I: An angel's fall

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I sit here in my private chambers in Heaven City, looking into the mirror that permits us angels to watch over mankind. I feel nothing but great disappointment in how humans continue to treat one another and think to myself, 'Why can't you all just get along with each other.' I turn my gaze from the mirror as I find myself tired of watching their behavior and cast my gaze around my room, feeling thankful that we each get our own space in the vast city.

The walls in my room are white with a few paintings depicting a few moments where they all intervened in man's history, I look away from the paintings as I feel even more disappointed at how we only do small acts to assist mankind, turning my eyes to glance around at my furniture. A light grey comfortable recliner sits in one corner next to a light brown bookshelf to the right of it with a light brown table to the other side, a lamp protrudes from the wall on a pair of arms that have a degree of movement so that the light can be moved to where it is needed. The wall in front of the chair is occupied by a small flat screen tv that only picks only two channels, for prayer and overseeing humans..

With neither option interesting me, I make my way to the chair in the corner opposite the tv and tuck my wings away underneath my white toga with bronze clasps holding the top together before I sit down in it, then look at the bookshelf to my right and look at a few titles that catch my eye thinking, 'I'm glad that Father remodeled heaven to look more organized, every angel and soul here gets their own space. One can only handle laying around on a cloud with nothing to do for so long.'

I then pick up one of the books with a title that reads, 'Noah's Challenges' and begin to read the book as I start feeling restless for some reason and think, 'What is wrong with me, why am I feeling restless?' As I close the book and put it away, I lift up my right leg and rest my ankle just behind the knee of my left leg, then set my right elbow onto the armrest and raise my palm upward and rest my face against it as I try to figure out what is going on.

It takes me a few hours to finally understand what is going on as I sigh and think, 'I see now...I'm bored of this. Perhaps a flight around the city will do me some good and rid me of this unwelcome feeling.' As I rise up out of the chair, I make my way over to the door and bring my wings back out.

I open the door and look out through the door to see a large, pure white stone hall with a white marble floor so clean that it could function as a mirror. As I walk through my open door and into the hall, I look to my left to see a few other angels walking around and going about their assigned tasks. I then turn my body to the left and start heading down the hall, making sure to keep my wings close to my body to avoid brushing them against the others' wings and inadvertently bending or even possibly damaging any feathers.

I smile and nod my head to the others as we pass each other, saying either their name or calling them brother or sister. We all may not literally be family by creation, but we are all trained as soldiers to fight the forces of hell.

*Five minutes later*

As I finally arrive at the massive flight square, I make my way toward one of the four available takeoff points that angels can use to take flight while glancing at the other side. On the other side, are four landing points that angels can use to return to the ground.

I stop and stand on the lower left pad and stretch out my large, black wings having flecks of gold scattered randomly through the fibers of each and every feather. Raising my wings up, I give them a flap and rise up into the air.

My wings take me higher and higher into the skies above Heaven City with each powerful flap, the wind moving past my face and ruffling my long, past-shoulder length black hair. I enjoy the feeling of flying through the air as I try to think of a way to deal with my boredom, deciding that I might find a few trespassing demons on earth causing a little trouble while doing a patrol.

With an idea in mind, I head over to the armory to gather some armor and a sword for my journey there. Deciding against taking my assigned holy spear because I shouldn't cause too much of a commotion and risk getting noticed by the humans.

As I fly through the air, I look around at the various buildings from various cultures around the world. There are many from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and even Antarctica. I then look down at the streets below and see human souls wandering the streets, greeting each other and getting along peacefully.

I land in a flight square closest to the armory and then make my way there thinking, 'Surely there must be some way that I can get mankind to get along with each other as they do in this city...'

*At the armory, Five minutes later*

Anuram sits on his chair behind a table reading 'A Tale of Wrath by Josiah' when he hears the door open followed by footsteps entering the building, making him mark his spot then set the book down and looks up to see who entered his building. He sees that it is someone he hasn't seen in a few years and says with a Pakistani accent, "Well well, if it isn't Galadriel. I have not seen you in many a year brother, how fare thee today, and what brings you to the armory?"

I look up to him, seeing my brother with light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and chin-length light brown hair with wings like that of an owl having mostly brown feathers with a few small white spots spread through the wings and respond, "Well brother, I was in my chambers and I got bored, so I was going to go out and patrol Earth for any demons to cure my boredom."

He chuckles and nods his head saying, "I understand your state, for it also affects me at times. I find soaring through the skies of India and Egypt to be very helpful with that issue, though I believe you may find something else more suitable." He then gestures to the armor issued to those who go out on scheduled patrols and says, "Take a set of light, heavy armor and pick out a melee weapon and a ranged weapon with you before you head out. Be cautious, I have heard that there have been more demon sightings lately."

As I make my way to the light, heavy armor, I nod and say, "Thank you for telling me, brother, I shall keep alert when I am down on Earth. Tell me, do you think it would be best to take my assigned spear or a regular one?"

Anuram raises a finger to his hairless face and strokes his chin in thought for a few moments saying, "Hmm, good question."

After several seconds pass, he answers, "I think it wise to take it. With demon sightings being more frequent, one never knows what one may find on Earth's surface. If you should ever need aid, send a prayer and we shall answer, brother."

I remove my toga and begin to put the white, silken underlayer on first before putting the armor on saying, "Okay, I shall heed your advice, brother. I will be sure to do that should I find myself in need of assistance."

He then goes back to reading his book, letting him continue to don his armor in privacy. As he continues to read he thinks, 'I sure hope that the end times are not upon us yet, because I rather enjoy my flights down on Earth.'

A few minutes pass as I finish putting my shin guards over my sandals, looking my armor over one last time before grabbing a white, wooden bow with a glowing yellow string of holy light with a silver handgrip and setting it aside to grab a quiver full of 50 shining silver arrows. I put my left arm through the strap and move it over my head to sling it on my right shoulder so I can draw them when I need to, then grab the bow and set it into its place on the quiver and will it to vanish. I then make my way to a large wall containing the weapons assigned to certain angels and pull mine from its place, then set one end of the double-bladed spear on the ground and look it over.

As I look my spear over, I examine the white wooden handle with gold strips crisscrossing it to a joint in the center where the spear can be split if needed. I see nothing wrong and move on to either end of the spear, seeing the gold strips merge into an upside-down T shape to hold the shining silver blades forged into the holder. As nothing appears damaged, I lift the spear off of the ground and lay it against my shoulder and head for the door saying, "Light guard you, brother."

Anuram looks up from his book and smiles at his brother saying, "May father's love be with you on your journey." and returns to where he left off.

*At Heaven City's golden gates*

Michael stands guard beside his brother beside the golden gates of Heaven City, as they lay open to let worthy souls into the city to find eternal peace. He watches Gabriel test each soul before allowing them to approach the gates and says, "Watching over the gates to Heaven is my favorite task, how about you Gabe?"

Gabriel looks at his brother briefly and scoffs in annoyance saying, "I don't mind it really, I would much rather be out on patrol with the others." He then turns to the approaching soul of a young woman appearing to be in her early teens and asks, "What do you seek in heaven, young one?"

The young teen sobs and says, "I seek nothing in heaven, I want to go back home and see my mother!"

The older brother turns his gaze to the young teen standing before Gabriel and asks, "I apologize little one, but that is not possible anymore because your life has ended on Earth."

The realization hits the young teen hard as she falls to her knees and places both her palms over her eyes as she weeps into them saying, "It's...it's all...their fault...I'm here."

The younger brother looks down at her in concern and kneels down while holding onto his spear, asking, "It's all who's fault young one?"

She then cries harder and says, "It was a group of humans wearing dark-colored robes that sent me here. I felt a sharp pain as one of them stabbed me, but it faded and I started to feel cold. Please send me back, I want to see my mother!"

Michael sighs heavily and looks at his brother and says, "So it begins, brother."

Gabriel lets out a sigh as well and says, "It appears so." He then looks at the young teen and gives her a hug saying, "It is sad you met such an end, but you must first come to terms with your passing so that you may find peace. You won't be able to talk or interact directly with humans, because they have not yet reached that point and you shall be but a ghost. Now go young one, and make peace before returning here to move on." He releases her and gently pushes her away, using his ability to send her back down to Earth.

The young teen continues to cry saying, "I never had the chance to have my first kiss or meet a boy I like, at least allow me to speak to my mother!"

I approach the tall gates and watch as the soul of a young teen passes through the floor with her hand reaching out to grab them, then shift my gaze to my older brothers Michael and Gabriel. The older of my two older brothers has medium tanned skin, pure white wings shaped like a dove's with silver spots scattered throughout them in very few places, golden hair, and blue eyes. The younger of the two has auburn hair, and green eyes with dark grey wings shaped like a crow's then ask them both, "Greetings my brothers, how do you both fare this day?"

Michael turns his gaze to who just spoke and sees who it is saying, "Light's blessings upon you brother Galadriel, the day is going by just fine. The young soul that was here a moment ago needed to find peace on Earth before moving on met an untimely end due to robed humans." He takes note of what he is wearing and cocks his head curiously and asks, "What brings you here in light armor, brother?"

I watch as Gabriel turns to look at me for a brief moment before returning to his task of testing souls and then shift my gaze to Michael and chuckle saying, "I was in my chambers and felt restless, so I picked up Noah's Challenges and tried to get into it. Unfortunately, it didn't work so I then decided that perhaps a patrol down on Earth would cure my boredom. I was also hoping to possibly come across some demons so that I could fight and return them to hell."

Gabriel laughs briefly before turning to look at his younger brother Galadriel saying, "Oh you remind me of how I was so many eons ago, do be cautious, brother."

The older brother watches his much younger brother closely before speaking with a serious tone in his voice, narrowing his eyes slightly and saying, "Very well little brother, but be mindful. It appears that the End of Days is going to start soon, do not let yourself get noticed by the humans or there will be father to pay for interfering with his plan."

I nod my head at his word of warning saying, "Thank you, big brother, your warning shall be heeded. I will send out a prayer if I should need aid in fighting, though I think it is unlikely that I will encounter any of the more powerful fallen ones."

Michael nods his head, acknowledging what he said and replies, "Wise idea little brother, I shall listen for your prayer and respond myself if necessary. Now go forth and begin your patrol to cure your boredom, return when you are ready."

I smile and walk through the gates and past the line of human souls waiting to be seen, closing my eyes and taking a breath while concentrating on passing through the stone flooring. I stand off to the side of the gates and bring my wings close to my body behind my back, taking one step with my right foot and then leap forth off of it. With my left leg in front of my body and my right leg stretched out behind me, I feel my body pass through the protective barrier separating Heaven City from the eyes of all humans.

As I feel the wind in my hair, I open my eyes to be greeted by the blackness of a night sky and unfurl my wings. I flap my wings to arrest my fall, angling them enough to bring myself into a hover so I can get my bearings. I look down at the surface of Earth when I catch sight of the shadowy form of the young teen my brother mentioned moments ago, deciding that it would be good to assist her to begin dealing with my boredom.

The young girl sobs while she falls back to Earth, feeling great sorrow at not being able to hold her mother ever again or hang out with her friends and thinks, 'How will I come to terms with being dead, I don't understand what it is I need to do.' Just then she hears something fly past her and feels something warm and loving touching her ghostly form, opening her eyes to see herself in the arms of a very large angel having pale skin, long black hair cascading over his shoulders, and a pair of black wings. The one feature that captivates her attention most, however, are his brilliant amber eyes that seem to almost glow in the dark and quietly asks, "A-are you here to take me to hell mister angel?"

I cradle the young teenage girl in my arms and shake my head saying, "No I am not, little girl. I came here to Earth to find something to take care of my boredom, and that is when I noticed your shadowy form. Pray tell child, concentrate on what disturbs you most deep inside. Push past the surface desires of physical interaction and bare what most troubles your very soul."

She looks away and closes her eyes to try to concentrate, finally speaking after several seconds of silence saying, "I think that it would have to be that those bad, robed people may not be punished for what they have done."

I then look down at the earth in thought and ask, "Am I correct in assuming that you wish them to receive a just punishment for their crime?"

The young teenage girl looks back up at the angel's head and sees the glowing yellow ring of light around their head and nods saying, "Yes, I am not the only girl they held captive. I don't know where they kept us because they put a hood over our heads when they came for us, they then stripped us and bound us to something cold. Only after that, did they remove the hood and stab me."

I narrow my eyes at hearing what happened to her and ask, "Young one, can you guide me to where these foul deeds happened?"

She tries to think of where she was and then remembers what she saw before dying, then says, "Yes, it was at an abandoned church that was falling apart due to age somewhere around Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I don't know where it is exactly."

At hearing what the group was doing to other young girls, my anger rises a bit as I use my concentration to maintain a level head. I then look at her and give her a warm smile then say, "Why don't we go pay these bad sinners a visit, and give them their punishment for defiling a holy place with their evil deeds."

The young teenage girl smiles gently back and says, "I hope then I will find peace, I really don't want to wander town as a ghost."

I then angle my wings and make my way toward the state of Pennsylvania and say, do you know the story of Cain and Abel from the bible young one?"

She nods her head and says, "That's the story of how God favored Abel's offerings over Cain's, so Cain became jealous and killed his brother Abel."

As I flap my wings even harder, I nod and say, "Did you know that Philadelphia's nickname as the 'City of Brotherly Love' was inspired by my dad to serve as a warning? Though nowadays it serves only as a cruel joke, which is rather sad really."

The young teen girl chuckles softly and says, "I did not know that, but it appears that God does have a sense of humor."

I chuckle and nod my head saying, "Oh father really does have a sense of humor if a bit strange."

*Ten minutes later, at the abandoned church*

The crazed priest holds the knife over his head with the blade pointing down at the naked young teenage girl bound to the altar before him, ignoring her screaming, and says, "Oh master Lucifer, please accept our offering of unspoiled virgin flesh. We offer up their souls to you oh magnificent one, send up one of your followers to guide us into cleansing the Earth of the stench of mankind. They care not for the harm they do to each other, and poison the environment they inhabit. Begin your incursion unto this world and destroy it all, the time for life on the planet to end has come at last. SOUND THE HORNS OF DAMNATION MASTER, AMEN!" and brings his arms down swiftly, driving the dagger into the screaming girl's heart and finishing the ritual as a wicked smile crosses his face while he begins to laugh maniacally.

I land on the ground and violently kick the doors open, causing both doors to come off the hinges and fall to the floor as the screaming fades away. I then set the young girl down and say, "Gather up the girls that were here and get them to the closest church you can find, they will be ghosts like you. I need to deal with those bad men first, then I shall come find you."

She quickly nods her head and quietly says, "My name is Lauraine, but my friends called me Laura. Be safe mister angel, I will look for the others now." then rushes off and phases through one of the church's side doors leading to another room.

The priest spins around in shock at hearing the heavy doors land on the floor with a heavy, echoing bang and sees the form of a being 12 feet tall with pale skin, black wings, and long black hair standing inside of the double doors. His eyes dart upward to the being's face and see a pair of brilliant amber eyes and a glowing ring of yellow light hovering above his head and shouts to the robed men and women around him while gesturing a bony forefinger toward the being, "Kill that wretched angel or everything will be wasted and the world will not be cleansed!"

As I look at the altar behind the priest, I see the corpse of another naked female teen bound to it. The altar has a pentagram centered around it on the floor with the circle drawn around it, an inverted metal cross dangles from a chain fastened to the ceiling meant for a chandelier over the altar. I also see numerous robed humans rushing towards me with daggers and a couple of handguns, I take a knee and pull out my hidden spear. I will it to take its rightful form and glare at the humans and bellow, "How dare you humans defile one of my father's houses, repent your sins now and be shown mercy!"

One of the robed figure's hands tremble at facing an actual angel armed with a double-bladed spear and screams in a female voice, "HOLY SHIT, ANGELS DO EXIST! KILL IT AND SELL IT TO A SCIENCE LABORATORY, WE WILL BE RICH!"

I move my right wing around my arm and in front of me to serve as a shield, willing my wings to become harder than metal saying, "Your pitiful weapons have little chance of causing me harm, humans. Cease your violent acts now and I shall spare your lives."

The robed female screams at the angel, "Fuck you! Not once did any of you angels help me or my family as a gang took my two babies and raped my oldest daughter and me in front of a wall-sized mirror! When they came at the end, they slit my son and husband's throats! Before they left my house, they tied me to a post and gagged my daughter! Then one of them threw her over his shoulder and said 'Thanks for a good time, slut.' and walked out the door! I pray and hope that Heaven loses the fight against hell because I hate every single God damned one of you sons of bitches! NOW DIE!" and proceeds to fire her 9mm handgun at them.

As the other figures get closer to me, time seems to slow down as I go after the female shooting at me first. I pull my wing back behind me then hold the spear at my side horizontally, and jump to the right as she tries to follow me with her aim. I then rush forward and dart around her as she tries to spin around to shoot me while taking a few steps backward, only succeeding in taking two more shots that both miss me as I thrust my spear into her chest.

One of the other robed figures changes his direction and charges after the angel, not able to get out of the way when the female's corpse is hurled off of the end of the spear towards him at a high speed. Her corpse slams into him, forcing the dagger from his hand as air is driven out of his lungs. He flies backward and slams into a stone column, causing a spiderweb of cracks to appear in it and race up throughout the column saying, "Oh shit..." before the column shatters into pieces and crushes his body.

I don't pay attention to the crumbling column as I rush towards my next opponents, both wielding daggers while I start twirling my spear in front of me, shifting it from one hand to the other. Without missing a second, I grasp the spear and use the blade on one end to cut upward diagonally to the left, cutting the figure in half. As the two halves begin falling to the ground with the guts being the first to race towards the ground, I shift the spear in my hands and use the yet unused end of the spear to cut the other one in half upward diagonally to the right. I watch as the rest of the dozen or so humans circle around me and just shake my head, holding the spear horizontal and turn the blade parallel to the ground, then spin myself around in a circle quickly. I stop my spin and stand up straight, facing the last robed figure, and slowly begin walking towards them.

The crazed priest tries to back away from the approaching angel but is stopped by the sacrificial altar behind him and shouts, "I prayed and prayed for assistance in saving this church, but he never answered! Not when a group of thugs broke in and stole the communion bread and wine, not when thieves broke in and stole everything that was of monetary value. NOT EVEN WHEN THEY CAME BACK AND SET FIRE TO IT! HEAVEN NEVER ANSWERED MY PRAYERS, SO HEAVEN MAY AS WELL NOT EXIST AT ALL SO WHY NOT CALL ON SOMEONE TO JUST END IT ALL!" He laughs maniacally as the angel's hand falls upon his head and flings him up into the air.

I then watch as the priest's body spins end over end and then thrust my spear towards him and sing, "Glory, Glory, what a hell of a way to die, with a spear up your ass and its blade coming out your mouth."

The pentagram on the floor glows bright red as a deep voice chuckles and says, "That was quite amusing angel, it's not every day that I am entertained by my sworn enemy..."

I look around in alarm for where the voice is coming from, unable to locate the form it belongs to and then ask, "What is your name demon!?"

The voice laughs at that and says, "Well...I'm not really a demon per se. I suppose the politically correct term for me would be 'Fallen Angel', and my name happens to be none other than...Lucifer. I am rather bored of talking to a flying pigeon such as you, so how 'bout you entertain one of my close subordinates..."

As I watch the pentagram glow brighter, I fling the dead priest off my spear and jump back a little ways to watch who the devil sends as a large, inky black pool emerges from underneath the dead female teen's corpse and fills the circle drawn around the points of the pentagram.

A large, four-fingered claw shoots up out of the liquid, followed by a scaly arm with a spike growing out of the elbow and lands on the ground, causing the building to tremble and dust to fall from the rafters. As another large claw emerges from the pool and joins the other, causing a few stones to fall from the wall and more dust to fall from the ceiling.

I watch as a creature's head emerges from the pool next, having a head like a dragon's and the neck of a snake. My eyes go wide as I realize what...or rather who is coming through the open portal. I stab my spear into the ground and place my palms together with my fingers pointed upwards and pray in my mind, saying, 'Heaven above, to any of my older brothers in Heaven City. I pray that I may receive aid in this time of need, for the Fallen Angel known as Leviathan is rising from a portal.'

At the gates of Heaven City

Michael and Gabriel both hear Galadriel's prayer for aid and look at each other as Michael releases a sad sigh saying, "You stay here and let none of our brothers or sisters respond to the prayer and come to earth, direct interaction with humans on Earth is forbidden. Our brother will be punished if he violated the rules limiting our interactions with humans, I pray that he did not break any of those rules, for they carry a steep punishment. I will be back to continue my shift brother, continue with your task." He then walks up to the open gate beside him and takes hold of it, then pulls it behind him as he walks away from Heaven City.

Gabriel watches as his brother Michael releases the gate when it closes, then the gate starts to glow with Heaven's holy light once more as it locks into place and says to him, "Be alert on Earth brother Michael, and don't be too hard on our baby brother."

Michael chuckles at hearing that and says, "He's too old to be called a baby, but I do think that since he is our younger brother, we can keep teasing him. Farewell for now, I shall return after we deal with the Fallen Angel on Earth." He then takes a few steps and leaps off his right foot, then passes through the floor to go help his brother. As he falls through the skies above the North American continent and closes his eyes then responds, 'I am on my way to assist you brother, where are you?'

At the abandoned church in Philadelphia

I hear the response and place my palms together in prayer again and silently say, 'Thank you brother, my location is at an abandoned church just outside of Philadelphia. I will keep the beast busy until you arrive, then defeat it together. We need to find a way to destroy it or Lucifer may come through with hell's legions behind him.'

Michael sighs and flaps his wings hard, trying to get to the city as quickly as he can while responding, 'Okay brother, we will deal with it when I get there shortly.'

Leviathan opens his eyes and looks at the angel standing before him with his spear at the ready, roaring out in anger before taking a deep breath and exhaling it as flame. He breathes fire towards the angel as it shields itself with its wings

I guard myself against the flames with my wings, feeling them starting to get a little hot. A flap of wings alerts me to the arrival of an angel, causing me to turn and look behind me. I see my brother Michael jump off to the side of the flames and charge the beast from the left side, thrusting one end of his single-bladed spear into the side of Leviathan's neck.

The Fallen Angel roars out in agony as the weapon's holy nature burns his demonic flesh and thrashes his head side to side, trying to dislodge the spear thrust into his neck. He continues to try to get the upper hand by using his wings to fly up into the air, causing one of the church's walls to collapse outward as the roof falls down upon him as the church steeple follows shortly after with the bell ringing away as it tumbles towards the ground. He feels the spear pull out of his neck, granting him a brief moment to pull himself free of the debris pile saying, "I remember when you cast Lucifer out, then it was my turn shortly after. You made my sins manifest and take form, making me look as I do now. Oh, I am going to love tearing you both to pieces!"

Michael flies up into the air and watches as the other side of the wall falls away as Leviathan knocks it down in an attempt to get out from under the debris, then flies out in front of him a little ways and holds his spear firmly and calls out, "Back to Hell with you Leviathan, we shall have our war...but not today!" and charges forth, ramming his spear into the base of Leviathan's neck and flapping his wings as hard as he can, lifting the creature's front half off of the ground and then pushes his spear forward and tipping him over into the open portal.

Leviathan lands on his back, beginning to sink back through the portal and says, "We most certainly will, wretched pigeon!"

I watch as Leviathan sinks back through the portal, feeling relieved that the fight did not get any worse. As more of him sinks through, I look up to Michael and bow my head saying, "Thank you for coming to my aid brother, I would not have done as well as you against this foe."

The older brother looks around at the dead humans, then looks at the dead priest and hangs his head forward slightly and shakes it side to side saying, "You caused things to come this far because you slew the humans, I am none too pleased with you now brother." He then feels an all-encompassing feeling of love wash over him as he hears a deep, yet gentle voice fill his mind saying, "I must speak with my child, bring them before me when their task is done down there." It fades away and he turns to look at his brother saying, "Once you are finished here, return to Heaven City... Our father must speak with you. I shall wait for you in the sky above this church, don't take too long or I will come drag you back."

I nod my head, understanding that I am likely going to be punished for what happened here saying, "Okay brother, I shall be back in twenty minutes then. I must go assist a few souls before my task here is done." I then take off to begin searching for where those other souls have gone.

Lauraine leads the other souls towards a church a half-mile away from the abandoned church when she hears the flapping of a large pair of wings come from behind her, making her turn around quickly to see that it is the black-winged angel from before and smiles widely, saying, "Hi mister angel, did you punish those mean humans?"

I kneel down and look at the teen spirit's face and nod my head saying, "I have little one, are you all ready to say your goodbyes to your loved ones and pass on to the next life?" I watch as each of the female teens' spirits smile and eagerly nod their heads yes and pick up the first one saying, "Now guide me to where your home is. When you are ready to speak to your parents, look at me and nod your head. I will then enable you to only speak to them, the words to speak will just feel right so just speak whatever you need to. If you feel relaxed and peaceful, it means you can move on." I then look at the others and say, "I shall return to this spot for the rest of you, don't wander too far because I do not have much time to help you." and then take off as they nod their heads in understanding.

It takes me five minutes to fly back and forth between their homes around the city when I get to the last soul and say, "Well Lauraine, it's finally your turn to say goodbye and move on. Are you ready to go?" I then lean forward and pick her up in my arms and stand back up.

She smiles and nods her head saying, "My house is white and blue with a swing in the yard and a single story where my mother and I live." She then points her finger towards the Northeast and says, "It is on the corner of an intersection and has railroad tracks running behind it so it will be easy for you to spot."

I nod and head off in that direction quickly, landing right outside of the house and will myself to be invisible to her mother and knock on the door. The first thing I hear are hurried footsteps racing towards the door, followed by it almost nearly ripped off its hinges by a frantic mother and use my angelic power to soothe her worries slightly saying, "I apologize for the late hour, but your daughter lost her life tonight and she wishes to say goodbye before moving on." I ignore the mother's words and shouts, then speak to Lauraine and say, "I am going to do something that I shouldn't really do, let your mother actually see you and say goodbye."

Lauraine's smile gets wider as she looks behind her at the angel and says, "Thank you, mister angel. I am ready, so please go ahead so mommy can see me." She then looks up to her mother and waits for her eyes to look down at her.

I lay my hands upon her shoulders and take a calming breath, then close my eyes and use some of my power to give her enough of a form for her mother to actually perceive her existence and say, "Okay Lauraine, you may begin in about five seconds."

The mother's face has confusion all over it as other emotions overwhelm her as a yellow glow begins to appear before her, illuminating the sidewalk leading away from the open door and some of the green grass on either side of it, as a faint haze starts taking the form of a young teenage girl about 13, having long auburn hair and green eyes. Recognizing the appearance as her daughter, she refuses to believe that this is really happening and shouts, "How dare you try to trick me, devil!"

She giggles and shakes her head saying, "He is not evil mommy, he punished the bad men that took me and ended my life. I know you try to hide the Thin Mints you buy from the Girl Scouts in the small freezer behind the bags of frozen veggies, and you always wonder why you get to have so few...hehe."

The mother places a hand over her mouth and collapses to her knees as she realizes this is really her daughter as her eyes well up with tears that spill from the corners and run down her face saying in a broken voice on the verge of crying, "Lauraine...m-my little girl...is that...is that really you?"

