left, clap three times Shake it out, head to toe Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3) Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Applejack clapped her hands together, as did a few others, with Twilight and Invictus following her moves. Boom de Clap de Clap Boom, Boom clap Come on, here we go!! Boom, Boom clap Boom de Clap de Clap Clap Boom, boom clap Boom de clap Sure enough, the moment she began to dance, everyone on the dance floor, Twilight and Invictus included, all began to dance and enjoyed themselves. Pop it, lock it, Polka dot it Country-fey Hip-Hop Fit To the Top, to the Sky, go side to side Jump to the left, stick it, glide Zig, Zag, cross the floor Shuffle in Diagonal When the drum hits, hands on your hips One foot in, 180 twist and then a… Zig, Zag, step, slide Lean in left, clap three times Shake it out, head to toe Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3) Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Do the hoedown (Throw down)(x3) Throw it all together, that’s how we roll Everyone cheered out over the dance and song, even Twilight enjoyed it as she had never laughed so much before. Half an hour later, whilst Twilight decided to talk to some of AJ’s relatives to see if there was a difference between this world’s Apple Family and Equestria’s, Invictus decided to fetch them an appetizer plate, knowing that Twilight would need a snack after all the talking. After he placed the plate back on their table, he took a glass of cider and felt someone poking his shoulder. When he looked back, he saw AJ, still wearing that grin on her face. ‘Oh hey AJ, what’s up?’ asked Invictus before he took a sip of his glass. ‘Y’all enjoying yer date Sugarcube?’ asked Applejack with a smirk. Invictus ended up spitting out the Cider in another direction to ensure that nobody would get soaked from his backwashed Cider. He looked at AJ surprised. ‘Uh, what?’ ‘There’s no need to hide it Sugarcube.’ said Applejack as she walked over and stood near him. ‘Ah see the way y’all have been looking at her. Ah even saw how y’all attempted to hold her hand the whole time y’all were trying to get in.’ Invictus sighed whilst he placed the glass down and sat down. AJ, who knew Invictus for some time, chose to sit next to him so that they could have a conversation. ‘How long did y’all like her?’ asked Applejack. Invictus thought about it, then answered ‘Since before the Fall Formal.’ ‘Whoa, that long?’ asked Applejack. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘I wanted to talk to her and everything but…as you know…I’m not good at talking to girls.’ Applejack flexed an eyebrow and said ‘Ah’m a girl and y’all talk to me.’ ‘That’s because, besides Dash, we’ve been friends since the Freshman Fair.’ said Invictus, which caused him to smile and look back at her ‘Best day of my life.’ Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle, for even though he wasn’t her type, she counts him as one of her closest friends, even helped her after her parents died. She was then serious whilst she asked ‘And what about you and Dash?’ Invictus winced at that, for he had hoped that she didn’t answer that. ‘I guess Twilight told you?’ ‘Bit by bit,’ said Applejack ‘Even from what Dash told me. But ah’d like to hear from y’all side of the story.’ But as Twilight came back, she saw Applejack talking to Invictus, whilst she noticed that he had a somewhat sad look on his face. She quietly snuck over and listened into their conversation so that she doesn’t give herself away. Invictus took a deep breath, turned around and told Applejack. Saying that they had been friends since Nursery School, but as they got older, she changed. Her ego got out of hand over the years and he couldn’t take it anymore, so he just stopped talking to her at all. ‘Whoa,’ said AJ ‘But since when did y’all talk to her?’ ‘You remember the whole Anon-a-Miss ordeal?’ asked Invictus. Now Applejack winced, feeling some shame of what happened between them and Sunset. ‘Ah try not to.’ ‘I was the only one who defended Sunset.’ said Invictus, which he then chuckled ‘Which is weird right? A guy like me who scared her and nearly became her bully, defending her after everything she did. I’m just glad that her life got turned around before things got worse.’ ‘So, y’all confronted Rainbow about it?’ asked AJ. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘I told her that they didn’t have any proof. I mean the day the video got posted, all of you were asleep around that time.’ ‘Wait, what?’ asked AJ. ‘Seriously?’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘You were so focused about who posted the video, you didn’t check the time on when it was posted? It was posted at one in the morning, where she claimed that she went to sleep at ten after she wrote to Princess Twilight.’ AJ’s jaw dropped, causing her to slap her forehead, for she was such an idiot that she didn’t notice that. But then she said ‘What did y’all talk about?’ ‘I told her that she couldn’t have done it, because she was too afraid to lose her friends and she would never do any of that. Then as usual, her ego got out of hand and thought that I was protecting the wrong person, and that she wondered why we weren't friends anymore.’ Invictus then sighed as he rubbed the back of his head and said ‘That’s when I lost my cool.’ ‘What did y’all say?’ wondered AJ. Invictus sighed and told her ‘I told her that the reason that we weren't friends anymore was because her ego always gets out of hand and that I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with, so she pretended to not even know me anymore, until she needed me to help do her homework, because she was too lazy and stupid to do any of it herself, and that it was no wonder she was failing miserably at her grades.’ AJ was shocked to hear that. ‘What in tarnation were y’all thinking, saying something like that?’ ‘Like I said, I lost my cool.’ said Invictus ‘I then told her that at least I didn’t abandon my friends when they needed me the most. I told her that you guys were the only family Sunset ever had and that she didn’t have anyone else, that she was an orphan who grew up with no parents or anything. You of all people should know, I mean yeah you, Big Mac and Apple Bloom have Granny Smith, but you of all people know what it feels like to not have parents anymore.’ Applejack rubbed her arm and thought about that, she knows that Invictus would never disrespect them, but she knows what it felt like. And the day that Sunset told her about it one day whilst she was helping her out at her farm, which made her feel more guilty whilst she thought about it. ‘Yeah, I do.’ said AJ. ‘And not to mention that mess with Gilda and what she nearly did to Fluttershy…’ said Invictus. AJ stopped him ‘Ah know. It was a day that…none of us wanted to remember.’ ‘I just don’t know what to do anymore AJ.’ said Invictus ‘I know she always acts that way and all but…sometimes I wish she didn’t change that much. I missed all the times we hung out, that we always made each other laugh. Even that time when we played soccer together and went for milkshakes and fries after we played for two hours straight. I…I miss my best friend.’ AJ could tell that he was honest and sincere, and that he really missed her. He walked over to Invictus and placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention whilst giving him a sympathetic look. ‘Look,’ said Applejack ‘Ah may not know what happened between you two that you stopped being friends, but y’all should know better than anyone that one fight shouldn’t stop you from being friends. Ah know Ah wasn’t any different when Dash and I were at odds with one another, and that time Ah abandoned Sunset was the worst thing Ah ever did. But the one thing what Princess Twilight told me, is that if something doesn’t work out the way y’all expect it to, then y’all should work through it together, that’s how great friendship is.’ Invictus looked down, remembering the good times they had before those eventful days. AJ then said ‘Look, after Summer is over, y’all should talk to her, try to make things right. Ah know she can be really stubborn, but if y’all care about her…’ ‘Which I do.’ interjected Invictus. ‘Then y’all should talk to her, tell her how y’all really feel. Only then will y’all find peace.’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile and look at her. ‘You always know what to say AJ.’ ‘Least I could do after y’all helped me when ah needed a friend to talk to.’ said Applejack. ‘And I know I’m not your type, but may I? Just this once.’ asked Invictus. AJ knew what he meant and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘Heck, why not.’ AJ then kissed him on the lips, which he appreciated. Twilight couldn’t help but smile, seeing how well two friends connect. Their lips soon depart, they couldn’t help but smile. ‘You know,’ said Invictus as he couldn’t help but chuckle ‘It’s a good thing we didn’t drink each other under the table, otherwise we would’ve taken things to the next level.’ Applejack couldn’t help but laugh as she slapped his back. It hurt a little, but Invictus was also able to laugh. Twilight decided to go back to him and tried to act normal in order to ensure she didn’t overhear them. Later that night, Twilight and Invictus were on their way to their rooms back at the hotel. Twilight stood in front of her room and looked at Invictus. ‘I had a really fun time Invictus.’ ‘I’m glad you liked it,’ said Invictus ‘Were you able to find what you were looking for with the Apple family.’ ‘I sure do,’ said Twilight ‘They almost have the same qualities and personalities like everypony else in Equestria.’ ‘They sure do,’ said Invictus ‘And I assume after your first adventure with them at CHS, you were able to compare notes between them and your pony friends?’ ‘I sure did,’ said Twilight ‘I could tell they had some similarities, but also some differences too.’ ‘But still, we’d best be getting to bed,’ said Invictus ‘We got a big day tomorrow.’ ‘We sure do.’ said Twilight ‘Well, goodnight Invictus.’ ‘Sweet dreams princess.’ said Invictus. Twilight smiled and went into her room. Invictus smiled and walked a few rooms down. The moment he walked into his room… ‘Howdy Sugarcube.’ said a familiar voice. Invictus was surprised to see Applejack. She was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and her hands resting on the bed. ‘AJ?’ said Invictus with a flexed eyebrow as he was surprised to see her ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Well,’ said Applejack as she stood up ‘Ah wanted to talk to y’all for one thing.’ She stood near Invictus with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She took a deep breath, sighed, then looked at him. ‘About what happened between you and Rainbow,’ said Applejack ‘Ah know she can be insensitive and stubborn, and y’all feel terrible about what happened between you two during Anon-A-Miss. If it helps, Ah’ll try to talk to the girls about it and we’ll see if we can help you out with it on that.’ ‘Oh uh…thanks.’ said Invictus ‘But…why are you helping me, I thought you’d be…’ ‘Y’all just had a misunderstanding.’ said Applejack ‘Plus…yer always nice to me and…ah owe ya for helpin’ me out during mah tough time after Ah lost mah parents.’ She looked at him and said ‘Plus ah could see how much y’all love Twilight. I kinda noticed it a mile away.’ He lowered his head and said ‘Yeah, I do.’ Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle and said ‘Good. But y’all have to prove to me that ya do.’ ‘Come again?’ asked Invictus. ‘Look, ah care about mah friends, especially those who live in another dimension.’ said Applejack ‘So to prove to me that ya do…y’all have to prove to me that you do.’ ‘How?’ asked Invictus. Applejack slowly walked over to him, slowly moved to his ear and whispered the one thing he never thought she would ever say. ‘Ah want y’all to do me.’ That part, shocked Invictus more than anything, for out of all his friends, he never expected Applejack of all people to mention something like that to him. And as a result, he immediately backed himself against the wall and shouted ‘WHAT?!!’ ‘Look,’ said Applejack ‘Ah normally wouldn’t ask this, but if you really love her, y’all gotta have to show me.’ Invictus was a bit too shell shocked and stunned by what Applejack, of all people, would ask him to do. He first glanced a bit down for a millisecond. But when he thought he noticed something, he looked again. To his surprise, her geode was glowing. He couldn’t explain how or why, but it must be very important for some reason. But, he noticed that there was a bottle of birth control pills, making him feel even more flustered. She walked over to Invictus with bedroom eyes and a smile. Then she softly said ‘If y’all do. Then show me.’ She slowly placed her lips onto his. Kissing him, which made his eyes widened. But unknown to Applejack, the moment she did that, Invictus’ eyes suddenly began to sparkle, then glowed the colors of the rainbow, as if someone had casted a spell on him for something no one could explain. He slowly closed her eyes and reached his hands out, gently placed it on Applejack’s hips and slowly pulled her close, whilst at the same time, she placed her hands on top of his shoulders. Their kiss deepened whilst Applejack moaned. She then used her tongue to try and find an entrance. But soon enough, Invictus allowed her entrance, making the two of them wrestle their tongues with one another as they kept embracing one another. The two of them eventually broke the kiss and kept their smiles, but also kept their bedroom eyes. ‘For a country gal who works at a farm a lot,’ said Invictus ‘Your lips are really soft.’ ‘Really now?’ said Applejack in a seductive smirk ‘What else can y’all tell that’s soft?’ Invictus’ hands slowly reached her waist and dug his hands under her shirt. He slowly stroked her back upwards whilst feeling the softness of her skin, but also felt the muscle. Farm work really did do wonders for her. ‘Damn girl,’ said Invictus as he slowly licked her neck, making her shiver as he said ‘You really do have amazing skin.’ That was, until he ended up reaching for both her breasts, making her gasp loudly. ‘But my oh my,’ said Invictus with a smirk ‘Those wonderful apples of yours really have bloomed wonders.’ Applejack ended up grabbing Invictus, but as she pulled on his shirt, she pushed him away with her foot, causing his short to be torn off, leaving him topless as he landed on the bed. Applejack could see just how well tone his body was. Though not really muscular, his body was really in shape. Applejack walked over and climbed onto the bed. She ended up being on top of him and licked his neck, making him shiver too. She slowly sat up and tossed her hat above his head and removed her shirt in a seductive manner. Applejack removed her shirt, whilst she was still wearing her bra. ‘Would y’all like to do the honors?’ asked Applejack. ‘Oh, shit.’ said Invictus within his own head ‘This is really happening?’ His hands slowly reached for the strap of her bra and unclipped it, allowing her bra to fall off, revealing her breasts. He sat up and held her close whilst he was kissing her, making her squeak as he continued. ‘Oh,’ said Invictus with a smirk when he broke the kiss ‘Bit of a squeaker, are you?’ Applejack suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pinned him hard onto the ground and smacked her lips against his, making him moan twice as much, whilst his hands ended up removing her skirt at the same time, allowing it to fall down and taking her by surprise, but still kept it going. She soon broke the kiss and slowly stood up, whilst at the same time she pulled him up, allowing him to sit up as he was able to look at her. She smirked as she kept waving her hips whilst she was still wearing her panties and boots. She used her feet to slowly pull her boots off. She playfully kicked one towards him, allowing him to catch it with his left hand. However, Applejack ended up kicking the right boot a bit too hard, causing it hit against his head, making him fall over, which surprised Applejack, and couldn’t help but stifle her laughter when she saw the silly mistake she made. Invictus sat up and smirked ‘Oh, doing that now, are we?’ He ended up getting up, power walked to her, grabbed her, taking her by surprise, picked her up, walked back to bed and plopped her hard onto her back, making her look up as he still kept his smile. He ended up taking off his pants and his shorts, leaving him completely naked. Applejack’s face ended up being red as she couldn’t help but smile at the sight. ‘Looks like someone is excited for the event.’ said Applejack. ‘Well can you blame me,’ said Invictus as he looked at Applejack ‘All that farm work you did gave you a hot rocking body.’ ‘Oh, shush you.’ said Applejack as she couldn’t hide the smirk from her face. She grabbed Invictus and made him sat down on the bed, whilst at the same time, she scooched on closer as she placed his member between her bosom. She rubbed his member between her breasts, making Invictus moan, for it was a feeling he wasn’t going to forget anytime soon, nor the fact that his member was inside of her mouth. ‘Oh shit,’ said Invictus as he nearly rolled his eyes backwards whilst out of instinct, placed both his on her head gently ‘How is it you’re also so skilled in your mouth if you’ve used your hands for your job?’ Applejack wanted to smirk, but not whilst her mouth was full. ‘Oh shit,’ said Invictus as he felt he was going to blow ‘Applejack, I…I think I’m gonna…’ And just like that, he released his load inside her mouth, nearly making her gag. But because of her good swallowing throat (the very one that helped her beat Rainbow Dash in a Fizzy Apple Cider drinking contest), she swallowed his load without any problems. She released his member and wiped her mouth with a smile. ‘Now that you were able to swallow my load,’ said Invictus with a smirk, causing him to instantly grab her and pinned her back on the bed. She looked down as Invictus said ‘Let me swallow yours.’ He moved his head towards her delicate flower, placing his tongue against it. He began to lick it slowly, making her gasp sharply at the feeling of her delicate flower. The more he licked, the more she wanted more. ‘Oh mah stars,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all said ah have skill with mah mouth? How is it y’all are just that skilled?’ He smirked a bit for a few minutes before he continued to suck the juice right out of her, making her moan with more and more ecstasy. Applejack ended up wrapping her legs around his neck whilst placing her hands on his head, for she really didn’t want him to stop. Yet after another ten more licks, she finally gave in and squirted her juice down his throat, making him swallow every last drop of it. Applejack soon released his head as her arms and legs collapsed onto the bed whilst she was panting with excitement. She slowly looked up and noticed that he was far from done. She chuckled a bit and asked ‘Ya still have some energy in ya?’ He then crawled onto the bed and helped her move a bit backwards until her entire boy was now on the bed, with Invictus being on top of her, keeping his smirk and said ‘Shall we find out?’ He slowly aimed his member and inserted it inside her delicate flower, making her gasp, for she never felt this feeling before. She kept her smile as he leaned in closer and said ‘Allow me to take the lead little lady.’ Before Applejack could even respond or retort, Invictus began to slowly thrust in her, making her moan the first time. He continued to keep up the pace as he kissed her on the lips. ‘Oooh, bad boy.’ said Applejack as she continued to enjoy the feeling. ‘Oh, I can be a bad cowboy alright.’ said Invictus as he slowly began to speed up his thrusts ‘Oh, Sugarcube…’ said Applejack as she was enjoying the feeling inside of her. ‘Oh, I love it when you say “Sugarcube”, cowgirl.’ said Invictus as he kept her pinned down, kissing her neck, making her squirm and giggle at the same time. Invictus kept pounding her on the bed, making her moan like crazy, being caught in the bliss of things, unable being able to think. She quickly grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, making her on top. She couldn’t help but smirk as she was on top of him. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus ‘No matter what position, you’re still pretty badass.’ Applejack kept her smirk as she slowly sat ‘Now it’s mah turn to have some fun.’ ‘Time to ride em up and rope em up, eh cowgirl?’ teased Invictus. ‘Oh just hush and enjoy the show,’ said Applejack. Sure enough, she began to move her hips, making her moan all crazy whilst her breasts bounced violently. Invictus couldn’t help but grasp onto both of them, making her gasp out loudly. He thrusts continued to make her go crazy. But unknown to both of them, Applejack’s geode continued to glow brighter and brighter, as did Invictus. And from outside, one could almost see the bright light shining from underneath the door. The light continued to shine until both of them released their climax, leaving both of them shout in ecstasy. The next morning, the sun slowly began to rise. Within Invictus’ apartment room, Invictus woke up, feeling groggy like they would do in most mornings. He suddenly felt something beside him. When he opened his eyes, to his shock, it was none other than Applejack, fast asleep in bed. He silently gasped, but then looked underneath his bed sheets and discovered that the both of them were naked. He slowly backed away and got up from bed whilst also quickly attempting to put his clothes on before anyone could expect anything. A few hours later, Invictus had just finished helping Twilight pack up their things. As he was busy in their mode of transportation, Twilight somehow had a checklist on her. She somehow made a checklist that had a resemblance to her friends. She crossed Applejack off of her list, for deep down she really wanted to spend some time with them. She thankfully did when she bumped into Applejack, but she knows that they’ll bump into each other soon before she returns back home. ‘Hey Sugarcube.’ said Applejack, gaining the Princess of Friendship’s attention. ‘Oh, hey Applejack. What’s up.’ said Twilight after she turned to face her. ‘Ah’m really glad y’all could come visit. Wish it was somewhere close by.’ ‘Don’t worry Applejack. Once all of you are done, I’d be more than happy to spend some more time with all of you.’ said Twilight ‘I wanted us to spend some time together too.’ ‘Ah do too.’ said Applejack ‘So, what do y’all have right there.’ ‘Oh, it’s a checklist.’ said Twilight as she looked it over ‘I really wanted to run into all of you, so I made up a checklist. I don’t know where we’re going to go next.’ Applejack suddenly had an idea ‘Oh, ah know. Seeing that y’all are traveling, why don’t y’all head for White Tail Nature Reserve?’ ‘White Tail Nature Reserve?’ said Twilight. ‘Sure,’ said Applejack ‘Ah got a text from Fluttershy. She said that the place at Van Hoover got canceled, so they’re going to the Nature Reserve there instead.’ ‘Oh, that’s perfect.’ said Twilight. ‘I can’t wait to see her again.’ ‘Ah’m sure that she’ll be glad to see y’all again.’ said Applejack. Invictus came out of their ride and said ‘Alright, everything’s…’ He then stopped in his tracks and saw Applejack, and she saw her. Causing the two of them to go red and cleared their throats, clearly both of them are now feeling greatly embarrassed about the whole ordeal from last night. Twilight took notice and said ‘Uh, did something happen…’ ‘No.’ said those two frantically, desperately trying to change the subject ‘O.K.’ said Twilight, clearly this was an awkward topic. ‘I’ll just wait in there.’ She climbed on board their RV, with Invictus clearing his throat and said ‘Listen, AJ, about last night…’ ‘No, no. It’s alright. We won’t speak of it any further.’ said Applejack. Invictus suddenly went red as he said ‘Although I have to admit…you were…amazing.’ Applejack felt really flustered, but couldn’t help but smile and said ‘Same with y’all. And do me a favor.’ She walked over and gave Invictus a light kiss, then whispered to his ear ‘Take good care of Twi, okay?’ Invictus watched as Applejack walked away, which in turn, he couldn’t help but smile. ‘That girl really knows how to calm a crown down.’ So Invictus walked back to the RV, started it up and left. He then looked at Twilight and asked ‘Where to next.’ ‘Oh, there’s the White Tail Nature Reserve.’ said Twilight. ‘Okay then,’ said Invictus as he focused on the road ‘White Tail Nature Reserve it is.’ So the two of them drove off to the next destination, knowing that they’re entire trip was goin to be a memorable one. > Chapter 5: White Tail Nature Reserve (Re-edited at 13/09/2021) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been almost a few hours since they left Appaloosa, Twilight was already getting excited to see Fluttershy again, but she was also curious about this nature reserve. ‘So what can you tell me about the Nature Reserve?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he thought about it ‘The place was founded about fifty years ago. The owner loved animals. Exotic, plain, even animals that were nearly extinct, so he wanted to make a place where all of them could be peacefully. She tamed the animals in ways no one thought would possible. Soon enough, it was opened to the public. Over the years the place grew bigger and bigger. Sure enough, it soon became the biggest place in the world. Now every animal ever listed in the animal kingdom is placed in the same spot.’ ‘Wow, it sounds amazing.’ said Twilight, clearly fascinated by the origins of the place. ‘The best part is,’ said Invictus as he smirked ‘Fluttershy’s great grandmother Posy Shy was the exact owner of the place.’ Twilight’s mouth was agape by this information. ‘Does Fluttershy know about this?’ ‘Nope.’ said Invictus ‘Posy’s husband left her and took her kids away and never even told them about the place.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight. ‘Trust me,’ said Invictus ‘Even I was shocked when I found out about this.’ ‘Wait, how did you know?’ asked Twilight. ‘My father’s dad was a lawyer when he was starting out,’ said Invictus ‘It turned out he met Posy Shy and they made a will, that if any of Posy Shy’s children or their grandchildren, once they graduate, will be the proud owner of the place. But it would only go to the one who is worthy of running the business, namely one who loves animals. And Fluttershy fits into that category greatly.’ ‘Wow.’ said Twilight ‘She would be so thrilled to find out about this.’ ‘She would,’ said Invictus ‘The will is still there. She just needs to reach out to them. But I’ll help her with that.’ ‘You really must like Fluttershy.’ said Twilight. ‘I respect her,’ said Invictus ‘She was really nice to me when I was one time hurt, even helped me find a pet that I could love and adore. But uh…she was kind of ticked that I broke my friendship with Dashie.’ ‘Didn’t you explain to her?’ said Twilight. ‘I’ll tell her when the time is right.’ said Invictus. Sure enough, they arrived near their destination. Once they were able to find a proper parking space, the two of them decided to dress up for the occasion. They would wear what one would describe as the proper attire for nature walks. Twilight was wearing a purple sleeveless shirt, black skintight pants that had her cutie mark on both sides of her pants with purple boots. She was wearing a small backpack on her back that contained her water and snacks, whilst she was also sporting a walking stick. Invictus was wearing a black short sleeved shirt, with brown cargo pants and black boots, along with what a walking stick and a backpack that would have the same what Twilight had, but also medical supplies for just in case. ‘So uh,’ said Twilight as she showed off her outfit a bit, even though she hadn’t gotten use to the idea yet ‘What do you think?’ ‘Like you were born for something greater.’ said Invictus in a dramatic manner. Twilight simply rolled her eyes, but kept her smile, for it was sort of flattering the way he says it. ‘So, shall we?’ asked Invictus. ‘Lead the way.’ said Twilight as she followed Invictus. The moment when they walked through the entrance, the beauty from what Twilight saw could not be described, for it was an amazing sight. For all around the land was as large as Disney Land’s land property, with every part of the place that would fit for every animal perfectly. She could see every animal that have been listed into the animal kingdom. ‘What do you think?’ said Invictus. ‘This place is amazing.’ said Twilight ‘I can’t believe there’s a place where animals can coexist with one another.’ ‘You’d better believe it.’ said Invictus as he held a map in front of them in order to show her what the layout of the place looked like ‘So, where would you like to go first?’ Twilight looked at the map and pointed at one spot. ‘Ooh,’ she said in response whilst pointing at the map ‘We could go to the Safari section.’ ‘Ah, good choice.’ said Invictus whilst he led her towards the spot, with him saying ‘The very part of the animal kingdom that inspired one of my favorite childhood movies.’ ‘What’s it called?’ asked Twilight. ‘The Lion King.’ said Invictus ‘Once it’s finished we can rent a room for the night and I’ll pick the movie out for you so that you’ll be able to see for yourself.’ ‘I’d like that.’ said Twilight. Sure enough, they reached the safari section of the reserve. Twilight was left speechless when she saw so many safari animals out there. ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ said Twilight, with Invictus taking some pictures for her. She looked at Invictus, which she realized that he was taking pictures for her just so she could see the differences between her world and this one. ‘Knew you would like it.’ said Invictus. They decided to move to the next spot, which involved seeing the monkey exhibit. Though they were quite entertaining, it was twice as entertaining for Twilight when she saw that the monkeys were making a monkey out of Invictus when they stole his camera whilst he chased them around whilst shouting “Stop thief!!” all the time, which made her laugh really hard. But as they walked down the next part of the reserve, a certain bunny, known as Angel Bunny, hopped from out of the corner looking for some tasty snacks. But as he looked around, he spotted Twilight. But to the bunny’s surprise, it wasn’t the Twilight from CHS, it was Princess Twilight, causing the rabbit to quickly hop back to his owner to tell her the news. They walked up to what appeared to be the elephant section, which Twilight find them adorable, until a handful of them sprayed both with water. They were both drenched in water, whilst trying to shake it off at the same time. They groaned a bit at first, until they looked at one another, which they couldn’t help but laugh over their predicament. Sure enough after they went to the bathrooms to dry themselves up, they took some sips from their water. Twilight suddenly felt something poking her leg. When she looked down, to her surprise, it was a rabbit, who looked at her with a smile. ‘Oh, hey little one.’ said Twilight as she bent her knees to get a closer look on the rabbit ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Twilight?’ said a familiar voice. When Twilight looked up, she saw it was none other than Fluttershy. ‘Fluttershy.’ said Twilight as she was excited. Fluttershy noticed that Twilight didn’t wear any glasses, causing Fluttershy’s eyes to widen, as well as her smile as she said ‘Twilight!’ She went over and gave her a hug, with Twilight following suit. ‘Fluttershy it’s so good to see you.’ said Twilight. ‘It’s great to see you too.’ said Fluttershy. ‘But what are you doing here?’ ‘I wanted to surprise all of you by coming here, but then I heard you and the others were on summer vacation. But then I heard you were part of the Caring for Animals Foundation’ ‘Oh yes.’ said Fluttershy ‘When they came into town and they were seeing how I looked after the animals in the animal shelter, they asked me to be part of their group. They did so much help for the animals around the world.’ ‘That’s great.’ said Twilight ‘You must be so proud.’ ‘I’m proud to be part of the group who helps saves animals.’ said Fluttershy with her usual smile. But then was confused and asked ‘But how did you know that I was here?’ ‘Well, Applejack told me where we would find you,’ said Twilight ‘And Invictus offered to show me around.’ Fluttershy then noticed Invictus, who nervously smiled. Fluttershy then scowled, crossed her arms and turned her back, confusing Twilight. ‘Uh, is there something wrong?’ said Twilight. ‘Ask him.’ said Fluttershy, not looking at them. Invictus walked over to Twilight and said ‘Me and Dash’s falling out wasn’t the partial thing she was mad at, but she got over it. She uh…’ ‘What?’ asked Twilight. He didn’t want to lie, but for her, he told her ‘I sent her brother to Military School.’ ‘What?’ said the surprised Princess of Friendship. ‘Yes he did.’ said Fluttershy, still keeping her arms crossed ‘He sent him away for no reason, and Zephyr said that he was falsely accused. He had no right to do that.’ Invictus, who really liked Fluttershy because of her kindness, decided to come forward with this. ‘There was a reason for that Fluttershy. Look, Principle Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna made a promise not to tell anyone, not even you or your friends not to say anything, but they told me because I could keep a secret.’ She partially turned her head, clearly listening. He took a deep breath and told Fluttershy the truth. ‘Look,’ said Invictus as he told her ‘They sent Zephyr Breeze to Military School because I caught him filming and taking pictures of all the girls showering in the girl’s locker room, including you and Rainbow Dash.’ That part shocked Fluttershy, even Twilight. Fluttershy slowly turned around and looked at Invictus shocked as she responded to a ‘What?’ ‘Yeah, and the worst part,’ said Invictus ‘He kept them on his computer and wanted to post them on the Internet. He didn’t care if all of you got hurt or anything.’ Fluttershy was clearly shocked by this news, no, not shocked, horrified. ‘After I caught him,’ said Invictus as he explained ‘I brought him to Principle Celestia’s office and showed them. They were shocked by what he did, so they called the police and had him arrested. I was brought in because I witnessed the whole thing. And they gave him a choice; three years in Military School or Twenty years in Prison. I picked Military School because you and I both know that Zephyr wouldn’t survive in prison.’ Fluttershy was clearly taken aback by this information, even Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘But…’ said Fluttershy ‘Why didn’t Principle Celestia or Vice Principal Luna tell me any of this?’ ‘They were trying to protect you girl, just like everyone else always does.’ said Invictus as he walked past her. ‘But if it were so bad, why didn’t you say anything?’ said Fluttershy as she looked at him. ‘Because I was protecting you too.’ said Invictus. Fluttershy was clearly shocked by this as her eyes widened at this. Twilight walked next to her and placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder, realizing that she made a mistake just shunning Invictus away like that. ‘Look Flutters,’ said Invictus as he looked at Fluttershy ‘You’ve, besides Dashie, have always been my best friend since we were in preschool, and I know things have been hard for you growing up. But that doesn’t mean life’s been easy for the rest of us.’ Fluttershy kept looking down, clearly she was shocked beyond words about this. Invictus walked over and placed both his hands on her shoulders, making her look at him. ‘Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, okay, but I kept this a secret because I didn’t want you to get hurt anymore than you already had because of what…’ Without saying a word, Fluttershy hugged him, tightly. She kept her eyes shut, trying her best not to release tears. ‘I’m sorry.’ whimpered Fluttershy ‘I’m so sorry.’ Invictus hugged her back, showing that all was forgiven. Even Twilight smiled at this, knowing that even though she’s not back in Equestria, she was, in her own way, solving one of the biggest friendship problems she had ever faced. The two them broke the hug, with Invictus saying ‘Hey. You want something to eat? My treat.’ Fluttershy let out a few sniffles, whilst also wiping her tears, but was able to keep her smile. ‘Yes. I’d like that.’ ‘Sure. I could go for something.’ They then walked over to the nearest stand in order to buy what food they had on sale. After they got what they were looking for, they continued with their conversations. ‘Oh my,’ said Fluttershy when she heard a bit more of Invictus’ background ‘So you’re from a different Equestria?’ ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘After it was gone, my mother tried her best to adapt, same with me. But I could tell she was heartbroken because she lost her home. She tried to find ways to go to another one, but she couldn’t find the right spell.’ ‘Would she?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘I think she does, but not anymore.’ said Invictus ‘She loves my father too much to leave his side. He knows about Equestria too and he’d like nothing more than to go to another world to bring forth scientific discoveries from one world to another, but he’s afraid that they won’t be ready for stuff like that. I mean, Imagine how hard it would to get a pony to stop watching TV.’ ‘Good point.’ said Fluttershy. ‘You know he kind of does.’ said Twilight ‘I freaked out when I once learned about this world a bit, I don’t want to think about what would happen if every pony in our world would discover a world like this.’ ‘They’d panic and start looting, rioting and let things escalate into an unnatural chaos.’ said Invictus. ‘Exactly.’ said Twilight. ‘Plus, it was so nice of you to show Twilight more of our world Invictus,’ said Fluttershy ‘And I’m glad to hear that Gloriosa is doing well. Too bad her brother is in jail.’ ‘Yeah, and it would be best not to bring it up to Sci-Twi.’ said Invictus ‘He’s her first crush and if she hears what happened, she’ll be crushed.’ ‘Oh my,’ said Fluttershy ‘You have a point there.’ ‘Also, Applejack says hi.’ said Twilight. ‘Really?’ said Fluttershy ‘You guys went to Van Hoover?’ ‘Sadly no,’ said Invictus ‘Turned out they had to move their family reunion to Appaloosa because a storm got at Van Hoover, so everything’s a mess there.’ ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’ said Fluttershy ‘Applejack was really looking forward to see Grand Pear again.’ ‘That she was.’ said Invictus. He then got up and said ‘I’m gonna go get something to drink for us, be right back.’ ‘Sure thing, we’ll be waiting for you.’ said Twilight. As he left, both Twilight and Fluttershy decided to catch up. ‘I’m really happy that you came here Twilight,’ said Fluttershy ‘We really missed you. You should visit us more often.’ ‘I’d really love to,’ said Twilight ‘But you know how occupied I am when it comes to looking after a kingdom.’ ‘Oh, I know. But it was so nice of him to take you on a tour on our world.’ ‘I guess it was.’ Twilight lowered her eyes whilst her smile wavered. She looked at Fluttershy and asked ‘Were you…also friends with Invictus since preschool?’ Fluttershy was a little surprised by the question, but answered her ‘Oh yes. He was really nice to me when we were little. Even though we were close friends, he and Rainbow Dash were the closest than anyone. They had so much fun.’ ‘Did Rainbow Dash’s ego really get out of hand?’ asked Twilight. Fluttershy lowered her eyes. She really didn’t like saying anything bad about Dash, but then again, she knows how Dash can get whenever it comes to making brash decisions. ‘She did,’ said Fluttershy ‘Invictus tried his best to put up with it. But shortly after the Freshman Fair, he just stopped talking to her. But after the uh…’ ‘Anon-a-Miss?’ said Twilight. Fluttershy cringed at that. ‘Um, yes.’ said Fluttershy as she didn’t want to think about it. ‘During the whole Anon-a-Miss, he and Rainbow ended up arguing. And after that, he just stormed off. Rainbow was really angry and upset. But then…she started to cry. I found out that they stopped being friends.’ ‘He said that they stopped being friends after Freshman year.’ said Twilight. ‘But if you want, you’ll need to talk to him. If you two were also friends, then you’ll need to talk too. The look on his face…he really seemed upset. When we were at Camp Everfree, I once heard him crying and look at a really old picture. It looked like there was a totem pole there.’ Fluttershy gasped a little ‘Oh, I know that place. That was where Rainbow and Invictus once spend when they hung out.’ Twilight placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder and said ‘Like I said, you need to talk to him too.’ Fluttershy didn’t want to, but Invictus was so nice to her when they were younger, and not to mention revealing that why he send Zephyr to military school. She took a deep breath and said ‘Alright. Do you think you can wait for me here?’ ‘Of course.’ said Fluttershy, allowing her to leave. However, Twilight stood up and decided to follow her in order to make sure things go well. After Invictus got the tray of drinks, he turned around and noticed Fluttershy walking towards him. ‘Oh, hey Flutters. What’s up?’ ‘Well, um, you see…’ said Fluttershy as she was really nervous. Invictus placed his left hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder, gaining her attention as he said ‘Flutters. I know you’re not comfortable talking about certain subjects. But you know better than anyone that I’ve always been patient with what you wanted to say.’ Fluttershy felt a little better, for he did have a point. He was always patient with her. She cleared her throat and said ‘What happened between you and Dash?’ Invictus winced at that, for he had hoped that she wouldn’t have asked that. He sighed as he said ‘I think you know what happened.’ ‘Well, only from Rainbow Dash.’ said Fluttershy ‘But I want to hear from your side of the story.’ Invictus gestured her to follow him, which she did as they leaned against a rail that overlooked the sanctuary. ‘Well,’ said Invictus ‘You know how Dash’s ego got out of hand when she got older.’ ‘Yes.’ said Fluttershy ‘There were times that I couldn’t stand her either.’ ‘How’d you do it?’ asked Invictus. ‘I stayed by her side because she’s always so insecure about herself.’ said Fluttershy ‘When she met me and you, she felt safe and that she could trust us.’ ‘Yeah but the difference between you and me,’ said Invictus ‘You could stand her ego, I couldn’t.’ Fluttershy then wondered something. She knows that they talked every now and then after Freshman year, but other than that, they didn’t say anything else. ‘Um, Invictus. What happened between you two?’ Invictus sighed, for he knew Fluttershy a long time too, and he knows that she would get upset if she would hear about this. ‘During the whole Anon-A-Miss thing,’ said Invictus ‘I knew that Sunset wasn’t responsible. Even though I didn’t trust her after the whole Dazzling ordeal, I could see that she changed. And she was so afraid to lose you guys she didn’t want to let you go. But after you guys abandoned her, I never seen anyone who was so broken and hurt.’ Fluttershy cringed at that, for remembering the image of Sunset on the floor crying had hurt her more than she could imagine. ‘I knew it couldn’t have been her because she fell asleep at ten PM, whilst the videos had been posted at one AM.’ Fluttershy was surprised at that, then she remembered that Sweetie Belle said had said she silently went inside Rarity’s room and took Sunset’s phone and posted it online. ‘I tried to explain to Dash, considering about that her science paper hadn’t been leaked yet, but she didn’t listen. She even claimed that I was defending the wrong people as usual. Then she told me that she wondered why we weren't friends anymore.’ ‘Oh dear.’ said Fluttershy, knowing that anything anyone says to Invictus can make him snap. ‘I didn’t take it well.’ said Invictus as he remembered the one memory that had hurt them both that day. ‘I ended up getting angry. And through my anger, I told her that we weren't friends because her ego got out of hand and I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with, so she pretended to not even know me anymore, until she needed me to do her homework for her, because she was too lazy and stupid to do any of them herself and it was no wonder she was failing miserably at her grades.’ As expected, Fluttershy slapped him, which Twilight cringed as she was surprised that she did that. ‘How could you say that?’ said Fluttershy, clearly that she was angry that he had said that. ‘That’s not even the worst part.’ said Invictus. ‘We ended up arguing more, with her saying that she wasn’t an idiot, where I reminded her that it was the same idiocy that made her and Applejack stop being friends without even thinking things through, not to mention when her ego got out of hand during the Battle of the Bands. I mean look what nearly happened to you after what Gilda nearly did.’ Fluttershy cringed at that, remembering that horrible day. ‘I even went far and said that Gilda was right, for she was nothing but a trashy bitch and she always will be. And that I wished that we weren't friends anymore and said that Lightning Dust should’ve gotten her banned from competing sports.’ Fluttershy covered her mouth with widened eyes. At first she wanted to slap him again, but she saw him shedding tears. ‘I knew that very day after I said those horrible things to her and I left her in the library,’ said Invictus as he lowered his head ‘Our friendship was over. I was hurt that day. But…I hurt her even more. After that I couldn’t bear to face her again. I was too ashamed. I missed what we had every day. And I missed her.’ He looked at her, with his eyes nearly puffy from the tears ‘I wished every single day that I could go back to those moments and stopped myself from saying all those things. Because saying that had knocked me down harder than anything in the world. You know how she felt insecure? I felt the same way. The day she was no longer in my life…I never felt so alone in all my life. It was all my fault.’ Not liking to see him like this, Fluttershy quickly hugged him. For even though she was mad at what Invictus had said to Rainbow Dash, she couldn’t bear to see him like this. As she hugged him, even Twilight shed a few tears. For she didn’t hear those part of the conversation before. ‘I just don’t know what to do Fluttershy.’ said Invictus. ‘I…I just…’ Fluttershy ended up doing something crazy, and kissed him on the lips to calm him down, much to his surprise, even Twilight’s. Fluttershy remembered that time when Invictus panicked during preschool, she did the unthinkable and kissed him, though he made Invictus promise not to say anything to anyone, and he kept the promise. After the kiss broke, she looked at him, which he had finally calmed down once the both of them had sat down on a nearby bench. ‘Invictus.’ said Fluttershy ‘Only you can make things right with her. You and I both know she’s too filled with pride to admit anything. But if you can confront her and tell her, then things will work out.’ Invictus managed a shaking sigh, but said ‘I’ll try. In time. When I find her and have the courage to tell her, I will.’ Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle, for when it comes to trying to make up mistakes, Invictus has a habit into being dramatic. ‘Oh Invictus.’ said Fluttershy ‘You’re always so overdramatic.’ ‘It’s a curse I’m afraid.’ replied Invictus ‘I just…want to make things right.’ Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile, for she could see that he means well and that he wants to make things right. Fluttershy stood near him and placed her hand on his shoulder. (Fluttershy) Sometimes it hurts Sometimes it hurts to live our lives For it’s the only thing that lies before us He slowly looked at Fluttershy whilst she held the side of his face to look at him: (Fluttershy) Life can be hard We know that it can get hard, sometimes For everyday, we try to move on as fate intended Fluttershy then held Invictus’ shoulders so that he could look at her. (Fluttershy) But don’t let life keep you down Only you can decide how to live our lives Where the light shines at the end Hearts are all mended And friendships remain as a whole She helped Invictus up as she showed him everything around her. (Fluttershy) So don’t you ever, dare Tell yourself different to your heart, and soul Driving wedges between you, and your friends And you will never be alone Find the Friendship in your heart Twilight couldn’t help but stand with them as she sang too. (Twilight) Sometimes love heals Sometimes love can heal all wounds For it’s the only thing, that we can hope for Twilight also places her hand on his shoulder. (Twilight) It will be better one day And with every step of the way Your friendship will become better Even long after we are gone She held onto his hands in order to try and comfort him. (Twilight) But don’t let life keep you down Only you can decide how to live our lives Where the light shines at the end Hearts are all mended And friendships remain as a whole Twilight couldn’t help but dance as she sang. Fluttershy and Invictus had to admit, when Twilight last visited, she danced a bit ridiculous, even though she had never danced like a human before, she really can dance better than ever before. (Twilight) So don’t you ever, dare Tell yourself different to your heart, and soul Driving wedges between you, and your friends And you will never be alone Fluttershy then walked over and placed her shoulder on Invictus’ shoulder. (Fluttershy) And if you feel, hurt Well that’s okay my friend Cause we, are here (Twilight) To comfort you, when you feel hurt And we will never let you go (Fluttershy) Friendship will shine in you (Twilight) Friendship will shine in you (Twilight & Fluttershy) Friendship will shine in you The two then sang together: (Twilight & Fluttershy) Oh, you will never Feel alone as long as friendship is in, your heart As long as your heart beats For your closest friends And friendship will liberate your soul And if you feel, hurt Well that’s okay my friend Cause we, are here To comfort you, when you feel hurt And we will never let you go The two then held him close into their little group hug. (Twilight & Fluttershy) And when we’re away We will remember the hugs No matter where, we are And let the friendship heal your heart You will always be our friend The two then broke the hug as Invictus wiped his tears away. ‘Thanks guys,’ he responded with his usual smile ‘I really needed…’ When all of a sudden, Invictus got doused by an elephant spraying water on him from its trunk, taking the girls by surprise. Afterwards, Invictus was doused in water as he tried to shake himself dry. ‘Well I definitely didn’t need that!!’ he responded loudly. The two girls looked at each other slowly. Snickered, then laughed out loud as they nearly fell over, which in a matter of moments, Invictus also laughed hard at that Later that night, after their trip through the reserve and the movie they watched, they walked to their rooms, which they had luckily booked in case more people would arrive. ‘Thanks for the outing Invictus.’ said Twilight with her tired smile. ‘Glad you could enjoy it Twilight.’ said Invictus as he smiled with pride. ‘Still, I wanted to thank you for that song.’ said Twilight ‘I’ll try to remember that the next time I stress out.’ ‘When you do,’ said Invictus ‘Make sure that I’m next to you. You never might know when you need a hug every now and then.’ Twilight giggled and said ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ Twilight entered the room and said ‘Good night.’ ‘Good night Princess.’ said Invictus before Twilight closed her door. Invictus couldn’t help but smile as he was glad to have made Twilight happy, for so far he was having fun throughout the journey. Invictus walked back to his room and opened the door. He walked inside and closed the door. He then thought about what to do next for Twilight. That was, until the moment he turned around, he was interrupted by a… ‘Hello.’ ‘YIPE!!’ ‘EEP!!’ Both were greatly startled. One who was caught off guard and surprised to see that it was none other than Fluttershy. Fluttershy was startled when he was scared out of his mind as if someone had broken in his room. Technically, she did break in, but she didn’t mean to scare him, nor did he meant to scare her back when he saw her inside. ‘Holy,’ said Invictus as he sighed in relief whilst holding his chest before he patted on it in order to calm himself down ‘Don’t scare me like that Fluttershy. You’re more sneakier than Pinkie Pie on a good day.’ ‘Oh, um, I’m sorry about that.’ said Fluttershy whilst she lowered her eyes and looked away ‘I didn’t mean to scare you like that.’ ‘No, no, it’s fine.’ said Invictus as he recomposed himself ‘So anyway. What can I do for you?’ ‘Do you…’ began Fluttershy before she trailed off. She looked a bit nervous for some reason, then looked away. Invictus couldn’t help but wonder what was on her mind. That was, until she finally cleared her throat and asked ‘Do you like Princess Twilight?’ Invictus couldn’t help but sigh and leaned against the wall whilst saying ‘Yes.’ ‘Oh?’ said Fluttershy, for she was surprised by this as she asked ‘Since when?’ ‘Since the Fall Formal.’ said Invictus as he looked at Fluttershy, whom was surprised by this revelation. ‘I wanted to tell her of how I felt about her. There was something about her that just makes me feel…different around her. That…that I couldn’t help but, well…fall in love with her.’ Fluttershy was surprised that he used the “L” word. She couldn’t help but give a soft expression and a smile. She then got curious and asked ‘What else do you think about her.’ ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he looked in the air and thought about it. Then said ‘She’s really an amazing pony/person. Don’t give me wrong, Sci-Twi is great and all, but she didn’t have the same spark. Whenever she’s in the same room, I can’t help but feel nervous around her. The way she laughed, the way she smiled, the way she’s smart and the way she wants to help others. I could only admire her, respect her even. Though I was a bit jealous of her because she could find a way to fix her mistakes with her friends. Me on the other hand…I was a mess. But whenever we’re together, I felt like I was…whole again. But now I…’ He heard Fluttershy giggle, making Invictus realize he just spilled the beans further about of how he felt about Twilight, making him blush harder. ‘Oh, Invictus.’ said Fluttershy with a small smile ‘You always resort to the one thing I like about you.’ ‘Me being a doofus?’ asked Invictus. She giggled again and said ‘Well that, and you’re a hopeless romantic.’ He flexed an eyebrow at that, whilst Fluttershy spoke to him and said ‘That one day you came out of poetry class and read what you once wrote in class. Everyone fell head over heels for you, even Rainbow Dash.’ Invictus’ eyes widened at that and said ‘Whoa, really?’ ‘Mhmm.’ said Fluttershy He then lowered his eyes, thinking that she was wrong, but Fluttershy knew what she was thinking and held him close. ‘Invictus, don’t keep on thinking of yourself differently.’ said Fluttershy ‘You’re a sweet, kind and gentle soul. You’re not like any other meanies.’ ‘And look what happened between me and Rainbow Dash.’ said Invictus. Fluttershy held onto him and said ‘You really miss her.’ ‘More than anything.’ said Invictus ‘You never forget your first friend. Or friends in this case.’ Fluttershy smiled when Invictus included her. ‘I know how you feel, I was also afraid to lose her. I don’t know why she kept ignoring you. You two were always so close together.’ Invictus sighed with a shaking breath, with Fluttershy reassuring him as she said ‘But if it’ll make you feel better. I’ll talk to the girls and we’ll find a way to convince you and Dashie to talk.’ He couldn’t help but smile and look at her and said ‘I’m just glad I’m friends with you again. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth about what happened.’ ‘I know,’ said Fluttershy as she reassured him with a smile ‘You were just trying to protect me and Rainbow Dash.’ Invictus sighed and looked ahead and said ‘I gotta make things right with her.’ ‘I know you will.’ said Fluttershy with her own tender smile. She then moved closer and kissed him on the lips with her eyes closed, which surprised Invictus with widened eyes. She broke the kiss and looked away whilst biting her lips. ‘Uh, you okay?’ said Invictus, for Fluttershy was never this bold before. ‘I can’t help it.’ said Fluttershy as she tried to contain herself ‘I want to do this.’ ‘Uh, do what?’ said Invictus. She suddenly stood up, and gestured him to stand up. But as he did, he noticed her geode was glowing too, which surprised him. He remembered what happened with Applejack. And now he was suddenly terrified of what Fluttershy might do, whilst he also noticed a birth control pill pack nearby. ‘Uh, Flutters?’ asked Invictus out of concern ‘You feeling okay?’ Fluttershy gently took his hands and directed him to move closer. But as he took a closer look, there was a massive amount of lust in her eyes. She looked straight at him with determination. And to Invictus’ shock, Fluttershy directed his hands onto her booty, making him grasp onto it whilst he widened his eyes as he kept staring at her. And before he knew it… ‘Come and take me you sexy beast.’ said Fluttershy as she instantly jumped on him, whilst he held onto her butt whilst holding her in the air as their lips were engaged with their constant heavy and compassionate make out session. Invictus was greatly surprised by this. He had known Fluttershy for years, and she had never, not even during her first trip to the dentist, was she even that brave or bold enough to do something like that. But her lips, oh her lips, was what slowly made him melt, her flowery scent and her soft hair. He slowly held her close as he held onto her rear, making the shy girl squeak through their make out session. But instead of letting go, she instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, enjoying the gentle touch that Invictus had given her. During their make out session, Invictus was against the wall as Fluttershy suddenly had footing as she placed both of her feet against the wall, making her tower over him. The two of them ended up breaking the kiss as they looked at each other with bedroom eyes whilst she was still over towering him. ‘You like a big girl don’t you?’ she said in a flirty voice ‘You like it when I tower over you, huh?’ ‘I like that dress you wear.’ said Invictus ‘It truly brings out your inner roar.’ She smirked and said ‘Well, how about we bring my inner roar outside then?’ She slowly went to the strap of her dress of her shoulders, slowly uncovering them, leaving her shoulders bare. But at the same time, the top of the dress had been removed. He saw the top of her dress lowering herself, revealing her breasts behind her pink bra. She really was a vision of beauty. He slowly kissed on her chest, making her squeak, gasp and giggle from his gentle touch. ‘Oh, Invictus.’ said Fluttershy as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer so that she could feel more of his lips on her chest. As Invictus continued to plant his kisses to Fluttershy’s chest, whilst she tossed her sandals away from her feet, Fluttershy was able to stand, allowing the rest of her dress to fall down, leaving her in her underwear. Fluttershy ended up grabbing his head and passionately kissed him whilst she leaned backwards. But as Invictus stroked her back, he ended up stroking straight towards into her panties and groped her butt, making her squeak and blush madly, but she enjoyed the feeling. Invictus began to take off his shirt whilst Fluttershy loosened his pants, making it drop onto the ground, leaving him in his underwear. Fluttershy nearly clawed his back, leaving a small mark, but Invictus didn’t mind, for the way she had been acting during their make out session, it turned her on to the next level. Invictus’ underwear ended up being removed by Fluttershy’s hands, leaving his member exposed. When she caught a glimpse, her face went bright red, leaving her flustered. ‘Oh my…’ said Fluttershy as she bit her lip, then looked at him in a flirteous manner ‘You’re certainly big down there, aren’t you?’ She slowly lowered herself as she was stroking his arms, nearly giving Invictus Goosebumps. She slowly grabbed her bosom and placed his member between them. She slowly rubbed them, arousing him further. He couldn’t help but moan at her touch. She really was amazing. Even though he knew how she can be, he wasn’t expecting her to be so bold into doing this. If she had a boyfriend one day, any guy would be lucky to be with her. ‘F-Flutters…I…’ said Invictus, for now he couldn’t think straight because he was getting more aroused by the minute, especially the way she was so gentle. ‘Someone’s getting more excited.’ said Fluttershy in a flirteous tone before giggling. Oh crap, that giggle, the cutest one she ever had. Even after all these years, she still has that cute and amazing giggle. But what really set him over the edge, was that she had slowly placed his member inside of her mouth. Now he was gonna lose it. ‘Flutters…I think…I think I’m gonna…’ But before he could utter a word, he climaxed in her mouth. Surprisingly she swallowed them fast, and ended up letting him go. Invictus ended up landing on his knees, leaving him on an eye level with Fluttershy. The two were eye to eye, and she still kept her smile. She giggled and said ‘Did you enjoy it?’ ‘Boy did I.’ said Invictus, barely being able to keep that flustered look on his face. Until he smirked and said ‘Now it’s your turn.’ He ended up pinning her on the ground, making her squeak in surprise. He lowered himself to her delicate flower. The moment his tongue made contact, she gasped loudly as her hands gripped onto the carpet. He kept licking her spot over and over, until she continued to moan and groan, fidgeting her body as she moved a bit and ended up holding his head. ‘Oh Invictus.’ said Fluttershy ‘I think…I think I’m going to…’ Fluttershy ended up climaxing, making her moan out loud. After drinking most of her out, he stood up and picked her up bridal style whilst she panted. He walked over to the bed and gently placed her on her back. ‘Oh my.’ said Fluttershy as she blushed, but kept her smile ‘You really are a gentleman.’ ‘Only when I need to be.’ said Invictus. He slowly moved his body as he was now over her whilst they stared at each other. ‘Are you ready?’ asked Invictus. ‘Go on.’ said Fluttershy with determination. ‘Make. My. Day.’ ‘Whoa,’ he thought to himself. He slowly inserted his member inside of her, making her gasp as she instantly gasped onto his back, slightly clawing it. He slowly thrusted inside of her, moving back and forth, making her gasp and moan, making her shudder as she enjoyed every feeling, making her think that he was mixing up her insides, but in a hot and sexy way. He continued to move as his thrusting began to speed up, making her feel crazy. ‘Wait,’ said Fluttershy, making Invictus stop as they looked at one another, sweating. ‘Can I…can I be on top please?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘Uh, sure.’ said Invictus, unsure what she was planning. However, the moment he was about to move, Fluttershy instantly grabbed him and flung him around, making her on top of him as she looked down on him with that smile, whilst he said ‘Such beauty.’ Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush and giggle at his compliment. ‘Now sit back and enjoy the show.’ She sat up whilst his member was still inside of her. The moment she moved her hips, she began to moan, for it was the greatest feeling she had ever felt. And as she moved, her breasts slowly bounced along with her. The two of them instantly grasped their hands as they were enjoying the feeling, making her moan and groan at the same time. It may have gone unnoticed to the people, but it had not for the animals. For if you could understand them, you would mistake them for cheering and chanting them on to continue with their love making, as if it was the biggest mating season anyone has ever encountered. The bed they were on shook ferociously from the constant fucking that a certain shy girl was laying on (Yeah you heard me), whilst the two of them continued to glow brighter and brighter as many had failed to notice, as well as the loud screaming between them. The next morning, the sun began to rise and the animals began to slowly wake up to start their day forward. From within the apartment they were sleeping in, Invictus began to slowly wake up, feeling drained for some reason. ‘That’s weird.’ said Invictus as he muttered to himself ‘Why do I feel so…’ But the moment he looked beside him, it was none other than Fluttershy, fast asleep, with him widening his eyes in shock as he said ‘Oh no, not again.’ He did the same maneuver in order to sneak out, however, he suddenly felt a hand on his wrist. He looked down and saw Fluttershy’s hand was on his. She however, had her eyes opened halfway, but smiled and had a blush on her face. ‘Wow, you were amazing.’ said Fluttershy ‘I can’t believe Dashie never felt doing that to you, even after she bet that one of us would do it. Heh, guess she owes be five hundred bucks.’ Invictus’ jaws dropped at this, for he couldn’t believe that she would say something out loud like that. He shook it off, trying to grasp what just happened. Her geode glowed like AJ’s, but he couldn’t figure out how. He had to save it for later, for he had to get ready or Twilight would freak out. Sure enough, they were able to pack up their things before they would go out on the next road. ‘Thanks again for helping us out Fluttershy.’ said Twilight ‘It was really great to see you again.’ ‘Likewise.’ said Fluttershy ‘We should try to do this more often.’ ‘That I agree.’ said Invictus. ‘And you two should go to Apple Wood next,’ said Fluttershy, much to their confusion, with Fluttershy saying ‘Rarity happens to be touring around there, saying that she needed to connect to the stars.’ Invictus chuckled and said ‘That’s our Rarity.’ ‘And Invictus,’ said Fluttershy, gaining his attention ‘I really hope things will work out between you and Dash.’ Invictus was a bit reluctant to ask at first, until he cleared his throat and said ‘Did Dash…well…did she…?’ Fluttershy placed her hand on his shoulder, allowing him to stop. ‘I could tell she was really unhappy and sad. She said that you were her first friend too, and what you said really hurt her. But she realized that you were also hurt. She’s also ashamed for what happened.’ Invictus sighed and said ‘I gotta make things right.’ ‘Don’t worry, this will work out.’ said Fluttershy, assuring him with a smile. ‘Thanks Flutters.’ said Invictus, giving her another hug before going back to their transportation. ‘And Twilight,’ said Fluttershy, gaining the Princess’ attention ‘Take good care of Invictus.’ ‘Huh?’ said Twilight, clearly confused as well. Fluttershy giggled and said playfully ‘You’ll see.’ As she walked away, Twilight was now more confused than ever. Decided to not ponder over it, she joined Invictus as she climbed aboard in their ride. ‘So, to Apple Wood?’ asked Twilight. ‘That we will,’ said Invictus ‘But first things first. I’ll stop by a diner there so we can have a proper breakfast.’ ‘What do you mean?’ asked Twilight. Invictus smirked and said ‘You my friend, are about to experience firsthand of what a Truck Stop Diner looks like.’ > Chapter 6: Applewood (Re-edited at 23/09/2021) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After about driving for two hours, it was nearly 9AM. They were definitely making good time, and would soon be able to get a quick breakfast. Twilight was taking some notes, for she noticed how some parts of the world reminded her of Equestria. ‘See anything that compares to Equestria?’ asked Invictus. ‘Oh yes,’ said Twilight as she looked at him ‘There are a few landmarks and a few places that resemble to Equestria. Though it’s too bad that there isn’t a Ponyville in this world.’ ‘Believe it or not,’ said Invictus as he filled her in ‘There is a place called Ponyville.’ ‘There is?’ said Twilight whilst she was surprised. ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘But instead it’s called Ponyville Heights. All of your friends in Ponyville who resemble a lot to the students at Canterlot High, all of them live in that neighborhood.’ ‘Really?’ said Twilight, for now she was really interested. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘Half of Ponyville’s population live there. The differences is most of them live on different streets. Shame that Sunset doesn’t live in the same neighborhood as Sci-Twi and the others, but then again it’s also expensive to live in that neighborhood.’ ‘I can imagine.’ said Twilight as she compared between here and Equestria. ‘But there was also something that bugs me.’ said Invictus. ‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘I know Sunset can visit you whenever you want and everything,’ said Invictus ‘But didn’t she think to bring more bits and diamonds over here? I mean she could’ve just used them to help pay the bills and get a better living place.’ ‘Oh she would,’ said Twilight, remembering the last time they talked about that ‘But she’d rather try to work for it instead of going the easy way.’ ‘Either way,’ said Invictus ‘She could’ve done that in case of an emergency. Heck, it worked for my mom.’ ‘Wait, what?’ said Twilight. ‘See, when my mom first tried to live here,’ said Invictus ‘She realized that she would have trouble to live in a place like this, plus back then she had no idea how finances and everything else worked. So when she saw that how much bits and diamonds are worth in this world, she took a ton with her and cashed them in. She made a few smart investments in secret and even placed more money in her account. She kept doing it for a few years until she met my dad, who was still struggling his career back then after he graduated. She helped with the last bit of his finances because she felt bad for him.’ ‘So,’ said Twilight as she thought about something ‘If she brought a lot of bits and diamonds in this world? How much does she…or…your family, have now?’ Invictus whispered in her ear for a moment. After telling her, her eyes widened in shock, then looked at him and said ‘THAT MUCH?!!’ ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘She also had a high degree on businesses back in Equestria, so it would make sense that she would do a lot of that stuff here. I heard from my mother that Sunset also studied that subject so I’m surprised that she didn’t try the same thing.’ ‘You know, now that you mentioned it,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘I’m surprised that she didn’t think of doing that when she first came here.’ ‘Well she was a power hungry mare who thought that friendship was a waste of time and she was as stubborn than a thousand mules instead of listening.’ added Invictus, but then smiled as he looked at Twilight ‘But it was thanks to you, you were able to help her see the light and helped her become a better person. A warm spark even. The way I see it, you’re the best Princess there is. Even better than Celestia.’ Twilight was a little surprised, but blushed as she said ‘Oh come on now, I could never be…’ ‘But you are.’ said Invictus ‘It was because of you, the lives of those you touched became better.’ Twilight looked away and twirled her hair a bit. She was grateful for the comment, but felt slightly flustered for some reason. She couldn’t explain it, but she does feel more comfortable around him whenever they talk, walk or travel together. ‘Ah, here it is.’ said Invictus. Twilight watched and was surprised by what she was seeing. She saw that there’s a not too big and not to small diner called “Hope Hollow Diner”, which happens to be in the middle of Hope Hollow Town. But she was also surprised to see that there were many trucks that were parked nearby. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked at the place ‘This place must be really popular.’ ‘In a way,’ said Invictus ‘This is a place where Truckers come for a pit stop.’ ‘Truckers?’ said Twilight as she looked at him. ‘I’ll explain once we get inside.’ said Invictus whilst he was parking. As they walked inside, Twilight saw that there were many people around, especially ones who were dressed in jackets and wearing different kinds of hats. The waitress guided them to an empty booth, allowing them to sit down and look through the menus. ‘Wow, this place sure is different.’ said Twilight as she looked around. ‘Trust me,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘The one in Canterlot City may have been good, but there’s nothing like an old fashion trucker stop dining experience.’ Invictus ordered two Early Bird breakfasts with some coffee and offered to pay the bill, which Twilight really appreciated. ‘So uh, what are Truckers again?’ asked Twilight. ‘Alright, answer me this.’ said Invictus as he tried his best to explain ‘How do ponies deliver their supplies like Flower, Sugar and so on.’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘If it’s from town to town, by cart. But if it’s from a city, they transport them to the Train Station, then let them have the carts pull them all the way.’ ‘Well in this world,’ said Invictus as he explained ‘Truckers are those who drive those big trucks outside. See, from the city, they load up their cargo and deliver them from every town, which happens to be a three to four hour delivery.’ ‘That short?’ asked Twilight ‘Usually it takes a few days for them to come.’ ‘They do,’ said Invictus ‘But they don’t just deliver stuff like canned foods, baking supplies and cleaning products, they even transport stuff like soda pop, ice cream and cold ciders.’ ‘They do?’ asked Twilight as she was surprised ‘How do they transport their stuff without them getting warm or melted?’ ‘Equestria has refrigerators?’ asked Invictus, which Twilight nodded ‘They manage to install special refrigerators inside of the trucks that allow them to keep their supplies cool, therefore they have ample enough time to place them in refrigerators and freezers before the heat kicks in.’ ‘Fascinating.’ said Twilight as she took a few notes before their coffee arrived. Twilight took a sip from her coffee and asked ‘And the Truckers come here for a quick pit stop?’ ‘You know it.’ said Invictus. ‘So what else is special about diners like this?’ asked Twilight. Invictus smiled and said ‘I think we’ll let the diner and its inhabitants explain that.’ As the entire Diner began to get busy, the customers, waitresses and chefs began to sing altogether: (Diner) This is our “No stop, Truck stop” Come on in Take a break from hauling the load Some of the new Truckers walked in and went to the counters for their coffees as the waitresses began to serve them: (Diner) We got coffee that’s hot And ice that’s not It’s a little bit of Home on the road We got lots of gravy to fill up all our pans And restrooms out in Back if you have to wash your hands Then a random customer had an armadillo with him, much to Twilight and Invictus’ confusion, whilst at the same time, the cooks continued to cook new food whilst a little guy had a big burger in front of him, much to the large trucker’s confusion. (Diner) If an armadillo is Your pillow and your Cab is your adobe Then come on in for A little bit of home On the road Most of the customers began to enjoy the homemade stew whilst the customers also enjoyed talking to the workers, as well as them having some pies: (Diner) Enjoy the view whilst you’re Slurping homemade stew. And when you’re finished you can sit and chat (You want pie? Oh yeah) The Jukebox played songs that came from the sixties as folks were enjoying the classic songs, whilst the cooks used fine sauces for their foods, as well as folks using toothpicks in their mouths just for show. (Diner) Our juke plays latest hits From 1966 We may not know where we’re going But we sure know where it’s at They then served chicken fried steaks and devil’s food cake, which Twilight was confused of why it’s called “Devil’s Food”, whilst a couple of more truckers came along to enjoy the foods. (Diner) There’s chicken fried steak And devil’s food cake As we whirl through another zip code They then used both real butter and fake butter for the foods, whilst a strange creature (A Chupacabra) lurked around to get some left over banana cream pie. (Diner) There’s butter that’s real And butter that’s fake It’s a little bit of home on the road A customer sat right down as he was fed a large portion of food that he eagerly began to chow down, whilst a waitress poured some gravy over his biscuits whilst he rubbed his hands together in excitement. (Diner) Just sit right down You look like a hungry gent. Our biscuits and gravy go down like wet cement As one of the waitresses brought a home cooked meal to one of the customers, he was eyeing a three headed toad, much to Twilight and Invictus’ surprise, whilst another waitress poured coffee into the cups of truckers who sat in a row whilst raising their cups in the air, enjoying the hospitality. The cooks used spices, the people enjoyed the burgers, the folks enjoyed some tea, and a lucky man got a large birthday cake because it was his birthday today, which Twilight thought was really impressive. (Diner) So if you’re looking, for home cooking Or you want to see a three-headed toad Just come on in, for a little bit of home on the road Just come on in, for a little bit of home on the road Just come on in, for a little bit of home on the road After that, the two of them got their Early Bird specials, which Twilight smiled at. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus ‘I can see why a lot of truckers like to go to diners like this. This place is amazing.’ ‘Told ya.’ said Invictus as the two began to chow down. Soon after they had breakfast, they continued back on the road, with Twilight having a satisfied look on her face. ‘Boy, you weren't kidding about the Diner’s breakfasts,’ said Twilight as she licked her lips, still imagining the taste of the food ‘They were amazing.’ Invictus looked at Twilight for a split second, but when he saw her lick her lips like that, his face immediately blushed red, causing him to look away and tried his best to make sure that Twilight didn’t notice that. ‘Uh, yeah, uh, of course I uh…glad you enjoyed it.’ said Invictus. Twilight then lightly tapped her lap and looked ahead, saying ‘So when are we arriving at Apple Wood?’ ‘Nearly there.’ said Invictus after he cleared his throat, glad the subject had changed for a bit. After about another fifteen minute drive, they took another turn down the road. Twilight widened her eyes at the sight, for Apple Wood is truly spectacular. The large buildings, the attractions, the huge sign, including some of the largest studios she has ever seen. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked through the window ‘This place is amazing.’ ‘Glad you like it,’ said Invictus ‘They made some of the best movies here, even some shows. Even my favorite show Power Rangers.’ ‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘Oh,’ said Invictus as he explained ‘See, another country, Japan, made a show called Power Rangers, about a group of heroes with amazing powers and defend the innocent from the forces of evil. In time, our country made an adaption of the story, but with different characters.’ ‘Kind of sounds like my friends and I defending Equestria.’ said Twilight. ‘Yep, at first they had original characters, but in time they replaced a lot of them with other “Worthy Successors” or something like that. That show has been going on for about, what, more than twenty years now, I think.’ ‘The show has been going on that long?’ asked Twilight. ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘But each season they make something new. New bad guys, new characters, new heroes, new Rangers. And they come up with new themed type rangers, each with their own songs.’ As they stopped in front of a red light, Invictus took out his phone and quickly looked through it and showed it to her whilst she said ‘Here, this is the theme song of the Power Rangers from the very beginning to the latest one that’s released.’ As Invictus drove, Twilight watched the video. Each one has new characters, different themes and different introductions. She never realized that there were many different kinds of rangers. Each Power Ranger story was different. Mighty Morphing (With three different intros), Alien, Zeo, Turbo, Space, Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, SPD, Mystic Force, Operation Overdrive, Jungle Fury, RPM, Samurai, Mega Force, Dino Charge, Ninja Steel and finally, Beast Morphers. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight as she looked through them ‘This is amazing. I’m sure Fluttershy would love the animal based heroes, even Rainbow would like the RPM series.’ ‘They sure would.’ said Invictus ‘You know, talking about legacies, you and your friends kind of remind me of the Pillars.’ ‘Pillars?’ asked Twilight whilst she looked at Invictus. ‘You know,’ said Invictus as he pointed a few of them out ‘Rockhoof, the Pillar of Strength. Mistmane, the Pillar of Beauty. Flash Magnus, the Pillar of Bravery. Somnambula, the Pillar of Hope. Mage Meadowbrook, the Pillar of Healing. And Starswirl the Bearded, the Pillar of Sorcery.’ ‘Oh, I read about them.’ said Twilight as she nearly jumped off of her seat, but then got curious. ‘How do we remind them of you.’ ‘Think about it,’ said Invictus as he explained ‘Rockhoof represented strength, and Applejack is the strongest among your group, but she’s also super honest. Mistmane represents beauty, and Rarity helps bring the beauty of others on the outside, and chose to be generous to those around her. Flash Magnus represents bravery, and Rainbow tends to act brave but ends up being cocky, though she chose to be loyal and not left others behind. Somnambula represents Hope, which Pinkie sometimes likes to do, but she chose to make others smile and laugh, for when they laugh, they have a reason to hope. Mage Meadowbrook represents Healing, and Fluttershy does the same, but she does it from the kindness of her heart, therefore she heals others by being kind to them. You and Starswirl have in common too, I mean both of you study and do both magic and sorcery. But your skills of magic is far beyond his.’ Twilight pondered about this and said ‘You know, now that you mention it, I kind of see a resemblance.’ ‘Yeah, thankfully you’re not a prick like Starswirl.’ said Invictus. Twilight looked at him shocked, not just because of the language, but of how he insulted Starswirl. ‘What?’ said Twilight ‘How could you say that?’ ‘I know because I met him.’ said Invictus. Twilight was again shocked ‘What…how?’ ‘The Equestria I came from has a different timeline.’ said Invictus ‘After you lot defeated Nightmare Moon, Starswirl and the Pillars somehow were released from their imprisonment too. But ever since you started on your journey, he belittled you over every single one of your accomplishments, he even said that you didn’t deserve to be a Princess and that you’re an expendable deadweight.’ Twilight was horrified by what he said, for the one pony she looked up too since she was little, said all those horrible things about her. ‘What?’ ‘Thankfully, my mother and I stepped in.’ said Invictus ‘Both of us, even Celestia, Luna and the Pillars defended her, er…you. Celestia then had his status as Sorceror removed, stripped him of his power and exiled him from Equestria. The other Pillars accepted that things have changed and that the old ways were no more. Starswirl on the other hand didn’t want to accept it, so they didn’t have any other choice.’ Invictus then blushed as he said ‘I even ranted on about how amazing you were and that if it weren't for you and the others, we wouldn’t be here. And where I also blabbed about how beautiful you are and what an amazing goddess you are.’ Twilight’s face immediately felt flustered as she blushed. She rubbed the bag of her head and said ‘So uh…how did the other me take it?’ ‘Well she ended up being my teacher of magic and gave me a kiss.’ said Invictus ‘Though I was only a young colt back then. And as Spike who has a crush on Rarity, I had a crush on her.’ He then mumbled under his breath ‘Just like I have for you now.’ Twilight however, overheard it, for her ears were quite well attuned. She immediately felt flustered and looked away, whilst she felt embarrassed at the same time. Yet however, during since the beginning of the trip, he was really nice to her. When they sang together at Camp Everfree, where they danced together at Appaloosa, and where she had learned not to worry so much. She couldn’t help but smile whilst she felt touched at the same time. Sure enough, they were able to find a place to park at the motel. As they walked to the attendant of the hotel, Invictus asked ‘Excuse me, is there a room available?’ ‘So sorry sir.’ said the attendant ‘But all the rooms are full. Well, except for the latest suite on the penthouse floor.’ ‘I see.’ said Invictus as he dug into his jacket pocket. However, Twilight noticed that his pockets were glowing. At the same time, he pulled out four large bricks of money out, which surprised her greatly as Invictus placed them on the table. ‘Will this do?’ asked Invictus. The attendant looked and his eyes widened greatly, seeing the amount of money placed on the table, then looked at Invictus. The attendant ended up smiling as he closed his book and stood up with a grin. ‘Very well sir.’ said the attendant as he gave him the suite keycard ‘Welcome to the Apple Wood Hotel. Enjoy your visit here.’ ‘Will do, thank you.’ said Invictus as he accepted the key. As they were in the hotel elevator, Twilight asked ‘How did you do that?’ ‘Magic jacket.’ said Invictus ‘My mom made it. The jacket has its own pocket dimension and can even create money no matter what country you’re in. But she said to only use this in case of an emergency.’ ‘And going to a fancy hotel with the most expensive room is an emergency?’ asked Twilight with a flexed eyebrow and a deadpanned expression. ‘Well I wanted you to have the best time.’ said Invictus. They soon arrived at the top floor. Once they exited the elevator, they saw that there were indeed two apartments, both that were greatly secluded from the rest of the floors. ‘Oh, I wonder who lives in the other one?’ wondered Twilight. ‘Probably a snooty rich man.’ said Invictus ‘One thing I learned; always avoid folks like that.’ ‘And what about Rarity?’ asked Twilight, remembering her friend’s success and the wealth she had built up. ‘She’s a exception.’ said Invictus ‘Well, her and Sunny Flare.’ ‘Sunny Flare?’ asked Twilight. ‘Long before the other you transferred to CHS,’ said Invictus ‘She went to school with Crystal Prep. Their team is known as the Shadowbolts. There were five girls that were with them, who nearly share a resemblance to your friends.’ ‘Really?’ asked Twilight ‘Like who?’ ‘Well, there’s Sour Sweet. She’s a sweet girl but can sometimes be bitter. She’s like Fluttershy, except without the Stare and can be straight forward. Then there’s Sunny Flare, who’s into fashion like Rarity and also comes from a rich family. Then there’s Sugarcoat. She’s very smart, but she’s also straight forward and honest like Applejack. Then there’s Lemon Zest. She’s sort of the wild card of the group and also knows how to party with loud music. And finally, Indigo Zap. She’s Crystal Prep’s star athlete and like Rainbow, she can be both competitive and cocky.’ Twilight noticed that Invictus looked a little distant after mentioning Indigo. ‘In case you wonder,’ said Invictus ‘She was my ex.’ Twilight was surprised to hear that. ‘But, how did…?’ ‘Put it this way,’ said Invictus ‘She can be a little…difficult?’ Twilight flexed her eyebrow, wondering what he meant by it, until he whispered to her, making her widen her eyes and blush. ‘Oh my.’ she replied. ‘Yep.’ said Invictus after he placed his keycard inside, allowing them to enter the room, which unknowingly, the room across them opened. Twilight walked towards the balcony and was surprised to see how high they were. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked at the view ‘The towers of Canterlot has got nothing on this.’ ‘This is one of the highest buildings in Apple Wood.’ said Invictus as he stood near her ‘They always have some spectacular views.’ ‘This looks amazing.’ said Twilight as she looked around. ‘Thought you might like it.’ said Invictus as he stood next to her whilst he said ‘We can tour a few places around if you want.’ When all of a sudden, a voice came from behind. ‘Twilight?’ They turned around, and to Twilight’s surprise, it was none other than the Fashionista herself, Rarity. ‘What are you doing here?’ said Rarity ‘I thought you were with Sunset?’ Twilight couldn’t help but giggle and said ‘Rarity, it’s me.’ Rarity took another look. And she realized, this Twilight doesn’t wear glasses. She widen her eyes in surprise and said with a wide smile ‘Twilight?!!’ Rarity embraced her pony friend, but made sure not to squeeze too tight. ‘Oh my gosh it’s so great to see you again.’ said Rarity in her excitement. ‘It’s so great to see you too.’ said Twilight. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’ asked Rarity. ‘I wanted to surprise all of you at Canterlot High.’ said Twilight ‘But I had no idea I’d that all of you would be on Summer Break.’ ‘Oh we truly wanted to stick around, we do darling.’ said Rarity ‘But unfortunately all of us had plans.’ ‘Speaking of plans,’ said Twilight ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were at a Fashion Seminar at Manehattan.’ ‘Change of plans darling.’ said Rarity ‘The seminar got rescheduled and we came here. To my delight, it would give me the chance to mingle with the stars. I heard that Sapphire Shores, Songbird Serenade and Countess Coloratura are going to do their first trio album, and they asked me to help them make a few designs.’ ‘Oh wow, that’s great.’ said Twilight as she was surprised by her friend’s success ‘Are you still busy designing them?’ ‘Better than that, I finished them.’ said Rarity ‘All I have to do is deliver them.’ Rarity then wondered something ‘But what about you darling, what are you doing here?’ ‘Oh, I wanted to surprise all of you,’ said Twilight ‘But Invictus told me…’ ‘I’m sorry, who now?’ said Rarity as she was surprised to hear the name. Rarity then noticed Invictus lowering his head, somehow afraid to make eye contact. Rarity walked up to him and looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. She was able to manage a small smile and kissed him by the cheek and said ‘Hello Invictus.’ ‘Uh, hey Rarity.’ said Invictus as he was somewhat nervous. ‘You two know each other?’ asked Twilight. ‘I do.’ said Rarity as she turned to face Twilight ‘We became friends since the dreaded Anon-a-miss incident.’ Twilight was surprised by this and asked ‘How?’ ‘Well,’ said Rarity as she didn’t want to remember it ‘When we thought Sunset was the culprit, I walked down the hall, not wanting to face everybody, until I saw Invictus walking out of the music room. He looked as if he saw a ghost and walked away. I wondered what it was all about, until I heard crashing noises.’ Rarity had a bit of a dread look on her face ‘When I looked, I saw Rainbow Dash was furious, angry and tossed a few things around. And before I knew it, she broke down in tears and collapsed onto the ground and began to cry. I went to confront Invictus, to see if he had something to do with it. But when I found the poor dear, he looked just as broken. So broken, even I didn’t recognize him.’ ‘So,’ said Twilight as she pointed out ‘You know…’ ‘That the two of them used to be best friends until the fateful day her ego got out of hand and that blaming Sunset for what she didn’t do was the last straw and they called it quits?’ said Rarity in a full sentence ‘Yes, I do.’ Rarity looked at Invictus with a sad face and said ‘I wanted to be angry at him for what he said to Rainbow, but…I honestly couldn’t blame him. The two of them had been such great friends, and to end it like that was truly heartbreaking.’ ‘Rarity helped me when I needed a friend the most.’ said Invictus ‘I was close with Applejack, really close with Fluttershy, spend some time with Pinkie Pie. The way she reached out to me…was something I’ll never forget.’ ‘Although you didn’t interact with Sunset and our Twilight yet.’ said Rarity. ‘I kinda had a hard time trying to apologize to Sunset after what I nearly did to her,’ said Invictus ‘I don’t blame her for not wanting to come near me.’ ‘And the other Twilight?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well, I uh…’ said Invictus, feeling nervous once more to bring something up. Though Twilight didn’t know what he was thinking, Rarity could tell the way Invictus was blushing and the way he kept avoiding eye contact, she could tell there was something going on, but decided to save it for later. ‘So,’ said Rarity, gaining Twilight’s attention ‘Since you’re here. How has your trip been so far?’ ‘It feels amazing.’ said Twilight as she was close to Rarity ‘This world has so much to offer. I can’t believe I never thought about traveling some parts of this world in the first place.’ ‘Truth be told,’ said Rarity ‘We couldn’t because of our weekend and summer jobs, as well as going to school, we barely had time to explore. Well, except that time at Camp Everfree.’ ‘Oh, we just bumped into Gloriosa on our first visit.’ said Twilight. ‘Oh, really?’ said Rarity as she was surprised ‘And how is our friend doing there?’ ‘She’s doing great.’ said Invictus ‘She gains more people attending the camp, not to mention the help she’s getting too.’ ‘Oh, how wonderful for her.’ said Rarity ‘And how is Timber Spruce doing? Our Twilight tried calling him for some time but she couldn’t reach him.’ Invictus breathed through his teeth and rubbed the back of his head, which Rarity caught on. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘Uh, Gloriosa mentioned…’ said Invictus until Twilight spoke for him. ‘She mentioned about him getting arrested a while back.’ ‘What?’ said Rarity as she was shocked by this news ‘Why? What happened?’ ‘He made a mistake of going into the girls’ locker room at the beach when he wanted to surprise Twilight, but clearly didn’t think that she wasn’t there that day. So he ended up being called a pervert by a handful of women and then got arrested.’ said Invictus. Rarity had a deadpanned look on her face and said with a flexed eyebrow ‘You’re joking.’ ‘Afraid not.’ said Invictus. ‘And from the sound of Gloriosa’s voice, she was a bit upset.’ said Twilight. ‘But still,’ said Rarity as she placed her right hand against the side of her cheek ‘Our poor Twilight would be devastated if she found out.’ ‘We have to tell her sooner or later.’ said Invictus. ‘He’s right.’ said Twilight ‘Keeping the truth only breaks a friend’s trust. Like Fluttershy when Invictus told her about Zephyr Breeze.’ Rarity gasped and said ‘You told Fluttershy?’ ‘She had to know.’ said Invictus ‘I felt horrible for lying to her, but I told her that myself and the others lied to her to protect her. I mean she’s already humiliated plenty of times because of her brother’s attitude and immaturity. I didn’t want her to feel ashamed or treated horribly by others if they found out.’ ‘Oh, I hope you’re right.’ said Rarity ‘The poor dear always had trouble with crowds, she would be broken from the constant feedback from everyone else.’ ‘But seeing that we’re here together.’ said Invictus ‘Mind if we explore the city together.’ ‘Oh, good idea.’ said Twilight. ‘Rarity,’ said Invictus ‘You’ve obviously been here the longest, mind if you show us around?’ ‘Oh, not at all darling.’ said Rarity ‘After this, we will be able to head to the Tasty Treat. They make the most exquisite food, and from what I heard, they’re planning to do a karaoke night there.’ ‘Ooh, karaoke?’ said Invictus ‘Sign me up.’ ‘Should be interesting.’ said Twilight. Sure enough, they shortly left to explore Apple Wood to check out the sights. Thankfully, thanks to Rarity’s connections, they were able to hire a limousine and toured most of the place. They walked down the streets called “Starshine Boulevard”, hot spot to some of the best attractions known to everybody. From diners to restaurants, even a few of the movie places. ‘That place over there?’ said Rarity as she pointed at one of the diners ‘That is where they made their famous movie, Warrior Hunter.’ ‘Ooh, love that movie.’ said Invictus ‘I feel like I could relate to the guy. Well, not the dark and broody kind, but still.’ ‘Ooh,’ said Rarity as she pointed at that building over there, ‘Is where the famous actress Chestnut Magnifico filmed one of Daring Doo’s movies.’ ‘She also happens to be a big supporter to help build homes for animals in need.’ said Invictus ‘She and Fluttershy met once during one of their auctions. Those two have a lot in common.’ ‘When she uh…’ said Rarity. ‘Doesn’t blow up like a volcano when she’s in a bad mood?’ said Invictus. ‘Yes, that.’ said Rarity. ‘Is she really like that?’ asked Twilight. ‘Oh, you have no idea.’ said Rarity and Invictus. ‘You know how most tend to let get fame to their heads?’ asked Invictus. ‘You have no idea.’ muttered Twilight when she thought about the times how fame would get to Rainbow Dash and Rarity’s heads. ‘Well because of their fame, they tend to get violent, they tend to take dangerous drugs, and their careers tend to get out of control.’ said Invictus. ‘Oh, I know.’ said Rarity ‘Remember what happened to Lint Low tune? Or Melody Montana? Or Melodious Spear?’ ‘Ugh, don’t remind me.’ said Invictus as he leaned against his chair and said ‘I can’t believe I used to have a childhood crush on her.’ Rarity nearly snickered and said ‘You…had a crush on her?’ Invictus looked at her with a flexed eyebrow and said ‘This, coming from the girl who used to have a crush on Just Bebop?’ Rarity blushed at that with widened eyes, with her clearing her throat and said ‘Touché.’ They drove to a different part, with Rarity squealing, signaling the driver to stop. As they climbed out, Rarity showed Twilight and Invictus handprints, with names written underneath. ‘Uh, why would people cement their hands?’ asked Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Oh, darling.’ said Rarity as she giggled whilst gently patting her princess friend’s back ‘These aren’t just any handprints and names.’ ‘She’s right,’ said Invictus ‘You are standing before the Pickford and Fairbanks Theatre. The first actors who became successful in their careers a hundred years ago, placed their hands in the cement and wrote their names down. Signifying that once they’re gone, their legacies are never forgotten.’ ‘Indeed.’ said Rarity as she dreamingly looked at them ‘And ever since then, many famous actors and actresses placed their hands on these very grounds.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she crouched to take a better look at them ‘Leaving behind a legacy.’ ‘Yeah, I once had a dream of being an actor,’ said Invictus ‘But that was a childhood dream.’ Twilight stood up, looked at him and asked ‘What are your dreams now?’ ‘Still thinking about it.’ said Invictus. ‘Don’t take too long darling.’ said Rarity ‘Opportunities like this only come once a lifetime.’ ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ said Invictus. They soon climbed back inside the limo and continued with their tour. Twilight was also amazed of certain attractions all around her. She loved every single moment of this. Later tonight, it was now time for them to go to the Tasty Treat, for they really want to try their local cuisines, including trying out their karaoke, for it sounded really interesting. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘This kind of reminds me of the Tasty Treat back in Canterlot.’ ‘Pardon?’ said Rarity as she and Invictus wondered what she was talking about. ‘Oh, right.’ said Twilight, for she realized that they weren't there. ‘See, a while ago after Starlight Glimmer had reformed, both my friends, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were summoned to Canterlot to solve a problem. Along the way they found the Tasty Treat. But Coriander, the owner, wanted to give up and throw the towel because he was afraid that they wouldn’t approve of the food, but his daughter Saffron Masala refused to give up.’ ‘Why wouldn’t they like their food?’ asked Rarity. ‘Ever heard of Zesty Gourmand?’ asked Twilight. Invictus groaned as he said ‘Her I know. I hate that whore.’ ‘Invictus.’ said Rarity as she was appalled by his language. ‘Sorry, I just can’t stand her.’ said Invictus ‘She thinks she’s such a big deal, but she prefers flavorless food rather than what others actually make. Because of her, she shut down five of my favorite eating places. Even my mother was distraught, because one of those places happened to be the very place my dad proposed to her and where they would go on their anniversaries for five years.’ ‘Goodness.’ said Rarity with widened eyes, even Twilight ‘I didn’t know that.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he chuckled ‘But thankfully, one of the country’s biggest chefs called her out and with the votes of her bosses, Zesty lost her job because she wasn’t doing it right, for because of the way they wanted to serve her food, they ran out of business because no one likes them.’ ‘Like who?’ asked Twilight. ‘Think about it,’ said Invictus with a smirk ‘Which chef do you know makes the tastiest food, but has the biggest potty mouth and yells at them for not making the food right on some of their shows.’ Rarity gasped as she said ‘Gordon Ramsey?!!’ ‘The very one.’ said Invictus ‘My dad asked for his help.’ ‘Wait,’ said Rarity ‘How does your father know him?’ ‘They went to college together.’ said Invictus. ‘Really?’ said Twilight. ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘He would like to make food as if he was making a science experiment. Back then Gordon was still studying to become a chef. He tasted the food and helped him with some tips.’ ‘Didn’t he swear at your father?’ asked Rarity. ‘Well,’ said Invictus ‘Dad did mention that Gordon shoved his face into his bowl of tomato sauce when he got the recipe for it wrong.’ The two girls snickered, for it sounded very funny. ‘Right?’ said Invictus as he agreed ‘Dad hadn’t laughed so hard in his life. He knew that Ramsey didn’t mean it, for he has a habit to bring out a few laughs.’ Sure enough, their food arrived as the waitress placed their food on the table. ‘I think we’re getting a bit off tracked here,’ said Invictus ‘You were saying about the Tasty Treat?’ ‘Oh yeah,’ said Twilight ‘When my Pinkie and Rarity couldn’t get a good rating from her, they decided to take matters in their own hooves. Plus Saffron Masala convinced her father to give it another try, for all she wanted was to cook with her father and have others taste their food. So they gave it another go. Sure enough, they were able to attract more customers and everypony loved their cooking. Zesty Gourmand on the other hand wasn’t impressed and wanted it to shut it down, but Rarity said that just because she enjoys her food in a different way, doesn’t mean others have to follow her advice.’ ‘I don’t know where her taste buds have went.’ said Invictus ‘It must’ve taken a leave of absence after she wanted to change her diet or something.’ The girls nearly wanted to laugh out loud, for it was really funny. ‘And sure enough,’ said Twilight ‘They were able to convince the other owners of their respective restaurants to go back to their cooking. They tried to convince Gourmand to give their food a chance, but she refused. Because of that, she soon lost her job because they never realized that she was doing a terrible job.’ ‘Good riddance.’ said Invictus. ‘Indeed.’ said Rarity ‘You know darling, the more I hear stories about your world, the more I realize we have more in common than we realize.’ ‘You should visit sometime.’ said Twilight ‘I’m sure I can convince Princess Celestia that all of you should be given a tour Equestria.’ ‘If ponies don’t get confused between your friends and Sunset’s.’ said Invictus. ‘Oh, right.’ said Twilight. ‘Oh look,’ said Rarity as she pointed at the karaoke machine ‘They’re just about done.’ They saw that the people were leaving the karaoke machine, whilst they waited for someone else to sing. ‘Oh, darling.’ said Rarity as she held onto Invictus’ arm ‘Would you like to join me?’ ‘What?’ said Invictus as he was surprised by her request. ‘I heard you sing once,’ said Rarity ‘You really have a beautiful voice. It would be such a waste to not let it out.’ Invictus thought about it, nodded and looked at Twilight and asked ‘You don’t mind, do you?’ ‘Oh, not at all.’ said Twilight ‘I’m actually really curious of how your voice sounds.’ Invictus stood up and walked with Rarity towards the karaoke machine. They both held onto their microphones, whilst also looking through the song list. ‘Which do you think we should try?’ asked Rarity. Invictus looked through the list, but there was one specific song that was his all time favorite. He picked the song called “Strangers” by “Scratch21” , making Rarity’s eyes go wide when she saw it. She smirked as she looked at him and said ‘Oh, good choice.’ Invictus gestured to her to press the button, which she felt flattered, allowing her to press play. The song began to play, with Invictus closing his eyes, for he really wanted to be in the spirit of the song. Invictus had his eyes closed as he focused on the song, with Twilight curious of how he sounded. The moment when the song played, Invictus sang. Save me I’m drowning so deep in the darkness I’m waiting for your touch to stop this There’s smoke blinding us with goodbyes, and I Twilight was amazed by how the song sounded, but not as surprised as the sound of Invictus’ voice when she heard him sing. Keep hope Cause this feeling’s different and I know I’ve staggered so long that it can’t go Alleviate me I’ll be fine. In time. Everyone soon watched him sing as if they were hearing him sing his heart out. Please remember, that I miss you Young and Reckless. What did we do? Broken Promise gone forever Maybe one day, we’ll get better Right by your side, that’s where I’ll be In a heartbeat if you ask me Let’s stay strangers like we’re meant to Oh, I wonder, if you miss me too Most folks began to cheer when they heard how his voice sounded. Sure enough, Rarity began to sing. Find me I’m waiting right here where you left me Still shredded and bruised, but I’m breathing Be brave for me, ignore their eyes Just try Twilight had wondered if her Rarity and this one had the same singing voice, but now she can confirm that they both sounded the same. We’re like dancers And I’ve picked petals looking for answers And I’ve receded these edges from chances Indelible,. but I’ll be fine In time Please remember, that I miss you Not caring is so hard to do Everything we loved together It’s not the same without you there Feels like you were just beside me How did time go by so quickly Now we’re strangers, but I miss you Oh I wonder if you miss me too Both Invictus and Rarity began to harmonize together. Whoa, whoa Whoa, whoa Pretty soon, the two of them sang in a different tone and they were perfect. Please remember, don’t forget me (I still think of you and I) I’ll be leaving this heart empty (Tell me what does this all mean?) Burn our bridges, are you still there? (Are you even still there?) All these endless circles do nothing (These circles do nothing) And I don’t know why I can’t just let you go (And remember I’ve been waiting) Ever since this started aching (Can we go back again? Can we start again?) Now we’re strangers but I need you (Cause I need you) Oh Iwonder if you need me too Everyone began to cheer as they clapped their hands, even Twilight found it really entertaining. Rarity hugged Invictus and kissed him on the lips, for it was the most fun she ever had, even Invictus had fun. Rarity stepped off the stage and back to Twilight, with Twilight saying ‘Rarity, that was amazing.’ ‘Oh, it was nothing darling.’ said Rarity. ‘However…’ She playfully pointed at the stage, with Twilight looking and noticed that Invictus was still standing there, whilst he was sheepishly smiling. ‘I believe a certain someone is waiting for you up there.’ ‘Me?’ said Twilight, clearly surprised. ‘Well of course,’ said Rarity ‘Why else would we come here? I know you have the same voice as our Twilight, but it would be nice to hear it from someone with a different point of view.’ ‘Well…okay.’ said Twilight whilst she still felt really nervous. Sure enough, Twilight walked up on stage and stood next to Invictus. He handed her a microphone, which she accepted. Invictus looked through a specific song. After much searching, he found a specific song. A classic from Aladdin. The music began to play and the words appeared on the screen. Twilight paid attention to what he was doing as Invictus began. I can show you the world Shining, shimmering, spending Tell me, Princess, now when did You last let your heart decide? Invictus had secretly made a flower appear from his hand and gave it to Twilight, much to her surprise as she accepted it with a blush. It was as if Invictus was singing directly to her. I can open your eyes Take you wonder by wonder Over, sideways and under On a magic carpet ride Invictus ended up holding her hand, which she suddenly blushed even more, whilst singing to her. A whole new world A new fantastic point of view No one to tell us, “No” Or where to go Or say we’re only dreaming Sure enough, Twilight began to sing too, for she felt she was mesmerized by the song itself, for she followed the song and sang with a smile as she looked at him. A whole new world A dazzling place I never knew But when I’m way up here It’s crystal clear That now I’m in a whole new world with you (Now I’m in a whole new world with you) She ended up holding his hand, as if instincts were guiding her. Unbelievable sights Indescribable feeling Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling Through an endless diamond sky The two ended up harmonizing with one another. A whole new world(Don’t you dare close your eyes) A hundred thousand things to see (hold your breath, it gets better) I’m like a shooting star, I’ve come so far I can’t go back to where I used to be A whole new world Every turn a surprise With new horizons to pursue I’ll chase them anywhere There’s time to spare Let me share this whole new world with you Rarity couldn’t help but coo when she saw the two of them going face to face, with Twilight blushing, as did Invictus, for it was as if he was swept up in the moment. A whole new world(a whole new world) That’s where we’ll be(That’s where we’ll be) A thrilling change(A wondrous place) The two of them leaned their foreheads close to one another as their eyes were closed. For you and me Everyone clapped their hands, for the song was quite spectacular. The rest of the night went on without a hitch, and the food tasted great. After they got back to the hotel on their suite, Invictus began to tuck Twilight in for the night. Twilight looked at him with a smile on her face. ‘Thanks for the great day Invictus.’ said Twilight ‘I never thought it would be so much fun.’ ‘Eh, what can I say,’ said Invictus ‘I just wanted you to have a great time. Plus we’ve seen your friends so far. Who knows, maybe we’ll bump into more of them.’ ‘I can’t wait,’ said Twilight before she yawned, for she was really tired. ‘Good night Invictus.’ ‘No problem.’ said Invictus. Twilight held onto his hand, gaining his attention as she said ‘One more thing.’ She signaled Invictus to come forward, which he did. Twilight then did the unexpected; she kissed Invictus at the cheek, taking him by surprise with wide eyes as he sat up and held the side of his cheek. He looked at Twilight, with her still blushing as she said ‘Thank you.’ She then went to sleep and snoozed soundly. Invictus couldn’t help but smile and said ‘You’re welcome Princess.’ Invictus stood up and wanted to turn in for the night, until he got a text. He looked at it and saw that it was from Rarity. “Darling,” said the message “Could you be so kind enough to come to my suite, there is something we need to discuss.” Invictus then thought to himself ‘I wonder what Rarity could want?’ He then remembered something with wide eyes. Applejack and Fluttershy both acted strange, their geodes glowed and they were lustful. ‘Oh boy,’ he thought to himself again ‘If AJ and Flutters acted like this…I really don’t wanna know how Rare’s is going to be.’ Though then again, he did remember seeing a box of birth controls behind those two. He silently exited the room and closed it behind him. Thankfully the rooms were sound proof, otherwise Twilight would be awake, and he didn’t want her to see anything that she probably wouldn’t be ready. He stood in front of her suite and knocked on her door. ‘Come in.’ said Rarity in her lustful voice. ‘Here goes.’ said Invictus to himself. As Invictus walked in, he wondered what Rarity could be planning. Knowing her, she’s not the type to do something, as she would put it, uncouth. In order to make sure that no one would suddenly barge in, he closed the door behind him and locked it. ‘First rule when it comes to either going to the bathroom or wanting some alone time,’ said Invictus to himself ‘Always remember to lock the door.’ He suddenly heard a gentle clearing of a girl’s throat. He turned around, but noticed it was slightly dark. But the moment the light was turned on, Invictus’ eyes immediately widened as he leaned back against the wall. For the girl who cleared her throat was none other than Rarity. But this time, she did something very unexpected. She was lying on her side like what a maharaja would do, whilst she was wearing lingerie that was snug on her hips, her breasts and her posterior, if he were able to see it from that position. But she was also wearing a type of fur coat in the most alluring way possible as her left hand was on her hip. The bedroom eyes and alluring smile would drive anyone crazy at this point. But he noticed that her geode was glowing brightly without her realizing it. But on the bedside was some birth control pills, making him realize of what she was planning. ‘Well?’ said Rarity as she giggled seductively ‘I hope I didn’t keep you waiting?’ ‘Holy all things sacred.’ said Invictus within his thoughts ‘I know she’s beautiful and all, but damn. If she was a goddess, she’d definitely be Aphrodite.’ But near the table of her bed, Invictus saw a box of birth control pills that had recently been opened, indicating that she probably took hers before he walked in. Which was a relief, for he didn’t want to risk getting her pregnant. He wasn’t ready to be a father and he knew that. He suddenly saw Rarity stood up and walked over to him whilst slowly swaying her hips with her own alluring smile and bedroom eyes. Slowly with every step, Rarity approached the blushing Invictus. He felt like he couldn’t move, for every bit of his muscle felt as stiff as a board The moment when Rarity was close enough, she slowly placed both of her hands onto his chest and slowly moved them until she held onto his shoulders. ‘Something catching your eye, Invictus?’ asked Rarity in a seductive manner. ‘Uh, isn’t this getting a little close and personal Rarity?’ asked Invictus. She ended up looking at him with a flex eyebrow, but kept her smile and asked ‘Is it all bad?’ She slowly lifted her right leg and wrapped it around him, pulling him closer. He felt aroused, but was able to keep his composure as he replied ‘No, it’s not all bad.’ She giggled a bit before biting her lip slightly and looked at him with those bedroom bedazzling eyes ‘Come to me my beloved star. Let us shine together.’ ‘Wait,’ said Invictus as he realized what she just said ‘Did you borrow that from a romance no…’ But before he could finish, Rarity cut him off the moment she placed her lips against his, much to his surprise. But within mere moments, he felt like he melted in her embrace, allowing him to slowly embrace her whilst her coat was still in place. Rarity placed her right hand behind Invictus’ head in order for him to be close enough so that she could kiss him. Invictus’ hands slowly held onto her posterior despite her wearing her robes, making her moan through the kiss. She broke the kiss, held her alluring smile and said ‘Oh, you naughty devil.’, whilst she still kept that half lidded eyes. Rarity used her geode to suddenly cut Invictus’ shirt in half and tossed it away. But he was so distracted, he barely even noticed. Neither did Rarity as Invictus had just removed the coat from her body as it slowly dropped onto the floor. Rarity wrapped both her arms around his back and pulled him closer, wanting Invictus’ lips to herself. Invictus dug his hands into her panties, gripped her posterior and lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling his body closer to hers as she was trying to anchor him closer. ‘Wait,’ said Invictus as he thought to himself ‘Haven’t I seen this in a movie before?’ During the make out session, Rarity somehow unbuckled his pants, causing it to fall down, leaving him in his underwear in front of the most generous girl he had ever met. But after ten more minutes of kissing, the two of them were finally stripped naked and fell onto the bed, with Rarity being on top. Invictus looked at Rarity’s face and was mesmerized by her beauty, which he whispered to her ‘Such beauty.’ Rarity couldn’t help but blush and giggle at the same time ‘And for a boy so naughty, you are quite the gentleman.’ Rarity ended up holding Invictus’ member and placed it inside her delicate flower, making her moan softly. As she was in position, Invictus reached his hands out and gently placed them around her back whilst he sat up. He gently stroked her back to calm her, as well as wiping part of her from her face, allowing the two of them to look at one another. ‘Don’t worry, Rarity.’ said Invictus as he began to reassure her ‘I’ll be as gentle as I can be.’ ‘Oh, take your time you stud of a man,’ said Rarity as she kissed his neck, giving him the shivers, whilst he did the same for her, making her get the shivers to as she said ‘We have the night to ourselves.’ Rarity ended up moving her hips up and down, but not before she shoved Invictus back onto the bed, allowing her to continue with her thrusting. As she continued to move up and down, so did her breasts. Out of instinct, he ended up grabbing the both of them and grasped them gently, making her moan out loud. ‘Oh my,’ said Rarity through her moaning as she raised her head ‘Such a naughty boy, aren’t you?’ But as she thrusted, he instantly sat back up and held her close whilst his hands were placed on her butt, making her moan loudly, enjoying the grip his hands were providing. ‘Oh, oh my.’ said Rarity as her face was reddened. However, as she opened her eyes, she found out she was eye to eye with Invictus, which took her by surprise. Invictus had gently placed his lips against Rarity’s, making her moan through their kiss, whilst grasping onto his back whilst Invictus’ hands were still on her butt. But as they continued to thrust one another, Rarity’s geode began to glow brighter and brighter, whilst Invictus’ body began to react the same way as well. They continued to make love with one another in the room. However, the moment they reached their climax, the entire room was filled with a bright light that had engulfed the both of them in the room. The next day, as the sun slowly began to rise, Twilight was still fast asleep in her room. Thankfully, the room doors were closed and so were the curtains, so she wouldn’t wake up and Invictus had to make sure her alarm didn’t ring, for he didn’t want her to get too suspicious. But in Rarity’s room on the other hand, both hers and Invictus’ clothes were scattered all over the room, whilst on the bed, the two of them were fast asleep under the covers. Invictus was on his back as his right arm was resting behind his head, whilst his left arm held a sleeping Rarity close to him, whilst a wide smile was on her face as she was clinging onto Invictus. But sure enough, the two of them began to wake up slowly. They soon began to sit up as Invictus rubbed the back of his head, with Rarity trying to wipe her messy hair from her eyes. The two of them slowly looked at one another whilst Rarity held the blanket to cover her chest. The two just smiled as a light blush was on their faces. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he still had the blush on his face ‘That just happened.’ ‘Indeed.’ said Rarity as she did a cute sigh whilst she used the blanket to cover herself. Invictus couldn’t help but slowly stroke her back whilst he said ‘I have to say, for a girl who doesn’t like things uncouth, you sure do know how to have a great time.’ Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and kissed him on the cheek before she slowly rested her head against his shoulder ‘I must confess, you have class too. Twilight is going to be so happy once the two of you have become an item.’ ‘If I’m that lucky.’ said Invictus. ‘Oh, darling, don’t say such nonsense.’ said Rarity as she placed her hand on his shoulder ‘You deserve to be happy, and from what I can tell, Twilight could use a special someone in her life.’ ‘I will.’ said Invictus, before he looked down, then straight ahead whilst he said ‘After I fix what I did.’ Rarity felt sorry for Invictus, for given what he’s been through, she couldn’t blame him. She gently placed her hand on Invictus’ face, allowing him to look at her. ‘Darling, I’m sure Rainbow would forgive you if you just give her a chance.’ said Rarity, until she realized something as she muttered ‘Then again, this is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about.’ Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle at that last statement, for in a way Rarity did have a point. ‘But you still need to talk to Pinkie.’ said Rarity as she reminded him of a certain party girl that he liked since they were little ‘You could use some fun and she would be more than happy to help you.’ ‘I hope so,’ said Invictus before he shuddered, then said ‘She was mad at me when I broke a Pinkie Promise once. Do not, need to go through that again.’ He then looked at Rarity and said ‘Both Sunset and Sci-Twi are on my list too.’ ‘Really?’ said Rarity. ‘I uh,’ said Invictus before he sighed whilst rubbing the back of his head and said ‘Scared the daylights out of Sunset when I revealed who I was during her bullying days. And Sci-Twi…let’s just say that her becoming Midnight Sparkle still a hard thing to swallow.’ Rarity sighed at that and rubbed his back whilst saying ‘We were able to help her get past that problem, same with Sunset. I’m sure you will do just great.’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile at her, kissed on her cheek that made her smile and blush whilst he said ‘Thanks Rarity.’ The two of them hugged, showing their peace. Until Invictus looked at the time and said ‘Oh, shoot. I’d better get things ready before Twilight suspects anything.’ ‘Agreed darling.’ said Rarity, allowing the two of them to quickly stand up and get things ready for their day. An hour later, they were ready to hit the road, with Rarity kissing Invictus by the cheek and said ‘Hope to see you again soon darling.’ said Rarity. ‘Same here.’ said Invictus. ‘Any idea where we need to go next?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well,’ said Rarity as she thought about it ‘You two could always go to Las Pegasus. Pinkie Pie is traveling there for the party palooza that she had been invited to with a few other guests.’ ‘Alright then, we’ll start there.’ said Invictus as he started up the vehicle. ‘And darling.’ said Rarity as she spoke to Princess Twilight ‘Take good care of him. He really is of the good sort.’ Twilight was confused by what she meant, but decided to let it slide. ‘I hope to see you again before you come back to school.’ ‘Of course darling, will do.’ said Rarity as she waved at them. Sure enough, once they were done, they waved goodbye to Rarity, allowing her to wave back. Sure enough the both of them were on the road, and so far things were going well. They already bet Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, now all they need to do is to meet up with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer and Sci-Twi. For his sake, let’s hope they would forgive him. > Chapter 7: Las Pegasus (Re-edited at 16/10/2021) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After they left Apple Wood, Invictus and Twilight continued down the road that lead straight to Las Pegasus. ‘You know,’ said Twilight ‘I’ve never been to Las Pegasus before in Equestria.’ ‘You haven’t?’ said Invictus as he was surprised. ‘No, but my friends Applejack and Fluttershy have.’ said Twilight ‘They sent tons of pictures of the place. It’s really breathtaking.’ ‘You should visit more often.’ said Invictus ‘They have some great entertainment there, even the food.’ He looked at her and asked ‘Did Applejack tell you that Granny Smith and her relatives are part of the Golden Horseshoe Gals?’ ‘The what?’ said Twilight in confusion. ‘See, in my mom’s old home,’ said Invictus ‘Granny Smith and the others joined a special club that allows them certain access throughout Las Pegasus. Special privileges and all. They’ve been members since in their thirties. Their signature clothing happens to be a shirt with a golden horseshoe on it, along with a green type of hat that looks like Applejack’s Grand Aunt Apple Sauce’s hat.’ Twilight then remembered a while back of how her Applejack accompanied Granny and the others to Las Pegasus, and she remembered that they were wearing those kinds of outfits. ‘So that’s what those outfits were for.’ said Twilight. ‘Oh, so our world is similar after all.’ said Invictus. As they drove over the hill, he smiled and said ‘And there it is.’ Twilight was surprised to see Las Pegasus. The place was twice as big as Canterlot. She had never seen so many buildings that were taller than her own tower. She saw that there were so many conventions, casinos, entertainment spots, even the hotels were twice as big. ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ said Twilight ‘The entertainment, the casinos, the competitions, even the restaurants.’ ‘Trust me, as far as entertainment and fun goes, this place is the top ten.’ said Invictus with a smile, then frowned as he said ‘Or was until ten years ago.’ Twilight looked at him confused ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Remember the Rainbooms during Freshman year?’ said Invictus. ‘The picture that was taken five years ago?’ said Twilight. ‘Whilst the picture of them was taken that day,’ said Invictus as he suddenly made a newspaper in his hand appear ‘This happened.’ Twilight took the newspaper and looked at the headlines. The headlines said “Chaos in Las Pegasus. Terrorists claimed thousands”. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at the papers. ‘What happened?’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus. ‘Back then, the World Leaders visited this place for their secret meeting, until the Terrorists attacked this place for two reasons. To take out the leaders, and the money.’ ‘Money?’ asked Twilight. ‘Think about it,’ said Invictus ‘Las Pegasus happens to be one of the world’s most entertaining center in the country. Thousands of tourists come from all over the world for the entertainment, for the tours, for the foods. And the gambling. Lots and lots of gambling. People make their money here by the billions.’ ‘And did they stop?’ asked Twilight. ‘They did.’ said Invictus ‘A worldwide counter terrorism unit came together and put a stop to it. There were many casualties, but the leaders were safe and the military had to remain behind until the city was done with cleanup. It’s safe now, but sometimes you got to check your pockets every now and then.’ He whispered to her and said ‘You wouldn’t believe how many pickpockets tend to roam in a big place like this.’ ‘I’ll…take your word for it.’ said Twilight. As they entered the city, Twilight looked around and was amazed by the sights and size of the city. So many entertainment places to go to, she just didn’t know where to go. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight as she looked around then peeked out of the window whilst partially standing as she said ‘The Las Pegasus back in Equestria’s got nothing on this place.’ Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw Twilight looking out of the window like that. But as a gentle wind blew a bit, it ended up going through their vehicle. But as the wind blew, part of it blew Twilight’s skirt. The moment the skirt lifted, Invictus could see her underwear showing, as well as her posterior. He widened his eyes and blushed madly when he saw her posterior without her even noticing. But he was so distracted, he nearly drove off of the side of the road, causing a nearby car to honk. He quickly turned back, making Twilight sit back down with wide eyes and said ‘What happened?’ ‘I uh…I thought I saw a stray cat.’ said Invictus quickly as he tried to cover his tracks ‘Must’ve been my imagination.’ ‘Well be careful.’ said Twilight in concern ‘I wish to explore more and I don’t want us to be in an accident. Please?’ Invictus sighed, for he felt bad for what he nearly did, which he said ‘I promise.’ Invictus suddenly, out of instinct, kissed her by the cheek, taking them both by surprise, making him quickly focus on the road with wide eyes. Twilight blushed too as she partially looked away, feeling embarrassed. But then she suddenly smiled, for it was really nice. Sure enough, they parked at the hotel close by, known as the “Royal Legion” hotel. After arranging their room, and gained another successful VIP room, they placed their things near their beds, with Twilight overseeing the view once more. ‘This world has so much to offer.’ said Twilight as she marveled at the world she sees around her. ‘Glad you enjoy it.’ said Invictus as he leaned against the rail ‘We got a whole place to explore for the weekend.’ ‘Rarity mentioned Pinkie Pie would be here.’ said Twilight ‘But where would we start?’ ‘We could always go to the “Rockhoof Madness” restaurant.’ said Invictus, whilst showing Twilight ‘According to the sites, Pinkie happened to post this and said that this was where the next party would be, and said that she volunteered with the Party Palooza group.’ ‘Oh, should we go there?’ asked Twilight. ‘We sure can,’ said Invictus ‘Some folks are allowed to explore to see it for themselves, even volunteer.’ As they left their rooms after they were properly dressed for the occasion, and climbed into the elevator, Twilight wondered something and asked ‘Um, what is this site you talked about?’ Invictus felt like he didn’t want to explain it full version, so he decided to do it through a quick version. ‘Looks like you still need to be updated. That is…if you don’t uh…’ Twilight wondered what he meant, then said ‘Oh, if you have a way to keep me informed, I don’t mind.’ Invictus positioned himself in front of her, took a deep breath, and kissed Twilight again, taking her by surprise with wide eyes. However, she suddenly closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling, causing her to slowly wrap her arms around his neck whilst her right leg lifted and planted her foot against the elevator. But as it went down, another person entered the elevator and went down to the lobby. He then noticed Invictus and Twilight kissing one another, causing him to roll his eyes and said ‘Kids these days.’ As the elevator reached the lobby, the man walked out, whilst Invictus and Twilight slowly broke the kiss, causing her to smile and looked at him with half lidded eyes. ‘I uh…’ said Invictus as he looked at her with the same expressions ‘Hope you didn’t mind the uh…’ ‘Oh no,’ said Twilight, still keeping the expression ‘I uh…I don’t mind.’ The two of them slowly stood, whilst holding one another’s hands as he said ‘So uh…should we continue from where we left off?’ ‘Of course.’ said Twilight. The two of them walked together, whilst they were holding one another’s hands. They continued to walk through the streets of Las Pegasus, with Twilight looking around whilst Invictus was helping her by taking pictures so that she could still compare notes. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘I recognize some of the buildings that resemble to Las Pegasus from Equestria, but every other building is new to me.’ ‘There are always some similarities,’ said Invictus ‘But there are some differences too.’ ‘How so?’ asked Twilight. ‘The Las Pegasus in Equestria, has one coffee shop.’ said Invictus before he looked back at her and said ‘This one however has four coffee shops on the same street.’ Twilight flexed her eyebrow as she said ‘Seriously? Why would anyone make that many coffee shops. For one thing, it’s bad for businesses, and two, too much coffee is bad for your health.’ ‘Got that right,’ said Invictus ‘It nearly killed me.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus. ‘Long story short,’ said Invictus ‘I drank too much coffee in the first few months, next thing I knew I felt sick, then my doctor said I nearly destroyed my liver. That’s why I’m reduced to drink one cup instead of two.’ Twilight was surprised to hear that. She then heard Invictus’ phone chime, then said ‘Oh, did somebody post something else?’ Invictus smiled, for thanks to the spell, Twilight caught on pretty quick. He opened his phone and looked through the blog and saw that the party has been updated. ‘Oh look,’ said Invictus as he looked at it ‘A handful of guests can go through to take a tour and…’ He took a closer look to the message, began to smile, and said ‘And would you look at that, a certain party girl wants to give the first fifty party goers the tour of the place before it’s opened to the public.’ ‘Oh, how many have already been there?’ asked Twilight as she was interested. ‘About forty eight so far.’ said Invictus, before he typed his phone, then got chimed, and said ‘And now with the two of us makes fifty.’ ‘Wait, really?’ asked Twilight. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘Turns out that you can send a request to take a tour. But it’s only limited for fifty people who want to take a tour of the place.’ ‘So that it isn’t spoiled for those who didn’t get invited?’ asked Twilight. ‘Not exactly.’ said Invictus ‘The fifty people go out and tell it to people all over the place, even most of the tourists, which would drive them to come here.’ ‘Really?’ said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Temptation can be a powerful thing Twilight.’ said Invictus ‘Like Pinkie Pie who’s always tempted to eat every cake she sees before her. And here I thought Celestia had a cake addiction.’ Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at that, for he did have a point. ‘Oh look, there’s the building.’ said Invictus as he pointed at the building. As they entered the building, Twilight was amazed by how big the place is, even the amount of decorations and tables that were being placed, as well as food arrangements. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘Pinkie Pie and DJ-Pon3 would have a field day if they were to see all of this.’ ‘They sure would.’ said Invictus ‘Though speaking of which, where is Pinkie.’ When all of a sudden ‘You called?’ Both Invictus and Twilight yelped of fright as they turned around and see none other than Pinkie Pie. Pinkie took a good look at Twilight, had a wide smiled and shouted ‘Princess Twilight!!’ Pinkie gave the Princess quite a bear hug. Twilight felt she couldn’t breathe as she said ‘Good to…see you too…Pinkie Pie.’ After releasing the hug, Invictus was a bit nervous, for he didn’t know if Pinkie was mad at him or something, considering what happened between him and Dashie. Pinkie took a good look at him and said ‘Hey!!’ She gave him a hug, but it wasn’t much of a bear hug, but a gentle one, whilst still keeping her smile. ‘Pinkie, I…’ started Invictus. ‘Oh, no need to talk about it silly.’ said Pinkie. ‘Really?’ asked Invictus. ‘Sure,’ said Pinkie whilst she pulled out her phone and said ‘Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity texted and called me whilst telling me what I needed to know.’ ‘Oh, right.’ said Invictus, remembering that the Rainbooms really like to talk. ‘So, did…’ ‘Nope, Dashie doesn’t know yet.’ said Pinkie ‘We all Pinkie promised not to say anything until the biggest get together party ever imaginable.’ He felt nervous for some reason. Would it even work? He knows how stubborn Dashie can get when it comes to apologies or admitting mistakes. ‘Hey, no worries silly Billy,’ said Pinkie as she jumped from behind and gave him a huge bear hug and said ‘If there’s one thing that can help turn a frown upside down, it’s a I’m-sorry-that-we-fought-and-I-want-to-be-friends-with-you-again party!!’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile, for Pinkie has a habit of making others smile. He was glad that Pinkie still threw him a ton of parties, despite what happened between him and Rainbow Dash. After Pinkie broke the hug, she looked at the two of her friends and said ‘So, what brings all of you here to Las Pegasus?’ ‘Well…’ said Twilight before Pinkie cut her off. ‘Oh, you wanted to surprise us by visiting today, so you came to our world, only for you to realize to late that we went away for the summer, so Invictus offered to show you around beyond Canterlot City to compare notes and to have a good time. And along the way, you were able to run into Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, spend some time with them, with Invictus fixing his friendship with Fluttershy, so now all they need to do is to fix his with Rainbow Dash, as well as apologize to Sunset for scaring her and to try and be friends with Sci-Twi.’ said Pinkie in one breath, before she showed her toothy smile and a squee. Twilight looked at her with her mouth agape, with Invictus chuckling and nodded his head, for Pinkie has a habit of surprising everyone. Even if they are “hunches”. ‘Uh, yeah.’ said Twilight ‘But I never thought that you’d be here.’ ‘Are you kidding,’ said Pinkie as she jumped up and down for a bit as she got super excited ‘Las Pegasus happens to be one of the biggest and most fantastic party place on the planet. Of course my party crew would come here. Plus this place is the most biggest place to host the biggest party, ever.’ ‘You should open a business about hosting wild parties Pinkie.’ said Invictus with a smile and crossed arms ‘Canterlot City could use one of the best party planners in the city.’ ‘Aw, you’re so sweet.’ said Pinkie with a blush and a giggle. Twilight took another look and said ‘This place is amazing Pinkie.’ ‘Why thank you,’ said Pinkie as she zipped over to Twilight ‘It just needs a few finishing touches and everything will be ready for tonight.’ ‘Would you like some help?’ asked Twilight. ‘No need silly.’ said Pinkie ‘We just need to set up a few things and we’ll be all set. But…there is one thing you can help me with.’ ‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘Why having fun, silly.’ said Pinkie ‘Can’t have you coming here with a pouty face.’ ‘That we can do,’ said Invictus as he said ‘In the meantime, we’ll get our respective outfits ready for the big party.’ ‘You have?’ said Twilight. ‘Of course,’ said Invictus ‘I like to be prepared for any eventuality.’ Pinkie giggled at that and said ‘You sound just like Rarity.’ ‘What can I say,’ said Invictus ‘She rubbed off on me.’ ‘That’s our Rarity,’ said Pinkie before her giggle ‘So I’ll see you guys tonight.’ ‘Of course.’ said Twilight. As they left, she looked at Invictus and asked ‘I didn’t know you picked a dress for me.’ ‘My mom says I have a knack for these things,’ said Invictus ‘I’m even good at hairstyling.’ ‘Really?’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus. ‘Yep.’ ‘So what would you do with my hair.’ ‘Nothing, it’s perfect, gorgeous and beautiful, just the way it is.’ Twilight blushed at this, but she responded with a smile and said ‘Wow, you are good.’ ‘Girlfriend, please.’ said Invictus as he waved it off. Twilight’s blush deepened, so she thought to herself ‘Girlfriend?’ Later that night Sure enough, everyone gathered to the party, and boy was it going wild. Everyone was dressed, everyone was excited, and the restaurant had begun to play their music and served any kind of food that you could dream of. As many of the guests walk through the front doors, all of them were amazed by what they were seeing, even Twilight was amazed by this, now that everything was fully decorated with the lights flashing. Twilight wore a dress that was similar to Sci-Twi’s dress, which Invictus remembered well, for it was what Sci-Twi was wearing when she and her friends were making the Dance Magic Music Video when they did the Dance for Prance competition. He was glad that they won enough money to donate both Camp Everfree and for the Shadowbolts to arrange a yacht party, but they could’ve done it a lot better a lot sooner if they had just worked together in the first place, which nearly made him groan. However, Twilight noticed the look on his face and asked ‘Is something wrong?’ ‘Just remembering something from a while back.’ said Invictus. ‘What kind?’ As they went to a table nearby, they were able to speak. ‘Do you know what a music video is?’ asked Invictus. Twilight flexed an confused eyebrow, wondering what he meant. He realized it and had to think deeply. ‘Okay,’ said Invictus ‘You guys have movies, right?’ ‘Of course,’ said Twilight ‘Although, it’s been a while since I watched any.’ ‘Well, picture that,’ said Invictus ‘But they perform by singing and dancing, whilst showing different environments all around them.’ ‘Oh, wow.’ said Twilight, getting the picture ‘It sounds amazing.’ ‘Well, you see, a while back, after the whole ordeal at Camp Everfree,’ said Invictus ‘The Rainbooms were trying to gather enough funds for the camp to make sure it would stay open, but they were running out of time cause the funding they had wasn’t enough, so Rarity came up with the idea for a music video and to be part of the competition called “Dance for Prance”. If they won, they’d win enough money and donate it to Camp Everfree.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘That sounds amazing.’ ‘Oh, it was,’ said Invictus as he remembered another memory that made him sour ‘Until the Shadowbolts, Sour Sweet and the others came along and entered too, because they were tasked to arrange a school dance, but they wanted to do it on a yacht once they raised enough money. So when they heard she was entering, they wanted to enter too…only…’ ‘Only what?’ said Twilight. Invictus sighed and said ‘They then began to steal their ideas of what kind of dances they wanted to do, they even counted on the fact that they wanted to sabotage the Rainbooms so that they would be accused of cheating.’ ‘What?!!’ said Twilight as she was shocked by this revelation ‘Why would they do that?’ ‘You remembered what they told you about CPA’s last Principle?’ ‘Oh yeah,’ said Twilight as she got mad at Cinch for what she did to her counterpart ‘Her.’ ‘Well,’ said Invictus ‘Even though Cadance took over, it was still a struggle to remove what Cinch had done to the school. They were struggling too, they just didn’t want to admit it. However, during Rarity’s uh…ice cream drama…’ ‘Wait, her too?’ said Twilight. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘She goes to the ice cream shop and eats a large Sunday. What does uh…’ ‘Oh,’ said Twilight as she remembers ‘Mine lies down on a drama couch, wearing a bathrobe and eats like fifteen buckets of ice cream.’ Invictus groaned as he said ‘Let me guess, when they chew their ice cream, they go…’ The two of them went ‘Nom, nom, nom.’ at the same time, making them stop, and ended up laughing out loud. ‘Anyway,’ said Invictus as he cleared his throat ‘During her little Ice Cream bender, she overheard the Shadowbolts, Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare and Sugarcoat, still deciding and panicking of how they should make their video, and that they still wanted to use her concept. Then they revealed that the students of CPA would blame them that their school dance would be hold in a boring auditorium instead of on a yacht like they promised.’ ‘Oh,’ said Twilight as she was surprised by this ‘They didn’t want to disappoint their classmates?’ ‘That’s right,’ said Invictus ‘Rarity came along and offered a truce. The Rainbooms and the Shadowbolts came together and made an awesome music video. Soon enough, they became popular. And thanks to that, they were able to gather enough money and donate it to Camp Everfree and arrange their dance on the yacht.’ ‘So they finally became friends?’ asked Twilight. ‘And then some.’ said Invictus ‘Although I was surprised that Indigo Zap didn’t join them, considering that she was part of the group.’ ‘She didn’t?’ ‘Nope,’ said Invictus ‘She said that all that frilly dancing wasn’t her thing. But yet…’ He couldn’t help but snicker and pulled out a photo, for it was both her and Rainbow Dash, during their Freshman time, and wearing frilly tutus. Twilight couldn’t help but hung her mouth open and staring in shock. He put the photo back eventually. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight ‘Why do you…?’ ‘When I needed some inspiration,’ said Invictus, barely being able to hide his smile ‘And a giggle here and there.’ ‘Inspiration?’ said Twilight in her confused tone. ‘That you can be brave enough to be yourself.’ said Invictus. ‘Brave enough,’ said Twilight to herself whilst she lowered her eyes ‘To be yourself?’ ‘Precisely.’ said Invictus. He leaned over and said ‘Both of our friends weren't brave enough to be themselves because others thought we might judge them the wrong way. But just because you have that kind of fear, doesn’t mean you have to hide it. If others aren’t comfortable with your true self, that’s their problem. It’s only the special kind of ones that make it all worthwhile.’ Twilight pondered it for a moment, and she realized that he did have a point. She smiled and said ‘Thanks Invictus. You’ve given me something to think about.’ When all of a sudden ‘Alright party people!!’ They looked and it was none other than Pinkie Pie, announcing the big party before them in order to make them more excited for the big event. ‘We’re gonna have a great time tonight!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie ‘So if you feel like dancing, get on the dance floor and show your moves!!’ ‘I didn’t know Pinkie was the announcer.’ said Twilight as she was surprised to see Pinkie Pie. ‘Neither did I.’ said Invictus as he watched the display. ‘So everyone come on down and show your move like your mommas gave ya!!’ shouted Pinkie. Soon, half of the people stood up and walked over to the dance floor and began to dance the night away. Invictus saw how much fun everyone was having, and he couldn’t help but go on the dance floor with Twilight again. ‘You wanna dance with me again?’ asked Invictus. ‘Oh, you go ahead.’ said Twilight ‘I actually wanna see what kind of dance moves they have here.’ ‘Uh, sure okay.’ said Invictus, unsure why Twilight didn’t want to dance with him. He walked to the dance floor, but wondered what kind of song to dance under. He wondered if they had a specific song that would make him dance crazy tonight. He had something in mind, causing him to walk to the DJ in order to ask him if he had that specific song. He danced under the song, Party Rock Anthem, which made him dance wild and crazy, even performed a few spinning maneuvers. The crowd cheered for Invictus. Even Twilight was amazed by his style of dancing. After it ended, Invictus struck a pose, which caused everyone to cheer for him, even Twilight clapped her hands with her wide smile. ‘Alright party folks!!’ shouted Pinkie ‘We got quite the dancer in the room!! Does anyone want to have another wild dance party!!!’ Everyone in the room cheered, for they do want more. ‘Oh, I can do another one.’ said Invictus as he gained their attention ‘That is…if you wanna join me in a full sync dance.’ Now everyone was intrigued and curious by what he had in mind, even Pinkie. ‘Oooh, a dance opportunity,’ said Pinkie as she gave a smirk ‘Tell me more.’ Invictus walked over to Pinkie and whispered to her what dance he had in mind. She began to smile widely after her curious face was gone. ‘Oooh,’ said Pinkie as she clapped her hands together in excitement ‘That’s one of my favorite songs of all time.’ The two of them quickly got onto the dance floor, wearing black pants and purple jackets. But Invictus’ jacket had yellow stripes whilst Pinkie had blue stripes. The two of them were also wearing helmets. On one half they were yellow, but the other was light blue. Pinkie’s helmet top contained her obvious puffy hair, with Invictus’ helmet top looking like a mohawk. The two of them quickly got onto the dance floor and readied themselves, leaving the others to wonder what they had in mind, even Twilight was curious. As the two got in position as Pinkie stood on her knee and Invictus standing at the back. As the music starts, they saw how well they were moving with perfect synchronization. Everyone was amazed the way they were dancing, even Twilight, and the lights shining on the costumes that kept changing was a nice touch. They moved perfectly with flow motion, the used a mirror version. When it came to the wilder music, Pinkie danced wildly whilst Invictus was gray and moving in slow motion. Then suddenly it was the other way around as Pinkie was grey in slow motion whilst Invictus danced wildly. They repeated the same process, and once it was done, everyone cheered, for it was quite a spectacular feat. Pinkie got super excited and acted like, well, Pinkie and kissed him on the lips. As she broke it, she went back at to her DJ station to help entertain folks. He walked back to Twilight. But then he realized something. Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity kissed him and they ended up having a wild night. But if Pinkie had… ‘Oh fuck.’ he said to himself. For this was Pinkie Pie he was thinking about. Everything she does is highly unpredictable. ‘That was amazing.’ said Twilight as she walked towards him to congratulate him on such a perfect dance performance ‘I’ve never seen anypony dance like that.’ ‘It comes with a ton of practice.’ said Invictus before he blushed as he said ‘That, and I sometimes dance with this song. It’s one of my favorite dancing songs.’ ‘Oh, really?’ said Twilight. ‘That and…’ said Invictus as he blushed a bit and said ‘And also another song.’ ‘Like what?’ asked Twilight as she got curious. ‘It’s called “Just to get up and Dance with you”.’ said Invictus. ‘Oh?’ said Twilight, now she felt really intrigued. ‘I always loved to dance with the rhythm of the song, but…I didn’t have a partner to dance it with.’ said Invictus. Twilight walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered to him ‘You do now.’ She signaled him to go to the dance floor, which he followed whilst she was still holding his hand. She was blushing at first, but she kept her calming smile, for she was now more comfortable around him. Invictus suddenly had an idea as he quickly went over to Pinkie and whispered that she should change to this song, but should cut the audio of the person singing it, for he wanted to have the honor of singing it, which she allowed whilst handing him a headset in order to sing. ‘Alright party people!!’ shouted Pinkie ‘Hope you brought your most wildest dancing shoes!! Cause this is about to get crazy!!!’ As Twilight and Invictus stood at the center of the dance floor, Invictus wore a headset, allowing him to put the microphone close to his mouth. The moment Pinkie hit play, Invictus began to sing as he began to dance. (Invictus) It’s so hard not to think I got the feeling I feel so very Empty inside And I can’t stop thinking of you It feels so hot outside I don’t wanna walk out the door Where are you girl Cause I want to be beside you Invictus continued to move his feet arms gracefully as if he was a professional dancer, with Twilight blushing and smiling, whilst also feeling intrigued at the same time. (Invictus) On the dance floor I feel like we’re connected as one It happened so fast I got your moves on my mind We’re dancing as one Just the thought of it makes me move I gotta move yeah But the moment the song began to go wild, Invictus danced with the rhythm of the music, causing everyone to cheer, even Twilight liked the way he was dancing. (Invictus) Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you Is to get up and dance with you Twilight continued to clap her hands for him, until she felt Invictus grabbing her hand and pulled her to dance with him, much to her surprise. (Invictus) Whenever I look at you girl I see nothing but your sunshine smile, I feel like I’m in love And you whispered to me ‘I think I Love you yeah.’ Just the thought of it makes me move I gotta move yeah When all of a sudden, Twilight danced with Invictus, and she began to enjoy the song too as she smiled too. She began to move her body and followed his lead, which soon felt like second nature to her. (Invictus) Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you Is to get up and dance with you Before they knew it, they moved a bit slower: Song: Just the thought of it makes me move I gotta move Just the thought of it makes me move I gotta move yeah Then finally, the two of them began to dance wild together once more, with their bodies in sync as they moved and flowed like the water and wind: Song: Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you Cause, you’re the one, I want to come and party And if you want, I want to party with you But there’s something I gotta do, what I wanna do, all I wanna do Is to get up and dance with you (All I wanna do) Is to get up and dance with you (All I wanna do) Is to get up and dance with you (Aw yeah) Is to get up and dance with you Yeah, yeah, yeah Is to get up and dance with you Get up and dance Everyone began to cheer, for the song was wild, crazy and all out fun, whilst Twilight jumped in excitement, for it was the most fun she had in a long time, even hugged him whilst he twirled her around. ‘Alright folks!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie ‘Give it up for the most awesome party goers for tonight!!’ Everyone cheered for the two of them whilst confetti fell from the sky whilst Invictus and Twilight waved to the crowd as the two of them smiled, whilst Invictus was holding her close, for Twilight was now much more comfortable to be with him. A few hours later, nearly 11PM, Twilight and Invictus made it back to their hotel rooms. Invictus opened the door for Twilight, for he could tell that she was really tired. ‘Thanks again for the party.’ said Twilight as she smiled and looked at Invictus ‘I had a great time tonight.’ ‘We can thank Pinkie for that.’ said Invictus ‘So once we both get enough sleep, I’ll arrange breakfast for us.’ ‘Oh, you don’t need to do that.’ said Twilight. ‘No, I insist.’ said Invictus ‘Besides, I promised to show you a great time and I intend to keep my promise.’ Twilight couldn’t help but keep her smile whilst blushing. ‘Thanks.’ said Twilight before she landed a soft kiss against his cheek ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’ She soon closed the door, with Invictus smiling as he slowly walked to his room, for it was going better than he expected. He was growing closer to Twilight, he was able to patch up some friendships and grew closer to them. Things were finally beginning to… ‘Huh?’ Invictus noticed a bunch of red rose petals on the ground, wondering what it was about. But he noticed that it said “For Invictus.”. He wondered what it was about, so he followed it down further the hallway. As he took another turn, he saw that the rose petals lead straight to a different room. He took a peek inside, but it was really dark and he couldn’t see anything. Invictus walked into the room, scared out of his mind what Pinkie Pie had planned. He slowly walked in and closed the door behind him. ‘I hope Pinkie Pie doesn’t plan anything crazy.’ said Invictus. Until he had a deadpanned look and said ‘Who am I kidding, if course she is, this is Pinkie Pie we’re talking about.’ Before he could respond, the bed lamps lit themselves on, gaining his attention. He slowly turned around, wondering what crazy idea she had in mind. Again, this is Pinkie Pie. But the moment he was fully turned around, he widened his eyes like saucers in shock and instantly pinned himself against the door. For right ahead of him, on the bed, was none other than Pinkie Pie. She was lying on the bed, with no clothes on, her legs were spread as she was resting on her arms. Both her bosom and her delicate flower was covered in whip cream with cherries on top. She showed her alluring smile and bedroom eyes, focusing her attention on Invictus. ‘Why hello there my big daddy boy.’ said Pinkie Pie in her own alluring smile. Invictus really had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. He was in dread, for he knew just how random Pinkie Pie can get and she can be very unpredictable. But then again…seeing her like that, no clothes, completely naked, lying on the bed, with whipped cream covering her bosom and her delicate flower, it slowly began to turn him on. For what she was doing was the kinkiest thing he had ever seen, which caused his nether region to feel warm just by looking at her. ‘Uh…Pinkie?’ asked Invictus, though his tone was nervous, he was somehow enjoying seeing her like that. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Isn’t it obvious silly filly?’ said Pinkie Pie whilst she was slowly stroking her hip in a sexy manner, right before she let out her cute giggle snort. ‘You already had so much good food back at the party lately. So I figured…that you’d want some desert?’ She slowly sat on her knees with her legs continued to be spread and ended up leaning backwards. She then smirked whilst she looked at him as she said ‘Do you like?’ Invictus had no words for that right now. Seeing her in that position, can turn any man on. How the heck no girl had ever asked out Pinkie on a date before is beyond him. But as he looked at her, he noticed her geode was glowing, just like the others. And a little box beside her were the birth control pills. Invictus’ eyes darted back and forth really fast, not knowing where he would go next. He could try to escape, but he knows Pinkie Pie better than anyone, cause the moment you run away from her, she’ll start chasing you as if you were Droopy. And seeing that she was already prepared for such an occasion, and the fact that her geode was glowing, meaning she was going to be extra kooky and he had no say in it whatsoever. ‘Oh, sweet Celestia, please help me.’ mumbled Invictus. Pinkie slowly stood up and walked over to him, slowly reached out for his hands, pulled them gently towards her posterior and grasped them tightly, making him stutter, but it was an amazing feeling. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus as he suddenly forgot why he was worried ‘Your skin actually feels amazing.’ And out of instinct, he ended up rubbing his face against hers, despite the whip cream mess on his jacket as he said ‘Soft even.’ ‘Aw,’ said Pinkie Pie as she blushed with a smile and did the same ‘You actually feel amazing too.’ ‘How do I feel amazing?’ asked Invictus. ‘Easy,’ said Pinkie as she suddenly held onto his clothes with her raised hand ‘I took them off whilst we were hugging.’ Invictus’ eyes widened at that whilst he looked down. He realized that he wasn’t wearing any clothes. But he couldn’t care less. Then he was like ‘Wait a minute…’ He looked down, but noticed that there wasn’t a single stain on him, whilst the whip cream and cherries were still on top of her, and not a single drop was spilled, not even a fallen cherry. ‘How the heck does she do that?’ thought Invictus to himself. Pinkie Pie still held onto him, but she noticed how he was partially muscular, whilst she ended up licking her lips with a smirk and bedroom eyes. ‘Oooh, don’t leave me hanging big boy.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘I wanna know how that tongue of yours feels.’ Invictus walked over to Pinkie Pie, stood right behind her and ended up wrapping his arms around her waist. Pinkie kept looking at him with her bedroom eyes and soft smile. She leaned in and kissed him full in the mouth, which he also returned whilst her arm was wrapped around his head, pulling him close to her face. They soon broke the kiss as they kept staring at one another, with blushes on both their faces. ‘So…’ said Pinkie Pie with a smile ‘Wanna continue this on the bed?’ ‘Oh, we shall.’ said Invictus. Invictus turned Pinkie around whilst the two looked at one another with loving smiles. Pinkie wrapped her arms around him, allowing her to slowly pull him towards her whipped cream covered bosom. With his tongue, Invictus slowly licked the whipped cream away. Pinkie on the other hand was so excited, she ended up having shivers. By the time the whipped cream had been licked off of her bosom, he focused his tongue on her nipples and ended up sucking them both for five minutes whilst groping the other. Pinkie gasped and moaned in excitement. ‘Oh yes,’ said Pinkie Pie in her excited tone ‘Show me the true power of your amazing tongue.’ As he continued to lick her whilst she still had her arms wrapped around him, Invictus ended up stroking his hands down her hips, making her shiver, for she really enjoyed that feeling more than anyone. ‘Oooh,’ said Pinkie Pie as she loved his hands whilst she said ‘Your hands are really incredible. If you didn’t have feelings for Twilight, I would be have you as my hubby the moment I first laid eyes on you.’ After he was done with her bosom, he went for his next target; her delicate flower. He slowly moved her to bed, gave her a gentle push, allowing her to sit down whilst her legs were still separated. He ended up standing on his knees whilst he held onto her knees. ‘Time for some…special access.’ said Invictus whilst he leaned his head close to it. Invictus began to lick the whipped cream from Pinkie’s delicate flower. Invictus may not be able to see it, but he could tell Pinkie really wanted to feel his tongue the moment it made contact with her. After some licking, he was able to spot her flower, making him smirk. He leaned forward once more and licked it, making Pinkie gasp out loud. He slowly licked her flower, causing her to raise her head in the air, leaned backwards, rolled her eyes with her tongue out, but also kept moving her hips as if she was trying to stay in motion. ‘Oh, Invictus,’ said Pinkie Pie as she kept moving her hips, for she really liked the magic his tongue was working ‘K-keep…I think I’m going to…’ Just like that, she began to cum. During the Cumming, Invictus drank every drop of it until she was done. Invictus slowly sat up and wiped his mouth, whilst Pinkie on the other hand instantly grabbed him, pulled him and planted him hard on the bed. The way she looked at him with those bed written eyes, signifies that she’s far from done. She instantly planted her lips onto his, taking him by surprise, but embraced her anyway. After she was done, she looked at him with a smirk. ‘Now it’s my turn to turn you on, lover boy.’ said Pinkie Pie as she slowly crawled backwards, until she was close enough to his member. She slowly took his member and placed it between her breasts. She continued to rub her breasts between his member, making Invictus groan and moan whilst he felt his nether regions lit up. ‘How the heck is she able to do this?’ said Invictus within his own thoughts, then again this is Pinkie Pie he’s talking about, everything she did, she always somehow has a type of touch that no one could ever figure out, and he would prefer that they would keep it that way. Before he could think of anything else, as Pinkie instantly placed his member in her mouth, Invictus cummed in her mouth hard. After the tenth spurt, she was able to swallow every drop, released his member, sat up on her knees and wiped her mouth with a smile on her face. ‘Wow,’ said Pinkie Pie as she slowly licked her lips in a most alluring way ‘You really know how to unleash a full load.’ ‘And you really have soft marshmallows.’ said Invictus, who sat up a little ‘Seriously, your breasts feel amazing.’ Pinkie giggle snorted at that, with her slowly swinging her breasts as she kept her arms behind her back ‘Oh, that’s because I know how to take good care of myself, silly.’ Pinkie then pounced on him like a tiger and ended up being on top, whilst he was able to rest his head on a pillow. She leaned in as the two of them were now face to face. She planted a soft kiss on his lips once more and said with a smile and bedroom eyes ‘I hope you don’t mind if I take the lead?’ ‘Oh,’ said Invictus with a smirk of his own ‘Bring it on, party queen.’ Pinkie moved her body until her delicate flower was above Invictus’ member. She held onto it and slowly placed it inside, making her body tremble, for her virginity had now been broken. Seeing how she was partially in pain, Invictus slowly held onto both her wrists, reassuring her that she would be okay. ‘Easy party queen,’ said Invictus ‘Take it nice and easy.’ Pinkie nodded, understanding him. She slowly began to move her hips. At first it was painful, but now she was beginning to enjoy it as if it was a new game for her. The way Pinkie moved really turned both of them on. Out of habit, Pinkie ended up picking him up whilst she was riding him. He was baffled at first, but it didn’t matter, the two of them were having a time of their life. ‘Oh Invictus.’ said Pinkie, causing her to grab his face and passionately kiss him. But during their passionate session, Pinkie’s geode began to glow brighter and brighter, as did Invictus’ body. They both continued to hold their position as their love making session continued, the entire room they were in grew brighter and brighter as things took a shining turn for the both of them. The next morning, as most people tend to sleep after a long night party, Invictus slowly woke up as he felt really groggy. ‘Wow, what a night.’ muttered Invictus. But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a certain someone that was on top of him, with a huge grin on her face. ‘Hi. Invictus yelped. He wanted to jump, but due to the fact that a certain party girl was pinning him down, he couldn’t move anywhere. But given the position that they were in, he didn’t want to move. He really enjoyed the feeling of her skin against his. ‘So,’ said Pinkie as she rested on her arms and looked directly at Invictus ‘How’d you sleep?’ ‘Oh uh, great.’ said Invictus, then he placed his hands on her posterior, making her shiver again whilst he said ‘What about you.’ Pinkie giggle snorted at that, then said whilst smiling ‘Best night I ever had.’ She slowly went face to face with him, then said ‘Did you enjoy our little session?’ ‘Uh, yeah.’ said Invictus, trying to make sense ‘It was really glowing with excitement.’ Pinkie raised her feet in the air and playfully moved them ‘Kind of like I do everyday whenever I wanna host parties for my friends.’ ‘Right,’ said Invictus, then cleared his throat and said ‘Anyway, wanna go wake up Twilight? Maybe get some breakfast too?’ ‘Sure thing.’ said Pinkie as she instantly zipped to the door and grabbed the handle, opened it up and said ‘See ya downstairs!!’ However, before she darted out, Invictus’ eyes had widened in shock, for Pinkie had no clothes on at all as he muttered ‘Oh shit.’ Invictus quickly used his magic to put his clothes on and shouted ‘Pinkie wait!! You’re running around naked!!!’ After the sun had arisen, and after they had breakfast, Invictus was busy packing most of their things and their souvenirs, Twilight was saying goodbye to Pinkie. ‘Thanks again for seeing us Pinkie.’ said Twilight ‘You’re parties are really amazing.’ ‘So who’s party is better?’ asked Pinkie ‘Mine or my Pony counterpart?’ ‘Uh, it’s hard to say…’ said Twilight, for she had no idea which one is greater, for both of them knew how to throw a great party. Except for that time with Cheese Sandwich, but that’s a different story. ‘So where do you wanna go next?’ asked Pinkie. ‘Actually,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘I wanted to say hi to both Sunset and my counterpart, but all of them are busy on a cruise.’ ‘Well you’re in luck.’ said Pinkie as she pulled out her phone and showed Sunset’s blog whilst she said ‘The two of them posted that they’d be docking their ship at Silver Shoals, but instead of departing two days from now, it’s a week from now because of a ship’s technical problems. So if you guys get there now, you’ll be able to catch up to them in no time.’ ‘Great!!’ shouted Twilight as she gave Pinkie a bear hug ‘You’re the best Pinkie!!’ ‘Awww.’ said Pinkie before she hugged Twilight back ‘You’re so sweet.’ After they broke the hug, Twilight climbed into the RV, with Invictus coming to greet her, only for him to be grabbed and kissed on the lips by Pinkie Pie. She then broke the hug and looked at him with half lidded eyes. ‘See you around cutie pie.’ said Pinkie before she zipped back to her party planning crew. ‘Man, no matter what world,’ said Invictus after he chuckled a bit ‘That girl really knows how to make people smile.’ That said, Invictus climbed in the RV and drove off with Twilight as they headed for the Silver Shoals, home to the most sunniest of beaches. ‘Wait,’ he thought to himself ‘Twilight doesn’t have any swim wear.’ His eyes widened, wondering what she would look like in a bikini. He nearly felt his member getting into head, which he tried to hide whilst trying to focus on the road. > Chapter 8: Silver Shoals > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once their party time had been done in Las Pegasus, Invictus and Twilight, with the help of his portal magic, ended up at least five miles away from their next destination As Invictus focused on the road, he heard a heartfelt sigh. He looked to his right and saw Twilight, who was suddenly daydreaming, whilst also keeping that smile on her face. Invictus flexed a left eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking about. He decided to use a trick, something that resembled to Sunset’s power. If what he once overheard from Sci-Twi when he walked past the room where the Rainbooms were, their powers were supercharged and they could barely control their powers. “No thanks to Rainbow.” he thought to himself. He remembered Applejack could barely control her strength when she lightly opened her locker (She’d give Superman a run for his money), the animals followed Fluttershy as if she was mother nature (Then again she’d be hot in that dress the artists always made about mother nature), Sci-Twi was like that kid from the movie ET (Which was pretty funny), Pinkie Pie could barely control her exploding powers (Glad it was an apple, I don’t even wanna know what would happen if she did that to a hot dog, blegh, all that grease on your clothes, Rarity would throw a hissy fit about that for weeks), and Sunset could read people’s thoughts from their past experiences, to their voices (It was like she was Charles Xavier herself, except she’s not bald, she’s not in a wheelchair, and she’s smoking hot, oh shit, I hope she didn’t think I was a pervert or anything when I last saw her) (Sorry, I laughed really hard at that part of Sunset) And Rarity (Huh, come to think of it, Rarity never explained of what she went through when her powers were supercharged. All she said was that she didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe she kept making diamond shields whilst she was trying to design a dress and they kept getting in the way). He secretly casted a spell that would allow him to read her thoughts to know what she was thinking. ‘Wow,’ he heard her think ‘The past week’s been amazing. Camp Everfree and spending time with the campers, dancing with Applejack’s family, spend time at the animal sanctuary with Fluttershy, spend my time singing at Applewood with Rarity, and then ended up partying with Pinkie Pie in Las Pegasus. I got to experience what this world is like firsthand and I felt like I haven’t had so much fun in years. This was truly the best week of my life.’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile, for he was glad he could make Twilight’s day, despite what happened back at her family’s disastrous vacation (No thanks to her mom). ‘And Invictus,’ said Twilight within her thoughts, causing the said person to raise his eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking about him ‘He was amazing. Showing me around, taking notes for me, helped me have fun. And I even helped made his friendships with others stronger. He truly is amazing.’ Invictus couldn’t help but blush, for that was a really nice thing she said about him. Until ‘And he’s so handsome. Those lips feel amazing, as well as his hugs, and he has an amazing voice. I wonder what he would look like without any clothes…?’ That caused him to nearly stop the vehicle, causing Twilight to be shaken out of her thoughts and Invictus had to quickly cancel the spell. But as he continued to drive, Twilight said ‘Whoa, what was that?’ ‘Thought I saw something,’ said Invictus as he lied ‘The path between any city and the beaches have tons of stray creatures about. Poor things keep getting caught into their early graves.’ Twilight was shocked by this ‘Oh no. If Fluttershy were to find out, she’d be devastated.’ ‘Oh I know, believe me,’ said Invictus ‘I’ve seen her onetime react when a random car hit a deer once.’ Sure enough, as they drove over the hill, Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. To say that this place is beautiful would be an understatement. Silver Shoals itself has the most beautiful beaches, wonderful greenery and forests, even a small city for folks to come and relax all around. As they drove through the streets, Twilight was amazed to see so many people walking about, doing their usual activities. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘This place is packed.’ ‘Obviously it is.’ said Invictus ‘This place is one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions.’ ‘It is?’ asked Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Well of course,’ said Invictus ‘Silver Shoals happens to be one of the bestest place to be. They plan tons of beach parties, even during Spring Break. Kids from every school come here every year to cut loose and have fun, even most of the adults who tend to come and arrange huge concerts.’ He looked at her and said ‘Trust me, people spend a ton of money around here.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight, however, when she looked at the beach, she saw the many activities outside and asked ‘What are they doing there?’ ‘Oh, those guys are mostly here for beach fun.’ said Invictus ‘You get those who built a ton of sandcastles, sunbathing, swimming, heck, there are even those who do a lot of surfing. Oh look, there’s a small group doing that right now.’ Twilight saw many people riding on their surfboards, riding the waves as if they were mastering it. She was amazed to see how well they were moving. ‘Oooh, do they surf for fun?’ asked Twilight. ‘One part yeah,’ said Invictus ‘But the other part is when they surf for contests. Trust me, the competitions were brutal. I remember this one female surfer who got attacked by a shark and had her arm bitten off.’ Twilight was shocked by this as she looked at him, but he continued as he said ‘But despite what happened to her, she wasn’t going to let one shark bite stop her from achieving her dream. She inspired a ton of folks for not only her will to not give up, but to prove everything can come true if you just put your mind to it.’ Twilight was surprised by this, for despite the surfer girl’s injury, it wasn’t going to stop her from achieving her dreams. ‘We’ll try to find a place to park at the vacant beach houses,’ said Invictus as he pointed at the suburbs ‘Then we’ll try to find some swimwear.’ ‘Swimwear?’ asked Twilight. ‘What,’ said Invictus as he looked at Twilight ‘You’d honestly think that we’d be swimming in our clothes now, do you?’ ‘Why do people wear different clothes every day?’ asked Twilight. ‘I could ask all of ponykind the same thing,’ said Invictus ‘And yet somehow most of you stay in business when you’re not wearing anything every day.’ Twilight opened her mouth, but then she closed it as she realized something. ‘You know what, good point.’ ‘Okay then,’ said Invictus after he spotted the perfect beach house near the beach ‘Wait here whilst I get everything sorted.’ ‘Okay then,’ said Twilight ‘I’ll take some pictures in the meantime.’ As Invictus went to arrange their stay, Twilight walked to the edge of the property and took a few pictures of the beach, even the people having fun. ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said Twilight whilst she was busy taking some pictures ‘Next time I plan to take a vacation, I’m brining my friends to Silver Shoals. They’ll love it there.’ Invictus soon arrived and said ‘Alright, I got the place and the key, now to find us the proper attire.’ ‘Where do we find that?’ asked Twilight after she took a picture. ‘Thankfully, Rarity commended a place when I last time asked her.’ said Invictus as he and Twilight walked towards the nearest shop. Sure enough, both of them had been looking around the shop, trying to find what they were looking for. Twilight was able to find her a proper beach skirt and top, as well as a sunhat and glasses to go with them, even some cute sandals. Invictus was able to find him some proper swim trunks, as well a Hawaiian shirt, as well as some sandals. But he noticed that Twilight didn’t pick her swim wear. He walked over to a female store clerk, and was able to fake a story that Twilight had never been to the beach before and that she needed help with hers. The female store clerk took a good look at her and smiled, realizing just what she needed, allowing her to pick the bikini and walk over to Twilight and offered to help, which she thankfully accepted. Sure enough, after paying for them, Twilight and Invictus headed straight for the beach. As they walked, Twilight was amazed to see just how many people were spending time at the beach. ‘This is amazing,’ said Twilight ‘This place would greatly give every other beach in Equestria a run for their money.’ ‘You got that right.’ said Invictus ‘Now then, I picked us a spot, so once we set up, we’ll need to add some sunscreen.’ ‘Why’s that?’ asked Twilight. ‘See, in this world,’ said Invictus ‘Humans’ skins can burn easily under the sun if they spent way too much time under it, so they developed a type of cream to protect your skin from it, known as sunscreen.’ ‘Wow, really creative.’ said Twilight ‘But uh, what would happen if they don’t?’ ‘Then you either spend the next three weeks with sunburn as your entire body stings and you won’t be able to move.’ said Invictus ‘Or you can apply Aloe Vera on your skin that helps your skin recover overtime.’ ‘Okay then,’ said Twilight as she felt slightly disturbed by the skin burn part ‘Once we set up, think you can help me?’ ‘Sure thing,’ said Invictus ‘But I gotta warn you, once you feel in on your skin, you’ll likely feel a chill or a type of Goosebumps on your skin. Trust me.’ After they were able to get to a perfect spot, Invictus helped set up the umbrella and chairs, with Twilight helping out in any way she could. Once they were finished, Twilight looked at Invictus. ‘So, would you like to apply the sunscreen now?’ asked Twilight. ‘Sure, but the skirt and shirt needs to be removed first.’ said Invictus as he removed his shirt. ‘Uh, okay, why?’ asked Twilight as she was a bit confused. ‘Well I can’t apply the screen on you,’ said Invictus ‘But your swimwear you’re gonna have to keep. Don’t want to be uh…charged for being exposed without clothing.’ ‘Okay then.’ said Twilight, who still wasn’t feeling sure, but she was able to remove them, leaving her nothing but her swimsuit on. When he took a good look, he was quite surprised. Her swimsuit was a darker purple than her skin, but it also had light purple strips on them as well. However, he noticed that her swimwear was a bikini. It was with comfort wrapped around her chest as the valley between her breasts were emphasized by the way the top pushed against it. Whilst the bottom was only a little better, covering her front but left a bit more of her behind exposed. Invictus had to admit, she looked really amazing. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus ‘You so have the body to make it work.’ Twilight blushed a bit at that, for even though she hadn’t been in her human form that long, she still can’t get used to folks complimenting them. ‘So uh,’ said Invictus ‘You want to let me help you apply?’ ‘Oh uh, sure.’ said Twilight as she sat down. Invictus placed the sunscreen in the palm of his hand. Once he was done, he began to apply it to Twilight’s left and right arm. Once he was done, he applied the sunscreen to her legs. Usually Twilight wasn’t bothered by this, but when Invictus was doing it, she felt herself get heated, for she suddenly enjoyed him stroking her legs with his hands. He then applied it on her face, which left her flustered. ‘Now then,’ said Invictus ‘You just need to lie down on your front, then I’ll be able to apply on your back.’ ‘Uh, yeah sure.’ said Twilight, for she somehow couldn’t find the words to say anything. She went over to the beach chair and lied down whilst also resting on her arms. Invictus sat next to her and lifted up her hair a bit to the side so that he could apply the sunscreen on her back. He was able to rub them on her back, causing her to shiver. ‘Wow, you weren't kidding,’ said Twilight ‘Those really can give you Goosebumps. Ponies and Humans sure have different body reactions when it comes to certain activities.’ ‘I know right, that’s how I first reacted when I first visited my mother’s Equestria.’ said Invictus. He then thought about something, and asked ‘By the way, did your Rainbow happen to blab out loud that she doesn’t like ponies touching her hooves?’ ‘She did, why?’ asked Twilight as she enjoyed the rubs, for it was as if he was giving her a massage. ‘The Rainbow Dash from that Equestria explained one time why.’ said Invictus as he nearly snickered ‘Apparently she’s really ticklish there. Every time whenever she tries to get a hoofacure, she would start laughing, even when other ponies touch them.’ Twilight blinked in surprise, then lifted herself up, which thankfully Invictus was done whilst she said ‘So that’s why she was so hesitant for Aloe to touch the frog of her hooves.’ ‘Yep.’ said Invictus after he and Twilight sat back up ‘When I was six and I visited there, I played a prank on her whilst she was napping. I tied her hooves using a contraption, as well as connected some feathers there. The moment they tickled her, she laughed so hysterically, she flailed and squealed so loud, half of Ponyville could hear her.’ ‘So uh,’ said Twilight, remembering how Rainbow’s temper can be ‘She was mad at you for that?’ ‘Oh, she didn’t get mad at me for tickling her.’ said Invictus. ‘She didn’t?’ asked Twilight. ‘Nope.’ said Invictus, before he rubbed the back of his head and nervously revealed ‘She was mad at me because I tickled her so hard, she ended up wetting herself, literally.’ Twilight’s jaws dropped at that, with Invictus quickly defending himself as he said ‘Hey, to be fair she pranked me first when she secretly placed Poison Joke in my Hay burger.’ Twilight’s jaws remained the same position, until she suddenly snickered, and laughed so hard, she ended up nearly falling over, but thankfully she remained on her beach chair. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight after she wiped a tear away after the laughter she just released ‘You really sure know how to get into a whole lot of shenanigans.’ ‘You’re one to talk little miss casting a want it, need it spell.’ retorted Invictus. Twilight looked at him shocked. ‘What…how did you…?’ ‘Holy…’ said Invictus as he realized something ‘You too?’ ‘Wait,’ asked Twilight ‘Did my other me from that Equestria…?’ ‘She did.’ said Invictus ‘But uh…it was a lot worse…’ Twilight shivered a bit, remembering the experience she had back at Equestria. ‘What did the other me do?’ ‘Well uh…’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head ‘Let’s just say it wasn’t just Ponyville who got affected, but so did the ponies from Canterlot, Luna, Shining Armour, Cadance…’ Twilight was surprised that he also saw it before. She groaned as she slapped her forehead. ‘I can’t believe my other me did the same thing with her doll.’ ‘Actually, uh…’ said Invictus ‘You didn’t.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight as she perked up at that. ‘You casted it on somepony by accident.’ said Invictus. ‘Who?’ ‘Me.’ Twilight’s jaws dropped at that, with her eyes nearly going as wide as dinner plates. Invictus, out of instinct, wrapped his arms around himself as he said ‘I never felt so violated.’ Now Twilight felt bad for him. She then thought about changing the subject as she said ‘Hey uh…you mind getting us something cool to drink?’ Invictus perked up at that and said ‘As a matter of fact, there happens to be a shaved ice stand nearby. I’ll be right back.’ Invictus left to get some shaved ice for the two of them. Twilight suddenly felt bad about the “Want it, need it” spell. Deciding not to think about that, she decided to rest up and placed some sunglasses over her whilst she rested on the beach chair. Twilight stared at the calmness of the oceans. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked at the sea ‘Silver Shoals really is amazing. Maybe when I get back to Equestria I’ll convince my friends to come with me for a weeklong vacation.’ Twilight was about to dose off to rest her eyes for a bit, until… ‘There you are Twilight.’ came a familiar voice. ‘Huh?’ responded Twilight as she lifted her sunglasses up and looked who was calling her. She saw it was none other than Spike. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you.’ said Spike. ‘Spike?’ said Twilight as she was surprised to see a familiar face ‘What are you doing here? How’d you follow me all the way from Equestria?’ ‘Equestria? What are you…?’ said Spike. But then he suddenly stopped. He took a better look at her, and realized that she doesn’t have any curls on her hair near her ears, and that she’s not wearing any glasses. His eyes widened as he realized who it was. ‘Oh, now I know you.’ said Spike as he pointed at her ‘You’re the Twilight from the world where Equestrian Magic comes from.’ Twilight then took a good look at Spike, then smiled and said ‘And I remember you. You’re the Spike from this world, who got affected by Equestrian Magic by accident.’ ‘That’s me.’ responded Spike with his usual smile. ‘What are you doing here?’ asked Twilight as she sat back up and leaned forward. ‘Well,’ said Spike as he thought about it ‘My Twilight and Sunset were still going on with their cruise with Twilight’s parents. But when we came to Silver Shoals, they decided we should take a vacation here for another week. Our cruise travel was over, but they found Silver Shoals really relaxing. It’s also the only place that allow dogs to come here.’ ‘That’s great.’ said Twilight ‘I thought about the same thing when I realized how great this place is. And thought about taking my friends to Silver Shoals too when I get back.’ ‘But wait,’ said Spike as he was confused ‘Why are you here?’ ‘Well, I wanted to surprise the others by coming over to visit.’ said Twilight ‘But I didn’t realize that all of them were gone.’ ‘Uh, didn’t you bother to write to Sunset first and asked her to keep quiet that you would come to visit before coming over?’ asked Spike as he realized something. Twilight realized it too, causing her to groan in frustration. ‘There you are Spike.’ said a familiar voice. ‘We’ve been looking all over for you.’ said another. When both Twilight and Spike looked at the left, they saw it was none other than Sunset Shimmer and Sci-Twi, wearing their respectful swimsuits and having their towels with them. ‘Girls.’ said Twilight as she stood up, surprising both Sunset and Sci-Twi. ‘Twilight.’ gasped Sunset, allowing her to quickly hug the Princess of Friendship, for it had been so long, with Twilight returning the hug. After they broke the hug, both friends of Equestria looked at one another. ‘It’s so great to see you.’ said Twilight. ‘It’s so great to see you too,’ said Sunset ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I wanted to surprise you girls by visiting over.’ said Twilight ‘But you guys weren’t there.’ ‘Wait,’ said Sunset as she realized something ‘Didn’t you get my last message?’ Twilight was puzzled by this and asked ‘What message?’ ‘I can vouch for her.’ said Sci-Twi as she adjusted her glasses ‘She wrote to you a while ago that all of us were planning to go on vacation for the summer.’ Twilight thought about it, but then she realized something. The day that they wrote to her, was the exact same day that she and her family were tricked into taking a free vacation. She then groaned and sat back down. ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Sunset. ‘It’s a…long story.’ said Twilight ‘But I’ll explain as soon as Invictus…’ ‘Wait,’ said Sunset, as she was suddenly afraid ‘Invictus is here?’ And right on cue, arriving with five shaved ice and said ‘Hey Twilight, sorry it took so long. Turns out they had a special, if you buy two you’d get three more for…’ He then suddenly noticed Sunset and Sci-Twi there, which surprised them. For a few moments, things have been giving an awkward silence. ‘Uh, I just realize something.’ said Sunset as she wanted to quickly leave ‘I forgot my thing back at the apartment. See…’ But before she could go anywhere, Twilight instantly stopped her by holding her arm. ‘Sunset wait,’ said Twilight as she looked at her with a pleading face ‘Invictus has something to say. That’s part of the reason why we’re here.’ Sunset wondered what she meant. However, Invictus instantly knew, so he used his magic to make sure that the shaved ice would remain cold without melting, much to Sci-Twi’s surprise. After he placed them down, Invictus walked over to Sunset. At first, Sunset was nervous, but remained still after Twilight released her. Things were quiet between them at first, until Invictus caught Sunset by surprise by hugging her. Sunset was surprised by this, for she was still nervous around him after their last encounter. After he broke the hug, he looked at her with a sorrowful face. ‘I’m sorry Sunset.’ said Invictus as he released her and rubbed the back of his head ‘Look, what I did to you back then, even the threats. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I know you weren't yourself back then. I wanted to apologize to you after the Fall Formal, but I still had somewhat trust issues. But after the Battle of the Bands, you really changed. But before the holidays, I didn’t have the chance because of a…incident. I kept avoiding because I didn’t want to make things worse. What I’m trying to say is…I’m sorry.’ Things were silent between them at first. With Sunset saying ‘I’m sorry too.’ Sunset rubbed her arm as she was still somewhat guilty ‘I wasn’t a nice pony/person back then. Ever since I became Princess Celestia’s student, I was obsessed into becoming a Princess. I wanted more. And I wanted to get the things I wanted.’ ‘Even when you failed to learn life’s important lesson,’ said Invictus ‘You can’t always get what you want.’ ‘Yeah…that.’ said Sunset ‘But ever since Princess Twilight helped me, all I ever did was to try and make things right. I wanted to make up for my mistakes. Sure everyone forgave me soon enough after the Battle of the Bands and after the misunderstanding of Anon-A-Miss was cleared up, I wanted to protect my friends. I didn’t want to lose them. And then the business with Wallflower, I never realized how much I loved them so much, even after they forgot about me. And I was so focused on my friends, I barely paid attention to anything else. If I had realized Wallflower’s feelings and didn’t ignore her, she wouldn’t have resorted to that.’ ‘And sometimes your temper gets the best of you.’ said Invictus. Sunset flexed eyebrow at him, but he did have a point as she said ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’ She then looked at Invictus and said ‘Can you forgive me?’ ‘Do you?’ asked Invictus. Sunset placed her hands on his shoulder and gave him a light kiss on the lips, with her smiling as she said ‘I already have.’ The two of them hugged it out, whilst also having smiles on their faces. After they broke the hug, Invictus then looked at Sci-Twi. ‘Hey.’ said Invictus as he waved at her. ‘Uh, hey.’ said Sci-Twi. ‘Uh, look.’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head and said ‘Sorry I couldn’t do anything to stop Cinch from manipulating you into using Equestrian magic.’ Sci-Twi was surprised by this and said ‘Wait, you knew?’ ‘Uh yeah.’ said Invictus ‘But I couldn’t because…’ Both Sunset and Sci-Twi could notice that something was off, that he was uncomfortable. But he changed the subject as he said ‘For what it’s worth, you didn’t mean to do any of this, you just wanted to understand, which there is nothing wrong. But sometimes that’s why you have friends to help you tell the difference between right and wrong. At first you didn’t want friends, but ever since you met Sunset and the others, your life became better. And it’s always great to see you smile. And also, about Midnight Sparkle…’ She first winced at that, until he rubbed at the back of his head and said ‘Beside the scary horn, wings and demon eyes…you looked really great in that outfit.’ Sci-Twi blushed at that whilst her eyes widened. She giggled nervously as she adjusted her glasses, with Invictus saying to Sunset ‘And the outfit you wore was also spot on. I could’ve sworn you turned from a demon to a guardian angel.’ Sunset blushed too whilst she also smiled. Invictus placed his hand on her shoulder and said ‘And for what it’s worth, I know you’re sometimes afraid of others judging you. But you being yourself and being comfortable around others, that’s the bravest thing anyone could’ve done.’ He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, which she blushed and smiled whilst also adjusting her glasses. ‘So,’ said Invictus as he walked back and picked up the shaved ice ‘Want to join us. I even got one for Spike.’ The two girls shared glances at one another, then smiled as Sunset said ‘We’d love to.’ Ten minutes later Everyone continued to eat their shaved ice as all of them enjoyed it, whilst Invictus told both Sunset and Sci-Twi, with Spike included, about their trips. ‘Whoa,’ said Sunset after wiping her mouth for a bit ‘You took Twilight to Camp Everfree, Appaloosa, The Nature Reserves, Applewood and Las Pegasus?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘Remember, Twilight didn’t explore much of this world so I offered to take her on a tour so that she could see the resemblance.’ ‘And I’ve already learned to much.’ said Twilight as she sat up ‘There are some similarities in this world, but I also saw tons of differences too.’ ‘Speaking of which,’ said Sci-Twi ‘How was Camp Everfree? Did Gloriosa and Timber showed you around?’ ‘Gloriosa did,’ said Invictus before he rubbed the back of his head ‘Except for uh…’ ‘What?’ said human Twilight as she was somewhat confused ‘What’s wrong?’ (I hope it’s alright with you, but I’m just gonna call her human Twilight from now on, writing Sc-Twi is gonna get confusing for me overtime) Invictus sighed and came out clean as he said ‘Timber got arrested.’ Human Twilight spat her shaved ice out in shock, looked at him and said ‘What?’ before adjusting her glasses, with Sunset and Spike just as shocked. ‘He uh, well…’ said Invictus as he tried his best to explain. ‘He made a mistake of going into the girl’s locker room at the beach when he wanted to surprise you.’ said Twilight as she explained ‘But uh, he mistook one of the girls for you and you weren’t there that day, so he ended up getting arrested and was labeled a pervert, whatever that means.’ ‘Yeah, pretty much.’ said Invictus ‘He was arrested about a week before Summer started.’ ‘Are you kidding me?!’ said Sunset, clearly not happy with this. ‘Oh,’ said a discouraged human Twilight ‘No wonder I never got any of his calls before Summer started.’ ‘Yeah, trust me, Gloriosa wasn’t happy about that either.’ said Invictus ‘Not to mention, you remembered the cave you guys found your geodes?’ ‘Yeah, or course we do.’ said Sunset ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘Turns out there was still leftover magic there.’ said Invictus ‘When Twilight touched the pedestal where your geodes used to reside, she ponied up, tails, ears and wings.’ ‘Really?’ said human Twilight. ‘He’s right.’ said Twilight ‘I’m more surprised about this myself. I didn’t think it would be possible.’ ‘Whoa, cool.’ said Spike after he licked a bit of his shaved ice ‘So other than that, did you meet any of your friends along the way?’ ‘Sure did.’ said Twilight ‘We bumped into Applejack first at Appaloosa.’ ‘Appaloosa?’ said human Twilight ‘I thought she and her family went to Van Hoover.’ ‘Oh they would’ve,’ said Invictus ‘But there was a heavy storm over there, so they had to move it to Appaloosa. I mean that’s fair, considering that half of them live there. Mainly Braeburn and the others.’ ‘Then after that, we visited Fluttershy at the White Tail Nature Reserve.’ said Twilight ‘I never knew there were so many animals that I’ve never seen before in one place.’ ‘And I assume Fluttershy felt she fit right in?’ said Sunset with her smirk and flexed eyebrow. ‘Yes.’ said Twilight ‘And from what Invictus found out, he said that Fluttershy’s great grandmother founded the place and Fluttershy is the heir of the place.’ ‘Wow, really?’ said human Twilight ‘Does she know?’ ‘Not yet, but she will soon once I tell her.’ said Invictus. ‘What did you do after that?’ asked Spike once he took another bite out of his shaved ice. ‘Well after that we went straight for Applewood.’ said Twilight ‘Rarity happened to be there and she showed us around the place’ ‘Apparently her seminar was rescheduled to Applewood,’ said Invictus ‘Once we were there, she showed us around, the places where the famous stars mark their name. More importantly, we also sang karaoke.’ ‘You sang karaoke?’ asked Sunset. ‘We did,’ said Invictus ‘Rarity and I sang first, but then I sang with Twilight too. It was a lot of fun.’ ‘Then after that, we went to Las Pegasus.’ said Twilight ‘And you wouldn’t believe who else was there.’ ‘Pinkie Pie?’ asked the others. ‘On the nose.’ said Invictus. ‘We thought she was going to visit her family, but it turned out, they wanted to experience Las Pegasus first hand.’ said Twilight ‘She even helped us throw a party. You should’ve seen Invictus danced with Pinkie, then with me.’ ‘Yeah, we had quite the blast.’ said Invictus. ‘That’s great.’ said Sunset ‘Did you guys also bump into Rainbow along the way?’ Suddenly, Invictus’ mood changed to a sad one. He slowly stood up and said ‘I need another shaved ice.’ The other three wondered what was wrong, but Twilight knows what’s wrong. The more they kept asking about Rainbow Dash, the more he felt hurt just thinking about it. ‘Was it something I said?’ asked Sunset. ‘Not that, it’s just…’ said Twilight, but she cleared her throat and asked ‘How much do you know about Invictus?’ ‘Not much.’ said Sunset ‘Fluttershy did, but she didn’t want to talk about it.’ ‘Well, you see…’ said Twilight, but took a deep breath and gave her answer. ‘Invictus and Rainbow Dash used to be best friends.’ They were surprised by this information, with Spike asking ‘Weird, Rainbow always talks about her friends, but not about him.’ ‘The two of them had a bit of uh…falling out.’ said Twilight. Now Sunset was surprised, then suddenly felt guilty. ‘Did I…’ she inquired. ‘No, it happened on their own.’ said Twilight. ‘Really?’ asked human Twilight ‘What really happened?’ ‘From what I could gather from the others and from what he told them,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘The two of them were best friends since preschool. The two would always hang out and do everything together. But by the time they were at Freshman year at Canterlot High, she spent time with him less and less. He felt more lonely, but still helped her despite her uh…’ ‘Ego?’ interjected Sunset. ‘Yeah, that.’ said Twilight ‘And uh…you know about the whole Anon-A-Miss ordeal?’ Sunset still had bitter memories of that, then said ‘I try not to think about it.’ ‘He was the only one who defended you.’ said Twilight. Sunset was surprised by this, even human Twilight. ‘What?’ responded Sunset. ‘He mentioned looking up at your browser history,’ said Twilight ‘Said that you fell asleep at nine and the pictures of your friends were sent at one in the morning.’ Sunset, again, was surprised by this, then face palmed herself and said ‘Why didn’t I think of checking that? Or they?’ ‘He only had a handful to believe you, but Rainbow and the others didn’t.’ said Twilight ‘He tried to tell Rainbow, but she wouldn’t listen, and ended up saying that he was defending the wrong people. And ended up saying that she wondered why they weren't friends anymore.’ Twilight looked really saddened, much to their notice. ‘That’s when Invictus lost it. He yelled at her and said quote, “We’re not friends because your ego kept getting out of hand and I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with, so you pretended to not even know me anymore, until you needed me to help do your homework for you, because you were too lazy and stupid to any of it yourself. No wonder you were failing miserably at your grades”, end quote.’ Human Twilight covered her mouth in shock, with Spike’s jaw so opened it shock, a piece of his shaved ice fell out of his mouth, even Sunset was taken aback by this. ‘So far I don’t know what else they said to one another,’ said Twilight ‘But from what Rarity told me, both of them were devastated.’ ‘But didn’t they tried to apologize?’ asked human Twilight out of concern. ‘He really wanted to,’ said Twilight ‘But from what I noticed, he kept avoiding her because he was too ashamed of what happened between them. He really wanted to apologized, but he was afraid that she was still angry at him, and that she would never want to see him again.’ Suddenly, Sunset remembered the exact feeling between her and Princess Celestia, and the dread and pain she felt afterwards. She looked at them and said ‘We gotta find a way to bring peace between them.’ ‘My thoughts exactly.’ said human Twilight. ‘Do we have a way to gather all of them?’ asked Spike. Human Twilight looked at her phone and said ‘Well, according to our friends, all of them are going to Manehattan next, and Rainbow Dash’s team is going there as well. We should meet up with them there.’ ‘Sounds like a plan.’ said Twilight with determination. ‘But before we do that,’ said Sunset ‘We really need to find out what really happened between them, not from what Invictus said.’ ‘You have something in mind?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well I could try to read his mind.’ said Sunset as she thought about it. ‘It’s not going to work,’ said Spike ‘Remember, only you can see other people’s thoughts, and the others are going to be kept out of the loop. We’re gonna find a way for all of us to see what really happened.’ Twilight thought about it and realized something. ‘Oh, maybe Invictus can help with that.’ ‘How so?’ asked human Twilight. ‘Well for one thing, he has Equestrian Magic.’ said Twilight. ‘He what?’ said Sunset in shock. ‘But don’t worry, it’s not evil magic.’ said Twilight as she reassured them ‘I can vouch for that.’ ‘You sure?’ asked Sunset. ‘Of course,’ said Twilight ‘He was able to open portals in any part of the world.’ ‘Really?’ said human Twilight surprised. ‘How did you guys think that we were able to travel to other places in almost a week?’ said Twilight. ‘Huh,’ said Sunset as she was surprised by this ‘I wonder if we could ask him if we could travel to Prance.’ Suddenly, Invictus came along in a rush and said ‘You guys are not going to believe this.’ ‘What?’ asked Spike. ‘Come on, hurry.’ said Invictus as he quickly went ahead, with the others coming with him. As soon as they arrived, they saw a large crowd gathering, as all of them went crazy as they saw two bands from the background. To Sunset and human Twilight’s shock, it was none other than Macaroon 5 and Deorro Lyrics, causing the two girls to shriek in excitement. ‘Uh, who are they?’ asked Twilight. ‘Those happen to be two of our country’s most famous bands of all time.’ said Sunset Shimmer in excitement. ‘The one dude on the left is Deorro Lyrics, one of the best party song masters of all time. And next to them happens to be the band called Macaroon 5, the first band to ever play their number one song Sweetener in ten weddings in one day.’ said Invictus. Twilight was surprised by their achievement ‘Really?’ ‘Sure have.’ said human Twilight through her excitement ‘They even performed at my brother’s wedding last year. You should’ve seen how ecstatic Cadance was when she saw them on stage.’ ‘Alright then y’all,’ said the announcer ‘It’s time for the ultimate dance mash up.’ ‘Dance mash up?’ said the girls. Invictus had luckily found a flyer about today’s event. ‘Oh right,’ said Invictus ‘It says right here that whilst the performers sing, they have to come up with the most original dance moves for the song the world has ever seen.’ ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ said Twilight as she looked at the flyer too. ‘So,’ said the announcer ‘Who among you are brave enough to deliver the most original dance that none has ever seen.’ Invictus took a look at the stage and ended up smirking. He handed the flyer to Twilight and said ‘Excuse me ladies.’ Invictus walked towards the dance stage, causing the said girls to watch him with flexed eyebrows. Wondering what he was planning, they walked towards the crowd to be in front of them so that they would know what was happening. As soon as Invictus stood near them, the announcer noticed. ‘Well, well, looks like we have another potential dancer.’ said the announcer ‘Tell me son, what’s your name?’ ‘Invictus.’ he replied. ‘Well Invictus,’ said the announcer ‘Choose what song you want to hear, so that you can dance to the rhythm of the song.’ Invictus thought about it long and hard about what song he wanted to sing. After thinking carefully, he walks over to the announcer, but signals Deorro Lyrics come over too. He whispered to the two of them of what song he wants, causing Deorro Lyrics to smile and clap his hands, whilst he said ‘I’ve been dying to sing that song again. Kid, wish granted.’ ‘On that we agree.’ said the announcer. The audience was confused by what song he was going to sing. Invictus stood at the center of the stage. The beat of the song began to play, which everyone recognized and they began to cheer, except for Twilight, Sunset and human Twilight, for they never heard the specific song before. (Imagine this song with the adaption from below) They saw Invictus was getting himself ready whilst he moved his body for a little bit like he was flowing with the river. Then as Deorro Lyrics began to sing, Invictus began to dance. (Deorro Lyrics) What are ya gonna do baby? Where do you wanna go? I’ll treat you like a queen yeah, no matter where you go. I treat you like an equal, yeah. What ya gonna do? I got some time, yeah. Everyone was surprised to see how well he was dancing, for it fit perfectly with the song. He moved and grooved in way that no one has ever seen before. (Deorro Lyrics) Cause you know Even when, we’re apart, you’re always on my mind. One more time and we’re just getting started tonight You know that’s true. Invictus then stood still and began to motion his head a bit. (Deorro Lyrics) This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party. And just like that, within an instant, Invictus began to dance wildly as he let his feet feel the beat (Deorro Lyrics) This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party One more time, I just wanna party And just like that, he danced wildly as if he was on fire. Everyone was amazed to see the way he was dancing, the way he was moving, even had a knack for being a showoff whilst he was dancing. He instantly stopped as he then began to move slowly whilst going with the beat again. But within a moment, both Sunset and human Twilight quickly stepped up the stage and danced with him. The announcer was a bit surprised at first, but he allowed it when he was curious about what was going on. And just like that, moving their hips, the girls were perfectly in tune of the song as well. (Deorro Lyrics) How do you feel baby Where do you wanna go Would you like some pop baby The one with bubbles yeah. I’ll treat you like a queen yeah No matter what you want. I got some time yeah… Within an instant, the girls began to dance wildly at that song with Invictus too. (Deorro Lyrics) Cause you know Even when, we’re apart, you’re always on my mind. One more time and we’re just getting started tonight You know that’s true. They began to slow down again in order to gather more energy for themselves in order to prepare them for the next finish. (Deorro Lyrics) This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party. This right here, I just wanna party. Pretty soon, all of them began to have the wildest party imaginable as they danced (Deorro Lyrics) This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party One more time, I just wanna party They continued to dance wildly as all of them began to enjoy the song a lot, even Twilight enjoyed herself when she saw them move like that. Sure enough after the dance, Edwin stopped and sang slowly: (Deorro Lyrics) I follow the sound of a party How it always calls to me Finding a way to groove with me I’m feeling oh so super great To have a great party Whenever I’m next to you You know it’s true This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party. And one last time, with Twilight in tow, they began to dance wildly again with the others one last time. (Deorro Lyrics) This right here, I just wanna party. Ooh Oh, ooh oh, ooh oh. Right here and now I just wanna party One more time, I just wanna party They began to dance wildly by the song, moving in tune and grooving with their moves. Just as the song ended, they immediately struck a pose, causing everyone to cheer for them as they clapped their hands, even the announcer and the performers clapped their hands. ‘Well, well, well,’ said the announcer as he laughed in excitement ‘Looks like we got ourselves some top notch dancers!! Y’all want another one?!!’ Everyone cheered, for all of them are so excited to see how well they were going to perform, considering that they did a dance that even Deorro Lyrics would enjoy. ‘Alright then,’ said the announcer ‘The next band that’ll perform will be Macaroon 5!!’ Everyone cheered as the band appeared on the stage. As the band got ready, Invictus, Sunset and human Twilight got ready. However, Twilight, after seeing them dance, had the urge to join in too. Sure enough, she joined in too, with them as she got super excited. (Picture this one being the same) As soon as they were in position, the lead singer began to whistle in order to get in tune whilst the others began to play their instruments too. As the music continued to gain hype, Invictus, Twilight, Sunset and human Twilight tapped their feet, for they were excited to dance again. As the song started, they began to dance. (Macaroon 5 Singer) Just look to the stars You’re future’s really bright I feel it in my heart And I feel it Just come ride with me And we’ll be okay I swear you’ll believe They began to move their bodies a little faster. (Macaroon 5 Singer) We’ve set our course, and we’ll make it Time to put on a show, and we dream big You say I am mad, I gone all crazy I don’t really care Cause we danced, like this, uh Then they began to dance with their full moves. (Macaroon 5 Singer) Take my hand and you’ll know, yeah You kissed me and you rocked my world, yeah Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony I love to da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony I just wanna have some fun, yeah Look at me cause we’re having some fun, yeah Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony I love to da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony Everyone cheered for Invictus and the others’ performance, even Macaroon 5 smiled as they saw them dancing with full swing. Twilight and Invictus began to dance close to one another, which gained Sunset’s attention, wondering why they were dancing so close together. (Macaroon 5 Singer) Girl it’s so hard, when you feel alone I’m scared and alone And I need you Please come back to me But when we’re together I feel so secure I can’t live without you Invictus and Twilight continued to dance in sync, with Sunset smirking, for she suddenly realized why he was so close to her. (Macaroon 5 Singer) So come on, let’s go, our future awaits Wherever we go, we’ll be happy Cause all I want is you Cause you make me feel complete I just want some love And we can dance like this They soon began to dance wild again, with Macaroon 5 enjoyed seeing them dance. (Macaroon 5 Singer) Take my hand and you’ll know, yeah You kissed me and you rocked my world, yeah Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony I love to da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony I just wanna have some fun, yeah Look at me cause we’re having some fun, yeah Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony (Oh yeah) I love to da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony Sunset ended up singing as she enjoyed herself a lot. (Sunset Shimmer) You’d like to know, how to make me happy Dance with me, only just for tonight Cause if I stay too long I’m gonna fall down Nobody else can know So dance with me I won’t do it twice Come on now, show me what you got And if you can keep up I’m then all yours Nobody else can keep up Oh, oh, oh, yeah (Macaroon 5 Singer) And we can dance like this They then began to dance wildly again. (Macaroon 5 Singer) Take my hand (Take my hand) And you’ll know, yeah You kissed me and you rocked My world, yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony I love to Da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony (Aw, yeah) I just wanna have some fun, yeah Look at me cause we’re having some fun, yeah Cause we moved, in harmony I love to dance, in harmony I love to da-a-a-a-a-a-a-dance, in harmony As the song stopped, everyone cheered, for the song was amazing as well as the dance. The announcer then walked up to Invictus and the others. ‘Let’s give it up for these amazing performers!!’ shouted the announcer, causing everyone to cheer. Sure enough, the four of them got together with Macaroon 5 and Deorro Lyrics in a group shot for a photo. This was to be remembered a long time for Sunset and human Twilight, but for Invictus, being close to Twilight is all he ever wanted. A while later, the others still wanted to hang out by the beach more often. Sunset, Twilight and human Twilight continued to walk down the beach. ‘Wow, that was so much fun.’ said Twilight. ‘I know right,’ said human Twilight adjusted her glasses with a smile ‘I’ve never enjoyed dancing so much.’ ‘And you surely enjoyed his company.’ said Sunset with a smirk on her face. Twilight’s face instantly went red as she said ‘Uh…what?’ ‘Come on,’ said Sunset ‘We’ve seen the way you two are together.’ ‘Come to think of it,’ said human Twilight once she adjusted her glasses ‘You kept on smiling whenever you two are close together.’ Twilight, seeing that she couldn’t argue about this, sighed in defeat and said ‘Alright, I’ll spill.’ She took a few steps forward, turned around and faced them. ‘When I first got here, apparently he had a crush on me.’ said Twilight. ‘Really?’ said human Twilight ‘Since when?’ ‘Since before the Fall Formal.’ said Twilight. ‘Wow,’ said Sunset ‘That’s…a long time.’ ‘When I came back, he was there.’ said Twilight ‘He even offered to show me around. At first I was a bit reluctant at first. But after getting to know him, traveling together, and seeing how well he was bonding with the others, I came to respect him, admire him even.’ She then blushed and curled her hair a bit ‘And…he’s also kind of cute and really sweet. Even the k…’ Twilight instantly covered her mouth in embarrassment, much to Sunset’s surprise. ‘Whoa, he kissed you?’ said Sunset. ‘He said he found it easier to help transfer as much human knowledge as he could so that I could learn how to fit in better.’ said Twilight, but she ended up blushing again with a smile and looked down ‘But I think…he really liked the kiss. And…I did too.’ ‘Whoa,’ said human Twilight ‘that’s…wow.’ ‘I’ll say.’ said Spike before turning to Princess Twilight ‘From what Sunset told me, you had a huge crush on Flash Sentry, but you never stuck around long enough to be with him. But from what we’ve been hearing…sounds like he’s the first guy you ever liked, fell head over heels even. And from the mention about you two kissing, you didn’t resist. So from what I’m guessing…I think you really do like him.’ Twilight blushed a bit at first, but she still kept her smile. ‘I think…’ said Twilight as she did her best to keep herself straight ‘I really do like him.’ Spike then looked to his left and said ‘Hey look, is Invictus surfing?’ The girls looked at the direction Spike was pointing, and sure enough, he really was. They saw how he enjoyed the waves, riding it calmly and having fun in the process too. The girls looked in awe the way he was having fun, for he looked carefree and he looked like he was having a great time. Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the sight, for in a way, they were right, she really does like him. No, she loves him. Sunset and human Twilight also smiled when they saw him having fun. However, unknown to them, the two of their geodes were slowly beginning to glow, meaning it was far from over. Later that night, Twilight and Invictus walked back to their rented beach house. Twilight rubbed her arms a bit as she felt a slight bit chilly. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight ‘I never figured that it would get cold at night, especially when I’m in human form.’ ‘It’s warm during the day, but chilly at night,’ said Invictus ‘That’s why they have special type of bonfires to help them with their usual luaus.’ Twilight stopped in front of the house and looked at Invictus whilst she said ‘Thanks again for the outing Invictus. It was really wonderful.’ ‘Thanks Twilight.’ said Invictus. Twilight placed her hand on his right shoulder and said ‘And don’t worry, we’ll find a way to help you fix things between you and Rainbow Dash.’ Invictus managed a smile and said ‘Thanks Twilight.’ ‘Where should we all try to meet?’ asked Twilight. Invictus thought about it and said ‘Well, Neighagra Falls happens to be on the outskirts of Manehattan. We’ll have to start there.’ ‘Good.’ said Twilight before she planted a kiss on Invictus’ cheek, then she smiled and said ‘It’ll work out in the end. You’ll see.’ She walked back inside and closed the door. Invictus couldn’t help but smile as he placed both his hands behind his back. When all of a sudden, he suddenly received a text. When he looked at it, he was surprised that Sunset had his number. Then again, she must have asked the others, considering that they still talk to him every now and then. From Sunset’s text, she said that she and Twilight wanted to see him. He widened his eyes, for he remembered what happened between him and the few others, he was afraid to find out what both a former bad girl and a science prodigy have in mind. He texted them back, and asked if human Twilight’s parents are around. They responded with a no, for they were busy with an outing of their own and they won’t be back till tomorrow. He swallowed and braved himself, then walked straight towards the house they rented. Surprisingly, it was big. He walked towards the door, took a deep breath and knocked onto the door. ‘Come in.’ said a pair of two alluring voices that somehow sounded very attractive. Now he was really nervous. He really didn’t know what he was going to expect. But the moment he opened the door, there was nobody inside, until a familiar voice said ‘Sit down on the bed please.’ Invictus did what the voice asked and sat down onto the bed. He didn’t know what to expect, but he knew whatever they had planned, was going to be crazy. But the moment the lights went on, his eyes nearly went wide as dinner plates, for his eyes were deceiving him for what they had planned. Sunset and human Twilight, were making out with one another, whilst stroking their hands onto each other’s bodies, whilst they were wearing belly dancing outfits. This nearly made his bulge bigger, for what they had planned and what they were doing were just beyond crazy. However, he noticed that Sunset’s posterior was a little bigger. He remembered when he visited the other Equestria, for some reason, the mares had quite attractive posteriors, but the humans on his world were just average and alluring in their own way. He realized that if any Equestrian Mares go through the portals, their posteriors would be more alluring, kind of like Twilight’s. After they were done kissing, the two of them looked at Invictus with alluring smiles, with human Twilight saying ‘Enjoying the show, are we?’ ‘I uh…I…uh…’ was all he could say, for what those two did just now, and the fact that they were wearing belly dancing outfits, that’s enough to make any guy fall head over heels for them. Both girls began to giggle, as Sunset finally said ‘We’ll take that as a yes.’ ‘So…are you ready to enjoy the show?’ asked human Twilight. Invictus just rapidly nodded, for he had no words to counter this. They instantly walked over and turned on the stereo to play, which was perfect for belly dancing. The two girls slowly moved their hips in motion, swaying and moving that could hypnotize anybody. They shook their shoulders as their breasts were bouncing in ways that could set anyone off, even with the masks they had now over their faces made it even more alluring. ‘Where did you girls uh…’ responded Invictus before he gulped loudly and said ‘Learn those moves?’ ‘Oh, do you like it?’ said human Twilight before she twirled around as she was shaking her posterior, which revealed she was wearing a G-string ‘We learned this from a book that showcased the Arabian Style of belly dancing. We figured you might enjoy it.’ Sunset did the same routine, which Invictus could hardly look away from her ass as she said ‘Well, do you enjoy this Invictus?’ ‘Oh, uh…’ he responded with a red face, then said ‘Yes I do.’ The way they moved their bodies suddenly kept turning Invictus on, for the way they danced, was breath taking, especially when they bent forward and backward, showing every part of their body as they danced. Never has he seen anything so spectacular. When Sunset approached Invictus, she said ‘You can touch it if you want Invictus.’ At first he wanted to touch her belly because it looked amazing, however, he did a bold move. He reached his hands out and held onto her butt, nearly making her yelp. At the same time, he pulled her closer and kissed her a few times onto her belly, making her face red, but also moaned a bit. He kissed her belly a few times whilst massaging her butt. Sunset squirmed a bit but she enjoyed the feeling. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus as he smirked after the kissing ‘I had no idea the former bad girl had this big of a weakness.’ ‘Oh, hush y…’ said Sunset before Invictus automatically stood up and kissed her, making her eyes go wide, but also moaned in pleasure. After he broke the kiss, he looked at human Twilight and asked ‘Would you like the same treatment?’ Human Twilight was a bit nervous at first, but she moved forward using her hips. She then playfully pushed Invictus, causing him to sit down, and human Twilight sat on his lap with both her legs opened, allowing her to grab his head and placed it against her chest. As she held him close, Invictus placed a few kisses on it, making human Twilight shudder and moan, for she somehow enjoyed his lift against her chest. He was able to lift himself from her chest as he looked directly in her eyes. He out of instinct removed her glasses and placed it on the table. Though she could barely see without them, she was able to see his face clearly, which made her smirk a bit as she planted her lips on his, with Invictus placing both his hands on human Twilight’s posterior. And just like that, her hips moved, which made Invictus’ crotch warm and made his erection known. She felt it below her flower, making human Twilight moan more, for she somehow enjoyed it more and more. If Invictus didn’t know any better, she was getting turned on herself. He broke the kiss and said with a smirk ‘If I didn’t know any better, I think you’re really getting turned on from this.’ Human Twilight ended up blushing bright red as she felt embarrassed about this. As she slowly stood up, both her and Sunset could see the bulge in his pants, causing the two of them to smirk as they looked at it. ‘My, my. Looks like someone is eager.’ said Sunset as she placed both her hands on her hips. ‘It would seem so.’ said human Twilight as she suddenly undid her hair, releasing it from her ponytail. ‘So uh…’ said Invictus, wanting to know how they were going to do next. Human Twilight suddenly used her magic to undo his pants, making his eyes widen, for he didn’t know she could use her power to do that. Now things were getting interesting. ‘Wow, you two really are eager for some action, huh?’ said Invictus with his cocky smile ‘Getting turned on already.’ From out of nowhere, Invictus was suddenly engulfed in magic and was placed on the center, whilst he was tied up in the bed, literally, taking him by surprise. ‘Whoa, now who’s eager.’ said Invictus. Sunset and human Twilight walked from both sides and slowly reached for the back of their bras and unclipped them. They slowly allowed them to come off, allowing their breasts to be revealed. Invictus was quite impressed by what he was seeing. ‘Okay, now that’s hot.’ he responded. The two girls giggled by his compliment as they both said ‘Why thank you.’ ‘But seeing that you’re in this position…’ said Sunset. ‘We can get started with this maneuver.’ said human Twilight. The two of them crawled towards the bed and were sure enough close to his crotch. They both took their breasts and wrapped them around his manhood. They continued to stroke his manhood in a slow manner. Invictus couldn’t control himself as he began to moan from their gentle touch. He continued to squirm, but he kept on loving every minute of their touch. ‘Holy…how come you guys never thought about doing this to your boyfriends before?’ said Invictus in bliss. ‘Oh, I just wasn’t ready yet.’ said human Twilight. ‘And Flash broke up with me before I even had the chance to do this.’ said Sunset. The two of them moved their bodies close as they covered his shaft more, which caused the climax within Invictus to build up. ‘Holy…girls…I think…I think I’m gonna…’ said Invictus as he was too much in bliss, for there was something about them that he just couldn’t stop being attracted to. Within mere moments, he began to cum, causing both Sunset and human Twilight to be covered in it on both their faces and breasts. They then began to separate and licked the cum from their faces. ‘Wow,’ said human Twilight ‘You really know your stuff.’ ‘I’ll say.’ said Sunset ‘You really know how to get pent up about it.’ Invictus ended up finding a way to get the binds from both his hands lose. And because of the position they were sitting, his hands had the perfect targets. He moved his fingers towards both their delicate flowers, allowing him to stroke both of them with his fingers, taking the two by surprise as they felt like they just had a jolt of electricity coursing through their veins. ‘Now it’s my turn.’ said Invictus with a smirk. He used his magic to remove the rest of their outfits, leaving them both naked. And due to the fact that both of them never realized how he had Equestrian Magic, the looks on their faces and the bliss they received made their sense of thinking feel like mush. Invictus continued to stroke them faster, making them breathe heavier. Seeing that the two of them were now distracted, Invictus ended up pushing them over, making them fall flat on their backs as Invictus hovered over them. ‘Let’s see how you feel about this?’ he said with his own smirk. He then grasped on Sunset’s breast, as well as human Twilight’s. He pinched on their nipples and fondled with them, making them squirm and enjoy things in delight. ‘Wow, this feels amazing.’ said human Twilight. ‘Why didn’t I think to make you my boyfriend in the first place.’ said Sunset in her ecstasy reaction. ‘Cause you were starting to get power hungry.’ said Invictus. ‘Good point.’ said Sunset, seeing that she couldn’t disagree with him. Invictus continued to finger bang them, causing them to squirm and move their hips in delight, making them moan and squirm and make them all go crazy. ‘Are you having fun?’ said Invictus with his smirk. ‘Y-yes.’ said both of the girls at the same time, which caused Invictus to go faster with his fingers in their clits as they enjoyed it so much. Invictus continued to rub their clits faster and kept finger banging them with his fingers. ‘Oh sweet Celestia!!!’ shouted Sunset. ‘We’re going to cum!!’ shouted human Twilight. And within mere moments, both of the girls cummed in his hands, making them scream in ecstasy as well as covering his hands with their cum. After they were done panting, they sat up, took his hands and licked their fingers to taste their own juices. ‘So…which one of you wants to go first?’ said Invictus. ‘Twilight.’ said Sunset as she pointed at her ‘I have a feeling that she wanted to do something like this for a long time.’ ‘Before I do anything, did any of you take birth control.’ asked Invictus. Human Twilight snorted and said ‘Of course we did silly. It’s the first thing we took before you sat down onto the bed.’ ‘So uh…’ said Invictus as he sat up ‘How do you wanna proceed?’ ‘Well,’ said human Twilight ‘I always wanted to do this doggy style.’ ‘Just don’t let Spike hear you say that,’ said Sunset with a smirk ‘Otherwise he’d find it insulting.’ Human Twilight snorted and said ‘Oh please, he’s still a puppy. He’s still too young to know these things.’ Invictus stood his knees and said ‘If you’re sure,’ said Invictus ‘But I have to warn you, it will be painful for your first time.’ ‘I’ll try to bear with it.’ said human Twilight. Soon she stood on all fours as she crawled towards the pillows, whilst Invictus positioned himself near her after he removed his shirt. ‘You ready?’ asked Invictus. ‘Just put it in me.’ said Human Twilight, and from the sound of it, she was getting impatient. Sure enough, Invictus slowly placed his manhood inside human Twilight’s delicate flower, making her bit her lip whilst holding her eyes shut. When all of a sudden, she blurted ‘My, what a big penis you have.’ There was a sudden silence in the air, causing Sunset and Invictus to look at one another, causing the two of them to snort and laugh out loud. ‘Oh boy,’ said Sunset ‘She did not just say that.’ Human Twilight felt really flustered and said ‘Will you just plough me already?!’ Not wanting to disobey a lady, Invictus began to thrust her slowly. Human Twilight grunted a few times whilst she grasped onto the blanket, for she never realized he felt so big before. ‘Holy crap is she tight.’ said Invictus within his thoughts, for he wasn’t kidding, she was really tight for someone who never had sex before. ‘Oh boy.’ said human Twilight as she tried to contain herself. ‘Hmm,’ said Sunset as she looked eagerly ‘I can’t wait to have my turn.’ ‘Oh boy.’ said human Twilight quickly as Invictus continued to work her, trying to let her get him there as well. She felt amazing, which made him think of what Princess Twilight would feel like. Invictus could barely believe how tight human Twilight felt, and the extra moisture present inside her made her glide along him like a well oiled machine, maybe she could get him there sooner than her, before he had to put her through too much more. Or maybe not, for he saw that her geode, as well as her body, was glowing brighter, as well as he. Sunset didn’t notice, considering she felt flustered seeing them go all out. ‘Oh boy…oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!’ squealed human Twilight faster and faster, with her tone getting higher each time she repeated it. No longer being able to hold it, the two of them climaxed, allowing both to squirt out the love. After a few pumps, Invictus pulled out and sat on his rump, with human Twilight on the other hand collapsed onto the bed with a blissful sigh whilst the glowing between them had faded. Invictus panted for a few moments, then he looked at Sunset and said ‘Don’t worry, after a few breathers…you’ll be next.’ ‘Oh, don’t worry.’ said Sunset as she kissed his forehead ‘I look forward to it.’ However, instead of acting out of instinct, Invictus’ face suddenly began to soften as he looked at her. He reached his hand out to her and stroked her hair. Sunset was suddenly surprised by this motion, especially since he cupped the side of her face. He slowly leaned in and softly placed his lips on her, much to Sunset’s surprise. However, she too felt different. Instead of going on all out like he did to human Twilight, his lips were gently placed on hers, especially the slow kiss they were having with one another. Sunset’s face suddenly began to soften too as she closed her eyes. Sunset was soon on top of Invictus as she wrapped her arms around Invictus’ neck whilst Invictus had his arms wrapped around Sunset’s. Through their kisses, Sunset moaned through every bit of them, whilst Invictus began to stroke Sunset’s back whilst he was slowly sitting up, giving Sunset to do the same. Invictus stroked Sunset’s back until his hand reached straight towards her posterior, allowing him to give a gentle squeeze, making her moan a little louder. They broke the kiss, allowing them to look at one another, with their own soft smiles. ‘Wow,’ said Sunset ‘Who’d thunk that you would be so gentle.’ ‘Same with you.’ said Invictus ‘But if you want, do you want to make this more fun as ponies?’ Before Sunset could say anything, Invictus used his magic to turn them into ponies. She was a little surprised by this action, with her saying ‘Wow, you really do have Equestrian magic.’ However, the more Invictus kept staring at her, the more he smiled, with him saying ‘You know, I know we had our differences back then, but looking now, I can see you’ve changed. And I just want you to know, as a pony or a human, you’re still pretty amazing.’ Sunset’s expression continued to soften, even her smile. She slowly leaned in and kissed him once more. Invictus’ hooves began to stroke Sunset’s back once more, as well as her flank. ‘Damn, no matter what form,’ said Invictus as he looked at her again ‘You still have an amazing flank.’ Sunset began to feel flustered whilst her face went red, but right before she could react, Invictus quickly reached for her horn and began to kiss on it a few times, making her yelp. Then he did the unexpected, he licked her horn, causing her to squirm and moan a bit, as well as biting her lower lip. After a few more licks, her horn began to shoot sparkles, which made her giggle. ‘You really are full of surprises, aren’t you?’ said Sunset. ‘That’s what they tell me.’ said Invictus. He used his magic to turn them back into humans, with Sunset still sitting on him, with him saying ‘Shall we continue Sunset?’ ‘Oh, my pleasure.’ said Sunset as she leaned in and continued with the kiss. They weren’t worried about human Twilight, for she was fast asleep after the whole rough package she had been experiencing. Once more, Sunset was on top of him, their lips still synced and their eyes closed whilst their hearts were somehow swelling. Sunset’s legs were slowly twirling in the air whilst Invictus’ hands were stroking her body from her sides to her hips, which she moaned through her mouth. Invictus flipped Sunset over, allowing her to be on her back as he was on top of her. But somehow, she didn’t looked surprised, for she somehow expected this to happen. Invictus slowly placed his member inside of her, causing her to nearly squirm in pain, but she somehow enjoyed it the more he was inside of her. Sure enough, he slowly began to thrust inside her, making her sigh in bliss. With his continued thrusts, Invictus placed his right hand on top of her left breast, making her moan and placed her hand on top of his. ‘You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?’ said Sunset with her smirk. ‘I’d say the same thing to you.’ answered Invictus with his own smirk. ‘Okay, fair enough.’ said a giggling Sunset. Sure enough, Invictus began to pick up speed, with Sunset moaning loudly as he still held onto her close. ‘Wait,’ said Sunset, making Invictus stop, then smiled softly as she said ‘I want to be on top.’ ‘With pleasure.’ said Invictus. Slowly but surely, Invictus had flipped her over, allowing her to be on top. Sunset stared down with a smirk on her face, but her hair was also messy and her face looked sweaty. Invictus held onto her hands as the two began to smile. Sure enough, Sunset moved her hips back and forth slowly, making her moan, for she was really beginning to enjoy this. Invictus reached his hands out to her breasts and had a firm grip on them, making her moan as she leaned her head backwards. ‘My,’ said Sunset whilst she looked at Invictus ‘You really aren’t shy to be bold enough to do this, are you?’ ‘Eh, being shy is more like Fluttershy’s style.’ said Invictus ‘Besides, you being on top of me whilst moving your hips like that is really hot.’ Sunset’s face became red, feeling both flustered and embarrassed at the same time, but she kept her smile. She then gently took his and placed them on her posterior. ‘I really liked your special touch to them.’ said Sunset. ‘I was wondering if you liked them.’ said Invictus ‘So…shall we continue?’ Sure enough, Sunset began to move her hips, humping him from slow to medium. ‘Oh my…hmm…Aah…’ said Sunset in partial ecstasy. As Sunset began to pick up the pace and Invictus firmly but gently gripped her ass, Sunset’s geode slowly began to glow, as did Invictus’ body. Their bodies began to glow brighter and brighter whilst Sunset picked up the pace. And just like that, Invictus sat up and held her close as the two of them began to moan loudly. But just before the two of them could scream, both locked their lips to muffle their screams. And from right outside, the glow was so bright, it would be mistaken for a spotlight. Later the next morning, Invictus began to wake up whilst he was feeling groggy, for he felt like he had just spent a ton of energy doing work. He found himself under a blanket, but was really caught his attention, were both Sunset and human Twilight, both with wide smiles and they were both clinging onto him. ‘Wow,’ muttered Invictus to himself ‘Now I know how a rock star feels. But then again rock stars don’t carry half Equestrian blood, can do magic and just had sex with five human girls and one from Equestria. My life really is getting stranger by the day.’ The two said girls were slowly waking up. They reluctantly got up whilst they yawned and stretched their arms. ‘Morning ladies.’ said Invictus. The two of them yelped and used their part of the blankets to cover themselves. ‘Did we…just do what I think we did?’ said Twilight. ‘Well yeah, don’t you two remember?’ said Invictus. ‘Not really,’ said Sunset ‘Everything was a bit fuzzy the moment when we started to go all the way.’ ‘Same here.’ said Invictus as he also sat up. ‘We’d better get dressed, we don’t want to keep Princess Twilight waiting. And uh…I don’t wanna get in trouble with Twilight’s parents.’ Human Twilight perked up about that, which surprised her, but also groaned a bit once she put her glasses on. However, Invictus couldn’t help but stare at their backs. They looked amazing, allowing him to gently stroke them with his fingers. It sent some chills up their spines, but they couldn’t help but smirk and look at him. ‘You two were amazing, you know that?’ said Invictus. ‘Same goes for you.’ said human Twilight as she gently flicked his head with a giggle. ‘Come on,’ said Sunset as she got up ‘Or Princess Twilight’s going to wonder where we are.’ Later in the morning, after they got dressed and were thankful that Twilight didn’t suspect anything. Once they had breakfast, they began to pack their things before they left, with Twilight talking to both her counterpart and Sunset. ‘Thank you two so much for the great time.’ said Twilight. ‘No problem,’ said human Twilight after she adjusted her glasses ‘Even if it was short, I enjoyed our little reading session.’ ‘Of course you would.’ said Spike whilst rolling his eyes, then focused on Twilight ‘Shame you didn’t bring my counterpart, would’ve been nice to chat with another me.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he began to retort ‘And you both would probably say how both of you are really good looking.’ This caused some laughter with the girls, with Spike partially pouting. Twilight hugged both her counterpart and Sunset, saying ‘I hope to see you guys soon before your summer break ends.’ ‘Don’t worry, you will.’ said Sunset once they broke the hug. Twilight climbed into their RV, whilst Invictus wanted to greet them. ‘Thanks for keeping us company during the trip.’ said Invictus. ‘Hey, she’s our friend, of course we wanted to spend some time with you guys.’ said Sunset. Invictus smiled at that. He then thought about something, and looked at them ‘Can I say something to you two?’ They wondered what he meant, but he gestured him to speak. ‘I know you two struggled to move on with your lives ever since what the Equestrian Magic did to you two,’ said Invictus. They partially winced at that, but they allowed him to continue ‘Yet from what I have seen, you two have done amazing things for others around you. Proving that you two have grown for the better. And know that no matter what, your friends always have your back. And I just want you guys to know, that no matter who you two are, whether a pony, human or any other. You two still are amazing.’ Both Sunset and human Twilight couldn’t help but smile as his kind words, even hugged him as he returned it. ‘Not to mention,’ said Invictus as he smirked ‘The fact you two were making out whilst wearing those belly dancing outfits are kinda hot.’ Both girls were surprised as they blushed bright red. They ended up breaking the hug and playfully slapped his shoulder. ‘Just get going you.’ said human Twilight. Invictus chuckled and said ‘See you two soon.’ Invictus boarded the RV and drove off, with Twilight waving her two friends, with them returning the wave. After they were done, a bus suddenly pulled up, which was none other than the Rainboom tour bus. ‘Here’s Pinkie!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie as she popped out of the window. ‘Sorry we’re late y’all.’ said Applejack as she poked her head out. ‘You would not believe how dreadful traffic was all the way from the road we took.’ said Rarity. ‘But it was worth coming here.’ said Fluttershy. ‘We’re glad you guys can make it.’ said human Twilight. ‘So you know the plan?’ asked Sunset. ‘We do darling,’ said Rarity as she and the others climbed out of the bus ‘That is if Princess Twilight’s aboard on this too?’ ‘She is,’ said human Twilight ‘We asked her to distract him this morning whilst we were having breakfast.’ ‘So where are they going next?’ said Fluttershy. ‘To a lookout point near Neighagra Falls.’ said Sunset Shimmer ‘Manehattan just so happens to be nearby. And from what Rainbow Dash blogged, she and her team will be there soon.’ ‘Then we know the plan.’ said human Twilight. ‘Agreed.’ said Rarity ‘This simply cannot go on much further.’ ‘Then let’s go.’ said human Twilight ‘I already told my parents, so they’ll meet us at Manehattan once we regroup with Rainbow Dash.’ ‘Sounds like a plan.’ said Pinkie Pie. Sure enough, they all boarded their bus, allowing them to drive after Invictus and Twilight, for now they were on a mission, to fix both Invictus and Rainbow Dash’s friendship. > Chapter 9: The apologetic Rescue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After their trip to Silver Shoals, Invictus and Twilight continued with their drive towards Neighagra falls, hoping to see the famed waterfall and what Twilight wanted to experience. However, as the Princess of Friendship, she secretly asked the Rainbooms, minus Rainbow Dash, that she had to find a way to fix both her and Invictus’ friendship. She remembered her time with Moondancer and it nearly didn’t end well. If it weren't for Pinkie and her Canterlot friends, Moondancer would’ve remained the way she was forever. She didn’t like seeing Invictus like this, and from what Fluttershy guessed, Rainbow was upset about something but she didn’t know what, only for a fact that she didn’t want to talk about it. She knew she had to do something. She somewhat helped fixed his friendship between him and Fluttershy, and helped him become friends with Sunset and human Twilight. She was just glad that his friendship with Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack was still remaining strong. ‘Hey, something on your mind?’ asked Invictus. ‘Oh, sorry.’ said Twilight as she sat upright ‘Just lost in thought.’ ‘Understandable.’ said Invictus ‘We all have our moments when we’re deep in thought. Anything in particular?’ ‘Oh, uh…’ said Twilight, thinking about what to say to cover herself before she gave herself away ‘Been thinking about the places we’ve been. I’ve been to Appaloosa and White Tail forest back in my world, but here it’s very different, but there were somewhat similarities. But I’ve never been to Apple Wood, Las Pegasus or Silver Shoals back in Equestria.’ ‘Well then there’s something to look forward to.’ said Invictus ‘When you get back to Equestria, you should consider taking a break from the norm. Something you’d like to do with your friends.’ Twilight giggled at the thought ‘Knowing them they’d probably have more fun than Anypony else out there.’ ‘But every now and then, you should learn to take a timeout for yourself every now and then. Even when you don’t obey an order from Princess Celestia.’ ‘Hey,’ said Twilight as she retorted ‘I obey her orders.’ He then smirked playfully and looked at her ‘Did you obey her when she told you to make friends instead of hanging out in your dorm studying your books?’ She was about to say something, but she widened her eyes, remembering that day. She sheepishly giggled whilst twirling her hair as she said ‘Point taken.’ ‘Oh look, straight ahead.’ said Invictus as he pointed out ‘We should be at the lookout soon.’ They pulled up and found a proper parking place. Thankfully it was just them, cause people rarely park there just to take in the sights, even Twilight liked the sights whilst Invictus took some pictures for her. Once he was done, he placed his camera back in the RV, whilst also pulling sandwiches for the two of them. As they ate, Twilight couldn’t help but watch the view. ‘I’ll never get enough of this place.’ said Twilight. ‘Glad you like it.’ said Invictus as he enjoyed the sights. Sitting next to her, it made him feel more relaxed. However, he wanted to take the next step. He slowly reached for her hand so that he could hold it. That was, until the two of them heard the sound of a bus horn go off, making them look behind them, it appeared to be a tour bus of sorts. They didn’t know what it was, until a familiar face popped out. ‘Here’s Pinkie!!!’ shouted the familiar party girl. ‘Pinkie?!!’ shouted Invictus as he was shocked to see her. But they weren't the only ones, for the moment the bus stopped, it wasn’t just Pinkie Pie. For aboard, was also Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Sunset Shimmer and human Twilight. ‘Whoa, what are you girls doing here?’ said Invictus stood up. ‘Actually,’ said Twilight as she stood up with her arms crossed and walked to the others. But instead of looking grumpy, she gently looked at Invictus ‘I invited them over.’ Invictus was surprised about this, but wondered what this is all about. ‘I asked them to come over because we’re really worried.’ said Twilight. ‘Worried?’ asked Invictus. ‘About you and Rainbow.’ said Applejack. Invictus was a little surprised about this, for was this what this was all about? ‘Invictus, darling.’ said Rarity ‘Normally we wouldn’t do this, but…’ ‘We just can’t stand to see you so unhappy anymore.’ said Pinkie. ‘And from what we’ve seen, it’s not been very healthy for you.’ said human Twilight. ‘And I know what it means to be lonely. And I could tell that you really miss her.’ said Sunset. Fluttershy walked over to Invictus and placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘Invictus,’ said Fluttershy ‘We both know how much you care about Rainbow. You even cared about me since we met. I know how much we both meant to you. And I’ll admit, I wasn’t fair with you after my brother was arrested, but what I saw in Rainbow. It was as if a piece of her died. She hides it, but I can tell she was miserable. If you want things to be better. Then please…tell us what happened.’ Invictus looked at Fluttershy, then the others, even Twilight. He let out a sigh, for they have to know sooner or later. ‘Alright, I’ll tell you. But I think it would be better if I showed you. Even how our friendship began and…ended.’ Invictus turned around and used his magic and engulfed them, making them close their eyes. But as they opened their eyes shortly, they were suddenly at a type of bridge, which was over a waterfall. ‘Where are we?’ asked Twilight. ‘You’re here at my past.’ said Invictus, gaining their attention as they looked at him ‘Figured that all of you would see it for yourself, rather than explaining it.’ They heard the sound of a boy giggling. When they looked ahead, they saw a five year old boy, singing and skipping at the same time. ‘That would be me when I was little.’ said Invictus. ‘Awww.’ said the girls when they saw how adorable he looked. ‘You’re so cute.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Yeah, cute,’ said Invictus as he pointed out ‘And very clumsy.’ As he skipped, the young boy suddenly tripped on a loose board, lost his balance and ended up nearly falling over the edge, shocking the girls in the process. They saw young Invictus hanging on for dear life, scared when he saw how high he was. ‘Nobody was around to see me hanging for dear life.’ said Invictus ‘My parents couldn’t hear me because of the raging waterfall.’ ‘Help!!’ shouted young Invictus ‘Somebody help!!!’ The young boy began to slip, not being able to hold on any longer, with Invictus saying ‘I should’ve fallen. If it hadn’t been for her.’ Just as young Invictus was about to fall, a hand suddenly grabbed him, making the boy look up. And there she was, none other than Rainbow Dash, when she was only a few days younger than him, whilst she shouted ‘Don’t worry!! I got you!!’ She struggled with all her might, but she eventually pulled him up to safety. She then placed him next to her, whilst the two of them were panting out of fright. She suddenly sat up and punched him at the shoulder. ‘You dweeb.’ said the young Rainbow Dash ‘You could’ve gotten hurt. What would happen if…’ She was suddenly engulfed by a hug from young Invictus, which surprised her. They saw the young boy was shedding tears. He then said ‘Thank you. Thank you.’ Rainbow felt a bit embarrassed at first, but she patted on his back a few times after she hugged him too. ‘Uh…sure. No problem.’ The girls were surprised by what they witnessed, with Applejack looking at him surprised and said ‘She saved yer life.’ ‘So this is why…?’ asked Rarity. ‘Yeah.’ said Invictus. He fast forward to the part where after the parents were grateful that they saved Invictus’ life. As they were sitting at the picnic area, Rainbow and Invictus’ parents were busy talking to one another, young Rainbow Dash and young Invictus were busy eating their hotdogs whilst watching the beauty of the place. ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said young Invictus. ‘Meh, it’s okay.’ said young Rainbow, which caused some to roll their eyes, for even when she was younger, she was quite the same as she was. ‘Oh, come on, don’t be like that.’ said the young Invictus ‘You can’t deny how pretty this place is. As a matter of fact, they’re as pretty as your hair.’ She blushed bright red. They expected him to say be quiet, until he said ‘It’s a compliment. Don’t tell me no one’s complimented you before?’ ‘No but…’ said young Rainbow. She looked around, then back to Invictus and said ‘Can you promise not to tell anyone?’ Young Invictus nodded, agreeing with her. She took a deep breath and said ‘Some folks keep calling me skittles.’ ‘Really?’ he asked ‘Why?’ ‘They wouldn’t stop teasing me about my hair resembling to skittles.’ she said ‘They even took a packet of skittles, glued the little pieces and glued them on my hair whilst I was taking a nap. And ever since then, everybody would keep teasing me and kept calling me skittles. They even tried to shave and eat my hair.’ The girls gasped in shock upon hearing that. Applejack looked at Fluttershy and asked ‘Is this why…?’, with Fluttershy nodding yes. ‘Oh dear,’ said Rarity ‘No wonder she doesn’t like that nickname.’ Young Invictus was surprised by this. He then couldn’t help but smile, pulled her into a hug and said ‘Well you don’t have to worry. I’m not gonna call you that, nor am I gonna do that to you. And listen. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me. I won’t judge you.’ Young Rainbow was surprised by this, but she somehow couldn’t stop smiling and hugged him. She then said ‘Thanks.’ ‘So…’ said Invictus as he thought about it ‘How about Fortem?’ Young Rainbow looked at him puzzled and asked ‘Fortem?’ Young Invictus chuckled and said ‘Don’t worry, it’s a word of affection, not an insult.’ ‘Okay, but what does it mean?’ asked young Rainbow ‘Sorry,’ said young Invictus ‘That’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself.’ ‘Oh come on, that’s not fair.’ she said laughing whilst she shoved young Invictus, which made him laugh too. ‘Rainbow Dash.’ said another voice. They looked behind and coming towards them, was young Fluttershy, which surprised the girls, even Fluttershy, for she could barely remember that day. ‘Oh, hey Fluttershy. Come meet a new friend.’ said Young Rainbow Dash. Young Fluttershy was very shy, especially to a boy. ‘This is my favorite memory.’ said Fluttershy as they all watched. At the same time, young Invictus walked up to her and gave her a flower, as a way of saying he wants to be her friend. Shyly, young Fluttershy accepted the flower whilst she smiled, and still maintained her blush. He offered his hand, which she shyly accepted, making the two walk over back to Dash, whilst they sat down and spoke to one another. ‘Wow,’ said Applejack ‘That really is adorable.’ Then they showed a handful of years that went by, and Young Invictus would spend so much time with Young Rainbow and Young Fluttershy, and they had such laughs at the park, even their favorite café whilst they were eating their favorite cake and milkshake. Then suddenly, they saw Invictus offered Rainbow a pie. She accepted it and ate it, and had the most cutest face when she enjoyed it, which surprised everyone. ‘WHAT?!!!’ exclaimed Pinkie Pie ‘But…but Rainbow hates Pie?!! How could she love it when she was little and hate it all of a sudden?!!’ ‘Just keep watching.’ said Invictus, for it would make sense later on. Young Invictus suddenly pulled out a small box and offered them both. When they opened it, it revealed to be special necklaces that he made for them. They accepted it and hugged him for the gift. They had already begun to put it around their necks so that they could always treasure them, whilst Fluttershy currently held onto it, revealing that she wrapped it around her wrists, whilst she smiled at the same time. Then it showed the one part where he was bullied, when he was wearing glasses, which surprised the others. ‘You used to wear glasses?’ asked human Twilight. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘I’ll tell you later.’ They saw how the bullies were beating him and that they broke his glasses. Then all of a sudden came young Fluttershy. At first they were concerned, but to their shock, she instantly attacked and beat the stuffing out of them, which shocked them greatly. They saw how she slowly helped him up as he was still hurt, but she also had to pick up his broken glasses, which he whimpered a bit. And to their surprise, she kissed him by the cheek, which surprised them when they saw her pull that bold move. One day, before their Freshman Year, the three of them walked passed a park and they saw how the kids were playing soccer. Young Invictus could see that Young Rainbow really wants to play, which he offered to be his training buddy. They played plenty of soccer, which Young Rainbow got really good at. Then came the one thing that approached from what Invictus told them that Rainbow had changed. During the Freshman Fair, they saw that Young Invictus, no longer wearing glasses, wanted to talk to Rainbow. ‘Hey Rainbow,’ said Young Invictus ‘Do you wanna go to the Malt shop later to…’ ‘Oh, sorry Invictus.’ said young Rainbow Dash ‘I’m on my way to join the tryouts for the school’s soccer team. Maybe another time?’ She walked away to audition, whilst Invictus stood there and said ‘Uh, okay…another time then.’ They could see that he was somewhat saddened that Rainbow just left him behind. Just as he turned around, he suddenly bumped into someone. He sat up and rubbed his head, saying ‘Sorry about that, I didn’t see where I was going.’ ‘No, it’s alright.’ said a country gal, which was young Applejack, which surprised the girls, the day they first met. As they stood up, he was a little surprised as he saw her, whilst at the same time, young Applejack placed her hat on. She noticed how he was looking at her, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable. ‘What?’ asked young Applejack. ‘Did,’ said Invictus as he had trouble to speak ‘Anyone tell you that you look really great with or without your hat?’ She blushed a little at first, then smiled and said ‘Aw, that’s mighty sweet of y’all.’ ‘You here with the family?’ asked Invictus. ‘Sure ah’m,’ she responded ‘Mah parents took me here cause it’s mah first year here. They used to come here when they were young, and now ah get to follow their footsteps here.’ ‘That’s great.’ said young Invictus ‘I’m Invictus.’ ‘Ah’m Applejack.’ said young Applejack as she shook his hand. A while after the soccer tryout, Rainbow was practicing her soccer skills, but she was having trouble. Deciding to help her, Invictus walked over and helped her remember the basics. They saw how he was playing with a soccer ball. ‘Wow,’ said Sunset as she watched ‘I didn’t know you were good at soccer.’ ‘It’s a hobby.’ said Invictus. They then saw young Invictus showing her a cool trick. ‘Jump off your kicking foot,’ said Invictus before he jumped in the air and said ‘You’ve got one chance to make it good.’ They saw him perform a bicycle kick, which surprised everyone. Sure enough, young Rainbow began to try the same thing, but with her own flare and awesomeness. When she performed the perfect bicycle kick, she cheered and shouted ‘I did it!! I did it!!’ She hugged young Invictus as she was so happy she could score, with young Invictus smiling, for he really loved her hugs. Then a few months later, he attempted to talk to Rainbow again. ‘Uh, Rainbow,’ asked young Invictus ‘Fluttershy wants us to be at the animal shelter down the street for its grand…’ ‘Oh, sorry,’ she responded ‘Can’t, the hockey team wants me to help them out. Maybe later?’ She then ran off to join the team, leaving him saddened again as he said ‘But…Fluttershy invited both of us.’ Fluttershy was shockened, for he asked Rainbow to come and she just threw it away. ‘She said she was sick that day.’ said Fluttershy, then muttered ‘She lied to me.’ Applejack comforted Fluttershy, for Rainbow to just ditching her like that, as well as Invictus, was a punch to the gut. As he was about to leave, he got jumped by someone by surprise. When he looked up, he saw a girl with poofy pink hair as she said ‘Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie.’ ‘Oh uh, hi.’ said young Invictus, clearly surprised by the certain poofy haired girl. ‘Where are ya going?’ asked young Pinkie Pie. ‘I was on my way to Fluttershy.’ said young Invictus as he was able to stand up ‘She’s at the opening of a new animal shelter. She really wants her friends there cause it means so much to her.’ ‘Amazing.’ said young Pinkie Pie ‘As it turns out, I’m part of the welcoming committee.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yup, I help organize the party. Now come on, or we’re going to be late.’ She grabbed young Invictus as they zipped straight over to the animal shelter. Sure enough, they were at the grand opening and everyone celebrated. As they were looking around, young Fluttershy was petting a rabbit nearby. She noticed Invictus and said ‘Oh, Invictus. I’m so glad you could make it. Wait…where’s Rainbow Dash?’ ‘Oh uh, her mom said she couldn’t make it,’ lied Invictus ‘She said you’ll need to ask her yourself.’ ‘Oh, okay.’ said young Fluttershy, as she suddenly looked sad ‘I would’ve really liked it if she would come.’ Young Invictus hugged young Fluttershy, comforting her. Fluttershy looked at Invictus shocked, he also lied, but she could tell that he really didn’t want to see her hurt. Which made her feel guilty when she broke off his friendship after her brother was sent to Military school. A while later, Young Invictus walked over to Rainbow at a different part of the hall and said ‘Oh, Rainbow, would you like to come after school to…’ ‘Sorry, I can’t.’ said young Rainbow ‘Captain Spitfire wants me to help out with the baseball group. Maybe another time?’ said young Rainbow as she walked away, which saddened young Invictus as he looked down. The others couldn’t believe it as Applejack said ‘Ah can’t believe that Rainbow would just keep brushing ya off like that.’ ‘That’s not the worst part.’ said Invictus. ‘What do you mean darling?’ asked Rarity. ‘Would you read what it says on the card Pinkie?’ asked Invictus. Pinkie saw his younger self holding a card. She walked over and read ‘You are invited to…’ She gasped out loudly, then looked at him shocked and shouted ‘She ditched you on your own birthday?!!’ The girls gasped in shock, even Twilight was shocked by this. As Invictus walked away, he nearly dropped his card, until a certain someone grabbed it. ‘Excuse me, darling?’ Young Invictus looked behind him and saw young Rarity coming to him. ‘I think you dropped this.’ she said as she offered her the card. ‘You can throw it away,’ said Invictus sadly ‘I don’t want it.’ She wondered what she meant, then she looked at the card and was surprised, then said ‘It’s your birthday today?’ ‘Yeah, not like my best friend didn’t notice.’ said young Invictus. ‘What do you mean?’ asked Rarity. ‘She ditched me on my own birthday.’ Young Rarity gasped and said ‘How could anybody be so uncouth?’ ‘I don’t know.’ said young Invictus. Young Rarity thought about something and said ‘Would you mind if I attended?’ ‘Are you sure?’ asked young Invictus ‘Don’t you have other things to do?’ ‘Darling,’ said young Rarity as she reassured him ‘I may be a lady, but even a lady like myself would never let someone be alone. You deserve to have some company. And a present.’ He was able to show a small smile and said ‘Thanks.’ A while later, young Rarity enjoyed the party, and Invictus also had fun. After that, young Rarity said ‘Thank you again for the party Invictus.’ ‘You’re welcome.’ said young Invictus ‘And hey, if you ever need some help or a favor, I’ll always help you out.’ Young Rarity smiled and said ‘I’d like that.’ She kissed Invictus by the cheek and walked away, with him being surprised. As he watched her leave, he could only smile and said ‘She’s so amazing. She’ll definitely shine like the brightest diamond.’ Rarity and the others were greatly surprised by this, which Rarity blushed, and so did Invictus, considering the cat’s out of the bag now. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at him with red cheeks. A short while fast forwarding, they showed how the Rainbooms were driven apart, which they realized that was the time that Sunset had come along. Invictus was busy digging through his locker, but they noticed he looked cold and had a cruel expression on his face. He told them and said ‘I figured that Sunset was the one who drove all of you apart. Despite you lot knowing one another, I was disgusted with Rainbow that she didn’t even realize that there was a misunderstanding, nor did she want to admit that she made a mistake or anything.’ They then saw Rainbow Dash coming along, complaining. ‘I just can’t believe it,’ she said loudly ‘Applejack blames me for making a liar out of her!! I didn’t do anything, she cancelled on me!! Even after I…’ (In this part, the “Young” will be placed with “Past”, to describe the characters.) ‘Buzz off.’ said past Invictus as he rushed off, which surprised Dash as she didn’t know what he was thinking. They were a bit surprised that he’d act this way, with them realizing, that the more Rainbow kept being away to do what she wanted, she barely made time with her friends, even him. As she walked around the corner, he then bumped into Sunset. Everyone wondered how he responded to her back then, with her not wanting to remember it. ‘Hey!!’ shouted past Sunset as she grabbed him by the shoulder, but he didn’t turn around ‘You bumped into me!!’ ‘So what?’ said past Invictus in his cold tone. They never realized how bad it was with him. ‘So what?!’ said Sunset ‘I’m in charge here and you’d better apologize to me!!’ Invictus turned around and screamed in rage ‘So write a fucking letter!!’ They were surprised by his outburst and his anger, however, human Twilight looked at Sunset and said ‘Were you really like that?’ ‘Unfortunately.’ said Sunset as she crossed her arms and looked down in shame, not wanting to think about her past. Past Sunset merely smirked and said ‘So, a tough guy are you? You may not realize it, but I run this school, and I always get what I want.’ He only smiled back and said ‘That’s where you’re wrong.’ ‘Excuse me?!’ said past Sunset as she was feeling slightly insulted. ‘First of all,’ said past Invictus ‘You’re not in charge, that would be the principle. Second of all, and yet you failed to realize the rules of this world.’ ‘Rules?’ chuckled past Sunset. ‘Yeah,’ he retorted ‘First rule when it comes to life, you can’t always get what you want. If you want something, it takes time and experience. And you work hard for it. You can’t always get shortcuts.’ Before past Sunset could say anything, he got into her face and said ‘But then again I wouldn’t expect you to understand, you’re still a bitter loner, a liar, a cheat and a coward, who only cares about herself.’ He then whispered to her ‘No wonder Princess Celestia ended things and kicked you out years ago.’ Many of them were surprised to hear that he knew Princess Celestia, even Sunset, for she hadn’t been listening well back then, for her anger blocked out everything else. That made past Sunset angry, and she attempted to punch him in the face, only for him to grab her fist, she then smirked and said ‘Your mother must’ve been a really dumb broad for giving birth to an idiot like you.’ That, made him angry, so he ended up grabbing her head and jabbed her hard against the lockers. ‘Now you listen here.’ said past Invictus ‘I don’t care who you are and I don’t care why you’re here. But just because you want something doesn’t mean you have to break friendships apart. The people who become what they become is because they work hard for it, you on the other hand want shortcuts. So I’m warning you, if you ever try to hurt others just to get what you want, I will see to it that you will be put in a box in the ground. And if you don’t…’ He then leaned close to her, and to all their shock, his eyes were blood red and nearly looked like a demon, even Sunset was shocked to see that, as he spoke through a demonic voice ‘Then there will be hell to pay, and I don’t care if you’re Celestia’s daughter!!’ With one swift move, he jabbed her hard against the wall again, knocking her out cold, making her collapse onto the ground. However, as she was on the ground, her butt was still sticking in the air. Past Invictus then smirked and pulled out a phone. ‘I hope you don’t mind if I take a picture for something new.’ said past Invictus, and all of a sudden, he lifted her skirt, allowing him to get a good view as she held out his phone and said ‘Say cheese.’ He then took a picture of it, causing everyone to be shocked by what they saw. They slowly looked at him in shock, whilst he waved his hands and said ‘Don’t ask, it’s a…long story.' He then grumbled 'Is it my fault she has an amazing ass.' However, Sunset heard him, causing her to be surprised and blushed bright red and crossed her arms whilst looking down, feeling more awkward than ever. 'But that’s not the worst part.’ said Invictus as he also blushed. ‘What could be more worse than that?’ asked Applejack, clearly mad at what he did to their friend. ‘My heat kicked in.’ said Invictus. They wondered what he meant, however, Twilight and Sunset immediately picked it up and were shocked by what he revealed. They saw past Invictus biting his bottom lip, and ended up lifting her up and took her to a nearby closet whilst he also took out what appeared to be a condom packet. He quickly closed the door, and within moments, they heard loud moaning, groaning and a ton of screaming, talking them all by shock by what they heard. A few moments later, it died out and Invictus walked out and straightened himself out. ‘Well that was fun.’ said Past Invictus as he walked away, whilst they all saw past Sunset panting with a wide smile as her tongue was still sticking out, but her panties were soaked from that experience. They slowly looked at Invictus in shock, with him admitting ‘In case you wonder, I’m half human, half Equestrian.’ Their eyes, except for Twilight, widened their eyes in shock, with Sunset shouting ‘I knew it!! I knew you had Equestrian magic!!’ ‘Yeah, I do okay.’ said Invictus ‘But the total difference was, I was born with it. Now can I please show you further what happened?’ They wanted to press further on, but they chose to listen. With his magic, he was able to fast forward the whole event, after the Fall Formal, and past Rainbow Dash was busy practicing on her guitar, with past Invictus doing the same, as it appeared they were somewhat patched up. ‘You bought a guitar?’ asked Invictus. ‘You bet.’ said Rainbow ‘I can shred some sweet tunes with this.’ ‘You know,’ said past Invictus ‘Principle Celestia is planning to do a showcase where all of the students will form their own bands and make their own music. You should totally form a band.’ Rainbow perked up and said ‘That’s a great idea!! I can ask my friends to be part of the band!!’ ‘I was thinking you and I could…’ said past Invictus, but she already left as he said ‘Be part…of…’. He then got mad and crushed his guitar, which surprised the girls. ‘Wait,’ said Rarity ‘So you were the one who gave her the idea?’ ‘And she just left you behind in the dust again?’ said Applejack. ‘I can’t believe she didn’t make you part of the band.’ said Fluttershy as she looked at him ‘You two loved to play music together.’ ‘Yeah, used to.’ said Invictus as he crossed his arms. Then it showed a while later, he was about to enter the room, until he heard them practicing. Which sounded pretty good. But as he watched in secret, he noticed that Sunset wasn’t part of it. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said ‘Unbelievable, after everything she did to try and redeem herself, she still doesn’t want her to be part of the band. Some friend she is.’ They were surprised by his thoughts, with Fluttershy admitting ‘Actually, she wasn’t the only one.’ she then looked at Sunset and said ‘Sorry we didn’t make you part of the band the first few months you were trying to redeem yourself Sunset.’ ‘Eh, it’s okay.’ said Sunset ‘I’m over it.’ They saw past Invictus continued watching as he heard Rainbow and the others talk. ‘Who cares,’ said past Rainbow Dash ‘It makes my band totally awesome.’ ‘Your band?’ said past Applejack. ‘Duh,’ said past Rainbow Dash ‘It was my idea to start the Rainbooms, so we could be in the showcase.’ ‘What…?’ said past Invictus, for she suddenly claimed it was her idea, but he was the one who suggested it, which surprised the others. ‘Wait,’ said human Twilight ‘So Rainbow Dash claimed it was her idea when it was Invictus who suggested it to her and she took credit for it?’ ‘Man, she’s really a jerk.’ said Spike as he observed the whole thing. They then saw past Flash in the room as past Rainbow said ‘Uh, we’re getting there. Rarity’s still coming in a little late on the second verse and Applejack’s bass solo could use a little work. They’ll get it together in time for the showcase.’ They saw past Invictus growl in anger as he banged his fist against the wall, leaving a dent, surprising them, but they noticed his eyes had blinked red for a split second, which surprised them. He walked away as he said ‘What a bitch.’ They were shocked what he called her behind her back. Then it showed how he fast forwarded, after Twilight came and went to a sleepover with her friends, with Invictus staying behind at the school, for he wanted to do some alone study time. ‘Well, what do we have here?’ said a familiar voice. They were shocked to see that it was none other than the Dazzlings. He turned around and said ‘Can I help you?’ ‘More like what you could do for us.’ said past Aria Blaze. ‘Let me guess,’ said past Invictus ‘You want me to be your personal slave for your so called world domination whilst eating tacos?’ ‘Oooh,’ said past Sonata Dusk ‘He’s good.’ ‘Go back to sleep Sonata.’ said past Aria. ‘How about you shut the fuck up.’ said past Invictus, which caused Aria to get angry, shown by the red anger in her face. ‘Sorry sweethearts,’ said past Invictus as he crossed his arms and said ‘It didn’t work out for you back in Equestria, and it sure as hell won’t work for you here.’ ‘Oh don’t worry,’ said past Adagio with her smirk ‘We already have a plan in motion, they just won’t see that coming.’ Past Invictus suddenly groaned whilst holding his forehead, making him glow in the process, much to the others’ shock. ‘Uh, what are you…?’ asked Sunset as she looked at Invictus, however, they saw that he was covering his eyes and looking away whilst also feeling embarrassed. ‘Oh,’ said past Invictus as he smirked and looked like he was on fire ‘I got something that you won’t see coming?’ ‘Oh?’ said the Dazzling. Invictus instantly walked over and grabbed Adagio’s butt and pulled him to a strong passionate kiss, taking her by surprise. But soon enough, she melted in the kiss and hugged him, which surprised the Dazzlings, but shocked Twilight and the Rainbooms. ‘Huh,’ said past Aria as she looked with a flexed eyebrow ‘Didn’t see that coming?’ ‘Aw,’ said past Sonata with a pout ‘I want some of that.’ And just like that, past Invictus snapped his fingers, creating two copies of himself, taking the rest of the Dazzlings by surprise, which caused the copies to go over to them and passionately kissed them too, which also took them by surprise as they embraced him too. The sun began to rise the next morning over the school, with past Invictus walking out of the room and readjusting his clothes whilst saying ‘That was fun. We should do it again sometime, when you’re not planning to take over the world that is.’ As he walked away, they saw the Dazzlings were wrapped under a large blanket, still butt naked, and smiling widely, for it was the best experience they ever had. The Rainbooms looked at Invictus in shock as Rarity said ‘You…you just…’ ‘I’m not proud of it.’ said Invictus as he looked at them, but still blushed. They fast forwarded to the part where Invictus could hear the Rainbooms arguing, no thanks to Rainbow for blaming Sunset for the one mistake, which caused him to walk away, but at the same time, he slammed his fist hard against a wall, leaving another hole, whilst walking past Wallflower, but he gave her a flower at the same time, which took her by surprise as she looked at Invictus. He looked back as he gave her a thumbs up and a smile, which she smiled back as she was happy to feel noticed, which surprised the others too. However, later on after Trixie trapped them under the stage, which made him mad at first, but it showed that he was going to open the door to help them, but he suddenly turned it down and walked away, which shocked them, and at the same time, noticed Dragon Spike and Vinyl Scratch was also there. As he walked, Dragon Spike said ‘Wait, aren’t you gonna help?’ ‘Why bother,’ said past Invictus ‘The rainbow haired doofus is in there.’ ‘Wait, Rainbow Dash?’ asked Spike ‘You know her? Is she a friend of yours.’ ‘Former, friend.’ said past Invictus as he stopped and looked at Spike ‘She thinks the whole world revolves around her, she can get herself out.’ ‘But what about the others?’ asked Dragon Spike ‘Don’t you care about them?’ They could see that past Invictus wanted to say something, but he just shed a tear for some reason as he looked down, which took them by surprise. They were silent at first, with dragon Spike wanting to say something, but Vinyl stopped him. They saw the look on her face as she nodded no. ‘Vinyl knew what was going on.’ said Invictus as he told the others ‘She saw how Rainbow kept ditching me and how she kept ignoring me. I figured what was the point, she would just abandon me anyway.’ They continued to look as past Invictus said ‘Spike,’ gaining the dragon dog’s attention ‘I know how much you love Twilight, and that you’re sometimes torn between being her son or her brother.’ Dragon Spike was a little surprised at first, but he looked back and said ‘The way her life is going to be, the life that will soon come for her, she’ll need you now more than ever. She may not always ask for help, nor would she want to. All you can do is be there for her. Help her become who she is meant to be. And it’ll work out. You just have to believe.’ They were surprised of the speech he gave Spike, whilst at the same time, he walked away. Invictus suddenly turned around and didn’t want to look, making them notice. They fast forwarded to the part to where they fought the Dazzlings. They saw how Invictus was looking far away from the whole ordeal, but he looked dizzy for some reason. But when they saw what he was holding, they were shocked. For he was dizzy because he was drunk and he was drinking alcohol. ‘So you’re gonna win again with Rainbows, huh.’ said past Invictus as he scoffed ‘And once again it’s all about fucking her.’ He tossed the bottle away as it got smashed, making him walk away. Fast forward, Trixie was walking away from the stage, when she was suddenly stopped by Invictus. ‘What do you want?’ asked past Trixie ‘Trixie does not have any time for…’ And within an instant, he grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall, taking them all by shock, with past Invictus shouting ‘Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!!’ Past Trixie struggled to breathe as she said ‘What did I do?’ He let her go and said ‘You trapped them in the trap door.’ ‘Well of course I did,’ said past Trixie ‘Trixie and her band was cheated out of…’ ‘They weren't cheated,’ said past Invictus ‘The only reason they joined the battle of the bands because the Dazzlings were going to take over the world.’ ‘So what?’ said past Trixie. ‘They used you Trixie,’ said past Invictus ‘They used you so that they could take the magic for themselves.’ ‘They didn’t deserve to be on stage.’ said past Trixie. ‘And speaking of cheating, how is that any different than what you and the others did on the first round?’ said past Invictus ‘And you trapped them in the trap door, they could’ve died.’ ‘But they didn’t,’ said Trixie ‘And they still didn’t have the flair like Trixie.’ Trixie merely flipped her hair as she was boasting, making the others groan, for it was typical of her. Past Invictus then stood near her as she kept her smirk, but boy was he angry. ‘You know what Trixie? You can act boastful and confident all you want, but to me you’ll always be that scared little girl who peed herself on stage.’ Past Trixie suddenly widened her eyes in shock by what he said, even the others, even though they don’t know why. ‘So congratulations, Pee-pee Lulamoon,’ said past Invictus ‘I hope nearly the world getting destroyed as well as your schoolmates was worth it.’ He walked away in anger whilst still in his drunken state. But as for Trixie, she still kept her look, she then suddenly shed tears and whimpered, as if a past traumatic childhood popped back up. She then threw her instrument away in rage and ran away, crying. Twilight and the others were shocked by what they saw, they even looked at Invictus, but he lowered his head in shame. He fast forwarded to the one part that both he and Sunset dreaded…the events of Anon a miss. They saw the part where Sunset was left crying as her friends left her, which made them cringe at that, but also shocked both Twilight and her human counterpart when they hadn’t realized how much they had hurt her. They saw Invictus was still facing away, but they watched past Invictus watched from the corner. They could see that he felt sorry for Sunset. He picked up his phone and looked through it, and muttered ‘There’s no way she could’ve done it, according to the video, it was posted at one in the morning.’ He then did what surprised them as they looked, he hacked into the website and looked through it. He looked further until he discovered the culprit, which was Apple Bloom’s username. ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’ said Pinkie Pie as she observed it. ‘Why didn’t we ask him sooner?’ said Rarity as she was just as shocked. They then saw that he had managed to convince a few people that Sunset wasn’t the culprit. However, then came the part that Invictus had dreaded the most, so he ended up closing his eyes and shutting his eyes tightly, which made them notice. Then they showed him and Rainbow, talking in the music room. ‘I’m telling you she didn’t do it!!’ shouted past Invictus. ‘You’re taking her side?!!’ shouted past Rainbow Dash. ‘Will you just think about it?!!’ he shouted ‘Why would she do that?!! She’d never do this, after everything she did to prove she’s not that person anymore, you still didn’t believe her?!!’ ‘The video came from her phone!!’ she shouted ‘She’s Anon a miss!!’ ‘No she isn’t, and I got proof!!’ he countered ‘And didn’t you happen to think that there were still a ton of folks who still resented her, she was a bully to everyone, so didn’t you even considered to ask that someone else was involved?!!’ ‘Typical!!’ shouted Rainbow ‘Siding with her after we got humiliated!! Don’t you remember that she drove us apart, or the fact that she wasn’t nice to you!!’ She then turned around with her arms crossed and said ‘And you wonder why we aren’t friends anymore.’ Past Invictus had widened his eyes in shock by what she said. He suddenly got really angry, and remembered of the same thing he told all of them. ‘Oh, oh, this is why we’re not friends anymore?!!!!’ shouted past Invictus as he got really angry ‘Because I made the mistake of wanting to help someone who was framed, I don’t think so!! We’re not friends because your ego kept getting out of hand and you ditched me because I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with, so you pretended to not even know me anymore, until you needed me to help you do your homework for you, because you were too lazy and stupid to do any of them yourself!!!’ Past Rainbow looked at him shocked by the last part of what he said to her as he said sternly through his teeth ‘No wonder you were failing miserably at your grades.’ ‘How dare you!!’ shouted past Rainbow. ‘No, how dare you!!’ shouted past Invictus ‘You think the whole world revolves around you and you failed to even know the people you hurt around you!! I mean during the Battle of the Bands, you didn’t even invite Sunset to be part of your band because you didn’t trust her!! Then you kept ignoring Fluttershy who wanted you to sing her songs but you just kept out flat ignoring her, just like you ignored her when she wanted you to be part of the shelter, or the fact that Sunset saved her life before Gilda had a chance to beat Fluttershy and killed her pet rabbit!!!’ Everyone was shocked when they heard him say that. ‘I thought you two were friends!!’ he shouted ‘Cause not only did you flat out ignore her when she needed you, you complained about her not being brave enough to stand up for herself!! Because if this is how you treated her all these years, it’s no wonder she doesn’t have any confidence in herself, and they call you the loyal one!! Typical Rainbow Dash!! All for the glory and none of the work!!’ ‘Excuse me?!!’ shouted Rainbow ‘I worked my butt off trying to get to where I am today!!’ ‘No, who do you think convinced Coach Spitfire to give you a chance when she turned you down?!! Who did you think convinced every team in CHS to give you a chance when they didn’t trust you?!! That’s right, I did all that!!’ Again her friends were shocked. ‘But then what happened the moment you’re part of the team?!! You abandoned your own friends!!!’ ‘I’d never ditch my friends!!’ she countered. ‘Oh really, like you haven’t been doing for the past year?!!’ past said past Invictus ‘Or the fact that you kept ditching me whenever I wanted us to hang out!! After we became friends I thought we would hang out!!! But sometimes I wonder why I even bother!!’ ‘Yeah, well I do too!!’ shouted past Rainbow as she said the unexpected ‘Maybe I should’ve just dropped you that day, or maybe your dad could’ve taught you not to be so clumsy all the time!!’ From that moment, Past Invictus’ eyes widened in shock, as his whole world began to crumble that day, but none were more shocked than Twilight and the rest of the Rainbooms. They saw past Invictus lowering his head and slowly grasped his fists. ‘So…what you’re saying is…’ said past Invictus, with the sound of his voice nearly breaking, whilst he said ‘You should’ve left me to die that day on the bridge, is that it?’ Past Rainbow was shocked, for she realized too late by what she said. ‘No, I didn’t…’ she tried to rectify. ‘Well then, if that’s how you feel.’ He looked at her, with tears coming down his eyes, angrier than ever. And in a split second, he shouted ‘Then you have NO RIGHT TO WEAR THIS!!!’ He instantly grabbed something from her chest and tossed her hard against her guitar, causing it to break in two, which shocked the girls. Past Rainbow got up and was shocked to see her guitar was broke, but as she looked at him, they saw him holding the necklace he gave her, the one that symbolized their friendship. He took it off his and tossed them onto the ground, then stomped it hard, breaking it, which shocked them all again, even past Rainbow, the very thing that she wore since the day they met. ‘Well then…’ said past Invictus as he looked at her, with tears still coming down his eyes ‘I guess we really are through being friends.’ He began to walk away, until past Rainbow quickly got up and tried to stop him and said ‘Invictus, wait…’ But within a split second, he turned around and punched her in the face, making her collapse onto the ground, even the girls were horrified by what he did. But as Rainbow looked back, whilst holding her cheek, her eyes widened in shock as she saw that he was radiating Equestrian Magic whilst his eyes were red. ‘We. Are. Done.’ said past Invictus. He then turned around and walked straight towards the door. He stopped and looked back and said the unexpected. ‘Some friend you are. You care about your own sporting career than your own friends. Then you can go fuck yourself.’ Now all of them were shocked to hear this, whilst at the same time, he walked away, leaving Rainbow hurt and alone, shocked by what he said. They saw him walking down from different hallways to the next, gripping his fists whilst he was literally steaming angry. He then walked into the gym, where there were tons of sporting equipment lying around. He stood there, and they watched him trembled, breathed heavily, shedding tears. Then finally, his eyes went red, and roared like a banshee. Within mere moments, he grabbed everything and ended up tossing and breaking everything he could get his hands on, horrifying everyone when they saw him tearing up the place whilst he grunted and roared like a monstrous beast, unable to control his anger. They suddenly heard a door opening, and they saw past Sunset, staring in shock as she was no scared out of her mind seeing him like this. A short while later, the entire gym was destroyed from Invictus’ rampage, then walked back outside, wobbly and trembling from his anger. But as he was halfway down the hall, he suddenly leaned against the wall and sat down, curled himself and ended up crying. And from out of nowhere, past Rarity came along and was shocked to see him in this state. She quickly went over to try and comfort him, and the only thing he could do was hug her back. Fast forward again, they saw how it was about two days before Christmas Eve. However, what shocked them, no, horrified them, was when they saw past Invictus standing on the table and tied the noose around his neck whilst it showed he was holding a knife, and his wrists were cut all over and bleeding, and he was also drunk, again. Within a split second, he jumped and hung himself, but also breaking a glass bottle. This caught his mother’s attention, causing her to come into the room and was shocked to see what he was doing. She quickly cut him down, but as he was down, he was crying, loudly, causing the mother to wrap her arms around him as she leaned against the wall. The girls were horrified as they too were shedding tears. Then shortly after Christmas, Stardust Horizon, Invictus’ mother, talked to Principle Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna about giving Invictus the help he needs. After hearing what happened, they agreed. They then saw how he was constantly under therapy and were trying to get the help he needed. A year later, after the incident with Wallflower, Invictus walked down the hall, saddened. However, he had a spell on him that made him turn invisible if someone was close by. And walking by was the Rainbooms. He looked at saw Rainbow Dash, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, but he remembered the fight, and what he said. After she was gone, he turned visible, and continued to shed tears whilst walking away, the walk of a broken boy. Within mere moments, Invictus made it evaporate, bringing them back to the present. They slowly looked at him in shock, whilst he was still shedding tears. ‘That’s what happened.’ said Invictus ‘That’s what happened between us. That’s why…I wasn’t the same after that. I lost her, because of me.’ He walked to a nearby bench and sat down, whilst he said ‘So go ahead, punish me. I don’t care anymore. I…’ But he instantly felt a hug, from none other than Fluttershy, who was sobbing and holding him tight, even the rest of the Rainbooms were shocked by what they witnessed. ‘Wow,’ muttered Twilight, then she whispered to Sunset and said ‘I’ve solved a lot of friendship problems with my friends, but this…I didn’t expect this. This is the biggest friendship problem I’ve ever witnessed.’ ‘I know what you mean,’ whispered Sunset ‘We usually had to fix a few things that happened when others got their hands on Equestrian Magic, but this…I don’t know…’ ‘Ah just can’t believe this.’ said Applejack, clearly angry ‘How can Rainbow be so insensitive?!’ ‘And ditched you on your birthday!!’ said Pinkie Pie loudly. ‘And abandoning you after you supported her?!!’ said Rarity, clearly angry, but also crying, ruining her mascara. ‘And ditched you on your own birthday!!’ shouted Pinkie again. ‘And just ignored you when you needed a friend the most!!’ said human Twilight. ‘And ditching you on your birthday!!’ shouted Pinkie, but more loudly. Sunset, however, tried to speak to him ‘How come you didn’t try to make things right with her?’ Invictus then said ‘You saw what happened. It’s not something you can get over.’ ‘Look, she can be immature, insensitive and egotistical, yes,’ said Sunset ‘But that doesn’t give you an excuse to just punch her and throw her away.’ He then stood up and stood near her face to face whilst he said ‘And then what? She’ll never change. Maybe the both of us aren’t even meant to be friends.’ ‘So you’d rather give up on trying to make things right with her?!’ shouted Sunset ‘Because you’re afraid?!’ ‘Says the former bully who ran away from the only home she knew, turned her back on everything her mentor stood for, breaking friendships between people you don’t even know and risked exposing Equestria to this world and the neighboring dimensions, only to steal the element of magic and brought magic to this world in the first place that caused people to misuse them and hurt innocent people?!!’ shouted Invictus ‘As least my problems make sense!!’ The two kept staring at each other, until they looked down in guilt as the two said at the same time ‘Sorry, I…’ They then looked at one another again. Truly, they felt guilty over how they responded to one another. Given the fact that both of them came from different worlds and also had their share of mistakes, now they wish they really did know one another. ‘Sorry.’ they said once more, but with a calmed expression on their faces this time. ‘Well punch or not, she had that coming.’ said Spike, causing the girls to look at him shocked. ‘Spike?!’ said human Twilight. ‘Look, you all know what Rainbow Dash is like.’ said Spike as he reminded them ‘Every time whenever something happens, a big event or whatever, she always let’s her ego get out of hand. I mean, the Battle of the Bands, Anon a miss, and then that business with Juniper Montage? She ended up putting all of you in danger. She even got worst ever since you guys gained your powers.’ He walked over to Invictus and said ‘Ever since Rainbow saved him, he felt lucky, that he had a friend that cared about him, but whenever they wanted to hang out, she just ignored him, what kind of friend would do something like that?’ The girls lowered their heads, for deep down, Spike did have a point. Fluttershy looked up from the group and said ‘We have to help him.’ ‘But how?’ said Twilight ‘Like Spike said, Rainbow Dash is completely stubborn and she won’t listen to anyone.’ ‘Then we’ll just have to try until she breaks.’ said Fluttershy with determination on her face. ‘Well how are we gonna bring her here?’ asked human Twilight. Pinkie then smiled and pulled out her phone and said ‘I think I got it.’ At the same time, far away from the routes heading straight towards Manehattan, was the tour buss of the Wondercolts, who were going on their last stop for their soccer tour. And from within the buss, was a certain Rainbow haired girl, watching the view as she was enjoying the sights. She suddenly heard her phone ring. When she looked at it, it was Pinkie Pie. She smiled and answered her phone. ‘Hey, Pinkie.’ said Rainbow the moment she answered it ‘How’s it going.’ ‘Oh, we’re doing great Dashie.’ said Pinkie ‘Whatcha doing?’ ‘Well my team and I are heading for Manehattan for our last game for the summer.’ said Rainbow ‘After that, I’ll be able to go and see some sights. My folks trust me enough for me to tour the place.’ ‘Oh that’s great.’ said Pinkie ‘We’ve been thinking about coming over to visit.’ ‘We?’ asked a confused Rainbow. ‘Oh, the rest of the girls and I were done with what we wanted to do,’ said Pinkie ‘So we decided to come and visit. And Princess Twilight’s here too.’ ‘Whoa, no way, seriously?!’ said Rainbow Dash in excitement ‘We haven’t seen her in a long time.’ ‘You’re right about that.’ said Pinkie. She then cleared her throat and said ‘And listen, whatever you do, don’t hang up, there’s someone who wants to talk to you and uh…please don’t get mad.’ ‘Mad about what? And to who?’ asked a confused Rainbow. ‘Well…’ said Pinkie. There was a bit of silence at first, which confused Rainbow. Until… ‘Rainbow?’ said a familiar voice. Rainbow was a bit surprised to hear this voice at first, but then she suddenly got mad. ‘What do you want?’ said Rainbow, trying to contain her anger. ‘Listen,’ said Invictus ‘I know you don’t want to talk to me right now…’ ‘You’re right, I don’t.’ said Rainbow ‘So why are you bothering?’ ‘I…’ ‘Look, we both already said our piece back before that one Christmas and we left at that.’ said Rainbow ‘So whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it.’ ‘But…’ ‘You hear me?!!’ shouted Rainbow ‘I don’t ever…!!!’ ‘Fortem, please.’ said Invictus more loudly. Rainbow paused in surprise, for she hadn’t heard that name in a long time. ‘I don’t want to go on like this anymore.’ said Invictus, whilst shedding a tear, but made sure that no one could see. ‘Can we just please talk? I know I did too much damage, but I can’t keep going on like this. Just talk. Please?’ Rainbow could hear from the sound of his voice that he was nearly breaking his voice, which indicated that he wanted to cry. She didn’t know how to respond to it, but suddenly, she felt something she hadn’t in a long time; guilt. Guilt from a past that she never wanted to think again. ‘I’ll uh…’ said Rainbow, not sure what to say ‘Wait for you near Neighagra falls. That’s where the buss will stop to take a break. See if you’ll get there in time.’ She hung up and slowly placed her phone down. She looked outside at the passing trees, and thought about it. The name. The name he hadn’t called her in years, something that she never bothered, but somehow missed the name too. He handed the phone back to Pinkie Pie and said ‘She’s willing to talk.’ The others sighed at that as Twilight said ‘That’s good to hear.’ ‘So where are they meeting us?’ asked Applejack. ‘At Neighagra falls.’ said Invictus ‘They’ll make a pit stop there.’ ‘Well it’s a good thing we’re not far from here.’ said Rarity. ‘Then we’d better hurry.’ said Fluttershy ‘Coach Spitfire tends to get impatient when people take too long.’ They soon boarded their respected vehicles and headed straight for their destination. At the same time, the Wondercolt bus was following its route, whilst they were also following heavy traffic over the bridge of the waterfall. However, what they didn’t see coming, was the moment the truck began to turn, one of its tires burst, causing it to swerve out of control. The moment the truck swerved, it crashed against another incoming truck, causing the trucks to collide and explode, causing everyone who was caught in it to stop. Thankfully, as all that happened, the tour bus was able to make it away in time, but as it was halfway from the crash, the tour bus swerved too, making it stop at the spot it could. Rainbow was taken aback by what just happened, with the rest of the Wondercolt teams in a panic too. ‘Everyone get out, now!!’ shouted Spitfire. At the same time, as the Rainbooms were driving, Invictus was worried about how he was going to talk to Rainbow Dash. ‘Are you okay?’ asked Twilight, gaining Invictus’ attention. ‘Just…wondering what I’m going to say to her.’ She placed her hand on his shoulder with a smile and said ‘It will work out. I promise.’ He ended up smiling at that, however, the moment he looked ahead, he was suddenly shocked as he looked ahead and said ‘Holy Celestia.’ When Twilight looked ahead, she was also shocked, for as they approached the bridge, many people were running away whilst some of the cars were on fire. Invictus immediately stopped, with the Rainbooms’ bus doing the same. They quickly climbed out and ran towards the danger. As the Wondercolts continued to run, Rainbow looked behind and was still shocked by what she saw. ‘Rainbow!!’ shouted the girls, gaining the athlete’s attention as she looked at them coming. ‘Girls!!’ said Rainbow as she ran towards them. ‘Darling, what happened?!!’ said Rarity. ‘A truck lost control and crashed into another one,’ said Rainbow ‘Now half of all the cars are on fire and everyone on the bridge is in danger!!’ ‘We have to help them!!’ said Sunset. ‘Alright ladies, let’s light em up!!’ shouted Pinkie. Within mere moments, the Rainbooms ponied up in their outfits and floated in the sky. As they did that, Sunset looked at Twilight and said ‘Twilight, you and Invictus try to help escort the people to safety, we’ll go over and see who else needs help.’ ‘Alright, but be careful!!’ said Twilight. As the Rainbooms were off, Twilight and Invictus immediately went from one person to the next, trying to help them up and escort them all to safety. Rainbow Dash had dashed from car to car, trying to find anyone trapped inside of their cars, Applejack lifted a few heavy cars out of the way, allowing Sunset to arrive and pull them to safety. Rarity used her diamond shields to douse the fires whilst Pinkie Pie used her exploding sprinkles to blow the car doors opened, allowing Fluttershy to pick up a handful of kids who were crying in fear whilst human Twilight would use her powers to move the broken cars out of the way so that the people can move to safety. Rainbow grabbed a handful of people and zipped them away. Applejack ripped some car doors opened, allowing the people to quickly climb out and reach for safety. Rarity used her diamond shields to block the explosions just in case whilst Pinkie Pie used more of her sprinkles to douse a few fires along the way, with human Twilight lifting the broken cars out of the way. Fluttershy and Sunset continued to carry more people to safety, whilst Invictus and Twilight would continue to escort more people to safety. Applejack saw that the fire was getting a lot worse as she shouted ‘We gotta get away from here, the fire’s spreading!!’ ‘Come on, let’s go!!’ shouted Sunset. The girls took what people they could from the one side of the bridge and the middle to the other. Rainbow wasn’t far behind. But the moment she followed, she failed to notice that one of the tanks had caught fire, causing it to explode, making her launch to the edge of the bridge whilst she bashed against a car and fell off of the bridge, until she suddenly powered down. Thankfully, Rainbow was able to grab something from the top of the bridge before she fell. However, as she looked down, to her shock, her geode fell off of the side of the large waterfall. Without it, she couldn’t pony up and fly away. Now she was really in trouble. She hung onto the bridge for dear life as she was suddenly crying. ‘HEEEELLLLPP!!!’ shouted Rainbow ‘SOMEONE HELP MEE!!!’ As they were helping to evacuate the group, Invictus heard a cry for help. When he arrived at a perfect looking spot, he was shocked to see who was dangling from the bridge helplessly. ‘Fortem!!!’ shouted Invictus. Invictus quickly ran towards Rainbow, desperately trying to reach her, to save her, the one person who saved him a long time ago. As he ran, he kept pushing the running people away from him, trying to reach her in time. Rainbow continued to hang on for dear life as she continued to cry for help. She then heard a voice call out to her. ‘Fortem!!’ She looked up and saw Invictus, running towards her. ‘Invictus, get out of here, it’s not safe!!!’ shouted Rainbow. ‘No, I’m not leaving you, not again!!!’ he shouted back. He then saw that the object she was holding was about to break. The moment he was halfway, he saw a large cable wire, allowing him to pick it up and wrapped it around his left arm. As he was done, he jumped down straight to her. At the same time, the object broke, causing Rainbow to scream as she fell. Within mere moments, Invictus had reached her in time and grabbed her by the wrist, saving her as they swung back. However, they were stuck, even though they were safe. ‘Are you crazy?!!’ shouted Rainbow ‘You could’ve gotten yourself killed!!’ ‘I know that!!’ shouted Invictus ‘But I won’t do that!! I won’t leave you again!!’ As they continued to hang, Rainbow kept looking at him, and she saw him shedding tears. ‘I know what I did was wrong back then Rainbow.’ said Invictus as he began to shed a few tears. ‘I was a coward and a horrible friend. I should’ve done better. But because of the others, they helped me build up the courage to talk to you, tell you that I’m sorry, to tell you, how much I still love and care about you too.’ Rainbow was taken aback by how he was talking. However, unknown to them, the cable was slowly breaking, without any of them noticing, with Twilight, after she helped escorted many people to safety, saw the two of them hanging on for dear life. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t have said anything before, I was too ashamed.’ said Invictus as the tears continued to fall ‘I missed our friendship and the times we hung out Rainbow. And I missed you too Rainbow, I am so sorry.’ Rainbow too began to shed tears, for his tears and his words were truly genuine, that he truly meant it. Just before they could say anything, they felt a tug. When they looked up, they saw the cable was about to snap. ‘Uh, how about we say what we want to say after we’re not in danger?’ said a worried Rainbow. Invictus looked at the cable, then to Rainbow. Then he looked to the side, and there he saw Twilight, staring in shock and worry from the safety of the other side. He then knew what he had to do. He looked down, closed his eyes and said an enchantment, one that Rainbow didn’t hear. Invictus slowly looked at Rainbow as his eyes glowed blue, much to her surprise. He said to her ‘You can only save those who want to be saved.’ Rainbow was surprised by what he just said and asked ‘What are you…?’ Invictus then said ‘I’ll see you on the other side.’ And with great strength, right as the cable snapped off, Invictus had tossed Rainbow Dash towards Twilight. Within moments, Rainbow landed safely as Twilight managed to catch her. But the two of them quickly looked back, and there they saw Invictus, looking at them, whilst she fell down to the abyss of the waterfall. ‘INVICTUS!!!’ shouted the two, which caused the rest of the Rainbooms to appear next to them as they saw him fell down to the watery abyss until he disappeared. Invictus continued to fall, until he saw that he was close to the bottom. He quickly casted a spell that shielded himself, allowing him to be shielded from the impact the moment he crashed through the water. As he was in the water, the current violently pushed him away, with him trying to maintain his momentum. But as he moved, he saw something that caught his eye; Rainbow Dash’s geode. He quickly grabbed it before it could get away. However, before he realized it, something hit him against his head hard, knocking him out cold, but still held onto Rainbow’s geode, not wanting to let it go, whilst he continued to float through the darkness of the water. > Chapter 10: Reconciliation and Conversations > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Within a few hours, after floating underwater unconscious, Invictus had finally floated on the surface of the water. He floated for a few hours until he finally floated towards the edge of the shore. He was still lying there, unconscious, not moving a muscle. The sun had begun to set, until a bear came along and saw Invictus. The bear walked over to him, picked him up and carried him to the woods. The bear continued to carry it, until he finally reached Fluttershy, gaining her attention. ‘Oh thank goodness.’ said the shy girl as she quickly went over to him. The bear slowly placed Invictus onto the ground, which caused the shy girl to investigate if he was okay. At the same time, she signaled the paramedics, the people who volunteered to come along to look for Invictus once they got the 911 call, quickly went over to her and picked the boy up. They took his pulse and indicated he was okay, but they still needed to take him to the hospital. But as they picked him up, he dropped Rainbow’s geode, gaining Fluttershy’s attention. She picked it up and looked at it, then looked at Invictus, realizing that he saved Rainbow’s geode. They later took him to Manehattan, for thankfully it was close by. The paramedics took him inside and tried their best keep him stable. As they tried to help him, Twilight and the rest of the Rainbooms arrived, worried about Invictus. ‘Anything darling?’ asked Rarity. ‘No,’ said Fluttershy ‘They’re trying to keep him stable. They said he has a concussion to the head, but he was lucky to have survived the fall.’ The girls sighed somewhat, thankful that he was okay. But at the same time, a woman arrived, out of breath and asked the doctor ‘Excuse me, is my son in? His name’s Invictus.’ ‘Yes ma’am, he’s here.’ said the Doctor ‘Like we told his friend, he’s lucky to have survived the fall, but we’ll know more once the doctors are finished.’ The doctor then left, with the woman looking behind and saw a handful of familiar faces. ‘Fluttershy?’ The girls looked back, with the Rainbooms surprised to see who it was. ‘Mrs. Horizon?’ said Rarity ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I heard what happened, so I rushed over here as fast as I could.’ said Horizon. Fluttershy looked at Twilight and said ‘Twilight, this is Stardust Horizon, Invictus’ mother.’ Stardust Horizon noticed Twilight and said ‘Yes, that’s right. I am.’ ‘Uh, Rainbow.’ said Fluttershy, gaining the athlete’s attention as she said ‘Invictus was able to save this for you.’ She showed Rainbow her geode, surprising the Athlete, allowing her to accept it and put it around her neck. But as she looked down, Twilight gained her attention as she said ‘Rainbow, we need to talk.’ As they were outside, they talked to Rainbow. ‘So what do you want to…?’ ‘Darling, how could you be so insensitive?’ said Rarity. ‘What do you…?’ ‘We know what really happened between you and Invictus.’ said Sunset. ‘Oh,’ said Rainbow, trying to act tough as she crossed her arms ‘But…’ ‘How could you abandon me?’ said Fluttershy, surprising Rainbow. ‘What, I didn’t…?’ said Rainbow. ‘You said you were sick the day I asked you to come to the opening at the animal shelter,’ said Fluttershy sternly ‘Instead, you abandoned me to join some stupid hockey team.’ Rainbow was surprised that Fluttershy knew about it. ‘Flutters, I…’ ‘I know how much you’re busy with the sports teams,’ said Fluttershy ‘But the animal shelter was everything to me. I thought you cared. You even promised me you would.’ ‘I’m sorry okay,’ said Rainbow ‘I didn’t mean to abandon you, I was just so wrapped up in the team that Principle Celestia put me in charge of, I completely forgot. Why do you think I took you to the butterfly migration to make it up to you.’ Fluttershy was surprised by this, with Pinkie Pie suddenly standing beside the athlete. ‘That’s fine and all…’ said Pinkie in her usual suspicious tone ‘But there’s also another question…’ ‘Uh, what…?’ said Rainbow, before she grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders. ‘How could you ditch him on his own birthday!!’ shouted Pinkie. Rainbow was taken aback by this, and said ‘What?’ ‘Don’t you remember?’ said Pinkie Pie after she let her go ‘On that day you helped out with the baseball group, Invictus was trying to invite you to his birthday party.’ Rainbow was shocked, for she remembers that day. ‘Oh, man, I…’ said Rainbow. ‘And when you didn’t show up, he was really sad.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘It’s no wonder he’s doesn’t want to celebrate a birthday again.’ Hearing this, Stardust Horizon walked over, gaining their attention as she said ‘Actually…there’s a reason for that.’ They wondered what she was talking about, with Sunset asking ‘What do you mean?’ ‘What else did you girls know about that very day?’ asked Stardust Horizon in order to make sure. The others were puzzled by what she was talking. They looked at her and said ‘Beg pardon Mrs. Horizon. But…what else was so important on his birthday.’ Stardust Horizon nodded her head no, for they didn’t know, which she figured they, except Princess Twilight would, but they didn’t. ‘The day on his birthday,’ said Stardust Horizon as she looked at them, but with a saddened look ‘Was also the exact same day his father passed away.’ All of them, especially Rainbow Dash, were shocked to hear this. ‘On the day of his birthday,’ said Stardust Horizon as she explained ‘When he went to school, I went to wake up his father, only he didn’t wake up. He wasn’t breathing. I was shocked by what happened, so I called the hospital and they picked him up. The doctors told me that he had a brain tumor, and he passed away right around Invictus left for school. He didn’t tell anyone, not even me.’ The girls were horrified when she told them. ‘I didn’t know what else to do, so I continued with arranging the party. During the birthday, I saw he had a distraught look on his face, because Rainbow didn’t bother to show up on his birthday. And if he was like that, I was scared of how he would react when he finds out about his father’s fate.’ She then looked at them again and said ‘So after the party, I had to sit him down and tell him the truth; that his dad passed away.’ She closed her eyes as she nearly wanted to shed tears ‘He was devastated. Not only did his best friend abandon him on his own birthday, but he lost his father on that same day too. By the next year he was angry and shouted that the whole neighborhood could hear him, saying that he doesn’t want a birthday ever again.’ She looked at him and said ‘And he’s been Anti-birthday ever since.’ The girls were at a loss for words, for they didn’t know how to respond to this, even Twilight and Rainbow were shocked to hear this. ‘I…I didn’t know.’ said Rainbow. ‘Of course you didn’t,’ said Stardust Horizon ‘Because he made me promise not to say anything.’ They were surprised that he would ask her of that. ‘And to make matters worse,’ said Stardust Horizon ‘He bought an instrument so that the both of you could perform together like friends, but instead you ignored him, you left him out.’ ‘And she kept boasting about it being her band and criticized our playin’’ said Applejack, then she looked at Rainbow and said ‘See Rainbow, this is exactly what ah was trying to tell ya. Yer ego kept being out of hand that y’all have no idea on how much y’all were hurting others around ya.’ Twilight then interrupted and said ‘Then Anon a miss.’ Everyone cringed at that name, with Stardust Horizon looking at her and said ‘He told you?’ ‘He showed us with his magic.’ said Twilight. Stardust Horizon sighed and looked at Rainbow. She walked over to her, which scared the athlete a bit. And within a split second, she held onto Rainbow’s head and showed her what Invictus had showed them. She showed them of how he felt after she kept ditching him, even on the day of his birthday, then during Anon a miss. That he nearly committed suicide and the therapy he had to take, even how he kept avoiding her as he was still hurt. After that, she released her, causing Rainbow to have both a shockened and distraught face. Stardust Horizon approached the rainbow haired girl as Rainbow Dash still had a partial distraught look on her face. ‘Do you now understand how much you hurt him Rainbow?’ asked Stardust ‘You and Invictus were both best friends ever since you both met that day on the bridge. He even supported you through thick and thin.’ Rainbow began to ponder what Stardust was trying to tell her, with everyone else watching. ‘Everyone kept turning their backs on you when you wanted to prove yourself, but he stood with you. That’s how much your friendship matters to him. That’s how much Fluttershy matters to him. That’s how much…you, matter to him.’ Stardust looked down and said ‘And after all the hard work he put to make you happy, instead of thanking him, you simply ignored him, went to your sporting activities and did the one thing he was afraid of…you abandoned him and left him alone.’ She looked at Rainbow and said ‘He felt betrayed when you left him, even said those horrible things. You even broke his heart, crushed it, yanked it and threw it away like it was a piece of trash as if it was nothing.’ She then looked straight at Rainbow again and asked her ‘Didn’t your friendship with him mean anything to you? Not even a little bit?’ Rainbow felt even more distraught and shed more tears, she then stammered backwards, leaned against the wall and sat down whilst holding her head. She whimpered a bit for a few moments, but then she finally spoke and said ‘What have I done?’ Now they felt bad for Rainbow, for the fact she didn’t know what he went through and how much he was hurting when she kept ditching him. Twilight was the first to talk to her as she sat next to him. ‘Rainbow, I understand what you’re going through.’ said Twilight. She then told her of her entire story. ‘Long before I was a princess, I was a student of Princess Celestia. I was so focused on my studies, I thought friendship was a waste of time. I was barely friends with any of my classmates when one of them, Moondancer, wanted to be my friend. But when I left and met my future friends at Ponyville, I left her behind. I made her feel like she wasn’t worth anything, and she ended up becoming a hermit because of it. I was so focused on my studies, I never realized how much I had hurt her. I felt so horrible of what I did, I had to make it right.’ ‘And I was in your position too, remember?’ said Sunset as she sat next to Rainbow. ‘Wallflower resented me because of my popularity. Even though I stopped being mean, I wasn’t very nice to her. But only because I didn’t know I hurt her. I was so focused on all of you, I barely paid attention to anything else. That’s why I made a promise that I would never do something like that again, that I would pay attention to all my friends and to make sure I would never hurt them again.’ Fluttershy then stood on her knees and held onto Rainbow Dash’s hands, causing the athlete to look at her as she said ‘Rainbow, I know you don’t like to talk about your feelings, and I know you don’t like to admit when you’ve made a mistake. But Invictus was really miserable without the two of us. He felt special when we came into his life. But we both were to blame for abandoning him. I made my peace with him already. It’s time for you to do the same.’ Rainbow looked down, and realized they were right. She needs to make this right, for both their sakes. A while later, when visitors were allowed, Rainbow was the first to enter, as she wanted some privacy to talk to Invictus, but he was fast asleep on his bed with his eyes closed, as a bandage was on his forehead. She felt like she couldn’t talk to him as long as he was awake, so she could do it whilst he was asleep. She walked over to him and stood near his bed. She looked at him, for he was still unconscious, but she had a much more somber look on her face. She slowly placed her hand on top of his hand. The others wanted to come in, but they wanted to give Rainbow her space so that she could speak to him alone. ‘Invictus,’ said Rainbow, as she looked at him, struggling to say what she wants to say whilst looking sad at the same time. ‘I…I just wanted to thank you for, you know, saving my life and everything. What you did back there was pretty stupid. But also very brave. You came all the out here to not only try to apologize to me, but also saved me. You even got my geode back.’ Rainbow placed her hand on her geode, then looked at him again and said ‘Your mom’s also here. She told us the reason why you don’t like birthdays anymore. I thought I was the whole reason that you hated birthdays because I didn’t show. But then she showed us that…I was mostly the reason, the rest was because your dad passed away.’ She looked down and said ‘I’m so sorry Invictus. If I had just come to your birthday and stayed by your side, I would’ve tried to help you.’ She looked away again, then back to him and said ‘Ever since we met, we spent so much time together. But…I kept abandoning you when you needed a friend the most. I’m sorry of ditching you Invictus. But more importantly…I’m sorry what I said to you back at the music room. You were the only one besides Fluttershy, who ever understood me. The real me. I felt like I could be myself around you, that you accepted me for who I am despite my faults. But…my ego kept getting in the way. And for that, I’m sorry.’ The girls overheard her talking to Invictus. They thought it was very sweet, for they never heard her be so open to someone beside Fluttershy. He really must’ve been a special friend. ‘Your mom even told me about how I mattered to you. You tried to help me and…I took it for granted.’ She sat on his bed and said ‘I hope you can forgive me for what I also put you through. And when you wake up…when you have time…we could spend some time together. For real this time.’ She then took another peek at the door, to make sure no one would spot her. She then slowly kissed Invictus on the lips. She broke the kiss and sat back up. ‘I’ll see you soon Invictus.’ She then walked away whilst wiping a tear. But the moment she was about halfway… ‘Rainbow.’ Rainbow stopped in her tracks surprised. Causing her to look back and she saw Invictus slowly sitting up once he was awake. She was about to leave, but now she had to talk to him, for real this time. She walked over to him and sat next to him. ‘Hey, how are you feeling?’ said Rainbow as she spoke to Invictus. ‘Like I had the worst ice cream headache in history.’ said Invictus as he rubbed the front of his head. ‘Well you nearly did,’ said Rainbow as she wanted to chuckle, but she kept her composure as she continued to speak to him ‘You had once heck of a concussion after you fell into that water. I’m just happy Fluttershy’s animals found you.’ ‘She sure is something.’ said Invictus ‘To think, when I first met her, she was timid and scared of a few things. But look at her now. Sure she may not be comfortable with a few things, but she’s a really brave woman. She brings out the best in people.’ Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush at that and smile whilst rubbing her hair with both her hands. The two friends were silent for a few seconds as they tried to look away. ‘Invictus/Rainbow, I…’ said the two at the same time, causing them to stop, with Invictus saying ‘You go first.’ ‘I just wanted to say thanks for…well, rescuing me.’ said Rainbow ‘It was really brave of you.’ ‘I couldn’t let you fall.’ said Invictus ‘You didn’t let me fall all those years ago. I don’t want you to have the same fate I did.’ They were silent again, with Invictus saying ‘I’m sorry Rainbow.’ ‘Invictus, I…’ said Rainbow, but he raised his hand, signaling her to let him finish. ‘Look,’ said Invictus as he said ‘I just wanted to tell you that, I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend to you. Since we met we used to hang out every day, had so much fun together.’ He then looked down with a saddened expression ‘But when you kept ditching me. I felt hurt in the process. I should’ve just stayed by your side and be more supportive, I should’ve tried to talk things through. More importantly, I should’ve tried harder to be your friend.’ Rainbow looked sad too as she looked down, he then placed his hand on her face, making her look at him ‘I’m so sorry for what I said back there. I’m sorry I punched you. And I’m sorry I just left off like that. And I’m so sorry I didn’t apologize to you for what I had done to you. And for everything I put you through…I’m sorry.’ There was silence for a few moments, until she placed her hand on her shoulder as she said ‘If anyone should apologize, it’s me.’ Invictus lowered his hand as Rainbow said ‘I’ll admit, since we met, we had a lot of fun, we always hung out and we always did stuff together. But since the beginning of High school, I kept being preoccupied with one thing and ended up leaving you behind. You tried to help me, but I ended up taking you for granted.’ She then looked at him and said ‘I wished I’d have gone with you to the opening of the animal shelter with Fluttershy. I should’ve spent more time with you. And…’ she ended up wiping a tear and said ‘I’m so sorry I abandoned you on your own birthday. If I’d have gone with you, I would’ve stayed by your side when your mom told you what happened. But…I can’t help but be me, you know?’ ‘I know.’ said Invictus ‘It’s part of who you are. But I guess you never realized until it was too late of how I was left behind.’ The two of them then looked at one another, as Invictus said ‘I mean, what the heck happened between us?’ ‘I…I don’t know,’ said Rainbow as she looked away ‘I got older. Things change.’ ‘Also…’ said Invictus before he trailed off, but regained his composure and said ‘What happened during the “Anon-a-miss” ordeal. I’m sorry for what I did back then. I was too ashamed of what I did. I was hurt by what you said to me. But I ended up hurting you more.’ Rainbow looked down as she also felt the same way whilst she said ‘If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine.’ said Rainbow ‘You were right, I was too angry to see it. Sunset would never hurt us, because we were the only family she ever had.’ She then looked at him, still bearing her saddened face ‘But I ended up throwing it away and ended up letting my pride get the better of me. Guess now I know how she felt during that whole business with Wallflower.’ Sunset looked down, for it was still hard for her to swallow, even after she tried to make amends for what she did, with Princess Twilight comforting her by placing her hand on her shoulder, allowing the two of them to smile. ‘And I know we’ve been friends for a long time,’ said Rainbow as she looked down ‘But during Freshman Year, we hung out less and less. And…’ She then couldn’t help but smile and chuckle, then looked at him whilst she said ‘You always did find ways to make me laugh to cheer me up.’ Invictus slowly accepted her hand, which she didn’t reject as she looked at him whilst he said ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t have done better.’ Rainbow sighed as she said ‘I know.’ The two of them were silent for a few moments whilst they were still holding each other’s hands. Rainbow broke the silence as the two of them looked at one another. ‘Could we…’ began Rainbow, having a hard time trying to bring out her feelings. But she was able to come out of her shell and said ‘Could we start our friendship over?’ ‘Are you sure?’ asked Invictus ‘Even after…’ She cut him off as she placed both her hands on his hand with a smile and said and said ‘We both were to blame for what happened. I think this calls for a redo.’ They then let go of each other’s hands as she continued to rest on her chair. But then something bothered her, something that she just had to know. ‘There’s just one thing I gotta know first.’ said Rainbow. ‘What’s that?’ asked Invictus. She raised her head, looked at Invictus and asked ‘Why do you keep calling me Fortem since the day we met?’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile and said ‘I think it’s high time you knew.’ He was able to sit right on his bed and said ‘First off, it wasn’t an insult or anything. See, my father’s family has a habit of giving certain people certain names in different languages, something that they earned. Like you’re calling them smart, fast, stubborn and so on.’ He then looked at her and said ‘Remember that day when you saved me on the bridge?’ Rainbow remembered whilst she nodded. ‘When you saved me that day on the bridge,’ said Invictus ‘I was amazed by what you did. Never have I seen anyone who was the same age as me, save someone like me, someone anyone would’ve just ignored.’ He then looked up and said ‘When I told my dad, he was amazed by what you did. He then told me about the special names in different languages. I asked him what a certain word, and he picked an appropriate name in Latin, one that I would always remember about.’ He then looked at her with a much more caring look as he said ‘So I chose Fortem. Which is Latin for brave.’ Rainbow immediately perked up on that as she looked at him with wide eyes whilst he said ‘Because you were the most bravest and most courageous person I ever met.’ Within mere moments, her eyes began to water. And she began to shed tears, causing her a small sob, trying her best to hide it but to no avail, which made Invictus worry. ‘I’m sorry.’ said Rainbow through her sobs and shedding tears as she looked at him ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve that name, because I’m not. I wasn’t brave enough to admit I made mistakes, or that I tend to ruin things, just like I wasn’t brave enough like you to apologize for what happened between us.’ And in that instant, Rainbow hugged Invictus whilst he hugged her back, Rainbow still continued to cry over his shoulder, with Invictus shedding twice as much tears as if a heavy burden was lifted. At the same time, everyone outside of the room began to cry too, for it was really heartwarming, as well as the fact that all of them were happy that two old friends had finally made amends for what they have done. As he continued to hug her, no one knew her geode began to glow slowly. But later that night, Stardust Horizon had booked them all on a hotel, mostly the top floor that had at least three penthouse suites, that she owned during her beginning days of living on this world. They picked the rooms that all of them would spend the night in, however, they noticed that Rainbow wasn’t around. ‘Anyone seen Rainbow?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘She went to see Invictus.’ said Stardust Horizon ‘Apparently they still have much to talk about.’ ‘Given what happened I can’t blame them.’ said human Twilight after she readjusted her glasses. ‘We should give them some space.’ said Twilight ‘Those two have been through enough already and they need to move on from their problems.’ ‘And once they do,’ said Pinkie Pie ‘We’ll throw in a large breakfast tomorrow whilst also organizing a “I’m so happy we’re friends again” party!!’ ‘Still,’ said Rarity as she thought thoughtfully ‘I’m really happy that those two have worked things out.’ ‘I know,’ said Sunset ‘I mean naming her Brave in Latin, I’ve never seen Rainbow like that before.’ ‘She always had a hard time showing her feelings,’ said Applejack ‘But ah guess it helps to have certain special people helpin’ brining out the best of ya.’ ‘True.’ said Stardust Horizon ‘Until then, we’ll give them till morning.’ ‘She’s right.’ said Twilight as she yawned and said ‘Goodnight everyone.’ Soon, all of them began to turn in for the night, whilst Stardust managed a smile, knowing that the rift between two friends have healed before she turned in for the night. Meanwhile, in the guest bedroom, Invictus was looking at an old picture of the two of them together, which made him smile more often whilst he was sitting on the bed. Rainbow on the other hand, she watched him sit there, no doubt what she was thinking was going to be insane. But she held onto a birth control pill whilst she looked at it. She took a deep breath, and swallowed it. ‘Invictus?’ He turned around and saw Rainbow coming in. She still had a downed look on her face, but he noticed that her geode was glowing, which made him realize what this was going to mean. She went over with her arms crossed and sat down next to him closely, but still looked down. ‘You okay?’ he asked. ‘I will be.’ said Rainbow ‘I just wished…things could’ve been different that day. If I had believed you and hung out more…’ ‘I know.’ said Invictus ‘And I know you’re not comfortable of talking about feelings.’ ‘Still.’ said Rainbow Dash ‘I wish I could’ve changed things.’ ‘To quote someone we both once knew,’ said Invictus ‘We did what we did and there’s nothing we can do to change that. We can only make ourselves feel ashamed if we let it. If we both learned to own our mistakes we made, we take away the doubts and shame away from ourselves if we continued to make ourselves feel this way.’ ‘Heh,’ responded Rainbow with a smile ‘Never figured you’d say something sappy.’ ‘Even if it’s the truth?’ said Invictus. ‘Yeah,’ said Rainbow as she stopped smiling ‘Even if it is the truth.’ Invictus then slowly held onto Rainbow’s hand and said ‘I think it’s time that we both grew up and moved forward from our mistakes.’ Rainbow sighed and said ‘I’m sometimes scared to.’ ‘You were once my strength Rainbow,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘Now let me do the same for you.’ She looked at him again, but with more care in her eyes, even Invictus. They kept staring at one another, not knowing what the other was thinking. That was, until the two of them moved their heads closer to one another. Within mere moments, they closed their eyes…and connected their lips to one another. Both began to shed tears as they continued kissing one another. Invictus slowly placed his hands on her hips, with Rainbow’s hands being placed at Invictus’ face, this time, deepening the kiss for one another. Invictus ended up standing up, with Rainbow in tow. The two of them separated separately for mere moments as they looked one another. But before they knew it, both of them began to kiss passionately, stroking each other’s bodies whilst Rainbow pinned him against the wall. But as they moved around, they were able to take off their shoes and socks whilst moving around at the same time. Invictus ended up pushing Rainbow a bit so that he could be free whilst their lips were still in contact with one another. Soon enough, they made it back to the bed, but this time, she pinned him on the bed instead, allowing her to be on top. He kept stroking her body until his fingers were able to make it to her pants, allowing him to pull the pants down slowly, causing her to be in her underwear. As her pants were halfway down, before he had a chance to squeeze her butt, she broke the kiss and ended up sitting up, but he kept following her up as they continued with the kiss, but also removed her sports jacket, allowing her to toss it one side. Invictus attempted to try and take her pants off completely, leaving Rainbow Dash in her underwear and her shirt. But at the same time, she was able to help remove Invictus’ jacket, as well as his shirt, leaving him shirtless. Rainbow suddenly sat up and removed her shirt, revealing herself in her sports bra, whilst at the same time, she removed his pants, until he too was in his underwear. She collapsed back on top of him whilst they continued with their little make out sessions. Invictus could tell she was starting to moan through their kisses, as if she’s really beginning to be into it. They broke apart the kiss again, with the two of them panting for a few moments. ‘So uh…are you ready?’ asked Rainbow Dash. ‘Uh…I am if you are.’ said Invictus. He dug behind her sports bra and was able to pull it off. But as he did, he felt mesmerized by what he saw. He saw those two amazing orbs in front of him, her breasts really were truly amazing. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘No matter how old you get, you’ll always be amazing Rainbow.’ Rainbow couldn’t help but blush at his comment, but also smiled at the same time. She slowly sat up on top of his groin area, held onto Invictus’ hands, gently lifted them and placed them against her breasts. She moaned slightly, for his touch felt really amazing, which nearly made her head flip backwards. Invictus on the other hand felt really flustered doing this, for in all his years when he first met Rainbow, he’d never imagine he’d do something like this to his best friend. But the geode was acting like the others, so he had to go through it. But something felt different, for just like Sunset, he was as gentle with her as possible. He slowly held onto them, and moved them in a circular formation, much to Rainbow’s enjoyment. Her cute moans were a telltale sign that she was loving every minute of it. ‘Whoa.’ said Rainbow as she continued to moan and kept her eyes closed ‘That…feels…amazing.’ Rainbow continued to moan from his touch, and in turn, ended up moving her hips, causing her womanhood to rub against his manhood. Despite them wearing the last bit of their underwear, the two of them felt really horny at the same time. Invictus soon slowly sat up, allowing the two of them to look at one another in the eyes, smiled, and once more kissed each other gently on the lips, with Rainbow holding him close as her boobs were against his chest, with Invictus holding onto her butt once more, but he slowly began to dig into her underwear, allowing him to get a good grip at it. She gasped softly at his touch, whilst she pulled his head close to her chest, placing his head between her breasts. Invictus’ hands ended up reaching the top of her panties and slowly pulled them down, allowing her posterior to be exposed. With her panties lowered, he was able to grasp onto them, making her gasp once more, enjoying that feeling. She was able to lift his face, allowing them to look at one another face to face. ‘Mind if I see what you’ve been packing?’ asked Rainbow. Invictus didn’t know how to respond, for the way Rainbow was looking at him, was something he’d never thought he’d see her do before. Rainbow ended up taking his underwear off, causing his member to spring into action. She chuckled a bit seductively, whilst also tossing it away. ‘Wow,’ said Rainbow as she also removed her underwear whilst saying ‘I didn’t know you really liked me that much.’ She slowly placed his member between her breasts and began to rub them all together. Invictus couldn’t help but moan over her touch. No matter how many times they kept being rubbed, Invictus couldn’t deny that Rainbow also had a great touch when it comes to having fun in a certain level. He ended up grasping the blanket of his bed, whilst his eyes began to flutter. After much stroking, Invictus’ pressure was about to go off. ‘Rainbow…’ said Invictus, trying to get his head cleared ‘I…I think I’m going to…’ And just like that, he cummed, covering some of her breasts, but she also began to swallow most of them. After much bopping, Rainbow sat up and was amazed by how much he released. ‘Wow,’ said Rainbow whilst she also fixed her messy hair ‘Didn’t know you had that much in you.’ Before she could respond, Invictus ended up sitting up and pushed her backwards, allowing her to have her back on the bed, which surprised her as he ended up holding her wrists playfully and ended up kissing her a few times on the neck, making her giggle in response at the same time. ‘I think…you know what comes next.’ said Invictus. Rainbow watched as Invictus moved further down until he was able to reach her love tunnel. He held onto her hips and gently placed his tongue against it, making Rainbow gasp out of surprise as if she had just received a jolt of electricity. Rainbow also grasped onto the blanket as Invictus licked it a few times, then ended up placing his tongue inside her love tunnel. She panted and rolled her eyes backwards whilst her legs slowly began to form around his head so that he could finish what he was doing. ‘I…Invictus…’ said Rainbow as she kept moving her body back and forth, barely being able to control herself. Even though her legs are wrapped around Invictus’ head, she placed both her hands on top of it too. She was really getting into it, for Invictus’ tongue felt amazing. Until he thrusted his tongue in deeper. That made her yell loudly as she cummed in his mouth. After drinking most of her juice, she released her grip onto him, whilst she panted from the excitement. Invictus lifted his head and smiled whilst licking his lips. He helped Rainbow up and set her head against a pillow, whilst she still panted. Invictus slowly crawled to her, with his head slowly facing hers. Rainbow opened her eyes and couldn’t help but smile. ‘You’re…more skilled than I thought.’ said Rainbow, whilst still keeping her smile. ‘Now for the final skill.’ said Invictus. Within moments, Invictus was able to place his member inside of her, making her gasp loudly as she instantly wrapped her arms around his back. ‘Whoa,’ said Rainbow as she looked at Invictus in the eye ‘I had no idea you were this big.’ ‘And you’re really tight.’ said Invictus ‘You’re didn’t become the best athlete by just doing nothing.’ ‘Heh, no argument there.’ said Rainbow ‘So, how are we…?’ But before she could say anything, Invictus gently placed his lips against hers. She was somewhat taken by surprise, but chose to embrace it whilst she returned the gesture. But at the same time, Invictus slowly began to thrust in her, making her moan in the process. He chose to go slowly, so that the two of them could savor this moment. He slowly continued to thrust into her, with her moaning and groaning. At first she enjoyed the gentle feeling, whilst her legs would slowly wrap around his waist. She even wrapped her arms around him, whilst at the same time, he placed both his hands on her breasts, leaving her more and more flustered, but more turned on at the same time. The bed slowly began to creak through their movements, as their speed was slowly building up. ‘Wait,’ said Rainbow, making him stop as the two of them looked at one another. She blushed as she said ‘Let me be on top, please.’ Obeying her command, they flipped over, making Rainbow be on top of him. As soon as she was on top, she slowly moved her hips and thrusted, making her moan in excitement, whilst Invictus could only watch how she moved her body in motion. Soon, Rainbow began to thrust faster and faster, whilst Invictus held onto her butt as she moved. The two of them began to slowly glow with their Equestrian Magic, but as she continued to thrust, Invictus sat up and held her close, allowing them to perform a hug fuck. But through their thrusts, they began to glow brighter and brighter. But instead of moaning into each other’s ears, he looked right at her face and kissed her, allowing them to embrace one another. And with one big thrust, they moaned through their kiss as the light had finished shining so bright within their room. The next morning, an hour before the sun was raised, both Invictus and Rainbow were still fast asleep in bed, with Rainbow clinging onto him with a wide smile on her face. Invictus held her close, for what they just did…was an experience both of them would never forget. They soon woke up, with the two of them sitting up, however, Rainbow noticed she was naked and used the blanket to cover herself, which caused Invictus to noticed too. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head ‘That just happened.’ ‘Yeah.’ said Rainbow ‘That just happened.’ He rubbed the back of his head and said ‘We’re gonna have to tell them sooner or later.’ She sighed reluctantly and said ‘I know. I’m not comfortable with this idea.’ ‘Neither am I.’ said Invictus ‘But I don’t like leaving secrets like that.’ Invictus then realized something, and said ‘Oh, I almost forgot.’ He then quickly reached out for a small box from his jacket that he kept for some time and pulled it out, gaining Rainbow’s attention. He opened it and to her surprise, it was the same necklace that she wore that he made, but looked a bit different. ‘After what happened,’ said Invictus ‘I went back to the music room and retrieved it. I guess a part of me really regretted on what I did, so I took it with me and tried to fix it as best I could.’ Rainbow picked it up and looked at it. She held it in her hands and could only smile and shed a tear. ‘But…’ said Rainbow as she looked at it, then to Invictus ‘It looks different.’ ‘A…price to fix what broke.’ said Invictus ‘Like I said. I’m really sorry for what happened between us.’ She looked at it somberly and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The two of them decided to get out of bed and get dressed. They then walked to the door, but then stopped, as Invictus looked at her with a smile and said ‘I’m glad to have you back Rainbow. Friends?’ Rainbow simply smiled and said ‘Friends.’ The two of them hugged one another, signifying that all has been forgiven. Until she smirked and said ‘Friends with benefits.’ That took him by shock and said ‘What?’ She then playfully smacked his ass and said ‘Like I’d ever let that piece of ass get away from me again, especially after that wild night you gave me.’ She then walked out of the door with a smile on her face, leaving Invictus bewildered. ‘Uh…what just happened?’ said Invictus as he shortly followed afterwards, wondering how he was going to explain all of this. Sure enough, they made their way towards the kitchen, where everyone had just gotten up whilst Applejack and Fluttershy were helping Stardust Horizon making some breakfast for everyone. ‘Morning you two?’ said Stardust. ‘Uh, hey mom.’ said Invictus as he picked up his coffee mug and took a sip of it whilst he sat down. ‘So did y’all finish what y’all wanted to say?’ asked Applejack. ‘That and so much more.’ said Rainbow as she sat next to him. But as everyone sat down on their chairs to eat their breakfast, Spike on the other hand was eating his bowl of eggs and bacon, and he ended up sniffing something that caught his attention. He looked at both Rainbow and Invictus, wondering why they smelled a bit off. He walked over to them and sniffed a few times. ‘Uh, Invictus?’ asked Spike, gaining his attention as Spike said ‘Why do you two smell like sweat and shame?’ Invictus nearly did a spit take on his coffee, same with Rainbow when she was also caught off guard. Unfortunately, the others, except for Stardust Horizon after she left, overheard him as they were looking at him in confusion. ‘What do you mean Spike?’ asked human Twilight. ‘Well,’ said Twilight when she overheard their conversation and said ‘Normally when they said they smelled like sweat and shame, that means that…they…’ Twilight immediately perked up with widened eyes and slowly looked at the two of them, which caused them to blush deeply. ‘Did you two…have an intercourse?’ said Twilight. Both Rainbow and Invictus looked away from one another, their blushing faces still remained. This however, didn’t go unnoticed from the others as they immediately caught on. ‘You two had sex?!!’ shouted Rarity. The two of them lowered their heads in partial shame, until Spike said ‘They weren't the only ones. I smelled it from Sunset and my Twilight when Invictus visited them.’ Now all of them, especially Rainbow whilst Invictus kept his eyes lowered, looked at both Sunset and Twilight. ‘You two as well?!’ shouted Applejack. ‘Uh, not just them.’ said Invictus as they looked at him, with Invictus looking at Rainbow and said ‘Fluttershy said you owed her five hundred bucks if she did it with someone before you did.’ Rainbow’s jaws dropped as she looked at Fluttershy, who made an eep sound as she held her hair in front of her hair. Pinkie then raised her hand and said ‘I uh…kinda did the deed with him too.’, causing everyone to look at her in shock, then pulled out a script and said ‘And according to this, he did the same with Applejack and Rarity.’ Now all of them were greatly shocked and embarrassed with one another, even Twilight was shocked as she said ‘But…but…how?’ ‘Hey, don’t look at me,’ said Invictus as he defended himself ‘I wasn’t the one who made the first move. They acted strange ever since their geodes glowed weirdly.’ That caught their attention as they looked at him. ‘Wait, our geodes?’ asked human Twilight. ‘What do you mean?’ asked Sunset. ‘Well, see…’ said Invictus as he recalled a few things ‘After you lot kissed me, you ended up inviting me to a private room so that no one would hear us. And when I got there, your geodes began to glow, and before I knew it, we ended up having sex.’ Everyone in the room were surprised by this as they looked at their Geodes, until Pinkie realized something as she said ‘Come to think of it, you were kind of glowing too.’ ‘I was…’ said Invictus, until he widened his eyes in shock as he realized why they glowed. Invictus then groaned and placed his hands on his face as he said ‘Oh no.’ ‘What?’ asked Twilight in concern. That’s when Invictus mother walked in and said ‘Does everyone have…’, until she saw the look on Invictus’ face as she said ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘Mom,’ said Invictus as he looked at her reluctantly and said ‘Remember that wrong spell I casted when I was little?’ ‘I do, why?’ said Stardust Horizon. However, the look on his face says it all, causing her eyes to widened in shock and said ‘Oh no. The spell kicked in?’ ‘The spell kicked in.’ said Invictus. She then groaned at this, with Twilight asking ‘What’s wrong?’ Invictus then said ‘Mom? Is it okay to tell them the truth now?’ She looked at him, then nodded yes, seeing that they have no other option. He looked at them and said ‘As some of you know, I have Equestrian Magic. But I didn’t gain it by accident like the others, I was born with it.’ They were surprised by this, as Rainbow said ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he said ‘My dad’s born on this world whilst my mom was born in Equestria.’ Sunset looked at her surprised and said ‘You’re from Equestria too?!’ ‘A different Equestria.’ said Stardust Horizon ‘In another world, I was the daughter of Princess Celestia and after when Princess Luna was freed from her Nightmare Moon persona, Starswirl the Bearded and the Pillars of Equestria, protectors from long ago, were released from their imprisonment.’ Now all of them were shocked beyond words, with Stardust Horizon continuing as she said ‘During my younger days I experimented on portal magic instead of using the mirror. When I got here I was human, but I couldn’t use my magic. So after much work, I was able to regain my full power in another world. And during my visits that’s when I met Invictus’ father. I brought him to Equestria and he was fascinated by the discoveries.’ ‘And during that time when the Twilight form our world,’ said Invictus as he also continued ‘Starswirl the Bearded kept belittling her and said she didn’t deserve to be Princess. So we ended up banishing him from Equestria after we stripped him of his power and his title.’ ‘And during that time when my son was about six or seven years old,’ said Stardust Horizon as she said ‘He wanted to learn more about the Elements of Harmony. When he met the Princess Twilight and her friends from our world, he idolized and worshipped them, praising them as heroes. But he wanted to connect with them often, like true friends, but he ended up finding a spell that could allow the bearers to the elements of harmony be connected to him so that he could be friends with them.’ ‘Wow,’ said Sunset as she looked at Invictus ‘So you studied magic at a young age too.’ ‘More or less.’ said Invictus as he looked down. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she looked at Stardust Horizon ‘They actually had a spell like that for the Elements of Harmony?’ ‘You kidding, they got a spell for everything.’ said Stardust Horizon. ‘That’s right.’ said Invictus, then ended up rubbing the back of his head and said ‘But I uh…casted the wrong spell. It affected the Elements of Harmony, yes. But in a uh…different way.’ ‘Different how?’ asked Rainbow Dash. Invictus couldn’t say it out loud, until he casted a spell to show tons of paper with written words on them. They began to read through them, widened their eyes and blushed bright red. Applejack was the first to respond and said ‘Why in tarnation would y’all cast a spell like that?!!’ ‘I uh…had bad eyesight.’ said Invictus, much to their confusion. ‘See,’ said Stardust Horizon as she filled them in ‘When he was little, his eyes worked fine, until when he was seven, he had to wear glasses because his eyesight was weakening. So I had to find a spell to help fix them by the time he entered his Freshman year.’ ‘Oooh,’ said Fluttershy as she looked at Invictus next ‘So that’s why you had to wear and stopped wearing glasses.’ ‘Pretty much, yeah.’ said Invictus. ‘The spell was still in effect, so he couldn’t remove it.’ said Stardust Horizon ‘So the only way it could be removed is if he went through with it.’ ‘And did he?’ asked Twilight. ‘I’m afraid not.’ ‘Why not?’ asked Rarity. ‘For one, I was seven years old when I first casted it.’ said Invictus, which took them by shock. ‘Ouch.’ said Rainbow, realizing the situation he was in. ‘But it also has an effect on Equestrian Magic too.’ said Invictus ‘Hence why uh…’ ‘That you bounced on both Sunset and the Dazzlings?’ said Applejack. ‘Yeah, pretty much.’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head. ‘But, why didn’t you just wait it out or asked your Princess Celestia to help?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘That’s uh…no longer an option’ said Stardust Horizon. ‘Why not?’ asked Spike. ‘Because that Equestria’s destroyed,’ said Invictus before he looked down and said ‘We lost a lot of good friends that day.’ All of them sans Twilight were shocked by this information. ‘What happened?’ asked Pinkie Pie in a concerning tone. ‘Back there,’ said Invictus ‘Princess Celestia was about to raise the sun, until the Changelings attacked from out of nowhere, and Chrysalis ended up killing her, which was a mistake. Because by doing so, she ended up sending the sun hurtling towards Equestria. We couldn’t use the elements in time. But as my mother, father and myself were doomed, Princess Luna pushed us to safety through the portal back here. The Equestria there…is no more.’ All of them were horrified to hear this, especially Rainbow Dash, for they had no idea how bad the situation was. Rainbow placed her hand on top of his, showing some comfort. ‘We were thankful that we were able to retrieve a lot of stuff from there before we lost everything.’ said Invictus ‘And because I couldn’t get rid of the spell, it still stuck on me, and since there wasn’t any elements of harmony here, the spell was rendered useless. That was…’ ‘Until we all kissed ya.’ said Applejack when she put two and two together. ‘But…we don’t have the Elements of Harmony.’ said Sunset Shimmer. However, Twilight pondered on it and remembered when he mentioned about their geodes glowing. ‘No, but you girls have the next best thing.’ said Twilight as she pointed at the geodes. They took notice and looked at their geodes, with human Twilight saying ‘Our geodes?’ ‘Well, they have Equestrian Magic,’ said Twilight ‘And seeing that all of you were able to absorb the magic from my crown after it realized all of you were worthy into wielding them. Like your counterparts, all of you represent the Elements of Harmony.’ Twilight started from Applejack. ‘Applejack represents the Element of Honesty, Fluttershy represents the Element of Kindness, Pinkie Pie represents the Element of Laughter, Rarity represents the Element of Generosity, Rainbow Dash represents the Element of Loyalty, and the other me represents the Element of Magic.’ ‘But what about me?’ said Sunset whilst the others were surprised and looked at their geodes ‘I don’t represent the Element of Harmony.’ ‘Actually you do.’ said Stardust Horizon, gaining their attention ‘You represent the Element of Empathy, because of your experience of Redemption, you want to help those in need, hence you’re an element.’ Sunset was surprised by this, with Twilight saying ‘That’s impossible. There are only six.’ ‘Actually there are tons.’ said Invictus. ‘What?’ said Twilight. ‘What,’ said Invictus as he pointed some things out ‘Did you really think that Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness and Magic are the only ones? There are more of them than you think.’ ‘And because of our geodes and representing the elements,’ said Pinkie Pie ‘We ended up breaking the spell that plagued Invictus before we ended being in a different version of being connected?’ ‘Oh, we connected alright.’ muttered Fluttershy out loud, causing her to make an eep sound and covered her mouth, but also surprised the others. Stardust Horizon on the other hand, began to ponder, considering that Invictus mentioned that their Geodes were glowing. ‘Say Invictus?’ asked Stardust, gaining her son’s attention ‘When you said that their geodes were glowing, did they exhibit any strange behavior?’ Invictus pondered about this. Even though before the wild night he had with them, he could remember every single detail that happened. ‘Well for starters,’ said Invictus as he started with Applejack ‘Applejack was straight forward and asked me to do her.’ Applejack blushed at that and used her hat to cover her face, for she remembers bits and pieces of what happened whilst he continued. ‘For Fluttershy, she took both of my hands and placed them on her butt whilst she had lustful looks in her eyes with determination. And she even said, quote, “Come and take me you sexy beast”, end quote.’ Now Fluttershy was embarrassed as she hid behind her hair again, which Invictus couldn’t help but find adorable, causing him to clear his throat and continued. ‘Rarity was wearing black lingerie, moved her hips in a most sexy movement, then said “Come to me my beloved star, let us shine together”, then she kept saying naughty boy whenever I groped parts of her body.’ Rarity widened her eyes with her jaw dropped, for her blush deepened as she couldn’t believe she had done something so uncouth. ‘Pinkie Pie lured me to her room with roses. And when I got there, she was naked, but her boobs and womanhood were covered with Whipped Cream and cherries on top, saying that seeing that we had great food we should get straight to desert after she called me her big daddy boy.’ Even Pinkie couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as she covered her head and rested on the table. ‘Sunset and our Twilight on the other hand,’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head ‘The two of them were dressed as Belly Dancing Girls and the two of them made out on the spot to arouse me.’ Now the two of them felt embarrassed whilst everyone was surprised by that move. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she was surprised by how their geodes affected them ‘I had no idea the geodes would make all of you act out like that.’ ‘Uh, except me.’ said Rainbow, gaining their attention as she was partially daydreaming ‘We uh…were gentle with one another. It felt awesome.’ She quickly shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it and said ‘Uh, but yeah, I’m just glad I didn’t say anything embarrassing.’ Invictus ended up smirking as he said ‘Oh don’t worry, this world’s Twilight already beat you to it.’ They wondered what he meant as they looked at Human Twilight, with her feeling embarrassed as she covered her head. ‘Please don’t say it.’ said human Twilight. ‘What did she say?’ asked Rarity. Sunset couldn’t help herself and said ‘Let’s just say the moment he started, she shouted, quote, “My, what a big penis you have.”, end quote.’ Everyone began to stare wide eyes with their jaws dropped, then they slowly looked at Human Twilight as her face was red. Before they knew it, everyone, including Stardust Horizon, laughed out loud when she couldn’t believe what she just said. ‘It’s not funny, okay!!’ shouted human Twilight ‘I never had sex before so I just ended up blurting out the first thing that came out of my mind!!’ Soon the laughter died down as some wiped their tears. Invictus then had a serious look on his face, cleared his throat and said ‘I think it’s time I told all of you about the thing.’ The others wondered what he meant. ‘Uh, what thing?’ asked Applejack. Invictus whispered to Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity, with them realizing what he wanted to tell them. ‘Oh, that.’ said Fluttershy, whilst also noticing the look on his face, which she nodded yes. Invictus looked at Rainbow and said ‘You wondered why you haven’t seen Zephyr Breeze for a while?’ Rainbow was a little surprised by that and said ‘Uh, not really, why?’ He took a deep breath, let it out and said ‘I uh…kinda had him sent to military school.’ Those who didn’t know were surprised by this, with Invictus saying ‘Rarity knows why, and I recently told Fluttershy and the Princess in the room. Figured all of you had the right to know.’ ‘Know what?’ asked Pinkie Pie. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then let it out slowly. Then told them the truth. ‘I caught him taking pictures of him filming and taking pictures of all the girls showering in the girl’s locker rooms, including all of you in this room.’ All of them were taken aback in shock, especially Rainbow Dash as she shouted ‘WHAT?!!!’, whilst feeling embarrassed. He then sighed as he said ‘It gets worse.’ ‘How could it be worse than that?!’ asked Human Twilight. He then said ‘He was going to post them online, he didn’t care what the consequences would be.’ All of them were taken aback in shock ‘Oh my Celestia.’ said Sunset, not believing what she’s hearing. ‘I caught him before he could upload them,’ said Invictus ‘So I ended up beating the snot out of him. I then took him and his laptop to Principle Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna. They were outraged by what he did, so they called both the police and the school board.’ ‘I overheard what was going on and he told me everything,’ said Rarity ‘Though he made me promise not to say anything, which I agreed for Fluttershy’s sake.’ ‘I was called upon court because of what I witnessed.’ said Invictus ‘After the evidence I delivered and my testimony, they wished to instill some proper punishment, so they gave me two choices. So I chose for him to go to Military School for three years. Figured he could use some proper discipline.’ ‘Really?’ said Rainbow in a skeptical tone. ‘It was either that or Twenty Years in prison,’ said Invictus, which shocked the girls in the room ‘And we all know he wouldn’t survive in prison, so he took Military School.’ ‘Whoa,’ said Sunset ‘That really was a good call.’ ‘It shows he has a kind heart.’ said Stardust Horizon ‘My son doesn’t like anyone to go through that kind of fate, no matter how much they deserved it.’ ‘I was really foolish for breaking my friendship with Invictus like that.’ said Fluttershy as she looked down ‘I felt really awful after he told me.’ ‘It wasn’t my intention Fluttershy.’ said Invictus, which she smiled and was grateful for it. He then rubbed the back of his head and said ‘I owe Trixie an apology too.’ Rainbow was really confused by this, with the others remembering the nickname he called her. ‘Um,’ said Fluttershy, gaining the Athlete’s attention as she said ‘Remember when you once mentioned of how you hated the nickname Skittles?’ Rainbow was a bit surprised at first, but nodded in confirmation, with Fluttershy saying ‘Well, Invictus called Trixie Pee-Pee Lulamoon.’ Rainbow was a bit surprised about that at first, but before she could laugh, Invictus placed his hand on hers, signaling not to laugh and had a look that wants to explain, which she allowed. ‘There’s a reason for that, and why she is what she is.’ said Invictus ‘Remember when there was this talent show back at Pre-school?’ ‘Oh yeah,’ said Rainbow, remembering that ‘Fluttershy and I couldn’t make it because we both had the chicken pox back then.’ ‘Well, it’s like this.’ said Invictus as he explained ‘At the show, Trixie wanted to try out being a magician that she had dreamt of since she was little. She worked hard on her talent and wanted to wow the audience. But whilst she was waiting her turn, she had too many sodas because she needed the energy to stay active. When it was her turn, she wanted to go to the bathroom but she was afraid that if she did, she would be disqualified. So she went through her performance. Halfway through, all of them liked it.’ ‘Oh, she must’ve really had fun.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘She did,’ said Invictus, until he frowned and looked down ‘Until that fateful day.’ They wondered what he meant, whilst he said ‘Gilda was there that day.’ Now they, except for Twilight and her human counterpart, were really concerned. ‘But the moment she wanted to continue,’ said Invictus ‘Gilda came from behind and placed a sound speaker nearby. Just as Trixie was about to do her next trick, Gilda made a roaring sound, which scared Trixie. And in doing so…she ended up wetting herself on stage because she couldn’t control her bladder because of the sodas.’ Now all of them were shocked to hear this. ‘Trixie ended up being the laughing stock in front of everybody.’ said Invictus, remembering that day ‘She was devastated, humiliated and in pain, so I quickly came along and took her off stage. About a week later, she had to take a ton of therapy sessions. And ever since that day, they called her Pee-Pee Lulamoon. It took her till Canterlot High to finally outgrew it. But then she began to boast a lot, then her mom told me and my mom that she acts that way because her therapist says that she relies on boasting to normalize, hence the boasting.’ Now all of them, even Rainbow Dash felt sorry for her. ‘Oh, the poor dear.’ said Rarity. ‘No wonder she’s always like that.’ said human Twilight. ‘And the worst part,’ said Invictus whilst he looked down in sadness ‘I was one of the few people whom she liked, trusted and tried to help her. What I said to her broke her. Hence why she didn’t want to go near me after that.’ Before they could say anything, Invictus raised his hand to stop them ‘And I know, what I did was cruel and all…’ ‘But then again it was my fault.’ said Rainbow as she looked down sadly ‘I ignored you and nearly got my friends killed because of my ego. I’m such a screw up.’ Invictus placed his hand on hers, comforting her to show his support. ‘But still,’ said Twilight ‘What you said to her was awful.’ ‘I know.’ said Invictus ‘I have some apologizing to do once I see her again.’ That was, until he rubbed the back of his neck with a piece of sweat or two coming down the side of his face and said ‘As well as someone else.’ His mother noticed this and asked ‘What did you do?’ ‘Uh,’ said Invictus as he thought about it and asked ‘How well do any of you know Kerfuffle?’ Rarity was a bit surprised about this at first and said ‘Oh, I remember her. She was from Hope Hollow until she moved to Phillydelphia for a job interview. I met her last year there.’ ‘Why do you owe her an apology too?’ wondered Sunset. ‘See, two years ago after my uh, falling out with Rainbow,’ said Invictus as he began ‘I met her that summer. She and I got close after that. That was until about a week before it ended, we went with her folks on a property that they own, with a few log cabins. She wanted us to share one, but she didn’t want to separate from her pet dog.’ Then he lowered his head and said ‘But one night we fell asleep on a couch whilst it was a cold night and naturally the fire was about to go out, but I was tired after that and I uh…ended up tossing something in the fire which I thought was firewood.’ Fluttershy gasped, which he quickly corrected as he said ‘No, it wasn’t her dog.’, which she sighed in relief. ‘Then…what did you throw in the fire?’ asked Rainbow. ‘Uh,’ said Invictus as he really got nervous ‘The thing you should know about her. Is the fact that she has a um…’ He twiddled his thumbs a bit, really nervous about how to say this, which caused some to notice this, until he finally looked at them and said ‘Artificial leg.’ Everyone in the room stared at him in shock, with Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight and human Twilight to cover their mouths with their hands as all of them had widened their eyes, even Stardust Horizon was shocked by this. ‘You…’started Stardust Horizon as she was both shocked and mad at the same time ‘Threw her leg…into the fire?!!!!’ ‘Hey, it wasn’t my fault okay!!’ shouted Invictus in defense ‘I was tired and I couldn’t see straight!! Besides, her dad did tell her not to put her leg next to the fireplace, ever since what happened last time.’ ‘Last time?’ asked Spike. ‘Let’s just say…’ said Invictus as he rubbed the back of his head ‘I wasn’t the only one who kept throwing her leg in the fire every time she puts it near the fireplace.’ ‘Like who?’ asked Rainbow Dash. ‘Her dad, her mom, her brother…’ Now all of them were surprised by this. ‘And even though I made her a new leg and she appreciated it, she still doesn’t want to accept my apology.’ said Invictus. ‘I was wondering why you spent extra hours at the woodshop class to make it.’ muttered Stardust Horizon. ‘Hey, I wanted to grow her a new leg so that she could have her limbs back, but you said no.’ said Invictus. ‘We’ve been over this honey,’ said Stardust Horizon ‘We can’t because we have to keep Equestrian Magic a secret.’ He then flexed an eyebrow and gestured to the Rainbooms and Twilight, which she said ‘That’s different.’ ‘Wait,’ said Sunset ‘There’s a spell…to re-grow limbs?’ ‘Let’s just say in our Equestria,’ said Stardust Horizon ‘We developed magic that was far more advance than the Equestria all of you know.’ Sunset thought about something that bothered her, then asked ‘How did you know about me abandoning Celestia?’ ‘Let’s just say on our Equestria,’ said Stardust Horizon when she revealed more of their secrets ‘We have the ability to see what would happen if certain individuals hadn’t been born and came to a specific part of time.’ ‘Like how you saw Sunset leaving Equestria and came here?’ asked Spike. ‘That’s right.’ said Invictus ‘We even saw a place what would’ve happened if Sunset had never been born.’ They were a bit surprised at first, with Invictus saying ‘You lot one time thought about that once, remember?’ Some had guilty looks on their faces as they remembered those bad days, with him saying ‘Her not being born is a mistake. And she was supposed to be here.’ Some were puzzled about this, with him saying ‘What I’m about to tell you…this cannot leave this room, alright?’ Some wondered why, but nodded yes. Invictus then started. · Because Sunset had never been born, Trixie would’ve lost her confidence into becoming a magician and ended up becoming a bookworm. · Derpy, because of her constant bullying that she was forced to endure, she became a street thug and did much harm to others around her. But that’s not what shocked them the most. · Because of the fact that Rainbow couldn’t raise CHS’ spirits after losing so many times of the Friendship Games, Principle Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna gave up running the school, causing Abacus Cinch to take it over and turned it into a Western Branch of Crystal Prep, where the students were beyond miserable. · Cinch continued to run half of Canterlot City with an Iron Fist whilst the Dazzlings, seeing that no one noticed them, ended up taking over the world with their magic and agreed to have Cinch keep her free will so that she can do whatever she wanted. · And because that Equestrian Magic hadn’t leaked through because of human Twilight, Camp Everfree was doomed and Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce could no longer keep the camp open, allowing Filthy Rich to tear it down and turned it into an outer town spa. And what he revealed horrified them all. · Because Sunset wasn’t around, Pinkie Pie had lost her confidence in helping others to become happy, causing her to be unhappy and was afraid to be judged and ended up losing her smile forever. · And if Sunset didn’t change the bake sale date, Rainbow would’ve met Lightning Dust, causing Lightning to use her and in the end, ended up accusing Rainbow of cheating, making her a pariah of CHS, and would end up getting banned and everyone, including Scootaloo, would abandon her, and was reduced to a water girl. · Because Sunset hadn’t been around to warn Applejack about their trees being poisoned, they lost their entire field and would be on the verge of bankruptcy, forcing them to be partners with Flim and Flam. So they had to send Apple Bloom away to Appaloosa so that she could continue with her education whilst Applejack and Big Mac were forced to lie and sell stuff, losing themselves along the whilst Granny Smith was in the hospital, with Flim and Flam paying her medical bill, and if Applejack didn’t do what they said, they’d kill her by pulling her plug. · Because Sunset hadn’t been around to help Rarity with her job at Carousel Boutique, she was fired and forever disgraced by the fashion world no thanks to Suri Polomare, whilst Cinch used a magical artifact to control her parents, throwing her out on the street and was forced to live in a dumpster and became cruel. · Because Sunset hadn’t been around to save Fluttershy from Gilda, she ended up beating Fluttershy to a pulp and killed her beloved pet Angel Bunny, turning her into a cruel and malevolent person, became a gang leader and ended up brining the streets of Canterlot City to their knees and would cause trouble for others when she thought her friends, namely Rainbow, had abandoned her. · Because Sunset not being born, Princess Celestia ended up passing her mistakes to Princess Twilight, and because of her unhealthy thirst for knowledge, she ended up learning dark magic and made a deal with all of the villains in Equestria, only for her to betray them and ended up banishing Princess Celestia to the sun permanently, and because there was no Element of Magic bearer, the Elements of Harmony were rendered useless as her friends died in the onslaught whilst Princess Twilight destroyed all of Equestria and turned into Midnight Sparkle and ended up attempting to take over their world and get revenge on the Dazzlings for betraying her. · As for human Twilight, because Sunset hadn’t been around, every student from CPA continued to resent her and made her isolate in loneliness. And because of her CPA had lost the Friendship Games for the first time, making everyone hate her even more as Cinch had started her torment and made sure no academy would ever accept her, whilst Cinch fired Cadance when she tried to protect Twilight whilst her dog spike…had to be put to sleep because Cinch discovered him. And because of it, human Twilight had committed suicide when she no longer had the will to live. He then concluded ‘And that’s what would’ve happened if Sunset Shimmer had never been born.’ Everyone was horrified by this. Fluttershy and Rarity had shed tears, Pinkie and Applejack were disheartened, human Twilight and Rainbow were shockened, Spike whimpered whilst Twilight was beyond horrified by this. Invictus then smiled as he said ‘As you can see,’, whilst he motioned to the stunned Sunset ‘All of you actually owe her far more than you realize.’ All of them stared at Sunset in shock, with Invictus saying ‘Sunset was supposed to have come to this world because she was fated to come here, just as all of you were fated to be friends and help protect this world from the darkness of Equestrian Magic.’ All of them had no idea how to respond to this, for this was too much for them to grasp. If Sunset hadn’t been around, all of them would’ve suffered. And in a way…she saved their lives whilst she was a bully and they didn’t even know it, not even Sunset. Pinkie and Fluttershy were the first ones to get up and hug Sunset. ‘Thank you.’ said Pinkie with her teary smile ‘Thank you so much.’ Spike on the other hand was able to get on the table and lick Sunset’s hand, thanking her for saving his life too. Soon, everyone else in the room began to do the same. Sunset was stunned, for she hadn’t realized that she had done all that without her realizing it. Causing her to slowly hug them too whilst she accepted them. Invictus simply sighed and said ‘Anyway, that’s pretty much it.’, then looked at Twilight and the Rainbooms ‘I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you guys the truth about who and what I am. It’s just…after what happened during…’ ‘It’s alright Sugarcube,’ said Applejack with a reassuring smile whilst they returned to their seats ‘We understood that y’all wanted to. But given what happened, we can’t blame ya.’ He looked down and said ‘I really wanna make it up to you lot.’ Twilight simply smiled and said ‘Well there is one thing.’ She gained their attention as they looked at her. ‘And what’s that Twilight?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she thought about it ‘I haven’t finished exploring Manehattan. So I figured that we would have the chance to…’ ‘Oh, that you guys can do.’ said Stardust as they looked at her ‘I have some business to do here in Manehattan for the next week, so you lot can spend some time here as much as you want.’ ‘Oh, that’s perfect.’ said Rarity ‘I intended to do some shopping here anyway.’ ‘And I really wanna check the new petting zoo.’ said Fluttershy. ‘I wanna visit the bakery.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘I always wanted to see the Manehattan library.’ said human Twilight as she adjusted her glasses. ‘I want to see if they have the new video games here.’ said Sunset. ‘Heck, I wanna see how their apples taste compare to ours.’ said Applejack. ‘I wanna see the new Motocross show that’s come.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘I’m game.’ said Invictus as he wanted to spend more time with them. ‘Same here.’ said Twilight. ‘Alright then,’ said Stardust Horizon ‘Finish up your breakfasts, freshen up and we’ll get started.’ Twilight stood up and said ‘Mind if I help out with the planning?’ ‘Oh, of course.’ said Stardust Horizon. As they left, Invictus then said ‘Uh, girls, one more thing. Out of curiosity.’ The Rainbooms looked at him, wondering what he was thinking, until he rubbed the back of his head and asked ‘Was I uh…good?’ The Rainbooms couldn’t help but dreamingly smile and daydreamed over their experience with him. ‘Oh Invictus you were amazing.’ said Sunset. ‘She’s right,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all sure know how to make a woman out of us.’ ‘I uh…enjoyed it too.’ said Fluttershy through her blush and smile. ‘Same here.’ said Pinkie in her excitement. ‘I enjoyed it too.’ said Rarity. ‘Heck yeah,’ said Rainbow Dash ‘We gotta do this more often.’ ‘I quite enjoyed it too.’ said human Twilight. ‘Because of my big penis?’ asked Invictus with a flexed eyebrow. Human Twilight instantly went red and hid her face in embarrassment whilst the rest laughed, for that was something they’d never forget. Invictus couldn’t help but smile as they left. ‘It’s good to have them back.’ said Invictus, allowing him to leave and rejoin the others. > Chapter 11: Manehattan part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After all of them had finished their routines of washing up, Twilight (whilst wearing a new outfit), Invictus and the Rainbooms decided to take a tour around the big city. Though it may not be on some of their bucket lists, they were here and they were going to enjoy their visit. Everyone walked down the streets, marveling at the city, to say that the city is amazing would be an understatement. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘The entire city resembles a lot to the Manehattan back in Equestria.’ ‘Oh,’ said Rarity when she gained her attention ‘How does it look?’ ‘Picture all of this,’ said Invictus as he motioned the entire city ‘But all of them pony sized.’ Fluttershy pictured it, began to squee with a smile and saw ‘Aw, how cute.’ Invictus pretended to have a heart attack and said ‘The cuteness. My one weakness.’ Fluttershy ended up being surprised and blushed when Invictus called her cute, but she ended up smiling and giggled at the same time. The rest of her friends also joined in from it. ‘So what else is similar between here and Equestria?’ asked Applejack. ‘Well, as you know,’ said Twilight ‘I took a lot of notes.’ ‘Technically I took the notes for you because you were excited like a little schoolgirl on a good day.’ Twilight merely gave him a look whilst the others laughed, with Rainbow saying ‘That is so you Twilight.’ ‘Our Twilight also happen to sometimes forget to take notes and get excited like a little schoolgirl.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘No I don’t!!’ said human Twilight our loud. ‘Uh, you kinda do Twilight.’ said Spike ‘And your parents, Cadance and Shining Armour can vouch on that.’ Human Twilight groaned a bit as she placed her hand on her forehead. ‘But if you want to know the difference,’ said Invictus as he looked at Rarity and said ‘Rarity, you work part time at Carousel Boutique, correct?’ ‘I do, why?’ asked Rarity. Invictus motioned Twilight to speak, which she smiled and said ‘In Equestria, the other you owns it.’ ‘I do?!!’ said Rarity all excited. ‘Indeed you do.’ said Invictus ‘And because of the success of your business, you ended up opening a boutique in Canterlot, Equestria’s Capitol city, and one in Manehattan.’ ‘I opened one here?!!’ said Rarity, even more excited. ‘You sure did.’ said Twilight ‘It’s called “Rarity 4 U”. We had a little trouble helping her open up the business, but after much determination and a lot of hard work, we were able to open the business.’ ‘And the others added some great additions to it,’ said Invictus whilst he remembered the Mane 6 from his Equestria ‘Vinyl Scratch played music whilst they began to shop, whilst Blue Bobbin and Coco Pommel helped run your shop. Even the Raccoons were a lot of help.’ ‘Wait,’ said Rarity as she was surprised by the last part ‘Did you say…Raccoons?’ ‘They sure did.’ said Twilight ‘They even served some water for the ponies who attended. They’re even great at sorting things. Fluttershy gave me a picture to remember them by.’ She showed them the picture of the Raccoons wearing tuxedoes and work clothes as they helped the other Rarity out. ‘Awww.’ said the girls when they saw the Raccoons. ‘Okay, I’ll admit, that’s adorable.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘So about our pony counterparts.’ asked Applejack ‘What else can y’all tell us about them?’ ‘We’d be happy to tell you.’ said Twilight. They walked around the corner, with Invictus starting. ‘In Equestria,’ said Invictus as he looked at Rainbow ‘The other you happens to be in charge of the Weather teams in Ponyville to make sure that their weather stays in line. But more importantly, you finally became a Wonderbolt, Equestria’s Elite Flying Team.’ ‘Whoa, really?!’ said Rainbow in excitement, she then said ‘I always dreamed of being part of the flying team.’ ‘She sure is.’ said Invictus ‘But uh…she had a problem with her nickname.’ ‘Nickname?’ asked Rainbow. ‘As you don’t like being called Skittles,’ said Invictus ‘She doesn’t like being called Crash.’ ‘Crash?’ ‘Turned out she crashed into a garbage can by accident when she was a filly,’ said Twilight ‘And they bullied her with that nickname.’ ‘Turned out,’ said Invictus ‘All Wonderbolts gain their nicknames after their disastrous attempt on their first day. You know all of your teams? In that world, all of them are members of the Wonderbolts, and Coach Spitfire happens to be the Captain there.’ ‘Really?’ asked Rainbow ‘What were they?’ ‘Well, from what I remember,’ said Twilight ‘Soarin’s called Clipper, because he accidentally clipped his wing against a flagpole on his first day.’ ‘Ouch.’ said Rainbow. ‘Fleetfoot on the other hand is Flatfoot.’ said Invictus ‘She misjudged her landing and came right on top of Spitfire’s hoof.’ The others cringed at that, with Pinkie saying ‘What do they call Coach Spitfire.’ ‘Well…’ said Invictus, causing him to whisper to them, causing them to widen their eyes in surprise. ‘Whoa.’ said Fluttershy. ‘Okay,’ said Sunset with a partial snicker ‘That’s so much worse than Rainbow’s.’ ‘And…’ said Rainbow as she wondered something ‘Is Scootaloo…?’ They saw both Twilight and Invictus with sorrow faces. ‘About that,’ said Twilight ‘Scootaloo really wanted to fly more than anything alongside my Rainbow Dash. But…’ ‘She was born with Avian Unireflexia.’ said Invictus ‘Meaning she would never fly, no matter how hard she tried. She even has really small wings.’ ‘Oh, the poor dear.’ said Rarity, feeling sorry for Scootaloo’s counterpart. ‘And believe it or not, Rainbow Dash hated reading and Daring Do.’ said Invictus with a smirk, causing them to gasp. ‘What?!!’ shouted Rainbow Dash ‘Why would the other me hate Daring Do?!!’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she remembered the conversation they had some time ago ‘She said that she “Don’t read.”, and that she’s a world class athlete, that reading’s for Eggheads. For reading is, in her own words, “Undeniably, Unquestionably, uncool”.’ Everyone stared in shock, even Rainbow Dash looked at them with her mouth agape whilst her eye was twitching. ‘But thankfully,’ said Invictus ‘She was so bored, she started to read a bit. Soon she began to be into it. But unfortunately, just as she was getting to the good part, the hospital staff told her to leave.’ ‘Hospital?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘Turns out she was practicing her flying maneuvers,’ said Twilight ‘Until she lost control and crash landed hard onto the ground.’ They cringed at her accident, with Invictus saying ‘And she even tried to steal the book from the hospital.’ That stifled a laugh from some ‘But thankfully she accepted reading,’ said Twilight ‘I even let her borrow the entire series. She became a fan ever since.’ ‘And get this,’ said Invictus as he looked at them ‘In Equestria, AK Yearling and Daring Do are the same pony.’ All of them were taken aback by this, with Rainbow shouting ‘What?!! They’re the same?!!’ ‘Trust me, it was a shock to us too.’ said Twilight. ‘Wait,’ said Sunset as she looked at her fellow Rainbooms ‘You don’t think…?’ They all thought about it for a moment, but ended up smiling and said ‘Nah.’ ‘Or is she?’ said Invictus with a smirk. Then the Rainbooms ended up staring at him in both shock and surprise, with Invictus nearly wanting to laugh, same with Twilight. ‘The Applejack of my world is a part time owner of Sweet Apple Acres.’ said Twilight ‘She helps run things alongside her family. Although, her Granny Smith won’t trust her running the business anytime soon.’ ‘What?’ said a confused Applejack. Invictus looked at Applejack and asked ‘Did you happen to have lied to much when you were a little girl, your whole family ended up in the hospital?’ Applejack was taken by surprise about this, but slowly nodded. Twilight explained ‘My Applejack was young and she wanted to run the family business, unfortunately her brother kept talking too much before he became the strong silent type. And my Applejack ended up lying so much they ended up in the hospital.’, she then giggled and said ‘It was quite hilarious when she told us.’ ‘Not to mention she even found out more about her family lineage.’ said Invictus, then looked at Applejack and said ‘You know about your mom Buttercup?’ ‘Uh, yeah?’ said Applejack. ‘Her name’s actually Pear Butter.’ said Twilight ‘Meaning you’re half apple, half pear.’ Applejack was taken aback by this, and said ‘But…but…how…?’ ‘It’s…not a pretty tale.’ said Invictus, remembering what the Applejack from the other Equestria told him ‘You see…’ One complicated recap later ‘And that’s what happened.’ said Invictus. Applejack nearly fainted from the story, but they were able to help calm her down as she said ‘I…I can’t believe Grand Pear would just, up and left Ma like that. No wonder mah granny never told me, Big Mac or Apple Bloom about any of this.’ ‘These things are never easy.’ said Twilight. ‘And it’s hard to know when it is a good time.’ said Invictus. ‘Still,’ said Applejack once she adjusted her hat ‘Once ah get back, ah need to have a long talk with her.’ ‘That you should,’ said Invictus ‘But just take it slow and steady, she might not be willing to open up once you tell her.’ ‘Ah’ll try.’ said Applejack. ‘Ooh, what about the other me?’ said Pinkie Pie as she appeared out of nowhere right between Twilight and Invictus. ‘Well,’ said Invictus from what he could remember ‘Pinkie helped Cranky Doodle reunite with the love of his life. Then she tried to babysit the Cake Twins.’ ‘Cake Twins?’ asked the girls. ‘Oh,’ said Twilight when she perked up to that ‘Don’t both Mr. and Mrs. Cake have kids of their own yet?’ Applejack then thought out loud ‘Now that y’all mention it, they did start attending at Canterlot City Nursery Center.’ ‘In Equestria,’ said Invictus ‘Pinkie tried to babysit both of them, until she realized just how much of a handful they really are.’ ‘Oh, I bet they weren’t that bad.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Uh,’ said Twilight ‘Did you ever try to babysit a baby Pegasus and baby Unicorn with unpredictable magical outbursts and random flying? They’re a nightmare to take care and aren’t really easy to take care of.’ ‘Trust me, they really aren’t.’ said Invictus, but then he suddenly shuddered at the one thought and said ‘Then there’s the clone apocalypse.’ Even Twilight shuddered at that, gaining their attention, with human Twilight asking ‘What?’ Then they both looked at them, with Twilight saying ‘Imagine Pinkie Pie.’ ‘But with like a hundred of her all over town going “Fun, fun, fun!!” all day.’ said Invictus. Everyone thought about it, causing all of them to shudder at that. ‘I so don’t want that.’ said Rainbow ‘One Pinkie Pie is more than enough.’ ‘That’s true.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘Only one Pony can bring smiles and that’s me.’ ‘The other you joined with Cheese Sandwich to make Rainbow Dash’s birthday anniversary happen.’ said Invictus. ‘A what?’ asked Sunset. ‘From what she told me,’ said Twilight ‘On the day of her birthday, was the exact same day that she moved to Ponyville.’ ‘You wouldn’t believe how wild and crazy it was.’ said Invictus ‘It was quite a lot of fun. But not as interesting as Pinkie’s PSSSD.’ ‘Uh, what is it?’ whispered Rarity, which caused Pinkie to giggle, for she knew what it meant, with Rarity asking ‘What?’ ‘Not Pssst, Rarity.’ said Invictus ‘PSSSD. Pie Sister Surprise Swap Day.’ ‘Huh?’ said the Rainbooms, minus Pinkie Pie, in confusion. ‘Oh, that’s easy.’ said Pinkie Pie as she interrupted ‘It’s the same thing me and my siblings do. Every year, we set aside a special day to spend time with each other. One day is with my older sister Limestone, then my sister Maud, and then my younger sister Marble. I do separate trips with each one. We make it super fun by picking a different location every year. We see the sights all day, and then we swap gifts by sunset.’ ‘Oh,’ said Rarity as she cooed ‘That’s the sweetest tradition you have ever come up with.’ ‘We sure did.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘Maybe you girls should do the same thing with…’ She suddenly stopped, realizing that Rainbow doesn’t have any siblings and Fluttershy’s brother is currently…occupied. And Sunset doesn’t have a sibling either, as far as they could tell. ‘Oh right.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘Slight problem with that.’ ‘No, it’s alright.’ said Fluttershy as she looked down ‘I don’t want to visit him anyway, not after what he did.’ ‘And I like Scoots and all,’ said Rainbow as she rubbed the back of her head ‘But uh…it doesn’t feel the same.’ ‘I know what you mean.’ said Sunset, then said from within her thoughts ‘I wish I could make amends with my brother.’ ‘But from what my Pinkie Pie told me,’ said Twilight ‘Because of the fact that Rarity was such a big help, they decided to have a new tradition to have Rarity be part of it.’ ‘Which they call PSSSDWR, Pie Sister Surprise Swap Day With Rarity.’ said Invictus. ‘Aw, how sweet.’ said Rarity. ‘Not as sweet as Maud’s roller skating trick,’ said Invictus ‘That girl really knows how to do a swan maneuver.’ They were a bit surprised at this, with Invictus saying ‘I’ve seen her skate twice. Once back at Equestria. And the other when she offered to teach me how to skate. But sometimes I question her whenever she goes to places.’ Pinkie then flexed an eyebrow and asked ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, to quote Maud when she ate at that one restaurant here in Manehattan,’ said Invictus, until he suddenly shape shifted into Maud with her usual monotone facial expression and voice as he said ‘It’s only restaurant in the city with Nepheline cyanide in their bathroom tiles.’ Everyone stared at him in shock and their mouths agape whilst he shape shifted back to normal. He the rubbed the back of his head and said ‘My magic also allows me to shape shift into another’s appearance. For example.’ He suddenly shape shifted into Gilda, but with her in a frilly dress as he said through her voice ‘Oh, look at me, I’m a frilly little princess named Rose Petal.’ The moment when Fluttershy and Rainbow saw Gilda in the most ridiculous dress, they ended up laughing really hard at the sight of her in a dress like that, even Sunset laughed at that, however, the rest couldn’t help but stare at him shocked. ‘And it makes my butt look but.’ said Invictus through her voice whilst he showed off her butt, then ended up slapping it and said ‘Ooh, she has some nice gluts.’ Rarity ended up stuttering and out of embarrassment and then shouted ‘Invictus!!!’ He shape shifted back to normal and tried to defend himself as he said ‘Oh come on, you gotta admit, that was funny. Be glad I didn’t shape shift into you.’ He then snuck to her with a smirk and said ‘Unless you want me to…’ ‘No!! No!!’ said Rarity, clearly still feeling embarrassed about it ‘We’ll stick to the Gilda thing.’ ‘Too late.’ said Invictus as he shape shifted into her, but the outfit she wore the day Twilight met her, as he said in her voice ‘Oh, darling, I simply look fabulous.’ That made Rainbow Dash laugh at her hardest as she fell over, with Rarity now steaming mad ‘Invictus!!!’ However, she noticed Invictus looked at her, then himself, then her. He began to ponder something. After Rainbow had stopped laughing and got up, Invictus walked over to Rarity. ‘You know what,’ said Invictus with Rarity’s voice ‘Comparing this outfit and the outfit you’re wearing right now. I love that outfit much better, it really speaks to you.’ Rarity blinked in surprise as she said ‘It does?’ ‘Well of course,’ said Invictus with Rarity’s voice as he said ‘You so have the hips and beautiful body to pull off an outfit like that.’ Rarity couldn’t help but blush whilst Invictus turned back to normal as she said ‘Oh, well um…thank you.’ Rarity ended up smiling whilst she blushed. For even though she was mad that he shape shifted into her, she couldn’t help but feel flattered over the compliment of the dress she’s wearing, as well as her body. Invictus cleared his throat and said ‘Fluttershy also has some interesting adventures.’ ‘Really?’ said Fluttershy. ‘Oh yes,’ said Twilight ‘Back when a dragon wanted to take a hundred year nap near Ponyville, we had to wake it and send it away because his smoke was going to engulf all of Ponyville. At first Fluttershy was afraid to face the dragon.’ ‘And Rainbow gave her a hard time too.’ said Invictus, which surprised all of them ‘For not only did that Rainbow Dash flat out ignore that Fluttershy when she tried to warn them about the dragon, she grumbled and complained about her all day. That Rainbow acted that Fluttershy was nothing but a burden when all of them know for a fact she knew her longer than any of them had. For if that was the way she treated her, it’s no wonder she doesn’t have any confidence in herself, and they called her the Element of Loyalty.’ ‘Wow,’ said Rainbow ‘I know I can be a jerk but oh man, comparing to the two of us, she sounded like a bigger pain than I did.’ ‘Oh she is.’ said Twilight as she rolled her eyes ‘But no matter how many times we try to help or help her change her ways, she still doesn’t want to listen.’ ‘There was even the part where that Fluttershy wanted to learn how to be assertive, but that turned into a disaster.’ ‘Huh, how…?’ asked Sunset. ‘Iron Will.’ said Twilight and Invictus. Half of them groaned, knowing full well who he is. ‘She even helped Rainbow Dash choose a pet.’ said Twilight. ‘Whoa, she helped her pick Tank?’ said Rainbow. ‘Yes and no.’ said Invictus ‘That Rainbow Dash was too stubborn to have tank as a pet because she didn’t want a pet that would slow her down. But in the end, Tank helped her in a tight situation. In the end she chose the tortoise, she even attached a miniature propeller on top of it so that it could fly.’ ‘Whoa, cool.’ said Rainbow. ‘Anyway, from Fluttershy,’ said Invictus ‘She even befriended a Chaos being named Discord. She was really brave to give him a chance.’ ‘That’s our Fluttershy.’ said Pinkie Pie as she lightly elbowed their Fluttershy, which she blushed and smiled at the same time. ‘But do not let us get started when she got turned into a bat.’ said Invictus. ‘A bat?’ said the girls. ‘You’re not gonna believe this,’ said Twilight ‘But whilst we were trying to get rid of the vampire fruit bats from the Apple Farm, I accidentally affected Fluttershy, causing her to turn into a vampire bat pony, with our Pinkie calling her Flutter Bat.’ ‘She sounds scary.’ said Fluttershy. ‘But you have to admit, she looked kinda cute with the fangs and red eyes and all.’ said Invictus, causing them to look at him with flexed eyebrows as he said ‘Well she did.’ ‘But she also came through for Sweet Feather Sanctuary.’ said Twilight. ‘She what?’ asked Invictus, with the others also wondering. ‘Oh right, you guys didn’t know.’ said Twilight as she realized it. She then looked at the others and said ‘My Fluttershy was able to make a place where all of the animals would come together. She called it Sweet Feather Sanctuary. It’s kind of like an animal shelter.’ Fluttershy was surprised by this as she said ‘I…the other me…created an animal shelter?’ ‘She sure did.’ said Twilight. She then suddenly recalled what Invictus told her, then turned to him and said ‘Oh, right. Tell her what you told me.’ ‘Oh, right.’ said Invictus. ‘Tell me what?’ said Fluttershy as she was curious what he wanted to talk about He turned to her and said ‘You remember the White Tail Nature Reserve?’ ‘Oh, I do.’ said Fluttershy ‘Why do you ask?’ ‘Your great grandmother Posy Shy founded and was the exact owner of the place.’ said Invictus. Fluttershy was greatly surprised, as was the Rainbooms. ‘Her great grandmother?!’ said Rarity. ‘Are y’all sure?’ said Applejack. ‘She sure did.’ said Twilight ‘But she and her husband had a divorce and took the kids with him, so he didn’t tell them, but it turned out she never stopped trying to reach out to them.’ ‘My dad’s dad was a lawyer back at the day when he was starting out.’ said Invictus ‘He met Posy Shy back at the day. They even made a will that’s still under lock and key, which they even track down her family members. And seeing that you’re the only heir, the will said that once you graduate and you reach out to them, you’d be the proud owner of White Tail Wood Nature Reserve.’ Fluttershy’s eyes widened like dinner plates, not believing what she was hearing. She was quiet for a few moments, with her friends noticing. ‘Uh, Fluttershy?’ said Rainbow as she waved her hand in front of her ‘You okay?’ And in three, two, one, Fluttershy screeched in joy, which caused many to hold their ears within a five hundred mile radius. Fluttershy ended up grabbing Invictus as she violently shook him with her biggest smile. ‘I get to be the proud owner of that place?!!’ shouted Fluttershy ‘This is incredible!!’ She ended up dropping Invictus as she danced around in joy, which surprised her friends. Invictus sat up whilst groaning in pain because of Fluttershy’s excitement. Twilight knelt over with a smirk. ‘So,’ said Twilight ‘What did we learn?’ ‘Don’t tell Fluttershy something that would make her that overexcited.’ said Invictus. ‘Good boy.’ said Twilight as she helped him up. ‘Me, the owner of the Nature Reserve.’ said Fluttershy in her cheery tone ‘It’ll be a dream come true!!’ Rolling his eyes at her display, Invictus walked over and rubbed her shoulders a bit in order to calm her down ‘Calm down Flutters. Sheesh, you’re more excited than Rainbow Dash when the last Daring Do book came out.’ ‘I did?’ said Rainbow, which Applejack reminded her on that one book release, which made her blush and giggle sheepishly at that ‘Oh yeah, I did.’ ‘Now then, what are we going to do first?’ said Sunset Shimmer. ‘How about this.’ said Invictus as he made them an offer. ‘Seeing that it’s already eight o clock. A bit early but also enough time. We each get to do something for an hour and a half. That way, we’ll be able to do something the other wants. And then by tonight, we’ll be going out for dinner. My treat.’ They were surprised by the offer. ‘Oh, darling, we couldn’t possibly…’ said Rarity, wanting to change the subject. ‘Let’s just say it’s my way of saying thanks for being my friend.’ said Invictus as he smiled ‘For giving me a chance. And for helping me fix my friendships along the way. And it’s my way of showing I care.’ They were surprised by his touching words, with Invictus then saying ‘That and I know most of you don’t want to say no to free food.’ Pinkie then giggled and said ‘That’s true. I never say no to free food. Same with Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sunset.’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight ‘If you insist. I suppose it’s fine.’ ‘Alright!!’ said Rainbow Dash ‘So, what’ll we do first?’ Invictus checked his watch and said ‘Well the other places won’t be open for an hour and an hour and a half, so luckily the petting zoo is opened.’ He looked at his certain shy friend and said ‘So congratulations Flutters. We get to do your thing first.’ ‘Yay.’ said Fluttershy with her usual quiet tone, which he couldn’t help but smile whilst nodding his head, for she really is adorable. They arrived at the Manehattan petting zoo, where all the animals were already up and about and the kids were already interacting with them. Fluttershy seemed to be having a good time petting most of the animals. Rarity didn’t want to pet any animals because she was fussy as usual, but forced herself to pet a horse. At first she wanted to quickly go wash her hands, until Invictus offered her some hand sanitizers and wet wipes. She smiled and accepted them whilst cleaning her hands. Human Twilight and Spike were being kind to the ducks and ducklings, even Spike enjoyed giving the baby chicks a ride on his back. Rainbow Dash petted a few turtles because they reminded her of her pet tank. ‘Say, how’s Tank doing?’ said Invictus as he remembered the turtle ‘I hope he’s doing well.’ ‘Oh, he’s doing fine at home.’ said Rainbow whilst she petted them ‘He was bummed that he couldn’t come along. Coach Spitfire had the whole no pets allowed thing.’ ‘Yeah, he would’ve loved it here.’ said Invictus. Pinkie Pie waved to a handful of baby gators, and they seem to like her, which was weird because she doesn’t have a pet gator, just a doll. Applejack was busy petting a pig because they reminded her of her fellow swine back at home. Sunset and Twilight were busy petting a horse, which the horse seems to enjoy. ‘I see he likes you two.’ said Invictus. ‘Looks like it.’ said Sunset. ‘They’re just so adorable.’ said Twilight. ‘Yeah, at least they don’t “Neigh” about it.’ said Invictus, causing Twilight and Sunset to slowly look at him with flexed eyebrows, with him sheepishly saying ‘Yeah, you’re right, it was bad.’ Even the Horse blew raspberries about it. Rainbow walked over to a Llama and petted it whilst saying ‘Hey, check this freaky hairy horse out.’ ‘Rainbow Dash.’ scolded Fluttershy ‘That’s a Llama, not a hairy horse.’ ‘Eh, still looks hairy to me.’ said Rainbow with a shrug, then muttered under her breath ‘And ugly.’ Unfortunately for her, the Llama overheard her and ended up spitting in her face, which surprised Rainbow after the massive spit wave she got. She growled in anger over it. Invictus took notice of this. He ended up smirking and had an idea. He walked over to a nearby fountain. ‘Oh Rainbow Dash,’ said Fluttershy as she used a towel she kept in handy for just in case to wipe off the spit from her face ‘You shouldn’t do that. When a Llama gets angry, they always do that.’ ‘You don’t say.’ said Rainbow, until she saw Invictus sipping in water from the fountain, then asked ‘What is he doing?’ Invictus then walked over to the Llama with his mouth filled with water. The girls watched him walk over to the Llama. The Llama was curious over what Invictus was planning. That was, until he spat the water all over the Llama’s face, which surprised the girls, even the Llama. ‘When Invictus angry when Llama spits on friends, he always does so.’ said Invictus whilst he dusted his hands and wiped his mouth. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh out loud whilst Fluttershy pouted, that was, until Invictus slipped and fell into a crocodile pit, which shocked them as they ran over. He stood up and said ‘I’m okay.’ That was, until an crocodile came from behind, which shocked the girls as Spike shouted ‘Behind you!!’ Invictus turned around and saw the crocodile, allowing him to quickly jump out of the way before the gator could chomp on him. ‘Oh, you wanna play rough, eh you overstuffed handbag?’ said Invictus whilst he rolled up his sleeves. He grabbed the crocodile by the mouth before it could respond, lifted it up and ended up wrestling it, which surprised the girls. ‘Huh,’ said Applejack as she leaned forward ‘Ah didn’t know he knew how to wrestle, let alone a crocodile.’ ‘Yeah, me neither.’ said Pinkie as she and the others watched the display. Within moments, Invictus had it pinned on the ground on its back, with his legs wrapped around it, with the Crocodile struggling to get back up. As the crocodile struggled to get up, Invictus ended up rubbing its belly whilst humming a lullaby. Within moments, the crocodile fell as sleep, which surprised the girls. ‘Goodness,’ said Rarity ‘I didn’t know crocodiles fall asleep whilst giving it a belly rub.’ ‘Crocodiles tend to easily fall asleep whenever their bellies are rubbed.’ said human Twilight whilst she looked at the display. ‘Crocodiles love it when others give them belly rubs.’ said Fluttershy before she let out a giggle ‘Helps them sleep better at night.’ After he was done, the girls applauded him whilst clapping their hands. ‘Nice work Invictus,’ said Twilight ‘Didn’t know you could do that.’ ‘There’s a lot you don’t know about me.’ said Invictus before he looked at the Crocodile and said ‘Sleep tight young fella.’ But as he made his way to the side of the wall to climb up, he made a mistake on stepping onto the crocodile’s belly, waking it up and getting back up, shocking the girls. ‘Ooh,’ said Rainbow as she cringed ‘Big mistake.’ The crocodile ended up biting Invictus in the butt and ended up wrestling him. The Crocodile ended up pinning Invictus onto the ground with its legs wrapped around him whilst Invictus struggled to get back up. And in a surprise conclusion, the crocodile ended up rubbing Invictus’ belly and humming a lullaby, making him fall asleep. This surprised the girls even greater. Rainbow ended up resting on her right hand whilst her elbow was on the concrete wall, whilst she flexed an eyebrow and said ‘Now that’s something you don’t see every day.’ The crocodile walked a bit forward, then looked at Invictus. And instead of eating him, the crocodile used its tail to lift him up and swat him right out of its pit, surprising the girls as they quickly ran towards him. He ended up crashing near a florist, who happens to be selling flowers, which surprised her, whilst he slowly sat up and said in a groggy tone ‘Eight roses and a bag of doggy treats please.’ The girls soon made it to him, whilst they saw he walked up to them whilst he was dizzy in the process. ‘Uh, you okay there Sugarcube?’ asked Applejack. ‘I am,’ said Invictus ‘Because I gave you girls these.’ He handed them a rose each, which surprised them as they accepted it one by one, whilst he handed Spike a bag of doggy treats, which he smiled and accepted them. Invictus cleared his head whilst shaking it, then said ‘Eight roses for all of you because all of you are awesome.’ The girls couldn’t help but blush at his kindness, even Fluttershy smiled and giggled at that. He then clasped his hands together and said ‘So, where to next?’ ‘Oh, my turn.’ said Rarity, then she said ‘It’s shopping time.’ Some rolled their eyes, for it was typical Rarity. Soon enough, they arrived at the mall, where Rarity was eager to try out some new designs. ‘Oh, I simply cannot wait to try something new.’ said Rarity as she got excited. ‘Ugh,’ said Rainbow as she rolled her eyes ‘You try something new all the time Rarity.’ ‘And yet you’re wearing her designs.’ said Invictus as he gestured her clothing, which she noticed as he said ‘I seem to remember a certain someone who kept wearing bicycle shorts and a skirt every day.’ Rainbow rolled her eyes at that and said ‘Okay, you have a point. But still.’ ‘There’s nothing wrong to show off your feminine side Rainbow, you of all people should know that.’ said Invictus. Rainbow couldn’t help but smirk and said ‘This coming from a guy who didn’t like to style his hair with hair gel and was forced to wear a monkey suit?’ ‘First of, that was back in sixth grade,’ said Invictus ‘Second, it was picture day and I wore braces that day before they removed it.’ ‘Y’all used to wear braces?’ said Applejack. ‘Not something I like.’ said Invictus as he had a deadpanned expression ‘And my stupid braces kept short circuiting every time whenever I passed something electronic.’ He then rolled his eyes and said ‘And Ms. Harshwinny still wouldn’t forgive me for it.’ Sunset looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and said ‘What did you do?’ ‘Well, uh…’ said Invictus, until he grumbled and mumbled stuff at the same time. ‘I’m sorry what?’ said human Twilight. Having no choice, he huddled the girls together and said ‘My braces made her boobs and butt grow a little bigger.’ Everyone stared at him with their mouths agape, with Fluttershy saying ‘So that’s why Mr. Cranky Doodle wouldn’t stop ogling her.’ After the huddle, he said ‘I didn’t do it on purpose. I used magic to help make my teeth better because I was so sick of the braces. How the heck was I supposed to know it was going to happen.’ ‘You what?’ said Twilight, then she was face to face with him and said ‘That was reckless.’ ‘It was in the sixth grade.’ said Invictus in defense, then he mumbled ‘I still think she looks better that way anyway.’ They were then once more surprised, with Rarity saying ‘Well, you were the one responsible for her getting married.’ ‘Really?’ said Invictus, for this was news to him. ‘Oh of course, I was there.’ said Rarity before she giggled, remembering like it was yesterday. (Flashback) Rarity was walking down the hall, on her way to class. ‘About a month after the uh, incident you had. I saw Miss Harshwinny walking down the hall. I think she was very embarrassed over what happened to her figure and she didn’t realize it.’ Rarity saw Ms. Harshwinny walk down the hall, whilst having a flustered look on her face, not comfortable of how the men were staring at her, especially that her butt and breasts were now very snug underneath her dress whilst most of the male teachers couldn’t stop but stare at her. ‘Then one day, she met someone.’ Ms. Harshwinny accidentally bumped into someone, and whilst they were holding onto one another, she felt a bit more flustered. ‘I’ve never seen her stare at any man like that before. I think she had a crush on him from the sidelines. I think his name was Intellect Wisdom.’ ‘Intellect Wisdom?’ said human Twilight ‘As in the Superintendant of all the schools in Canterlot City?’ ‘Indeed.’ said Rarity as she giggled again ‘But he also couldn’t stop staring at her.’ Rarity saw as Ms. Harshwinny walked away, she noticed how Intellect Wisdom was staring at her, and noticed how her hips were swaying, which made him flustered as he noticed her body. ‘He also fell head over heels for her. Though I was a bit worried, considering he kept staring at parts of her body.’ Another month later, Rarity was sitting outside doing her homework whilst she saw Ms. Harshwinny walked to her car, until Intellect Wisdom walked up and talked to her. She had the same expression, but they just kept talking. Before Rarity realized it, Intellect and Ms. Harshwinny kissed, taking her by surprise. ‘Then a month later, whilst I was doing my homework, I saw Ms. Harshwinny walk towards her car until Intellect walked up to her. They kept talking, and before I knew it, the two of them kissed.’ Than another month passed, and whilst Rarity left Ms. Harshwinny’s class, she caught a glimpse on her face, and noticed that she was smiling. ‘Though she kept her expression,’ said Rarity ‘I saw that she was secretly smiling, not wanting students to see her. I think he left a good impression on her.’ (Present) They were surprised how much Ms. Harshwinny’s life had been turned around whilst Rarity squealed. ‘And a year later, the two of them got married.’ said Rarity, barely being able to keep in her excitement. ‘Huh,’ said Rainbow ‘No wonder she sometimes gave me some slack whenever I was sometimes late for gym. She’s always grumpy and threatened me with detention whenever I was late.’ ‘And that’s not the best part.’ said Rarity, trying to contain her excitement. ‘What’s more exciting than that?’ said Fluttershy. ‘A few months before summer started…’ said Rarity, still containing her excitement, then squealed ‘She got pregnant.’ The girls got excited as they were happy for their teacher. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she was surprised ‘Good for her.’ ‘Wow,’ said Invictus as he was surprised ‘To think, it was because of…’ He then remembered, he knew Ms. Harshwinny knew that he was responsible for his predicament, but for some strange reason, after he kept holding him in class, she was trying to find the courage to thank him. Then shortly before summer vacation started, she walked up to him and whispered in his ear “Thank you,” kissing him in the cheek, which surprised him greatly. ‘Wow.’ said Invictus as he folded his arms and looked a bit in the air ‘Instead of being mad at me…she was actually trying to thank me. If it weren't for that accident, she wouldn’t be married. I did something right for once.’ ‘For once?’ said a voice. Invictus looked and the girls looked at him as they noticed something off when he mentioned it. ‘Okay, another secret, but an accidental one,’ said Invictus. He cleared his throat and said ‘I uh…was the reason Mr. Cranky Doodle got bald in the first place.’ The girls were partially surprised and curious at the same time. Until the Rainbooms widened their eyes and looked at one another as Sunset said ‘I thought his hair looked different.’ ‘Yeah, and it turned out that it was a wig.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Okay, enough talk,’ said Rarity as she pointed towards the nearest store that caught her eye whilst she said ‘Paradise awaits.’ ‘Only you’d think that a clothing store is paradise Rarity.’ said Rainbow Dash whilst rolling her eyes. ‘This coming from a girl who once complained that when she was ten, one of the jeans made her butt looked flat?’ smirked Invictus, then said ‘And then one day before the showcase started, I thought it looked very cute whilst you try so hard to hide it underneath the skirt.’ Rainbow had a surprise look on her face, blushed bright red and was so embarrassed, she looked at him and shouted ‘Y-You idiot!! Why would you think that’d made me feel better?!!’ Rainbow ended up hitting Invictus’ back with her fists whilst the Rainbooms laughed at her reddened face, even Twilight thought that was funny. Soon enough, everyone was in the store, trying on certain outfits that really matched their personalities. Rarity tried certain outfits that made her look like a movie star, a fashion model and a bikini model. The girls, even Rainbow liked it. Invictus liked them and gave a thumbs up for it, which Rarity appreciated the moral support. Fluttershy tried on outfits that fit more her personality. One that looked like a pretty vet, one that looked like a safari outfit, then one dress that Invictus remembered she was wearing whilst she was singing to herself. The girls thought she looked amazing, even Invictus blushed at her outfit, which Fluttershy did too when she saw the look on his face. Pinkie Pie was trying on outfits that nearly resembled to candy themed outfits and her kooky personality. She tried on an outfit that made her look like a baker, then like a pirate, then a dress that made her look like something from Songbird Serenade’s collection. The girls cheered for her, as did Invictus. That was however, until she randomly got out of the curtain and she was naked, making the girls gasp in shock whilst Invictus quickly covering his eyes, whilst Rarity quickly dashed towards her prismatic friend and made sure nobody saw her. Applejack tried on outfits that matched her farmer style personality. She tried on an outfit that made her look like a country singer whilst holding a guitar. Then she began to wear an outfit that made her look like a proper Western, then finally, wore an outfit that made her look like a Texan Ranger. The girls cheered for that, even Invictus, for those outfits looked really great on her, whilst Rarity kept on cringing at that, not comfortable that Applejack wears the same outfits all the time. Sunset Shimmer tried on outfits that screamed her personality out loud. She tried on an outfit that makes her look like a motorcycle club member. Then she tried on an outfit that was twice as better as her camp Everfree outfit, then she tried on a new swimsuit. She then tried on an outfit that almost looked like the one she wore from the Friendship Games’ welcoming committee, but it also had a bit more of a tropical flare. The girls cheered for her, even Invictus liked it. That was, until she walked out in a bikini, which nearly made him pass out when he saw how hot she looked. Sunset however, noticed the look on his face, whilst also remembering what he said about her posterior, which made her blush and cross her arms whilst looking away, trying not to remember the embarrassing comment. Human Twilight wore outfits that matched her scientific personality. She wore a different kind of lab coat, but with a shirt that had her mark on it, whilst she had a stylish ponytail. The next outfit she wore resembled that of a botanist from the great outdoors, whilst she also began to wear a different outfit that nearly resembled that to her outfit from when she first met Rosetta Nebula. Twilight tried on outfits that resembled more to what a Princess should wear, considering she is one. She first outfit she was wearing resembled that to a beautiful dress. The next was from when she was wearing the outfit that she wore during the times she and her friends sang the song “Shake your tail”, whilst she later tried on an outfit that some would say make her look like a goddess, which the girls greatly approve, even Invictus. Rainbow tried on athletic outfits that matched her style. She wore an outfit that made her part of a jogging team, but with more stylish decoration. Then she tried on an outfit that was made for motocross riding. Then an outfit that was for an International soccer’s outfit. However, what she wore next took them all by surprise. She was wearing a blue dress, whilst the lower part was a pinkish skirt that only reached above her knees whilst she was wearing stylish sandals. The girls were amazed by the outfit, even Invictus liked it as he nodded in improvement. Truth be told, she only dressed like this because she secretly wanted to impress Invictus, but she still kept her blush and smiled. Spike on the other hand tried on outfits that would make any puppy look adorable, which the girls couldn’t help but fawn over and take pictures, much to his displeasure as he said ‘Why me?’ However, whilst they continued to choose more outfits, Invictus snuck around and took various things and added some more makeup in secret without them noticing, whilst also placing what appeared to be grease on the ground, then placed some nails on the ground for good measure ‘Pssst, hey, hey girls.’ said a voice, causing the girls to look at the direction. Within an instant, Invictus popped out, wearing an ugly polka dot dress, combat boots, a funny looking scarf, a large wig and the craziest makeup on anyone’s face as he shouted ‘TADAAAAAA!!!’ Some widened their eyes in surprise, some gasped, and Rarity let out a big gasp as she dropped her outfits whilst her right eye was twitching. When all of a sudden, he began to chant. Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la He then stomped like a crazy person from one part of the store to the other. Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la He then did the same routine back whilst still keeping that goofy face. As he continued, the Rainbooms were greatly surprised at first over his crazy antics. Then before they knew it, they found themselves snickering, covering their mouths, barely being able to hold in their laughter, even Rarity had a hard time controlling herself. He suddenly swung his hips around. Cha-cha-cha!! He went sideways and did the same routine as he swung his hips around. Cha-cha-cha!! When all of a sudden, the moment he reached the grease, and he ended up slipping and sliding and slipped on his butt whilst his combat boots flew away from his feet. Until he reached the end and stepped on the nails whilst he flailed and wailed and moaned in pain at the same time, but thankfully the nails didn’t get stuck on his feet. The moment he was on the other side, he moved looked at the girls, whilst he moved his hips to the right, placed both his fists on his waist, whilst giving the most silliest and grumpiest facial expression he could muster, which got the girls snickering even louder. He did the same thing as he walked back and secretly dropped a banana peel, but on the nails again, and slipped on the grease like a total idiot. Then suddenly, he realized something and noticed he forgot his hat, then he ended up doing the same thing like he did earlier on the grease, then on the nails. The moment he stepped on a banana peel, he slipped and fell onto a large pile of clothing that was placed there by him just in case. He was suddenly placed under the pile of clothing, and instantly popped out whilst having a mime makeup on his face. ‘Good evening, friends!!!’ sang Invictus in a goofy tone. Within a split second, no longer being able to contain themselves, Twilight, Spike and the Rainbooms ended up laughing out loud, for it was the most funniest high jinks they have ever seen, even though Rarity would’ve thrown a hissy fit about it, she couldn’t contain herself as she ended up laughing over it too, even Spike thought it was funny as he was on his back. Invictus then stood up, was back in normal clothing and removed the wig and makeup, whilst saying ‘Thank you, thank you very much.’ Rainbow leaned against him as she held onto his shoulder whilst wiping a tear away as she said ‘Oh man, now that was funny!!’ ‘I’ll say,’ said Pinkie Pie as she tried to recollect her breath after she laughed really hard ‘I never realized you had such a funny bone!!’ Rarity then walked over to him, after recollecting herself, spoke to him and said ‘Thank you for the display darling. But uh…ahem, don’t you think that you might have caused a scene here?’ ‘Sorry about that.’ said Invictus, but as he looked at the outfits, he suddenly thought of something, he then smiled and said ‘Can I try some outfits on too?’ The girls were a bit surprised by his gesture as Sunset said ‘Are you sure about this?’ ‘Oh, believe me,’ said Invictus with a smirk as he pointed at himself with his thumb and said ‘I can make any outfit look good on me.’ ‘You do?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘Yeah, watch.’ said Invictus as he instantly darted all around, finding what he could. He then darted back to the changing area, but then popped his head through a curtain as he said ‘Watch and be amazed.’, before he popped back in. Invictus came out and was wearing an outfit that nearly resembled Rarity’s style. He was wearing black shoes, black pants, black long sleeved coat with a light grey shirt, whilst his hair was combed neatly. Rarity liked the outfit as her eyes suddenly shined like stars. He then began to wear an outfit that made him look like an explorer, mixed with safari as well as a backpack with what appeared to be medical aid for animals. Fluttershy nearly made a squee sound when she saw him in that outfit. He then came out wearing what appeared to be a chef’s outfit whilst he was holding what appeared to be a cupcake platter, which made Pinkie Pie squeal in excitement, but she was more excited for the cupcakes, causing her to run towards Invictus, which made him freak out and ran away whilst Pinkie Pie ran after him, begging for a cupcake, which the others couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament. Next up, he then appeared to look like a Western Cowboy. He had the boots with black pants with a belt buckle that had a symbol of an eagle up front. He wore a white buttoned shirt with a black sleeveless leather jacket whilst he was also sporting a fingerless cowboy gloves, as well as a black hat that made himself look like a proper cowboy, whilst he walked over like a cowboy and leaned close to Applejack and dipped his had to her, which made her blush and couldn’t help but smile at that. Invictus then came out wearing also brown combat boots, blue jeans, black belt, black shirt as well as a type of jacket that bikers like to wear. He even wore glasses for the occasion. The girls like the outfit, until he turned around and showed them the picture on his back, which was them, and underneath, it said “Rainbooms Rule”, which surprised them as many approved of it. Invictus came out wearing an outfit that made him look like a scientist because of the coat, but he was wearing clothing that made him look like he was ready for combat in case he was attacked by any bad guys, but he also wore glasses whilst holding a physics book. Human Twilight liked the look, and strangely so too did the others, for he was right, any outfit he was wearing can make him look good. The next outfit he wore surprised the girls, for Invictus was wearing a black tuxedo, with a white buttoned shirt and a red tie whilst his hair was neatly styled backwards. He walked over to the girls as he said ‘The name’s Victus. Invictus.’, which made the girls roll their eyes with a no kind of nod, but they couldn’t help but smile, for even though he sounded corny for saying that, he really looks awesome in that getup. Then Invictus began to dress up that would make him look like a treasure hunter. He wore black boots, black pants, black sleeveless vest, whilst also wearing a utility belt, black fingerless gloves, as well as hair to match the occasion. However, the girls were distracted by his biceps, which they all thought was really interesting. Sure enough, all of them had exited the store, with their own clothes in their own bags. Some even enjoyed the outfits that all of them had received. ‘Oh, darlings,’ said Rarity as she held her bags in the air ‘We’ve certainly hit a jackpot in our design of choice.’ ‘I still don’t know why you keep fussing over outfits all the time.’ said Invictus. Rarity gasped at that and said ‘Invictus, how could you say that? They make us look fabulous.’ ‘I’m just saying,’ said Invictus ‘I don’t even know what’s the big deal, I mean all of you wear the same outfits every single day anyway.’ The Rainbooms blinked in surprise as they looked at one another, with Twilight and Spike noticing too. ‘Come to think of it,’ said Twilight as she realized something ‘All of you did wear the same outfits ever since I met all of you. Before the Fall Formal, before the Battle of the Bands, before and after the Friendships Games.’ ‘Then also the outfits all of you began to wear after you guys helped sort Juniper Montage out.’ said Spike. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘The only times all of you wore different outfits were from the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games, Camp Everfree, the Dance Video, the filming of Daring Do, the Beach and Spring Break. But everything else, no.’ The girls were greatly surprised as they never thought about that before. They ended up slowly looked at their outfits, some inspected it, whilst Rarity’s left eye began to twitch, muttering ‘The same…outfit…every…?’, then she fainted from that idea. Thankfully, Applejack was able to catch her whilst using her hat to fan the Fashionista. ‘Come to think of it,’ said Rainbow whilst they continued to inspect their clothing ‘My shoes does strangely feel like it’s getting worn out lately.’ Amadeus snickered a bit and said ‘Reminds me of that time we were at Camp Cloudsdale, huh Rainbow?’ Rainbow ended up chuckling at that, remembering that day and said ‘Yeah, and you ended up getting an ingenious way to reuse your clothes.’ ‘What did he do?’ said Fluttershy. ‘Oh right, you were sick that day,’ said Rainbow as she remembered Fluttershy wasn’t there with their school camping trip a while back ‘Our camp’s washing machines were broken, so all of them had to wash clothes the old fashion way. But Invictus on the other hand, had a different by not doing his laundry.’ Some were surprised by this, with Rarity waking up for a bit as her eye twitched again ‘Never…did…laundry?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he was strangely proud around that day when he was younger ‘I didn’t do my laundry for three months straight. Cause one pair, lasted me for four days. I went front, I went back, I went inside out, then I went front and back.’ As Rarity fainted again and Applejack caught her again, Fluttershy, Twilight, Sunset and human Twilight gagged all of a sudden as they felt they were going to throw up, with Rainbow chuckling again as she said ‘Yeah, that was both disgusting and awesome.’ ‘Ugh, Dash…’ said Pinkie as she felt queasy from the mentioning of laundry ‘Don’t encourage that idea.’ When all of a sudden, they heard someone say ‘Like, what are all of you doing?’ Some looked at the direction of the voice, however, Invictus rolled his eyes, for he was not in the mood to see her again. He sighed loudly and said ‘What do you want, Suri?’ He turned around and sure enough, it was Suri Polomare, who was also striding to be a fashion designer, however, he knew her all too well, for she would do anything to come out on top, even if it meant stealing from others’ designs. ‘Like, I was just going around the big city, M’kay,’ said Suri as she rolled her eyes ‘I didn’t like, expect to see you around here looking at yourselves like a bunch of weirdos.’ He then mocked her and said ‘Well I least I don’t talk like an idiot with a stupid accent just to make me look cool, M’kay.’ Suri gasped in partial shock as she stood near him and said ‘How like, dare you, M’kay…’ As Rarity was able to come to her senses, she looked and saw whom they were talking to. However, the moment when she regained her sight, she saw Suri Polomare. Normally, she would sigh in disgust and ignore her. However, after remembering what Invictus told her of what Suri did to her career and made sure she ended up on the street from what happened if Sunset hadn’t been born, her blood began to boil and got angry. She stood up and walked over to Suri, with her eyes glaring at her. Suri noticed her and said ‘Like, what do you…?’ Before she could react, Rarity slapped Suri hard in the face, causing the girls to gasp in shock, with Invictus just as shocked to see what she did. Suri ended up holding the side of her face, as if she was ready to cry, but she was now suddenly scared of Rarity. ‘Listen here and listen well Suri,’ said Rarity ‘I don’t care what drove you to do such horrible acts of copying others’ designs, nor do I care why you want to be on top. Just to let you know, I work hard tirelessly every day making people happy with my designs. I don’t strive to be famous, nor do I strive for fame, I simply design and sell because it makes people happy, and in turn, makes me happy. So if you ever, ever, try to ruin mine or anyone else’s career…’ She then leaned over to Suri and said ‘I will personally make sure that you are ruined and you will never, set foot in the fashion world again. Do I make myself clear?’ Suri’s eyes widened in shock, but needless to say, she was now really scared of Rarity, whilst she nodded yes. Rarity then pointed her finger and said ‘Now get out of my sight and don’t ever show yourself until you’ve learned to make your own designs and not copy others’ works.’ Within mere seconds, Suri ran away, scared to face her again. Rarity on the other hand sighed whilst rubbing her eyes in frustration. She then looked at her friends, with all of them had shocking expressions on their faces, making her realize her mistake. ‘Uh, I overdid it, didn’t I?’ said Rarity. ‘Uh, ya kinda did Rares.’ said Applejack. Invictus sighed and said ‘I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.’ ‘I’m sorry darlings,’ said Rarity as she assured them ‘It’s just that…when we were told of what our futures would be like without Sunset and what Suri did I…I just couldn’t help myself. What she did to me in the other life I…I just…’ Invictus walked over and hugged her, whilst he said ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.’ ‘No, it’s quite alright Invictus.’ said Rarity as she reassured her friend after they broke the hug ‘You only told us because you tried to point out just how much important our friendships are.’ She then looked down and said ‘Thinking back, during Anonymous, Wallflower, Equestria World, and partially during Spring Break. I just feel so ashamed of what I put Sunset and the rest of our friends through.’ He placed his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention as he said ‘We can’t always predict what the future might hold, the only thing we can do is accept the hand we have been dealt with and move forward. One can’t always expect things to work out the way you want it to. We don’t know how much they’re important to us until all of them are gone. All what you can do is remain strong for those who need strength.’ She couldn’t help but smile and deliver a small peck on his cheek and said ‘Thank you Invictus.’ Twilight was surprised by the wisdom he gave Rarity, she began to ponder on those words too, thinking about remaining strong during difficult times and moving forward if need be. Rarity then spoke up and said ‘Does anyone also feel the need to have a sweet snack before we go anywhere else?’ ‘Oooh, I know.’ said Pinkie Pie as she had an idea ‘There happens to be a new Sweet store just around the corner, follow me.’ She ended up zipping over and ran off with the speed of sound, which was quite amusing for the others, whilst they decided to take a slow pace towards the store until they spotted her. Sure enough, all of them had arrived at the new Sweet Store, which took all of them by surprise when they didn’t realize how amazing it looked. ‘It’s a good thing Princess Celestia’s not here to see any of this,’ whispered Invictus when he spoke to Sunset and Twilight, gaining their attention as he continued ‘Because if she decides to eat it all…’ He then began to bloat his face and tried to do the same with his stomach, causing Sunset and Twilight to look surprise, snort, then laugh out loud, for it would be so true. They soon entered inside and boy were they surprised, for the place was as big as a restaurant and there were many people who came to sample their cakes and everything bake related. ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said Twilight as she looked around. ‘Glad you like it.’ said Invictus ‘According to the tour guide, this place is called “Sweet Galore”, one of the most popular bakeries in Manehattan. They pride themselves in making any kind of cakes you can dream off. They even make great cookies, as well as bread that would make your mouth water because they have recipes of different breads from all over the world. And don’t even get me started on the cakes they bake here.’ ‘Oooh, I want to try them.’ said Pinkie as she got excited. ‘Just don’t go overboard.’ said Invictus ‘We don’t want a repeat of Halloween 09.’ Everyone shivered at that, except Twilight and her counterpart. ‘What happened?’ she asked. Applejack ended up whispering to the both of them, whilst they slowly widened their eyes in shock, not realizing that it was that bad. ‘Oh…’ said Twilight as she now regretted asking them. Soon enough, they began to buy certain cakes that caught their eyes. They soon gathered near the table and placed their cakes on the table, but Invictus on the other hand, placed a very large cookie on the table, which surprised both the girls and Spike. ‘Wow,’ said Spike as he took a peek ‘Now that’s a big cookie.’ ‘It was on special.’ said Invictus ‘This is a new cookie called the chocolate coated chocolate chip cookie. Now in deluxe size. I always wanted to taste a cookie like that.’ ‘Wow Invictus,’ said Pinkie as she looked at the cookie ‘That cookie looks really good enough to eat.’ ‘Yes it…’ Invictus suddenly looked at them as he suddenly got an idea and said ‘What, you say?’ ‘She said it’s really good enough to eat.’ said Sunset. ‘You’re right girls…’ said Invictus, until he suddenly turned into what appeared to be a blue furry puppet with googley eyes and said through his voice ‘This is, good enough to eat.’ Both Sunset and Twilight were suddenly extremely confused by this, until the two of them heard gasps from the rest of the Rainbooms. And to their surprise, they saw all of them, and surprisingly Rainbow Dash, suddenly had a giddy expression and were suddenly excited over something, then Invictus started to sing. It good enough to eat!! This cookie’s such a treat!! Is it cookie, yes it is!! And it’s the bestest thing, me ever got!! And it good, good, good enough to eat!! And within a moment, he grabbed the cookie and chomped it down like crazy, which caused the rest of the Rainbooms to get even more giddy and excited at the same time when they saw him do all that. After he was done, he looked at the others and said one word. ‘Cookie.’ That did it, causing the rest of the Rainbooms to laugh out really loud, even Invictus after he turned back to normal, but Sunset and Twilight were extremely confused by his antics, even Spike. ‘Uh, what just happened?’ said Sunset. ‘Duh,’ said Pinkie as she wiped a tear from her eye after they were done laughing ‘He acted like the cookie beast.’ ‘What’s the cookie beast?’ Some gasped at that, as Rainbow said ‘The Cookie Beast was from a show called Puppets.’ ‘And you know what it is?’ ‘Well duh…’ said Rainbow. ‘It used to be our favorite show.’ said the rest of the Rainbooms, causing them to look at one another with gasps and wide smiles and said ‘You like that show too?!’ Invictus explained things to Sunset, Twilight and Spike after the waitress placed a plate of strawberry vanilla cake on the table in front of him ‘Puppets happens to be a kid show back then. It was quite popular, entertaining a ton of kids as they were taught a ton of stuff in the most hilarious ways possible. The Cookie Beast is my favorite. He always has a way to make a ton of people laugh because of his love for cookies.’ He then lowered his head in shame and said ‘And I ended up getting fat and gained a hundred pounds as a result. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stared at him in shock as he said ‘I had a bit of a cookie addiction after I first watched it a couple of times.’ ‘So that would explain all those empty cookie boxes in your backpack.’ said Fluttershy, remembering that one fieldtrip. ‘But,’ said Rainbow as she crossed her arms with pride on her face ‘I was able to whip him back into shape. You wouldn’t believe all that bad tasting protein shakes and hours of exercising and training I had to make him go through.’ ‘That you did.’ said Invictus, then he couldn’t help but chuckle as he said ‘I feel sorry for the next poor sap who’d get caught in your training program. I mean seriously, you’re such a good trainer, you’d be the coach of every single player in the home team for the Olympic Games.’ Rainbow couldn’t help but smile at that thought, with Twilight asking ‘Olympic Games?’ ‘It’s kind of like the Equestrian Games,’ said Sunset ‘It first started in Greece, but back then women weren't allowed to compete. But decades ago, they were allowed to enter. And every four years, they go from one different country to another to compete.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘I’d love to see that.’ ‘Well you’re in luck,’ said Invictus ‘The Games are next month, and everyone is planning to come to Canterlot City.’ ‘Canterlot City?!!’ shouted the Rainbooms in shock as they got up. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘Didn’t you notice that big stadium they constructed right next to the observatory last year?’ ‘Ah was wondering what they were building up there.’ said Applejack. ‘At the moment they’re still going through final preparations.’ said Invictus ‘They should be ready by then.’ ‘So, now that’s all out of the way,’ said human Twilight after she finished her cake ‘How about we go to that library.’ Rainbow then groaned and said ‘And be surrounded by boring books?’ ‘Now Rainbow,’ said Invictus playfully ‘You promised to suck it up for your friend so that she could enjoy something.’ Rainbow then slumped a bit and said ‘I know.’ ‘Besides,’ said Invictus ‘After we’re done at the library, we’ll go to the Arcade and gaming expo afterwards. But whilst we’re also at the library…’ He whispered to her ‘And maybe check out if there are any Daring Do books out there that you haven’t read yet.’ ‘I read through them all.’ said Rainbow Dash. He smirked and said ‘Not the definite edition.’ Her ears perked up at that whilst she looked at him and asked ‘Definite Edition?’ ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘Because the book “Daring Do and the Dragon Kingdom” was such a huge hit, they remade the book, but also ended up adding extra content that no one had ever noticed. With a DVD that goes with that.’ Rainbow gasped at that, grabbed Invictus’ shoulders and shouted ‘We gotta head to the Library!!’ ‘Wait,’ said Twilight ‘Aren’t they supposed to rent those books?’ ‘Oh, they have something new,’ said Invictus ‘Not only do they read and check out books, but they can also buy them.’ ‘Oh wow,’ said Twilight ‘I’d love to purchase some books there that’ll help me research more differences between this world and Equestria.’ ‘Just make sure you only take a select few,’ said Invictus, until he muttered ‘Unless she gets to world languages, then we’re in trouble.’ ‘What was that?’ ‘Nothing.’ said Invictus, then pointed at the door whilst all of them stood up ‘Let’s get going.’ ‘Wait,’ said Pinkie as she pointed at the cake ‘You forgot your cake.’ ‘Oh, so I have.’ said Invictus. Until he did the unexpected. He grabbed the cake and said ‘Man the helms!! Dive!! Dive!!’ They widened their eyes in shock when they saw him swallow a whole slice without choking. He then licked his lips as he said ‘Hmmmm, that was some good cake.’ ‘Uh, wow.’ said Sunset ‘He just swallowed half a whole cake.’ ‘That’s nothing,’ said Invictus as he grinned ‘You should’ve seen me swallowed something much bigger.’ ‘Like what?’ asked Applejack, who now regretted to ask. ‘He swallowed a camera.’ said Rainbow Dash, causing the girls to look at them in shock ‘I kinda dared him to swallow it.’ ‘Why would you do that?!’ exclaimed Rarity. ‘Because when you make a dare, you never go back.’ said both Invictus and Rainbow at the same time. ‘So what kind of camera did you swallow?’ asked Pinkie Pie. ‘You guys know the cameras that the news crew used to broadcast their news live?’ asked Invictus. The girls thought about it, then widened their eyes in shock as they looked at him. ‘Not something I wanna do again.’ said Invictus. ‘Yep,’ said Rainbow ‘You had to go to the hospital so that they could remove it out of your system.’ ‘Too bad I didn’t have my camera with me.’ said Pinkie ‘Otherwise I would’ve added that to my baking channel.’ ‘Oh, no way Pinkie.’ said Invictus as he disagreed with her ‘I don’t want you to go all mental breakdown after you forgot your password when you wanted to update, not after what happened last time.’ ‘Hey, I made a new channel.’ said Pinkie with a pout ‘And I remembered to write it down this time.’ ‘Wait, last time?’ asked Applejack ‘What happened?’ Invictus chuckled and said ‘Now that’s a story that you have to hear.’ He turned around to face them and said ‘You see, four years ago, Pinkie Pie set up a channel where she could talk about her baked goods, but only problem was, she forgot the password for her channel. When it gave her a prompt it said quote, “Your favorite pie”, and she ended up having a four year long existential crisis.’ As a result, Rainbow Dash bawled in laughter as she was on the floor with Spike joining in, Applejack clutching her stomach in laughter, Sunset and human Twilight snickering, Fluttershy giggled, Rarity and Twilight stifled their giggles whilst Pinkie Pie pouted whilst she crossed her arms and a blush was on her face. ‘Can we just get to the library already?!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie. ‘Okay, okay, let’s go.’ said Invictus once they were done laughing. They soon exited the bakery, where their tour of Manehattan continues. He then realized something and said ‘You know, if you wanted to set up a password, you should’ve just set up a password of your least favorite vegetable.’ ‘Eeyup,’ said Applejack ‘And we all know the one vegetable she least likes the most.’ And right on cue, everyone says out loud ‘Brussel sprouts.’ ‘You know, I never thought about that.’ said Pinkie. ‘Nope,’ said Invictus ‘You were thinking about bun and moon cakes when you tried to think of a password.’ Pinkie was surprised about that and said ‘How did you know that?’ ‘Maud.’ said Invictus ‘She’s really super chatty.’ The others stared at him in disbelief. They’ve known Maud for some time, and she never talks as much as Pinkie does. > Chapter 12: Manehattan Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After their trip in the bakery, all of them walked straight towards the library. As they walked, Rainbow still couldn’t stop laughing at Pinkie’s so called four year crisis because she couldn’t remember the password. Pinkie kept pouting at that, for no thanks to Invictus, they were never going to live this down, no matter how many times she tries to change the subject. They walked down to one part of the street and lo and behold, the library was up ahead, which caused both Twilight and human Twilight to marvel at the sight. ‘Oh, we’re in heaven.’ said Twilight. ‘Somebody pinch us.’ said human Twilight. And right on cue, both of them felt a pinch on their butt cheeks, making them yelp and hold onto their tushies with blushes on their faces. They looked at Invictus as he had a smirk on his face and said ‘Well you two did say to pinch you.’ ‘We didn’t mean literally.’ said both Twilights whilst feeling embarrassed. He then leaned over and whispered to their ears ‘And admit it, you wanted me to do that, didn’t you?’ Now both of them felt really flustered and they both slapped his shoulders at the same time, making him yelp as he said ‘And for slapping the piñata, you get free candy.’ He tossed candy in the air, causing them all to catch it, which made them flex their eyebrows and looked at him, with him saying ‘What?’ ‘Normally I’d ask how’d you do that,’ said human Twilight ‘But I don’t wanna know.’ ‘Come on, let’s go to the library.’ said Sunset as all of them made their way towards the library. But just as they stopped at the front of the library, they had to hand their phones in before entering, puzzling Twilight. ‘Why are you guys handing in your…’ she then blinked, blushed and sheepishly giggled whilst she said ‘Oh right, Library.’ As soon as they entered, Twilight gasped in surprise, for the library is huge, bigger than the one in Canterlot. She smiled with glee whilst holding her face together. ‘Oh my gosh,’ said Twilight silently ‘There are so many books here, I don’t know where to start.’ ‘Try the science faction over there,’ said Invictus as he pointed at the books at the section of the shelves ‘You might find something intriguing there.’ Within a split second, both Twilight and her human counterpart instantly dashed towards the science faction, causing Invictus to shake his head in amusement. ‘Nice job.’ said Sunset as she gently and playfully jabbed her elbow against his side with a smile ‘You got them into overdrive mode.’ ‘Just make sure that she doesn’t get to world languages,’ said Invictus ‘Otherwise she might take forever in that one.’ ‘Good point.’ said Sunset, not wanting both Twilights to go overboard again. ‘Oh,’ said Fluttershy as something had peaked her interest ‘I’ll check out the nature section. They always have every kind of animal on every page.’ ‘I…!!’ shouted Pinkie, until the entire library shushed her, making her be quiet as she whispered ‘I’ll check out the section where they can make tons of baked goods.’ ‘Maybe I should also see if they have something that could inspire me for my next line.’ said Rarity as she left. ‘Ah’ll find something on the farmer’s section.’ said Applejack. Rainbow then grabbed Invictus’ arm and said ‘Come on, show me the Daring Do section, I wanna see the Definite Edition.’ ‘Okay, hold your Pony Wings.’ said Invictus. He noticed she was flexing her eyebrow as he said ‘Because your doppelganger happens to be a pony from another dimension and whenever you pony up, you get angel wings.’ Rainbow couldn’t help but blush at that and ended up jabbing her elbow against him, which he couldn’t help but snicker. They eventually left, with Sunset decided to go with them, considering that her interested had also piqued when he mentioned about a definite edition. Both Twilights had at least five stacks of books placed on piles as they looked through the books, with human Twilight helping her Princess counterpart out in order for her to learn more about this world, considering that she never had a chance to learn new stuff every day. Though Invictus hopes that they don’t get to world languages, for those take forever to study and learn. Fluttershy continued to observe certain books. Thankfully, her time at the White Tail Nature Reserve helped her memorize the many animals that were there, and she had hoped to find more books that could help her learn more about them, and because she would one day take over once they reach out to the lawyer, she would like to learn on how to take care of animals in every best way she could. Applejack began to look through different methods of farming, hoping that they would help give her any tips on how they should improve their farm in order for to make sure that their trees would stay healthy and strong, considering what Invictus had told them if Sunset hadn’t been there to warn them in time. She suddenly smiled, thinking of how thankful she should really be because of what Sunset had done for her family. Rarity continued to overlook certain sections as she searched everything fashion related. She even looked at certain clothing that was once the latest style in their century, and she began to draw on the designs, but also to make them more modern that all of society would enjoy. She nearly laughed when she realized on how some outfits back in the day were quite silly, but there were some that caught her attention, and she smiled whilst as she drew out more of them. Pinkie Pie randomly went from shelf to shelf, trying to find the only books that would ever catch her attention. A ton of books were “The one hundred ways to prank your best friend”, “The one hundred ways to throw your friend an awesome party”, “The one hundred ways to surprise your friends with an awesome party”, “The one hundred ways to surprise your friends with an even super duper awesome party”, and “The one hundred ways to bake your friend the best cake ever” (In case you wonder, it’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.) Invictus took both Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer (Considering that their friendships were now stronger than ever) to the section where Daring Do would be displayed. Sure enough, Invictus took the both of them to the Daring Do Book that had the Definite Edition. They spotted “Daring Do and the Dragon Kingdom”, with the label “Definite Edition” on top of it, along with a DVD that goes with it. Rainbow nearly wanted to squeal in excitement, but she kept herself under control. Sunset on the other hand was surprised to see what was with it, a video game of the book, which surprised Rainbow and Invictus, for they never knew that there was a video game about the book too, causing the two of them to look over them. Sure enough, they regrouped at the center of the library with the books of their choice and sat at a nearby table. Everyone looked over the books of their choice, all of them being excited. Rarity ended up finding a ton of inspiration as she looked at the previous designs from the past and thought of ways to improve them as she thought of modernizing them. Applejack looked through a different farming methods through the different apple trees and thought about ways on how to improve them in order for her apple trees to stay healthy. Pinkie Pie on the other hand kept on looking through the different books at the same time whilst she kept making notes of them and kept on stuffing them in her hair for obvious reasons. Fluttershy kept looking through different animal creatures, some of them look rare, some of them look terrifying, but most of them were just really adorable. She couldn’t help but giggle at a few of the funnier looking animals, which is something Invictus enjoyed; seeing his shy friend happy. Rainbow Dash read through the Daring Do books with full excitement, reading parts that she never knew would be awesome (in her own way). Sunset also decided to look through the books, as well as comparing notes on which parts would be in the video game so that she could be better prepared for it for what’s to come in the game, which Invictus noticed. He nearly snickered when he remembered how freaked out she got when she lost to Fluttershy at a squirrel game. It was quite amusing to watch her lose. Both Twilight on the other hand continued to read through tons of their books and began to compare notes between worlds, which was funny, two nerds from two different dimensions talking about things that could make one’s brain fall asleep. But he could see how much fun he was having, which brought a smile to his face. ‘Remember Twilight,’ said Invictus as he whispered to her ‘We’ll need to finish up here if we’re going to be on time for the other activities?’ ‘Oh twenty more minutes please?’ asked Twilight as she did the puppy dog eyes. He couldn’t help but smirk as he rolled his eyes, but looked at her again and said ‘Okay, twenty more minutes. In the meantime, I’ll go through the list and see what books you’ll be needing.’ ‘Thanks,’ said Twilight as she smiled ‘You’re the best.’ ‘At your command,’ said Invictus as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips and said ‘Your highness.’ He soon left to look the books he was looking for her, which she couldn’t help but smile with a small blush. However, just as she turned to her book, she noticed the Rainbooms were staring at her, with smirks on their faces. ‘What?’ said Twilight. ‘Oh, come now darling,’ said Rarity whilst cooing ‘It’s obvious that the two of you are getting closer together.’ ‘He really is a nice feller.’ said Applejack. ‘And he basically went with you through the entire trip.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘And not to mention the fact that he kissed you as if you two were an official couple.’ said Fluttershy. Twilight denied it as she nearly began to sweat ‘Uh, no I don’t.’ ‘Oh really?’ said Sunset with a smirk. She then showed them the video that human Twilight got and showed them. They saw the two of them were talking at the elevator back at Las Pegasus. And during their travel, they then did something unexpected. The both of them kissed, but instead, Twilight had her arms wrapped around his neck whilst placing her leg against the elevator as Invictus held onto her, but to her surprise, he was holding onto her butt and she didn’t even notice, which made her blush deepen. The others couldn’t help but giggle at that. Twilight silently groaned as she said ‘Okay, I like him okay. He’s the nicest boy I ever met and he’s really smart, he showed me around and I can’t help but feel attracted to him every time whenever we’re traveling. I don’t know why, but the more we do this, the more I keep loving him.’ The others’ looks softened as they realized that she never loved someone like that before, which is very amusing, but also very sweet at the same time. ‘Well then what are you waiting for,’ said Pinkie Pie with a grin ‘Make a move on him already.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight with her eyes widened. ‘Oh come on Twilight,’ said Sunset Shimmer ‘Sooner or later you gotta have a boyfriend, otherwise you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t you want to be happy in your life?’ ‘Well…’ said Twilight whilst she curled her hair. ‘Then why not give it a chance? Otherwise you’d end up making a big mistake. I mean you already lost your chance to be with Flash Sentry, so now’s a good time to have a special someone in your life.’ Twilight looked down a bit, for Sunset did have a point. She was only here a short time and she met and hung out with Flash Sentry twice. Given the circumstances he helped her out before the events of the Fall Formal and because of the Dazzlings they ended up ruining things for her. She didn’t have a chance to spend some time with him, she didn’t even get a chance to kiss a boy. Her very first kiss. When she thought about the kiss, she immediately thought about the time she had spent with Invictus. She even remembered that he had a crush on her ever since she came to this world. Though this world had a Twilight, it wasn’t the same. And after showing her a good time, touring the country, exploring with her, singing and dancing with her, making interesting conversations. He was so nice to her since they met, and the more she remembered the kiss, the more she felt flustered. The Rainbooms took notice of this, which they couldn’t help but smirk at this, but soon changed to smiles whilst Rarity walked over to the Princess of Friendship. ‘It’s alright darling,’ said the Fashionista to the troubled Princess ‘We can help you with that.’ ‘You can?’ asked Twilight. ‘Well of course,’ said Rarity ‘We can tell you’ve never had a chance to get close to a boy. So, we’d like to help you out in any way we can.’ ‘Oh, well then,’ said Twilight as she stood up and said ‘I accept. And I’m willing to learn what you can teach me.’ ‘Just…not through lip contact.’ teased Rainbow, making Twilight blushed, whilst the others couldn’t help but giggle at that too. ‘Alright then,’ said Invictus as he came back ‘I got a couple more books, just let me know which ones you want and we can send them back to our rooms at the hotel.’ He failed to notice Twilight blushing, for she didn’t want him to know that she wanted to have some alone time with him. The Rainbooms however, noticed her blushing and couldn’t help but giggle at her predicament, which Invictus noticed, but failed to realize what they were laughing about. Within the hour, and secretly using the portal back to the hotel, they dropped off their things and headed straight for the Manehattan Square Garden, where Applejack wanted to try out the new Apple Treats. As they arrived, they were surprised to see that it was one big marketplace, where they sell everything, from every food listen in the four food groups to sweets and other tasty delicacies. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘This is amazing. The Ponyville Marketplace has got nothing on this.’ Invictus took the liberty of taking pictures for her, which she greatly appreciated. They continued to walk down the stalls and decided to look around. They saw the many treats and produce all around. ‘Dang,’ said Applejack as she was quite impressed ‘This place is pretty amazing.’ ‘Wow,’ said human Twilight ‘I had no idea they sell so many produce here.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Pinkie Pie ‘And I use half of them for what I need to make my smoothies.’ ‘Yeah, especially the one smoothie that made Applejack woozy.’ said Invictus with a smirk. The others looked at him curiously, with Applejack asking ‘What do y’all mean?’ ‘Oh, you know.’ said Invictus as he instantly pulled out a picture of a waving ocean and stood in front of Applejack, as he waved the picture in front of her as he said ‘When you didn’t want a smoothie, because you were too distracted by the waving ocean, splishing and splashing all over the place, the boat rocking through the massive waves, as you see everything going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and…’ And within an instant, Applejack’s face went green and gagged, nearly wanting to barf, which surprised Twilight at the same time. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight ‘I didn’t know you get seasick. In my Equestria, my Applejack doesn’t get seasickness.’ ‘Mine neither, she sailed a long time because she needed a hobby.’ said Invictus as he tossed the sign away. Applejack gulped and looked at him with a scowl, with him saying ‘And seriously AJ? You traveled on a ship before that one time with Granny Smith, then with your folks and that one summer vacation prize you won once, how can you still be seasick?’ ‘Ah don’t do it that often.’ said Applejack as she still had a green face, trying to keep a straight face and not lose her lunch. ‘Hey, told you, you should’ve packed your medicine for seasickness in.’ said Invictus. ‘Hey yeah,’ said Pinkie Pie as she realized something ‘We all knew you had seasickness, why didn’t you bother to pack in your medicine for seasickness or asked the ship’s clinic to give you medicine, I mean half of Canterlot High took their medicine because they all had seasickness.’ Applejack was about to say something, until she slapped her forehead, for she really didn’t think things through again. At the same time, Invictus observed her green face as he said ‘Nah, green doesn’t work for you. But this does.’ And within a split second, he kissed her full on the mouth whilst holding her head close whilst he was holding her butt, taking her by surprise, as well as the rest of the girls. After he broke the kiss, Applejack’s surprise face went from green to pink, with him smiling and said ‘There’s the color to work with.’ He then turned around and took a few pictures, with Applejack feeling flustered, then said ‘How in tarnation does he do that?!!’, but then suddenly changed and wiggled her two fingers together and said ‘Although…he really does have nice lips and a good grip.’ Twilight couldn’t help but smirk and said ‘On that, we can agree.’ ‘Mmm-Hmm.’ said the girls at the same time before they resumed with their tour all around the market place. However, Invictus stopped them as he wanted to talk to Rainbow about that. ‘Also, Rainbow,’ said Invictus as he gained her attention ‘I know you meant well but…why did you act out like that on Spring Break.’ ‘Well,’ said Rainbow ‘I wanted to fight and save the day and stuff.’ ‘Are you sure?’ asked Invictus as he crossed his arms. ‘Well yeah, of course.’ said Rainbow as she smiled. However, the moment he flexed his right eyebrow at that, the very thing Rainbow recognized as she widened her eyes in surprise, which caused them to notice. She then sighs and lowers her head. ‘I wanted to have an excuse to use my magic so that I could save the day because…’ said Rainbow, which he noticed. ‘Why?’ ‘Because I was bored, okay?!!’ exclaimed Rainbow ‘I didn’t have anything else to do because being on a ship in the middle of the ocean with nothing to do!! Everything was so slow and I needed the excitement.’ Her friends were flabbergasted by this revelation. Invictus then said ‘And you thought you could entertain yourself…by ruining it for everyone else?’ ‘Well, I…’ said Rainbow, until Invictus gently placed his hand on her shoulder, signaling her to be quiet about it. But she noticed that instead of having a stern and angry look, he had a look of concern and worry, even care in his eyes. He released her shoulder and spoke. ‘Do you wanna know the real reason why Twilight arranged the yacht cruise for Spring Break?’ asked Invictus. Rainbow didn’t know how to answer that, which made him break the ice. ‘Twilight arranged the trip because she wanted not just all of you, but for her to take a break from all the magic stuff.’ said Invictus ‘Ever since what happened at the Friendship Games and after Twilight got turned into Midnight Sparkle, she’s been having nightmares about it for the past six weeks before you went to Camp Everfree. She keeps waking up every night, sweating and screaming and crying. She barely ate, she barely slept, she couldn’t even take a shower because she kept muttering that she couldn’t wash the horrors away, she constantly had to go to therapy to try and calm her down but no matter how hard they tried, she looked like she was going to have a mental breakdown.’ Rainbow’s eyes widened in surprise, but not as much as the others were as they looked at human Twilight in great concern, even Twilight and Spike looked at her. Human Twilight looked like she was about to cry, but she lowered her eyes as a tear flowed down. ‘Wait, how did you…?’ asked Sunset. ‘I was worried about her after that whole ordeal,’ said Invictus ‘So I arranged people to help her. I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer like that, so I chose to help her out.’ They were surprised by what Invictus tried to do for human Twilight, even Twilight was surprised by this. Invictus continued as he said ‘Not to mention Sunset kept blaming herself every single day because she brought magic into this world in the first place. But if it’s anyone’s fault it’s Starswirl, Clover and the others, they kept foolishly banishing and placing every single magical artifact, threat and danger in this world thinking that it wouldn’t be a threat and some poor sap ends up finding them and uses them for their own selfish gain. I mean look what happened when Gloriosa Daisy, Juniper Montage, Wallflower Blush and Vignette did when they ended up uncovering it and you lot ended up being in danger because of it.’ Rainbow did remember that, bit by bit, with him saying ‘And everyone deserved to have a break and spend some time with each other. I mean after the memory stone thing, Sunset was so afraid to lose you guys and she stresses out about that every day. Rarity and Applejack’s friendships were almost ruined because of what happened back at Equestria Land. And in case you may have forgotten, let me remind you, who was the one who made Juniper snap and reminded her of what happened back at the studio and got you guys trapped in the mirror.’ Rainbow remembered, with widened eyes, that she was the one who brought up what happened at the studio and made her angry, and because of it, she trapped them within the mirror. And whilst the mirror was being cracked, all of them were that close into disappearing forever. Rainbow slowly crossed her eyes and looked down, feeling two things that she didn’t want to feel; guilt and regret, which her friends noticed, even Twilight. ‘Twilight arranged the whole trip on Spring Break because she felt all of you could use a break,’ said Invictus ‘But because of your own obsession and paranoia you were so obsessed with using magic just to play superhero, you failed to notice that you ended up hurting your friends.’ He started with the first person who’s Spring break she ruined ‘You went overboard and knocked over the chef that was about to serve Pinkie some cake, and she ended up banning both of you from the buffet. Didn’t it occur to you that because of that, you’d ended up banning Pinkie Pie from the buffet and she would end up starving for the next week?’ Rainbow then remembered that, whilst she lowered her gaze, whilst Invictus began mentioning the second person ‘And that time when you accused a bunch of animals, a bunch of cute innocent furry little animals of being evil when they’re all domesticated in order for the crew and passengers to pet them, or feel comforted. And Fluttershy really wanted to spend time with them because she’s not good at socializing and that animals help make her happy. And instead you scared the animals so badly they didn’t want to interact with anyone, not even Fluttershy and she could talk and understand animals. I mean how could you, you know how much that meant to Fluttershy and you ruined it for her.’ Rainbow slowly looked away as he mentioned the third ‘And not to mention Applejack. You saw how she was seasick, she hadn’t even gotten use to the sea yet and she really wanted to spend time with her friends and eat their food, but because of her seasickness she had to miss out on the whole thing. You could’ve just gone to the ship’s clinic and get her some medicine, but instead you ended up thinking that she got corrupted by evil spirits and you made it worse for her. I mean come one, if you even had the decency you would’ve done a better job at helping her and she wouldn’t have resented you during the whole trip.’ Tears began to slowly build up in Rainbow’s eyes, which her friends noticed, and Twilight continued to stare at Invictus, for he was actually getting through to her, which no one had ever done in the past. He then finally talked about human Twilight ‘And because of your so called little lightshow, you ended up short circuiting the ship, causing them to be stranded in the middle of the ocean. And Twilight offered to fix the ship to clean up your mess so that they wouldn’t be stranded in the middle of the ocean and that all of them wouldn’t starve. And just when she was this close into fixing it, you ended up yanking her away, whilst she was still holding the cables and you ended up making things worse.’ Now Rainbow turned around and lowered her head, for now thinking back, she felt really ashamed for what she did. Invictus then placed his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention. ‘Look, I know you did a lot of good helping others who were in danger, but it’s not up to you to do everything on your own.’ said Invictus ‘I mean even heroes need to take a break every once and a while. Take Princess Twilight for instance, she and her friends saved their home plenty of times, but even they need a break every once and a while.’ He let go of her shoulder as he continued ‘Believe it or not, Sunset had the same problem. She also obsessed about it back then and she’s constantly worried every day. Not just for you guys, but the world.’ Rainbow partially looked at him as he said ‘But like Starlight once said, she needed to trust that things would themselves out in the end. You spend too much time worrying on the bad things that might happen, you’ll miss out on all the good things that are happening.’ Rainbow sighed as she looked at him and said ‘And I’ve been missing a ton of things that I could’ve done with my friends the whole time.’ ‘Exactly.’ said Invictus as he smiled ‘A certain someone once said that “We should never take the things we have in life for granted. Some things may have an end, which we know is very sad. That is why we gotta learn to live life to the fullest in the time we have. And in the end, you’ll look back at all of this someday and you’ll realize how good of a life you really had”.’ Rainbow looked down a bit, processing what he said, whilst the others thought that it was really deep, even Twilight took that lesson to heart. ‘Who told you that?’ asked Rainbow. Invictus still kept his smile and said ‘Your Uncle Rainbow Blaze.’ Rainbow looked at him with widened eyes in shock, even Fluttershy, with Invictus saying ‘He told me that a month before he died and…he made me promise to look after you, Fluttershy and the rest of your friends.’ But then he looked away and said ‘But I ended up ruining it because of the whole Anon-A-Miss thing. Some friend I…’ And within a split second, Rainbow ended up hugging him tightly, taking him by surprise. But to everyone else’s surprise, Rainbow kept shedding tears. Even after he was gone, her uncle still kept her spirits up through someone else. The others couldn’t help but feel a heartwarming moment between them. ‘I know you don’t like talking about your feelings. But you know what that makes you if you do?’ said Invictus, reassuring his best friend ‘Just like everybody else.’ They broke the hug as she wiped her tears and looked down ‘But I’m not supposed to be, am I?’ He held her chin with his hand, making her look at him as he said ‘Everyone fails who they’re supposed to be, Rainbow. But the measure of a true person, even from time to time a hero, is how well they succeed into being who they are.’ Rainbow couldn’t help but smile, and said ‘I really missed you, Invincible.’ ‘Missed you too Prism head.’ said Invictus. The two walked together, embracing one another, with the others couldn’t help but nearly wanted to cry at this too. Twilight was happy to see their friendship restored. If she was on a friendship mission, she would definitely have accomplished this. Sure enough, they went on separate parts of the stands to look at what they were selling. Rarity was looking over at the products that she uses to make her mud masks, which she couldn’t help but smile as she purchased some of them. Fluttershy was looking at some of the products that she thinks she could buy back home for the animal shelter to feed the animals. Pinkie Pie was looking over that the goods so that she could make her own flavored smoothie…provided that she would learn to control herself whilst doing it. Applejack looked at the apples being on sale and she was surprised to see how well they were taken care of. She asked the person selling them on how he takes good care of them, which he happily began to provide. Human Twilight began to look over the products that she wanted to use for future experiments, namely thinking of how to produce food that could be both healthy and tasty. She began to take pictures and notes of them, which she will enjoy looking over them later. Sunset looked over at some of the food that was on sale. She saw a few kebabs that caught her attention, allowing her to purchase it. Even though she may be a pony, her human form allowed her to stomach and digest certain foods that she enjoyed. Rainbow looked over a few that she wanted to try to make a few different protein shakes that she wanted to try and make for her future workouts. Twilight and Invictus looked over a few things that he showed her, which she was amazed at how they were selling, for Ponyville could learn a thing or two from things like this, even cities like Canterlot, Fillydelphia and her Manehattan. However, as both Invictus and Twilight browsed over the last part of the market, they heard loud voices. ‘Step right up folks, step right up right here.’ said a voice ‘Get your one of a kind valuables at a very low price.’ Both Twilight and Invictus saw where the voice was coming from, and they saw two individuals trying to sell whatever they have on the table. Twilight couldn’t help but get a familiar vibe from them, same with Invictus when he got curious about the both of them. ‘It’s stupendous, it’s amazing, it’s the bestest thing you’ve ever laid eyes on.’ said the other in a familiar voice. The two then got a closer look and saw the two salesmen. And to their shock, they were two thieving con-artists that they knew all too well. ‘Wait, are they…?’ said Twilight. ‘Flim and Flam.’ growled Invictus as he clenched his fists. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she looked at him with a confused look ‘You know them?’ ‘I sure do.’ said Invictus. He walked over to them, with Twilight coming along. The two then noticed Invictus coming along, as the salesman said ‘Ah, a fellow customer.’ ‘What pray tell do you see something that catches your interest?’ said the second. ‘Oh, I have something in mind,’ said Invictus, trying to contain his anger ‘In fact, something hairy even.’ The two were confused, until Invictus grabbed their wigs and ripped off their disguises, revealing them to be Flim and Flam. ‘I thought it was you two.’ said Invictus as he tossed their wigs away. ‘How’d you guess?’ said Flim as he crossed his arms with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Well for one thing,’ said Invictus as he pointed his finger ‘My voice doesn’t sound like a barbershop quartet and carnival fair attendant reject.’ Both the brothers gasped at that, with Twilight couldn’t help but snicker at that comment. ‘And second of all,’ said Invictus ‘You two are terrible businessmen. You sell products that are too expensive and useless when customers would want quality products at a fair price instead of being total rip-offs. Not to mention the way you’ve been doing illegal businesses that have been against the Consolidated Laws of Manehattan that have been in power since the eighteen nineties.’ ‘Against the law or not,’ said Flam with a cheeky smile ‘Nobody is complaining.’ ‘Yeah, because you lot have been banned from over twenty states because of your thievery ways.’ said Invictus, then pulled the two of them closer and said ‘Not to mention both my parents and grandparents haven’t forgiven, hated and have been after you lot ever since you tried to scam them twenty years ago.’ He shoved them away as Flim said ‘So, we’re just trying to make a living here.’ ‘By living,’ said Twilight ‘You meant by constantly sabotaging the rest of the competition and scamming others out of their money and making other people miserable, especially the Apple family, who was the one who made Canterlot City into the city it is today?’ ‘Our family was supposed to have founded that place,’ said Flam in a bitter tone ‘Until the stupid Apple family got in the way and helped Filthy Rich’s family built the city.’ From one of the stands, after Applejack had bought the apples from the stands. She tasted both of them and enjoyed the taste. Though not like her apples from home, she could tell that even in the big city, there are folks who take good care of her apples. As she looked around, she noticed Twilight and Invictus, with sour faces, talking to a couple of folks. She wondered who they were talking to. The moment she took a good look at two, she saw who they were talking to; Flim and Flam. Her eyes widened at them, seeing the two scamming con artists trying to scam others and make a living again. However, when she saw them, she instantly remembered what Invictus had said what they did to both their farm and their family after they were near bankruptcy. She never cared what they thought, but now, thinking about what Invictus told them; Apple Bloom being sent away and never to be seen again, Applejack being forced to lie in order to help make a profit, Big Mac slaving away just to keep things up and Granny Smith…oh, Granny Smith, the only parent she has left, being in the hospital and the Flim/Flam Brothers threatened to kill her if she didn’t do what they said. The more she thought about it, the more angrier she got, causing her to grip her hands, crushing her apples in the process. She tossed them away, fuming angry at the brothers and walked over to them, for now they unleashed the true Apple beast, gaining some of the Rainbooms’ attention as they saw her walking over to them. ‘Look,’ said Flim as he talked to Invictus ‘We’re here to make a business here, so if you don’t have anything to say here, just…’ ‘Ahem.’ came a voice. When they looked, they saw Applejack, crossing her arms and looked at them angrily. Though the Flim/Flam brothers didn’t care why she was here, Twilight and Invictus had a troubled look on their faces. ‘Oh, it’s you.’ said Flim as he rolled his eyes. ‘If you’ve come to try and talk us to be out of business, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.’ said Flam. ‘Actually,’ said Applejack, as she suddenly had a devilish smirk on her face ‘I have something else in mind. Ah came here to buy something.’ ‘Oh?’ said the Flim/Flam brothers with Invictus raising an eyebrow. ‘Ah sure do.’ said Applejack, trying her best to contain her anger ‘Ah’d like this table…’ She grabbed the table and instantly lifted it in the air, shocking the brothers as she shouted ‘And a Flim/Flam sandwich!!’ She instantly smashed the table onto them, crushing them as the table made a loud crack and crashing sound. It surprised some of the stand sellers whilst one of them quickly called the police, thinking that there might be trouble. Amadeus staggered a bit backwards. ‘Now you know why I’m sometimes scared of her.’ whispered Invictus to Twilight, which took her by surprise. Applejack ended up grabbing both of them as she slammed their bodies a couple of times on the ground, making them wince in pain, then finally, she grabbed another table and smashed it hard onto them. The brothers groaned in pain after the table was smashed onto them. She instantly grabbed their throats and threatened them. ‘Now y’all listen here and y’all listen well.’ said Applejack, her anger boiling ‘Ah don’t know why y’all always have it out on mah family, and Ah don’t care. Just so y’all know, mah family worked and slaved away ever since Canterlot City had been founded. We worked our fingers to the bone and helped sold what we could. We make folks happy with the food we made and produce. But ever since y’all came to town, y’all have done nothing but try to harass and made our lives miserable. So y’all better listen and listen well. If you two so much ever, ever!! Come to our farm harassing us…’ She leered over to them and said ‘Ah will show you the exact reason why y’all should be afraid of us. So by the time y’all recover, Ah want y’all to leave Canterlot City, and never come back, understand?!!’ The two were terrified of her, unable to give out an answer, until a couple of police officers arrived. ‘Alright now, what’s going on here?’ said the Officer. Applejack backed away after letting them go, whilst at the same time, the Flim/Flam brothers struggled to get up as both of them were in pain of her abuse. ‘Sorry,’ said Applejack, still keeping an eye on them ‘Just a friendly disagreement.’ ‘Doesn’t look friendly to me.’ said the second police officer. ‘She has a bad history with the Flim and Flam brothers.’ said Invictus. ‘Wait, what did you say?’ said the third officer, as his and the others’ ears perked up at that. Twilight then said ‘The Flim and Flam brothers.’ ‘Flim and Flam brothers?!!’ shouted the police. The entire market was stunned silent as all of them gasped, looking at the brothers. The said brothers were suddenly shocked as the crowd looked at them. Then one of them shouted ‘Let’s get em!!’ The entire market pounced on them, beating the tar out of the Flim/Flam brothers, taking Invictus, Twilight and Applejack, along the Rainbooms that had just joined them, watched as they were surprised to see just how much of a beating the Flim/Flam brothers were taking. After the vigorous beating they endured, the police eventually separated the crowd whilst they placed both Flim and Flam into handcuffs. ‘Hey now, what’s the big idea!!’ shouted Flim. ‘Yeah, we have rights!!’ shouted Flam. ‘Not today you two troublemakers don’t!’ said the Officer whilst the police and the people restrain them. ‘Hang on officer,’ asked Applejack when she, the rest of the Rainbooms, Twilight, Spike and Invictus came together ‘Y’all know them?’ ‘We sure do, these two are the Flim/Flam Brothers,’ said the Officer ‘These two are wanted in twenty states for fraud, sabotage, false product sales, illegal scams, theft and running a pawn shop and fair game without a license.’ The girls were surprised by this, with Sunset shouting ‘I knew it!! I knew their fair game was rigged!!’ The officer was confused by her outburst, with Invictus whispering ‘She’s really competitive.’, making the officer nod and understood the situation. The Officer looked at the two brothers sternly and said ‘We’ve been after you two for a long time now. So now the both of you will face justice for the crimes you committed.’ ‘As well as tried to sabotage mah farm.’ said Applejack. ‘And you are?’ asked the Officer. ‘Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres.’ The officer perked up on that and said ‘You wouldn’t happen to be both Bright Macintosh and Buttercup’s kid now, would you?’ She was surprised by that and said ‘Uh, yes, how’d y’all know that?’ ‘I went to Canterlot High with them.’ responded the Officer, taking them by surprise, but then he was stern and said ‘Did these two cause trouble there?’ ‘They sure did.’ said Applejack ‘They’ve been trying to drive mah family farm out of business for years.’ Now the Officer was angry as he looked at the two brothers. ‘You two are going to spend the rest of your lives rotting in prison, for committing an article 254 section three, false advertising. Get them out of here!!’ ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!’ shouted both Flim and Flam as they were being taken away, whilst the crowd cheered that they were being arrested. ‘Thanks again for your help.’ said one of the stand sellers ‘You girls are heroes.’ The Rainbooms were a bit surprised by this, whilst some were a little embarrassed. At the same time, a photographer took their picture and walked away to get to the newspaper station. ‘We’ll deliver the reward money soon.’ said the Officer. Just as he was about to ask where they lived, Invictus whispered to them, with the Officer nodding, agreeing to send it there. Soon after they were done at the marketplace, they were able to receive a lot of food and other stuff by everyone selling as a way of saying thanks for exposing the Flim and Flam brothers. They soon dropped it off at the apartment and continued with their tour at the city. Though some were still recovering from the shock, for not only were they responsible for Flim and Flam being sent to prison, but now they’re being hailed as heroes. ‘Well,’ said Applejack after she was the first to break the silence ‘That was unexpected.’ ‘I know darling.’ said Rarity ‘I had no idea that those two con artists were wanted criminals.’ ‘Well on the bright side,’ said Spike ‘At least you don’t have to worry about the two of them trying to come by your place ever again Applejack.’ ‘Ah still can’t believe it.’ said Applejack, whilst she smiled, then turned to them and said ‘Ah can’t wait to tell mah family when Ah get back, they’ll be so excited, especially Granny.’ ‘Still,’ said Invictus ‘You went a little far when you smashed them with their own table.’ Just as Applejack was about to say something, Invictus said ‘But you calling them a Flim/Flam sandwich was quite hilarious.’ She couldn’t help but chuckle at that. But then she sighed and said ‘Ah admit, Ah did take it too far. But…when y’all told me what they did to mah family if we got bankrupt. Me being forced to send Apple Bloom away, and they threatening to kill Granny. Ah lost it completely.’ Rarity hugged Applejack, then looked at her and said ‘Oh darling, we’re so sorry. I felt the same way when I found out what Suri had done. But after confronting her, I’ve begun to see a new light on the situation. But now that you’ve confronted your demons, I assume…’ ‘Eeyup.’ said Applejack as she smiled a bit ‘For the first time…ah feel great.’ ‘Now then,’ said Invictus ‘Where do we go next?’ ‘What time does that Motocross show start?’ asked Rainbow. ‘It starts around six.’ said human Twilight as she looked at her time ‘It’s already two o clock, we can get something to eat before we go to the video game store.’ ‘Actually we’re in luck.’ said Invictus ‘There happens to be a video game convention in town today. We can check something there once we get something to eat.’ ‘Oh please yes,’ said Twilight ‘All this walking around and food is starting to make me hungry.’ Soon enough, right outside of the gaming convention, there was a diner nearby, which was literally next door. Invictus, Twilight, the Rainbooms and Spike all sat down and ate their respective meals. Invictus took a bite out of his hotdog, but noticed that it was missing something. ‘Needs ketchup.’ said Invictus. He then pressed the bottle over the hotdogs, only nothing happened. He then shook it and pressed it, but nothing he tried was working. ‘Come on, come on, come on, stupid ketchup bottle!!!’ They noticed him overreacting when they saw him struggling with it with flexed eyebrows. After many shakes, he began to pant, being exhausted from doing all of that. ‘What the heck is the matter with this dad gum thing anyway?’ He took a peek in the bottle, wondering what was wrong. However, the moment he tried a gentle squeeze, the entire bottle spat against his face like a raging river, making him gurgle and burble whilst falling over at the same time, surprising the girls in the process. Slowly, he got up and his entire face was covered with ketchup whilst he grumbled. The girls couldn’t help but laugh out loud over his predicament, though he couldn’t help but laugh over his situation too. Soon after they were done eating, they headed straight for the gaming convention. When they entered, all of them were amazed by what was going on. For inside, were every single gaming platform that all of them could think of, even every single video game that’s being currently released, even about to be released. Twilight was surprised by this, even all of the costumes that all of them are wearing, for they nearly resembled to each of their respective video game. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘I can’t believe that they made a convention for something for their own entertainment.’ ‘Oh, trust me.’ said Invictus as he showed them around ‘You haven’t seen nothing yet.’ As they continued to walk, they heard a familiar voice. ‘Girls?’ They turned and saw that it was none other than Micro Chips. ‘Whoa, Micro Chips?’ asked human Twilight ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘We’re all here for the gaming convention of course.’ said Micro Chips. ‘We?’ said the Rainbooms. They suddenly saw many of their schoolmates from Canterlot High. But the same goes for everyone at Crystal Prep. They were shocked to see them there. ‘Wow,’ said Spike ‘Everyone from both schools are here? What are the odds?’ ‘Not only that,’ said Micro Chips ‘We’re also here for the Motocross show.’ ‘You are?’ said the girls. ‘Mhmm.’ said Micro with a nod ‘We asked Principle Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna to arrange a trip for us, but she couldn’t do it during summer, so we arranged a fundraiser to help arrange our trip here for the week. We’ve been at the gaming convention for a while now, so after tonight, we’ll head straight for the motocross show.’ ‘Wow, sweet.’ said Rainbow ‘No doubt some of our friends are here too.’ However, Micro Chips noticed Invictus, then glared at him with crossed arms and said ‘Invictus.’ Invictus also noticed and did the same thing as he said ‘Micro Chips.’ The Rainbooms, Twilight and Spike realized the two know each other well. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight ‘You two know each other?’ ‘You could say that.’ said Micro Chips ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Uh, I’m taking my friends on a tour of the city?’ said Invictus. ‘Um, why do you guys look like you hate each other?’ asked Fluttershy. ‘He’s just peeved because I made a better video game than he did.’ said Invictus. ‘Wait,’ said Rarity in her surprised tone ‘You made a video game?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus as he looked at them ‘Back then the video game company had a contest about who would create the best video game. So I ended up making a video game that anyone could play from a cellphone. It may be small, but I gotta start somewhere.’ ‘Oooooohhh,’ said Pinkie Pie as she leaned closer ‘What kind of video game did you make?’ ‘Poopy Penguin.’ said Invictus. Everyone blinked at that, with Rarity saying ‘I’m sorry what?’ ‘Wait,’ said Sunset as she had just clicked, even human Twilight and Rainbow Dash ‘You, made Poopy Penguin?’ ‘Yeah.’ said Invictus. Human Twilight groaned at that and said ‘Unbelievable.’ ‘What in the hay is Poopy Penguin?’ asked Applejack. ‘What’s…?’ said Rainbow as she spoke to Applejack ‘What the heck, do you live under a rock? Poopy Penguin is a game that you play on your cellphone, where you’re a penguin, and you fly around in the air and you poop on people’s heads for points.’ ‘But,’ said Fluttershy with a flexed eyebrow ‘Penguins don’t fly.’ ‘They do in my universe.’ said Invictus. ‘How could you play such a repulsive game?’ asked Rarity in disgust. ‘Says the girl who used to play fartsplosion.’ said Invictus with a smirk, making her blush bright red over that. ‘Which I can’t believe you went behind my back and took credit for it.’ said Micro Chips. ‘Here we go.’ said Invictus as he rolled his eyes whilst crossing his arms. ‘Remember back whilst we were getting high back at the one parking lot,’ said Micro Chips, whilst the girls were surprised by that part, he continued as he said ‘Then a bird ended up pooping on my shoulder, then we talked about how we could make a video game out of it.’ ‘Yeah, but in your version, it was just about some average dude who was trying to avoid getting pooped on,’ reminded Invictus ‘It was my idea to make the play the pooper, not the poopee. Plus when I brought it up to you a few weeks later, you said, quote, “That’s the dumbest idea, ever.”, end quote.’ ‘Yeah, but in my defense I was sober when I said that.’ defended Micro Chips. ‘Wait…’ said Sunset as she was taken aback by what they said ‘Did you two…do drugs.’ The two of them looked at them as he said ‘We fell into some hard times. I was pretty bummed about my dad passing away, Micro Chips was bummed when his dad left him.’ They were taken aback by this whilst Micro Chips looked down, with Twilight saying ‘Your dad left you?’ ‘Yeah,’ said Micro Chips as he looked away ‘My dad even told me in my face that a beaker was more useful than me.’ Now the girls were shocked by what he said, which caused Fluttershy to hug him out of instinct. ‘And after that,’ said Invictus ‘They reached out to me and because of the money I made, I made another, but with a more highly advance game that everyone could play. The video game company was so impressed, they wanted me to design more of them. Tirek’s Revenge was my first one.’ ‘You made Tirek’s revenge?’ said Sunset in shock. ‘Why else did you think I sent you a free copy a while back.’ said Invictus, making her jaws drop at that ‘I also made other games that you girls love to play.’ They were surprised by that as Pinkie Pie asked ‘You knew what games we played?’ ‘The video game company keeps track on all players who happen to be their best customers.’ said Invictus ‘Like that Call of Duty game Rainbow Dash bought a while back.’ ‘Oh yeah,’ said Rainbow as she fist pumped in the air ‘I’m the badass gamer there is.’ ‘Besides Slapper421.’ said Invictus with a smrik. ‘Hey!!’ shouted Rainbow as she blushed in embarrassment and was in denial of that part as she said ‘He cheated by blindsiding me with that flashbang grenade!!’ He couldn’t help but roll his eyes whilst nodding no. But he continued as he said ‘I helped making games that became popular that all of you began to play.’ He first looked at Fluttershy ‘Like Sweet Feather Sanctuary. You were first in line to buy the game and you ended up getting the highest scores and achievements from taking care of the animals and upgrading their homes.’ Fluttershy giggled and said ‘I learned how to try to take care of the animals like I did in the game. They were really helpful.’ He then motioned at Pinkie Pie ‘Or Party Palooza 4. Pinkie ended up creating over twenty six different flavors of cake and cupcakes that no one thought would be possible.’ ‘Oooooohhh,’ said Pinkie Pie as she realized something ‘No wonder most of the cakes and cupcakes I bought looked so familiar.’ He then looked at Applejack and said ‘And Farming Simulator. You ended up creating the most successful apple farms in history.’ Applejack was surprised as she tilted her head backwards ‘Huh, no wonder a reporter came by and asked for mah advice whenever I go out to deliver the Apple Cider.’ He looked at Rarity next and said ‘I even helped with Fashionista Passionista. Rarity ended up creating over ten thousand different ideas that no original designer could ever make.’ Rarity was surprised as she gasped with a smile said ‘No wonder I ended up being inspired when I wanted to make my next line.’ He looked at Rainbow Dash next ‘And I also helped out at Wonderbolt Squadron and Soccer Tournament. And Rainbow was online with both of those games so much, she became a champion in both of them.’ ‘Heck yeah!!’ exclaimed Rainbow as she fist pumped ‘I’m awesome in both real life and in video games!!’ ‘Except that one time when y’all cheated when we last time played games.’ said Applejack, making Rainbow pout at that, but Invictus knew her better than that and she can be very competitive. He then looked at human Twilight and said ‘I even helped with Who wants to be a Billionaire. If I remembered well with Twilight, she wanted something that was challenging, so I ended up putting up the toughest questions anyone can think of.’ ‘And it really was challenging,’ said human Twilight as she adjusted her glasses ‘There were a ton of questions that caught me off guard, but they surely kept me on my toes throughout the entire match.’ He looked at Sunset and said ‘I even made a few games that could be a real challenge for you, but I also made some games you would enjoy’. He suddenly smirked and said ‘Especially that squirrel game.’ Sunset was surprised by this, whilst her left eye twitched a bit whilst she said ‘You mean…you were the one…who made that game?’ Invictus then said ‘That I did. And you losing your shit because you couldn’t figure out how to control the squirrel and get your butt whooped by the girl who loves animals more than anything. And the way you kept overreacting was quite hilarious.’ He couldn’t help but laugh at her facial expressions, making her growl with a red face. Invictus wiped the tear away from his eye, leaving the others confused by this. ‘You gotta check it out.’ said Invictus as he pulled out his phone, allowing them to watch. They watched as Sunset introduced herself with Fluttershy beside her, which surprised them, considering that she never played on livestream before. Then again, they did see her overreact that time on that one sleepover. They saw how Sunset struggled to play, even after claiming that it would be easy. They saw how she struggled, stressed and nearly went full mental breakdown, whilst Fluttershy on the other hand simply giggled and played with ease. In the end, she won and beat Sunset. In the end, everyone laughed at that, leaving Sunset really embarrassed. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked at Sunset ‘You treat everything like it’s a competition.’ ‘And why she got banned from the last video game tournament because of her unnecessary use for lethal force.’ inclined Invictus, leaving the others surprised at that. ‘Oh, and speaking of games.’ said Invictus ‘I made two more games. One that’s released, and the other that the legal department is still working on it.’ ‘Really?’ said Rainbow ‘Which one?’ Invictus pointed at a sign with a smirk, gaining their attention. They saw was a Mercenary on top with two others, with a title that said “Slayer”, which surprised the girls as Sunset said ‘You made Slayer?’ ‘Yep.’ said Invictus ‘You wouldn’t believe how high the sales have been. Even Vice-Principle Luna kept asking me when the next copy was going to be released.’ They were flabbergasted by what Invictus said, with him saying ‘Oh yeah, Vice-Principle Luna happens to be a gamer too. Going by the name VPL1000.’ ‘Wait,’ said Rainbow as she realized something ‘She’s the one who’s been kicking my ass in Battle Arena?!!’ ‘That she is.’ said Invictus. When all of a sudden, two gaming directors walked by. Until they suddenly stopped and turned around, spotting Invictus in the process. ‘Oh my gosh, Invictus.’ The girls and Invictus, with Micro Chips, turned around to see the two coming towards them. ‘Oh, no way.’ said Invictus as he walked over and greeted them ‘What are you two doing here?’ ‘We’re here to reveal the next game release.’ said the female. ‘Whoa, it’s already ready?’ asked Invictus. ‘Turns out what you sent us over really helped. It went twice as better than we ever expected.’ said the male. Invictus looked at the others and introduced them to the two newcomers. ‘Everyone, I’d like you to meet my two partners.’ He gestured to the male ‘This here’s Gigabyte, the director of 454 Corporation.’ ‘Hey there.’ He introduced the female next ‘And this is Terabytes, head of Ion Fair company.’ ‘Hello there.’ ‘Whoa, wait.’ said human Twilight as she realized something ‘454 Corporation and Ion Fair Company, as in two of the biggest video game companies in the country?!!’ ‘The very one.’ said Gigabyte. ‘How do you know Invictus?’ asked Applejack. ‘Oh,’ said Gigabyte ‘After he made his latest video game, we realized how popular he had gotten because of the games he made, so we reached out to him and asked him to help out.’ ‘I was available during Summer vacation last year.’ said Invictus. ‘He was able to help us make two video games as a result.’ said Terabytes ‘He helped us make Battle Cry, Band Hero, Battlefront and Assassin.’ ‘Four games in just three months,’ said Gigabyte ‘We had never been this popular with the video games before.’ To change the subject, Invictus asked ‘So, what brings all of you here?’ ‘We’re here to deliver the trailer for the current game you helped us make.’ said Terabytes. ‘Whoa, Warrior Hunter?’ said Invictus ‘I thought the game was still in development.’ ‘It is,’ said Gigabyte ‘But they thought about focusing on the cinematic first into one big trailer. So we’re ready to air it and show it to the public in order to get the gamers hyped for it.’ ‘Oh, awesome!!’ said Rainbow Dash as she was excited. ‘Oh, right,’ said Invictus as he introduced his partners to them ‘Gigabyte, Terabyte, I’d like you to meet my friends from Canterlot High. This here is Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Sci-Twi.’ ‘Oh, nice to meet all of you.’ said Gigabyte ‘I hope you’ve been enjoying your time at the convention.’ ‘Oh, we sure are!!’ said Pinkie Pie with much enthusiasm ‘We’ve seen a ton of games that caught our attention!! Especially ones that we’ve been playing that caught our attention!!’ ‘Well then by all means,’ said Terabyte as she handed Twilight and the Rainbooms some passes ‘Would you girls like to come and see the latest trailer for our game.’ ‘Oh, sure thing.’ said human Twilight ‘I’m very much interested to see what kind of video games you guys make.’ ‘And Invictus,’ said Gigabyte ‘Why don’t you come on stage. I think the folks would be thrilled to see the new game release, even the face of the one who made it.’ ‘Okay, sure.’ said Invictus as he followed them, then turned to the girls and said ‘See you guys inside!!’ ‘See you inside!!’ said Pinkie Pie loudly. ‘Come on,’ said Rainbow ‘What are we waiting for, let’s go.’ She and the others quickly made their way to the next room where everyone would sit together and watch the latest video game trailer. All of them went inside and were able to find, thanks to their passes, front row seats to watch the entire event. They soon saw tons of people walking in, also wanting to see the new game coming out. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘This place is pact. Do people really gather around for entertainment like this?’ ‘They sure do.’ said Sunset ‘You’d be surprised the kind of money every single entertainment company makes.’ As the crowds had finally gathered, the announcer came up on stage and introduced them to both Gigabyte and Terabyte walked up on stage, allowing the crowd to cheer for them. ‘Hey everyone,’ said Terabyte ‘We’re so glad that all of you could make it here today.’ ‘We’re so thrilled to show you our latest work that will be aired within half a year.’ said Gigabyte ‘We have taken this game to the next level with the next generation console.’ ‘Warrior Hunter will be a next generation game that will take the gamers’ experience to a whole new level.’ said Terabyte. ‘But, to better help explain the game,’ said Gigabyte ‘We’d like to introduce you to the young man who helped us make all this possible. Please welcome, Invictus.’ Invictus soon walked up on stage as folks clapped hands for him, but the ones who cheered the loudest were the Rainbooms and Twilight, showing him their support. ‘Thank you all for coming all this way.’ said Invictus ‘When I first came up with this, I had a hard time deciding how I should display the game, until both Gigabyte and Terabyte reached out to me and asked for my permission to help make it. But I knew how well their tech works, so I convinced them to help me join together and make this game.’ He walked back and forth and explained the game to them. ‘Warrior Hunter,’ said Invictus ‘Happens to be the next generation game, where you’re a warrior, going around either a planet or other planets, where you would use whatever tool you have on your disposal, the tools you will need, even where you truly have to use your smarts when it comes to fighting bad guys as well as overcoming puzzled that help unlock certain secrets that would help them achieve a ton of things that will allow them to progress further in the game.’ ‘Naturally, we wanted to make the game more challenging when we first started out, so we looked back at a few games that helped us in the long run like Battle Cry, Battlefront and Assassin. And thanks to the dedicated teams, we were able to combine parts of it so that it would be very familiar to most of the gamers, but also very different in the process.’ Now the audience was really interested. ‘And now, without further ado.’ said Invictus with a proud smile. ‘Let me present you…Warrior Hunter.’ The large screen began to play. First, showing on the screen was the appropriate age to play the game. Then showed the two companies that were responsible for making it. And finally, the music began to play, for the trailer had now begun. The scene started out a large wall, whilst on the outside, was a deserted wasteland, as the narrator said ‘The planet Borax has an irradiated wasteland. From within it lies a walled up city. Outside of the walled up city is a desert. A cursed world.’ Then they showed the city as they got past the walls, which surprised everyone when they saw how amazing the graphics looked as it showed them a massive city, as well as the advance technology, as well as the different alien and human species. ‘Inside the walls,’ said the narrator ‘A cursed city. Stretching all the way close to what appeared to be the Western Seaboard. An unbroken, conquered landscape. 800 million people living in the ruin of a forgotten world, and the Mega Towers of the new one. Mega blocks. Mega Highways. Mega City One.’ They saw, in slow motion, how the innocent suffered in every part of the city, where warriors in dark armour, threatening citizens with their threats. Whilst some citizens formed angry mobs and threw tons of firebombs to disperse them. ‘Anger. Greed. Aggression.’ said the Narrator ‘Breaking away under its own weight of oppression and fear. The people continued to live in fear of the monsters and madmen roaming the streets. But some of them banded together, to fight against the oppressors.’ From atop the rooftop, there was a mysterious stranger, staring down at the violence goin on, with Rainbow figuring out that he was the hero of the story. They saw from head to toe, how this person was wearing a special kind of armour, whilst wearing a swallow tail coat with a hood over his head and torso armour. He had silver metallic gloves, wrist guards and shoulder pads, whilst he had special kind of armour from his metallic boots, shin and knee guards. ‘But there are those who the people turn to, when they feel threatened.’ They saw how he had different weapons on his wrists, his knees, two dual laser pistols and a jetpack. ‘Mercenaries. Guilds. Executioners.’ The said warrior looked up and revealed a orange striped visor, looking at the horizon. ‘Warrior Hunters.’ And within a split second, the Warrior Hunger jumped from the side of the building as the glass he was attached to shattered, taking the audience by surprise. As the Warrior Hunter descended through the city landscape, the audience saw just how beautiful the environment was, even the graphics. They saw how the Warrior Hunter twirled whilst he was falling, and suddenly, began to dart like a rocket as he faced towards the ground, then he turned around and shot his grappling hook in the air. Then, as a certain song began to play, they saw the Warrior Hunter, going through the streets whilst he was swinging around, running from building to building, flying far and wide whilst performing a ton or Parkour tricks as he made his way toward the other side. Then in the end, he stopped at the edge of a building, watching over the entire city. The helmet instantly, revealing a young man underneath, who then smiled as he watched the horizon. The screen faded to black, then revealed in bolt “WARRIOR HUNTER”. Everyone began to cheer, looking forward to another big game. ‘And there you have it!!’ said Invictus whilst the crowd still cheered ‘We created a whole new level of gameplay that everyone can enjoy, to truly test your mind and your skill to the next level. And to get you all interested even more…’ He pulls out a disc and says ‘Who wants to see the demo gameplay?’ Now all of them were excited, even Terabyte and Gigabyte were surprised. ‘You were able to make the Demo?’ whispered Gigabyte. ‘You bet,’ said Invictus as he whispered ‘I already sent both the Demo and Full Game and the others approved it. It’s already in development, so I figured the audience would have something to look forward to.’ He went over to the console and inserted it. Soon enough, the screen showed them the demo’s menu, which got everyone excited. Invictus said ‘And to make things interesting for any lucky gamer.’ He then pointed his finger at one particular person as he said ‘You.’, the person was none other than Sunset, which surprised her as he said ‘How would you like to test out the game’s Demo?’ Sunset’s eyes widened, then grinned, nodded yes and immediately walked up on stage. He handed Sunset the controller and said ‘Knock em dead.’ Sunset accepted it and began to play the demo. Through the demo, they saw how the gameplay started. They saw how the Warrior Hunter walked up to the contractor and gave him a contract to fulfill. The Warrior Hunter then went from building to building, which Sunset had a little trouble, but thanks to the controls that he placed on the edge of the screen, making it a little easier for her. She got further into it when she saw how well it was to control the character. The next part was how the character had arrived, then, using the arsenal of weapons in Sunset’s disposal, she began to strategize and make use of them. Sure enough, she was able to overpower the bad guys as she moved swiftly and took them down, which surprised the audience when they saw how well the character moved. After they were beaten, the character moved over and used his gadgets to hack into the base. She began to use her smarts and was able to get past the puzzles with ease without any trouble getting in the way. The character was soon inside, and soon began to dispose the next group of bad guys. The way the character moved was flawless and was greatly fluent than she ever could’ve imagined. Soon enough, at the end of the Demo, it showed how the Warrior Hunter had the target cornered, with the target began to monologue over how he will not win, with the Warrior Hunter prepping his weapon for combat. Then as he began to charge, the target summoned two guards, who had Warrior Hunter Armour similar to the character, but darkened and more sinister. Tensions were high, both drew their weapons. And instantly, both began to charge with full force. And just like that, the screen went black and showed the WARRIOR HUNTER title, which caused everyone to cheer, as they all were looking forward to the game. Sunset was greatly surprised by the game. She slowly began to smile and said ‘Best. Game. EVER!!!’ Soon enough, at the end, the convention was over, allowing them to leave, with everyone leaving with their own games. ‘I have to admit,’ said Twilight ‘The brand of entertainment in this world is quite fascinating. Button Mash would’ve loved a place like this.’ ‘Button Mash?’ asked human Twilight. ‘Oh,’ said Invictus as he remembered both the colt and his human counterpart ‘Oh, Button Mash is a huge video game fan. He can play any single video game you give him and he can score the highest. Too bad he onetime got in trouble with his mom.’ ‘Ooh, I remember him.’ said Pinkie Pie ‘He’s even President of the Video Game Club back at Canterlot High. It was also because of him we were able to beat Griffonstone High in their gaming tournament last year.’ ‘That’s the one.’ said Invictus. Sunset hugged Invictus and said ‘And that game you made was awesome. I can’t believe you also make video games.’ ‘A guy’s gotta have a hobby. And it pays well.’ said Invictus ‘Gotta be the breadwinner for my family ever since dad died.’ ‘Oh,’ said Fluttershy ‘Your dad would be so proud that you’re looking out for your family.’ ‘Heh, thanks.’ said Invictus. ‘So where to next?’ said Applejack. ‘Well,’ said Invictus ‘The motocross stunt show is next on the list.’ ‘Heck yeah, what are we waiting for!!’ said Rainbow. Soon enough, all of them went to the stadium to watch the Motocross show, which Invictus knew everyone would enjoy. > Chapter 13: Manehattan Part 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shortly after the video game convention, they soon left for the motocross show. They realized that it was now five o clock, which left them about half an hour to reach for the place in order for them to watch the entire event. Though it may not have been half of the group’s idea of having fun, but considering that they did the favorite of what the other had done, they were willing to make an exception. Soon they began to arrive, with some of them surprised to see how big the stadium was. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘This place is huge.’ ‘It should be,’ said human Twilight as she looked through the guide book about Manehattan that she was lucky to pack in with her just in case ‘According to this, Manehattan stadium happens to be one of the largest stadiums ever to be built. They host a ton of sporting activities here.’ ‘I know,’ said Invictus in excitement ‘Our city’s hometown team, the Canterlot Alicorns, played here last year against the Larondan Centaurs. We won by ten points.’ ‘I know right,’ said Rainbow as she got just as excited ‘It was because of that, we were able to beat their winning streak.’ ‘And from what I heard,’ said Pinkie ‘They even hold a ton of concerts here, and a lot of racing and motor shows.’ ‘So what’s so famous about this motocross show?’ asked Twilight. ‘Oh,’ said Fluttershy ‘They happen to be part of a show called Moto X. They host a ton of dirt bike racers and have them perform all sorts of stunts. They’re really amazing.’ ‘You seem to know much about them darling.’ said Rarity. ‘Oh, they happen to have done a fundraiser for the animal shelters all over the country a few years back.’ said Fluttershy. ‘Oh yeah, I remember.’ said Invictus ‘They even sent a paycheck to the Canterlot Animal Shelter a few months back.’ ‘Hey, what’s that tour bus over there?’ asked Applejack as she pointed at that bus. When they looked, they saw it was a tour bus, with the words “Skillet” written in bold. Invictus, Sunset and Rainbow gasped out loud. ‘No way,’ said Sunset before she squealed out loud as she said ‘Skillet is here?!!’ ‘The who now?’ asked Applejack. ‘Only one of the biggest rock groups in the country.’ said Invictus as he got excited. ‘They became famous after they sang their song “Invincible”, and their record went multi-platinum as a result.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘Oh, if we must.’ said Rarity ‘Now all we have to do is to pay the tickets.’ ‘Already done.’ said Invictus, gaining their attention ‘And the best part is, I got a VIP pass.’ They were surprised by this, with Rainbow asking ‘What? How?’ He then blushed and said ‘I entered a contest a while back, and the prize would be nine tickets to a VIP access spot, where we would watch the entire event without people bothering us. I was thinking about bringing whoever wanted to go with me. But seeing all of you are here now, I was wondering…’ Some were touched that he wanted to invite them, with Applejack walking over and said ‘Aw Sugarcube, y’all didn’t have to do that.’ ‘I did.’ said Invictus ‘I promised to spoil you girls whilst we’re here and I plan to keep my promises.’ ‘Well then, what are we waiting for.’ said Pinkie Pie as she got excited ‘Let’s get going.’ After he each gave them their tickets, Invictus and the others made their way to the VIP section. At the same time, whilst they walked, Rainbow saw something down on the corner, causing her to stop. Invictus noticed and stopped too. They saw it was none other than one of Skillet’s band members, Ledger. However, from the look on his face, they noticed that he looked troubled. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Rainbow. ‘Let’s go find out.’ said Invictus, allowing both him and Rainbow to walk over to him. Ledger was in a panic, for she didn’t know what she was going to do. ‘Excuse me,’ asked Invictus ‘Is something wrong?’ She looked over and saw Invictus and Rainbow walking toward her, with concern looks on their faces. ‘Yeah, plenty.’ said Ledger. ‘Hey, it’s okay, you can tell us.’ said Rainbow ‘Maybe we can help.’ ‘If only.’ said Ledger as she showed them. To both Invictus and Rainbow’s shock, it was both Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, the founders of the band. However, they didn’t look so good. Mr. Cooper’s hands have been bandaged whilst Mrs. Cooper had a scarf around her neck as if she had caught a cold or something. ‘Whoa, what happened to them?’ said Invictus as both he and Rainbow were shocked. ‘Mr. Cooper accidentally hurt himself when he closed the boot to quickly,’ said Morrison as he had just arrived ‘And his wife has temporary Laryngitis. Unfortunately she’s been like that for three weeks. Doctor said that she’ll be alright by next week.’ ‘But we can’t cancel our gig here,’ said Ledger as she was now twice as worried, ‘We were going to be the opening ceremony for the motocross show today.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ said the nurse ‘But there’s nothing more we can do.’ After she left, Cooper groaned and said ‘Now what are we going to do?’ Both Rainbow and Invictus looked a bit worried, until Morrison looked at them. He realized something about Rainbow and walked over to her. ‘Excuse me,’ said Morrison, gaining her attention as she looked at him ‘You wouldn’t happen to be Rainbow Dash, the guitarist from the Rainbooms now, would you?’ Rainbow was surprised that he knew her, and said ‘Uh, yeah?’ ‘I know it’s a bit sudden,’ said Morrison ‘But would you consider playing in our band until Cooper’s hands feel better?’ Rainbow was flabbergasted and surprised, for she couldn’t believe what they were asking of her; they want her to play in their band for the show’s opening. ‘Wait,’ said Invictus ‘How do…?’ ‘We followed the MyStable Website.’ said Morrison ‘We saw how she and her friends played, and we’ve also seen how well she played one of our songs during the guitar solo competition.’ ‘Oh yeah, now I remember.’ said Invictus as he looked at Rainbow ‘You won first place for that.’ ‘You want me?’ said Rainbow as she processed what they were trying to say ‘To perform with you guys?’ Rainbow slowly smiled wide and said ‘Best!! Day!! EVER!!’ ‘Nice one Rainbow.’ said Invictus as he gently elbowed her. However, Rainbow remembered that Invictus wanted to perform music with her before the showcase. And how she ignored him and claimed the glory for herself and how she pushed him away. She felt guilty over what happened, whilst she slowly looked at Invictus. He didn’t noticed the look she had, for Rainbow felt really bad for how she left things between them. She looked down and thought about it with crossed arms. After some thought, she made up her mind and looked at Morrison. ‘Okay, I’ll play.’ said Rainbow ‘On one condition.’ Morrison was a little surprised, but accepted it as he said ‘Uh, sure, what?’ She suddenly wrapped her arm around Invictus and said ‘He gets to play alongside me.’ Invictus was taken aback by this as he looked at her, then looked at Skillet. They thought about it at first, with Cooper saying ‘Well, we always wanted to experiment with another guitarist on the group.’ Mrs. Cooper agreed as she nodded her head. Cooper personally stood up and walked over to them and said ‘Alright, you got yourself a deal.’ Rainbow fist bumped and said ‘Aw, yeah!!’ Invictus was still surprised, for not only did Rainbow asked if he could be a part of it, but that he could also rock alongside her. Half an hour later, Twilight and the rest of the Rainbooms arrived at the VIP booth. They were amazed of how the booth looked around them, for it was really fancy, especially when other guests were there. ‘Wow,’ sais human Twilight ‘This place looks amazing.’ ‘I know right,’ said Sunset ‘And we get to see Skillet perform live.’ Suddenly, Twilight looked behind her and noticed that both Rainbow and Invictus were missing. ‘Hey,’ said Twilight ‘Has anyone seen Rainbow and Invictus around?’ The rest noticed that they were missing. ‘That’s a good question, darling.’ said Rarity as she looked around. ‘Oh, I hope they don’t get lost or anything.’ said Fluttershy as she got worried ‘They might miss the whole show.’ ‘Ladies and gentleman!!’ shouted the announcer, gaining the girls’ attention, making them walk over to their seats to watch ‘Welcome to the annual show, MOTO X!!!!!’ Everyone cheered at the announcement of the show. ‘And now, for the opening act!!’ said the announcer ‘Please welcome, Skillet!!’ Everyone cheered at that as the band appeared on stage. Some were puzzled why there were two extras, but seeing one of the band member’s hands bandaged, they understood why. The Rainbooms were also puzzled by this. Pinkie however, suspected something, causing her to pull out a pair of binoculars from her hair and watched through the scopes. To her shock, she saw two people that she knew all too well. ‘Rainbow Dash and Invictus?!!!’ shouted Pinkie Pie. The rest were also shocked when they heard Pinkie call out like that. They looked at the stage and truth and behold, it really was them. ‘What in tarnation are they doing down there?!’ said Applejack. ‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she took Pinkie’s binoculars. She took a good look at the two band members. She was surprised to see what she was seeing. When she lowered the binoculars, she said ‘So that’s why.’ ‘Why what darling?’ asked Rarity. ‘Two of the band members sustained some injuries.’ said Twilight ‘One of them has his hands bandaged, which indicated that he had an accident. And the other one happens to have something wrapped around her throat, meaning that she has nearly lost her voice.’ ‘Oh no,’ said Sunset ‘How are they going to perform?’ ‘Maybe they asked Rainbow and Invictus to perform for them?’ said Fluttershy, gaining the others’ attention as she said ‘I mean they are both huge fans of the band after all.’ ‘Ladies and gentleman!!’ shouted the announcer ‘Give it up, for Skillet!!’ The band rocked out loud so loud that no one could catch up on how they played. Both Rainbow and Invictus rocked out so well, they were practically synced whilst playing as one. Though Mister Cooper continued to sing well, Invictus played the guitar like there was no tomorrow. Even Rainbow helped make up singing for Mrs. Cooper, considering that she temporarily lost her voice. But all and all, both Rainbow and Invictus performed an awesome solo. Once the song ended, everyone in the stadium cheered for Skillet. ‘Aw yeah!!’ said Rainbow ‘That was awesome!!’ ‘And we played alongside Skillet of all bands!!’ said Invictus as he was just as excited. ‘Yeah you did.’ said Morrison. ‘Come on,’ said Ledger ‘Come take a picture with us.’ The two of them went over to Skillet and posed for a picture. After it was taken, Rainbow and Invictus went back to the VIP booth, hoping that they would be on time for the show. After they arrived, the Rainbooms cheered for the two of them. ‘You guys were awesome!!’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Oh, I agree darling,’ said Rarity ‘You two performed remarkably well.’ ‘You two really were amazing down there,’ said Twilight ‘Plus you two finally performed together.’ ‘Heck yeah!!’ said Rainbow as she delivered a fist pump. ‘Now that’s out of the way,’ said Invictus ‘What do you say we enjoy the rest of the show?’ Everyone agreed and went back to their seats, with Twilight sitting next to Invictus. Sure enough, the Motocross show, known as the X Games, began. ‘Whoa!!’ exclaimed Twilight as she stood up ‘They’re amazing!! They’d certainly give the Wonderbolts from my world a run for their bits!!’ ‘I know, right?!!’ said Rainbow Dash ‘They’re so awesome!!’ ‘Whoa,’ said human Twilight ‘I had no idea that they could move like that.’ ‘You should’ve seen them last year,’ said Sunset ‘They’re getting better and better every year.’ ‘Wow,’ said Fluttershy ‘They move so graceful like a butterfly.’ ‘And I must say,’ said Rarity as she observed them ‘The colours they wear that match their dirt bikes are truly amazing.’ ‘Yee-haw!!’ shouted Applejack ‘Look at em go!!’ ‘Wow,’ said Pinkie Pie ‘They’re amazing!!’ ‘Told ya.’ said Invictus. About an hour and a half of watching the show, Twilight, Invictus and the Rainbooms had just exited the VIP booth and were heading out of the stadium. ‘That. Was. Awesome!!!’ shouted Rainbow as she got excited. ‘I know right?!!’ said Pinkie just as excited. ‘So should we head back to the hotel?’ said Rarity ‘All this activity was truly exhausting.’ ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ said Sunset ‘We can go out on that restaurant another day.’ ‘I’m gonna go wash up.’ said Invictus ‘I’ll see you girls at the entrance.’ ‘Sure thing Invictus.’ said Applejack, allowing Invictus to leave. At the same time, the girls bumped into a ton of old faces from CHS. ‘Whoa,’ said Rainbow when she saw that everyone from CHS was here ‘What are you guys doing here?’ ‘Well duh,’ said Sandal Wood ‘We’re here to see the motocross dudes perform.’ ‘Wait, you guys came here too?’ said human Twilight. ‘Yeah, we were all planning a trip to Manehattan for summer break.’ said Lyra. ‘And watching the motocross show with the X Games was quite a lot of fun.’ said Bonbon. ‘Glad we all saved up a lot for our trip here.’ said Flash Sentry. ‘TOTALLY WORTH IT!! YEEEEEAAAAAAH!!!’ shouted Bulk Biceps. ‘Does he ever stop screaming.’ muttered Rainbow. ‘You know Bulk,’ said Pinkie as she leaned near him ‘Never a dull moment.’ ‘So where are all of you going?’ asked Sunset. ‘Well we were on our way to a bus to take us back to our hotel.’ said Fleetfoot. ‘Mind if we tagged along?’ asked human Twilight. ‘Sure thing, let’s go.’ said Roseluck as they left. But as they walked, they bumped into a familiar face that was standing there. ‘Hey, Crash!!’ shouted one of them. The students looked and to their surprise, it was none other than Gilda, former friend of Rainbow Dash and became a bully and a crook. ‘Ugh,’ said Rainbow as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms ‘What are you doing here, Gilda?’ ‘I think the question is, what are you doing here?’ To their surprise, it was Lightning Dust and a few others, namely Short Fuse and Rolling Thunder. ‘Ugh,’ groaned Sunset as she slapped her forehead ‘Those idiots again.’ ‘Hey, who are you calling idiots?!!’ shouted Short Fuse. ‘What are all of you even doing here?’ said Rarity with a flexed eyebrow. ‘For one thing, this is our turf.’ said Lightning Dust. ‘Uh, excuse me?’ said Rainbow ‘Last time I checked, you don’t even own this place. Last month you said you owned the game arcade, but you got kicked out of town later on.’ ‘Hey, we go wherever we want.’ said Lightning Dust. ‘And trying to be on top by stepping on others.’ said Fluttershy. ‘Yeah, so?’ said Lightning. However, Rainbow and Fluttershy still remembered what Invictus had told them a while back, about what would happen if Sunset hadn’t been there. Rainbow remembered that Invictus told her that Lightning tricked her into doing her things, accused her of cheating, made her a pariah and made everyone, even Scootaloo, to abandon her, and she would end up becoming a water girl and end up being humiliated and broken. Fluttershy remembered that Invictus told her that Gilda would take Fluttershy to an alley and beat her to a pulp, even killing her pet Angel Bunny. Heartbroken and angry, thinking that there was no kindness in the world, she ended up becoming a cruel gang leader and hurt those around her. Both of them were miffed at that. Rainbow being the first to speak, trying to contain her anger, even Fluttershy. But Fluttershy ended up choosing to go first as she said ‘The point being, unlike you Gilda, I may be scared from time to time but at least I’m not a coward like you are.’ Gilda was mad as she walked over to her and said ‘What did you…?’ But instead, Fluttershy just grabbed her shirt, pulled her close and did “The Stare” whilst talking ‘You heard me. Ever since we met, all you ever did was pick on me. I tried to be nice to you, I tried to help you, heck, I’m the only one whoever gave a damn about you because I thought you needed a friend. I don’t know exactly what happened to you when you were little, but that’s no excuse of treating others around you like garbage. The only reason why you picked on me every single day because you were jealous of me when I was friends with Rainbow, because I really needed one. I thought we could be friends too, but instead you ended up resorting to this, you even wanted to beat me up and killed the only pet I ever loved. Well from now on Gilda, I don’t care anymore. You can just make like a glorified pigeon, float and sputter.’ She shoved Gilda away, whilst she was taken aback by the sudden assertiveness from the shyest girl in CHS. At the same time, Invictus arrived and suddenly stopped. When he looked, he was shocked to see Gilda, Lightning and the others there. He couldn’t believe that they were up to their no good tricks again. Rainbow then spoke to Lightning. ‘And you,’ said Rainbow as she pointed at Lightning ‘You never really wanted to be my friend from the beginning. Even if we did meet at that bake sale, you were just going to use me and ended up making me look like the biggest cheater and pariah in all of Canterlot High.’ At first, Lightning was surprised that Rainbow said something that caught her attention, but Invictus on the other hand, through the look of her eyes, he knew that she realized what she was planning to do to Rainbow if they were ever to be friends. ‘I may be an arrogant hothead but at least I know when to put my team and my friends first.’ said Rainbow as she continued ‘You think my friends are pathetic? Well you on the other hand don’t care who you have to hurt just to be on top. You keep getting on your high horse, acting like a complete jerk, but deep down you’re nothing but an insecure little girl who got expelled with no future. If anyone’s pathetic around here, it’s you.’ Lightning was appalled by what Rainbow had said, but she ended up smirking and said ‘Put them first, huh? Like you put your other loser friend first when you kept ditching him?’ ‘That may be true,’ said a voice, gaining her attention, then surprised her, Gilda, Rolling Thunder and Short Fuse when they saw Invictus coming and stand next to Rainbow ‘But even she can admit when she’s wrong about something.’ ‘You?!’ said Lightning as she was shocked to see him ‘But how?!! I thought…’ ‘We patched things up.’ said Invictus as he kept his arms crossed ‘Plus I wanted to know why she kept ditching me, but it turned out it was you all along who broke apart our friendship.’ The rest of the Rainbooms were surprised by this, even Rainbow as she looked at him, with Twilight asking ‘What do you mean?’ He looked at them and said ‘Rainbow Blaze and my father Atreus.’ They were puzzled when he brought up their names, but what he told them took them all by surprise. Invictus looked to them and said ‘Lightning Dust’s grandfather, Wind Rider, was once a famed member of the Wonderbolts’ flying teams, until Rainbow Blaze caught him trying to blackmail a couple of Wonderbolt members who were close to break his record. He was so obsessed into keeping his record and to make sure he would remain on top, he would do anything to make sure no one else would beat him, he even tried to frame Coach Spitfire’s father for sabotaging and nearly killing the Captain of the Wonderbolt base. After Rainbow Blaze presented the evidence to them, they kicked Wind Rider out of the Wonderbolts and he was forever disgraced, tarnishing his family name and permanently banning any of them from ever joining.’ Everyone was shocked to hear that, even Gilda as she looked at Lightning, who gripped her fists at that, with him turning to her as he wasn’t done yet. ‘And when Lightning’s daddy dearest had hit an all time low,’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘Her father ended up buying a gun and hated what Rainbow Blaze did, so he went to the college to where he and Bow Hothoof had graduated for their reunion. And after he got there, he shot and killed thirteen people, twenty children included when they were taking a tour of the place and wanted to go there after they graduated high school. My father was a lawyer at the time. With all the evidence and witnesses that gave their testimony, my father made sure that he was guilty of all charges, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Few weeks later, Lightning’s father lost it so bad, he ended up hanging himself in prison, committing suicide in the process.’ Everyone gasped at that, even the Rainbooms and Twilight were horrified by what happened. Invictus leered at Lightning and said ‘And you planned to get revenge on them too. But seeing that both of them passed away, you ended up trying to get to them through me and Rainbow. All because your family were filled with cowards.’ Lightning gripped on both her fists as she got angry. ‘It pays that my mother, Stardust Horizon, also kept an open mind and helped me reveal what was really going on.’ said Invictus, then he leaned forward and said ‘And you know what? It almost worked.’ ‘And you know what?’ said Invictus as he pointed things out ‘Rainbow and I may be arrogant, hotheaded and also sometimes dense, but at least we’re not cowards to admit when we make mistakes. Cause the way I see it, you’re nothing more than an insecure little girl who would step on anyone just to be on top, who later got expelled from CHS with no future, nor will ever have a chance to join the Airforce or air shows because her family got forever disgraced for all the pain and grief they caused. So if anyone’s really pathetic and will forever be a loser, it’s you!!’ Everything was silent for a moment, with Lightning getting really angry. ‘You…you just signed up your fate….’ said Lightning. ‘Just like your grandma did one day when she was so ashamed of you, she laid down and died.’ said Invictus as he further mocked her ‘Now that’s bad.’ Some was thinking that he was taking things to far, as Lightning got angry, then he hit his final trump card ‘But then again, why would you even care. Cause the way I see it, you’ll never change, for you’re still a bitter loner, who only cares about herself. No wonder your mother ended things and left you when you were a toddler years ago.’ Now she lost it as she wanted to charge, until Gilda stopped her and said ‘Relax kid. I know how to deal with punks like that.’ ‘Hey, back of Gilda!!’ said Rainbow ‘This doesn’t concern you!!’ ‘Oh, look at you, fighting a battle for once Crash.’ mocked Gilda. Then she ended up looking at both her and Fluttershy, saying ‘Only one of you bitches needs a leash.’ Normally when someone insulted Invictus, he would just brush them off, for he didn’t see any point of upholding violence. When they insult him, or about his family, he brushed them off too. For he was able to move on from what happened to his father, and they don’t know his mother, so that’s also an added bonus. However, the moment when someone else insulted his friends and said something that harsh, something happened inside of him. All that anger, all that rage, and all the fighting he had learned, were unlocked within his head and coursed through his body. His eyes began to turn red, for now the red of rage had been unlocked from him. And then…he struck. Within an instant, he punched Gilda in the face, then left, then right, blocked, elbowed her face, kneed her gut, kicked her left leg and punched her so hard with his right fist, she spat out blood. CHS, the Washouts, Gilda’s Gang, even the Rainbooms and Twilight were shocked by what Invictus did. Gilda was stunned by what just happened as someone had the balls to punch her like that whilst she slowly looked at him. ‘Apologize to them.’ he said with a snarl and savage voice, much to some concern from the others. ‘Screw you, you punk.’ said Gilda as she stood up whilst Invictus gripped his fists. She tried to lay down a punch, but he dodged her, punched her spine, punched her face, kicked her toward the wall. He moved toward her. She tried to punch back, but he just blocked them as if they were nothing. He then tossed her against a pillar. And within a split second, he kicked her arm so hard, he broke it, making her scream in pain and shocked the others. Gilda on the other hand just looked at Invictus angry, but he wasn’t going to let up just yet. ‘I said!! Apologize to them!!’ shouted Invictus as Gilda didn’t want to give up just yet. Gilda ended up attacking again, but he blocked her and punched her again and again. He made her trip, making her head hit against the pillar. But before she could respond, he grabbed her and took her straight to a nearby car. And to their shock, he banged her head against the car. ‘We!! Aren’t!! Your!! Victims!! Anymore!!’ shouted Invictus after banging her head a couple of times. Everyone was taken aback by what Invictus had done, but then they saw him pull Gilda away as he face was all bloodied. He said to her ‘No matter what you say, no matter what you do, you’ll always be garbage.’ He punched her one more time in the face, disorienting her in the process. Before anyone could say anything, Gilda collapsed on the ground as she was now out cold. ‘And for the record!!’ said Invictus as he stood over her body ‘I would’ve kicked your ass the first time if Rainbow and Fluttershy hadn’t stopped me!!’ Everyone was surprised the kind of beat down that Invictus had given Gilda. He slowly looked at the others sharply and said ‘Typical Lightning Dust. Always making grunts do all your dirty work and too much of a coward to do anything yourself.’ ‘Hey,’ said Short Fuse ‘She ain’t a coward.’ ‘And why are you even siding with her?’ said Invictus ‘Did she ever do anything nice for you, other than forcing you to be her man servant?’ ‘I am not a man servant.’ said Short Fuse sternly. ‘Sorry,’ said Invictus, not buying it ‘But I don’t see any loyalty among you here. All I see is a pathetic poor excuse of a shrimp who’s latched onto an excuse to hurt people, and who’s so stupid, he doesn’t realize that he’s being used by Lightning.’ Now angry, Short Fuse attacked whilst screaming. But instead of charging, Invictus suddenly did the split and punched Short Fuse hard below the belt, making the short bully grunt in pain whilst everyone else also groaned in pain when they saw the move Invictus just did. Invictus then stood up and did a triple spinning high kick, kicking Short Fuse hard until he crashed against a random car. ‘Why you little…’ said Rolling Thunder as she moved towards him. ‘And a third lesson from a martial arts master.’ said Invictus as he stood ready. ‘When outmatched,’ said Invictus whilst Rolling Thunder got closer, then he said ‘Cheat.’ Within a split second, he blinded her with dust, making her yelp. But before she could react, Invictus performed a sweeping high kick against her head, causing her to have a concussion. He grabbed her head and kneed her in the chest, hurting her lungs in the process. Then finally, he did a back flip kick, sending Rolling flying in the air, then landed on top of another car. Everyone was surprised to see how he was at ease when he took four of the bullies down, even Gilda’s gang were surprised. However, Invictus remained his stance, until he slowly stood up whilst saying ‘As a gentleman once said.’ ‘Manners.’ He cracked his left knuckles. ‘Maketh.’ He cracked his right knuckles ‘Man.’ He bashed them together as if he was a boxer. Rainbow widened her eyes as she was surprised to have heard that line before. ‘Do you know what that means?’ asked Invictus, which left the gang confused, whilst Amadeus slowly moved to a glass bottle, right where he wanted to be. ‘Then let me teach you a lesson.’ He instantly lifted the bottle and gave it a kick like a soccer ball towards Lightning Dust, causing the bottle to struck against her head, making her slowly collapse onto the ground, taking everyone by surprise. As Invictus moved towards the gang, the said gang turned their heads towards Invictus in shock. ‘Now then,’ declared Invictus ‘Are we going to stand around all day? Or are we going to fight?’ One of them tried to lay a punch to Invictus, but he merely deflected it, causing the gang member to punch the other’s tooth out. As the said member collapsed, the rest tried to fight as the others began to watch. Invictus gave one of the members a good kick, causing it to drop his cane (Which is weird for a gang member to have as a weapon). Invictus grabbed the cane and beat the second one with it, making him collapse onto the ground, whilst he head butted the third, kneed him in the chest hard, and used the cane to bash the gang banger hard, making him flip and hit his back hard onto the ground. He grabbed the fourth one and punched him in the face whilst Invictus backhanded the next gang member. The scruffy looking one tried to stab Invictus, but instead Invictus pulled the fourth one’s arm in order to block it, making the scruffy one accidentally stab the fourth one in the shoulder. Invictus kicked the fourth gang member in the leg, making him collapse on all fours, whilst Invictus jumped towards the scruffy one, moved around him like a wrestler and ended up tossing him hard against another car. Two more tried to attack, but Invictus ducked, dodging their attacks. But the moment he got back up, he kneed the one who was on all fours in the face, making him collapse hard onto the ground. The others continued to watch as they were stunned the way he fought. Invictus dodged the next attacker and ended up elbowing him behind his head hard, whilst another attacker attempted to take him down, but Invictus ended up punching him in the face, grabbed the both of them and bashed their heads hard and knocked them out. The next one attacked, but Invictus used his cane to grab him around the neck, flipped him and slammed him hard onto the ground, breaking the cane in half. He ran straight towards his next opponent, jumped in the air and delivered a strong roundhouse kick, causing the gangbanger to crash against the car. The next one tried to attack Invictus from behind, but he ended up delivering a sweep leg, making the gangbanger trip, whilst Invictus raised his leg in the air and stomped his foot hard onto the guy’s head, knocking him out in the process. Invictus jumped over whilst grabbing a random chain from out of nowhere and used it to catch one of the gangbangers by wrapping it around the neck, pulled the gangbanger towards him hard, and ended up performing a clothesline maneuver on him, making him fall hard on his back. But as he looked to his left, he saw what appeared to be a metal pole, long enough and sturdy enough to be a bo-staff. He used his chain, grabbed the metal pole and caught it whilst tossing the chain away. He just stood there, waiting for them to make a move. Until a group of them did. Invictus twisted the metal pole like a martial artist, and whacked it against the gangbanger’s head. Invictus turned to the other one that tried to attack Invictus, but he knocked the pole against him so hard, he crashed against the wall. Invictus charged and jumped in the air, raised the metal pole and slammed it hard onto the next gangbanger, making him collapse on the ground hard like a ragdoll. Invictus turned to the gangbanger that wanted to use a knife. But Invictus was able to knocked it away, made him trip whilst he spinned the pole and gave a mighty whack against his head. Invictus quickly jumped over and used the pole to bash it against another’s head. He used the pole to hit one below the groin, making the gangbanger wilt in pain, whilst Invictus made short work of the next three. But the one he hit in the groin, he grabbed his neck, lifted him up and threw him hard onto the ground, whilst using the metal pole to knock him unconscious. Everyone was taken aback to see the way he was fighting, for no one came even close into even trying to touch him. Invictus kept moving left and right, dodging most of their attacks whilst blocking, punching and kicked them away. Another attempted to attack Invictus from behind, but he ended up grabbing the gangbanger from the waist, lifted him up and slammed him hard onto the ground. But as the gangbangers pulled out their knives, Invictus ran towards one, jumped in the air, grabbed his head and slammed him hard onto a car, whilst he grabbed a loose tire and tossed it against another, knocking him out cold the moment the tire made contact. Invictus looked at the last group, and headed straight for them whilst they attacked. They tried to surround him whilst trying to stab him, but Invictus kept moving too fast as he grabbed one, kneed him in the head, headbutted another, blocked two of the gang member’s attacks and punched them both in the face. He elbowed another in the head, blocked the same two’s attacks before giving the next one the boot to the face. Invictus grabbed one and dislocated his arm, and kicked him twice in the face and knee, making him stagger before Invictus pushed him away. He grabbed the next one’s arm and blocked the other’s attack with his own knife, whilst also kicking him away. Invictus jabbed the knife into the knee of the gang member he was holding onto, whilst grabbed the other by the throat and tossed him hard onto the car near him and became unconscious. Invictus blocked the one who attacked him from the left but gave a strong uppercut, whilst he blocked and gave a Buddha fist to the one in front of him. He turned to the one who’s leg he stabbed, and he punched him so hard, the gangbanger flipped and landed on his head hard. The next tried to attack Invictus from behind, but he simply grabbed him, pinned him hard onto the ground and punched him hard several times. The next tried to stab Invictus, but he was able to quickly dodged it left and right. He grabbed the guy’s arm, moved left, then right, and flipped him over, allowing Invictus to break his arm, which shockened the others over his move. The remaining two ended up ganging up on Invictus. One of them kicked him as he landed on his back, with the other stabbing him in the left shoulder, making him shout in pain as some covered their mouths in shock. Instead of letting up, he kicked the one who kicked him in the leg, whilst kneeing the other in the head, then kicked another in the head and made him trip. Invictus on the other hand turned around, staring at the one who jabbed the knife in his shoulder. He pulled it out without even flinching and headed straight for him and pinned him against the car, whilst also jabbing him in the shoulder. The next stabbed Invictus by the gut, but he just elbowed him in the face, then kneed him in the gut, making him fall hard on the ground, allowing Invictus to grab him and toss him so hard, it left a dent at another car. Invictus then turned to the one he stabbed against the car earlier. The same Gangbanger saw Invictus with a scary looking scowl. The Gangbanger rapidly shaking his head in fear, not wanting Invictus to hurt him. But with one punch, he punched the guy’s lights out cold, making him drop in limp whilst the knife popped off the car, making the knocked out gangbanger collapse onto the ground. Invictus was now partially battered and bruised, even with him slowly bleeding. Whilst everyone else were in shock, for he had beaten all of the gangbangers, even Gilda and the others without holding back. Invictus grunted a bit, whilst noticing he still had the knife in his gut. He went against the closest car, leaning against it whilst he quickly pulled the knife out. He grunted in pain as he could feel the pain, badly. Just as the others wanted to help… ‘You’re so gonna pay for that.’ They saw Lightning Dust standing up whilst her head was still bleeding a bit, with four of the other gangbangers standing up. They weren't going to give up without a fight. Even though some were battered and bruised, they weren't going to let this slide. Now the Rainbooms and Twilight were really worried when they saw Invictus holding onto his side, bleeding as he stared them down. Everyone at CHS were worried when they saw Invictus hurt. ‘I’ve been waiting for this for a long…’ said Lightning before she was cut off. They heard the sound of a light bursting, gaining everyone’s attention. Then one by one, every single light began to pop and burst, making everything dark, until the red emergency lights kept on blinking. Everyone looked around wondering what was going on. Then the car alarms went off, the radios began to play static and things began to fly around. Then…the creepy female demon voice. ‘Who dares. Threaten. My little boy?’ Invictus’ eyes shrunk in fear, for he knows all too well who that is. Gilda and the others looked at the ground, and saw footprints that appeared from out of nowhere, making straight towards them. Then they felt a hard swat them. They saw a random person as if it was possessed. ‘Hey,’ said Lightning Dust ‘What’s the big…?’ All of a sudden, the boy’s head turn to them, with demonic eyes, shocking everyone when they saw the look in his eyes. ‘What’s the matter, Lightning?’ said the demon, shocking Lightning Dust as if the thing knows her ‘Never met someone really scary before?’ The person began to cackle as if a large symbol appeared as the person suddenly raised its head in the air and a large black gust of smoke came out of his mouth, nearly covering the entire area they were on. After the gust stopped coming out of his mouth, the person fainted. At the same time, the scariest monster, mixed with a Chimera, a Manticor and a combination of Nightmare Moon appeared and roared at Lightning whilst the other gangbangers ran away in fear , terrifying them at the same time. The monster continued to roar at them, until it reverted back into its original form, revealing to be none other than Invictus’ mother, Stardust Horizon, whilst her eyes were blood red like the blinking lights. As Stardust turned around she waved her hand, causing all of the lights to be instantly repaired and turned back on, whilst walking towards her son at the same time. ‘Wait, mom?’ said a confused Invictus ‘What are you…how the heck did you know I needed help?’ ‘I have my ways honey,’ said Stardust as she used her magic to heal her son. She held the side of his face and asked ‘Are you alright?’ Invictus rolled his eyes and said ‘I’m fine mom.’ ‘Oh, good.’ said Stardust. Until all of a sudden, she grabbed both his face cheeks and yelled ‘How the fuck?!! Did you get yourself into trouble young man?!! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!! You know, if you get in trouble, I get into trouble!! So if you do this one more time, I’m going to send you to the depth of Tartarus!! Understand mister?!!!’ Invictus was scared out of his mind and whimpered ‘Yes ma’am.’ Everyone was surprised to see how terrifying his mother was, with Bulk whispering ‘Wow, no wonder she’s so scary.’ Invictus then looked at everyone and said ‘And now all of you know why I go all out for my mom on Mother’s Day and her Birthdays.’ Fluttershy realized something and laughed out loud, gaining everyone’s attention, and said ‘So that’s why you one time dressed up like a baby lamb on her birthday.’ Everyone realized that, causing some to giggle over that. ‘Lamb costume?’ asked Sunset. Pinkie Pie pulled out a video and showed it to Sunset, Twilight and human Twilight, even Spike was curious. They showed Invictus in a little lamb costume and sing. (Four year old Invictus) Oh, who wants a little, little lamb I do, I do So go up and greet your mama, mama, mammy Hi there, hi there. So when you go out and have fun Don’t, don’t’ don’t, you forget about the baby After the video ended, the four who watched were greatly surprised as Twilight said ‘Aw, that is so adorable.’ From Stardust, she took a deep breath and calmed down. She adjusted herself and said ‘You really scared me back there.’ ‘I’m sorry okay, Lightning Dust started it.’ said Invictus. ‘I know.’ said Stardust ‘She never learned her lesson. The difference between her and Dash, at least she doesn’t hurt anyone.’ ‘True.’ said Invictus as he stood up. Just when he was about to move… ‘Hey!!’ they looked at Lightning, even though she was scared, she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. ‘I’m not finished yet!! If you think I’m going to back down, then you’ve got another thing coming!!’ Just when Stardust wanted to say something, she felt her son’s hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention as she looked at him. ‘No mom.’ said Invictus ‘I need to do this…for dad and Rainbow Blaze.’ She wanted to say something, but she knew that Lightning wasn’t going to stop. She sighed in defeat and allowed him to do what needed to be done. He walked over towards her, whilst at the same time, she pounded her fists together. ‘I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.’ said Lightning Dust ‘You’re fighting someone who’s more of a skilled fighter than you are.’ ‘Funny,’ said Invictus as he stared at her down whilst he was in his stance ‘Your father and grandfather were also more skilled fighters. Where are they, now?’ Lightning got angry and charged towards him. She jumped to land a kick, but he simply moved to the right. He just stared at her, not making a move. Everyone watched as the two of them began to fight. Lightning thrusted her punch, but he simply dodged left again. She missed about five punches, but by the fifth one, he simply slapped behind her head, as if he was toying with her. Twilight and the Rainbooms watched in worry as Invictus did nothing but mess around with her. She tried to land two sweeping high kicks, but she kept missing, even three more punches. She tried to kick him by the leg, but he simply used his foot to block her, then dodged her again. ‘Come on!! Fight me!!’ shouted Lightning. Invictus merely smirked at her. There it is He then held a stance, holding his left hand forward and his right one back. Within a split second, Lightning charged again, until Invictus remembered his training from a while back in the ring. When Lighting attacked, Invictus deflected left, blocked at the right and used his right leg to kick her hard in the gut, making her grunt as she took a few steps backwards. The others were surprised by the move he displayed, even Stardust was surprised to see him fight like that. Lighting attacked again, with Invictus remembering his training. He clasped both his hands around her neck, and kneed her in the gut hard with his left knee. He spun her around, let go and punched her at the side of her head using his left elbow, causing the side of her head to be scratched, making it bleed. Lightning bumped against the car hard, leaving the others surprised to see how he was moving. Lightning felt the right side of her head and was surprised to see it bleeding. But Invictus on the other hand, he kept his stance as he looked down at her. Once again she began to charge. The moment she tried to use her right leg to kick, Invictus caught it with ease and punched her hard in the gut, making her grunt as she took two steps backwards. He moved both his arms martial arts style and Buddha palmed her hard, making her crash against another car, whilst falling onto her knees as he kept his stance. She slowly got back up, but he still kept in position, remembering the finisher move. When Lightning attempted to do a kick again, he instantly caught it with his left arm, then elbowed her hard in the chest, making her grunt out loud. He instantly moved his right leg behind her left leg, making Lightning drop onto the ground hard. The moment she was on the ground, Invictus double fisted her hard on both the chest and the gut, making her grunt as if she moved like a spineless jellyfish. Once that was done, Invictus moved in a finisher stance, whilst Lighting was knocked out cold onto the ground. Everyone had stared in awe when they saw how he moved like that, even Twilight and the Rainbooms were shocked to see him move like that. However, Invictus, after what Lightning had done, wasn’t going to let this lie down. He then grabbed her shirt with one arm and picked her up, making her stand as she instantly woke up. ‘Now you listen here,’ said Invictus as his anger was slowly building up ‘Ever since you came around, all you ever did was cause pain. After everything what both your father and grandfather did, I would’ve thought that you would try to restore your family name, try to turn your life around. Instead you had to resort to hurt those who are a threat to you. You may be good, but we’ll always be better people than you.’ However, something had slowly begin to happen. His eyes began to glow red, purple veins began to appear around his face and a line had appeared like a cross all over his face as it slowly began to bleed, taking Lightning by shock, as well as a few others who were seeing it, with Stardust now worried. As he spoke again, his voice sounded a bit more demonic. ‘But here you are, trying to break people apart like you did to me and Rainbow.’ said Invictus ‘So if you don’t learn to change your ways, there will be hell to pay. And if you ever show your face around Canterlot City, try to threaten my friends, or even think about breaking or hurting others ever again. THEN THIS IS WHAT, AWAITS YOU!!’ Within a split second, Invictus’ face immediately split open, revealing his skull as it was set aflame with praying mantis pincers, and roared right into Lightning Dust’s face, making her shriek in horror when she saw his monster side. Half an hour later, Lightning Dust had a traumatized look on her face, whilst at the same time, Law Enforcement took her away, whilst revealing that she had completely soiled her pants from fear, whilst at the same time, Short Fuse, Gilda and Rolling Thunder, along with all of the gangbangers, were all taken away whilst the witnesses were giving out statements of how Gilda and her entourage were causing trouble and that Invictus had merely defended them before things had gotten out of hand. At the same time, Invictus had just finished telling CHS’ students of who and what he is, and that he has Equestrian Magic. After his story, to say the students were stunned was an understatement. ‘So let me get this straight,’ said Micro Chips ‘You’re from Equestria just like Princess Twilight, but you’re from a different Equestria. That world’s now destroyed and you and your mom now live in this world.’ ‘Pretty much, yeah.’ said Invictus ‘And before we get anywhere else.’ He walked over to Flash and looked directly at him in the eyes and said ‘Did you like Twilight when you first met her?’ ‘Yeah?’ said Flash. ‘And you were sad when she left and didn’t come back?’ ‘Yeah, I was.’ ‘And you no longer harbor any feelings for her and she attempted to hit on you, right?’ ‘Uh, yeah?’ said a confused Flash. ‘Good.’ And within a split second, Invictus kicked Flash in the nuts, making him squirm and shocked the others, even Twilight and the Rainbooms. Flash dropped on his knees whilst looking at Invictus. ‘That was for insulting and hurting Twilight during the Battle of the Bands.’ ‘Hey, it was a long time ago,’ said Flash as he groaned in pain ‘And I was brainwashed.’ ‘And did you properly apologize to her?’ asked Invictus with a flexed eyebrow. Flash thought about it, and he never did, making him groan in embarrassment. ‘Fair enough.’ said Flash as he slowly got back up and regained his composure. The Rainbooms looked at him with a stern look, with Invictus saying ‘What? Mind controlled by the Dazzlings or not, he had it coming.’ ‘That was really mean.’ said Sunset. Invictus leered over to Sunset and said ‘This coming from a girl who used and toyed with his feelings just so that you could become popular?’ She was about to retort, but she ended up blinking in surprise and groaned. ‘Fine, fair enough.’ ‘So,’ said Bulk Biceps ‘All that aside, you’re also skilled in magic?’ ‘Yep,’ said Invictus ‘Except I was born with it and I’m able to tap into it without any issues whatsoever.’ ‘Huh,’ said Lyra as she thought about something ‘So that would explain why you helped me with my science project so fast.’ ‘But how did you fix your friendship with Rainbow?’ asked Bonbon. Suddenly he and Rainbow began to widened their eyes and blushed, trying to avert eye contact from others. ‘Oh, I can answer that.’ said Pinkie Pie before she let in the biggest gasp she could ever muster. (Insert narrator five minutes later) ‘And that’s how we ended up growing closer to him.’ declared Pinkie. Everyone’s jaws had dropped over what had been revealed. ‘So…’ said Flash as he tried to wrap his head around things ‘You accidentally casted a harem spell, causing them to react to you because they had Equestrian Magic?’ Invictus had blocked his face to hide his embarrassment, but he nodded yes. ‘Huh,’ said Bulk as he realized something ‘No wonder Sunset was in a good mood that one time. That and why she looked wet.’ Now Sunset blushed from the embarrassment as she looked away. ‘So has the harem magic uh…’ said Vinyl Scratch. ‘Yeah, it’s gone.’ said Invictus ‘Though I think I had some side effect from it afterwards.’ ‘Like what?’ asked Octavia. ‘Well,’ said Invictus as he thought about it ‘Normally when others insult me or anything, I just let it slide. But when Gilda insulted the Rainbooms I uh…well something exploded inside of me and I just went all ballistic and beat the stuffing out of them.’ ‘Like…a mate would?’ asked Derpy in curiosity. The look on his face and the Rainbooms however, all of them blushed bright red and felt really awkward about it. ‘Come to think of it.’ said Tree Hugger as he thought about something, then looked at the Rainbooms ‘How did you girls felt after the whole thing. Any side effects like him?’ The Rainbooms looked at one another, then thought about it. ‘Never put in much thought before.’ said human Twilight. ‘Although,’ said Fluttershy as she hugged herself and daydreamed ‘I do feel like I wanna cuddle him and make out with him in bed and have him touch me in all the right places.’ She suddenly clasped her mouth closed in shock, not expecting to say something like that, whilst the others also stared at her in shock. ‘Uh,’ said Invictus as he looked at her with a flexed eyebrow ‘I’m not sure how to respond to that.’ At the same time, Stardust arrived and said ‘Alright, things have been cleared up, and charges have been pressed against Gilda and her cronies.’ ‘Good.’ said Invictus ‘As long as I don’t have to see their mugs again, then we’ll be OK.’ He then suddenly turned around and shamefully looked at Twilight. ‘Although…I’m really sorry about how I acted earlier. I…don’t know what came over me. When they threatened and insulted my friends, I just lost it. I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk to me after all this.’ He felt her shoulder, whilst she was giving him a reassuring smile ‘It’s okay. You just defended your friends. It’s really admirable for what you did for them. But I hope you’ll be able to learn to control your anger in the future.’ ‘I can’t make any promises.’ said Invictus ‘But I’ll promise I’ll try.’ Stardust came and said ‘Come on, I’ll take all of you back to the hotel. We’ll talk further there.’ As they left, Pinkie shouted ‘See you guys around!!’ As they headed back, they noticed that Twilight was suddenly nervous about something. They stopped as Invictus asked ‘Something wrong?’ ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she rubbed the back of her head and said ‘I’m not really good at this, but…’ Invictus stood near her, wanting to know what’s wrong. But then she tried to put on a brave face and said ‘Would it be okay if we spent time together? Just the two of us? At least for the day?’ The Rainbooms were surprised that Twilight had pulled a move like that, even Stardust was impressed that the Princess of Friendship had gathered the courage to ask him. Invictus blushed a bit, then said ‘Uh, yeah sure. No problem.’ > Chapter 14: A date around the Big City > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From back within the hotel room, the morning sun had begun to rise from within the city of Manehattan. Though early in the morning, one didn’t get any sleep, for he was awake about an hour before the sun began to rise. From within his room, he greatly panicked. For finally, this is the one day that he got to spend time with the one girl that caught his eye, something that he wanted to do since the day he first saw her. He really wished that he could’ve done it sooner, but he was too afraid to do anything, and as well as afraid that he would hurt her. But yet look what happened thanks to her; his friendship with Rainbow is fixed and they’re best of friends, he and Fluttershy were also good, now that the truth is out of why he had her brother arrested, his friendship with Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity was better than ever, and he even fixed apologized and became best friends with both Sunset and Sci-Twi. His friendship with the Rainbooms were greater than ever thanks to Twilight. And now he wants to both pay her back for what she did for him and to show how much he loves her. However, he kept walking back and forth whilst he kept on going “Oh shit” over and over again. His mother noticed this and was able to calm him down. ‘Honey calm down,’ said his mother as she calmed him down ‘It’s just a date.’ ‘Just a date?!’ exclaimed Invictus as he panicked again ‘You don’t understand mom. I’m going on a date. Not just any date, a date with a princess. And not just any princess, but Princess Twilight!! I feel like I can’t breathe, I feel like I’m gonna…’ ‘Invictus, calm down young man.’ said Stardust sternly. He calmed down as she spoke calmly ‘I know how much this means to you, but you seriously need to calm down. I know you’ve been crushing on her ever since you first saw her.’ ‘And she did for me what nobody else could.’ muttered Invictus. ‘And she knows how much you love her.’ said Stardust ‘Although she was a bit miffed that you accidentally casted a harem magic on yourself…’ Invictus winced at that, for he was really embarrassed about the whole ordeal. ‘…but the point is,’ concluded Stardust ‘She understands. And I can see the look in her eyes. She loves you too and she wants to be with you, even though you two are worlds apart, it’s clear that she really wants to give it a chance. Besides, I already had a talk to her before we turned in last night.’ Invictus gulped at that, and said ‘You what?’ ‘Don’t worry, nothing embarrassing.’ she reassured her son ‘We talked about the first time she got here. She met Flash Sentry, and she developed a crush on him, but it didn’t evolve from there. She chose to go back to Equestria and didn’t try to give the whole romance thing a chance. When she told me of how you kissed her…’ Invictus blushed as Stardust couldn’t help but smirk at it ‘She felt like fireworks were going off. Though she appreciated the knowledge you gave her so that she could fit in, she really enjoyed the kiss. And she ended up developing feelings for you. She thought it would pass, but the more she thought about you, the more happy she felt. And I even noticed how red her cheeks were getting whenever she thought about the kiss. And uh…’ She whispered to him ‘And when you held onto her booty whilst you were in the elevator.’ Invictus felt really embarrassed that she found out about that, making him groan as he sat back down on the bed. ‘It’s pretty clear that she really likes you.’ said Stardust ‘I mean you even used your magic to show her around the country and helped her compare notes between both our worlds.’ ‘I just wanted her to be happy.’ said Invictus ‘I mean after everything she did for me…’ Invictus’ mother held her son’s shoulders and said ‘I know. But I’m sure she also feels the same way about your time together.’ Meanwhile, in the other room Twilight on the other hand was in the same boat, going “Oh my gosh” over and over again whilst frantically walking around. The Rainbooms saw how stressed out she is. Rainbow couldn’t help but smirk when she saw her like that. ‘Wow,’ said human Twilight ‘Am I also like that?’ ‘Eeyup,’ said Applejack ‘Y’all do that from time to time.’ ‘That’s why I always make sure to bring you your favorite cupcakes in order for you to help calm you down.’ said Pinkie Pie as she appeared next to human Twilight. ‘Darling, please calm down.’ said Rarity, trying to calm the Princess of Friendship down ‘You’re going to give yourself wrinkles if you keep going on like that.’ ‘How can I not?’ said a frantic Twilight ‘I’ve learned about every single book when I was studying in Canterlot. I learned everything I could about friendship when I first started out. But I don’t know anything about romance!!’ ‘Maybe because you were too focused on being a dork instead of having a relationship.’ said Spike, causing both Twilight’s to glare at him, with him saying ‘Well it’s true.’ ‘Spike does have a point Princess.’ said Rarity ‘When you first got here, you developed a crush on Flash Sentry, and he on you. Then the feelings began to spark when the Battle of the Bands came along. And we never seen any of you make a move to one another.’ ‘Rarity’s right Twilight.’ said Pinkie Pie as she skipped next to her and said ‘Don’t you wanna be happy and have a special somebody in your life so that you can learn to have a normal life and learn to have some balance in your life?’ Twilight looked down a bit, for Pinkie did have a point. She developed her first crush but she brushed it away constantly to help them, she never even bothered to come visit once so that she could spend some time with him. But the moment he met Invictus, there was something different about him. The way he showed her around, the way he stuck by her, the locations they went as they bonded greatly. She couldn’t help but smile at that. Even the kiss they shared. She felt a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention as it was Sunset’s, whilst she said ‘Trust me Twilight. I think it’ll be good for you. Even a Princess deserves love.’ She held her hand close to her chest as she thought about it, what her heart wanted. She made up her mind and said ‘Alright, I’ll do it.’ ‘That’s the spirit, darling.’ said Rarity. ‘And after that, we’ll all go to dinner together.’ said Twilight, the others flexed their eyebrows about this, with Twilight saying ‘Well he did promise us after all.’ ‘Huh,’ said human Twilight as she thought about it ‘You do have a good point there.’ ‘Now then, darling.’ said Rarity as she clapped her hands together whilst standing up ‘First things first. You will need to freshen up and get a proper cleaning, then be dressed for your trip, oh, and I’ll add some light makeup for the situation.’ ‘Uh, isn’t that a bit too much?’ asked a concerned Twilight. ‘Oh, nonsense Princess.’ said Rarity as she reassured her ‘This is your first date after all. And whilst I get your attire and makeup ready, you will need some help in extra scrubbing.’ ‘Uh, help?’ asked Twilight, now really concerned. Then Rarity motioned to both Rainbow Dash and Applejack, causing her to widen her eyes and gulped ‘Oh no.’ ‘Come on Princess.’ said Rainbow as she and Applejack grabbed Twilight. ‘No, wait!!’ said Twilight out loud ‘This isn’t what I had in mind!!’ Then she shower began to start up and the two friends scrubbed her in every part of her body. ‘Twilight does have a point Rarity,’ said Fluttershy ‘Don’t you think this is a little too much?’ ‘Can’t a lady be prepared for her first date?’ said Rarity. ‘This coming from a girl who never had one in her life?’ retorted Sunset, making her gasp and shut her mouth. Rarity was fuming at that with a hint of red on her face. Now Sunset instantly regretted it and said ‘Sorry Rarity.’ Rarity sighed and said ‘No, it’s alright.’ That was, until she suddenly smiled dreamingly and said ‘But I will always have Apple Wood with him.’ Sunset was a little surprised that Rarity would think about Invictus at a time like this. However, she couldn’t help but have the same reaction. For during her night with him, she couldn’t help but remember the kiss, which made her blush harder. ‘Yeah.’ muttered Sunset. Back from within the shower rooms, Invictus tries to shower as best he could, trying to make himself clean, and even pick the right clothes for the right travel and the right outing. Twilight on the other hand was having the hardest time, for she could barely do anything to prepare herself, what with the others keep doing it for her. Applejack, Rainbow and Sunset kept scrubbing and washing every part of Twilight’s body, especially parts that made her feel flustered that she had no idea would make her moan and feel hot at the same time. Rarity meanwhile took some measurements for Twilight whilst making themselves something fabulous for tonight. ‘How in tarnation y’all carry so many things and a sewing kit for occasions like this ah’ll never know Rarity.’ said Applejack as she observed what her fashion friend was doing. ‘As I told you before darling,’ said Rarity as she was busy designing ‘A lady needs to be prepared for any kind of occasion.’ After he was done taking a shower and drying himself off, Invictus began to dress up in his normal clothing. He wore white shoes with black shoelaces, blue jeans, white shirt with the CHS logo on it, whilst he was wearing a cream colored jacket, but then he tossed it away, thinking it wouldn’t look good on him, so he decided to go with the black jacket instead. Heck, if Sunset can look good in a black jacket, he could too. Twilight on the other hand was dressed like a normal girl too, something that Rarity had been aiming for. Twilight was now wearing shoes that nearly look like Rainbow’s but were the color purple, blue jeans, a purple shirt with pink short sleeves whilst her cutie mark was on the left side of her shirt. Some were surprised by the choice Rarity had given as they looked at her. ‘Seriously Rares?’ said Rainbow Dash ‘Nothing fancy or anything?’ ‘Oh, darling, remember, this is their first time out.’ said Rarity ‘If they were to go to somewhere fancy for dinner, then I would dress them in style. In this case, a unique style like this, it shows that you have class enough to be on the streets of Manehattan.’ ‘I like it Rarity.’ said Twilight, but then she observed the mirror and she saw her butt whilst observing it ‘Although, it kind of makes mine look big.’ ‘Oh, don’t be absurd darling,’ said Rarity as she walked over ‘Those jeans of yours are the new style, and I’ve done the fitting myself, it will fit you perfectly. This outfit you’re wearing is absolutely breathtaking.’ ‘But…’ said Twilight as she was nervous, then looked at Rarity and said ‘Do you think he’ll like it?’ ‘Of course he will darling,’ said Rarity, until she mumbled ‘He’ll especially like that tushy of yours.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight as she looked at Rarity with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Oh, nothing darling.’ said Rarity, before she playfully slapped Twilight’s rear, making her flustered as she said ‘Now scoot on, he’s waiting for you.’ Twilight felt a bit embarrassed whilst she slowly walked out of the door to meet up with Invictus. Soon enough, both of them were ready. Invictus walked out, readying his clothes and made sure that they weren't messy. Then at the same time, Twilight walked out. The two of them looked at one another, were surprised to see what they were wearing and blushed a bit. ‘So, um.’ said Twilight as she twirled a bit ‘How do I look?’ Invictus couldn’t help but smile as he said ‘Like you were born for this kind of thing.’ Twilight couldn’t help but blush and smile at his compliment. ‘So, um…shall we?’ said Twilight. ‘Uh, yeah. Sure.’ said Invictus, feeling just as nervous. The two of them begin to make their way towards the elevator, but unknown to them, the Rainbooms took a peak and saw the whole ordeal. Once both Invictus and Twilight made their way to the elevator, they stepped inside and waited for the door to close. But before the doors could close, Twilight was the first one to hold his hand, which took him by surprise. The two of them blushed whilst at the same time, they kept smiling as the doors closed. ‘Aw, those two are so cute together.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Sure hope things will go well for them.’ said Applejack. Suddenly, Sunset spoke and said ‘We’re gonna follow them, aren’t we?’ ‘Oh most definitely.’ said the rest of the Rainbooms. *********************************************************************************************************** They walked through the streets, with Invictus wondering where he was going to take her. He looked at the time and realized that it was about 8AM, which was perfect, for the Museum was opened first. ‘You know,’ said Invictus, gaining Twilight’s attention whilst they were still holding hands ‘The museum will be opened by now. We can always take a trip there.’ ‘Oh, a museum?’ said Twilight enthusiastically ‘I’ve always wondered what kind of history are stored there.’ ‘Perfect.’ said Invictus, then fist bumped in his head, for this was perfect. However, not far from them, the Rainbooms were secretly following them, even Rarity was sporting her detective look, secretly following them, whilst most of the passersby were a little freaked out when they saw them move around in a sneaky manner. Sure enough, they arrived at the Museum. Twilight was surprised to see the size of the place. ‘Oooh, wonder what’s inside?’ He couldn’t help but chuckle and said ‘Same ol Twiley.’ Twilight was a little surprised by the nickname, but blushed again when Invictus wrapped his arm around her waist, allowing them to enter inside. As they entered, the Rainbooms entered inside, whilst they ridiculously dressed up like Janitors in order for them to just get inside. When Twilight and Invictus got inside, Twilight was greatly surprised when they walked inside. But what surprised her the most was the giant skeletal dinosaur near the entrance. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight as she looked at it ‘What is that?’ ‘That, dear Princess,’ said Invictus ‘Happens to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of the mightiest dinosaurs ever to roam the earth. They were extinct for a long time, but folks still picture them as one of the greatest beast on the planet. They may not be as big as Hydras or Rocs, but they’re twice as vicous.’ ‘Oooooohhh.’ said Twilight as she was fascinated by the Dinosaur. But a little farther to the left, she saw a man riding a horse. She walked over and wondered who the human was. ‘Who’s that?’ ‘Ah, President Roosevelt.’ said Invictus. ‘President?’ said Twilight. Invictus realized that Twilight doesn’t know what that is, given that they didn’t have anything like that in Equestria. ‘How do I put this.’ said Invictus as he pondered. ‘A President, like a leader, runs his or her country with determination to make sure it’s country is at peace with itself and its neighbors. They’re kind of like a Princess, but instead they have elections to help them determine which runs the country.’ ‘Like voting the next leader?’ asked Twilight. ‘Every now and then.’ said Invictus. ‘Who was the first president?’ asked Twilight. ‘That would be George Washington.’ said Invictus ‘He once lived in the Colonial Era, during the late 1700’s. He was once a soldier to another country’s king. But overtime the country they all colonized protested against them because of taxes. Then came the battle for Bunker Hill. And George Washington lead the new nation alongside others. In time, after the war was over, the people needed a leader. They looked to him and he became their first president.’ ‘Were there many?’ asked Twilight. ‘Oh sure.’ said Invictus ‘There were plenty over the years, but there were some that stood out. Washington was one of them. The third one was Thomas Jefferson, the third President who was part of the founding fathers and who helped made the Declaration of Independence. The sixteenth was Abraham Lincoln, who tried to bring an end to slavery. Then came Roosevelt, who tried to help bring World War II to an end. But among the best was John F Kennedy.’ ‘Was he also a president?’ asked Twilight. ‘That he was,’ said Invictus as he led Twilight further down the hall, with the Rainbooms slowly following suit ‘He did his best to serve his country, until he got assassinated.’ ‘They killed him?’ said Twilight in shock. ‘They did the same thing with Lincoln.’ said Invictus, then he looked at Twilight and said ‘There will be those who won’t always agree with others’ leadership skills or think that they were unworthy. We can’t always predict what will happen, the only thing we can do is prepare for it.’ Twilight looked ahead, pondering what he said. She could learn a lot from leaders of this world, who would wish to make it a better place. The Rainbooms were slowly following, trying to act as normal as possible. They later arrived at a different part of the museum, where it had other dinosaurs and cavemen in it. ‘I still don’t understand why they would put dinosaurs and cavemen into the same exhibit.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ asked Twilight. ‘Cavemen live in the Paleolithic era, and dinosaurs live in the Mesozoic era. So about sixty million years different.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight as she was amazed ‘I’m amazed they were able to tell from which era.’ ‘Kind of like Maud and her studies for rocks.’ said Invictus, gaining a flexed eyebrow from Twilight ‘I met her in my Equestria. She could tell just from looking at a rock. She once told me that her pet rock boulder is over two thousand years old, and that he doesn’t look over a day in six hundred.’ ‘Wow, impressive.’ said Twilight. ‘You don’t know the half of it.’ responded Invictus. The Rainbooms were following in tow, suddenly disguising themselves as Curators of the museum. They then walked past a golden statue of some explorer, which Invictus told her was Christopher Columbus. ‘So Christopher Columbus set out to explore and everyone thought that the world was flat?’ ‘Yeah, trust me.’ said Invictus ‘You wouldn’t believe how superstitious humanity was in those days. But in the end I’m glad Columbus discovered Central America. Cause if he didn’t, there wouldn’t be other famous explorers to help explore the world that would in time inspire the first Settlers to come here.’ ‘Kind of like the Pony Tribes from back then.’ said Twilight as she could see the resemblance. Next up, they were in the exhibit of the Civil War. Twilight looked at them, then had a look for sympathy for them. ‘I just can’t believe this country was thrusted into a Civil War.’ said Twilight ‘Friends fighting against friends. Family fighting against family. I don’t think Equestria could survive something like that.’ ‘Yeah, believe me.’ said Invictus ‘Thoughts like this, make me glad the people had wised up a bit. But I just hope that we don’t repeat our history. Otherwise we’d be doomed to fail like our forefathers before us.’ They went to the next exhibit, where they would show some inventions that were invented for many to see. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘I’ve never seen inventions like these.’ ‘Trust me,’ said Invictus ‘A lot of them have their uses.’ He pointed at the first machine. ‘That there is what we call a Cotton Gin…’ said Invictus, until he had a sudden feeling that they were watched. He couldn’t help but smirk and said out loud ‘Invented by Elisa Wimpy.’ ‘That’s Eli Whitney!!’ shouted a person before she was pulled back, causing Twilight to look back in confusion. ‘Just kidding.’ said Invictus, for he had a feeling that the Rainbooms would follow them during their first date ‘Eli Whitney.’ ‘Cotton Gin?’ ‘It’s an invention that he thought of a while back.’ said Invictus ‘According to history, they said that it helps easily separate cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The Fibers are then processed into various cotton goods such as calico, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing.’ ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘That’s pretty impressive.’ ‘Yeah, inventions like this tend to help us in the long run.’ said Invictus as he pointed at that plane, gaining Twilight’s attention ‘Like that plane there, invented by the Wright Brothers, who built the first airplane, which later inspired future generations to do the same.’ Twilight marveled their designs, with Invictus saying ‘And sometimes Equestria confuses me too.’ Twilight blinked, then looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and asked ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Well, put it this way.’ said Invictus ‘We still have steam locomotive trains, candles and everything medieval related, yet how come it’s possible that we have stuff like light bulbs, movie projectors, video games and so on, and yet they don’t have stuff like planes or anything.’ Twilight was about to say something, but then she blinked and thought about it, then said ‘You know, you do have a point.’ They soon left the museum after going through so many historical marvels. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘This world has such a unique and amazing history.’ ‘Thought you might like it.’ said Invictus. ‘Still,’ said Twilight ‘Wish we could take pictures of it though.’ ‘Yeah, sorry about that.’ said Invictus as he wrapped his arm around her ‘The museum has really strict rules in there.’ They walked down the street whilst still looking around, whilst the Rainbooms at the same time, watched from afar in order to make sure things go smoothly. Twilight and Invictus continued to walk down the street, until Twilight pointed at the cinema and said ‘What’s that?’ ‘That, would be the cinema.’ said Invictus, then he looked at Twilight and said ‘They do have movie theatres where you can watch movies, right?’ ‘Of course.’ said Twilight. ‘Well, as it so happens,’ said Invictus ‘They show every movie in there for at least a month. Afterwards, they remove it and show the next one. You’d like to watch it?’ ‘Oh, sure.’ said Twilight as she was eager to see what the movie was like. As they approached the cinemas, something caught Invictus’ eye, made him gasp and said ‘Whoa, no way.’ ‘What?’ said Twilight. ‘They’re showing Beauty and the Beast.’ said Invictus, then he turned to Twilight and said ‘Oh, you’ve got to watch this, it’s amazing.’ ‘Oh, uh, okay.’ said Twilight when she saw how excited he is. At the same time, the Rainbooms were noticing what they’re going to watch, even Rarity got excited. She then grabbed the rest of the girls and said ‘We have. To see that movie.’ Confused, they began to comply and walked right in. Within the first fifteen minutes of the movie, they came to the part where Belle was singing. Twilight was amazed by the actress’ voice. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘She really has an amazing voice.’ ‘I know right?’ said Invictus ‘Emma Watson may have been one of the best actresses in the Harry Potter movies, but no one could’ve imagined that she has an amazing singing voice.’ He looked at Twilight and said ‘You have a lot in common about Belle.’ ‘I do?’ said Twilight as she looked at him. ‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘You both love books, you both have amazing singing voices and your both be…’ He wanted to say the word “Beautiful”, but he quickly cut himself off as he blushed, and Twilight couldn’t help herself blushing whilst she smiled and looked away, whilst she slowly cuddled and held him close. The rest of the girls were watching the movie, whilst they were also moved by Belle’s voice. Rainbow nearly fell asleep, but the moment when she saw what the movie was, she was instantly into it. More into the movie, they came to the part where they sang “Be our guest”. And Invictus couldn’t help himself but hum along the song, which Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at that. Even Rainbow was humming to the song with closed eyes and a smile on her face, which the rest of the Rainbooms found very amusing when they saw her do that. They got to the library part, which Twilight nearly squealed in excitement, even human Twilight. But when they came to the song “Beauty and the Beast”, Invictus couldn’t help but silently sing with the song, which Twilight couldn’t help but sing along too, for the song was really moving. But then the next part came where she left to go help her father, whilst the Beast began to sing “Forever more”. And Invictus ended up holding Twilight close, interlocking fingers and ended up singing with it. Now I now, she’ll never leave me Even as she runs away She will still torment me Calm me, hurt me, move me, come what may Wasting in my lonely tower Waiting by an open door I’ll fool myself she’ll walk right in And be with me, forevermore. Twilight was surprised, as if the message was for her. She then looked back at the screen seeing the beast sing for Belle. She couldn’t help but feel to be in her situation. Thinking about Invictus. For the first time in her entire life, she felt what love is. She didn’t want to leave him, but she knew that she had responsibilities back in Equestria. She had to choose, between her duty and her heart. Which was easier said than done. Now that she knew what love is, she didn’t want to lose it. She ended up looking down and shed a tear, for could she ever part with someone like that. Right at the end, everyone was able to have a happy ending, everyone began to be moved by this. After this, they walked out, but Twilight kept a straight face so that he doesn’t know what she was thinking about. ‘That was an amazing movie.’ said Twilight. ‘I know, right?’ said Invictus as he looked at her ‘They really outdid themselves in this one.’ Twilight’s stomach started to growl from hunger, which caused Invictus to smirk and gently rubbed it whilst saying ‘Aw, does the Twi-Twi’s stomach needs some nourishment?’ Twilight couldn’t help but blush and said ‘Shut up.’ whilst she playfully bumped against him and giggled. ‘You’re really adorable.’ said Invictus as he kissed her cheek, making her blush as they walked side by side, with the Rainbooms in tow. Soon enough, they later arrived at a diner that had a resemblance to a French design, which Twilight found fascinating. As soon as they approached the waiter by the stand, Invictus said ‘Table for two please.’ The Waiter nodded and guided them toward their table. At the same time, the Rainbooms continued to tail them, with Rarity saying ‘Table for seven, if you would be so kind.’ As Invictus and Twilight sat at their table outside of the diner, they first enjoyed some coffee before their pancakes would arrive. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘This coffee is amazing.’ ‘That happens to be French Vanilla.’ said Invictus ‘My mom and I went on tour in France last year.’ Twilight lowered her cup and was nervous to ask, but gave it a shot as she said ‘When you tried to get help after the um…you know.’ Invictus knew she would ask that, but instead of being upset, he just sighed a bit and said ‘Yeah, not something I’m proud of. Whilst I went on tour I learned a few martial arts moves there. They believed I needed something to calm both the mind and the body. It helped in the long run, but I still felt a bit…lonely.’ Twilight placed her hand on top of his and gave a reassuring smile whilst she said ‘I’m just glad the rift between you and the girls are fixed.’ Invictus gave a smile of his own as he looked down. ‘I guess I owe you two. One for helping me fix my friendship with the Rainbooms.’ ‘And the other?’ asked Twilight curiously. He looked back at her with a smile and said ‘For saving my life.’ She couldn’t help but smile on that too. The two kept staring one another until the waiter arrived with their pancakes whilst also filling their cups with coffee before going back. The Rainbooms on the other hand, kept looking at them and couldn’t help but adore this scene. Invictus ended up doing something funny. As Twilight took a sip, she saw Invictus place two pens in his nose and made a goofy sound, causing Twilight to do a spit take, but thankfully in the cup, causing her to laugh out loud, with Invictus in tow. The Rainbooms on the other hand, were puzzled by that. ‘Seriously?’ said Rainbow Dash in disbelief ‘She thought that was funny?’ ‘Well why not Dashie?’ said Pinkie Pie ‘Everyone has a different sense of humor.’ ‘But it makes no sense,’ said Rainbow ‘The only one who makes worse jokes is Rarity.’ ‘I beg your pardon?’ said Rarity, feeling insulted. ‘She does have a point there Rares.’ said Applejack ‘Y’all have the worse sense of humor among all of us here.’ ‘I so do have sense of humor.’ retorted Rarity. ‘Um, Rarity.’ said Fluttershy, gaining the Fashionista’s attention as her shy friend said ‘All of your jokes, even scary stories are fashion related. And not everyone here is obsessed with fashion like you are.’ Rarity simply huffed at that with crossed arms. The Rainbooms began to take their drinks at the same time. Invictus took noticed and he ended up smirking. He secretly snapped his finger behind his back and instantly summoned a random muscular man with long hair tied into pigtails, skipping whilst riding a dolphin doll mumbling the Lone Ranger theme song. This gained the Rainbooms’ attention when they saw the man go all around them doing stuff like that with wide eyes. After the seventh pass, the Rainbooms did a spit take and laughed out loud as some fell over, even the biggest mess they made on themselves. ‘Who has the better sense of humor now?’ said Invictus within his own thoughts. After their lunch at the Diner, Invictus took Twilight to the Manehattan state fair. When they walked through the gate, Twilight was greatly surprised by this when she ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘Do people come here often?’ ‘Oh they sure do.’ said Invictus ‘The fair’s the one place where everyone can have fun and take in the breath of the ocean at the same time.’ ‘It’s amazing.’ said Twilight as she took in the sights. She then saw Invictus taking a picture of the place, which Twilight appreciated, for she really wants to show this to her friends back home. They began to move through the place as Twilight took in the sights, with the Rainbooms not far behind as they saw them moving. Twilight and Invictus moved through the stalls and saw the many food that were being sold, as well as many other items and souvenirs like hats, snow globes, T-Shirts and postcards. They even sell different merchandise that she never knew possible. There were even many rides like the Ferris Wheel, the Merry-Go-Rounds, the Roller Coast and many other attractions that Twilight really wanted to try out. ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said Twilight as she looked through it ‘So many spots of entertainment, I don’t even know where to start.’ ‘Let’s try out a simple game.’ said Invictus as he pointed at the ring toss game. The two of them walked over to the stand and stood near the ring toss. Invictus paid for it, allowing Twilight to toss the first ring. It missed of course, with Invictus saying ‘You sometimes like doing math, right?’ ‘Of course, all the time.’ said Twilight. ‘Picture this as a math equation,’ said Invictus ‘The weight, velocity, distance and probably a small chance of wind resistance that might come afterwards. Just focus, and give it a go.’ Twilight took a deep breath and did the math in her head. After she was done concentrating, she tossed the rings casually, allowing them to land on their respective bottles. She smiled widely at that. ‘I did it I did it.’ said Twilight as she hugged Invictus. ‘There you go.’ said Invictus as he hugged her back ‘Knew you could do it.’ ‘It’s so much fun.’ said Twilight after she was done ‘Last time Sunset tried it she completely lost it.’ ‘That’s because I pranked her.’ said Invictus. Twilight cocked an eyebrow as he said ‘See she’s and expert at the ring toss, but whenever she kept trying out the ring toss, I used my magic to make them turn and bounce off course on purpose just to push her buttons.’ ‘WHAT?!!!’ They turned to see who it was, but saw no one there. From behind the corner, Sunset was being restraint by Applejack whilst Rainbow Dash covered her mouth whilst she was wailing and flailing around, trying to get loose. For all this time, it was Invictus that made her kept on losing the ring toss and boy was she mad. ‘It was him the whole time?!’ whispered Twilight loudly. Later on, Twilight and Invictus went to the next stand, which was where you have to hit the bottles with a ball. Invictus pretended to be a baseball player and tossed the ball hard, allowing them to hit each of the targets, with Twilight clapping her hands for him. Twilight took a turn, although she missed one, but thanks to Invictus, she was able to throw it properly, which she jumped in excitement. Next up was the bell that would prove your strength. Invictus hit the target hard with the mallet, allowing the bell to ring. Invictus offered Twilight, which she seemed nervous. When she held the mallet, and as the Rainbooms watched, Invictus told her to imagine the target is her enemies, and of all the things that made her so frustrated, she would explode. She began to be so mad, she hit the target very hard as her feet was raised in the air, and instead the bell got broken off because of her strength. Everyone who watched were shocked to see such strength, even the Rainbooms couldn’t believe it. Twilight sheepishly looked at the others and giggled nervously, which Invictus couldn’t help but shake his head out of amusement. Soon they entered the batting pit, which Invictus showed her how to swing her bat. He demonstrated for her and was able to hit it. She clapped her hands as he gave her a thumbs up, which was a mistake as he let his guard down, causing the said ball to smack him against the head, much to their shock. But Invictus was okay as he just wobbled out. Twilight got mad and ended up taking the bat, waiting for the ball and ended up hitting it so hard, it flew over the field, much to his surprise, as well as the Rainbooms. Invictus ended up picking her up bridal style and spun her around, for he was so proud of her. However, as he held her in that position whilst her arms were around his neck, the two ended up blushing and ended up looking in different directions whilst smiling. Next up was bowling, a sport that Twilight’s all too familiar with. She began to bowl like a pro, which Invictus was amazed as he clapped his hands, with the Rainbooms just as surprised to see how well she was doing. She then tried ski-ball, which is quite exciting. They tried bumper cars, with Twilight laughing and taunting that he’ll never catch her, which he boasted that he will. They then took the roller coaster, which Twilight was afraid as she held on for dear life. Even Rainbow was scared when she and the rest of the Rainbooms also rode on the roller coaster. Then they took the Ferris Wheel, which she was amazed to see the sights of the place. She decided to look around like him and she was surprised to see the size of the entire fair and city. At first she wanted to stand up, but he held her close, not wanting her to fall, which in turn made her blush as she partially looked away. The rest of the Rainbooms enjoyed the Ferris Wheel ride as some cheered and some loved the view of the place. Next up they went over to another carnival game where they won a lot of tickets. Invictus and Twilight went over to a booth where you hand in your tickets and received your prizes. He used his tickets to pick a crown for some reason. He turned to Twilight and placed it on her head with a smile. ‘For the fairest princess of them all.’ said Invictus. Twilight couldn’t help but blush whilst smiling, for even though she is a Princess, she couldn’t help but feel flattered about this. They soon decided to take a break and sat near one of the tables, whilst Twilight was having some cotton candy. Invictus couldn’t help but smile at this sight, for seeing her enjoying the sweetness really brings out her cute side. ‘Sometimes I really like it when you show off your cuteness.’ said Invictus. Twilight couldn’t help but stop eating and blushed at that comment, which made her smile and look down. ‘Thanks again for the outing Invictus.’ said Twilight as she looked at him ‘Today’s been very special.’ ‘I think you mean week.’ corrected Invictus with a cocky smile. ‘Okay,’ said Twilight whilst rolling her eyes and giggled ‘Week.’ ‘Still, I was glad I could take you to places that you’re familiar with.’ said Invictus. ‘Me too,’ said Twilight ‘I’m amazed that there are some similarities, but also some differences between Equestria and this world.’ ‘And If I’m being honest,’ said Invictus as he placed his hand on top of Twilight’s, whilst saying ‘I’m really glad you came to this world Twilight.’ Twilight blushed for a moment and ended up holding his hand too whilst smiling. She felt the same way, but she couldn’t say the right words. ‘I’m really glad too.’ said Twilight ‘I was actually surprised that when I came here to visit, it didn’t send me on some friendship mission here.’ ‘The map can reach beyond worlds?’ asked Invictus. ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she pondered about this ‘The map did one time summon Starlight to solve a problem between Celestia and Luna, and Spike to solve a problem between Dragon Lord Ember and Prince Thorax, who’s to say that the map can’t reach out to different worlds.’ ‘Good point.’ said Invictus, then he chuckled a bit and said ‘You helped me fix my friendships with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and I was able to build up a trust with Sunset and Sci-Twi. My friendship with Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie is better than ever too.’ He leaned to her and said ‘Though I kinda wished that stupid harem magic hadn’t affected the lot of us in the first place. That was so not how I wanted to fix my problems.’ ‘Though you should be happy that it’s been removed.’ said Twilight ‘Despite the uh…method to remove it.’ ‘Yeah, and the weird part,’ said Invictus ‘I just hope things don’t get anymore weird for us as it already did.’ ‘Though the looks on their faces said otherwise.’ said Twilight. Invictus slightly groaned at that, with Twilight giggling about it too. That was, until Invictus’ ears perked up as he heard a song playing. When he looked up, he saw that there was a crowd that gathered at the stage, and on top said “Dance Party”, which made his eyes widen in shock. ‘No…way.’ said Invictus. ‘What?’ said a curious Twilight. ‘That.’ said Invictus as Twilight looked at where he was pointing ‘That there is “Dance Party”, one of the most awesomest dance sensation entertainment ever to be created.’ ‘What’s the purpose?’ asked Twilight. Invictus explained whilst he said ‘You literally dance to any kind of music that plays, whilst at the same time, you step on the symbol that’s perfectly linked to the screen, earning yourself points. The more you score, the higher your points will be.’ ‘Ooh,’ said Twilight as her interest perked up on the game ‘That’s sounds like fun.’ ‘You wanna join?’ asked Invictus. Twilight was a bit surprised, but then she was nervous as she said ‘I’m…not exactly a good dancer. You’ve seen me dance at the Fall Formal.’ ‘But then you got better when we were at that beach one time.’ reminded Invictus. Twilight blushed and smiled whilst nervously curled her hair with her finger. She took a deep breath whilst Invictus slowly began to hold her hand. Before she knew it, they made their way toward the dance floor. Just as the first people was done dancing, they stepped off of the stage whilst the announcer was standing on the stage. ‘Give it up for our contenders.’ said the announcer as everyone cheered. ‘Now then, will the lucky two contestants please step up on stage.’ Invictus kept holding Twilight’s hand, allowing the two of them to climb up the stairs and made their way to the stage, gaining the audience’s attention. ‘Ah, we have two lucky contestants.’ said the announcer ‘What’s your names?’ ‘I’m Invictus and this is Twilight.’ said Invictus whilst Twilight shyly waved to them. ‘Well then by all means, Invictus and Twilight,’ said the announcer ‘Welcome to Dance Party!! Choose your song.’ Invictus whispered to the announcer what kind of song he wanted, with the announcer smiling and said ‘Excellent choice.’ As the Announcer left, the Rainbooms were within the crowd, wondering what kind of song they’ll be dancing to. Invictus held Twilight whilst they looked at each other in the eyes as he said ‘Remember, don’t think it, let your feet, feel the beat.’ ‘Let my feet, feel the beat. Got it.’ said Twilight as if she had a determined look on her face. The Rainbooms wondered what kind of music they were going to dance under. ‘So what kind of song do you think that they’ll dance under?’ asked Rainbow. ‘Oh, I know, but the writer of this story won’t let me tell anyone.’ said Pinkie, which gained very confused looks from the others. As they stood on the stage, Twilight saw Invictus closed his eyes as he focused on the music, with Twilight doing the same. Pretty soon, a favorite of theirs began to play. As the music began to start, Twilight began to feel the beat. Pretty soon, both she and Invictus were into the beat, and before everyone knew it, they began to dance wildly to the music. Everyone could see how well they were dancing, as if it wasn’t a big deal. The Rainbooms were surprised to see how well Twilight was dancing, despite her not dancing so well back at the Fall Formal, though the dance moves the Rainbooms instantly recognized. ‘Well what are we waiting for,’ said Rainbow ‘Let’s join them!!’ Just like, Rainbow grabbed the others and they made their way to the stage. At first, Twilight and Invictus were surprised, but they decided to let it roll and have them dance with the two of them. Though some of the audience were surprised to see the Rainbooms, they were all surprised to see them dancing so well on stage, as if they had danced under that song before. They could see that they were having a ton of fun under there, and with the smiles on their faces, they look like they are. Everyone began to enjoy the dancing motion that all of them were making, everyone soon began to cheer for them. Next up was a familiar song from Japan, something that the Rainbooms enjoyed. Twilight and Invictus decided to let them have fun on the stage. Everyone was surprised to see the way the Rainbooms danced, even Invictus found it entertainable. ‘You have to admit, they’re pretty good on stage.’ said Invictus ‘Makes me wonder why they didn’t use that dance in the first place?’ ‘I was thinking the same thing from what Sunset had told me.’ said Twilight as she watched them dance. Finally, after the whole dance, everyone cheered as all of them had enjoyed it a lot. The next dance number was a familiar song, which Invictus immediately recognized. Invictus began to dance with Twilight, and did it with passion that she never realized she had before, even the Rainbooms were dressed in stylish outfits as they danced around them whilst Invictus and Twilight danced were synced in their dancing. Everyone recorded it as they were amazed the way they were dancing. Soon in the end, both Twilight and Invictus did a pose as Twilight leaned and Invictus held onto her, causing many to cheer as the two kept their smiles whilst panting, with everyone still cheering for them, even the Rainbooms clapped their hands for them. After they were done, they continued down the fair, with Twilight wondering something. ‘What were all of you doing there?’ asked Twilight. The others couldn’t give an answer, with Invictus saying ‘They were following us to make sure the date went smoothly.’ The said girls winced at that, with Twilight saying ‘Really?’ ‘Oh we’re so sorry Twilight,’ said Rarity ‘We couldn’t help it. This was your first date after all. We only wanted you to savor the moment.’ ‘She does have a point Twilight,’ said Rainbow Dash ‘From what Sunset tells us, you’ve never dated before, and even when Flash had a crush on you, you didn’t make the first move. You’d think you would’ve done something like that by now.’ ‘Also…’ said Sunset, before she darted right in front of Invictus, grabbed his shirt and shook him violently whilst shouting ‘It was you pranking me on the ring toss this whole time?!! Do you have any idea how many prizes I could’ve won if I had actually won in that?!!’ As he was busy being shaken, Invictus said ‘We’ll-considering-that-you-were-a-bully-back-then-and-I-didn’t-fully-trust-you-after-you-got-reformed-it-was-kind-of-payback-for-that.’ Sunset ended up letting him go after hearing that, but gently as she grumbled whilst folding her arms and said ‘Fair enough.’ ‘Seriously.’ said Invictus as he rubbed his neck a bit ‘And you wondered why Celestia kicked you out, why Twilight didn’t trust you after her memory got erased and when Wallflower got hostile on you. You’re temper and impatience is going to get you killed one day.’ ‘I’m trying, okay.’ said Sunset loudly, but then looked down with a saddened expression and crossing her arms ‘I can’t help it when something happens. I tried to be patient and keep my temper under control, but no matter how hard I try, I…’ ‘Explode more bigger than the volcano of Hawaii and madder than a raging bull during a buck bronco competition?’ said Invictus. The girls looked at him a bit puzzled and surprised when he made that statement. ‘Huh,’ said Applejack ‘Ah don’t know what to say to that.’ ‘You even thought about seeing an psychologist or a therapist?’ asked Invictus. ‘I keep going there for the past six weeks.’ said Sunset. ‘It’s okay.’ said Invictus ‘I actually know the source of your anger.’ They looked at him, puzzled, with Fluttershy asking ‘What do you mean?’ ‘It’s like this.’ said Invictus ‘Your anger stems from desires that you know is never going to come true. And whenever you try to get something, you always take shortcuts. And because of that you were so unfocused, you always got angry.’ Then he revealed the big kicker to all of them as he said ‘Until your friends came into your life. You went to take advise from others, wanting to be the best and supportive friend you could ever be. So you sometimes channel that anger, and put it into protective instincts. Every outburst whenever something happens is you wanting to protect your friends. In fact, you love them so much that the thought of anything bad happening to them, no matter who’s responsible, infuriates you.’ All of them stared at him wide eye and in awe, then looked at Sunset, who was just as shocked by that. ‘Huh,’ said Spike as he realized something ‘No wonder you always get angry so easily.’ ‘Aw,’ said Pinkie as she hugged Sunset from behind ‘You really do care.’ ‘Oh Sunset, darling,’ said Rarity ‘Though your method of protecting us is unorthodox, but it’s really sweet.’ ‘I’ll say.’ said Rainbow ‘I never realized that’s why you sometimes get angry before.’ ‘Although,’ said Fluttershy ‘You could still use a therapist to help you out.’ ‘Heh, maybe I do.’ said Sunset with a nervous smile whilst she was rubbing the back of her head. Human Twilight looked at Invictus and said ‘I didn’t know you were also a skilled psychologist.’ ‘It’s a hobby.’ said Invictus ‘I even used a analysis method in order to help them figure out why.’ ‘I’m actually impressed.’ said Twilight ‘That’s quite the talent.’ ‘Thanks.’ said Invictus, then he leaned over and said ‘I also have a habit of figuring out what their fears are.’ ‘You do?’ asked a confused Twilight. ‘Yep, for example.’ said Invictus, as he suddenly looked like he was trying to dig something out, and within a split second, he held a picture of a Quesadillas and went ‘BOOGA, BOOGA, BOOGA!!’ Twilight let out a scream of fear, even human Twilight, making them hide behind the Rainbooms in fright, which confused the others. ‘Uh, what was that?’ asked Applejack. ‘Simple really.’ said Invictus as he tossed the image away ‘Spike?’ ‘Twilight’s afraid of Quesadillas.’ said Spike. They were surprised with that, with Rainbow laughing and said ‘Seriously? You’re afraid of a measly sandwich?’ Twilight peaked out from Applejack as she said ‘They’re just so…cheesy.’ ‘Well, how about a cure for that?’ said Invictus. They were confused at first, with Invictus saying ‘But first, will both Twilights please stand forward.’ Both were confused by what he had planned, so they did, with the rest of the Rainbooms watching. ‘Look at Spike.’ said Invictus, which they did, and saw Spike waving at them ‘Now back to me.’ The moment they looked, he had two Quesadillas in both his hands, and within a split second, he shoved them in their mouths, taking them by surprise as he said ‘Stop your nonsense and eat the Quesadillas.’ The moment they bit and chewed on it, they were amazed by the taste and murmured with approval with smiles on their faces after they ate it, with Invictus saying ‘There, you’re cured.’ The Rainbooms stared in shock with their mouths agape, with Sunset saying ‘That’s it? That’s all it took?!’ ‘Believe it or not, my mom tried the same thing to me once.’ said Invictus. ‘Really?’ asked Rarity as she was intrigued ‘What was it?’ ‘Fish.’ he responded. They were surprised by that, with Fluttershy realizing something and said ‘Oh, so that’s why you jumped out of the window when you saw that I was taking care of a goldfish.’ ‘Oh yeah,’ said Rainbow as she realized something ‘And that time we went to the docks and watched the fisherman fishing.’ ‘So how did yer mom cure you?’ asked Applejack. ‘She shoved a piece of sushi in my mouth.’ said Invictus. They widened their eyes in surprise at that statement. ‘Seriously?’ said Sunset ‘I work at a sushi place. If I knew that it was going to help I would’ve secretly put it in your mouth.’ ‘Oh?’ said Invictus as he smirked ‘Are you going to wear a tunic and feed me like I’m a Roman Emperor?’ Sunset couldn’t help but smirk and fist bumped him in the shoulder. ‘So, now that the day is nearly over,’ said Pinkie Pie ‘What now?’ ‘Now,’ said Invictus as he smiled and looked at the girls ‘Now I take you girls out for dinner. I did promise after all.’ ‘Oh yeah, y’all did.’ said Applejack as she remembered. ‘So then, shall we?’ said Invictus before he snapped his finger, allowing them to instantly be teleported back to the apartment. ‘So then,’ said Invictus ‘Shall we get ready for tonight?’ ‘How about we rest up for a bit,’ said human Twilight ‘We still have two hours before we go out.’ ‘Oh, good call.’ said Rarity ‘That will also give us enough time to freshen ourselves up for the big moment.’ ‘Then I’ll see you ladies tonight.’ said Invictus. But as he walked, he said ‘Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of picking the dresses for you.’ The girls were a little surprised by this whilst showing a hint of a blush on their faces. They never figured that he would do something this nice. *********************************************************************************************************** After a full two hours of resting and preparing themselves, the girls were ready for their special outing, but the one who was really the most worried was Twilight. For whilst she was studying herself in front of the mirror, whilst looking at her reflection and the dress she’s wearing, she can’t help but think of all the amazing times he spent with her. Every day it felt so amazing and she didn’t know how to respond to any of it. She really hopes that tonight will go well. She heard a knock on the door. ‘Come in.’ said Twilight as she looked at the door. And at that very moment, Invictus’ mother, Stardust Horizon, peeking in and asked ‘You alright there?’ Twilight didn’t know what to day, but she began to pretend she was okay and ended up saying ‘Fine, fine I’m good’, with a smile on her face, but her nervousness was still showing, which Stardust immediately caught on. ‘You’re a bad liar Twilight.’ said Stardust. Twilight looked down and said ‘Okay, you got me.’ said Twilight ‘I’m just…really nervous, that’s all.’ ‘That this is your first actual outing?’ said Stardust, until he playfully smirked and said ‘Did the outing throughout the country not count?’ ‘What, no, they do.’ said Twilight, then ended up looking away with a sad expression and said ‘I’m just scared I’ll make a mistake and ruin everything…like I did…back at Mount Aris.’ ‘You mean that time when you tried to steal the Hippogriff’s pearl and you ended up using your friends for your own selfish needs to save Equestria?’ said Stardust, which shocked Twilight as she said ‘I onetime watched your world, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed.’ ‘Not my best choice.’ said Twilight ‘I pushed them away because I thought they didn’t have any good ideas. That the ones that tried to helped us would backstab us, that I thought that they didn’t take things seriously.’ ‘And you ended up being no different than the monsters you faced.’ said Stardust, making Twilight look away in sadness. She felt Stardust’s hand, making her look at her and said ‘Twilight, you of all ponies should know that sometimes it’s necessary to follow diplomatic protocol. No one is going to hit harder than life. You of all Ponies should know that.’ Twilight looked away, knowing that she was right. ‘Twilight, this isn’t a life or death situation, this is just a normal outing with a boy who had a crush on you since he first laid eyes on you.’ ‘I know,’ said Twilight as she managed a small smile ‘He’s always been so nice to me ever since we met. Even offered to show me around the country. I could see the resemblance to many places that nearly look like Equestria, I met my friends all over, I enjoyed the festivities, the dancing, the food, the music, even the beach outing that we had when we got here.’ She chuckled a bit and said ‘I even solved one of the biggest friendship problems that I never thought possible.’ ‘I’m surprised the map didn’t send you here to help solve it.’ said Stardust. ‘The map never makes sense.’ said Twilight. ‘Tell me about it.’ said Stardust whilst rolling her eyes. She knew the Twilight from her world for a brief moment, and she saw the map first hand. ‘So…are you ready?’ ‘Just a little nervous.’ said Twilight as she tried to sound confident. But then she thought about something, then looked at Stardust and asked ‘Do you think you can help me with our date? Especially the…uh…’ At that moment, Stardust noticed how red her face was getting, whilst also looking away and looked like she was completely embarrassed. Stardust immediately picked it up and widened her eyes in shock. Never has anyone, let alone a princess, asked her for that kind of help. ‘You sure about this?’ asked Stardust, to which Twilight simply nodded. Stardust thought about it for a few moments. Afterwards, she came to an agreement, smiled and said ‘Alright, you convinced me. I’ll help.’ ‘Thank you.’ said Twilight, but still felt nervous at the same time. ******************************************************************************************************** About half an hour before they were going out, the Rainbooms came out of their rooms and were dressed very well tonight, as all of them couldn’t wait for the outing. ‘Ooh,’ said Pinkie with her bubbly attitude ‘I’m so nervecited.’ ‘Still not a real word Pinkie.’ said human Twilight. ‘Can you blame her darling,’ said Rarity ‘When do we ever get a chance to dress up like this and go somewhere in Manehattan of all places.’ ‘What was that restaurant we’re going to again?’ asked Applejack. ‘Something called Marea.’ said Fluttershy. ‘Oooh,’ said Sunset as she was now interested ‘That’s one of the best restaurants in town.’ ‘Really?’ asked Rainbow ‘I never heard of that place before.’ ‘Obviously you wouldn’t.’ said Rarity, knowing Rainbow who isn’t too interested in things like that. Soon Twilight walked out of the room, gaining their attention and were surprised to see how well Twilight is dressed. ‘Looking good Princess.’ said Applejack. ‘Thanks.’ said Twilight with a smile ‘Though truth be told I’ve never eaten at a restaurant before.’ ‘Especially not with a date?’ said Rainbow with a playful smirk, only to get elbowed by Applejack and Rarity at the same time. ‘Er…no.’ said Twilight as she still felt very nervous. At the same time, Invictus arrived. But what they saw, they didn’t expect. To their surprise, he was wearing a black tuxedo, with a white buttoned shirt underneath, a black tie and his hair was neatly combed, making him nearly look like a British gentleman. The girls all looked at him with a blush on each of their faces. Invictus was just as nervous as he also blushed. ‘W…what?’ said Invictus ‘T…too much?’ ‘Uh, no.’ said Fluttershy, hiding behind her hair. ‘It’s just, well…’ said human Twilight whilst rubbing the back of her head. ‘We’ve never seen you dressed like that before.’ said Applejack. ‘It felt…necessary for an occasion like this.’ said Invictus ‘I never took out a girl before…or any girl for that matter.’ Twilight then playfully smiled whilst bumping her hip against him and said ‘And the places you took me wasn’t occasional enough for you?’ He couldn’t help but chuckle and said ‘Okay, you got me there.’ ‘So, should we get going?’ said human Twilight ‘We don’t want to be late or anything.’ ‘Oh, of course.’ said Invictus as he walked to the door and opened for them whilst saying ‘Ladies first…proper manners after all.’ They couldn’t help but blush with smiles on their faces and walked towards the door, each of them grateful for caring for a lady like them. As soon as they left, Invictus closed the door behind them, with Stardust watching with a smirk and said ‘This should be interesting.’ ******************************************************************************************************** After they took the elevator and left the hotel, they boarded their limousine that took them to the Marea, where they could enjoy their outing, considering that Invictus did promise them. They then noticed a Sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider in the center with ice in it and drinking glasses all around. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk as she looked at Invictus and asked ‘Ah had a feeling y’all would have something like this?’ ‘Well I did promise didn’t I?’ said Invictus with a counter smirk. ‘Oh, darling, you’re spoiling us.’ said Rarity. ‘Not that we mind.’ said Pinkie with her grin. Invictus began to pour their glasses with the sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider, and handed in each and every one of them. ‘A toast.’ said Invictus whilst raising his glass in the air ‘May our friendships continue to carry on throughout the ages and to ensure that what we leave behind will always be remembered.’ ‘Hear hear.’ said Rarity as she others agreed. ‘To the Magic of Friendship.’ said Invictus as he raised his glass to the center. ‘To the Magic of Friendship.’ said the girls in unison as all of them laughed and took their drinks. ******************************************************************************************************* They continued on their way to the restaurant. When they got there, they were surprised to see what it looks like. ‘Wow, this place is amazing.’ said human Twilight. ‘Told you when I last read the reviews.’ said Sunset as she nudged human Twilight playfully. ‘Well come on then, let’s go.’ said Rainbow. Invictus and the girls walked into the restaurant, gaining the clerk’s attention as Invictus said ‘Excuse me, I believe we made a reservation for 6:15?’ The clerk looked at the list, then back to them as he said ‘Yes of course, Mr. Invictus. Right this way.’ The waiter soon took them to their table and everyone took their seats. ‘Wow,’ said human Twilight ‘This is amazing.’ ‘I know,’ said Rarity ‘I’ve always dreamed of being in a restaurant such as this.’ ‘I thought your dream was riding a doughnut on a Ferris wheel.’ joked Invictus with a smirk on his face. Rarity looked at him with wide eyes and blushed bright red, which the others caught wind of this. ‘Uh, what now?’ said Rainbow. ‘Let’s just say our lady here mumbled in her sleep that she wanted to ride a Ferris Wheel made out of a doughnut.’ said Invictus. Everyone laughed at that, with Rarity saying ‘Oh, ha, ha, very funny darling.’ The waiter soon came along and all of them ordered their own food and left to retrieve them. Afterwards, the Rainbooms continued to talk about their experience during their summer vacation and their trip throughout Manehattan. ‘Um, Invictus?’ said Fluttershy, gaining his attention as she whispered ‘I just wanted to speak for all of us…thank you for telling us about what could’ve happened if Sunset wasn’t here.’ ‘Why are you grateful to that?’ whispered Invictus back. ‘See,’ said Fluttershy ‘When Sunset was at CHS, you were right, we wished that she wasn’t there. But when you told us what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been around. Her being here truly is a blessing. If it weren't for her, we wouldn’t be here.’ She held his hand and said ‘And I really am sorry for breaking our friendship like that. I’m lucky that you’re here right now.’ Invictus smiled back and said ‘Thanks Flutters.’ The rest of the night were uneventful, but everyone still had many stories to tell about their lives, which Twilight listened over. She was glad to have come back, and solve a problem that she could be very proud of. As she was left with thoughts to herself… ‘Hey, Twilight.’ said Invictus, gaining the Princess’ attention ‘After we’re done, mind going to the park with me for a bit before we turn in?’ Twilight thought about it, and thought that a walk in the park sounded lovely. ‘Alright then.’ said Twilight, allowing them to continue with their food for the night. > Chapter 15: A night to remember > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After their dinner, Twilight and Invictus were able to snuck away to the park so that they could have some alone time together. However, unknown to them, the Rainbooms decided to follow them again, but this time, they made sure that they were extra sneaky this time. Twilight and Invictus continued to walk through the park as they marveled of how it looked during the night. ‘I have to say,’ said Twilight ‘This is the most romantic night I’ve ever been to.’ Invictus then playfully said ‘Considering that it’s the only romantic night you’ve ever been on.’ Twilight playfully bumped her shoulder against him, which the two couldn’t help but chuckle over the joke. They continued to walk through the park until they were at the lake near the dock. The two of them decided to walk together and stare out in the view, as well as the fireflies flying all over the place as they enjoyed what they were seeing. ‘This really is perfect.’ said Twilight. ‘The best.’ replied Invictus. He then looked down and thought ‘And I can tell it’s hard for you. Wanting to go back to Equestria when you had just found out what love really is.’ Twilight slowly frowned in sadness, whilst slowly holding onto him. ‘I know. I have a duty to Equestria. But…I don’t wanna leave what I had just learned, you know?’ ‘I do. More than anything.’ said Invictus. He turned to her, looked at her and held her close whilst she looked at him. ‘But just so you know, no matter how far you go, whether to distant lands or other worlds, I will always love you, no matter what.’ Twilight couldn’t help but shed tears to this, whilst she slowly hugged him too. The girls found it very heartwarming to see what was going on. Twilight released her embrace and walked to the docks. (Picture Twilight and Invictus singing) Twilight looked ahead and in wonder, realizing what she had been missing in her life, and looked at Invictus partially, whilst also keeping her smile, not wanting to let go what she had found. Soon, Invictus approached her and stood next to her. They soon looked at one another and sang. (Invictus and Twilight) And at last I see the light (Invictus) And it’s like, the fog has lifted (Invictus and Twilight) And at last I see the light (Twilight) And it’s like, the sky is new (Invictus and Twilight) And it’s warm, and real and bright And the world has somehow shifted The two of them then held one another close in a hug, with the Rainbooms barely being able to containing themselves for seeing that moment. (Invictus and Twilight) All at once, everything is different Now that I see you Now that I See you The two then engaged their lips and held one another close, whilst many were shedding tears, even Rainbow could barely keep it together when she saw this moment. ********************************************************************************************************** Later that night, after all of them had gotten back from their outing, Twilight had gotten dressed in her pajamas, as did Invictus. But instead of sleeping in her room tonight, Twilight stood for a moment in Invictus’ room and thought about what she asked from Stardust earlier. She thought that she was out of her mind, but deep down, whilst blushing deeply, she wanted to do this. So she took a deep breath and swallowed what looked like birth control and opened the door whilst walking in. She was surprised to see that he wasn’t in it, but she did see him standing outside of the balcony whilst watching the moon from above. She walked towards the balcony and stood next to him. ‘Last minute thought before bed?’ asked Twilight. ‘You could say that.’ said Invictus ‘Sometimes I stare at the moon before I go to bed. Back on mom’s world when she first met Princess Luna, I witnessed her rising the moon and creating the stars. I was one but many ponies who admired the night sky more than anybody still alive and standing.’ Twilight couldn’t help but giggle and said ‘I’m sure Princess Luna from my world would also love to hear that.’ ‘Except for when the city lights tend to block out the stars.’ said Invictus. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. ‘What?’ said Twilight as she was curious, but smiled. ‘Onetime after when I met the other you and her friends,’ said Invictus as there was one memory he would laugh at the most ‘They wanted Princess Luna to come along to visit Manehattan to open an observatory for the stargazer’s club to study the stars. She was excited at first, but when the city lights blocked out the stars, she threw so many tantrums and hissy fits and cursed and babbled very loudly, till one embarrassing thing happened.’ ‘What’s that?’ ‘After she said her tenth cursed word,’ said Invictus, barely being able to hold in the laughter ‘She ended up farting so loud the entire observatory heard her.’ As Twilight gawked in shock, Invictus laughed very loudly as he nearly fell over. Pretty soon, Twilight couldn’t stop laughing at that too. ‘Poor Luna,’ said Twilight whilst chuckling and wiping a tear away. ‘Yeah, she never wanted to set foot there again.’ said Invictus. He looked up at the sky and said ‘I miss them.’ Twilight wondered about something, then asked ‘Did you ever thought about coming to our Equestria?’ ‘I did once.’ said Invictus ‘But I didn’t think it was necessary, especially with Equestrian Magic leaking through every now and then.’ ‘No, I mean, well…’ said Twilight before she rubbed her arm, feeling nervous for some reason ‘I meant after you graduate.’ He looked at her for a bit, then to the sky. ‘I don’t know actually. I never gave much thought about my future. I’d be a scholar or a psychiatrist or a therapist, because you know, I’d like to help folks with their own problems. But sometimes I can’t worry about that too much, cause if I spent too much time stressing about the future, then I’d end up ruining the life I live in the present. But after that…I’m not sure.’ ‘I’m sure you’ll think of something.’ said Twilight with a smile as she held onto his hand. The two of them continued to stare out to the night sky, admiring the shine of the moon. Twilight suddenly began to shiver, for the city at night can sometimes be chilly. ‘Come on,’ said Invictus ‘Let’s go inside.’ He soon guided Twilight back inside and closed the door. He and Twilight stood for a few moments whilst Twilight said ‘Invictus…thank you…for what you did for me when I first got here.’ ‘Eh, no worries.’ said Invictus ‘Anyone could’ve done the same thing.’ ‘Maybe, but…’ said Twilight as she felt nervous, but then she slowly placed her hands on his shoulders, gaining his attention, but also noticed that her cheeks were red and were feeling flustered. ‘You were also the one who was so nice to me when we met. Showed me the world that I never got a chance to explore, to see what was right around me except for Equestria. Even…kissed me. It was the first time a stallion, human, or even a boy…ever kissed me. Even though you did that to pass down knowledge to help me learn more about this world…I…actually enjoyed it. But…now…’ She slowly looked at Invictus once more, looking at him right in the eyes, as if staring through his soul as her cheeks were glowing red. Invictus somehow felt the same way, staring right in her eyes. They slowly moved towards one another, their eyes were slowly closing. Once they were close enough and their eyes were closed, they locked lips, not a kiss for a spell, or simply for the fun, but the actual kiss of love. Twilight wrapped her arms around Invictus, whilst Invictus slowly reached for her posterior, giving it a gentle squeeze, making her squeak, but also moan through the kiss. The two of them slowly broke the kiss, whilst Twilight slowly unloosed the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off. She began to feel quite flustered when she was now up close to him with his shirt off, whilst at the same time she placed her hands against his, with Invictus also starting to unbutton her pajama shirt. He slowly removed it and showed that she was wearing a bra, guess she didn’t know much about it until the girls told her. He slowly reached for the back of her bra and unclasped it, allowing it to fall freely. Twilight felt a bit flustered, but Invictus noticed that by looking at her breasts, they were slightly bigger than human Twilight’s. Twilight slowly looked at Invictus again, whilst he moved his head closer to her chest, giving them a handful of kisses at the center. But as he kissed by some parts of her breasts, she let out a soft gasp, whilst wrapping her arms around him as her head was raised in the air. Twilight suddenly pushed him back as he sat down on the bed, whilst Twilight sat on his lap and kissed him full on the lips, allowing him to collapse on the bed with Twilight on top of him. They continued to embrace one another as they passionately made out with one another. Invictus gently held onto her posterior, which only prompted Twilight to continue. However, the Rainbooms on the other hand, wanted to know how Twilight was doing, and to their surprise, they saw that the two of them were actually doing it. ‘Oh my Celestia.’ whispered Sunset. ‘They’re actually doing it.’ said Rarity in excitement. ‘Wow, Princess Twilight’s not holding back on this one.’ said Rainbow Dash. ‘Neither is Invictus it seems.’ said Applejack. However, as they watched, they were getting the urge to be part of the action. ‘Um,’ said Fluttershy ‘Does anyone else feel like they want to have him in bed again?’ ‘Now that you mention it.’ said human Twilight ‘Seeing him in action…’ ‘Aw,’ said Pinkie as she lowered her head ‘I wanna be part of that action again.’ When all of a sudden. ‘That could be arranged.’ The girls silently yelped and turned around. To their shock, they saw Invictus, with his arms folded and looking at them with a smirk. ‘What the…?’ said Applejack. ‘But if you’re here, then who…?’ said Rarity as she was surprised. ‘Oh don’t worry,’ said the Invictus lookalike ‘I’m actually a copy of the original, who happens to be making out with the princess by the way.’ ‘A copy?’ said a confused Pinkie. ‘See, I kinda had the feeling that you lot were going to spy on the two of them when they were having sex,’ said the copy, much to the others’ embarrassment ‘And I figured that there would still be a leftover urge that all of you have. So the original took the liberty of making copies for all of you to enjoy.’ Suddenly, six more Invictus copies showed up, much to their surprise. ‘And if you want,’ said the Copy ‘We can always get started right here and now.’ The Rainbooms looked at one another and blushed heavily over this, but then they smirked and looked at him, with Pinkie saying ‘Pucker up big boy.’ The Rainbooms approached the copies and ended up kissing them deeply and holding onto them, whilst going towards individual rooms and to have a fun time. Back in the room, Invictus and Twilight continued to kiss compassionately. Twilight soon broke from the kiss and went straight for his pants. The moment she took it off, she could see how big his member is. ‘Wow,’ said Twilight, seeing that this is her first time ‘It looks amazing.’ She ended up slowly rubbing his stiffened member, making Invictus moan from the pleasure. This caused Twilight to be further lured into this. And out of instinct, she slowly placed the member in her mouth and bopped her head whilst sucking on it. ‘Holy guacamole.’ muttered Invictus as he gripped on the blankets. This was unexpected. Twilight actually has skills on how to do this. He had no idea where or how she learned it, but she was good. Really good. He soon felt his pressure building up. ‘Twilight I…’ said Invictus as he gripped on the bed tighter ‘I think I’m going to…’ Within moments, he climaxed in her mouth, nearly making her gag, but she was able to swallow it. Twilight slowly sat on her knees and wiped her mouth whilst Invictus slowly sat up and looked at her. ‘Damn your highness,’ said Invictus playfully, making Twilight roll her eyes and smirked ‘Where the hell did you learn so much skills?’ ‘I learned it from a book called, “How to please your stallions”.’ said Twilight. Invictus looked at her both shocked and surprised. ‘Where the hell do you find books like that?!!’ ‘You uh, don’t wanna know.’ said Twilight bashfully. ‘Normally I would judge,’ said Invictus, until he held Twilight by her hips and lifted her up, much to her surprised and flustered moment ‘But now it’s my turn.’ He playfully pushed her on the bed whilst looking up. He slowly placed both his hands on her supple breasts, causing her to squeak. She may know how Pony bodies work, but she has no idea how human bodies work. The feeling of her breasts by her chest was enough to make her moan whilst he moved them in opposite circles. She moaned softly and squirmed, for she had no idea it would feel so great. ‘T-That feels nice.’ sighed Twilight, enjoying the gentle treatment he had been giving her. But as he kept her on the bed, Invictus kissed Twilight’s chest and licked her nipple, making her gasp in ecstacy. ‘Something wrong?’ asked Invictus. ‘No, I’m fine.’ said Twilight as she blushed ‘It’s just…I’ve never experienced something like this before.’ ‘Well here’s another experience.’ said Invictus. Before Twilight could react, she gasped and moaned loudly as he was sucking her one nipple whilst using his other hand to pinch the other, making Twilight moan in ecstasy again whilst throwing her head back and shouted ‘Holy Celestia that feels good!!’ After a few pinches and some sucking, Invictus looked at Twilight as he saw the blush on her face. ‘Here comes the next part.’ Invictus took her pajama pants and slowly pulled it off, showing that her womanhood was wet from the excitement. ‘Well,’ said Invictus with his cocky smile ‘Someone’s getting excited.’ ‘Could you…um…’ began Twilight, but she didn’t know how to say it. ‘I could always try to wait it out,’ he said playfully ‘Just to try to build up a…’ ‘Yeah, yeah, don’t care.’ said Twilight. ‘Wow,’ said Invictus with a smirk ‘You really are getting horny after this.’ ‘Will you just do it al-AH!!’yelped Twilight. Invictus began to lick her womanhood whilst she arched her head back. She couldn’t believe how amazing this felt, and she never tried any of this before. She then grabbed his head, not wanting to let go as this was the greatest experience she had ever felt. He got creative and got her more sensitive spot, making her wrap her legs around his head in the process, like she was a famous wrestler. Soon she began to feel the pressure building up. ‘Invictus I…I’m going to…’ said Twilight. Before anything could be done, she began to climax, allowing Invictus to drink up her juices. He stood up and saw Twilight panting on the bed whilst looking at the ceiling. ‘So,’ said Invictus as he sat up ‘How did you like your first…’ But before he could get a word further in, Twilight suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and thrusted him hard onto the bed, taking him by surprise as she suddenly used so much strength ‘Wow, you really are hot and…’ said Invictus before he was cut off by Twilight when she planted her lips hard and kissed him passionately. He then held onto her flank and gripped it, making her squeak during the kiss, for the gentle grip he was demonstrating just encouraged her to go on even further, even attempt to wrap her legs around his waist in order to hold him. However, Invictus broke the kiss as he looked at her. ‘So who you think should lead?’ asked Invictus. ‘Well,’ said Twilight as she blushed and was really nervous about this at the same time too ‘I’ve never done this before. It’ll be my first experience.’ He gently kissed her by the neck and said ‘I promise to be as gentle as I can.’ With gentle motion, Twilight was back on the bed, only at the center, whilst Invictus slowly climbed over her, staring down at her, whilst she was slightly trembling, for she had never felt this feeling before. He first kissed her by the chest, at her breasts, then bit by bit all the way down to her nether regions, whilst she still shivered and trembled, for this was going to be her very first time and someone was going to claim her virginity right off the bat. He gently held onto her hips and slowly placed his member inside her womanhood, causing Twilight to gasp in ecstasy, leaning her head backwards whilst her eyes also looked as if it wanted to go backwards. Invictus continued to slowly put it inside of her, making her groan a bit, for it can be really painful, but he chose to be gentle with her until her mind were able to grasp what he was doing. Twilight has a habit of thinking too much, but I doubt she would think how a person’s manhood would feel inside of her marehood, or womanhood in this case. After a minute of enduring it with a little pain, Twilight slowly looked up whilst Invictus was close to her face. ‘We’ll start slow,’ said Invictus ‘Don’t want to hurt yourself or anything.’ ‘Just…be gentle Invictus.’ said Twilight. ‘You got it.’ said Invictus. Sure enough, he gently moved his hips and began to slowly thrust inside her, making her gasp in ecstasy whilst blushing at the same time, for her cherry had been popped and her virginity had now been taken. He continued to thrust her whilst he showered her with kisses, even kissed her full on the lips, with Twilight wrapping her arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. ‘Holy Celestia,’ said Twilight as she rolled her eyes backwards as she felt her nether regions being thrusted, which she couldn’t believe that she didn’t try this before ‘This is amazing.’ ‘Think this is amazing?’ said Invictus with his own smirk. He began to slowly pick up speed. ‘In-Invictus.’ said Twilight, trying to think clearly ‘That feels amazing…but…could you please…give it to me a little faster?’ ‘Are you sure?’ asked Invictus as he kept his pace slow ‘The last thing I want to do is to hurt you.’ ‘I’ll be fine Invictus.’ said Twilight ‘You’ve been so gentle from the start. But now that I’m used to the feeling. I’d really like to feel the full thrust and speed of it all.’ ‘Alright then,’ said Invictus with a smirk and said ‘Giddy-up cowgirl.’ With her approval, Invictus began to put in more speed and power into his thrusts. Twilight’s insides became more wet and slippery, easy enough for him to slide in and out of her pussy. Twilight kept her eyes closed, moaning like crazy, whilst she leaned her head backwards whilst her breasts began to bounce, until Invictus held them in placed and gave them a gentle grip as the thrusting continued. ‘T-That’s it Invictus,’ said Twilight whilst moaning as she loved the feeling whilst gripping on the sheets of the blanket and partially looked at him, but also squeezed her eyes shut ‘You d-don’t have to b-be afraid…OH YES!! RAVAGE ME MY SEXY MAN!!!’ Though it was quite humorous to see Twilight in that position, the part where she called him were her sexy man took him by surprise but continued with his thrusts. Invictus continued to thrust deeper inside of her now wet passage. He kept up the thrusting as she kept gripping on the bed, until he pulled her up and kissed her compassionately whilst thrusting, causing her to kiss him back whilst tonguing each other at the same time during their make out session. Invictus flipped Twilight over, making her on top of him, taking her by surprise as he said to her ‘Thought you might like to experience this. The female sometimes want to be on top and take charge.’ He then smirked and said ‘Do you wanna take charge, your highness?’ Twilight suddenly couldn’t help but smirk and moved her face towards his, allowing her to kiss him on the lips, more passionately this time. Invictus moved his hands towards her posterior and held her, making her moan through the kiss. Twilight suddenly held onto Invictus’ wrists and kept her smile. ‘Now, now.’ said Twilight as she kept on looking at him ‘Not there yet. Only when I get started.’ Twilight redirected his wrists, allowing him to feel the sides of her body to her torso, where he automatically held onto her breasts, making Twilight bit her lip and slowly inhaled sharply, then exhaled follow by a moan. ‘Ah,’ said Twilight as she closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards, but also placed her hands on top of Invictus’ hands as she enjoyed the feeling. ‘That feels good. These may feel sensitive, but during private time they feel great.’ ‘Glad you feel that way.’ said Invictus ‘Cause the fun’s just starting.’ Invictus ended up moving his hips, being in sync with Twilight. She began to moan. ‘Ahh, that’s it…’ said Twilight as she was being into this feeling, with Invictus moving his hands down her hips and held onto her ass cheeks, making her squirm and squeal in excitement. Twilight soon bounced a bit on his manhood, thus her boobs bounced whilst Invictus felt partially hypnotized by seeing them. He could even feel Twilight’s ass jiggled in his hands, for she truly has an amazing butt. During the bouncing, Twilight ended up lifting him up and made him stare at her whilst she was bouncing. ‘You like this my bad boy?’ asked Twilight in a sultry tone. Invictus gripped her posterior whilst he said ‘Bring it Princess.’ The two kept kissing passionately for the next five minutes, but then they began to feel the pressure. ‘Invictus!!’ said Twilight as she felt like she was going to explode ‘I…I think I’m close!!’ That was, until Invictus used his magic, causing the two of them to glow, surprising her in the process after she stopped with her bouncing spree. ‘Whoa,’ said Twilight as she looked at herself, then to Invictus whilst she was panting ‘What did you cast?’ ‘A little endurance spell.’ said a panting Invictus ‘With this ability we can continue to have fun for a few hours if need be.’ ‘Wow, handy.’ said Twilight, then looked at him with a flexed eyebrow ‘Also, why?’ ‘I thought you’d like to continue with the fun,’ said Invictus, then he smirked whilst he looked at her with a flexed eyebrow ‘Besides, I can tell you enjoyed this as much as I did.’ Twilight felt a bit flushed whilst she said ‘Well…I never had sex before. And it’s my first time.’ ‘Well then,’ said Invictus as he kissed her neck, then looked back at her with a smirk and said ‘How about we make this as memorable as possible?’ Twilight couldn’t help but feel flustered and smirked at the same time ‘Alright then, what do you have in mind?’ ‘For example,’ said Invictus ‘Try standing on all fours on the bed.’ Twilight was confused by this, but wondering where this will lead, she was glad to oblige. She pulled his member out, then went over to the bed and stood on all fours. ‘Now then,’ said Invictus as he stood up ‘A question if I may.’ Twilight partially looked at him as she for some reason felt somewhat embarrassed to be in this position. ‘Did you ever go anal?’ asked Invictus in a sultry tone. Twilight was taken aback by this, until she felt his member go inside her anus, making shout ‘HOLY CELESTIA!!!’ Once his member was fully in her, he began to pound her non-stop. He could see her posterior bounce from every thrust he had given her. He decided to be bold and reached out for her bosom, allowing him to gently grasp onto them as he pulled her up whilst continuing to thrust her and kiss her neck at the same time. ‘So tell me my dear princess,’ whispered Invictus in her ear whilst she felt more in ecstasy from every bit of thrust he was giving her ‘How do you feel about this position?’ ‘Holy, it’s AMAZING!! KEEP POUNDING ME!! MAKE ME YOUR SLUTTY MARE!!!’ Shouted Twilight. Invictus couldn’t help but be really amused by her reactions, for he would never imagine in all his years where he would hear the Princess of Friendship say stuff like that. He kept pounding her from that position, whilst Twilight couldn’t help but reach her arms for him whilst he was behind her as she wanted to enjoy this feeling more. He kept thrusting her hard over and over, until after fifteen minutes, the two of them stopped, allowing Twilight to stand on all fours, with her looking at him with a smirk. ‘Come on now,’ said Twilight whilst she was slowly wiggling her tushy back and forth ‘You may have some skill when it comes to anal, but what about going all the way in my flower tunnel.’ Invictus couldn’t believe that Twilight was acting like this. He realizes that she never had sex before, so this is her very first time. To see her act like that way is…kind of hot. He slowly went to her right side and kissed her on the lips. ‘Sure thing.’ said Invictus as he went behind her and said ‘But not before I do this…’ He licked her love tunnel a few times, making her moan as she felt herself moving back and forth. ‘As well as this.’ Invictus gently placed his member inside of her delicate flower, causing her to gasp as she lifted herself up and gripped on the blankets tightly. He slowly continued to thrust inside her, making her body move back and forth, enjoying the very feeling in her love tunnel in doggy position. ‘Oh my Celestia,’ moaned Twilight through Invictus’ gentle thrusting ‘So this is why they say the doggy style is so popular.’ Twilight suddenly felt a slight slap on her butt cheek, making her yelp in surprise. She looked at him and said ‘What was that for?!’ ‘Sorry,’ said Invictus with a sheepish smile ‘Got carried away.’ However, Twilight suddenly smirked and said ‘Do it again.’ Invictus was surprised by that request. But then again, the look on her eyes, indicate that she really wants it. Not wanting to deny her request, or this opportunity, he continued to thrust her, whilst he spanked her every ten thrusts, making her moan in delight. ‘This…is…amazing!!’ exclaimed Twilight as she loved this feeling. After so many thrusting doggy style, Invictus pulled his member out and placed her side on the bed, allowing him to lift her leg up, which sort of took her by surprise as he began to place his member inside of her and thrusted whilst her leg was in the air. Twilight couldn’t help but bit her lip with a smile. For this was something she had never felt before. ‘Ah…ah…Invictus.’ said Twilight as she rolled her eyes, for this was really good. Before she knew it, Invictus helped Twilight stand up, only this time she was bent over whilst he held onto her arms and thrusted her from behind. He enjoyed seeing her butt bounce whenever he thrusted her, but he couldn’t make for her bosom, not whilst he was holding her arms in order to make it more sexy. ‘Ah…Invictus…this feels…amazing.’ said Twilight as she kept enjoying every minute of this. Next up, Invictus lied down on the bed whilst Twilight bounced on him whilst she felt his member inside of her. She used Invictus’ knees for support and was enjoying the feeling. Invictus enjoyed watching her butt bounce. She truly had an amazing ass, just like Sunset’s. Then again, from Equestrian standards, it’s always the female who has the better butt than the human ones. Twilight got more turned on when Invictus sat up and grasped onto her bosom with both his hands. ‘Oh, Invictus.’ said Twilight as she couldn’t think straight, even for a genius like her, she couldn’t think because of her first experience sex she was receiving. He continued to thrust her, until he held onto her bouncing flanks whilst she gasped loudly whilst moaning to her heart’s content. He then tried something new, by lifting up her legs and humping her whilst her legs were in midair, which she couldn’t help but collapse on the bed and held onto it as tightly as she could. ‘Oh Invictus!!’ Invictus was able to turn her around, allowing them to look at one another face to face. He continued to hold her legs in the air whilst he was still humping her. The way her chest was bouncing as she leaned her head backwards, she felt like she was going to go crazy. ‘Oh, yes!!’ shouted Twilight once more. And now they’ve entered the coup de grace. They ended up going missionary, whilst being close and personal during that position. Twilight grasped onto Invictus’ head and shouted ‘Holy Celestia!! This is amazing!!’, before she smacked her lips against his, which greatly surprised him, but continued nonetheless. And finally, the hug fucking. Where she continued to hump Invictus whilst Twilight held him close whilst clawing his back, which Invictus held her close too. But during that time, their third hour was up, and they could feel their loading coming in any minute now. ‘Invictus!!’ shouted Twilight ‘I…I think the spell is wearing off!! I can feel it coming!!’ ‘Same here!!’ shouted Invictus ‘Here comes the big one!!’ And with one final thrust, both of their climaxed hit one another…hard, causing both of them to moan loudly at the same time. Once their climaxed had finally died down after two minutes, Invictus was the first to collapse onto the bed, with Twilight on top of him. Both of them panted, for this was something that Twilight was always curious about. After Invictus’ member was out of Twilight’s love tunnel, the two of them slowly looked at one another, both of them having bedroom eyes and gentle smiles with one another. ‘Sweet Celestia,’ said Twilight as she tried to regain her breath ‘That was the most amazing experience I ever had.’ ‘Same here.’ said Invictus ‘Glad I could be of service, your majesty.’ Twilight gently slapped his chest as the two of them chuckled. ‘I have to say,’ said Twilight ‘I never tried it with anypony back in Equestria. But now, I’m glad to say that you’re actually my first.’ Invictus gently kissed her again, then said ‘I’m glad to have made your day my fair Princess.’ ‘Me too,’ said Twilight before she yawned ‘I think it’s time we turned in for the night.’ ‘Alright then,’ said Invictus as he used the blanket to cover themselves ‘Goodnight Twilight.’ ‘Goodnight Invictus.’ said Twilight as she and Invictus closed their eyes and drifted to sleep. > Chapter 16: It's time to return home > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun had slowly risen from the horizon as it shined across the city. The Rainbooms were all naked in bed, no doubt had a fun time with the clones. But once they fell asleep, the clones disappeared after their purpose was done. As for a certain Princess, Twilight was resting with Invictus with a smile on her face. She snuggled with Invictus as she grasped her arms around him, clinging close to him whilst a wide smile had appeared on her face. Invictus had his arms wrapped around her too. Invictus slowly rubbed his hands on her back, especially grasping her butt, making the princess moan in her sleep. ‘Morning your highness.’ said Invictus in a flirting manner. Twilight opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile and said ‘Morning to you too.’ Twilight moved closer to him in order for them to lock lips. They held their kiss for ten seconds, then departed whilst retaining their smiles. ‘So,’ said Invictus ‘Everyone else won’t be awake for another hour, wanna get up to get things ready for today?’ ‘Sure, but…’ said Twilight, but she then retained her blush and bit her lip for a few moments, then looked back at him and said ‘If you want…would you…like to go another round with me?’ Invictus was taken aback by this, but he then smirked and said ‘Well…somebody really wants to have that feeling again.’ ‘Let’s just say…’ said Twilight as she scooched over and held him closer ‘I really enjoyed that amazing phallus of yours. So…what do you say?’ Invictus couldn’t help but smirk at this, whilst slowly stroked her back and held her flank, making her slightly moan, but made herself moan louder whilst she felt his fingers against her delicate flower. ‘Does this answer your question?’ asked Invictus. Twilight soon locked lips with him again and ended up being on top. She placed his member inside of her again, making her moan. She moved her hips up and down, making her moan, but enjoyed the feeling inside of her again. Invictus moaned a bit too, until he held onto her butt, gently grasping her cheeks, making her enjoy that feeling. She leaned her head backwards, and from out of nowhere, her wings appeared, even her pony ears. Her magic acting up whilst she was enjoying the feeling. Invictus ended up flipping her over and lifted her legs in the air, making him gently thrust her again, making her moan whilst she placed both her arms on her chest, gently massaging her own breasts, for the feeling she felt last night was more amazing than ever. She then held onto Invictus’ hands, signaling him to stop. She then turned over and rested on her chest, whilst revealing her butt towards him, and moved it a bit back and forth, as if she was luring him in. Invictus gladly accepted as she showed his smile. Invictus had an idea to work her up first. First he held onto her cheeks and separated them in order to find her delicate flower. Then afterwards, he slowly began to lick her. Making her gasp as she rested both her arms onto the bed, making her bit her lip whilst she still retained her smile. ‘Do me again.’ said Twilight ‘One more time.’ And thus he did. He was able to place his member inside of her once more and began to thrust, which made Twilight continue to bit her lip whilst doing her best to suppress her moaning. ‘Ah…ah…oh yeah.’ said Twilight as she enjoyed this feeling ‘Now…I-I see why…h-humans enjoy this from t-time to t-time. They’re so m-much different from…p-ponies.’ Soon the pressure began to build up for the two of them. ‘Twilight…I’m close.’ muttered Invictus as he slowly held onto her bosom. ‘Lay it on me.’ said Twilight as she felt more aroused when he touched her. Soon the two climaxed, releasing their loads. Once that was done, Invictus pulled his member out and collapsed right next to her. Twilight and Invictus panted for a bit whilst trying to regain their energy so that they could start out their day. ‘So…worth the morning.’ said Twilight as she slowly wrapped her arm around Invictus. ‘Definitely worth it.’ said Invictus as he too wrapped his arm around her. ‘We should probably take a shower first before we start the day.’ ‘Agreed.’ said Twilight whilst she kissed his cheek and said ‘As long as you can help clean me.’ ‘Your wish is my command your highness.’ said Invictus as he slowly got up, whilst at the same time, slowly tried to get Twilight up as they summoned the strength to do so and walked to the bathroom. The two of them began to shower together whilst Invictus helped Twilight get clean. She had to suppress her moans a few times when Invictus helped clean her bosom, her delicate flower and her buttocks. Even after the shower whilst Invictus helped dry Twilight off, even helped comb her hair, to which she appreciated. Soon the two of them were dried and fully dressed, Twilight and Invictus slowly left the room. They walked down the hall and made their way to the kitchen, where Stardust Horizon was busy making breakfast for them. ‘Morning you two.’ said Stardust Horizon with a smirk. The two immediately picked up what she was saying, causing both of them to blush in embarrassment, with Invictus asking ‘How much…?’ ‘Oh, I didn’t need to know,’ said Stardust ‘Twilight asked me for help, considering she’s never experience through the human body before.’ He looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow, causing the said Princess to blush in embarrassment. Invictus looked around and said ‘Hey, where are the others?’ ‘Oh, they’ll be here any moment.’ said Stardust, then looked at them and said ‘And nice job with that spell by the way.’ ‘Spell?’ said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. ‘I had a feeling that there were some leftover harem magic in them because of our little intercourse throughout the trip,’ said Invictus ‘And I knew they were listening over, so I decided to cast a spell to create clones of myself so that they can get it over with.’ ‘Good call.’ said Twilight, but still felt embarrassed because they were trying to listen in on their private time. Twilight was deep in thought, realizing that even though it may have been a week, she needed to go back to Equestria, for the ponies still need her there. ‘Is something wrong?’ asked Invictus, when he knew she had a troubled look on her face. Twilight looked at him for a moment. At first, she knew she wanted to go back home. But deep down, she didn’t want to leave him. She had just begun to experience what love felt like, something that she purposely blocked after she met Flash Sentry, and again during the Friendship Games. Twilight sighed and said ‘I’m just…thinking about…’ ‘She’s torn between her duty and her heart.’ said Stardust, which surprised Twilight as Stardust looked at her with a smirk and said ‘Trust me, I can tell.’ ‘I know that I have a responsibility back in Equestria,’ said Twilight, but then slowly hugged Invictus as he hugged her back ‘I really don’t want to leave you. We’ve spent so much time together, we had a lot of fun. More importantly…I fell in love for the first time. I really don’t want to lose that.’ Invictus rubbed her back, also feeling the same way. He then looked at her and said ‘Life is never fair when it comes to having a normal life. But I understand. I feel the same way. But that doesn’t mean we have to be apart. We can still visit one another. Plus I think when the time is right…’ Invictus was silent for a few moments as he was deep in thought, then looked back at her and said ‘I’d be more than willing to go back there with you. No matter how far away, or worlds apart, I’ll never leave your side, no matter what.’ Twilight couldn’t help but tear up and hugged him, to which he hugged her back. For that was a future she was looking forward to. They broke the hug as Twilight asked ‘I assume that we’ll be teleporting back?’ ‘Actually,’ said Stardust as she gained their attention ‘We can always take the long way back. No need to rush.’ Twilight smiled and looked at Invictus, then said ‘I’d like that.’ The two of them kissed whilst they hugged one another. At that same time, the rest of the Rainbooms walked in, feeling groggy, but also having smiles on their faces. ‘Morning.’ said the girls as they walked by. Twilight looked at them with a flexed eyebrow, but she also smirked and looked at him. She presented a fist, which caused Invictus to fist bump her as they couldn’t help but find their morning hair hilarious. ********************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the rest of the girls had finished showering and dressed, and readying for the road trip back to Canterlot City. ‘Aw,’ groaned Rainbow ‘I really wanted to hang at Manehattan more often. Plus it’d stink that Princess Twilight has to go back to Equestria. We just started to have fun.’ ‘Us too Rainbow,’ said Applejack ‘But remember, even she has responsibilities to get back to, same with us.’ ‘Yeah,’ said Pinkie ‘We all gotta prepare to get back to school.’ ‘Um, Pinkie?’ said the meekly Fluttershy ‘School doesn’t start until a month and a half.’ ‘Oh, right.’ said Pinkie with a blush as she felt embarrassed. ‘Plus with everything I gathered for the boutique,’ said Rarity whilst holding her bags ‘I’m sure to come up with new designs again.’ ‘But still,’ said human Twilight ‘Shame I didn’t get a chance to go to the library again.’ ‘Uh, no offense Twilight,’ said Sunset ‘But last time we went to a different library you spent almost twelve hours in a library, studying world languages, and those take forever to study.’ ‘She kinda has you there Twilight.’ said Spike. ‘But on the plus side,’ said Invictus once he was done packing ‘Canterlot City is pretty far away. And with plenty of stops along the way, we’ll be able to spend some more time together.’ ‘Oooh, that’s very true.’ said Pinkie Pie as she was behind on that very idea. ‘So, who gets to travel with whom?’ said Invictus. ‘Princess Twilight travels with Invictus.’ said everyone in the room, whilst Twilight was surprised that they would suggest that. ‘Plus Flutters and I wanna travel with Invictus in his vehicle,’ said Rainbow ‘We got some catching up to do.’ ‘Um, I do too.’ said Fluttershy. ‘Twilight and I will travel with Mrs. Horizon.’ said Sunset ‘We’d like to learn more about the other Equestria and it’s magic.’ ‘Same here,’ said human Twilight ‘I’d love to compare notes.’ ‘I can do that.’ said Stardust Horizon. ********************************************************************************************************** Pretty soon, all of them had climbed into their respective vehicles and soon drove off. All of them headed off to drive to certain locations whilst on their way back to Canterlot City. They traveled to certain tourist attractions, like the world’s biggest ball of yarn, which Rainbow and Pinkie pretended to push it, but Rarity kept trying to stop them. On the next spot, they traveled to what appeared to be a diner, which they ate some good breakfast, with Applejack and Fluttershy enjoying some apple pie. Then they traveled to another attraction, which was known as Whoopee world, which they decided to have some fun, with Sunset being over competitive as usual and human Twilight being able to hold her lunch as she felt like she was going to puke. During some of the trips, using his magic to help drive the vehicle, which some drive by people were startled, Invictus, Rainbow and Fluttershy continued to talk to catch up on good times with Princess Twilight joining in. And during breaks, Invictus and Sunset would continue to exchange words whilst also catching up on a few things she needed to learn, Twilight and her human counterpart were comparing notes between this world and Equestria. Their similarities, their differences, even many folks that are somewhat the same with one another. And by the baked goods store, Pinkie Pie brought different flavored cupcakes for everyone to enjoy, even Pinkie and Invictus had some great laughs as they were trying to have a food fight. They even traveled to different places like an Aquarium, Zoo, and taking many pictures to boot as they enjoyed their time together, whilst Stardust also began to fill them in whenever they were traveling from one place to another. Finally, nearing the end of their journey, Canterlot City was spotted ahead. ‘Ahoy mates!!’ said Pinkie Pie loudly ‘Canterlot City ho!!’ They soon drive into town, going through the streets. With Twilight taking the view of the city too, as she remembered traveling from one place to another. But she was also a bit sad, that she had to leave. She partially looked at Invictus, and saw that he had the same expression she did. She didn’t know what to do. However, she felt a hand touching her shoulder. When she looked, she saw Fluttershy smiling at her whilst holding her shoulder, signaling that she knew and that they would work things out, with Twilight smiling and hugging her friend. ********************************************************************************************************** After the others went to their homes to place their things away, they drove back to Canterlot High to meet at the statue. Thankfully, Twilight had written a message to Spike, so the portal should be opened by then. She stood with her friends, with Invictus and Stardust in tow, near the portal as it was time to say goodbye. ‘It’s a shame that y’all had to go back home Twi.’ said Applejack. ‘Yeah, we just started to have fun.’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘I know,’ said Twilight ‘But I also have responsibilities back in Equestria, it’s citizens need me. But I’m really glad I got to spend some time with all of you.’ ‘Us too,’ said Fluttershy ‘Having you around was the best.’ ‘And though we may had interesting adventures, I’m glad we were able to fully live this one.’ said Rarity. ‘Plus it was really great to compare notes with my counterpart.’ said human Twilight ‘This’ll will definitely help with my research as it answered half of my answers.’ ‘Plus it was thanks to you, our friendships grew stronger than before,’ said Sunset ‘I gained a new friend in the process and it’s great to talk to another Equestrian that doesn’t make me feel like I’m all alone.’ Rainbow walked over to Twilight and rubbed her arm. ‘Hey uh…’ said Rainbow as she felt really nervous, but said ‘I just wanted to thank you. For…you know…helping me patch things up with Invictus.’ ‘And I hope you also learned something from all of this.’ said Twilight. ‘I did,’ said Rainbow with a chuckle ‘Maybe I’m not the only one who has some apologizing to do.’ ‘That is true.’ said Twilight ‘Although…’ She suddenly grabbed her shirt and pulled her close to her face, whilst saying in a whispered tone ‘If you ever hurt Invictus again. I will drag you to Equestria and hurt you.’ Rainbow suddenly got frightened and said ‘Noted. Duly noted.’ She took a few steps back, with Stardust walking over to Twilight and held her hands. ‘Do come visit us again soon.’ said the smiling Stardust. ‘I know you still have responsibilities in Equestria, but even a Princess is supposed to know when to take a break every once and a while. And make a scheduled visit whenever you need to take a break.’ ‘I will.’ said Twilight ‘Being in this world has shown me so much. There’s just so many things that the world can teach me. Something that I hope I can bring whatever knowledge I can to Equestria. Something that both worlds could benefit one day.’ ‘And I’m sure that they will flourish to a golden age.’ said Stardust before she and Twilight shared one last hug before they departed. Now it was finally for the last one she needed to greet; Invictus. At first she wasn’t sure about the boy. But after spending so much time with him during the week they traveled, then the next week traveling back whilst traveling back from Manehattan to Equestria, she developed feelings for him. And he did for her too. Both Twilight and Invictus stood close to one another as they held onto each other’s hands, both feeling regrets to be apart. At first the Rainbooms wanted to give them some room, but they didn’t want to miss this. ‘I really wish I didn’t go.’ said Twilight ‘I really love spending time with you. But I really wish we had more time.’ ‘I know.’ said Invictus ‘I do too. More than anything. But like you said, Equestria needs you. Plus it wouldn’t be fair for any of us. You leaving your friends, your family, your home and your kingdom behind just to live here, and me leaving my friends, family and more people that I care about.’ ‘If you had a choice,’ said Twilight ‘What would you do?’ ‘I couldn’t leave my home. But Twilight…’ said Invictus as he held onto her hands and lifted them a bit whilst they were chest to chest ‘Whatever choice we make in life; I would gladly cross worlds just to be with you.’ ‘Same here.’ said Twilight as she shed a tear or two. The girls were all feeling touched by this scene. Even though Rainbow didn’t want to admit it, it was heartwarming to watch. ‘But…what if you graduate?’ asked Twilight. ‘I still have to go to school.’ said Invictus ‘I still have a lot to learn. But after that…I’m not sure. I still have a lot of catching up to do with my friends. But maybe…we can find a way to make it work. For the both of us.’ Twilight smiled and said ‘I’d like that. We’ll try to arrange visits more often if we have to.’ ‘Agreed.’ said Invictus. He held Twilight close whilst their heads were slowly touching ‘I’ll always love you Twilight.’ ‘I…’ said Twilight as she felt like wanting to choke up ‘I love you too.’ Both of them shared another kiss that lasted for ten seconds. Then they broke it whilst they still hugged one another. Both were shedding tears, with Twilight saying ‘We’ll always have Manehattan.’ The two of them broke the hug whilst they looked one another and slowly let each other go. Twilight walked to the portal whilst the rest of the girls said their goodbyes. Twilight looked back at Invictus one last time, causing the two of them to smile at each other. Within moments, Twilight walked through the portal, causing it to close behind her. Invictus was still a bit sad, but the Rainbooms came to him and comforted him. ‘Don’t worry darling,’ said Rarity ‘There’s always next time.’ Invictus sighed and said ‘I know.’ ‘Until then,’ said Stardust ‘What will all of you do now?’ Some thought about it, until Rarity gained an idea and asked ‘You wouldn’t happen to know how to open a portal between here and Prance now would you?’ Stardust couldn’t help but smirk and said ‘Thought you’d never ask.’ The girls gasped in surprised by this, but Invictus on the other hand, still checked the portal. Causing him to walk over to it and placed his hand against it. He soon muttered with a smile ‘See you soon. My fair Princess.’ > Chapter 17: Twilight's Castle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the library, the rest of the Mane 6, the pony counterparts of the Rainbooms, were all waiting for Twilight to come home. However, they weren't the only ones there. For with them were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who came by to visit and eagerly wanted to see Twilight again after they heard she left through the portal, whilst Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and Flurry Heart also wanted to visit, but they didn’t expect her to be gone, especially for so long. ‘What’s taking her so long?’ said an impatient Rainbow Dash. ‘Darling relax,’ said Rarity as she gave herself a hoofacure ‘From what my Spiky-Wikey told me, portal travel takes long between there and Equestria.’ ‘She’s not wrong.’ said Spike as he brought in snacks. ‘Ooh, I can’t wait to throw her a welcome back party.’ said Pinkie Pie as she got excited. ‘Twilight said that she’d take a vacation,’ said Fluttershy ‘But she didn’t say how long.’ ‘I understand of taking breaks,’ said Princess Luna ‘The responsibilities of a kingdom can take a toll on many.’ ‘Indeed Luna.’ said Princess Celestia ‘But I hope she is doing well in the other world.’ They suddenly saw the portal shimmering, which Rarity said ‘Oh, look, here she comes.’ As they saw her return, something was different. Twilight had a wide smile on her face and sighed with love and affection. She even twirled like a ballerina and flew in the air. She slowly hovered towards a nearby couch and landed whilst wrapping her arms in content with the photo album that Invictus and her friends were able to put for her together. Everyone was surprised to see Twilight look like this. However, Cadance could immediately felt a powerful love in Twilight, which she couldn’t help but smile widely at this. Her friends gathered around her. As Flurry Heart landed on Twilight, Shining Armor asked ‘Twiley? Are you okay?’ Twilight sighed in happiness and said ‘Never felt better.’ ‘Okay?’ said Rainbow as she didn’t know what was wrong with her. Cadance spoke with a smirk and said ‘And I assume that you met someone special there?’ ‘Yeah…’ mumbled Twilight. Pinkie heard her and gasped loudly, and shouted ‘Twilight has a special somepony!!!’ Twilight got out of her daze and blinked in shock and realized she had just spilled the beans. ‘Oh, I mean uh!!!’ said Twilight as she quickly sat back up ‘What I mean to say is…!!!’. Twilight sighed and said ‘Yes, I have a special somepony.’ The rest of the Mane 5 gasped at that, and already began to bombard her with questions. ‘Girls, girls.’ said Twilight as she was able to calm them down ‘Not only that. But I was able to solve the biggest friendship problem in history.’ They were surprised by this, as they looked at one another, then back to her. ‘Whatever do you mean Twilight?’ asked Princess Celestia. ‘It’s a long story.’ said Twilight. ‘Why don’t we go to the dining room,’ offered Spike ‘I already got the food ready there.’ ‘That would be wise.’ said Princess Celestia as all of them had left for the dining room. *************************************************************************************************** An hour later, Twilight had just finished explaining everything to everypony present in the dining room, whilst concluded ‘And that’s what happened.’ Everypony and dragon in the room were taken aback by this newly developed information. ‘Land sakes.’ said Applejack softly whilst she adjusted her hat, then said ‘That really is impressive.’ ‘I still cannot believe what this poor Invictus went through in his life,’ said Rarity as she wiped her tear away ‘It truly was a heartbreaking moment.’ ‘But you were able to solve a friendship problem and fall in love at the same time.’ said Pinkie Pie as she sometimes jumped from the chair. ‘But still,’ said Princess Luna ‘The knowledge of other worlds parallel to our own. Tis truly sad what happened to his mother’s home.’ ‘And it’s wonderful that you were able to bring them back together Twilight.’ said Fluttershy ‘I can’t wait to meet him one day once he decided to come visit.’ ‘He’s considering it,’ said Twilight ‘But when the time is right, I know we will be able to welcome him with open hooves.’ Twilight ended up sighing and said ‘He really is amazing.’ ‘Is that so?’ said Shining Armor as his left eye twitched, trying to sound normal, but Cadance could tell his big brother instincts were about to kick in and that he wants to protect her. ‘Sounds like to me you two have gotten pretty close during your time away.’ ‘We did.’ said Twilight ‘He showed me around what the world was like that I had been missing out for a long time. He helped me compare the differences between our world and theirs. There were some similarities too. Similar towns and cities, but also different too. I even got to spent time at Camp Everfree.’ ‘Everfree?’ said Spike. ‘Oh,’ said Twilight ‘There’s a summer camp called Everfree. The forest almost looks like the Everfree forest, minus the magic there.’ Twilight then lowered her eyes as she thought about the times she spent with Invictus. Going to a summer camp opened for tourists, Going to a family reunion, looking around an animal sanctuary, touring the city of the stars, dancing together at the biggest party, spending time at the beach. Then the amount of time they spent in Manehattan. But through all that time, she thought about every moment she spent with Invictus. The conversations, the comparison, the laughter, the traveling, and most importantly, the kiss. She never felt this way for anyone or anypony. But when Invictus came into her life, she felt…happy. Really happy. ‘And every moment I was there,’ said Twilight as she lightly blushed ‘I couldn’t help but admire someone like that. He truly is somepony special.’ The girls, Spike and the royals were all happy for Twilight as she got to experience love for the first time. Rainbow however remained silent as she kept her head lowered. Thinking about it, what Twilight had said something about Invictus, made her go deep in thought, and what the other her and Invictus went through because of a misunderstanding and life. ‘Rainbow,’ said Fluttershy ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Uh…’ muttered Rainbow before she stood back up and said ‘I need to be somewhere.’ She quickly dashed out of the castle with great speed. The others were clueless over what was going on. ‘I hope you enjoyed his company.’ said Fluttershy. ‘I did. He really is amazing.’ said Twilight, but then she saw Spike leaving the room, whilst also using her magic to close Flurry’s ears so that she wouldn’t hear, which confused Cadance, until Twilight said ‘He’s not too bad in the bed either.’ That caused a spit take to everypony in the room as they looked at her shocked, with Rarity saying ‘Wait, did you two…?!!’ ‘Yep,’ said Twilight before she took a sip from her drink, then said with a smirk ‘And we did it for a full three hours with an endurance spell.’ The said ponies gawked with wide eyes and hot blushing faces, with Fluttershy and Shining Armour fainting from the sudden revelation. ************************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, from Manehattan, the weather Pegasi were moving the clouds so that they could make their scheduled rain, especially for their water reservoir. And from atop the clouds, a light green pony with black mane and glasses was busy directing most of the Pegasi, considering he’s in charge of Manehattan’s weather teams. He was none other than Invictus’ pony counterpart. ‘Move that thicker cloud to the southern part of the city,’ said Invictus to the group of Pegasi ‘We already have Earth Ponies ready to store as much water as they could in case of a large drought or if the city’s water pipes get messed up again.’ ‘You got it boss.’ said one of the Pegasi as she led the group to move the cloud. ‘Nice job there Invictus,’ said Cloud Watch ‘We might actually fill up our quota here.’ ‘Yeah, first time in a month.’ said Invictus ‘We don’t want another incident to happen, not like what happened last time.’ When all of a sudden. ‘Invictus…?’ The said pony looked behind and to his surprise, it was none other than Rainbow Dash. ‘Rainbow?’ said Invictus as he recognized the pony. He looked at his assistant and said ‘Say Cloud, take over for me. The northern fields need help.’ ‘You got it boss.’ said Cloud as he flew away. Invictus flew over to Rainbow and said ‘Rainbow, you old so and so. I haven’t seen you in like, forever. How have you been?’ But he saw the saddened look on her face, making him look at her in concern. ‘Hey, are you okay?’ he asked in concern. ‘Uh, yeah.’ said Rainbow as she felt nervous for some reason. ‘Invictus?’ said Rainbow as she looked at him ‘Can we talk?’ Invictus was unsure, but complied nonetheless. The two of them flew to the highest cloud, one that watches all over Manehattan, allowing them to be alone. ‘So Dashie, what can I do for you?’ said Invictus. Rainbow closed her eyes and lowered her head. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘What?’ said Invictus as he looked at her. Rainbow took a deep breath and said in a calm manner ‘I’m sorry I never apologized to you whenever I was sometimes mean or playing a prank. I’m sorry I never hung out with you more often. You were a colt who didn’t have anybody until I came into your life. And I’m sorry I never got into contact with you more often. More importantly. I’m sorry for making you feel alone.’ Invictus kept hearing word for word. He couldn’t help but have a soft and caring smile as he looked at her. He slowly wrapped his wing around her and held her close. ‘I’m also sorry.’ said Invictus ‘I’m sorry that I sometimes make you go through some tough times. I’m also sorry for not trying hard enough. And I’m sorry that I didn’t keep in contact with you either. You trying to save the world, me trying to maintain Manehattan’s weather teams. I guess life tends to make us both busy.’ Rainbow slowly wrapped her wing around him too, for she missed the hug. ‘Do you,’ began Rainbow, ‘Do you think that we can hang out again, for old time’s sake?’ He couldn’t help but smile and said ‘I’d like that.’ The two of them embraced one another, staring in the vast plain of their world. ************************************************************************************************** Later that evening, after her friends went home, Twilight was about to return to her room, until she spotted Princess Celestia standing by the balcony. She walked out to the balcony to see what she was doing. ‘Princess Celestia?’ said Twilight as she was curious what her mentor was doing. ‘Is something wrong?’ ‘Just…’ began Celestia when she was thinking ‘Thinking of what you told me what Invictus revealed.’ ‘Oh?’ said Twilight ‘About what?’ ‘The first part, about me having a daughter.’ said Celestia. She lowered her head and said ‘I did once think about it, but because of my duties I did not have the chance to find love. And the pony who once made that happen is long gone. I wished I could have seen that. It’s a shame that Equestria’s gone. I would have loved to see how it would all turn out.’ ‘I’m sure that he would also want you to be happy.’ said Twilight ‘But what about the other?’ She sighed heavily and said ‘About what would’ve happened if Sunset hadn’t been born and that she was fated to go to that world.’ Twilight was surprised by this. ‘When some of the ponies heard of the path she went down on,’ said Celestia ‘There were some who wish she never existed. But now…’ Celestia had a guilt written look on her face and said ‘But to hear what happened if she didn’t exist. Her friends and their world suffering because of Starswirl banishing the Sirens there, and that prevented her friends from suffering a horrible fate, as well as those they helped. But…’ She began to tear up ‘To hear that I passed my mistakes to you that resulted you destroying Equestria.’ She held her hoof over her face and said ‘Why do I keep making mistakes? Why do I keep being a fool? Where did I go wrong?’ Celestia wiped her tears away and said ‘I’m a horrible ruler.’ ‘Celestia,’ said Twilight as she showed concern for her teacher ‘Don’t say that, that’s not true.’ ‘It is.’ said Celestia ‘I’ve made so many mistakes, and I realized I should’ve tried harder. I should’ve tried to convince you to try and be friends with others instead of making you think otherwise. I should’ve helped you prepare for certain events.’ Twilight held her teacher close and said ‘Princess Celestia. I’m the one who makes mistakes. Like with Tirek, I should’ve told my friends the truth. Cause if I did, we would’ve come up with a better plan to stop him. Or that time at Mount Aris…’ ‘Which is also my fault,’ said Celestia ‘I should’ve trained you to handle things in a diplomatic manner. But instead I was ignorant, just like I was ignorant to tell you that you should’ve sent the friendship reports whenever you learned your lessons instead of weekly.’ Celestia looked in the air and said ‘I truly owe you so much Twilight, more than you can imagine. I also owe Sunset a great deal.’ ‘We all do.’ said Twilight after she broke the hug ‘If she didn’t leave, then you wouldn’t have taken me in to be your student and she wouldn’t have been there to help her friends. I realize that now. I just wished I could’ve done a better job.’ ‘Like I once learned from Invictus,’ said Twilight ‘Nopony is perfect and everypony makes mistakes. We all have off days. But in the end it’s the most unlikely of folks that help make us who we are.’ Twilight then pondered something, then remembered that one private conversation she had with Invictus. ************************************************************************************************** Back in the human world, before the two of them left and met up with Rainbow Dash and they were still in Silver Shoals, Twilight had told Invictus of her mistakes back at Mount Aris whilst she sat on the beach and Invictus standing. ‘And then I said those horrible things to Pinkie Pie,’ said Twilight sadly ‘A foolish pony who once again tried to do everything on her own, an idiot Princess of Friendship who couldn’t even trust her own friends to help her shoulder her problems without asking them or even giving them a yes or no answer.’ ‘You’re no idiot.’ said Invictus ‘You’re still here aren’t you? Even talking to a person who made just as many mistakes.’ ‘I guess.’ said Twilight. ‘An idiot, no.’ said Invictus ‘A failure, absolutely.’ Twilight gave a small glare, but Invictus chuckled at that. ‘And you know what that makes you?’ said Invictus before he sat next to her and said ‘Just like everyone else.’ ‘But I’m not supposed to be like everypony else.’ said Twilight in partial denial. ‘Everyone fails at who they were supposed to be Twilight,’ said Invictus ‘But the true measure of a person, pony, princess, or even a hero, is how well they succeeded into being who they are.’ She thought about it and realized he was right, causing her to lean against him, with him holding onto her in the process. ************************************************************************************************** ‘Who they are.’ muttered Twilight. ‘Twilight?’ said Princess Celestia when she looked at her student. ‘Sorry,’ said Twilight ‘Just remembering an important lesson I learned from Invictus.’ ‘Like what?’ said Princess Celestia. Twilight sighed and said ‘When we were at the beach, I told him of the mistakes I made when we were trying to get help from Mount Aris. He told me that I wasn’t an idiot, but I was a failure. And in the end it made me realize that I was just like everypony else.’ Twilight looked at Celestia and said ‘He also told me that Everypony fails to be who they were supposed to be. But the true measure of a person, a hero, a pony or a princess, is how well they succeed into being who they are.’ Twilight looked ahead from the balcony and said ‘And to think back then, all I ever cared about was studying and not caring about making friends. In the end I realized I was wrong. I learned on how to make friends and…’ Twilight blushed as she looked down and smiled ‘Falling in love with somepony.’ Twilight looked at Celestia and said ‘I never even thought about romance long ago. But the moment when I met him, he was really nice and he showed me around. But the more we spent with one another, I felt really attracted to him. And I’ll admit, I was thrown a bit off guard by the kisses a couple of times. But the more I felt his lips, the more I wanted to savor the moment. I…I even fell in love. Spent more time with him.’ She chuckled and said ‘And my friends from Canterlot High were right. What would be the chance I would ever find love during my life. And I hope that when the time is right, he’ll come visit Equestria. And then me to him. I really…’ ‘Enjoyed being on the bedside with him?’ said Princess Celestia with a smirk, causing Twilight to blush madly. ‘What…?’ muttered Twilight as she couldn’t hide the blush from his face. Then she lowered her head and muttered ‘Well…it felt amazing. I never experience it before, let alone in another body.’ Celestia chuckled and said ‘I understand Twilight. I know you have responsibilities to Equestria, but you also need to learn to have some balance in your life. Like Cadance once told you, you may have an obligation as a Princess, but you also need to have an obligation to yourself. If you believe you can make it work, then I will find a way to help arrange that.’ Twilight slowly hugged her teacher and said ‘I really appreciate that. Thank you Princess Celestia.’ ‘You’re welcome Twilight,’ said Princess Celestia with a chuckle. ‘You have a good…’ However, when Twilight saw Princess Luna was about to raise the moon, she remembered what Invictus said, and wanted to prove that theory, which caused her to have a devilish smirk. Twilight stopped Celestia, making the ruling monarch curious of what she had in mind. Twilight suddenly casted a spell that made the moon look like half Swiss cheese with her butt on some parts of the moon, which surprised Celestia. ‘Oh no, Princess Luna,’ said Twilight in a dramatic manner ‘Come quick, somepony has messed with your moon!!’ And within a split second, Princess Luna appeared and said ‘What?!! Who dares defile my moon?!!’ She suddenly went to the balcony and was about to shout, but thankfully Twilight placed a censor spell so that only Princess Luna could hear herself. ‘You ungrateful ***, how dare you mess up my ***, do you have any *** idea how hard I worked on that *** moon, you ***…!!’ Whilst Celestia was slightly aghast by what Luna was doing, Twilight instantly teleported the rest of her friends and Spike to him. ‘Whoa, Twilight, what the hay…?’ said Rainbow Dash. Then they saw Princess Luna cursing to whomever changed her moon, and was cursing, but thankfully had the cursing block spell. ‘Goodness, what is going on?’ said Rarity. ‘Twilight somehow messed with the moon and Luna is raving mad.’ whispered Celestia, which surprised the others. ‘Why in tarnation did y’all do that?!’ said Applejack. The moment when Twilight heard Luna’s ninth cursed word, Twilight said ‘Wait for it.’ Luna then shouted ‘You can go *** your…!!!’ Within a split second, Luna farted really loud that everypony in Ponyville heard her. Luna’s eyes were widened in shock as she blushed in embarrassment, but not as shocked as Princess Celestia, Spike and the rest of Twilight’s friends were when they actually heard something that caught them off guard, thus proving Twilight’s hypothesis, that what Invictus said was true. ‘I…I…’ said Princess Luna as she couldn’t believe what she did. She suddenly heard snickering. When she looked behind, to her shock, it was Princess Celestia, Spike and the Mane 6, all struggling to hold in their laughter. ‘Well…’ muttered Celestia as she could barely contain herself ‘That was…unexpected.’ ‘Now she’s cooking with gas.’ said Pinkie Pie. That did it, they then all started to laugh out loud as they fell over, barely being able to control themselves. ‘Be quiet!!’ shouted Princess Luna in her royal Canterlot voice ‘It is not funny!! Our flatulence acted on its own!!’ They continued to laugh as Luna then said ‘I shall return to Canterlot, don’t wait up!!’ She flew away, completely embarrassed whilst the rest continued to laugh. > Bonus Chapter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been many months since Twilight’s vacation, and shortly after she opened the School of Friendship. Shortly after Twilight got back, she decided to open the school to help teach about friendship, a pony Chancellor attempted to shut it down because of his old beliefs, thinking that they would learn how to use friendship against Equestria. Twilight, with the help of her friends, was able to stand her ground and was able to reopen her school, despite having Neighsay as an enemy that would look for any kind of excuse to shut it down no matter what they tried to prove. And in the end, one of their students, a Pegasus Pony named Cozy Glow, tried to take over. But thanks to their students, Cozy was stopped. However, something else was happening today. Everypony and creature were celebrating a special occasion for some reason. And for good reason, today is the birthday of the Princess of Friendship herself. They were placing decorations and confetti and everything else all over the place. Pretty soon, the party was almost ready. ‘Is everything ready?’ said Pinkie Pie. ‘Almost,’ said Rainbow before she placed the last decoration. Then she smiled with pride and said ‘Now it’s ready.’ ‘Oh, I do hope Twilight likes the surprise.’ said Rarity. ‘Don’t worry Rarity, she will.’ reassured Applejack. ‘Too bad we can’t top something like this.’ said Starlight. ‘Excuse me.’ They looked and saw that it was Sunset Shimmer, but in her pony form. ‘Oh, Sunset.’ said Starlight as she walked over to Sunset and gave her a hug ‘You made it.’ ‘Wouldn’t miss Twilight’s birthday for anything.’ said Sunset before she broke the hug. ‘Also, I overheard you talking about not being able to top the surprise.’ She suddenly smirked and said ‘I can top that.’ ‘Really?’ said Fluttershy ‘With what?’ She stepped aside and revealed a new pony walking in, which shocked the said ponies when they saw an unusual pony walking in. ************************************************************************************************ Shortly after that, Twilight was looking around the school to see where her friends were. ‘That’s weird,’ said Twilight as she looked around ‘Where did everypony go?’ The moment she opened the door ahead of her, the lights were suddenly switched on. ‘Surprise!!!’ Twilight was taken aback by this, as she sees all of her friends and many others gathered for her birthday. ‘Oh, you guys.’ said Twilight as she was teary eyed. She went over to hug her friends and they her. ‘Thanks for setting all this up.’ ‘No problem Twilight,’ said Pinkie Pie in her excited tone. ‘When it comes to parties, I never fail to disappoint.’ ‘I just can’t imagine that this would be any better than this.’ said Twilight. ‘Oh, it is.’ said a familiar Unicorn who entered the room. ‘Sunset?’ said Twilight surprised ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘Well I figured that since it’s your birthday today,’ said Sunset ‘I figured I’d pop over to see how everything’s going.’ ‘Well with you here it’s going really well.’ said Twilight, but then she asked ‘So how can it be better than this?’ Sunset merely smirked and slowly stepped away. From there, was a familiar pony with light black mane and green fur, with his Cutie Mark being what appeared to be a scroll of sorts. But this one was different, this pony had both wings and a horn, much to Twilight’s surprise. However, when he sang, did she immediately recognize him. (Invictus) All those days, chasing down a daydream All those years, living in a blur All that time, never truly seeing things The way they were Twilight was slowly teary eyed as she immediately recognized him and smiled whilst she slowly moved over towards him. (Invictus) Now she’s here, shining in the starlight Now she’s here, suddenly I’m not If she’s here, it’s crystal clear I’m where I meant to go Both Twilight and Invictus held one another’s hooves, both of them smiling whilst Twilight was shedding tears of joy. (Invictus and Twilight) And at last I see, the light (Invictus) And it’s like, the fog has lifted (Invictus and Twilight) And at last I see the light (Twilight) And it’s like, the sky is new (Invictus and Twilight) And it’s warm and real and bright And the world has somehow shifted Both Twilight and Invictus moved their heads closer to one another, staring in one another’s eyes, whilst many except some, were shedding tears as if they were watching a soap story, with Rarity seem to be getting into this too. (Invictus and Twilight) All at once, everything is different Now that I see you Now that I…see you Both Twilight and Invictus placed their heads against one another and nuzzled, this was truly a great moment for her. Knowing that no matter how far you go, no matter what world you’re from, love can find you anywhere as long as you believe. ***************************************************************************************************** Later that night, the party had come to an end, but Invictus decided to spend the night with Twilight, for it is still her day until it’s over in a few hours. Invictus walked into the room where Twilight personally guided him. Both of them slowly sat down onto the bed whilst they looked at one another. ‘Thank you…for coming here today.’ said Twilight smiling. ‘You’re welcome, my princess.’ said Invictus as he held her hoof. Both of them kept staring at one another, with smiles on their faces. ‘I love you Invictus.’ said the Princess of Friendship. ‘I love you too Twilight.’ said Invictus. The two then locked lips with one another and held one another close, savoring the kiss before the two collapsed onto the bed. Truly, this was the greatest day ever for Twilight, and Invictus kept his promise. Truly, this was…the best of both worlds.