Lauraine smiles and nods again saying, "Sorry mother but I can't talk long, mister angel has things to do. Don't worry about me because I'm going to be in a much better place, I promise that I will be happy there. You should find happiness with someone you love mom, that way you will ease up on those awful tv dinners when you come home from work late.

I then continue focusing on using my power and say, "I am nearly at my limit for allowing this to happen, are you almost finished little one?"

She then nods her head and says, "Yes mister angel I am, just need to say a couple more things and I will be finished."

The mother sees a pair of glowing white hands laying on her daughter's shoulders and says, "I will do my best to try to find someone new, but it will have to wait a little while as I need some time to mourn your passing." She then looks just over her daughter's head and says, "I can't see you angel, but thank you for doing this for me and my daughter."

I look at her and shake my head saying, "I do not do this for praise or thanks, I just want to do what is right and what should be done. Be sure you don't tell others that you actually spoke to a real angel or what happened tonight because that will just cause a lot of trouble for you. I have seen it before countless times, and it always ends in misery."

Lauraine then looks at her mother one more time saying, "I love you mother, I will see you whenever your time is finished on earth. I want you to live your life so you have no regrets when it is your turn to join me in heaven, goodbye mama."

I release a heavy sigh as I let my power rest and remove my hands from her shoulders saying, "That is all I can handle, little one. I must go now."

The mother watches her daughter's form fade away as she places her palms over her eyes and weeps for the loss of her daughter sobbing, "Mommy loves you too sweetie."

She nods her head saying, "It is alright, I feel relaxed and at peace now."

I look down at her and say, "That means you are ready to move on to your next life, it also means that I need to get going myself little one. My actions here have gotten me into a little trouble, but it is not more than what I can handle. Enjoy your new peaceful life little one." I then turn and walk away, then spread my wings and flap them.

As I leave the ground, I start to head to where my brother Michael is. I let my mind wander at what my punishment will be for my actions on Earth. Before I realize it, I return to the abandoned church and see my brother hovering a fair distance above it. I fly up to him and say, "I am ready to face father's wrath brother, let's go."

God's throne room in Heaven City Citadel

God sighs as he ponders what to do about Galadriel's actions on earth, playing back the events that took place just before he flew around heaven. He continues to watch them play out to the very end, causing him to raise a few fingers on his right and left hands to the sides of his head to massage his temples thinking, 'Oh what shall I do to punish my child and help them understand the burden I bear...' He stops massaging and quietly mumbles, "My burden...hmmm." He continues to think on that and runs the fingers of his right hand through his thick, long, white beard and says, "Perhaps I could let him experience at least some of my power...but how should I punish him?"

He sits there and taps the fingers of his left hand on the armrest of his throne and scans through the lives of past and present living humans as an idea enters his mind, causing him to laugh silently as it will be quite amusing for him though will be an ordeal for his child as well as a test saying, "I think this latest idea of mine might work out, if given enough time to come to fruition."

As God continues to fine-tune his plan, he sighs regretfully that he must punish one of his children so harshly thinking, 'It pains me to have to expel one of my beloved angels for violating the rules, but it must be done or all my hard work with Mankind will go to waste.' He hears the throne room doors open up and looks forward in his chair to see his oldest child and the finest warrior leading his younger brother Galadriel down the soft red carpet and puts his regal face on to hide how he is currently feeling, saying, "I have been expecting you, Galadriel and Michael." He then turns his gaze to the younger brother and sighs saying, "I saw your actions today and I am not happy with you breaking the rules I set forth with interacting with man, you broke three of those rules my child. The rules you broke were: One. Any direct interaction with man is forbidden, only indirect actions may be made; Two. While down on Earth among man, you must not be seen by them in your angelic form; and Three. You must not speak directly to humans." He then sighs and sits up straight in his throne, then says, "For breaking three of those rules, you must be punished." He then shifts his eyes to Michael, who is on one knee beside his brother, who is also on one knee and says, "Michael, you shall deal the first punishment. Rise to your feet and take hold of your spear, then use it to shatter the bones at the base of his wings. Once that is done, you are to place a curse upon the injury to block holy healing at those two points."

Michael nods his head solemnly and rises to his feet, taking his spear into his hands and turns towards his brother and says, "I am sorry for this brother, but I must obey father." He then picks it up and angles the blunt end of the spear at the base of his wings, then thrusts it down on each of them hard enough to shatter the bones there. He winces slightly as he hears the sickening crack of bone breaking, with one wing falling to the floor limp as he brings the base of his spear down on the other wing. The other wing falls to the floor uselessly as he then turns his spear around and lays the tip of the blade against the shattered base of his left wing, pushing the tip into it hard enough to draw blood then channels Heaven's power into the spear to curse it against holy healing.

God watches as Michael places the last curse upon his right wing base and then raises his left hand and holds his palm towards Galadriel and says, "As punishment for your next crime, the tips of your feathers will each be forever colored red to remind you that all life is sacred...no matter how big or small the being is."

I push past the searing pain in my wings as they begin to feel itchy as their coloration is altered, closing my eyes to wait for the rest of my punishment to be dealt.

He then rises from his throne and says, "Your third and final punishment is mine to deal as well, you shall be cast out of heaven and Earth. It is rather severe because you interfered with my plans for humanity, so come with me to the tower, child. I have a gift to give you for aiding those souls in finding peace. My gift to you is the ability to create at will, as well as being able to change your body as you see fit." He then looks to his oldest child and says, "Thank you for coming my child, you may return to your duties."

As I rise to my feet, I hear my brother whisper to me, "I am sorry, my brother." I then look behind me as he continues walking past and say, "Don't be, brother, I brought this upon myself." I return my gaze to the front of me and begin following father, with my wings dragging on the ground behind me as he walks around his throne, waving his hand in the air to make a pair of large, white doors open up before us.

God walks out onto the balcony and waves his hand to make a section of it sink down towards the floor saying, "Stand before me and receive your final gifts from me before I cast you out."

I then walk up to the space as father stands to the left and turn to face him as tears trail down his face and say, "Don't cry father, I should not have broken your rules. It is my fault that my actions led me to this spot, I do not regret aiding the souls of those girls find peace."

He smiles faintly at hearing that and raises his palm into the air, closing his hand as he opens his hand to reveal a glowing white and gold powder in the center of his palm. He gently blows across his hand, sending the powder flying gently into his face. As the powder leaves his hand, he lowers his palm and says, "Those are my last two gifts to you, my son. Now repent your sins and learn from your mistakes in your new life, for you shall lose your angelic form forever once you leave Heaven." He reaches forward and makes his child face the edge, then grabs him by the back of the neck and raises him into the air and shouts, "Now begone from this sacred place, foul sinner!" He brings him back and channels his almighty power into his hand, surrounding Galadriel with a bright white aura and hurls him from the balcony. He watches as the aura transforms into a blazing inferno, blazing a trail through the sky as he plummets from Heaven, turning around and returns to his throne after watching his child fade from sight.

Lauraine watches as a ball of fire races away from the tall tower in the distance and notices a new angel approaching the closed gate and asks, "What was that ball of fire I saw a few moments ago?"

Michael reopens the gate and says, "An angel being cast out of heaven for breaking the rules."

Gabriel's gaze shoots over to his older brother in shock and trails off saying, "Brother, do you mean to say that..."

He nods to his slightly younger brother and nods his head solemnly saying, "I do, brother. Our younger brother Galadriel was cast out with broken and stained wings."

She approaches the older angel and asks, "I must offer him my thanks for helping me move on, tell me where I can find him!"

Michael looks at her curiously for a moment before saying, "You were here earlier, unfortunately, I do not know where father has banished him."

Gabriel looks at her and uses his powers to examine the soul for any unfinished business and says, "What do you seek in heaven, young one?"

Lauraine then looks at him and answers, "I seek to move to the next life, and to give thanks to the long, dark-haired angel with black wings and amber eyes that helped me say goodbye to my mother."

He then nods and lets her pass by saying, "I am sorry young one, for it is too late. He has already been cast down from heaven, only my father can tell you where he was sent."

She then nods her head and says, "Then I wish to go speak to him then so I can thank the kind angel that helped me find peace."

Meanwhile, in a strange world a universe away from Earth

A strong stallion grazes on the grass around him in a peaceful meadow with is herd around him as a loud noise startles him, causing him to look up to see a large ball of fire falling towards the ground. Scared for his herd, he rears up and whinnies out in alarm to signal them they need to run away immediately.

A young, butter yellow filly with a bluish-purple mane and tail, and lavender eyes looks up curiously at what her father saw that scared him. She sees the large ball of fire plummeting towards the ground, and shifts her eyes to look at the trail behind it. Wondering what it is and where it will fall, she stands there as the others flee the area with the stallion.

I feel the wind blowing against my hair as the fire continues to blaze around me for several seconds before finally burning out, leaving me with a view of a vast land with strange mountain ranges around me. I look to the left to see a vast land of white with a few glints catching my eye as light reflects off of something, wondering where I am now as I shift my eyes to look ahead of me where I will be crashing. I look around and shortly learn that I am headed towards a thick forest, placing my arms in front of my face to brace myself for the inevitable impact of a crash landing.

The filly watches the fire disappear as something continues to fall towards the forest her herd avoids, she stares at the falling object when she sees it move. Realizing that it is some sort of creature, she looks at it a little closer and sees that it has something attached to its back. Not knowing what she should do, she stands in her place and watches the creature reach the top of the trees. She hears the breaking of branches and another loud noise, telling her that it might be hurt. Deciding that she should go see what it is to find out if it is dangerous or not, she starts heading towards the forest even though her instincts tell her to flee.

I hear leaves fall to the ground as I try to pick myself up out of the crater my impact created, barely managing to rise to my hands and knees as I begin crawling my way out of this forest. The eerie silence of this forest makes me look around cautiously for anything that may try to attack me, looking forward to making it somewhere that I can rest for a bit to gather my strength. A strange sensation begins to overtake my body as it shrinks down and begins to change shape, I feel the bones in my body heat up as my head elongates when my nose and mouth grow longer and form a muzzle with a lower jaw. My ears change their location to the top of my head on either side of it, growing longer and change into a cupped shape. It takes a great deal of strength to remain on my hands and knees as I feel my neck get longer as some of my long, black hair shrinks back into my skin with more sprouting down my lengthening neck. The next change begins at my shoulders, my shoulder blades change their shape as my chest becomes rounder while the bones in my back grow a little taller. My arms grow a little longer as the bones break and form new joints and get a little more muscle on them while I feel my fingers start to retreat towards my hand, becoming more like flippers as they end up in the form of a rounded hoof with black feathering over them. The change continues with my spine growing a little longer as my pelvis drastically changes and breaks in half, almost making me cry out in pain as the bones in my legs also begin to change. I lower my head and look back at what is going on behind me, watching as the bones in my legs break and form new joints as my knees snap and reverse position, the toes in my feet retreat towards their bases and transform into another large, feathered hoof. I am taken by surprise as the changes are not yet finished, I then feel my tailbone become a little thinner and break into smaller pieces as black hair begins to sprout from my new tail and almost grows long enough to drag on the ground. I feel a migrane start to form as a spot on my forehead begins to grow longer and poke through my skin, twisting in a gentle spiral until finally stopping. The next change happens as my testicles grow a little larger, my cock retreats into my body as a large fold of skin starts to drop down just between my legs. I then begin to feel itchy all over and watch as my body begins to cover itself with small, pure white hairs that stop after growing to a very short size. Exhaustion threatens to overtake me as my breath becomes more labored, forcing myself to begin using my new arms and legs to drag myself along the forest floor, not wanting to remain in this forest in a weakened state.

She makes her way toward the edge of the forest, shifting her gaze nervously around the edge of the forest as she scans for any predators. As she reaches the edge of the forest, she stands on the very edge of the herd's grazing ground when she hears the snapping of twigs and the rustling of bushes. Her eyes dart around as she starts to back away from the forest, thinking this was a very bad idea and prepares to run to safety.

As I finally begin to see daylight in this dark forest, I try to crawl faster toward the light. Not caring for how much noise I make, I ignore the pain in my wings as my arms and legs fall on small sticks and piles of dead leaves. I force my way through some more bushes, finally thrusting my hoof into the warm light and feeling soft grass underneath it when I lay it upon the ground and pull myself forward.

The filly stops backing away as she watches something make its way out of the forest, having hooves on its first two limbs. She watches the creature pull its way out of the forest, panting heavily as its head comes into view having a long horn sticking out of a long, black mane that blocks its face. As she watches the creature continue to exit the forest, she notices two appendages dragging on the ground beside it. The creature exits the forest completely, revealing to her that it is another pony. She observes the strange pony curiously, watching what they will do next.

I muster enough strength to rise to my hooves, unable to see anything due to the hair covering my eyes. I snort in annoyance and shake my head, trying to get my hair out of my eyes so I can see. As I finally manage to get my hair out of my eyes, I am surprised to see a small horse standing before me with a look of curiosity on its face and say, "Hello, little one. I don't know if you can understand me, but can you tell me where I am?"

She cocks her head curiously, not understanding them at all when she hears the herd returning and turns to look at them. Seeing her father trotting towards her, unhappy about there being a strange pony near their land and paws at the ground with his hoof saying in their own language, 'Come over here now and keep away from that strange pony!'

I don't understand what is being said in their language, but I sigh and turn to my left then begin walking away with my wings continuing to drag along beside me. I pay no mind to them as I look around at the land around me, seeing no buildings or humans anywhere and wonder, 'Just where is it that my father banished me to? Everything looks so strange, so...primitive.' Just then an idea enters his mind and thinks, 'Wait a minute, did my father send me to a world with no intelligent beings?'

The filly hangs her head slightly and looks back to where the strange pony was, and sees nothing there. She searches the area to her left trying to find them, then looks to the right and watches them walking away with the appendages dragging behind them. As her father whinnies to her again, trying to get her to come back to the herd, she turns around and goes back to rejoin them. Not willing to risk losing her family to go help a random pony, she quietly wonders who that pony was and where they came from.

As I wearily wander the vast field of grassy hills with a few trees scattered around it, I notice a tree that has fallen over due to age and decide to see if it might be a suitable place for me to sleep tonight. I approach the base of the tree and walk around it to the other side, seeing that there is a place where I can crawl inside to rest for a while. I then head towards the hole and try to enter it, but something on my head catches on the top edge of the hole in the tree. I lower my head a bit more and make my way inside the tree, finding it a tight fit before managing to turn around at the cost of bending a few feathers. I then make myself comfortable and lay my head down upon my forelegs and close my eyes to get some sleep so I can figure out what to do.

II: Getting used to a new world

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I wake up, unsure of what time it is in the day, and begin to stretch out my body. As I stretch out my forearms and legs, I find myself unsure what I should do first. After I finish stretching, I walk out into the bright light and once again get stuck on the top edge of the hole on the side of the rotting tree's trunk.

After prying my head free from the wood, I trot out of the hole and decide that it would be wise to get a better lay of the land. I look around me and see green fields of grass and flowers stretching for as far as the eye can see, causing my stomach to rumble in hunger. Surprised at feeling hunger for the first time, I look around for a good spot to graze on the grass when I notice a small stream passing by a tall patch of grass and head over to it.

I stop by the stream, leaning my head down, and tear off some grass as I start to chew it. To my surprise, I find it somewhat tasty and finish chewing what I have in my mouth before swallowing it down, I then take a small sip from the stream to test the water. The water also is pretty good, even though I have no clue as to what it should actually taste like. My stomach seems to enjoy it, so I won't deny it what it desires. As I drink from the stream, I look down at the water to find out why I seem to get stuck on things. I look down at my reflection to see that aside from having the head of a pony, I also have a unicorn's horn.

A pegasus lounges on a cloud in the sky as it floats along aimlessly as one of her ears perk up at hearing an annoying slurping sound coming from somewhere below, forcing her to look down over the edge to see what is making the noise. Her eyes widen with curiosity as she sees a pure white pegasus with a long, black mane, tail and black wings. As she looks a little closer, she notices that they have something on their head as well like some of those roaming pony herds she saw a few days ago. Wanting to watch the strange pony some more, she makes herself comfy on the cloud she is on.

As I satisfy my thirst and hunger, I get the strange feeling that I'm being watched and check the area surrounding me for any threats. Not finding any threats anywhere, I grab a few more blades of grass and see a fat stalk with a thick bud at the end of it. I become curious as to what it tastes like and bite the stalk off and start to chew on it, spitting it out almost immediately as it tastes really sour in my mouth and take a drink from the stream and shake my head before spitting the water to the side. I then walk away from the stream when I hear snickering coming from above me, drawing my eyes upward to see a blonde tail hanging off the edge of a cloud in the sky and say, "I can hear you up there, please come down so we can talk."

The female pegasus stops snickering and looks back over the edge, seeing the pony looking up right at her. Unable to understand them, she just cocks her head with a confused look on her face and looks right back at them.

I sigh and begin to think that there is nothing here in the world that might understand what I say and start heading away from the pony up on the cloud.

She continues to watch the pony curiously, wondering if they can understand her at all. Deciding to follow them since she was kicked out of her herd by the lead stallion for being different from them, having the ability to go up into the sky when the others were stuck on the ground.

I ignore the pony following me and wonder how I use my creation ability father gifted me, continuing to wander aimlessly through the green fields until I come across a small river that cuts in front of me. I try to see if the water is clear enough to locate the bottom, but it is too muddy to attempt crossing because of these useless wings dragging behind me. I then start to follow the stream for a suitable place to cross, stopping every now and then to try to find a shallow point.

The pegasus looks at the back of the pony as its tail is brushed aside by some tall, stiff grass and sees that it is a stallion. She then returns to watching the stallion from her cloud as he continues to stop and look at the water from time to time, making her wonder if he is trying to find a place to cross. Wanting to help them out, she looks at the water and sees a really wide spot where the water is only a few inches deep with small stones lining the bottom of the stream. She then hops off her cloud to show him where he can cross, using her appendages at her sides to glide down to the ground.

I hear something land near me and look back to see the pegasus trotting towards me, stopping in my tracks to see what it wants. I watch as they continue on past me, flicking their tail in my face as they pass alongside me, allowing me to learn that it is female. As she continues a little ways, she stops and looks back at me then nickers, and then watches me expectantly before doing it again. I watch her do it a few more times before cocking my head and think, 'Wait, is she trying to get me to follow her? There's only one way to find out if that is true, I'll see if that thought is correct.' I then follow after her as she continues to walk ahead of me, having to trot to keep up with her and continue to ignore the pain my injured wings cause me with each step as she occasionally glances behind her to see if I am still following her.

She continues trotting along as she reaches the shallow spot she saw from above. She squeaks with surprise as something bumps into her rear, looking back to see that it was only the stallion behind her running into her. As she watches his facial expression, she notices that he didn't mean to do that and huffs as she feels her own face begin to heat up. Turning her head around to look ahead of her, she trots forward and stands off to the side in the shallow spot.

As I follow her through the tall grass, I see what she was trying to show me and smile at her, bowing my head to thank her for guiding me here before continuing to cross the stream.

While she watches him continuing to cross the stream, she watches how his appendages trail on the ground then thinks, 'What a strange stallion, he doesn't speak or act like some of the other ponies I met. Did that gesture mean that he is accepting me into his herd, I will have to follow him until he rejects me and chases me off. Those things beside his back don't seem to sit right, is he not able to go into the sky like me?' Then crosses the stream herself, trotting after him to catch up. As she continues to follow him, she looks closely at the spot where the appendages emerge from his body. Seeing that there is a sharp bend near the base of the appendages she figures out that he apparently can't fly, and feels sad for him not being able to enjoy the sky as she can and thinks, 'Since he is unable to fly, I shall use my wings to help him however I can.'

I look up at the sky and see the sun close to the middle of the sky, meaning that it is time to eat and look around for any water. Unable to see anything due to the tall grass, I continue to walk forward until it gets short enough to allow me to see in the distance. I reach a spot where my head is just above the grass around me and stop when I see another herd of ponies, the ones in this group all have a horn on their heads or a pair of wings at their sides.

The pegasus follows the scent of the stallion through the tall grass, bumping into the back of something soft and warm. She opens her eyes to see that she has accidentally bumped into the back of the stallion, her face heats up as she then backs up a little ways.

I continue walking through the grass toward the herd as a few of them spot me and watch curiously as I head towards them.

A light grey unicorn watches the strange pony as it makes its way toward their wandering herd, having a pure white coat, black mane and tail, and also having a pair of black wings and a horn on its head. She quietly wonders where it came from as a pony with appendages on its sides exits the tall grass having a blonde mane and tail and a lavender coat. As she becomes curious about what this pony is and why he has both a horn and appendages on its sides, she walks toward them to investigate.

I stop in a patch of low grass as one of the ponies from the herd makes its way toward me, having a blue mane and tail with a light orange coat. As the pony gets close enough to me, they express their curiosity by using one of their hooves to poke me in random places on my body.

The curious unicorn rears up and places a hoof on the front of the tall pony's shoulders, reaching up with her free hoof to see if the horn is attached like hers is. Lightly pushing the horn in various directions, she learns that the horn is indeed part of its body and moves on to inspect the appendages laying on the ground.

I watch the curious pony as it looks at my wings closely and pushes up on my right wing, causing me to hiss out in pain as they then stop and back away from me with a scared look on their face. I sigh and shake my head saying, "My wings are broken, so I can't fly. Won't ever heal, meaning constant pain for me."

The unicorn blinks for a moment as her mind tries to process what it just heard and responds, "You...hurt?"

My eyes widen as I look at them in shock and raise my head slightly then ask, "You can understand what I say?"

She nods her head slowly and says, "Some...yes. Be okay? How hurt?"

I smile at finally finding some creature that understands what I say and answer, "I'm glad you understand some of what I say, I will be fine. I was punished and cast out of my home, my wings were broken as punishment and will never heal. Forever in pain, but I will handle it."

She smiles back warmly and sighs saying, "I glad you be okay. Sad you lose home. You look new herd?"

Thinking that she is asking me if I am looking to join their herd, I shake my head side to side and say, "Thank you, but I'm not looking to join a herd. I wish to see more of this world and learn how to use my gift, could you help me with that?"

The unicorn thinks for a moment before saying, "I able to do this..." and looks at a small rock on the ground and uses her horn to lift it off the ground. She then lets it fall to the ground and says, "You want learn?"

I smile and nod my head, hoping that I can learn to use my ability with their assistance and say, "I would like to learn how to do that, please teach me."

She blushes for a moment and says, "I not teach good, me still learn. Father better teach, I take you, please follow." then turns around and quickly walks away with a smile on her face as she goes to bring them to her father.

A solitary elder stallion stands off to the side of the wandering herd when he sees his daughter bring an unusual pony towards her with a pure white coat, a black mane and tail, black appendages, and black hair over his hooves with a horn on his head. This new pony's appearance catches his eye as he wanders toward her saying, "Who you bring me this time sweety?"

The unicorn smiles at her father and turns towards the pony behind her saying, "I bring strange pony, has horn like me, but also has appendages. It sad they can't fly. They want learn ability."

The elderly stallion looks at the strange pony again and sees bright amber eyes looking back at his and looks back to his daughter and chuckles saying, "Thank you, sweety. Go graze while I have words with pony."

She nods her head and says, "Okay." then trots off to continue grazing on the patch she was enjoying earlier.

He looks at the strange pony as his daughter leaves and asks, "I not see anything like you, what be name?"

I look at the pony, appearing to be well past his prime, having a horn, a silver beard, and a mane and tail on a brown coat sign of his age, and say, "My name is Galadriel, I don't know what I am. I am different from the ponies I have seen so far, who are you?"

The elderly stallion nods his head and says, "I am Silver Beard, that was daughter, her name Strong Star. You wish to learn ability other horned ponies have?"

I nod my head and say, "I would like to learn to use my ability very much elderly one, I would then use it to aid those that live here."

Silver Beard then says, "Okay. First, search within for..." trailing off to find the right word for the sensation in his body and resumes speaking, "...for a spark of unused strength. It may take time to feel, but it there."

I close my eyes and concentrate for a moment, searching deep within my body for the feeling he described. Finding it after concentrating for a few minutes, I try to use it with no success saying, "I have found it, but I can't use it."

His eyes widen with wonder and says, "That was quick, very surprising. It takes others several days to find it, good job. To use that strength within, we must first learn to connect to it. When you connect to it, your horn will tingle. You then need to have an idea of what you wish to use it for."

I keep my eyes closed and try to figure out how to connect to it, taking me quite a while to get the hang of how to do it. I then start to feel a tingling sensation on my horn and think of what I wish to do with it, I think about what I should create when the idea of a fruit tree comes to my mind. I then open my eyes and look at the ground a little ways to my left, trying to coax a pear tree to rise up out of the ground and bear fruit to feed the ponies around me.

Silver Beard feels the ground rumble and wonders what is going on as he sees Galadriel's horn glow brightly as a tree shoots up out of the ground to the left of him, growing thicker as it stops and towers over the ponies around them. He is amazed at what he sees as the tree then sprouts flowers, which fall away as odd-shaped objects grow in size and dangle from small stems.

As the tree fills with green fruit, every pony in the herd stops what they are doing to stare up at the objects dangling from the branches.

I open my eyes and look at the tree with a smile on my face, then shift my gaze to the elderly stallion and say, "This tree here produces a type of fruit that is called a Bartlett Pear, the fruit on this tree grows to about that size but must be picked and set aside before they are ready to eat. When it is ready to be eaten, the thin outer layer of the fruit or 'skin' will turn colors and become yellow. They are very tasty and have a sweet taste when you bite into one that is ready or 'ripe', you can even take the seeds out when you eat it to plant them to grow more."

The elderly stallion then looks at him and says, "Wow, that sure is great ability, the herd shall make this spot part of journey."

I then smile and nod my head saying, "Thank you for teaching me how to use my ability, now I shall go forth and help others with it. Be sure the others know that the fruit does go bad after a while, usually they will have brown spots on the outer layer but not always. Make sure not to take more than what is needed, or it may go to waste. It is not very good to be too wasteful with food. Enjoy your day elder Silver Beard, I pray that your twilight years of life are peaceful.

Silver Beard smiles and lowers his head towards the ground, closing his eyes while he bends one knee and leans back while pulling his knee with him in a bow saying, "I shall follow your advice, wise one."

The pegasus following him watches the odd exchange as the other ponies do the same as the elder stallion, trotting after Galadriel as he pays no mind to their gestures and continues to wander on while thinking, 'That was quite interesting to see a tree pop out of the ground so fast like that.'

I then spot a small pond with a stream running through it and make my way there, grabbing a couple of mouthfuls of grass as I get the urge to 'go' and try to figure out how best to do it. I first widen my front legs a little and move my right hind leg under me slightly, then raise my left leg and twist my hip up and to the right so that I don't step in a puddle of my own urine.

She cocks her head at the stallion's very odd behavior, finding the way they move their body somewhat amusing as she splays her back legs slightly and relieves herself after he finishes.

As I set my hind leg back down, I return my posture to normal and resume heading towards the pond to eat grass thinking, 'I shall have to test this power out, to see what I am able to create with it so I can make the lives of other ponies better. Perhaps I shall teach this pony to speak as I can, maybe I can teach her some crafting skills.'

*Timeskip, Three months later*

I spent the majority of the past three months trying to teach her to speak and craft, having mixed results for the latter and making great progress on learning to talk. I also used some of that time roaming the land that we are currently on, and finding out what I am capable of making. Learning that I can't create just a single apple without the tree it grows on, the same goes with other items that must grow or 'live' to get the end result. I am able to manipulate things to a fair degree and control many elements including Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Metal, Crystal, and even Light.

As my friend and I travel along a remote coastal region far to the northeast of where we first met, and pass by an area where a herd of ponies tend to a few square, flooded gardens I recognize as rice paddies. I am reminded of a land on Earth where there were beautiful cherry blossom trees, making me trot around the area with hopes of seeing those trees here. My hope is crushed as all I see around me are rolling hills with a few straw huts, and there is not a single tree in sight. I sigh and still my mind, then look to my companion, Cloud Burst and say, "I shall return after I help these ponies in making their land, a little nicer to look at."

Cloud Burst smiles and says, "Yes, go experiment. Make sure not to pass gas when you are in a cave, or you may get stuck in there surrounded by giant clear rock thingies."

I look back and narrow my eyes slightly as my face blushes from embarrassment then say, "They are called crystals, and that was an accident!" I ignore her laughter and continue going about my quest to make these ponies a little happier, walking up to a really large bare spot on top of a solitary hill where there is no house or underground space. I close my eyes and concentrate on the type of tree I wish to create as I smile then use my ability to coax a cherry blossom tree to rise up out of the ground. I lower my head close to the ground while my horn tingles and softly whisper to the earth, "Rise up Somei Yoshino and grace these hardworking ponies with your beauty, they shall feel happiness and love when looking forward to your beautiful spring blooming. In turn, I shall ensure they take great care of you and keep you healthy."

A nearby pony watches the odd pony speak to the ground, causing it to rumble gently for a brief moment before something sprouts up a short distance from the pony's nose. It steadily grows taller and wider until it towers over her house as pale pink flowers appear briefly before falling off the tree and sprouting green leaves that slowly change color to light green. She becomes curious as to what or who this strange pony is, and makes her way over to them to speak to them.

I watch as the tree stops growing and weave my way around the low-hanging branches that would normally snag on my horn, succeeding in getting away from the long branches only to see a pony making their way over to me and meet them halfway then wait for them to say or do something first.

The curious earth pony looks at the tree behind the strange pony, then back down at them. She looks the pony over, having a horn on their head with two appendages on their back matching their black mane, tail, and hoof hair and bright amber eyes. She finds it curious that their coat is a pure white color and asks, "What's yer name stranger?"

I then look down at them, seeing a tan earth pony with a black mane and tail, and has a pair of pretty light blue eyes and say, "My name is Galadriel, who are you?"

She cocks her head in confusion saying, "Pardon, but could ya say that again? Ya said it too fast so ah couldn't quite catch it all."

I nod my head and say it a little slower, pronouncing each syllable as it sounds, "Gal...ad...ree...ell, did you catch it that time?"

The earth pony nods her head and says, "Eeyup ah did Galadriel, My name is Fair Seed. What is that large tree over there, and how did ya get it to grow so fast?"

I chuckle and say, "That is what is known as a cherry blossom tree, the fruit that drops from it is only edible by the birds but it is very pretty in spring when the branches fill with many light pink flowers that shed their petals. It is also pretty in the fall when its leaves change to a reddish-orange color sometime during fall or autumn. It grew that fast because I used my ability to help it continue to grow, unfortunately, I cannot help plants grow quicker that my ability does not create. I see you raise crops, does that mean you grow your own food?"

Fair Seed nods her head and says, "Eeyup we do, we found a food type that you grow in water and does not spoil for a little while after it is picked. What brings ya here Galadriel?"

I smile warmly and say, "Well nothing really, I just wanted to wander and explore this land and get to know everything I can about it as I do what I can to help other ponies improve their lives."

She then looks around at the barren land their herd stays on and asks, "Think ya could possibly grow a few more of them trees, maybe make the branches not quite so long at the bottom?"

I look back at the wide base of the cherry blossom tree and chuckle saying, "I think I can do that, those branches will catch you by your horn or your neck if you don't pay attention. Where would you like me to grow these trees?"

Fair Seed moves her head to the side saying, "Follow me, ah should make sure it is okay with the leader first. If he says it's okay, ah'll show ya where they should go."

As I follow her around, summoning trees in various points around the village, feeling glad to help these ponies out by adding beauty to their land. I finish telling her how to care for these trees as one more Sargent's Cherry Blossom emerges from the ground and rises up into the sky asking her, "Do any of you have any use for cloth?"

She marks another spot with her hoof for another tree and says, "Hmm, some but not a whole lot. Why, is it popular where yer from?"

I call forth another tree and answer, "It has an important place among the economy and those that really desired it, the fabric I have in mind to gift you is called silk. I'm able to summon forth any plant I have knowledge of, but whether I can call forth something that has an existence of its own is unknown to me. I shall have to find out if my ability will permit it, would you allow me to stay within the village for the time being? I will have to begin my attempts when it warms up and the proper leaves can be harvested, which means waiting for late spring to come around."

Fair Seed nods her head and says, "Eeyup, ya can stay with me at mah home. Ah recently left mah family's home because it was getting a little crowded, so they helped me build mah own place and there is plenty of room fer ya and yer friend over yonder."

I bow my head to her and say, "You are very kind and generous to permit two strangers to share your home, thank you very much Fair Seed. Would you be okay with me summoning a new type of tree somewhere in the village? It will create small berries that can be eaten by ponies if they wish for another food source."

She considers it for a moment and says, "Ah think that it'll be ok, but let's go ask the leader to be sure."

After getting the permission from the leader, I follow her to a nice sloped spot between too hills and begin to call forth the first of eight trees saying, "These trees I am calling forth are called Mulberry trees, the very small fruit on them will turn from green to a pinkish red. When they are ready to be picked, they will turn a very dark purple. They can be picked off the tree then or they will eventually fall from the tree on their own as they begin to dry up."

*Timeskip, Seven months later*

I learn new information about the herd of this land, forcing me to adapt to the difference in society's norm with this world's being a polyamorous social structure. Time passes and the seasons change, fall turns into winter. Winter then arrives, allowing me to begin attempts at creating a new lifeform in this world. It takes me three months to finally succeed, learning a few things during that time I spent attempting to create the silkworms. I carry a small basket in my teeth containing a small box that holds a small pile of eggs inside on a small piece of thin wood, weaved out of long, thick grass that grows beside a nearby stream as I make my way to where Fair Seed is. Finding her by the rice paddies her family owns , putting the basket down gently and say, "Good day Fair Seed, how is your day?"

Fair Seed looks up from her spot in the field to see Galadriel standing nearby and wipes her brow with her left foreleg saying, "It's great so far, we're gettin' ready to put the new crop in. Thanks fer helpin' us with the harvest bah the way, ya saved us an extra week or two. What do ya have in the basket there?"

I smile and say, "I managed to succeed in my endeavor, Inside are young silkworm larvae, they will hatch anywhere from within a couple of days to a couple of weeks. They require one or two leaves from the mulberry trees per day, make sure to keep the leaves inside this box fresh. When a new leaf is added, wait to remove the old leaf when it is dried up so that the tiny larvae have time to move to the fresh leaf. Would you want me to tell you more about them later, when you finish working today?"

She smiles and politely nods her head saying, "If ya would, ah'd be glad. Ah'm lookin' forward to learnin' more bout what this silk is and what worms have to do with it."

III: A destroyed hope

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*Timeskip, Just over 1 Year later, around mid-spring*

I spent most of last year teaching the village ponies about silkworm breeding and harvesting the silk. I also helped them create what they needed to turn the spools of silk into cloth, and how to make different colors of dye from various types of plants. As an added gift, I told them a little about how the beings of another culture built their homes by altering a few details to make them seem like they were on an island very, very far from this land.

As I wake up on my mattress of woven grass as the sun strikes my eyes, making me wince from its brightness and start to get up to wander the fields around the village. I see Cloud Burst wandering around outside with our young foal wrapped up in a sling around her neck saying, "Good morning dear, I see that our little bundle woke you up early again."

She briefly smiles before letting out a huff and says, "Oh not only did little Midnight Autumn keep me and Fair Seed up, Summer's Day also kept us up...all night. We are both a little jealous at how the crying of the foals did not wake you up, you really are a sound sleeper."

I nod and slightly smile saying, "I am sorry to hear that, would you like me to watch over our little one?"

Cloud Burst sighs and shakes her head saying, "No, it is too soon. The foals need their mother for a little while before they can be shown how to get their own food by their fathers."

I look at my little foal wrapped up in the sling, having my eyes, and a black coat with a blonde mane and tail. I think back about a year ago, and remember how the estrus season of the mares took me by surprise then say, "I shall head to the lands north of here, I wish not to upset the leader of the herd any more than I already have by breeding with one mare from his herd. Fear not, I will return before the snow falls to collect you and our foal, then we all shall travel this world together as a family and a herd while I continue to bring beauty to this world.

Fair Seed approaches her home with Summer's Day around her neck snuggled into a sling, catching the end of the conversation between Cloud Burst and Galadriel, and says, "Ah'm home yall, what's goin' on now?"

I watch as Cloud Burst moves away from the door to let her in and look at Fair Seed and sigh saying, "I'm sorry for mating with you when I am not part of your herd, I plan to journey north to the lands up there for a few months while Midnight Autumn grows a little more before I can teach her how to get her own food. When I return before the snow falls, we shall move on from this village and travel to many different areas this world has to offer as a family and small herd."

She thinks for a moment before asking, "Am ah included in yer herd or are ya leavin' me behind?"

I look away for a brief moment and turn back to her saying, "What about your family, won't you miss them?"

Fair Seed smiles gently and looks at one corner of the house where she knows her family lives and turns back to Galadriel and says with a fond smile on her face, "Ah will definitely miss them, but ah'll talk to them and see if any of them wish to join us on our travels." She sees a sad look on his face and shakes her head saying, "Now don't ya dare feel bad about takin' me away from home, ah've actually been wantin' to see what's out there in other places."

My mouth lifts into a smile as I say, "Then I say welcome to our herd dear, I shall wait until the next morning to go on my journey so I may be here to talk if any member of your family finds displeasure with my decisions."

She smiles warmly at him and chuckles saying, "That's mighty kind of ya sugar, ah'm sure that there will be at least one or two."

And so the day wore on as I contemplated on what the extent of my ability to create might mean, unable to find the answer because I feel like I am missing some big piece of crucial knowledge about creating things. As the day continues on, I deal with a couple of unhappy family members, mainly being both of her parents and younger siblings. I learn later that afternoon that she managed to smooth things over with her family, and got one of her older sisters to join us when we are ready to leave the village.

Five months into my journey I find myself surrounded by a snowy landscape, standing on a cliff overlooking a city sitting on top of the water in a large bay. The city itself is built out of marble with silver and gold detail on many of the buildings. One of which catches my attention immediately, standing out like a sore thumb. A castle stands above the city, looking down at it and appearing to be made entirely out of gold and silver poured into blocks. The large city brings a smile to my face, glad to see a more advanced society than what I have seen since my time on this planet.

I make my way to the city, walking across large slabs of marble held up by marble towers constructed out of the existing stone as I come to a wide bridge crafted from what appears to be glass. I tap it lightly with my hoof to hear how it sounds, hearing a softer, higher pitched ring echo back to me. Catching me by surprise, I raise my head as my eyes widen in wonder thinking, 'Wow, they actually built this bridge out of crystal...not glass? This is truly an amazing sight to behold, I wonder what other marvelous sights this city has for me...'

Wandering into the city, my excitement of seeing advanced society grows as I wander through the streets. I shift my eyes to the left of me to see a mythical griffon speaking to a caribou, then look right to see a red deer stag doing business with a small dragon. As I turn to look ahead of me, I see a strange creature looking similar to a pegasus but having a rear sloping, curved horn on their head with a couple of burrs growing in line along the top part of its horn. Their coat is blue with a line of red scales from their rear to the edge of its nose, and having a silver mane and tail along with cloven hooves. The creature makes its way to a side street, wanting to speak to them and find out what they are as I hear a loud gasp come from the alley.

I go to check it out and see the creature atop of another creature, a young, light pink unicorn filly with a blue mane and tail whose mouth is covered by the hoof of the creature I was going to speak to. As I see the unicorn's face when it turns to the side, I see tears streaming down her face and head down the alley myself to confront them. As I get close enough, I grab hold of the creature with my magic and yank him off the filly, causing him to look around in surprise and anger shouting, "Who's doing this?! If I find whoponyever's doing this, I'm gonna beat you to death and then rob you!"

I turn the creature to face me slowly as my anger rises slowly from seeing what he was doing to the young filly and say, "Oh really now, you are going to beat me to death are you? I think that you really need to be punished for what I saw you do to that filly."

The creature watches himself turn to face the wall and shouts, "Let me go damn you or I'll call my friends to kill you!" He hears no response as he is then slammed headfirst into the wall and shouts out in pain, forcing his eyes to close when he hears a crack. The crack is followed by the sound of something breaking off, then falling and landing on the ground. He opens his eyes to see his horn laying on the ground in pieces, then turns his gaze to look at the one that caused the damage and shouts, "YOU'RE BUCKING DEAD! YOU HEAR ME, DEADER THAN A SKELETON!!"

I look into his eyes as my anger rises even further and say, "Your threats mean less than shit to me, but if you wish to continue your punishment I shall indulge you." I turn him towards me and slam him from side to side into the brick buildings, breaking as many bones as I can without endangering his life saying, "Do you wish for more, or will you repent your sins and apologize to the filly you forced yourself upon?"

He whimpers in pain and looks over to the crying filly huddled into a corner, trying to curl up into a ball from shame and says, "N-No more pain...I-I-I repent...I'll apologize. I-I'm s-s-sorry little homeless filly for doing what I did."

The little filly looks up at the tall white stallion that saved her life, awestruck by how tall he is and says in a trembling, yet scared voice, "T-Thank y-you f-for s-saving me m-mister, y-you a-are rescuing me...r-right mister?"

I release my hold on the stallion and let him fall to the ground near the far wall, hearing him cry out in pain and look to the filly saying, "That is exactly what I am doing little one. Do you know much about this city?"

She nods her head and says, "This city looks pretty, but in truth, it is the exact opposite inside the city. Fathers and mothers are actually family members that enjoy breeding with each other, they even sell their children to the slave traders. Most every foal able to walk in this city has killed some creature to take what they have for themselves, this entire city is rotten to the core. Anything that is sold or bought here, used to belong to another that is most likely dead."

My eyes widen at what the filly tells me and ask, "What about you, have you ever taken a life little one? From seeing how you shed tears, I am guessing that you have not."

The filly shakes her head saying, "N-No, I-I could n-never bring myself to do something like that. I only stole food from wherever I could find it."

I nod my head and ignore the creature crawling away in tears saying, "Do you have parents that I can take you to?"

She shakes her head once again and sighs saying, "My father is also my older brother, and my mother is also my grandmother. They both sold me to a slave trader, but I escaped from him about a week ago and have been hiding from him since. C-Can you take me with you mister? I-I promise I'll do whatever you tell me to."

I sigh and look at the scrawny filly and say, "I need to have a look around the city a bit longer, can you make it to a safe place outside of the city?"

The filly nods her head happily and says, "Yes, yes I can. I know of a hidden tunnel that leads away from here, do you want me to show you where it is?"

I smile at her kind gesture and shake my head saying, "Thank you for offering, but I will be fine little one. I must meet whoever runs this city and scold him for letting the city run like this, I am not at all pleased with this city's state."

She gets up off the ground and hastily gallops over and grabs his back hoof as he turns to go find whoever runs this city saying in a panicked voice, "NO DON'T! He is a really powerful and cruel ram sorcerer, you won't last a moment if you anger him! He delights himself in the utter torture, misery, and whatever else he can inflict upon his subjects."

I stop and look back at the little filly and say, "Do you know that he does those things for certain?"

The filly nods her head quickly and says in a bare whisper, "I watched him force himself upon his own daughter, he then killed her a few months later for getting pregnant. I know of a few other things he did to his subjects because I snuck in to steal food from him at least once a day, please do not go to see him for I fear for your safety!"

As I consider what to do, I sigh and nod my head saying, "Very well little one, I shall be content with just looking around the city and join you by the treeline near the cliff when I am done okay?"

She sighs in relief and lets go of his back leg and says, "Okay then, thank you for listening to me. I will be waiting for you there, bye!" then hurries off down the alley to go find the secret passage out of the city.

I spend three hours wandering around the city, learning that the city is much worse than what the little filly told me and sigh with disappointment as my anger rises to a critical point. Deciding to leave the city and find a new place to explore, I make my way towards the long pathway leading towards the mainland.

As I exit the city and walk across the marble bridge, I feel the ground start to shake violently but pay it no mind and continue on walking as my anger transforms into rage at the state of the city and its inhabitants. Cracks form in the marble underneath my hooves as I continue to walk absentmindedly along while thinking of how best to deal punishment to each and every citizen inside the city. As I give into the overwhelming rage clouding my rational thinking, I decide on how best to do it using my father as an example.

The young filly stands on the far side of the cliff and watches as the stallion that saved her makes his way across the bridge. She watches in awe as sections of the bridge crumble to pieces after he passes them, noticing a bright golden glow coming from his eyes as his gentle, kind expression slowly changes to a more angry one.

I make my way to the high cliff that looks down upon the bay city, as I think, 'It is time to issue a warning to them first, Old Testament-style...'

As I reach the top of the cliff, I gaze down at the city and close my eyes. I concentrate on my inner body and the power coursing through it and will my voice to be heard by all in the city, then suck in a breath and open my eyes with determination burning in them. I think of what I want to say to those within the city and using all the strength I can muster, I shout at the top of my lungs, "HEAR MY WORDS, OH VILE SINNERS BELOW MINE EYES...I HAVE SEEN WITH MINE OWN EYES THE DEPRAVITY OF THOSE WITHIN THY 'GRAND' CITY OF SADDLELANTIS AND AM GREATLY DISAPPOINTED IN YE! I AM GREATLY ANGERED BY WHAT TERRIBLE THINGS I HAVE SEEN, SO MUCH THAT I DEEM YE WORTHY OF PUNISHMENT MOST DIVINE! REPENT THY SINS NOW AND BE SPARED, OR SUFFER MINE WRATH!" I then go silent to hear the response from the city.

A herd of ponies near a certain dark forest hear a great booming voice coming from the skies above them and begin to flee the area in fear for their safety.

She removes her hooves from her ears as the stallion stops his booming voice that echoes within her skull still and shakes her head to attempt to find relief, hearing cries of laughter rise up from within the city as she thinks, 'WHAT IS HE THINKING!! HE IS GOING TO GREATLY ANGER GROGAR!' when she hears another voice shout an answer back from the city, "WE LOVE OUR CITY THE WAY IT IS, NOPONY IS GOING TO PUNISH US FOR DOING WHATEVER WE WANT! NOW GET LOST OR SUFFER MY WRATH, FOR I AM THE GREAT GROGAR AND YOU ARE NOPONY!"

I sigh sadly and then respond, "MINE NAME IS GALADRIEL AND YE HATH BEEN WARNED, IT GREATLY PAINS ME TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE. BUT ALAS, THOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE..."

Her eyes go wide as she watches his body begin to glow brightly, then slowly shines brighter and starts to alter his body's appearance. The first change she sees is that his mane and tail blow away with the wind and reappears as smoke blowing in the nonexistent breeze, she is unable to tell if his eyes will continue to glow like the sun or will return to normal after his power stops.

I then stand up tall and look up to the sky and begin calling upon my ability and shout, "OH GLORIOUS SKIES ABOVE, GAZE DOWN UPON THE ACTS THAT THOSE UNDER THEE COMMIT. LET THY DISPLEASURE BE KNOWN AND DELIVER THINE WRATH!" I shift my gaze down to the sea around the city and continue, "OH GREAT AND POWERFUL SEA AROUND THE SHINING CITY, FEEL THE PRESENCE OF THOSE ABOVE THEE AND TASTE THE CORRUPTION THAT TAINTS THEIR CITY. EXPRESS THINE FURY AND RETURN THE CITY TO THE MURKY DEPTHS!" I then look upon the city itself and then steel my resolve to see this through and resume, "OH VILE SINNERS WITHIN THE CITY, I VIEW THEE AS THE VILEST OF CREATURES. LET THYSELVES BE KNOWN FOREVERMORE AS CHANGELINGS! MAY THINE APPEARANCE AND SHAPE-SHIFTING ABILITY INSPIRE LOATHING AS THE BUZZING OF THY INSECTOID WINGS INSPIRES DISTRUST AMONG OTHER RACES. MAY THY SUSTENANCE BE NOT FOOD NOR WATER, LET THY'S SUSTENANCE BE FEEDING ON THE EMOTIONS OF OTHERS! THY SINS SHALL BEAR WEIGHT UPON THY SUFFERING AND SERVE AS AN ETERNAL REMINDER, LET THY SUFFERING BE DONE ONCE THY REPENTANCE IS COMPLETE..." I rise up on my back hooves and then finish shouting, "SO SHALL IT BE!" and return my upper body to the ground, putting all the strength I can into stomping my front hooves onto the ground.

The filly loses her balance as the ground shakes violently under her as she watches the brilliantly glowing stallion with wide, wondrous eyes at how majestic and beautiful he looks now. She examines his features again and sees that he has a horn on his head like she does, but has appendages like some other ponies she has seen, and also has the strength of the ponies without either. Wondering what kind of pony he is, she puzzles the clues over in her head for a few moments when she hears the laughter get even louder as she looks over at the city.

*3rd person POV, The bay city of Saddlelantis...*

The various beings inside the city of sin roll around on the ground laughing so hard that tears stream from their eyes, not noticing immediately when the clear, sunny skies above them start to slowly fill with clouds. The raucous laughter in the city starts to quickly quiet down as they take notice of the clouds beginning to gradually get darker with each passing moment, the laughter dies down completely when the clouds become almost as dark as night. They continue to watch with curiosity as the clouds begin to move in a circular pattern above them when rain begins to slowly fall from the sky.

The circular movement continues to pick up speed as flashes of light briefly illuminate the clouds above and the streets below, bolts of lightning begin to wander towards the ground as they split the sky open with their loud cracks of thunder.

Nervousness and worry starts to fill the streets as the beings in the city start to make their way towards their homes, trying to get out of the storm.

Minutes tick by as the storm continues to grow in strength, the gentle wind quickly turns into a howling wind that blows the creatures below around the streets. The air starts to fill with static as lightning bolts begin to race down from the clouds and strike the houses of stone relentlessly.

Five minutes pass by as the waves on the sea begin to slap and strike at the outer walls, making a few stones to come loose from their place. The waves on the sea get higher and slam into the walls around the city, causing the loosened stones to fall from the wall and into the sea.

*At the top of the cliff, Galadriel's POV*

I watch as their punishment is dealt, with their walls and homes are battered by the waves, wind, and torrential rain. I feel the ground begin to rumble, causing part of the outer wall of marble to collapse into the sea. Cries of alarm rise out of the city as a white glow starts to engulf the city. I then sigh sadly as the waves retreat from the city, returning in one massive tidal wave that crashes against the outer wall and sending its stones flying towards the far side of the city. Some houses are struck and destroyed from the impact of the heavy stones, while others are simply flattened by the force from the tidal wave.

The storm continues on for another several minutes as I see the city crumble and sink into the depths of the bay, shedding a couple of tears for those that died from being crushed by their houses and the flying stones saying, "And thus, it is done, your penance begins." I start to feel an itching sensation on my flanks and use my tail to swat at it to get rid of it.

The filly's eyes widen as she sees the city vanish into the sea, then turns her eyes up to the stallion that rescued her and asks, "Galadriel, what kind of pony are you?"

I look at the little filly and shake my head solemnly at her and say, "I am afraid I do not know, little one, I have been like this ever since I came here." The itching sensation gets stronger, making me reach back with a hoof to scratch my left flank first, then my right one.

She smiles and then asks, "Since you do not know, I noticed how you are strong like a pony with no appendages or a horn, can use your horn like horned ponies such as me, and have the appendages of a pony with them that can fly through the sky. I think that you are an all-pony, but that doesn't sound nice..." She then continues to think for a few moments, hoping to come up with a cooler-sounding name mumbling, "Alipony...Alistalli...no and no..." trying one more time, she suddenly gets it and exclaims, "OH, I KNOW...AN ALICORN!" she then prances around him excitedly asking, "Whatcha think, whatcha think?! Pretty cool-sounding name, isn't it Galadriel?! Galadriel the Alicorn!" She then gets an annoying itching sensation on her rear too and says, "Ugh I bet this itching is caused by some tiny creatures that are really hard to see with your eyes, how about we go find a pond or stream and drive them away?" A flash appears from behind her, catching her attention and startling her briefly. She looks at where the flash came from and sees a strange yellow shape on her rump saying, "What is this funny mark on my flank, how did it get there I wonder?"

I chuckle and say, "Alicorn does sound like a good name, just call me by my given name please little one." I then gaze at the image on her flank and say, "That there is an image of a lit-up light bulb. Perhaps it may mean that you have a few really great...or 'bright' ideas usually. The mark itself is actually kind of cute, heh. What do you think about the name Cutie Mark for that image on your flank?"

The filly beams a wider smile and nods saying, "I like that name, maybe you might get one too because my flanks stopped itching after I got it. My name is Light Bright, do you mind if I join your herd?"

I turn away from the bay as the skies return to being clear and sunny, then look at her and say, "I don't mind at all because you're already part of it. I don't know, I guess we will find out as time passes."

Light Bright smiles and says, "Thank you so much for rescuing me from that mean Kirin Galadriel, and also for letting me into your herd. Where are we going now?"

An idea comes into my head as I say, "Well, I am planning on traveling back to the place I first opened my eyes, in a dark forest somewhere southwest of here. Though first, I think that I shall see what lies on the other side of the mountains ahead of me, are you up for a little journey through some snow little one?"

She nods her head yes a few times and says, "Yay, I get to see new places other than that horrid city!"

*An hour later, at a distant shore opposite of the destroyed land bridge to the now sunken ruins of Saddlelantis*

Grogar crawls his way onto shore, sputtering and coughing up water as he saves himself from drowning. He then looks around the shore to see who survived, only seeing black pony shaped creatures with holes in various places on their bodies, chitin covering most of their torso, two fangs protruding over their lower lip, big round bluish eyes, insect-like wings of varying colors that flutter from time to time, vaned fins in various places on top of their heads matching their wing color. He cringes in disgust at the hideous figures of the survivors of Saddlelantis and walks towards the land's interior, leaving them to fend for themselves.

One of the changelings looks at their former leader and drools, seeing an aura surrounding them and shouts with a hiss, "LOOK...THERE'SSS FOOD!" and hears another call out, "CATCH IT, LET'SSS FEED!"

He forces himself to run as they start to salivate and shouts, "GALADRIEL, WHOEVER OR WHATEVER YOU ARE...I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS!"

IV: Chance Encounters

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*Two month's later, atop a snow covered mountain southeast of the Ruins of Saddlelantis*

I finally reach the top of a mountain peak, my mane and tail whipping in the wind as snow flies into our faces as Light Bright lays upon my back, doing her best to keep us warm with her powers, and say, "Hey, now you can tell others that you have climbed a mountain."

The filly smiles saying, "Y-yeah, it would be a nice view if that wind wasn't blowing your transparent mane into my face, but it is shielding me from most of the wind and snow though. Where are we even going, do you have any knowledge of these lands?"

I smile and look at the distant glints ahead of us near the base of a mountain saying, "I have no knowledge at all of these lands, which is one of the reasons I am wandering these lands. Our destination lies ahead of us and below, lying beside a large mountain that pierces the sky. Okay, we're going down now, I hope that the dragging of my wings won't cause any issues as we go down."

Light Bright shivers and nods her head, holding onto his body tightly and says, "Okay, I need to rest my power for a bit, I'm tired from trying to keep us both warm in this cold."

As I start to make my way down the peak, I feel my wings start to slide forward and say, "Curses, it seems my wings intend to make this harder. Hang on tight Light, I'm going to attempt to run down the mountain."

She tightens her grip on his body as she gets nervous and says, "O-Okay, I-I'm ready."

I then let gravity guide me as I speed up my gait, quickly getting into a gallop and see a rock up ahead saying, "I'm going to jump it, be ready!"

Light adjusts her body's position and feels him leave the ground, watching in slow motion as his mane stops blowing in her face. Allowing her an unspoiled view of the glints in the distance thinking, 'Wow, what a beautiful land.' She looks back down as he soars over the rock and begins to return to the snowy surface.

Gravity takes me back to the ground as my front hooves punch through the top layers of the snow and strike a hard layer, causing it to crack and emit the sound of cracking ice and pull myself ahead and return to my gallop saying, "Holy crap, hang on!"

She feels his back hooves land as a deep cracking sound fills the air, causing her to look around to see the snowy layer break apart and asks, "Why is it breaking, what is happening to the snow?!"

I see a much larger rock rushing towards us and use my front hooves to steer around it and say, "Because that is what happens when snow piles up on other snow. Each time the snow falls after a storm, the sun comes out and causes some of it to melt,and turn into a liquid state. In the freezing temperatures on this mountain peak, the snow turns into a hard solid state called ice. In its liquid state, snow is called water. If snow builds up too much and there is ice below, the weight may be too much and cause it to give way and break away creating what is called an avalanche. Avalanches are extremely dangerous, my hooves broke through a layer of ice so this will be a big avalanche. Which is why I am trying to guide us onto a safer area, the only option available for us right now is to get off of the sliding snow before it turns itself into powder. My hooves will sink through the powder and slow us down, increasing our chances of being caught up in it. Nopony can outrun an avalanche, it travels at about 200 miles per hour and an average pony can gallop around 30 miles per hour." I look ahead of me for any safe place to stand out of the path of the avalanche, seeing a suitable rocky outcropping and make my way to it and say, "When we get to that outcropping ahead, do you have enough strength to fold my wings up and hold them against my body? I can't do it myself because my wings are broken at the base, I do wish I could fly like others do. I remember the feeling when I soared through the sky before they were broken by my brother...at my father's command as punishment for doing something very wrong..."

Light Bright frowns at how his own family treated him and nods her head saying, "I believe I can handle that, it was very mean of them to do that to you."

I gallop harder to maintain my position to reach the outcropping, almost slipping too far as I somehow manage to jump up onto the outcropping and breathe a sigh in relief and nod my head saying, "It was mean of them but they had to protect the delicate balance that I upset with my actions. Go ahead and try to fold them up now please little one."

She channels her power into her horn and takes hold of his left wing first and carefully folds it up towards his body, trying to find the natural way they are supposed to fold up. She holds it up against the side of his body and then looks at the right wing on his body, seeing that the feathers are damaged on it as well as having no feathers in some places and holds it against his body and says, "You really should try to find a way to keep your wings from dragging, there are bare spots on your left and right wings. Your right wing has a bare spot that is scratched up so bad that it bled."

I turn around, then walk to the edge of the outcropping to see how big the avalanche is, and am shocked to see a vast wall of snow cascading down the mountain saying, "I know I need to, but I can't find anypony that can think of a way to do that. I didn't know that my right wing was that bad, I know I lost feathers but I honestly couldn't tell because the bases of my wings are in constant pain that I have gotten used to dealing with. Perhaps I may find somepony that has the creativity to make something that will work among the next herd of ponies we come across, "Those umbrums we met in the caves under the mountain were sure strange weren't they?" I watch as the snow triggers avalanches on other mountain peaks, creating a massive cloud of fine, white particles that billows up into the sky. The cloud grows so large that it obscures my view of the glints of light in the distance, making me wait for several moments for the rumbling to stop and the snow to completely settle back down. When the snow finally settles, I make my way off the outcropping.

Light smiles and holds his wings up saying, "They were odd, but they were nice at least...and told good stories too!"

I gingerly step down onto the uncovered layer of snow, praying that it won't give way and cause another avalanche. Letting out a sigh of relief as my hoof sinks down a little ways, supporting my weight while I continue stepping off. As my last rear hoof lands on the ground, I begin to make my way more carefully down the mountain.

An hour passes by as the snow continues to blow in my face while I carefully choose my footing, catching a glimpse of an uprooted tree just to my left and say, "Look to the left and see proof of an avalanche's strength, there lays a tree uprooted by the force of it. They are one of many natural hazards that all beings should be wary of if they desire to stay alive."

She looks to see the tree and says, "Wow, it is such a large tree too, nature sure can be harsh can't it?"

I chuckle and continue down the mountain and say, "Here's a fun fact for you, I don't know why but the beings where I came from believed that nature was like a mother. Which is why they always called her Mother Nature."

Light cocks her head curiously and says with mild surprise in her voice, "Really, that is interesting because I have always thought that too!"

Another half-hour passes as I finally reach the bottom of the mountain and sigh saying, "Well little one, we are down the mountain. Now we can hurry along to our destination to find what awaits us just ahead." I then ease into a swift walk, finding it much easier without the weight of my wings dragging behind me.

*Unknown Location at the base of the tall mountain*

A young unicorn filly makes her way through the blizzard, feeling concerned about how the others are getting through the long winter storm blowing through. She carefully knocks on one of the doors and waits for a pony to answer the door, when it opens up just a crack as the wind threatens to blow it shut again and says, "I thought that it would be wise to check on everypony to see if they require any food and water during this blizzard. Do you find yourselves in need of any food or water as this storm continues?"

The stallion smiles and shakes his head saying, "Thank you for checking on us Magis, we can always count on you during tough times. We have plenty of food and water to last us a week, I wish you a safe journey to wherever you go today." He then closes the door gently and returns to playing with his family.

Magis turns around with a smile on her face and leans into the howling wind, making her way to her next house when she senses that somepony needs aid. Focusing on her magic, she casts a detection spell to locate anypony in trouble. Her spell signals her of where they are located then turns into the wind, and turns her body around to go with the wind then begins to trot towards the location.

*Somewhere in the blizzard, with Galadriel and Light Bright*

I feel the shivering form of Light Bright still atop my back, her power didn't last long due to the worsening storm. Continuing to trot along as my wings drag behind me, ice starts to form on them and causes me to put more strength into pushing myself forward. That extra effort causes me to sweat more, which then soaks my coat and cools down, creating ice. The ice, blizzard, cold wind, and temperature steals my body heat from me, causing my body to shiver as well. I don't dare to open my mouth or the moisture inside will become ice within minutes. Thinking I see a faint glow in the distance I call out as Light's shivering gets even worse, "HELLO, IS ANYPONY OUT THERE? I CAN SEE A FAINT GLOW, BUT THAT IS ALL!"

Magis hears the shout and continues trotting forward until she sees a pair of very faintly glowing brilliant amber eyes at her eye level, causing her to squeak out saying 'eep' and jump to the side slightly, saying, "My humble apologies, I sensed somepony needed help with my magic, and so I came to offer it. How can I aid you?"

I then stop and say to her, "Please take the filly from my back, and get her to a warm place quickly! She is shivering violently and I cannot run due to the added weight of the ice and snow on my body and wings. Leave me behind and get her taken care of first, she is more important. Come back for me after you get her to a warm place, I can handle this cold a little better than she can."

She nods her head quickly and says, "Very well, I shall bring her to my family's home. Keep moving in your current direction to keep moving and produce warmth, I will find you when I get the filly taken care of." She then illuminates her horn to see better in the complete whiteout blizzard, seeing a light pink unicorn filly with a frozen blue stiff mane and tail with snow stuck to her coat and either a pony below her with a white coat or completely snow plastered body. Approaching the filly quickly, she extinguishes her horn and picks her up with her magic and turns to run back towards her home in town saying, "I will come back to find you, keep moving!" before hurrying off towards her house to get the filly warm.

I watch the glow quickly fade away as I smile and continue to push on through the storm, losing track of how long I have been walking as the spot where Light used to be is now covered in ice and snow. My body begins to lose its strength and causes me to breathe harder as my pulse begins to slow down thinking, 'So...this is to be my fate, freezing to death in an unknown land where I have been exiled to...'

Magis leaves her home and senses the other pony needing help and hurries off to find them. She then casts an illumination spell with her horn and goes to the area where her spell indicated he was, being somewhere in the center of the town. She trots along, keeping her eyes looking around for any sign of the pony. With the storm being so bad, she doesn't notice the object lying on the ground in front of her and runs right into it. She looks at the pile of snow before her and brushes her hoof against it, revealing an ice-covered black wing. She gasps with worry as she notices that the pony is much bigger than her and has either laid down or collapsed, making her hurry around to find the pony's head. Finding it quickly, she lifts it out of the snow with her magic and attempts to smack their jaw with her left hoof to wake them up and open their eyes screaming, "GET UP, IT'S DANGEROUS TO FALL ASLEEP NOW OUT HERE IN THIS WEATHER! GET UP OR YOU WILL BUCKING DIE!!" She then begins smacking them harder as their eyes slowly flicker open.

My eyes slowly flutter open when I feel somepony tapping my face, causing me to wake up a bit more and try to see who it is. I finally see that it is the pony with the glowing horn I saw before and manage to say, "What is going on? I'm so sleepy."

She shakes her head and shouts, "There is a bad snowstorm going on now, and you are outside covered in ice and snow! You need to get up now and follow me to my home!"

I move my front hooves in front of me and very shakily try to push my upper body off the ground, taking a few seconds until finally succeeding and then drag my back hooves under me. Using what strength I can muster, it takes me even longer to get the rest of my body off the ground and say, "Where am I going? I can't see anything in this snow except for your horn's glow."

Magis then says, "Okay then, I am going to make my horn brighter so you can see it better. I shall guide you to my home, please follow my glowing horn so I can try to warm you up. Whatever you do, do not stop following my shining horn or fall back asleep!" She then turns around and makes her horn as bright as she can and angles her head back so that they can see it.

I spot the bright blue light amidst the blinding snow and push myself forward, feeling a burning pain in my lower legs and ignore it. I trip a couple of times and search for the glow again after I recover, then try to force myself to move faster as my wings act like dead weight and slow my progress.

She opens her door wide, holding it open with her rump as the wind tries to blow it shut and shouts, "You are almost to my home, keep on going! I am standing right in front of my open door, so head to the spot just next to me to my right! Watch your step when you are getting closer to the door, there are two steps up to the main floor!"

I make my way to where she told me to head as I get closer to her home, then begin to search for the steps she warned me about. My front hooves find them as they strike the side of the bottom one, I see a light coming from inside and try to go up the steps faster. Before I get to the door, I force myself to shake my body to remove some of the snow that is on it. Not sure how effective it was, I do it once more and then head on inside and try to find a place big enough with my wings extended behind me and mostly covered by ice.

Magis watches as the really tall, adult pony walks past her and into her home. Seeing that they also have a horn like her, she wonders what they are due to them also having appendages like her mother did. She watches as their wings strike the edges of the door frame, causing a yelp of pain to come from the pony. She hears the ice scrape against the edge of the crystal frame and cracking ice comes from inside, making her wince as they finally pass the door frame and enter her home. She extinguishes her horn and quickly heads inside after them, recognizing the pony as a stallion instantly. She closes the door behind her using her magic and makes her way around him to shift some of her furniture around, ensuring that there will be enough room for him to lay in front of the fireplace saying, "Just give me a moment to move some of my furniture around, I did not realize how large you are."

I stand in the room, letting my eyes drift closed for a few moments until I feel a tapping on my right shoulder, reopening my eyes and smile saying, "Sorry for closing my eyes for a few seconds, I am really tired from having to escape that avalanche I accidentally caused while galloping down the side of the mountain."

She smiles warmly back and looks up at him saying, "Don't apologize for something you can't help, now please come around here and lay on the blankets near the fire with your right side facing the fireplace. Do you mind if I lift your frozen wings up so they don't catch the edge of the blankets and pull them along the floor?"

I chuckle and say, "Sure, go right ahead little one, they don't work anyway because they are broken."

Magis fights the urge to run out right now to go fetch the doctor, and forces herself to help get this stallion's body temperature up asking, "Would you be okay with me sharing my body heat with you?" and lifts both of his wings up before they reach the edge of the blankets she set down just after moving her furniture, carefully setting them back down on the floor.

I then lay down on my stomach, feeling the warm heat from the fire washing over my body and say, "Not at all little one, go right ahead." I then begin to rest my eyes as I feel my body temperature slowly begin to recover and start to drift off.

She sees his head lays down and shouts, "Don't fall asleep yet! You need to drink some warm water while I cover you with whatever cloth I can find." She then hurries over to where her water barrel is and gets a large crystal bowl from her counter, then dips it in and fills it up before making her way over to the stallion.

I lift my head as I hear hoofsteps come towards me and say, "Thank you, I am quite thirsty. Can you tell me where Light is?"

Magis sets the bowl in front of his head and says, "Don't thank me yet, you are not out of danger. She is on the couch to your left, her shivering has almost stopped. She is going to be okay, it is you I am most worried about now because of how bad your condition is. Now drink that all while I go find whatever I can to help warm and dry you up as that ice melts on your wings."

*Several hours later, the next morning*

I open my eyes to a really warm feeling, though I can feel something soft lightly pressing up against my barrel. I am about to lift my head up to look at it when I notice that my neck and lower jaw are warm as well, and lying on something soft. Lifting my head from whatever it was laying on, I tilt my nose down and gaze upon a pony having a very pale vermilion coat with a horn, and a brilliant raspberry mane and tail that gradually change to a cobalt blue at the end. As I gaze upon their form, a gentle smile makes its way onto my face. I then turn my head to see what is pressing up against my side, only to see a familiar light pink filly with a horn, blue mane tucked under my right folded wing with her head bent around and tucked underneath it. Glad to see she is okay, I nuzzle against the left side of her neck and lightly chuckle at the cute sight before my eyes and huff into her exposed ear occasionally, causing it to flick in annoyance.

Light huffs in annoyance as something lightly blows into her ear saying, "Stahp it, I'm comfy..."

I smile and quietly say to her ear, "I'm glad you are okay little one. I am doing much better myself, now return to your slumber." I then show her a little affection by using my lips to play with her ear a little before giving it a light lick.

She giggles and pulls her ear under his wing saying, "Quit it, that tickles! I'm happy you made it through Galadriel, I don't know what I would do if you didn't make it."

I then turn my head to see the face of the little filly my head and neck were resting on, seeing a pair of brilliant amber eyes matching my own eyes and softly say, "You're awake, I thank you for helping us both survive through the night. We both owe you our lives, I shall pay you back for your kind and caring actions. Who are you little one, and where are your parents?"

Magis smiles and blushes slightly and says, "Y-you don't have to do that, I'm just happy that you made it through the night." When she thinks about her parents, she turns away and looks down at the floor saying, "They... they went out to find food and wood for our fire three winters ago, they never made it back so I assumed they lost their way home and perished. I went out to look for them when the snow melted, and found them huddled under a tree. I then did what I could to bring them home so they can be buried, I have been on my own ever since." She turns her head towards him and introduces herself saying, "My name is Magis Amore, and I am a unicorn. May I ask who and what you are? Would you like me to go get a doctor to take a look at your wings to see if he can do anything for them?"

I let out a sad sigh and say, "I'm sorry to hear about your parents, little one. My name is Galadriel, and I am an alicorn. You can if you want to, but I don't think there is anything he can do for them."

She then remembers what she heard shouted through the skies, causing her eyes to widen with the realization and tries to confirm it by asking, "I heard a voice booming through the skies, shaking my entire body. Are you THAT Galadriel?!"

I watch with mild amusement at her astonishment and nod my head saying, "I am indeed the Galadriel that made that speech, do you fear me, child?"

Magis shakes her head no and says, "Uh-uh, I heard a few stories from my parents when they went there from time to time on business." She quiets down and fidgets nervously with her hooves for a few moments, trying to figure out if she really wants to know more and quietly asks, "Umm...what became of Saddlelantis?"

I sigh and look away regretfully and answer, "The city was wrecked and returned to the bottom of the sea as punishment for its citizen's vile actions who did not wish to change their ways... I really wish I did not need to punish them so harshly."

She looks away for a moment, then turns back to him and says, "Sometimes one needs to be punished for their actions, or else they will not learn from their mistakes. I once took something from a merchant in town because it was pretty, I was punished harshly for it. My right hoof was tied up under my body with a rope that went over my back and tied around my other hoof, then a ring was placed around my horn to block my magic and finally, I was spanked and told never to do it again. I learned from it and gave the item back, then apologized for it and offered to help them around the shop." She looks up into his amber eyes and notices that his mane and tail flow in a gentle, nonexistent breeze then asks, "Why do your mane and tail blow in a breeze that doesn't exist, we are indoors?"

I turn my head and try to get a look at my mane and tail saying, "I never realized that they became this way, I have no clue. Perhaps you should go get the doctor to take a look at them to see if anything is wrong, this is highly unusual because normally they are just like regular strands of hair." I then look down at my hooves and sigh with relief saying, "At least my hoof feathering doesn't do that?"

Magis cocks her head and looks at his hooves, then back up at him and says, "Umm...your hooves don't have feathers."

I chuckle with amusement and shake my head saying, "They don't, and shouldn't. That is just what the hair is called that grows over a pony's hooves such as mine."

She giggles and then smiles saying, "Okay, I will go get the doctor now and come right back, see you when I return." then exits her home and trots towards the doctor's house, sighing happily at seeing that the blizzard is over but the sky is still cloudy.

V: Crystal Beginnings

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The aging light grey unicorn doctor with white hair and lavender eyes examines the alicorn's body again but finds no issues with his mane or tail saying, "I have never seen anything like this or you before now, perhaps it is something unique to an alicorn? Now let's have a look at your wings to see what is going on." He then goes and begins examining his wings, taking several minutes while touching various places on their wings, and comments, "Your wings are most definitely unique because they are colored differently to your coat color, those red tips are also curious to me. They have a magical signature and show that they are an affliction, but is not what prevents your wings from healing and restoring your ability to fly. What afflicts your wings is a much more serious and powerful magical curse, who was it that put these afflictions on your wings?"

I sigh and say, "It was my father who ordered my brother to inflict the curse upon my wings preventing flight, though it was my father who changed the tips of my feathers to the color of blood. Are you able to lift the curse preventing the healing?"

He then shakes his head then looks away from the patient's wing and looks up at their face with a shocked expression on his own face saying, "Unfortunately, neither I or Magis can do that because we are not strong enough or that gifted with magic, sorry. Why would anypony be so harsh to their own family member, it would be better if they just cut your wings off!"

I look up at him and say, "It was a fair punishment for what I did... You see, we haven't interacted directly with or made any big signs to the ones we watch over for a long time, therefore I went to be among them. I was bored of just watching over them from our lofty homes, so I wanted to go out and fight evil. Well after I dealt with the evil, a foe too powerful for me to deal with appeared so I called for aid. My brother came and swiftly dealt with the demon and sent it away, putting off the coming war between our rivaling forces and not wanting the innocent to be caught between our fighting. My father had a plan for them, and my direct involvement among them altered his plan and angered him. So I was brought before him by my brother where I received punishment for interfering with his intricate plans, by cursing my wings. My next punishment was that my father himself colored my tips this color to remind me that all life is precious, no matter how big or small the creature is. Then to keep the rest of the family in line, he cast me out of our home and I eventually found my way here where I fell through the sky surrounded by fire and crashed into the ground."

The doctor, Magis, and Light all stare at him in shock. Finding it hard to believe the hardship he had to deal with as the doctor says, "Wow, that is quite the ordeal you went through. I am sorry that you lost your home, what was your other world like?"

I think back on what things were like on earth and say, "Well, the beings there abused the resources of the earth, and sky. It was not as lovely as this world is, and I hope that it remains this way for a long long while. Since then, I have come to like this world a lot more than where I came from."

Magis then remembers seeing the bare spots on the bottoms of his wings and says, "Oh, Doc Holly, what do you think about the bare and scratched up places on the undersides of his wings? Do you think they can heal so the feathers can grow back?"

Doc Holly cocks his head curiously and carefully lifts up a wing part way, seeing the spots she mentioned and nods his head saying, "Most definitely, though it will take a little time for the feathers to grow back in. We should try to find a way to keep his wings from dragging on the ground though, do you have any ideas Magis?"

She thinks for a moment and then smiles widely saying, "Oh, I can go get Swift Needle, I think she may be able to help out because she has some cloth she makes clothes with. I'll go get her and come right back, I will make sure to pay you for your visit before you go."

He watches her leave and says, "You really are such a kind and loving filly, you know that Miss Amore?"

Magis then stops and turns her head around saying, "Mhm, I do but I enjoy taking care of others, it makes me happy." She then turns back around and heads out the door, making sure to close it behind her after she leaves.

Doc Holly then looks back at Galadriel and asks, "I look into your eyes and can see the wisdom in them belying your youthful appearance, how old are you...really?"

I chuckle and think about it for a moment, then answer, "Well I was created or born 5 years before Noah's great flood, so I guess that would make me around...3,400 years old or so...I think. Time does not mean much to us, so we don't pay much attention to it though we still are aware of its passing."

His jaw hangs open as his mind fails to form words at hearing that and just stands there blinking when the door opens, hearing someone say, 'At least the snow has finally stopped.' remaining unfazed and only saying, "Incredible..."

Magis stands in the room with Swift Needle behind her and says, "What's incredible, Doc Holly?"

Doc looks at her and closes his jaw and points a hoof at the alicorn and says, "He is."

She cocks her head and asks, "Why, is he really weird or something?"

He shakes his head and says, "No, he is just really old and shows no signs of aging yet."

Magis looks at him for a moment then asks, "Well, how old is he then, 40 or 50?"

Doc shakes his head and says, "Way off, he has been around for 3,400 years."

She then looks over at him with wide eyes and says, "That's crazy, you must be immortal or something!"

I chuckle and shake my head saying, "It is the way I was meant to be since birth, just do me one favor and don't treat me as an all-powerful being...I have no desire to be like my father."

Swift Needle interrupts them and says, "That's cool to hear, but can we get to business now? Who here needs my services?"

I look over at her and say, "That would be me, my wings are broken and they drag on the ground. So I need some way of keeping them up and off of the ground, do you think you could come up with something to help do that?"

She makes her way over to him to take a closer look at what he means, taking a look at his wings and asking with a deadpan look on her face with a monotone voice, "I am Swift Needle, mind if I move these to take a few measurements?"

I nod my head and say, "Go right ahead, if I could do it myself I would." I then ignore the pain as she begins using a long, thin strip of cloth with numbers on it to figure out my measurements.

Swift Needle finishes measuring the length of his right wing and sets the tape down, sits down, and uses her hooves to take hold of his wing so she can fold it up to get an accurate measurement on the total width of them.

Magis lets Swift do her business and then goes to her chest in the corner, then pulls out a few gold nuggets saying, "Is this enough for your visit Doc?"

He nods his head and takes them, placing them in a pouch hanging by a string around his neck saying, "They are, thank you very much for having me take a look at him. You did very well with helping them both recover from the cold, you should be very proud of saving both their lives."

She nods her head and smiles saying, "Oh I definitely am, thank you again for coming on such short notice."

Doc nods his head and says, "Anytime kiddo, I do what I can for you ponyfolk that live in this snowy land." then turns and heads to the door, and starts to head for home.

Swift Needle continues her meticulous measuring and says, "I think that I can help you keep your wings off the ground, it will consist of a strap over your back that will be attached to a piece of cloth that your fold point will go into. There will also be a back strap that will go below the backside of your folded wing, it will have a buckle on it so you can change the height of the end of the wing from the ground. Could you come with me to my shop so that I can properly fit this to your body?"

I then look over to Magis and say, "Are you okay with her making this for me?"

The seamstress looks at him and faintly smiles saying, "Don't worry about it, she agreed to pay whatever it would cost when she asked me to come over to get your measurements."

I then sigh and say, "You really shouldn't do much for me, I won't know how to ever repay you..."

Magis smiles widely and shakes her head chuckling, "Don't be silly, I love helping those that need help. Right now, it is your turn to be helped. So go on and go with her, she may not have magic like a unicorn or the wings of a Pegasus...but she really is talented with making clothes you know."

I turn back to the dark blue mare with Amethyst eyes and a red mane and tail and say, "Lead the way miss Needle." I then turn to Magis and then to Light and ask, "Do either of you want to keep my wings from dragging on the ground on our way to her shop?"

Light prances forward and says, "I will! I want to see what this village is like outside, I have never been outside of Saddlelantis before!"

Swift Needle's eyes widen slightly and says, "You've been to the city of fashion?"

I nod my head and say, "I have indeed been to that vile city of sin, but now...it is the city of ruins."

She blinks a couple of times and asks, "Why, what happened to it?"

I then look at her squarely and say, "I happened...I called upon my magic and warned the residents to repent their sins and change their ways or be punished. They laughed at me so I had no choice but to go through with the punishment and called forth a terrible storm to wreck their city and return it to the bottom of the city, I then punished them by transforming them all into insect-like creatures I named as a changeling."

Swift Needle sighs and says, "The fashion there was amazing, though their lifestyle was....awful. They may have been mean and harsh, but they didn't deserve such treatment."

I shake my head and say, "If I didn't do as I did, they would not learn from their mistakes."

She then narrows her eyes slightly and says, "Enough for now, I will not argue what has been done already. Let the past stay the past, unless it is important for the present or future. Now please follow me to my shop to get fitted, there are others waiting for clothing as well." She then makes her way towards the door, ready to get back to working on the others wanting her services.

I then look over to Light and say, "Are you ready to go outside now little one? Just lift my wings up and we will be on our way."

Light uses her magic to lift up his wings, then says, "Ready, let's go!"

I watch the door open as the mare exits, leaving it open for me to pass through it. Blinded by the brightness for a few moments, I continue forward carefully and walk off the first step unprepared. Startled by falling down onto the next step, I look down to see a bluish block of stone under my hoof. Resuming my descent down the steps, I look around to see other houses made of the same material scattered randomly around the snow-covered land, but are slightly different colors. Some are purple while others are blue or even bluish-green, wondering what kind of stone these are made out of. I look to the mare ahead of us and ask, "What kind of stone are these homes built out of? I have never seen stone quite like this before."

Swift Needle smiles faintly and says, "These homes are built from mined crystal, there is a mine at the base of Mount Everhoof where we get the stone from for the houses. Have you never seen crystal before?"

I look around at the snowy landscape and say, "Yes I have, but this stone doesn't shine or sparkle like the crystal I know."

She nods her head lightly and says, "Crystal does normally shine and sparkle, but it loses it a little while after it is mined into blocks."

I continue to follow her around and think of how drab this area looks with barely any trees around and think, 'What can I do to help the ponies out here?'

*Thirty minutes later at Swift's shop*

I look at my new black, wing holders and smile saying, "Thank you so much for making this for me."

Swift Needle shakes her head slowly and says, "Don't thank me, thank Magis. She is the heart of this village, she cares for and helps out the others, asking nothing in return. This village would likely be gone by now if it wasn't for her, she is the strongest of us all."

I then nod my head and leave her home as the word heart bounces around in my head, still wondering what I should do as a gift for her and her village. I then think of how the storm was so bad yesterday and look up at the cloudy sky saying, "If there was only some way to give them something to keep them safe from outside dangers..." and then I think, 'Perhaps I could make something powerful to do that...but how would the item be powered? Magic fades too fast...and I can't fuel it with life, that is too barbaric for my tastes. What other options do I have, hmm...'

Light sees that he is deep in thought and trots up to him asking, "What's on your mind, leader?"

I look over at her and say, "I'm trying to think of what I can make to protect them from outside dangers, but I need a strong source to supply it. Do you have any ideas, little one?"

She sits on the ground and taps her hoof deep in thought saying, "Hmm...that is a very good plan. I need to think about it a little bit though, so hold on a moment while I try to think of something." She looks around the area for any inspiration, continuing to tap her hoof as nothing comes to her until she spots a couple walking together with smiles on their faces and says, "What about emotions for the source?"

I raise one of my eyebrows in curiosity and say, "Okay, but which emotion to use? There are so many, can't use any of the negative emotions. The strong positive emotions available are, joy, gratitude, hope, amusement, affection, cheerfulness, euphoria, happiness, and last but not least...love." Just then, an idea strikes me as I think, 'Wait a minute, the last couple of ponies I spoke to both cared a lot about Magis. In turn, she loves every pony in this village the same. So love might be a good choice to use as the supply...' I then look to Light and start saying, "Any idea yet on what the gift shou..." trailing off as I think of what the last pony said about her and mumble, "She is the heart of this village."

Light cocks her head and says, "What's the answer? What did you come up with?"

I then smack myself on the side of my head while chuckling saying, "That's the answer little one...that will be my gift to her. Something to hold the source, and the other to activate it." I rise to my hooves quickly and say, "Come with me Light, we shall go find somepony to take us to the deepest part of their mine so I can begin working on it."

She huffs as he starts trotting away, looking for the closest pony to take them to the mine and trots after him saying, "Come on, tell me what you are going to give her!"

I continue to chuckle and call over my shoulder saying mysteriously, "I gave you all the clues you need little one, it is up to you to put them together."

A brown earth pony holds a pickaxe in his mouth as he heads off to the mine when a strange pony that Doc calls an alicorn comes up to him and asks him if he can help them find the mine and sets the pickaxe down then answers, "Umm...it's where ah was goin until ya stopped me, follow me this way and try to keep up cause ah'm late for my shift." He then leans down and picks up his pickaxe and continues on towards the base of the mountain.

Ten minutes later, inside the deepest part of the mine

Light sits next to him with her horn illuminated and whines, "What did you come down here for, come on and tell me already!"

I chuckle and say, "Shh little one, I need to concentrate now so just watch and you will see." I then close my eyes then reach down deep for my magic and will it to do something it has never attempted to do before, silently praying, 'Oh tall and majestic crystal mountain, I desire to create a gift that will use love to protect all ponies within it's borders. If you would bless me with a beautiful crystal heart that shines and graces all with its beauty while providing a safe haven from outside dangers, I would be forever thankful and only ask for a place to activate its power."

*In another part of the mine, several levels above the very bottom*

Miner Niner mines away at the wall, working on carving out a stone block for another house when he feels the mountain begin to rumble and shouts, "Cave-in, everypony out now!" He then hears the others call out the order and start to hurry out of the mine, starting to head out himself when he stops and thinks of the alicorn that went into the deepest part of the mine. He then grabs his pick and starts making his way there thinking, 'Ah hope that stallion and filly are okay, but ah better go help them get outta here before we really get stuck.'

Back at the bottom of the mine, several levels below the surface

I feel the mountain's answer to my silent request as it continues to rumble, hearing a faint echoing of galloping hooves coming my way and chuckle out loud and say, "I wish not to be known for making this gift, could you please hasten the process?" I watch as the wall starts to crack and crumble away, grinding itself down to dust as it reveals a large, sparkling, light blue diamond crystal heart and look at Light saying, "Quick, go get it and tuck it inside the back support strap on my right wing, then tighten the left and right rear straps to make sure it stays in place before that pony sees it!"

Light nods hastily and rushes forth as the echoing hoofsteps get louder, extinguishing her light as Galadriel illuminates his horn for her to see. She then grabs the heart with her magic and trots to his right side, tucks it under the back strap, and tightens the buckle to bring the wing higher up. Finally tightening the left buckle, she says, "Okay, it's in there. Can we go now? I don't like dark places."

I smile and start walking away from the back wall saying, "Yes we most certainly can, we have what we came here for."

Miner Niner skids to a stop as he sees the two making their way from the bottom of the mine shaft and says, "Oh good, ya two are okay. Now follow me out of here, the mine isn't safe right now." He then quickly turns and trots back up the way he came, feeling glad that either of them wasn't hurt down there.

I nod my head and trot after him saying, "Thank you for coming to get us, we were looking for something to give to Magis as a gift to show our thanks for everything she has done for us both."

He leads them up through another level and says, "She really does take good care of us all, she would make a good leader when she grows up a little more. My name's Miner Niner by the way, what's yer names?"

I follow him and answer, "My name is Galadriel and this little filly is Light Bright, thank you for showing us where the deepest part of the mine was."

Miner is curious and asks, "Did ya find what ya were looking for?"

I chuckle and nod my head saying, "We most certainly did, and it is beautiful. If you want to see it, you will have to wait until it is finished."

Several minutes later, at the top of the mine

I stop and look at Miner and say, "Thank you for coming to get us and helping us get out of there, you are very thoughtful and caring about others. I wish you have a good rest of your day, Miner Niner."

He nods his head and smiles saying, "Ya are welcome, and a good day to ya too Galadriel." He then turns to look at the others and says, "Everypony alright?!" He then looks around to see all of the miners nod their heads and says, "Ah'm glad that nopony was hurt this time around, let's take a break and then go back in for more stone."

As Light and I return to town, I see Magis heading our way and smile saying, "Just the pony I was looking for, I have something for you."

Magis stops and looks him over, then releases a sigh of relief at him being okay and says, "I heard that you went to the mine when I heard a rumbling a little later come from there, so I was on my way to check it out and see if everypony is okay. I am greatly relieved to see that you both are just fine, is everypony else okay from the mine?"

I nod my head yes and say, "I heard Miner Niner ask if anypony was hurt, and heard him say 'I'm glad that nopony was hurt this time around, let's take a break and then go back in for more stone.'

She then smiles and says, "Okay, now I can stop worrying. What is it that you have for me?"

I look down at the filly and smile saying, "I have a gift for you, I found it in the mine. Light, if you would get it and give it to her please."

Light smiles widely and makes her way to his right wing, then carefully removes it from under the strap with her magic. She then makes her way toward her and hovers it towards her saying, "Here you go, thank you again for saving our lives."

Magis looks at the sparkling, light blue, diamond crystal heart in awe and uses her magic to inspect it, then says, "Th-this is a magical item, you couldn't have found this down there. That mine was carved into the mountain by the miner's parents." She then looks at it again and gasps saying softly, "Y-You made this...didn't you...with your magic."

I sigh and nod my head yes saying, "I did, but you must not tell anypony that it was made...tell them that it was found instead." I then smile and walk closer to her saying, "It is powered by love, and it will protect your village from outside danger. It is up to you to figure out how to use it though, however, there is just one more thing I need to give you before we take our leave."

She takes the gift from Light and says, "W-What else is there? This is too much already, I said you didn't have to pay me back and I meant it."

I chuckle and say, "I still would have done it anyway to help your village out, take me to a spot in your village where there is plenty of room for the final gift...the one that activates that heart.

Magis thinks for a few moments before saying, "Oh, right this way then, I think this may be a nice spot." and then trots off towards the center of the village.

I follow her to the spot and look around to see if there is enough room and shake my head right away saying, "Sorry but there isn't enough room for it here, perhaps there is a more open place on the edge of the village?"

She then nods her head and carries the heart beside her in her magic, then heads towards a flat area that she was hoping to help the ponies to turn into fields saying, "There is one more place that might work, though I had plans for it to become fields."

I arrive at the area and smile, liking how much open space it has and say, "I apologize for this next part, but could you use your magic to raise me high into the sky so I can see the layout of the village?"

Magis nods and hands the heart back to light saying, "Yes I can, I wonder just what exactly you have planned for this spot." As Light takes the heart from her, she uses her magic to take hold of his body and lifts it off the ground slowly. She then moves him higher and higher into the sky, waiting for him to let her know to bring him back down.

I look down at the village, and remember where each home is and smile quietly saying, "This will work perfectly..." I then look down at her and loudly say, "Alright Magis, you can bring me back down now."

She then begins to bring him back down to the ground thinking, 'Just how big is this going to be?'

I return to the ground and then walk around to where I want it to be and say, "Now I must concentrate once again, so please don't interrupt me unless I need you to do something." As I see them both nod, I sit on the ground and close my eyes. I then begin to concentrate on channeling my magic into the element I wish to control and silently pray, 'Oh untarnished crystalline element, hear my request. I wish for a marvelous breath-taking structure of crystal to act as a housing for a powerful artifact, may it pierce the very sky and activate a spell of protection from outside dangers cast upon the land and keep those that live within safe. Please allow me to assist with the structure's design, as I will ensure it shall have no equal."

Magis feels the ground rumble as several large, white crystals rise up through the ground and slightly alter their shape as they continue to grow out of the ground. She looks up into the sky as a massive structure starts to emerge from the shifting crystal spires, taking final shapes as numerous round, spear-like protrusions as a hollow space emerges below the base of the massive structure.

I watch as I guide the crystal's shape into forming a hollow tripod-like base that even towers over me, continuing to guide the center peak of the tower as I form smaller arches that run up along either corner of the tower. I finish the tower and then direct the crystal down to form a circular path underneath the dome, and spread the crystal outward in the basic shape of a snowflake. I have just enough left to form pathways leading away from the structure at each point on the snowflake, as my magic fades away and leaving me feeling pretty tired and forcing myself to stand. I make my way over to Magis and then smile at her saying, "Now that is the final gift, the rest is up to you to figure out little one. I need to get going now, maybe someday I shall return to visit. May you have a long and happy life, Magis Amore." I then turn and begin to walk away, ignoring my exhaustion.

She then starts to walk after him and says, "At least stay for a bit longer and rest up before leaving!"

I turn away from her with a happy smile and say, "I apologize, but my presence is required elsewhere. Goodbye for now, Magis."

VI: The winds of change

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Magis watches them continue to leave, finding herself missing them already and heads back home to make another entry into her journal. As she walks through the door, she goes to her nightstand to retrieve it. Opening it to the last page she wrote, she looks it over and reads about how she found a pair of strange ponies out in the blizzard. The passage also says how she was happy to see them to make a full recovery, learning that the older pony was an Alicorn and that how she finds it hard to believe they are 3,400 years old. She picks up the small piece of charcoal she uses to write with and turns to a new page as the previous one is full. She then starts writing, 'Galadriel left the village today with his wing harness due to his cursed wings leaving him unable to fly, but gave us two gifts for saving both his life and the life of a little filly called Light Bright. I wonder how these two crystal gifts are used... I can't believe how large and elegant one gift is, it rises up to touch the very sky like Mount Everhoof does. Yet the other gift is small and made of Diamond crystal, how do I power this with love... Ugh, I shall have to examine the Crystal Heart again later, but something about this feels familiar somehow.'

*A couple hours later, at the southern edge of the vilage's lands*

Light continues to follow him as the ground returns to being grass and asks, "Why aren't we staying a bit longer? I wanted to see the village some more."

I look at her and admonish her lightly, saying in a serious manner, "Light, it is rude to overstay your welcome and mooch off the host, it is important to remember one's manners when in somepony else's home as a guest."

Her ears fall a little at being scolded and lowers her head saying, "But my parents never taught me any manners, they only taught me to speak, walk, and fend for myself."

I shake my head and berate myself for forgetting how her parents treated her and say, "I'm not mad at you, I was just telling you to be more polite and thoughtful to others. Since your parents didn't teach you hardly anything, I will teach you what I can. Is that okay with you?"

Light's ears lift back up as she returns to her cheerful nature and says, "So where are we going now, leader?"

I smile and change my direction towards where the rest of my herd is and say, "Now, we are going to get the rest of my herd and we will continue to wander this land and see what else we can find."

She smiles and prances around asking, "Will there be other foals there for me to play with?"

I chuckle and nod saying, "Indeed there are, my two daughters named Midnight Autumn and Summer's Day. They are both only a few months old now, so you might have a job to babysit from time to time. As they get a little older you all can play together, but remember that you are the eldest of them so you will need to be the responsible one and look after them when you turn 10 years old." I then see a stream ahead and say, "Let's take a short break here to get some food and water before we continue on."

A month later, at Galadriel's herd's village

Fair Seed laughs as her daughter chases a butterfly around the harvested rice field saying, "Now be sure not to leave my sight honey."

Summer's Day giggles and chases after the butterfly, then stops for a moment with a smile on her face saying, "Okay momma, when's papa comin' home?"

She sighs and says, "He said that he will be back before the snow falls, sweetie. This means that he will be back really soon, if he is late I am going to kick him into next week."

The filly sighs and says, "Ah hope he comes soon, cause ah wanna meet him. Ah wanna see mah papa's face again, what does he look like again? Ah fergot."

*On the outskirts of the village, with Galadriel*

I make my way into the quiet village, looking up to see bright scarlet and orange leaves filling the cherry blossom trees as Light follows beside me, mesmerized by the lovely sight before our eyes and say, "We have arrived at last, I wonder where my herd has gone off to..."

Light follows him, slowing slightly as she is entranced by the beauty of this place and asks, "What are those things, leader?"

I smile as I see a familiar tan earth pony with a black mane and tail lying under a large Sargent's cherry blossom tree, then make my way towards her as her back is to me while our daughter chases a butterfly around. I then lower my head to Light and whisper, "Shhh, be quiet and watch me annoy my partner over there. She's the mother of the filly chasing the butterfly over there, that is Summer's Day."

She nods her head and grins, then stays quiet as she watches where she is stepping. They make it all the way close to the mare as she watches her filly play, fighting back a snicker as she watches him slowly approach the mare and very quietly blows gently across her right ear.

I watch as her ear flicks at the sensation, then do it once more and see her shake her head mumbling something about pests. I then lower my mouth to the tip of her ear and brush my hair along the edge of her right ear, causing her to shake her head again. I silently chuckle as her mane slaps against my neck and face, I then decide to let her know that I am home. I then use my lips to play with the tip of her ear, earning myself an irritated snort from her.

Fair Seed snorts again in irritation as she feels her ear being touched again and begins to look around for the culprit saying, "Awright, who's messin' with my ear!" She then hears a light chuckling coming from behind her and turns her head around to look at them, coming face to face with her lover. Shock briefly flashes over her face as it changes to excitement and happiness, whipping her head back around, standing up then jumps her lover saying, "Yer finally back, dear! We've missed ya so much, where have ya been in yer travels?"

I chuckle as her hooves hold my neck as she nuzzles against me affectionately and say, "I have been to the sea far to the north of here, seen quite a few things. Most were very interesting, but one thing was not nice at all. That ugliness is behind me now for it has been dealt with, our children and their children's children will be free from its presence since I have destroyed the foul city and punished its citizens. Though we should always be looking out for any danger, you never know what is coming around the next corner."

*On a distant shore, far from the ruins of Saddleantis*

Grogar looks across the vast expanse of water, fuming furiously as he finally managed to get away from those wretched insects and huffs out an angry breath thinking, 'After finally evading those pests, I can finally use this piece of wood to get to the other side and hunt this Galadriel down and make him pay for wrecking the city I built!' He then growls and shouts, "I'm coming for you Galadriel! Wherever you are and whoever you are, I will find you and PUNISH YOU!!" He then pushes the wood into the water and gets up onto it, using his cloven back hoof to push off into the water.

He then grabs a flat stick he carved and plunges one end into the water with his magic, then uses it to row the platform through the water. A grin crosses his face as he feels the wind pick up, putting aside his stick in favor of a pole with a piece of cloth on it. He then sets the pole into a hole in the center of the wood and picks up his stick, then goes to the back and drops one end of it into another hole at the far back of the platform. He cackles cruelly as his craft moves along quickly through the water and grins maliciously saying, "I'm coming to get my revenge on you...Galadriel. I will look upon your face and see the terror on it as I destroy everything you hold dear, so get ready...because here. I. come."

*Three weeks later, somewhere far southwest of the village*

I look back over my shoulder, sensing that something dark is looking for me and see nothing in the immediate area around us when I hear a rumbling, sounding a lot like a great many hooves and turn my head to see what is approaching as I stand in front of my herd protectively as my love's older sister called Hoof Pie joins me with a fierce look on her face and say, "I don't know what comes this way, but try not to start a fight okay?"

Hoof Pie looks at him for a brief moment and nods her head saying, "Eeyup, ah'll let them start the party first before ah start knockin' sense into their heads."

I chuckle at her behavior before seeing a large cloud racing towards us, making me take a closer look and cock my head at seeing a stampeding buffalo herd heading our way. As I watch the herd get closer, I start to notice feathers attached to their ears, or beaded headbands on their heads.

The herd stops just in front of the strange visitors to their lands as the lead bull stomps forth and says, "Hallo, strange land creature. I Chief Windhawk, who be you? What bring thou to our land?"

I nod my head at him and say, "Hello, Chief Windhawk, I am Galadriel. My herd and I are on a journey to only see new lands, we do not claim any land we visit. Only things we require is food, water, and rest, we get the water and food from what is already there. We will not touch what you grow to feed ourselves, we come here in peace to only see what is in this vast land."

Chief Windhawk looks the land creature up and down, gauging his character and finds him to be honest and asks, "Galadriel, what creature are you?"

I smile and hold my head up saying, "I am called a type of pony called an Alicorn, the pony to my right is an Earth pony. The two ponies with the strange appendages at their sides are called Pegasi, just one of them is called a Pegasus. The young pony with a horn on her head is called a Unicorn, and we can use our horns to cast magic."

He looks at the Alicorn curiously and asks, "This magic, it be good or bad?"

I look at him and answer honestly, "It is not good, or bad. The nature of the magic depends on how it is used, if it is used to cause harm, it is bad. If magic is used to help others, it is good. Will you allow us to stay and rest for a few days before we move on to the next area?"

Chief Windhawk thinks about it for a moment and asks, "You not cause harm to tribe in our land?"

I nod my head and say, "We will not, we shall behave ourselves. I like to do what I can to help those that I come across by creating things to add beauty to their land that will also make its residents happy, it is always done as a gift because it is my duty to assist others to make their lives better and punish the bad.

He cocks his head and asks, "You punish bad? Who be bad? None here bad, no punish."

I shake my head and say, "I do punish the bad, I was speaking of an evil, dirty city in the past that was bad as can be."

Chief Windhawk gulps and asks curiously, "What name, where city? W-What happened to city?"

I look at him and say, "It was called Saddlelantis, it was very far to the northeast of here. I used my magic to create a big storm and had it wreck the city while I transformed the sinful residents into horrid insects, then I asked the sea to return the city to the depths of the ocean floor." I then shift my eyes over to Light Bright and smile saying, "The young unicorn with us, Light Bright saw it all as she is the only innocent that I found there and saved." I turn back to look at Chief Windhawk and smile saying, "Your tribe has nothing to fear from me, I always give the guilty a chance to repent their actions before passing judgment upon them. So don't be so nervous, please. We are here just as a wandering herd passing through an area to get to another, so there's really no need at all to pay us any mind."

He sighs a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding at hearing the tale and clears his voice saying, "You ponies welcome to stay if no harm is caused, welcome to Buffalonian Lands." He then turns around to address the others with him saying, "Visiting ponies honored guests, treat well!"

I watch as the other buffalo in the herd bow their heads in acceptance with smiles on their faces, allowing me a chance to look around at their land and see that it is pretty barren of anything green. Making me think of what I can do to add some greenery and think, 'I think a few cacti, bushes, some flowers, some tumbleweeds, and perhaps a few fruit trees'

After addressing his group, he watches them turn around and make their way back to where they came from and turns around to look at the group and says, "Honored guests, please follow us to village."

I nod my head in agreement and ask him, "Is food difficult for your tribe to find?"

Chief Windhawk approaches Galadriel and talks low saying, "Food difficult to find, yes. But water plentiful, land get little rainfall. We search lands for food, little success. I not sure how solve, you idea?"

I smile at him and nod my head saying, "I have some ideas, but I do not want to be treated like some all-powerful being. I can show you what many different plants are and what medicinal qualities they have. There are a few things I would like to teach you while I use my magic to call forth some plants that will survive in this area that can serve as food for you all, is this agreeable?"

He thinks hard on the offer, thinking of how hungry his tribe is getting lately and watches his tribe get further away to make sure none see what he does next, then bows his head saying, "Please help tribe solve hunger, hunt season upon us soon."

I cock my head and ask, "What do you mean by hunting season, do you all go out hunting for food?"

Chief Windhawk shakes his head and says, "No, great sky beasts with featherless wings that breathe fire hunt us, take many shiny rocks we find on ground, kill few and eat for food. Almost lost all tribe last hunt season, not able to lay many to rest. Greatly upset me to not lay daughter to rest, me wish season to end."

I then grin slightly as I hear the evil acts committed from the chief and ask, "When is this hunting season going to start?"

He then looks up at the sky and says, "Next full white circle after tonight's full white circle, why ask?"

I then hold my head a little higher and say, "So they will come in twenty-eight days, I think what these creatures do to you is bad enough to earn punishment."

Chief Windhawk looks at him nervously and asks, "You not take life, right?"

I sigh and look down for a brief moment with a somber, yet serious look in my eyes and say, "I try to avoid doing that at all costs, all life is sacred." I then use my hoof to pick up an ant saying, "From this tiny ant, to the largest creature that breathes air." then return my hoof to the ground, letting the ant return to his business and continue, "All things have a value to their existence, it is not to be taken lightly."

He smiles and releases a sigh of relief saying, "You very wise, me have much respect for you. What you teach me?"

I smile and start walking saying, "Come, take a walk with me and I shall tell you of a race from the land I come from, they happen to be very similar to your tribe." I then look at my herd and say, "You all may do as you wish, I need to share a few things with the chief."

Summer's Day then trots after her father saying, "Ah wanna go with papa, ah don't want him to go away again!"

Midnight Autumn then trots along after her half-sister saying, "Me too, me too!"

I chuckle as they catch up to me and look at both of my loves, nodding my head and say, "Very well, this may be a bit of a walk while I tell him about the race from where I come from. If you come along, do not leave my side or I will scold you and not let you come with me again, okay?"

Chief Windhawk smiles as he watches the two girls nod quickly and follow after him with big smiles on their faces, then walks next to Galadriel and asks, "How these others similar to us?"

I then continue walking and say, "Well, they also wore beads, headbands, and feathers like you do. They also have a great respect for life when it comes to nature, they do not waste what they take from nature. Each part of the creature's body was used in some way for their needs, be it weapons, tools, clothing or even food, nothing was ever wasted or thrown away." I continue walking as I tell him a bit more saying, "Do you believe that everything has a spiritual essence?"

He looks at him and nods his head saying, "We do, we pray to spirits for various things. Even this vast world has a spirit of its own, though none of us are able to commune with it."

I look around for my children and find them beside me, chasing each other around while laughing. I then look back to the chief then nod my head and say, "Okay that is also similar to what they believe, now let me tell you about what they once held in great respect over all else. They called it the medicine wheel, this will take a little while to explain so let's lay down here for a bit and I will tell you what I know about it."

Chief Windhawk listens intently to what he hears about this medicine wheel, learning how it moves in a clockwise pattern following the cycle of life. Each section of the wheel holds certain meanings and represents many things. North is the air or wind element. It represents elders or death, winter and the spiritual aspect of life, it is also called the white nation with the bear as its animal spirit. Offerings made to this nation are to be cedar. The next direction in the cycle is East, it is the fire or sun element. Called the yellow nation with the Eagle as its animal spirit. It represents spring, birth, and the intellectual or mental aspect of life. Its offering is to be tobacco. The direction after that one is South, is the earth element. Called the red nation with the Wolf as its animal spirit. It represents summer, youth, and the physical aspect of life. The offering to this one is sweetgrass. The last direction is West, is the water element. Called either the black or blue nation with the Buffalo as its animal spirit. Representing autumn, adulthood or parents, the emotional aspect of life, and the water element. The offering to this last one is sage.

I take a break to catch my breath a little before saying, "The medicine wheel is also called the sacred hoop, it can be painted or be crafted into items. It can also be built on the ground using stones placed in a circle and either a pile of stacked stones to mark the directions with the stacked stones painted to match each direction, there is an inner circle in the center of the outer circle where you can stand and meditate on what you are thinking about, searching for an answer." I then look to him and see him looking off to the side, deep in thought and smile saying, "One thing about these beings is that they went on spiritual journeys or 'vision quests' as a rite of passage or to search for answers. A vision quest normally means spending time alone, communing with nature and focusing inward to connect to the deeper pieces of ourselves. There is much more I can tell you about their ways, but for now I think it is best to let you contemplate and understand what you just learned."

He then turns his head around to look at the very wise pony and nods saying, "Much appreciated wise one, have much to think about and discuss with tribe tonight. Let us return, for it is late and we have yet to eat."

I look around for my two girls and see them lying right beside me, making me smile as I use my magic to lift them up and carefully set them both on my back. I stand up carefully, trying not to disturb them and follow the chief back to his tribe.

*The next day, around noon just outside of the tribe's village*

I look to my two loves and say, "I am going to go see what the chief wants to do today, try to keep out of trouble you two fillies." I then smile and call forth a large patch of grass for them to eat saying, "This grass won't survive in this area, so eat as much of it as you can to tie us over until tomorrow before they perish." I then start to walk away when my two daughters start to follow me and look at them with a loving smile on my face and shake my head saying, "Sorry girls, papa's going much further away from the village this time to teach the chief more about the race I know of, so you will have to stay here, unfortunately." I watch as their faces become crestfallen and say, "Don't worry, papa shall take you out and teach you how to find food, and survive on your own when I am finished with my tasks here." They both run up to me and hug my forelegs and I say "I love you both, very much. I will be back within a couple of days, I promise." I then see them let go of me and return to chasing each other around, even chasing after Light a bit. Turning towards the tribe's village, I then start heading towards it and wonder what this day has in store for me.

Chief Windhawk finishes speaking with his tribe about going on a spiritual journey to find answers, they are very accepting of the information he learned from their honored guest and eager to add more of their methods to ours. Hearing that his tribe is willing to learn more about their ways, he makes his way out of the village and sees their honored guest already nearing the village and smiles saying, "Honored guest, you and herd sleep well?"

I nod my head and say, "Yes we all did, thank you for asking. What do you seek today Chief Windhawk, food or knowledge?"

He smiles and says, "Knowledge. Tribe wish know more about these other beings, they fascinated by others' way. Wish to know what sacred hoop is, you show?"

I smile and nod my head saying, "I shall need a lot of stones to show you what it looks like in its most basic form, flat stones are needed too for the directions."

Chief Windhawk looks to his tribe and says, "Gather many mouth-sized stones for sacred circle, bring some flat stones as well."

The ground rumbles as the tribe scurry around, collecting rocks and placing them into piles as I dig around for a flat stone to mark the first direction. After finding it, I pick it up with my magic and head to a large area to set the first stone saying, "When you build a sacred hoop, always progress in the direction the sun and moon travel...always clockwise, or to the right. Only enter the hoop when you have need for it and an offering, always walk around it and never through it or it will lose its sacred nature."

He watches as Galadriel works on building the circle, telling the tribe more about how the other beings believed that the races of their world were at one time one tribe that were divided into other tribes and sent to different areas of the land to master a certain element they were asked to learn and master.

I continue to place directional stones down, then start placing stones down in a clockwise manner and say, "There is a great circle of life, the force that drives the circle onward is time. Nothing can stop time from continuing on its path, everything is a part of the cycle in some way. When something comes into this world, it is at a young stage. As it gets older, it moves towards the end of life. When it reaches the end of life, it dies and returns to the ground. After it returns to the ground, it nurtures the next life until it is born back into the world. The cycle of life, death, and rebirth never ends, there is no need to fear one's own passing for you will return someday."

Chief Windhawk listens to his words intently as do the entire tribe as he continues to place stones in the same direction, never changing his movement. He wonders just how much knowledge they have and how long they have been around to gain that knowledge.

I finish the outer circle and start placing the first line saying, "There is a circle inside of the large one where one individual stands until they are satisfied with what they discover, an individual may take an unknown amount of time searching for their answer. Have the patience to wait for them to conclude their meditation before taking your place inside the circle, remember to make your offering when you enter the large circle. Then move to the smaller circle to face the one you wish to think on and close your eyes, once you find your answer you may open your eyes and take your leave. Some of their tribes put bowls at each stacked stone for their offerings." As I finish the last line, I then start placing the inner circle. I make the inner circle a little bigger for their larger bodies and return to telling them more of what I know of their culture. As I place the last stone, I look to the tribe and say with serious look on my face, "Never step on one of the stones in the circle, always step over them to show your respect of the cycle of life." and then turn to the right and raise my hoof up as I watch where I am stepping, and step over the circle of stones.

He watches the being step over each stone he comes across and asks, "Now what you teach us?"

I then walk around the circle and think of where a forest may be then say, "I shall teach you about the ceremonial plants that are offered to each point of the sacred circle, let us go to an area with trees and grass."

Chief Windhawk thinks for a moment and says, "Closest area with trees and grass west and north of here, several hours of running to get there. We carry you there, it faster and you be honored guest."

I smile and nod my head, accepting the offer to not be rude and say, "Thank you for treating me so kindly." I feel one of them use their head to lift me up onto another one's back and hold on for the ride ahead.

*Timeskip, about two days later*

And so I spent the past couple of days teaching them what all I know about the various plants and herbs of the forest, even telling them about the animals they held most sacred...the buffalo. I tell them about how the other race of beings encroached on their land, thinking that it did not belong to any of them. I made sure they knew that all these things I am telling them happened long ago before I started telling them about how the lack of good communication between the two races led to very violent conflict, resulting in the once-mighty tribes losing the fight and were forced to move to another land. I then sigh and say, "Those were sad times for the tribes, communication is very important because it may help those involved to avoid unnecessary violence. I hope that your tribe will learn from their past and live less-violent lives and protect what is most dear to you." I look around the land as we near the buffalo's village and say, "Tomorrow I shall wander around your land and try to commune with mother nature to see what can be done regarding your food situation."

VII: A change of scenery

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*Four weeks later, at the buffalo's village*

I spend those few weeks educating the tribe of buffalo about the ways of the other beings, also calling forth quite a few cacti that they will be able to eat after removing the thorns and cooking them a little. The day is very peaceful until I hear a set of hooves approach me, turning to look at who it is and see it is the chief and say, "Hello Chief Windhawk, what brings you to seek me out today? I taught you all I could about those other beings."

Chief Windhawk looks at the sky to his right and says, "Hunting season here, they arrive shortly. What we do?"

I look at him and place my hoof onto his shoulder saying, "Keep your tribe calm and safe, let me deal with this threat and save you all with my strength."

He looks at him with concern and says, "How you save us from them? You have secret weapon?"

I nod my head and say, "I do, it is the other part of my magical abilities." I then look up at the sky where he is looking and see distant specks in the sky and see the approaching creatures, too far to identify them yet I look for where my herd is and shout to the mares, "Keep everyone close to me and I will protect us all from danger, these creatures are done visiting their evil on this herd. No creature should be treated so cruelly..." I then look for a spot to get a better view and see a grouping of rocks then think, 'Those will do quite nicely for this.' I then make my way towards the grouping of stones, aiming to use them as steps to stand on the tallest one to get their attention and glance back to my herd and say, "When we get up to those rocks, hide yourselves between the rocks."

As the strange creatures finally become clear enough to make out, I stand on the tallest rock and notice that they are dragons of varying sizes and wait until they are close enough, amplifying my voice to shout with all my strength, "To all dragons trespassing upon these peaceful lands belonging to this tribe, I address you all! Hear my words and come no further, the time has finally come for you to find a new source of food than the flesh of others! Apologize for the cruelty and horror you all have visited upon the innocent lives of this tribe, the numerous males, females and especially the young you have so callously devoured and stolen from them! Change your ways now and repent for the wrongs you have done, turn back now or face my wrath!"

The leader of the flight of dragons is intrigued by what she hears, then glides down to say hello before turning them into food. She hovers a fair distance away as the flight stays behind her and hovers while she says, "Greetings tiny appetizer, what makes you think that you have the authority to tell us what to do? Who and what are you? I wish to know that before I eat you and turn you into dragon queen excrement."

I sigh and shake my head as I am left with no choice but to enact my wrath and say, "I am an alicorn, and my name is Galadriel. You will regret forcing my hand, queen." I then stand tall and look up high into the sky and bellow louder, "OH GLORIOUS AND MIGHTY SKY ABOVE, THY OWN CHILDREN TAKE THEE FOR GRANTED! HOW DO THOU TOLERATE THIS WHEN THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THOSE THAT LIVE BELOW THY BEAUTY, FOR THEY ARE ALSO THY CHILDREN! SHOW THY DISPLEASURE AND SHOW THINE UNENDING POWER!!"

The dragon queen is shocked at the volume of their voice as she sees their eyes beginning to glow brightly, feeling a great desire to save the creatures head and pluck out its eyes to treasure forever. She then laughs in response and says, "Oh puny alicorn, what power are you trying to show...there is nothing that we dragons should fear!" She then feels the air begin to cool down rapidly as rain begins striking her scales as the sun vanishes behind the gathering, darkening clouds. Looking up to see what is going on, she watches as the clouds block out the sky and start to turn black as night as flashes start to illuminate the clouds briefly with thunder echoing through the clouds and reaching her ears. She turns back to the puny alicorn and asks, "How did you do that puny one? Answer me, and I shall spare you!"

I look up at the massive dragon queen with vertically slitted red eyes, green scales and a row of sharp spikes down her back with two, long twisting horns jutting out of the back of her head and say, "This is the dark part of my power, turn back now and I will spare you and your whole flight the pain of my wrath."

She laughs and shouts, "YOU CAN'T CAUSE ME PAIN, MY SCALES ARE HARDER THAN DIAMONDS. I BATHE IN LAVA POOLS AND TREATING OTHERS LIKE FOOD IS MY RIGHT, PERHAPS I SHOULD TEACH YOU YOUR PLACE IN THIS WORLD." Just then she thinks she sees just a flicker of black lightning in his eyes, making her take another look but sees nothing there.

I then narrow my eyes as my anger builds, causing the sky to become darker and the lightning to dance more vigorously among the clouds and bellow, "PERHAPS I SHOULD SHOW YOU YOURS LITTLE WHELP, FOR I AM FAR OLDER THAN YOU AND HAVE THE COMPASSION AND KINDNESS TO OFFER FORGIVENESS TO ONE WHO HAS DONE WRONG. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE FORGIVEN AND CHANGE YOUR WAYS, THEN FEEL MY WRATH!" I then call forth a strong bolt of lightning to strike one of her wings, watching as a bright blue bolt races down while splitting the sky with its thunderous boom and chars a spot on her back, near the base of her wings.

The queen roars out in pain as she falls for a moment, then regains her hovering and growls angrily at him and says, "When I am done with you, I shall pick my teeth with your bones!!"

Summers Day races forth out of the rocks to her mother's dismay and glares at the mean creature then shouts, "YA CAN'T HURT MAH PAPA, HE'S TOUGHER THAN YA ARE YA BIG MEANIE!"

She looks down to see the little filly and then grins saying, "I shall teach you to be nicer to those bigger than you morsel!" and prepares to breathe fire to roast the pony.

With not a moment to spare, I channel my rage into my attack and bellow, "LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE YOU INSUFFERABLE WORM, FEEL MY RAGE AND HOWL IN AGONY!" and then slam my hooves down upon the stone, creating a large crack to form along the top edge of the boulder.

Chief Windhawk watches with awe as blue lightning rapidly falls from the sky, striking numerous places on the queen's body as she lets out an ear-piercing, blood-curdling scream of agony. The numerous attacks cause the queen to crash onto the ground as the little filly is yanked back to safety, while the attacks continue, one of her wings is rendered useless as it falls to the ground with very little flesh between the exposed bones.

Writhing in agony from the pain, the queen looks up at her fear-stricken dragon flight and shouts an order, "DON'T JUST HOVER THERE FLAPPING YOU FOOLS, KILL THEM ALL!!"

I watch as the whole flight begins to take action and roar in fury and shake my head saying, "You just had to make me use more of my strength didn't you?" I then take a breath and reach even deeper for more power and then bellow, "SINCE THEE DON'T WISH TO CHANGE, I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PUNISH YOU SEVERELY!"

The queen watches as he rises up onto his rear hooves while his coat begins to shimmer and glow brightly, causing her to squint her eyes as his hooves slam down onto the stone, causing a large chunk to break off and land near her head. Hearing a thunderous boom above, she watches as hundreds upon hundreds of blue lightning bolts pummel her children. Watching helplessly in slow motion as one by one, her children are reduced to charred, lifeless husks and fall to the ground in pieces. Tears stream down her face as she watches all 200 dragons she brought with her are slaughtered, making her weep and cry out, "ENOUGH, STOP BUTCHERING MY CHILDREN!"

I glare down at her, feeling no pity for her and ask, "Isn't this what you wanted? Violence and cruelty? Do you finally beg for forgiveness? One chance to redeem your race?"

She watches the last of her children fall from the sky and crash to the ground, breaking her heart and her character saying, "Y-Yes...p-please allow me that chance, what must I do to receive it o' mighty pony of war?"

I look at her and sigh, thinking of what I can do to give her that chance and then say, "Are there other dragons in this world or are you the last?"

The queen nods her head and says, "There are others, my mate is watching over the babies."

I feel relieved at not having to force to siblings to mate and say "Very well then, I shall allow you to have one last clutch of 3 eggs though one will only hatch under the right circumstances, the other two shall hatch and continue your species. You will only live for another two years once the first two hatch, in that time you will leave your lands and live out your days in solitude with your last egg."

She smiles, feeling thankful for having one chance to save her kind and bows her head to him saying, "Thank you for being so merciful." She then watches as he simply nods to her and channels his magic into his horn as the skies become clear when a purple bolt of lightning strikes her body, reducing her severely damaged wing to ash and fills her with a pleasant warmth and sensation deep within her body. She gasps as she feels something growing within her womb, moving her claw to her belly to see what it is and counts out three eggs. She looks up amazed at the power the pony has and says, "H-How is this possible?"

I wobble as I didn't realize how much effort that would take and breathe heavily saying, "It is...my magical...power, now go...swim back...to your home." My vision fades to black as I fall to my side unconscious and slide off the edge.

*Some time later, where Galadriel fell to the ground*

I wake up and open my eyes to see Light Bright and my two daughters right next to me beside my head and ask, "Well that was unpleasant, what happened?"

Light lets out a sigh of relief along with everyone else gathered around her and says, "You used too much magic and collapsed, you were out for most of the day because the sun is going down now."

I remember what happened and ask, "Where is the dragon queen, what is she doing?"

Chief Windhawk steps forward and says, "She gone, kept moving away when you fell from stone, glad you okay. The tribe and I deeply grateful, you save our future. Here, take gift, it show you always be honored friend." He then bows his head, with the others in his tribe following suit as he then drops a beaded necklace onto the ground with a hoop and a feather attached to it. He then turns and begins walking away saying, "Safe journey to you, wise one."

As I slowly roll onto my stomach, I look over to see the tribe's chief walking away. I look down at the ground to see the necklace and reach out for it with my magic, wincing from the soreness of my horn and pull it onto my head as I sigh and softly say, "So this is their way of preserving their respect for me while asking me to leave their village..." I then look to light and say, "Light, thank you for looking after me." and then shift my gaze to the herd and say, "Well, shall we spend one last night before we move on to the next area?"

Fair Seed looks to Cloud Burst and asks, "Ah think that sounds good, what do ya think Cloud Burst?"

Cloud Burst nods her head saying, "Yeah, that sounds pretty fair. We can search for a new place tomorrow."

I then stand up and say, "Let's find a nice spot to bed down for the night, that took a lot out of me." As we find a place to sleep, I summon up a little grass for us to eat before drinking some water.

*This conversation takes place in Galadriel's mind, there is no space for his mind's body to wander*

After grazing for a little bit and letting the others take the rest of the grass, I drink some water before heading to a dry spot and wait for my herd to finish and then close my eyes once I see they are fast asleep. As I slumber, a female voice speaks into my head saying, "Hello there Galadriel, I have been watching you roam the land helping the little ponies. I am quite impressed at what you have accomplished in such a short time, though I must warn you that Grogar is after you. It is inevitable that he will catch up to you soon and visit great cruelty upon your herd, but if you want a way to save them you need to send them far away. Be sure to tell them to move on and live their lives, for you need to face him alone, however, there are a couple of things you must do for me."

I stir in my sleep as I reply, "Why is he after me, what did I do to earn his anger?"

The voice sighs and replies, "You used your magic to sink the city of Saddlelantis and transform its denizens into changelings, remember? Do not mourn what you did to that city and its residents, they deserved what they got. Congratulations on finally getting your cutie mark by the way, If I understand it right...I think your special talent is being able to use all types of magic equally."

My head twitches to the side lightly as I answer, "Ok, what does my cutie mark look like? What is it that you wish me to do for you, and may I ask who you are?"

She chuckles lightly and answers, "You shall find out when you wake, ancient one. What I want for you to do is help me protect the world's future, you have an important part to play."

My ear then flicks as I answer, "Very well then, how do you know the future is in danger?"

The voice then sighs and says, "Well, I know because I am the spirit of this world you live on and my foresight limits how far ahead I can see events. Though I won't be sharing that with you because what fun would there be for me in telling you?"

I then wrinkle my nose and say, "Okay then, what must I do to assist you in that task?"

The voice lets out an audible 'hmmm' and pauses, pretending to think and says, "Well I need you to create two things for me. The first is to be only a seed that will grow to become a tree of crystal, I shall then alter the tree as time passes. The second is going to be much more difficult... You will need to cast a spell that will allow ponies with special destinys to ascend and become what you are when they come close to truly understanding ther destiny, think that you could handle that if I helped you out a little?"

My head jerks up slightly as I think about it for a moment and answer, "Ummm...that is a lot to ask me to do in the state I am in right now, did you see what state the confrontation with the dragon queen left me in?"

She chuckles and says, "I did indeed, but you were merciful and gave her a chance to be a mother once again and learn from her mistakes. That mercy you shown to the city and the dragon queen altered this world's destiny, catching my interest and making me think of what I can do to 'assist the creatures among the surface."

I think about the description of the tree for a moment and then say, "You got the idea of the crystal tree from when I created the crystal heart, didn't you?"

She chuckles lightly and answers, "I found both of your creations breathtaking...well, if I had any actual breath that is. But yes, I did get this idea from your original constructs. Save your strength for you will need it when you travel north to a barren area in the dark forest with your herd, but tell them to travel around the edge of the forest and keep moving north until two winters pass after this winter."

I sigh and then agree saying, "Thank you for liking them, what is your name?"

She thinks on what to tell him and decides to be truthful saying, "My name is Equis, I am the voice and spirit of this planet."

My ear twitches again as I ask her, "What happened that caused you to be like this?"

She sighs and chuckles saying, "Each planet has a spirit after their formation and learns to use their voice with time." She then senses what time it is and says, "Well this little talk was fun, I'll talk to you later after you part ways with your family, Galadriel the displaced fallen angel."

*Conversation in Galadriel's mind ends*

I sense her presence fade away as I feel a warmth on my face, making me open my eyes only to be blinded by the sun and causing me to squint my eyes shut. After turning my head a different direction, I look to the north and see my herd already starting to wake up and say, "After we walk around and stretch our legs for a moment, how about we begin heading north."

They all smile and nod their heads in agreement, taking a few moments to wake up their sleeping bodies before following Galadriel to the north.

*A week later at the edge of the dark forest north, northeast of the tribe's land*

I stop at the outskirts of the forest and turn around to look at my herd, then address them saying, "There are a few things I need to do in this forest, but I fear it is far too dangerous for you all to follow me into it. I need you all to go around the forest and keep heading to the north, I feel something dark following me so I want you all to go and keep safe. Keep going north for two winters after this one, I shall return to you after my task here is done and I have dealt with the darkness following me." I listen as the little fillies try to get me to go with them or let them come with me, but I shake my head and say, "This is too dangerous for ones as young as you, you could have been hurt really badly by the dragon if I didn't step in when I did Summer's Day. Now all of you go, there is not much time to waste. Get moving and then satisfy your bellies when you come across some water, I love you all very much. It may take me some time to return to you, so look around for me each day where you are. For one of those days, I will be there."

They all go up to him with tears in their eyes and nuzzle him and say 'I love you too' back before turning around and making their way around the forest to the left.

As I watch them go, I let out a sigh and hope that I get to see them again after this ordeal is over. I then turn and enter the forest, making my way through the dense brush as I sense a familiar presence enter my mind and say, "Greetings Cosmos, where exactly in this tangle-trap am I going?"

Equis chuckles and says, "Don't worry, it is not far. Just turn to the right a little and head in that direction, there will be a grassy plateau with a path leading down into a large hole in the rock."

*Thirty minutes later*

I bite through another vine and spit out what's in my mouth and say, "Equis, am I there yet? I'm sick and tired of nearly being strangled by all these wretched vines, and there are flowers in here hissing at me!"

She laughs softly and says, "Just a little further, amusing one. Only a hundred feet more and you will be at the edge of the clearing."

As I continue on through the forest, dodging the vines that almost seem to reach out to try to grab me, I finally step out through a bush with a vine snagging my horn and just push forward to rip right through it. Hearing a satisfying wet snap, I feel the vine slip past my face in halves as I stand at the top of a grassy plateau. I look around to see the large hole and make my way over to it, then begin searching for the path down. I locate them on the far left side and trot over to them, as I start to go down them carefully I ask, "Will I be able to return to my herd after I face Grogar, or are you keeping that to yourself?"

She sighs and says, "I will tell you this because I do care... No you won't, though you will not die. That is as much as I can tell you without risking the future changing."

I reach the bottom and see the opening of a cave and make my way towards it saying, "Thank you for being honest, I shall look forward to finding out what happens."

She remains quiet in his mind as she watches him go down to the bottom of the cave where there is a massive space and says, "Don't worry, I asked the Ursa Major that made this cave to leave it. It wasn't easy but I managed to guide them to a new spot in the forest to build a nest for her coming child, Ursa Majors don't give birth that often so this will be special."

I then walk towards the center of the room and ask, "Okay first, what is an Ursa Major? Second, what do I do once I am here, just create a crystal tree seed?"

She then chuckles and says, "An Ursa Major is a really large magical bear, the mother barely fit in this small cave, that is why I got her to move. And before you just try to create a seed, I need to connect with you and share my strength with you. This will be a very special tree because it needs to have some sentience to choose who represents what it stands for. So please take a seat on the ground and we will begin."

*Two hours later, after the seed's creation*

I then stare wide-eyed at the side of the cave and say, "I'm sorry...you want me to do what?!"

Equis chuckles a bit harder and says, "You heard me correctly...I want you to sing. I will provide the music with my magic, so don't worry. If you need some assistance, I can offer you this." and creates a golden harp out of the gold running underneath the ground in seams, rising up just in front of him.

I look at the harp and narrow my eyes at the harp saying, "That's a bit specist isn't it? All angels do not play harps, a few do because they like the pleasant sound it makes but the rest of us grew tired of it."

She chuckles and pretends to sigh sadly saying, "Awwe, no fun. Shall we get started then?"

I then say, "How do I start, is there something special I must say or do?"

Equis giggles and lets out a brief sigh saying, "Think about what you want to do with your magic, since this is going to be an active-passive spell that will allow certain special ponies to ascend and learn more about their destinies, guide your creation magic into words to help it come into existence. So just think about what needs to be done and change action into words so that it can be put into action."

I sigh and say, "That made little sense at all...but I will give it a try though." I then close my eyes and try to envision how a pony would become an alicorn and then begin singing as a melody starts to play, "If thee understand thyself completely, thou have found a part of thy destiny. To achieve such understanding is rewarding itself, so let thee have both wings and a horn and soar like me!"

She chuckles lightly and then says, "The song could have been a little longer, but it will do just fine. You have a lovely singing voice though, I hope to hear you sing again one day."

I feel the magic coursing inside of me rapidly vanish as my head hangs low while I try to catch my breath and say, "Just singing that much...caused me to be this tired?"

Equis sighs and watches over him saying, "You used up quite a bit of magic in creating something that can't be seen, you didn't have enough magic to complete the spell so I gave you some of mine. The amount surprised me as well, I guess now we shall have to wait to see what fruit these creations bear in time. As much as I wish you could stay, your foe approaches the forest."

I sigh and nod my head saying, "Well it was nice being able to help you, I shall see you another time Equis." I then start to make my way towards the cave's exit, not really wanting to leave my herd and family out to fend for themselves.

She watches him walk away and says, "Don't worry about your family, I shall do what I can to help them stay safe."

Turning back one last time, I look at where I created the seed and left it under the ground and nod my head saying, "Thank you Equis, farewell for now." I then turn back around and continue walking back towards the surface.

*With Grogar as he approaches the forest*

Grogar approaches the forest, a malicious grin on his face as his tracking spell leads him closer to his target inside of the forest ahead. While he gets closer to the forest, he thinks, "Oh what should I do first, break their legs or rip of an ear? Oooh, the possibilities are just endless." He spots a figure walk out of the forest and his spell tells him it is the target he has been hunting and hurries forth to have his revenge for what happened to the city he built.

I walk away from the forest as I see a ram with a bluish-grey coat with large horns that curve around towards the back, large, glowing red eyes, a necklace with several brass buttons or discs on it and a bell hanging from the bottom part of it and stop several feet away from them and decide to try to irritate them as much as I can saying, "What's wrong, did you lose your flock?"

He grits his teeth and says, "No! I have come for yours because you destroyed my precious Tambelon!" He then lifts his head up and shouts, "NOW SUFFER IN PAIN!"

I just watch his attack when it hits me, sending me to the ground writhing in pain as he starts to laugh sadistically and shout back, "DO YOUR WORST TO ME YOU MISERABLE OLD GOAT!"

Grogar spends ten minutes casting every torturous spell he knows to cause pain to this creature saying, "I am sure you may have guessed but my name is Grogar, and I am going to torture you until you tell me all about you." He then casts a more painful spell and shouts, "NOW TELL ME ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT IS PRECIOUS TO YOU SO I CAN TORTURE THEM TOO!"

I laugh through the pain and say, "Awwe, is the big bad goat angry? Does it want a piwwow or maybe a hug?"

He then roars in anger and shouts, "I WILL BREAK YOU AND MAKE YOU SUBMIT TO MY EVERY COMMAND!"

I then turn my head slowly and look up at him with a serious look on my face and say, "No you won't, nopony on this world has enough power to break me."

Grogar then smiles maliciously as he rings his bell around his neck and says, "I'll be taking your power now and adding it to my own, then I will use it against you!"

I half chuckle and ignore the pain saying, "Oh promises, promises..."

He then slams his hooves on the ground and uses the bell to drain him of his magical powers, watching as it the bell sucks in their magic. He smiles with glee as the bell continues to absorb his power, his glee changes to surprise as his bell continues to absorb magic and fractures once at the corner. His eyes widen as he says, "HOW DO YOU HAVE THIS MUCH POWER, IT IS ALMOST CRIMINAL!"

I laugh and then say, "I know, the funny thing is that I'm not even exhausted yet. Is your bell gonna tolerate just how much magic I actually have?"

Grogar stops his bell from absorbing any more as his bell fractures a few more times, not wanting to risk it fracturing and then rings it again and says, "I shall enjoy what you have given me and rebuild my Tambelon right here! SO GO ENJOY TARTARUS FOR AWHILE!" and then summons a portal to Tartarus and uses his magic to throw him into it, then closes the portal and cackles maniacally saying, "I'VE DONE IT!! I HAVE FINALLY GOTTEN MY REVENGE ON THAT WRETCHED GALADRIEL!! Now I shall start again in this new wonderful land..."

*In Tartarus, inside Hades' throne room*

Hades slumbers upon his throne until he is startled awake by the sound of metal striking the floor and ceramic pots shattering into pieces and bellows in his godly voice, "WHO DARES TO INTRUDE ON THE RULER OF TARTARUS WHILE HE IS BUSY WITH HIS DUTIES!"

I pull myself out from under the fallen tapestry, slowly pulling myself free as another metallic clang sounds and look for who just spoke and say, "Apologies for disturbing your sleep, Hades, god of Tartarus and the underworld." My eyes then fall upon the throne that has a 7-foot high back as a tall, muscular being with two arms, deep, scarlet red skin, two horns jutting from the back of his head, and bright glowing green eyes.

He looks down at the intruder curiously and says, "What in the Greek Gods are you and how did you get here?"

I look at him and bow my head and say, "Well, I was sent here by my foe for wrecking his ugly little city of sin. I am an alicorn pony and I came from the world called Equis."

Hades looks at the alicorn then leans forward and steeples his fingers asking, "Tell me your name, pony and who your foe is."

I look at him and say, "My name is Galadriel, my foe was Grogar and he is an ugly bluish-grey ram with red eyes and a bell on a necklace around his neck that can absorb your magic."

He takes a breath through his nose and smells something off about his aura saying, "Something is different about you, you have the smell of something righteous."

I then nod my head and say, "I was once an angel in heaven, but I broke my father's rules and was cast out to a different world."

Intrigued, Hades then smiles and says, " You don't belong here with the dead, neither do you belong where the damned are for me to torment. Come forth and keep me company for a while because I have had nothing to do for quite a while, so I am rather bored. Tell me more about the world you come from, my brothers rescued me from the belly of my father, Chronus. So we defeated the rest of the titans and imprisoned them here, after that we picked where we would rule and I got the short straw. To my surprise, I quite like this realm I rule over."

I then approach the ruler of Tartarus and sit down in front of him and begin to tell him about it from my glamorous entry, saying, "Well right after I was thrown off Heaven City's tower, I soared through a portal and wound up in the sky surrounded by my father's fire and crash-landed somewhere in a forest on a strange world. My body then began to change its form into what you see now, I was originally human-shaped with wings, black hair, pale skin, and amber eyes..." I then continue telling him of my experiences and travels on this world, watching how he finds it all so interesting.

*Three hours later, in Hades' throne room*

I then finish telling my story to him and say, "Is there any way that I can be of assistance to you?"

He scratches his chin in thought and says, "Well since that Grogar fellow sent you here, perhaps I could use your aid in building a prison while I think of how to return you to your world. Rest up in a side room of my cosy little castle, I shall have my wife show you to your quarters while I think of where to put the new prison. PERSEPHONE!"

I then hear the rhythmic clacking of something making its way toward our location and see a womanly figure dressed in a black dress with spiky frills dangling from her skirt, having long, bright auburn hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. On her feet were a pair of high heels with steel spikes instead of having flat bottoms.

Persephone looks to her consort Hades and says, "You called for me, what do you want?"

Hades smiles and directs his gaze to his newest arrival and says, "Someone new has arrived to provide me with new information and entertainment, please show them to a room while I search for a good spot for a new prison."

She turns her gaze from her consort to the guest that he mentioned and takes in his strange appearance saying, "Hmmm, a combination of a pegasus and a unicorn, how interesting... Can you talk?"

I nod and bow in respect briefly, saying, "I do know how to speak, yes. It is a pleasure to meet you Persephone, Queen of the underworld and Tartarus."

Persephone grins lustfully as an idea comes to her mind and licks her lips saying, "At least you have some manners unlike some of the souls here. I think that I shall have to get to know you a little better, follow me and I shall show you to 'your' room." She then starts to walk away, adding a lot of sway to her hips as she heads back the way she came.

Hades notices the look on her face and chuckles sadly thinking, 'You have my sympathies Galadriel, but it is much better for you to suffer her...affections than me.'

VIII: Time goes on, part 1 (Minor Edit at end of story, 1/18/23)

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THIS PART IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO READ FOR TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE STORY SO FEEL FREE TO SKIP IT. THIS CHAPTER AND THE FOLLOWING ARE JUST A TIME FILLER UNTIL HE RETURNS TO EQUIS. THIS IS JUST ME HAVING A LITTLE FUN AND ADDING SOME SPICE TO THE STORY

This Part contains bestiality (pony x human), rough sex, foot worship, and perhaps a couple others I'm forgetting about so please skip if you don't want to read it!

Persephone leads him down the halls as her thoughts run wild in her head of what she is going to do to this male tonight, whether he wants it or not. As she opens the door partway, she looks at him and asks, "Would you be a dear and push it open the rest of the way for me?" She watches him go to open the door with magic from his horn and snaps the fingers on her left hand, making his horn and wings vanish while waving her right forefinger in the air saying, "Uh-uh sweety, not in my husband's domain you don't. Do it the manual way so your muscles won't waste away..."

I look back in shock as the pain fades away completely and feel my forehead, finding that my horn is gone too. With no other choice but to follow the goddess's orders, I sigh and nod my head and rear up on my back legs then bring my front legs to bear against the partially open stone door. I watch as it flies open to reveal a room filled with...bondage equipment and turn to get away from her, only to be roughly forced inside with another clap of her hands.

She licks her lips as she gets wet down below and taps her foot on the floor, making the door close behind her as she grabs a crop from the wall beside the locked door and says with a sultry tone in her voice, "You are going to entertain and pleasure me all night long...sweetheart." She then heads over to a bed in one corner of the room with leather straps and restraints on each bedpost and the headboard, then sits down on it and crosses her legs and gives the stallion a 'come hither' motion with her forefinger saying, "Now come here and take my shoes off for me, my poor footsies are aching from wearing these wretched heels all these many years..."

I sigh and make my way over to her, surrendering to my fate of being tortured in this manner in Tartarus saying, "Yes your Majesty." looking at how they are held on and see that they are just held on by silk ribbons laced up her legs with a bowtie at the top. I then give one of the small ends in the bow a tug and feel it pull free, then use my lips to remove the ribbon from around her leg and reach her shoe. I look at the leather straps for a moment and then spot the small buckles that keep her shoes on, I get to work on taking her shoes off of her feet.

His actions catch her by surprise as she thinks, 'No one has ever done this willingly before, I wonder how I will enjoy this...' runs a hand tentatively up her side as the stallion pulls off her last shoe, then starts to rub his muzzle up against her lower legs and feet. As her soreness fades away, she then sighs pleasantly and says, "Now lick and kiss my sore feet, show me how you worship feet."

I run my nose up her foot from the bottom of her heel, lightly dragging my tongue along the underside as her toes curl downward. I then bring my lips to the arch of her foot, using my tongue and lips together to french kiss her foot. As her toes uncurl, I kiss along her foot to the underside and make my way up to her toes. I see that she has painted her toenails red and give the bottom of her first three toes a slow lick before taking them into my mouth.

She gasps with surprise at how he actually treats her feet so well and decides to play with him a little, using her toes to swirl them around in his mouth and grab his tongue on occasion. As he moves on to the next few toes, she smiles blissfully saying, "You are rather good at this, perhaps I shall reward you if you do a decent enough job of pleasuring me tonight..."

I then finish with her toes and kiss the top side of her foot before moving on to the next one while thinking, 'I wonder if she will be able to handle me when I get going...'

Persephone's breathing quickens as her other foot is given the same attention, feeling him kissing the top of it before moving to the inside of her foot. She feels him push her leg over and spread her legs wider, then begins to kiss her ankles on each foot before slowly moving higher. Her breath hitches as she grips the crop tighter, preparing to use it and asks, "W-what do you think you are doing, servant?"

I then pause and answer her honestly, "Just pleasuring you Your Majesty, I swear." and then return to kissing higher up her legs, nudging them wider little by little with my nose. I then slowly make my way up to her thighs and see the bottom of her dress and continue to kiss up the inside of her thighs, occasionally running the tip of my tongue up from the bottom of her inner thigh.

She arches her back slightly at the sensation of being teased like this, surprised at how she enjoys this so much when they haven't even gotten to the main event yet and thinks, 'Oh blessed me, I may enjoy this stallion every chance I get to satisfy my...urges.' Her back arches even more as she feels a pair of teeth drag along her right inner upper thigh, curling her toes while she gasps in delight when they return and grab the right string of her underwear. She feels the underwear start to slide down one leg and puts her feet onto the bed frame, then lifts her hips off the bed to ease their removal.

I let go of the string and move to the other one, opening my jaw and drag my teeth down from the innermost part of her upper thigh. I feel her shudder with delight as I go back up and grab the other string with my teeth, then drag it down her leg slowly as I smell her getting really aroused by this teasing. I let go of the string, leaving it to sit just above her knee and switch to the other string to bring it down further, bringing it down to just below her knee.

Persephone feels her body tense up with anticipation as her underwear reaches her ankle, lifting her left leg up and slipping it out of the leg hole. She then returns her left leg to the bed frame and swings her right leg upward to send her underwear across the room, only to land a few feet away. She returns the leg to the bedframe, spreads her legs wide and says huskily, "Go on then, pleasure this goddess."

I look at the narrow strip of hair above her nethers, being a bright auburn and matching the hair on her head and say, "Do excuse me while I indulge myself in your netherworld, Your Majesty." I then move forward further and first drag my long tongue up her slit, before kissing it and giving both lips a light suck.

She moans in delight, and tosses the crop away, then grips the sheets with her hand. Her back arches higher as she gasps as he slips his tongue into her folds. She hears him suck up her fluids from her dripping wet folds and lifts one leg, then curls it around and lays it on his back.

I shove my tongue further into her folds, enjoying the taste of wheat, barley, and oats in her fluids. Closing my eyes to enjoy the taste, I pull my tongue out to suck more on the upper part of her lips. I open my eyes and watch as her back arches even more as her leg on my back tightens its muscles and pulls my head tight against her folds as she moans loudly with pleasure as fluid gushes into my mouth.

Persephone's vision swims as sweat appears along her whole body at the strength of her orgasm and breathes hard saying in between breaths, "That...was the...first...time I...had such...an...intense...orgasm..." She then relaxes her leg as her body shudders light aftershocks from her orgasm.

I feel my member drop down and begin to stiffen, choosing to ignore it and swallow what is in my mouth. I then continue to suck up the remnants of fluid around her folds to taste more of her nectar, then continue to pleasure her more by sucking on the left lip then push my tongue inside and twist it around, trying to find the spot that is really sensitive to her. I hear a sharp intake of air and move my tongue a little to the left, curling the tip of my tongue a little and then push it further into the wet lining of her interior folds. I then hear a short yelp of pleasure and smile inwardly saying, 'Ah, there is her weak point...now to drive her crazy and hopefully get her to leave me alone during my stay here until I can return home to Equis.'

She tries to regain her strength when she is assaulted again by pleasure as his tongue repeatedly passes over one spot inside her and gasps, saying, "Do you...intend...to make...me have...another...orgasm?!" She then wraps her other leg around his neck as she uses her right foot to rub along the left side of his neck affectionately as her left leg tries to pull his head tighter against her folds, wanting something bigger inside her already.

I don't answer her question with my voice, choosing instead to respond by using my tongue against that one spot inside her. I hear her get even louder and start to yell out in pleasure as her hands reach down and grasp my mane, trying to pull my face harder against her as I feel a bigger gush of fluids shoot into my mouth. I have to swallow a few times or else her fluids would spill from my mouth, and I don't want to waste such a tasty reward.

Persephone's chest heaves, trying to catch her breath to say, "I...want...you...inside...me...now." and pulls her hips just past the edge of the bed, causing her skirt to ride up her body a little bit.

I then rear up and place my front legs on the other side, feeling my member bounce up and slap the underside of my barrel saying, "Yes Your Majesty." I then move forward, feeling my member touch the skin on her thigh and slide over her lips. I hear her inhale sharply as I continue to move forward, running the full length of my cock up her body.

She gets a good look at the spearhead-like cock head and places her forearms over each breast and squeezes them together saying, "Your cock is different than that of a normal horse's, I quite like how long and thick it is. The tip of it is in between my breasts, it is almost long enough to hit my mouth."

I then thrust the rest of the way forward and feel my balls slap against her ass cheeks as she opens up her mouth and starts to suck on the tip of it. Slowly pushing myself back, I then thrust forward as I smile while enjoying the pleasure saying, "You are not too bad yourself Your Majesty."

Persephone licks around the rounded tip, tasting some precum that emerges at the tip and sucks it out. As the tip pulls away she looks at how big around it is and says, "If I was a regular human woman, this monster would most definitely kill me."

I begin to pull further away saying, "I wonder if you will maintain your sanity or fall from grace as I have when I finish pleasuring you. Let's find out...shall we, Your Majesty?" I then feel my cock slip off her hips and hang in the air, then thrust forward a little to try to find the right hole.

She gasps as she feels the tip poke into her anus, then feels him start to push deeper and in between rapid short gasps of breath, she says, "Wro...wro...wro...wrong...ho...ho...hole..."

I ignore her and then drive all the way forward as she squeals when my balls slap her ass-cheeks from the thrust, enjoying the tightness and warmth as her muscles contract against my intruding member and say, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. What did you say, Your Majesty?"

Persephone clutches the bed sheets in her fists hard as she feels the pain of her asshole being invaded completely and shouts, "Wrong hole you stupid horse!"

I pull away, nearly all the way out of her and look into her face with a scowl on my face and warn her saying, "I will only warn you this once, 1. Don't call me stupid, and 2. Don't ever call me a horse, it is an insult to the others of my kind. Now let me hear your cries of pleasure as you receive your punishment, Highness." and then look ahead and start thrusting into her with all my strength and speed, causing the bed to slide back and forth and strike the wall loudly.

She shouts out in pain as his thrusts increase with strength and speed shouting in between thrusts, "I...AHH...SAID...AHH...THAT'S...AHH...THE...AHH...WRONG...AHH...HOLE...AHH!"

*Hades's Throne Room in Tartarus, a few moments later*

Hades sits in his chair, trying to think of where to place the prison when he hears the banging coming from his consort's room. He shakes his head and thinks, 'I am all too glad that I will get a break from having to please her, that stallion is welcome to her until I find a way to return them to the world they came from.' He then looks to the right and sees a wall with no doors or anything in that direction and thinks, 'Perhaps I can turn that area into a new rift prison that adds new floors to it as they are needed...I will get him to assist me with creating it...if he survives the night that is.' He then starts to hear his consort shouting out in pleasure and shudders at what torture the stallion is being subjected to and let's out a sigh of relief, thankful that he has some relief from her.

Back in the room, thirty minutes later

I continue to slam my hips against hers as I get close to cumming and say to her ear, "Are you ready for the first round of many to be over, Your Majesty? Just so you know, I am not a two-pump weakling..." while she lets out loud brief shouts of pleasure and then proceed to drive into her faster.

Persephone's eyes widen slightly as she forces herself to quiet down, letting out a chuckle and fights the urge to scream out in pleasure saying, "Good, I would be disappointed otherwise." She then feels him thrust forward one last time and hold himself there, sending the metal bedframe screeching across the floor to slam into the wall roughly. Feeling his member twitch as his balls rise up and down against her ass cheeks, when a deep wet warmth starts to flood her body and bites down into the nearby pillow as his orgasm triggers hers.

I hold myself firmly against her hips, feeling my balls pump load after load into her ass. It seems to go on forever as I count out over thirty pumps and let out a big breath of relief saying, "Ahhh...this is so relaxing..." I then wait a few moments and say, "Now let's move on to the proper hole then." I then swiftly pull out and align my cock against her lips before thrusting all the way inside her with one hard push.

She feels the big load ooze out from her speared asshole as she gasps and arches her back when she feels his member punch right into her womb and stretches it, reaching just past her breasts as his balls slap wetly against her cum-leaking ass. She then reaches up for his head and pulls it down to look into his eyes with a raging desire blazing in her eyes saying, "Give me all you have stud, I will happily give birth to your child."

I pull back and then slam into her again and say to her, "I was going to attempt to do that...whether you wanted to or not. Let Zeus take the credit while you and I have all the fun."

*On Mount Olympus, in Zeus's private chambers*

Zeus watches the scene unfold as the stallion mercilessly has his way with his and Demeter's daughter, chuckling lightly as he sighs saying, "This stallion has a great power within him. So you think that the two of you can keep me out of your fun..." He then runs a few fingers through his long white beard and smiles saying, "I'll take the credit for this...but only if you do become with child that is of a new race other than human. After it is confirmed, I shall send my other daughters to partake of your fun and punish you both." He then laughs heartily and slaps his belly at the new form of entertainment and calls out to the other goddesses saying, "My darling goddesses and daughters, come here. For I have found something quite entertaining to watch."

*In Tartarus/Underworld, inside the room with Persephone and Galadriel an hour later*

Persephone howls out in delight as her back attempts to arch, only to be kept in place by the member invading her body. Her eyes widen as she is about to cum again and reaches for his head while her legs try to wrap around the back legs of the wildly thrusting stallion, then grabs and pulls his head down to hers and locks lips with him. She opens her lips and initiates a passionate french kiss, only to break it as she locks her legs while her toes curl. Throwing her head back into the bed, she screams out in pleasure as her fourth orgasm is triggered.

I continue to thrust wildly into her, feeling my own climax approaching swiftly for the second time and say, "After I fill your lips again, get onto the bed on all fours so I can show you what I can really do." I then reach down with my mouth, biting her shoulder as I thrust forward as hard as I can and hold myself there as I fill her womb a second time.

Her eyes roll up in her head, feeling pleasure instead of pain from her shoulder as she feels his seed pump into her, making her lower abdomen begin to grow bigger as he continues to cum inside. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses it, enjoying how much seed this stallion can produce and says, "I want more of your seed, stud."

I release my bite on her shoulder as my balls stop pumping seed and say, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. We will be busy all night long, but let's give your lips a short break and give that mouth of yours some attention."

Persephone only hears half of what he says and chuckles saying, "This is going to be a very fun night indeed."

I pull out of her nethers and briefly watch as she uses what strength she has to flip herself over and get up onto the bed, then situates herself so her head is towards the front of the bed. I then hop up onto the bed, feeling the tip of my cock bounce off the edge of the bed, glad that it is limp at the moment. I then make my way to her head and begin to walk over top of her back, having to widen my front legs a little to get on either side of her shoulders.

She feels his forelegs brush along either side of her body, making her look up and sees his long, soft cock hanging just before her face as her eyes go wide with realization and says, "Wait a second... YOU DON'T EXPECT ME TO SUCK THAT FILTHY COCK, DO YOU?!"

I then pull my hips back and push forward, arching my back to make my limp dick strike her chin and say, "You better or I am going to punish you for not obeying my order."

Persephone's face heats up with anger as she then turns her head to the side and shouts, "I AM QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD, YOU DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO..."

I then rear up and place my left front hoof on her right buttcheek and then bring my right hoof up and back to spank her left cheek and say, "SHUT UP YOUR HIGHNESS AND SUCK IT ALREADY OR I WILL STRIKE AGAIN EVEN HARDER!"

She continues to refuse to suck his dick as the spanks get much harder, causing her upper body to rock forward with each strike as her ass really starts to hurt and burn. As the pain slowly becomes unbearable, she sighs and shouts, "ALRIGHT, SHOW MERCY ALREADY AND I WILL LICK IT, YOU RUTHLESS BASTARD!"

I stop and return my hooves to the bed and feel her pick my cock up and begin to lick along the shaft, bringing a slight smile to my face as I think, 'You are in for a rude surprise after you get it hard, Queen of the Underworld...'

Persephone runs her tongue along his cock head, tasting her own juices and the bitter cum. Hating the combined taste, she spits it out onto the stone floor for the servants to clean up later.

As she continues to lick my shaft clean, I feel her place her lips around the sides of my cockhead and swing my head around to look back at where her head is at.

After licking the shaft clean, she places small kisses around the head. To finish cleaning the semi-erect cock hovering in front of her mouth, she then licks the very tip of it clean and goes to give it a french kiss. As she opens her mouth to kiss it, she is taken by surprise as the stallion thrusts forward. Her eyes go wide as the cock begins to get harder, stretching her jaw and mouth painfully.

I feel my cock return to life as it begins to get bigger and harder, then continue to push forward into her mouth. I feel a slick sensation a little ways into her mouth, figuring out that it is the opening to her throat and then whisper to her, "This is going to be your biggest deep throat ever, let's see if you can hold onto your consciousness until I finish."

Persephone's eyes grow bigger as the shaft begins to force her head lower, and begins to enter her throat. She reaches up with her hand to feel the bottom of her neck and feels the cock slowly making its way down to her clavicle thinking, 'I think I may have made a mistake trying to conquer this stallion, I only hope that I maintain my sanity after this night...'

I feel the tightness of her throat as my cock continues to push further down as it finally becomes rock hard, I find myself unable to resist this anymore and thrust all the way forward. My balls swing forth and slap the front of her throat and feel my tip punch through a small barrier and say, "Ohh I seem to be so far into your throat that I am now literally throat-stomach fucking you now, so please hang on...this is going to be a wild ride for you..." I then begin to quickly pull back and thrust forward as hard as I can, feeling my cock punch right through the barrier into her stomach.

She closes her eyes as she is unable to see much, but feels every inch of his cock rapidly moving back and forth through her throat. Just barely managing to keep her senses, she tries to think about other pleasant days.

I find the insane tightness of her throat way to pleasurable as it is causing me to approach my limit quickly, causing me to sigh and think, 'Well I may as well enjoy the hell out of this throat until I've had my fill of it for the night.' Resigning myself to cumming way too early, I thrust forward all the way while also squeezing my front legs together and pulling her further onto my cock.

Persephone is pulled out of her reminiscing as she feels him pull her all the way to the base of his cock, causing her vision to swim. She then feels his cock begin to pulse as it shoots its load into her stomach, feeling the warm liquid rush through his cock in her throat and being deposited. The pulsing slowly winds down after thirty or so pulses, only for the thrusting to start, making her think, 'Just how long does he plan to fuck my throat and fill my stomach with his disgusting semen?!'

*Some time later, on Mount Olympus*

Zeus and his daughters find great enjoyment in watching Persephone being owned and treated that way as Athena smiles and says, "She is right though, she would definitely not survive the intense love-making session that stallion is putting her through. Just look at how much her throat has to stretch to accommodate his large member, is it known where this stallion came from father?"

Zeus looks away from Persephone's bulging stomach and looks at her then answers, "It is, yes. It is an isolated planet that I was having a little fun with several thousands of years ago because I was bored, I have since forgotten about it completely until I heard my name mentioned by this stallion. The curious thing is that he carries the signature of being touched by the grand creator, for he used to be one of his children after all."

Athena then asks, "What was the planet called, father? Were you trying to make a vacation home for us all?"

He laughs and shakes his head saying, "I named the planet Equis, I was toying with an idea of how animals would get along with others if they were to gain sentience. So I made it so that they could gain it, after a while though I just lost interest and forgot all about it. That sounds like a very amusing idea, let me think on it for a while until we know for sure or not they are successful in their attempt to make a new race of beings."

She nods her head and says, "Very well father, thank you." As she turns back to watching the stallion mercilessly have his way with Persephone's throat and grins saying, "I'd like to wager ten drachmas that before the love-making ends, Persephone will paint the far wall white with the semen in her stomach. Anyone else want to make a bet?"

Ate (Greek goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin, and folly) giggles and says, "I will take that bet, and wager that when she returns to Hades' bed she spews the semen in her stomach all over him then passes out."

Aphrodite chuckles at hearing that and says, "I accept both of those and wager that she just barely manages to stay conscious long enough to be too tired for love-making and will request to just cuddle."

Zeus chuckles and listens to his daughters making bets on what will happen tonight, waiting til they go silent and says, "Very well then, and to the victor or victors go the spoils. Now let's enjoy the rest of the show, shall we?"

They all giggle and nod their heads, then go back to watching as the stallion pumps yet another big load into her stomach.

*Back in Tartarus/Underworld, in the room with Persephone and Galadriel*

I sigh pleasantly as my cock twitches for the last time and say, "Alright, I am growing tired of this awesome mouth of yours, so I shall move back to your nethers and fuck you unconscious."

Persephone fades in and out as she feels his member finally remove itself from her throat and smiles happily saying, "I can speak again...ow. Oh my jaw is so sore...hurk." She then feels the urge to throw up the contents of her stomach and fights to keep it down.

I back off of her completely and start walking around to her rear and say, "You better keep that down or I am going to fill your stomach again, do you want that?"

She quickly shakes her head side to side saying, "Uh-uh, mercy, please. I will keep it down, I don't want to go through that again."

I then widen her back legs a bit with my front legs and look at how red her ass is from my repeated spanks, smiling as I raise my left front leg and move it beside her waist and above her large hips. I then move my right leg to the other side of her, then simply walk forward until my member slips right into her nethers and causes her to gasp. I then stop and say, "Now brace your arms, here comes the fun." I then raise my front left leg and place my knee over the edge of her left shoulder, then shift my weight onto it and lift my right front leg and do the same with it.

She strengthens her arms as more of his weight is put onto her, then feels him pull himself back and curl his forelegs up against her skin in a tight grip. She is jerked backwards by his front legs as he thrusts forward with all his might, causing her to moan out loudly saying, "OH!"

I get more and more forceful with my thrusts, each one making her whole body rock forward with the impact and her large double d breasts to sway forward and occasionally slap her face. I hear her cry out in pleasure as I get into a rough, fast thrusting rhythm, ignoring the ache slowly building in my balls thinking, 'Just give me 5 more loads and I will quit for the night...'

*Much later... Sometime in the very early morning, before dawn in the room*

Persephone's legs curl up against the stallion's taught muscles in his legs as she feels him shoot yet one more load into her womb screaming out, "OH FUCK YEEESSS, FILL MEEE!!!" She pays no attention to how many times his cock and balls pulse, as she is unable to do so because of her slowly fading in and out of consciousness.

I feel her legs rub up against the back of my legs absentmindedly as my cock pulses again as my balls feel like they are on fire, laying my head a bit lower as my eyes start to feel heavier while my cock continues to pump its seed into her thinking, 'After tonight, she won't ever try to do this to me again. But DAMN MY BALLS HURT!'

She feels him remove his forelegs from her shoulders, gradually lifting his weight off her. She remains on her hands and knees then turns her head around to find his, then raises her right hand to his jaw and pulls his mouth to hers and sighs happily, unconsciously saying, "Thank you so very much, I love you." and giving him a deep, passionate kiss as his cock continues to pump seed into her. She moves her right hand to his neck and holds herself up while moving her left to her lower abdomen, feeling how obscenely huge it has become with just semen alone and giggles saying, "I shall have to get serviced by you more often, it is rare that a man tires me out."

My eyes go wide as I continue to kiss her and think, 'Oh no, I fear I may have broken this goddess. Just my luck...' As she breaks the kiss to let me dismount her, I say, "Now don't let that seed spill out of you and go to waste, keep it there til next morning."

Persephone giggles darkly and says, "Your seed is my body, and I have complete control over what is inside of me except for when I am pregnant. Though I do wonder if we will succeed in creating a new race..." while caressing her abdomen hopefully.

*A few minutes ago, inside of Galadriel's balls*

The squad leader gallops down the hall, holding a spear-tipped helmet under one wing and his flipper shoes under the other. Feeling very annoyed at how the latest recruit didn't show up in the formation the Commander-in-Chief ordered them all to remain at standby, he spots the door just ahead and roughly kicks it open with his front hooves. Stomping his way to the bed, he then steadies himself on three hove and uses one hoof to grab the underside of the bedframe. With a mighty heave, he angrily flips it over and hears the sleeping recruit yelp in surprise. He then stands back up and glares at him as he scrambles to his feet shouting, "GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP RECRUIT! WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO FORMATION AND ORDERED TO BE AT STANDBY! IF YOU DON'T START GETTING READY SOON, I WILL JAM YOUR HELMET ON YOUR HEAD AND DRAG YOU THERE IN YOUR UNDERWEAR! DO YOU HEAR ME MAGGOT!!!"

The fresh recruit rushes to get into his white uniform saying, "Loud and clear!" and tries to go faster.

The SL glares angrily at the recruit scrambling around the room for his helmet and flippers shouting, "YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO GET YOUR SHIT BEFORE I GRAB IT FOR YOU!!! TEN!"

The recruit finds his helmet as the squad leader counts down, reaching three by the time he finds his flippers and stands up saying, "Ready!"

SL glares at the recruit and shouts, "WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE LIKE A DUMBASS AND STARE AT ME, GET YOUR ASS OUT THAT DOOR AND INTO THE BIG AUDITORIUM. TO BE SURE YOU GET THERE, I'M GONNA BE RUNNING RIGHT BEHIND YOU! NOW MOVE!!!" He watches the recruit gallop out of the room and immediately takes off after him towards the big auditorium.

*In the big auditorium, a couple minutes later*

Sergeant watches as the two missing soldiers fall into formation and put their gear on, making his way over to the recruit and glares at him saying, "Glad you could make it recruit, you best be awake for when the order is given or I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to the battlefield!"

The recruit trembles and quickly nods his head saying, "Yes sergeant!"

The Commander-in-Chief marches up to the podium, looking out at his soldiers and takes a deep breath and speaks into the microphone saying, "It makes me proud to see you all here before me today warriors, we will be embarking out to a new frontier out there to fulfill our one goal. That goal is for one of us, any one of us, to break through a thick wall using their spear helmet to get inside the enemy's stronghold. We must all work together to make an opening and keep their forces at bay, so that some of us can get through it and penetrate their wall. For if any one of us succeeds in this task, a grand reward awaits. Life awaits for one of us on the other side." He then feels the floor beneath him moving upwards as fluid slowly begins to enter the room, turning towards the large hatch in the center of the area and shouts, "PREPARE TO INVADE!"

The recruit stands still at attention, shifting his eyes around as white fluid fills the room quicker, lifting him and the others up into the fluid. He starts to use his flippers to maintain his position as the others do the same when he starts to hear a soft, deep banging from somewhere.

The Commander-in-Chief hears the banging get much louder and watches the hatch intently, eager for the battle to begin. It finally opens, signaling him to shout out at the top of his voice, "FOR LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE...CHAAAARGE!!!!" and leads the charge toward the open hatch.

*That same moment, inside Persephone's uterus*

The Commander of the defense battalion watches as a white fluid erupts out of the intruding member, catching her forces by surprise and shouts, "KILL ALL INVADERS, PROTECT THE STRONGHOLD!!!" and then charges forth into the white liquid as it starts to fill the chamber.

Sounds of intense battle fill the chamber as both sides fight to accomplish their goals while soldiers cry out in pain as they are struck. Explosions occur all around as the invaders suffer casualties, causing their special spear helmets to explode upon their death.

*Presently, in the special room in Tartarus*

The queen of the underworld sits up and forces her lower lips to shut tighter, then swings her legs over the edge of the bed and stands up. She looks down at her belly and sees that her black dress has torn from the session, feeling an uncomfortable tightness just below her massively swollen abdomen and sighs saying, "I did like this dress but oh well, I will just have to get a new one on my next trip to Olympus. I shall take you to your actual room now, so follow me please...stud." She tears her dress off her body, then looks back at him and calls him forward with the forefinger on her right hand.

I follow her towards the door as she opens the door with a snap of her fingers, looking at my sides and at my head and then stop and clear my voice saying, "Ahem...forgetting something are we?"

She stops and stands on the stone floor with only her crown and a necklace on her body, wobbling a little as she turns her head around to look at him in confusion for a few moments. It takes a minute or so to finally understand and giggles saying, "Oh silly me...I almost forgot about your wings and horn." She then snaps her fingers and returns them to him, a smile crosses her face as she looks at him saying, "There you go, now come with me to your room. It will be right next to my husband and I's." then turns her head back around and heads for the door, not caring about being seen naked as she enters the corridor and turns right.

I follow her into the corridor, watching as each step she takes makes her swollen abdomen sway and jiggle. I then turn right and follow her to my actual room, smiling as she continues to waddle and wobble trying to keep her legs moving.

Persephone stops beside a door and snaps her fingers, watching as her ability fails and sighs in annoyance then claps her hands. The door opens this time and turns around to face him saying, "Here is your room, if you need something just call out for a servant. One will be assigned to you during your stay in the underworld." She then motions for him to come to her with her right hand, kneeling down to be on his level.

I move forward towards her as she grabs my head with both hands and pulls me forward, our faces keep getting closer to each other as she tilts her head. Our lips meet a moment later as she gives me brief kiss, and I kiss her back saying, "Thank you for earlier, and for showing me here Queen Persephone. May your prayers and wishes come true, goodnight." I then give her a smile and head inside the room, looking around and heading directly to the bed in the corner.

She claps her hands saying, "Goodnight...my favorite stud." and then turns around as the door closes behind her, then starts walking her way towards the throne room.

END OF SCENE, PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF THIS FILLER UNTIL HIS EVENTUAL RETURN TO EQUIS OR SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ANYMORE CRAZINESS!

Hades snoozes away in his throne when he hears someone clear their voice and call his name, forcing him to wake up and look around to see his wife standing naked before him with her abdomen swollen to an obscenely huge size. He then looks her up and down, seeing that her eyes have a slight glaze over them and has a certain satisfied look on her face then asks, "Do you want me to pleasure you tonight, dear?" Hoping that she doesn't want to this night, getting nervous as a few seconds pass in silence.

Persephone absentmindedly caresses her abdomen and shakes her head saying, "Sorry honey, not tonight. I'm too tired thanks to that stallion to have you pleasure me, so let's go to bed and just snuggle for a while. Is that okay?"

He quietly sighs with relief and smiles at her, then rises from his throne saying, "That is no problem dear, there is always another time." He then walks up to his wife, curious about why her abdomen is such an obscene size and places his left arm around her shoulders. Pulling her into him, he then takes hold of her left hand with his right and starts walking down the corridor to their room asking, "So did you have your fun with the stallion, dear? I hope he is still alive, he agreed to help me in creating a new prison wing for new prisoners. Did you know that an evil ram named Grogar sent him here as his revenge for what Galadriel did to his city and citizens?"

She smirks and sighs blissfully saying, "If they come here, I might have to show them my affection for wronging my precious stallion." She then begins to laugh sadistically at the ideas coming to her head, licking her lips eagerly saying, "I will teach them why I am called Dread Persephone...I really hope they find their way here so I can truly enjoy myself."

Hades smirks and shudders at what she may have planned, then continues to walk towards their room and says, "He will most certainly deserve what you have planned for him, so do your worst dear."

Persephone sighs happily as she sees their bed and makes her way to the leftt side, then crawls in as her husband makes himself comfortable. She takes off her crown and sets it on the corner post of the bed like her husband did with his, then faces towards her side of the bed as she wriggles her way towards him.

He snuggles into her backside, kissing lightly along her neck and wraps his arms around her body. As he feels her slide a leg in between his, he pulls her closer and says to her ear, "Goodnight, my love." then kisses her cheek and lays his head down onto the soft pillows.

She smiles and lays her right arm over his and says, "Goodnight, my beloved husband." then closes her eyes and falls asleep.

*Inside of Persephone's uterus an hour later*

The defense commander watches as the enemy forces slowly create a gap in their front and shouts, "STAY VIGILANT! THEY ARE CREATING A HOLE IN OUR LINES, IF THEY BREAK THROUGH ALL WILL BE LOST!"

The Commander-in-Chief watches as the gap closes, causing him to frown and think of a different way through their line and calls out, "FOCUS MORE ATTENTION ON THE CENTER! DO NOT LET THEM BREAK THROUGH OUR FLANKS OR WE WILL NOT GET TO LIVE!"

The defense commander watches the battle wage on as a large gap suddenly opens up and shouts, "CLOSE THAT BREACH BEFORE THEY GET THROUGH IT!"

The Commander-in-Chief sees the hole and smiles widely then shouts, "HALF OF YOU STAY HERE AND KEEP THEM OCCUPIED, THE OTHER HALF WITH ME! INTO THE BREACH!!!" and charges for the opening in the lines as many other cheer them on.

The recruit follows after the Commander as he begins to feel tired from the fight, watching as they begin to make their way towards a massive tunnel.

The defense commander watches in horror as the enemy breaks through their lines, allowing many of their soldiers to pass through before the hole closes back up and looks back at the reserve forces, desperately shouting, "KILLER T'S, PURSUE AND DESTROY THOSE THAT BROKE THROUGH. DON'T LET THEM REACH THE STRONGHOLD!"

The reserves commander nods his head and shouts, "PURSUE AND KILL!" He then turns around and races after the infiltrators as his soldiers repeatedly shout kill.

Seconds pass as the recruit finally sees the large sphere-shaped stronghold when he hears a chanting behind him and looks, seeing soldiers in black uniforms charging after them chanting kill. He quickly turns to the others ahead and shouts, "There are soldiers in black uniforms coming after us!"

The Commander-in-Chief stops and looks behind them and shouts, "Half of you turn around and keep them busy, the rest of you get to THAT STRONGHOLD AND PENETRATE ITS WALL! BREAK THROUGH AND LIVE FOR US ALL!" then turns around and charges towards the incoming forces.

The recruit watches as many turn back to face the enemy behind them, but continues on his way towards the stronghold. As he gets close to the outer wall, he swims as hard as he can. Hoping to break through it on his first try, he prepares his body for the jarring impact.

After colliding with the wall, he continues to swim forward. Curious as to how much damage he caused, he pulls back and looks at it. Seeing a chip in the wall, he smiles and swims away to charge the barrier again.

One of the killer t's notices that one of the enemy is causing a fair amount of damage to the wall and charges after him screaming, "KILL, KILL, KILL!" repeatedly.

The Commander-in-Chief spots the soldier charging one of his troops that is making better progress than the others, and races after the charging enemy. As he collides with the enemy, successfully taking him out, he shouts, "THAT'S IT LAD, THAT'S IT!"

Another killer t sees the enemy commander take out his friend and yells in anger, throwing his spear at the enemy soldier about to attack the stronghold again, shouting, "PROTECT! PROTECT! PROTECT!"

The Commander-in-Chief hears the cry of anger, turning his head to see an enemy throw his spear towards the soldier about to break through. Without a second thought, he charges into the path of the spear. Feeling it punch through his chest, he turns to the recruit and shouts, "BREAK THROUGH THE WALL LAD! LIVE...FOR...US...ALL!!!" He then falls silent as his eyes close and slowly sinks to the bottom of the tunnel just before his helmet explodes.

The recruit turns to see the Commander drifting towards the bottom as the enemy soldier looks on in shock, unwilling to fail his duty, he salutes the fallen commander and shouts, "SIR YES SIR, I WILL LIVE FOR ALL OF YOU SIR!" A look of determination comes to his face as he then looks towards the spot he has heavily damaged and charges headlong into it shouting, "I WANT TO LIVE!" He then collides with the wall, hearing a slow cracking as he continues a little bit further before abruptly stopping. He then looks up to see that he has successfully pierced the wall and shouts, "I'M THROUGH, I'VE DONE IT EVERYONE!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!"

The stronghold senses something foreign inside it and begins to draw it further inside saying in a feminine voice, "Come here you, it is time for us to work together and make a new life..."

The defense commander hears the enemy soldiers begin to cheer happily, then places her hands over her eyes and sobs saying, "I...failed..."

As she recovers, she then sighs and says, "Take the stronghold and set it against the wall for it to develop!"

*Many hours later in Mount Olympus, in Aphrodite's chambers*

Aphrodite chuckles and counts her drachmas, watching Persephone as she wakes from slumber and hustles away down to the slave chambers. She watches curiously, laughing as Persephone continues to waddle and wobble through the corridors. She then forces one to lay down and proceeds to relieve herself, making the slave drink what has been in her womb all night. Persephone then sighs happily as her obscenely massive abdomen returns to its flat state, then stands up and makes the slave return to the wall.

As Persephone continues to wobble and stumble more down the corridors, she laughs saying, "Oh Sephy, you have no idea about what you have started for that poor stallion...and for us goddesses that watched your lovely session." She then trails a finger along her lips hungrily saying, "I can't wait till we get to hear the results of last night's session."

*Three Weeks Later in Mount Olympus*

Persephone fights off the familiar, but annoying sickness that comes with pregnancy and looks to her fellow goddess Eileithyia and asks, "I felt the same sickness for the past few days as it was with my last pregnancy, so could you tell me if I am pregnant once again?"

Eileithyia places a hand on her abdomen where her womb is at and uses her powers to tell if she is with child or not, sensing something growing within her then removes her hand. She smiles at her and nods her head saying, "It is true, you are with child again, congratulations to you and whoever the father...or rather...stallion may be." while giving her a subtle wink to tell her that she knows who and what the father is.

She gasps as a blush comes to her face and forces herself to keep calm saying, "I'm sorry, I have no clue as to whomever you are speaking about Eilia." releasing a huff before looking away and up at the ceiling.

The goddess of childbirth laughs at her sad attempt to hide the truth and then leans forward saying, "Oh stop trying to hide it, it's pointless. Every god and goddess of Olympus knows of your unusual guest in Tartarus, and how much you enjoyed his company last night."

Persephone's face pales at hearing that and stammers, "Seriously?! E-Every god and goddess knows about what happened last night between the alicorn Galadriel and me?"

Eileithyia smiles and says, "I would not lie to you, but not every god knows what happened...yet. Every single goddess knows, however, and we all are eager to meet this stallion that tired you out and drove you past your limit. I would even say that he broke your personality a little, I am looking forward to finding out if it is a new race or not. Now that it is confirmed you are most definitely with child, I shall wait eagerly to learn what it is when you deliver it. You should return to your vacation, I need to tell Father the good news."

She smiles and caresses her abdomen, curious what the child will be and looks at her half-sister then says, "I shall head to Tartarus first to give Galadriel the good news, I am sure that he will be overjoyed at hearing the news."

Zeus sits in his throne when his daughter, Eieithyia, approaches with a smile on her face and asks, "Hello daughter, what brings you here before me this day?"

Eileithyia bows before her father saying, "I bring good news father, Persephone is with child. I have checked with my ability and the alicorn stallion named Galadriel is the father, without a doubt." She then straightens up from her bow and waits for her father's response.

He sits up straight in his throne at the news and says, "Oh so he is an alicorn then, and his name is Galadriel. That is very welcome news indeed, daughter. Now we shall have to wait until it is born to see what race it is." He then smiles at her and says, "Keep me informed about the progress of her pregnancy."

As Persephone returns to the Underworld via portal, she makes her way to go find the father of her child. Knowing that Galadriel is most likely still assisting Hades with figuring out how exactly to make a prison door that will not allow the prisoners to enter Hades's realm without his permission. She finally returns to the corridor that has the portal to Olympus and claps her hand to close the portal, continuing down the hallway as the portal's light disappears.

I sit on the floor as Hades explains how rift magic works, attempting to teach me how to use it and say, "So if I understand it correctly Your Majesty, rift magic is very different from dark magic, yes? Mainly for the reason it draws upon the power of stars throughout the vast universe that went supernova, whereas dark magic utilizes the power of all the negative emotions in a world, correct?"

Hades nods his head in approval saying, "Precisely, so we will have to take time and possibly get my brothers to help out with its creation."

I think for a moment and grin saying, "Your Majesty, here is an idea I just thought of... What if we make a door that your wife can use to entertain herself with the evil prisoners in the special room. What do you think about that idea?"

He laughs in delight, enjoying the idea greatly and smiles darkly saying, "We will definitely do that, my wife would love to have new playthings."

Persephone enters the throne room, her steel spiked heels echoing off the walls as she hears the end of the conversation and asks, "What about new playthings dear?"

Hades looks over to his wife, standing inside the room with a midlength, off-shoulder silver dress that stops just below her knees and smiles at her saying, "Oh, our honored guest just proposed a marvelous idea to put a rift door in the special room so that you could enter and entertain yourself at the expense of the evil prisoners that are sent there."

I grin and then add in saying, "Your Highness, we could even write Infirmary above the door so you know the proper door to use as a cruel joke."

She smiles and snickers at that saying, "I think that would be a wonderful idea, any idea on when you two might begin on creating said prison for my enjoyment?"

The king of the Underworld sighs and shakes his head saying, "Unfortunately, we do not. That is mostly because of how tricky rift magic is, even for a god it must be handled cautiously or an accident could occur and take us all with it, or even possibly letting the Titans escape."

Persephone gasps and shudders at the thought saying, "I've never seen one of them, but I have heard tales that they were strong. It took father Zeus, Poseidon, and you to defeat Cronus. It would be disastrous if any of them were allowed to escape."

I look down at the floor, thinking about what she just said as a new thought enters my brain. Wanting to know about the possibility of it to be done, I look up to Hades with a serious look in my eyes and ask, "I have a very serious question to ask you, Your Majesty, if you would permit me to voice it."

Hades looks to his honored guest and chuckles saying, "If you want my queen, the answer is no."

I fight a smile and shake my head then say, "It is not about your queen, Your Majesty. The question I have is in regards to the titans."

The smile leaves his face as he adopts a neutral look and says, "Go ahead, what do you wish to ask me about them?"

I look at his face and then ask with a straight face, "Do you know if it is possible to kill a titan, if so, what would it take to do it?"

He looks at his honored guest with wide eyes as shock is written all over his face, his hand hangs in mid-air as it takes him a moment to process just what he heard his guest say. As he recovers from the shock of the question, he asks, "I...I honestly don't know how to answer that, let me bring my brothers here. Maybe they would have a better idea than I do because I was the last one saved from Cronus's stomach." He then looks up at the ceiling and calls out, "MY BROTHERS ZEUS AND POSEIDON! COME TO ME, THERE IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION I NEED YOUR ANSWERS TO!"

Persephone looks at the stallion curiously, wondering why in Olympus he would ask something as impossible as killing a titan and shouts, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING OF DOING, ASKING AN INSANE QUESTION LIKE THAT?!? DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF FIGHTING ONE OF THEM ABOMINATIONS, DO YOU HEAR ME!?! I FORBID YOU FROM EVEN GETTING NEAR THOSE WRETCHED CREATURES!"

I look at her, my face calm and set in a serious tone saying, "It was only a question, and you may be a powerful goddess, you could not stop me once my mind has decided on something. Besides, I only want to know if it is a possibility because they are a threat even though they are imprisoned. They may have to be dealt with someday..."

Zeus walks swiftly into the room with his brother Poseidon behind him and raises his voice saying, "ENOUGH, CHILDREN!" He makes his way towards the throne and stands there with his arms crossed over his chest saying, "Now what was this important question you wanted us to answer?"

Hades looks at his two brothers and smiles, rubbing his head to drive away the building headache, and half chuckles saying, "You two may either get a good laugh out of this or be shocked by what Galadriel has asked me about the titans."

Poseidon narrows his eyes and raises a brow curiously asking, "What did he want to know about them, if there are any good-looking female titans?" He then chuckles and places his left hand on his hip as he leans his trident against his shoulder.

He hears Zeus and Poseidon start to chuckle at the comment and shakes his head saying, "No, he wanted to know if there was a way to kill a titan. Do either of you have any clue if such a thing is even possible?"

Zeus and Poseidon simultaneously turn to gaze at Galadriel with surprise on their face as Zeus says, "I have no clue, but I do know that Cronus used a great stone scythe given to him by Gaia to either kill or castrate his father Uranus. I know that the mortals believed that we took and threw it into the sea to become Corcyra, but they are wrong. Where that scythe is at, I have no idea, for he did not wield it when I rose up against him with my brothers joining me."

I then think for a moment about it and sigh saying, "Well damn, there goes that idea, it would have been better if we knew where it was." I turn my thoughts to another matter and look to Hades and say, "Your Majesty Hades, is it possible that your brothers could assist us with that?" while glancing at the wall every once in awhile to give him a hint.

Hades cocks his head, wondering what he means and sees his eyes dart to the wall and says, "Oh that, it is quite possible for my brother Zeus, but unfortunately I doubt that Poseidon has any knowledge of rift magic. Am I correct brother, or do you have knowledge of it?"

Poseidon shakes his head and sighs saying, "Unfortunately, I do not have any talent with it, however, I do know that it exists. What is it you plan to use it for?"

He looks to his guest briefly, then looks at his brother and answers, "Well Galadriel suggested the idea of building a prison for any evil-doers that find their way here, we have thoughts on building it using rift magic. What are your thoughts on the matter, brothers?"

Zeus smiles and crosses his arms over his chest saying, "I think the idea is a good one, we all built the portals that travel to and from Olympus, Tartarus, and Earth. Would you like our help in assisting the prison's creation?"

Hades smiles at not having to ask for his brothers' help and nods his head, "I would indeed like your help in building it, I think that we should begin with building the doors, "I plan to place one in front of the throne, and the other I plan on placing in the special room for my wife's enjoyment. As for the prison itself, it shall be built in a space all its own so that the guests there can't come here should they ever find a way to escape from their cells." He then looks to his guest with a smile and continues, "My guest even suggested placing an entrance into my queen's favorite room for her own enjoyment, so shall we get started brother?"

Poseidon then says, "Since I am no longer needed here, I shall return to my home." and turns away from them while starting to head for the portal.

As another idea enters my head, I call out to halt Poseidon saying, "Might I be able to make a request of all three of you, Your Majesties?"

Cocking his eyebrow curiously, Zeus looks back to see his brother Poseidon stop, turn around, and give him the slightest nod. He then looks over to his other brother Hades to see him shrug and say, "I don't see any issue with it, what about you?"

Zeus turns his gaze upon the alicorn with a curious look on his face saying, "Very well, what is your request young one?"

I then switch my gaze between the three gods and then ask, "Would it be possible for me to question Cronus under your watchful eyes to ensure they remain sealed away?"

Hades's eyes widen as his queen screams, "ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST STUPID! THOSE MONSTERS ARE STILL EXTREMELY POWERFUL!"

Zeus carefully looks the small alicorn over with a scrutinizing eye while crossing his muscled arms, looking deep into their eyes to see a strong power and strength of duty there, finally letting out a silent breath saying, "You just wish to interrogate Cronus, not fight him?"

I nod my head saying, "I intend to ask him questions and torture him for answers. If he surrenders the location of the scythe, I will then find it and set him and his fellow titans free." To clarify my meaning, I raise my left hoof up and drag it across my neck as a sign of death.

A deep, rumbling chuckle makes its way out of Zeus's throat as he grins saying, "Very well then, let us all make a trip to the true Tartarus below us. It would be good to finally deal with them once and for all." He then looks to his brother and says, "Brother Hades, since this is your realm, I shall let you lead the way there."

Hades nods and makes his way through the front archway, looking at his queen saying, "Remain here dear, the evil down there does not deserve to see such a beauty as you."

Persephone smirks and turns her head up at her husband saying with a scoff, "I had no intention of following you all into that cesspool, but be sure that the foolish father of my child comes back alive. Once this child is born, I look forward to having even more fun with him."

I then look at her with wide eyes as just one thought fills my mind, 'Oh why me? What have I done to deserve this?' then hear the others start to head out of the room and turn my head in their direction while starting to follow them down the corridor.

*A few hours later, in the deepest part of the underworld*

I stand before a pair of giant bronze gates in front of a black granite archway, finding the sheer size of it quite interesting and saying, "These are very impressive, which one of you made these?"

Poseidon smiles and stands up straighter and lifts his trident off the floor and taps the bottom of it against the floor twice saying, "That would be me, young one. These may not be my finest creations, but I still am proud of them." He then watches as the two large gates open inward toward the archway, and heads towards the arch to activate the portal.

As I follow the gods through after seeing Poseidon activating the archway's portal, I look around to see a large area filled with a floating mist that sits in the air. No wind blows through this massive cavern, spreading as far as the eye can see with distant screams echoing back to us.

Hades takes the lead from Poseidon saying, "The area for the titans is further ahead." and then makes his way down a stone path.

After following Hades for a while longer, we come to a stop overlooking a large cave. I approach the edge to look down over it and call out, using magic to enhance my voice, "Which of you is the titan called Cronus?"

A deep, rumbling noise like massive boulders falling down a mountain while grinding against each other emanates from the back of the elongated cavernous room saying with a great pause in between, "I......am." I then turn my body to face the gods and ask, "Your Majesty Hades, where might the path down be located?"

Cocking his head curiously, he says, "You can't use your wings to get down there?"

I shake my head with a sigh saying, "No, just before I was cast out of Heaven...at his orders, my brother Michael cursed my wings so that I could never use them again."

Zeus shakes his head saying, "Such a cruel fate...to have wings, but unable to fly. At the same time, I can understand his anger."

I still wonder why he did such a thing to me once in awhile, but in the end, I am glad because I got to see new places besides heaven."

Hades points to the side and says, "There is a stairway on the left that will take you to the bottom, be sure to keep a fair distance from the wall for they have a little room to thrash about in their restraints."

Nodding my head, I channel my magic into my horn and make my way toward where he pointed. Finding the stairs at the side of the outcropping, I head down them as I gaze upon the huge bodies restrained to the wall by many chains crossing their torsos, upper arms, and lower legs.

Finally reaching the bottom, I walk across the floor at a swift pace as I hear chains rustle and clink together. I look at the fleshy titans as each one of their heads turns slowly to gaze at me while drool comes out of their mouths, a few even mumble or groan out the word 'food' or 'hungry'.

Cronus sits on the floor with his arms stretched and held out to either side by several heavy chains on each arm, a tight, barbed collar is around his throat with four massive chains on the back with four more on the front. His legs are splayed out uncomfortably and held firmly in place by thick, heavy chains attached to the wall when he hears a distant clopping of hooves coming toward him. Slowly, he raises his head slightly within the chains' limits to use his eyes to look around his prison to see where the noise is coming from, slowly seeing a burning torch coming his way. Squinting his tired eyes, he notices that it is not a torch at all, but a horn as the creature stops before him well out of his reach. Taking a weary breath, he asks in the same deep heavy tone, "Whaaat...arrre...youuu?"

I look up at the heavily restrained titan with an unfeeling gaze as I say, "I am an alicorn, my name is Galadriel and I have just two questions for you. If you answer it, I shall grant you freedom from these bonds that imprison you here."

He looks at the alicorn called Galadriel with a curious look in his eyes and responds sleepily, "Youuu...wooouuuld...freee...meee? Asssk...yooouuur...questionsss."

I then take a small breath and ask, "What has become of the scythe given to you by Gaia?"

Cronus's eyes widen a bit at the question and quickly says in his deep tone, "Destroyed it...before own children...betrayed me."

Sensing a lie, I take a step back saying, "Do not lie to me, for I can see it clearly. Here is your punishment for trying to fool me." and close my eyes before reopening them and looking up above me chanting, "Once-powerful being ruling from above, now ruling over nothing as the arrogant creature below. Now suffer the consequences of your choice to lie, so down the road of pain we shall go."

Poseidon watches with curiosity as the mist surrounding them gathers into a large, black cloud and sees flashes within it then turns to his brother asking, "Isn't summoning lightning your specialty, brother?"

Zeus strokes his beard with two fingers as he nods his head, watching as black lightning strikes Cronus's body and causing him to bellow out in agony. He feels the bellow vibrating the room around him and chuckles saying, "Bringing forth lighting is my specialty, but this one is a rather curious discovery to be able to create lightning to do his will."

Hades smiles as Cronus continues to bellow in pain from the strike as the lightning lasts far longer than it should, sounding like something sizzling maniacally and says, "I have never heard Cronus bellow in pain like that before, I rather enjoy hearing it."

After a good two minutes, I let the strike end and release the channeled storm saying, "Let's try this again, shall we? What have you done with the scythe given to you by Gaia?"

Cronus's head slumps forward slightly, leaving him breathing hard from the intense pain and says in a deep, pained voice, "It's gone...lost forever...in the abyss."

I sigh and shake my head saying, "Very well, you leave me no choice." and repeat the same chant from earlier, calling forth a now stormcloud to strike him continuously.

Hades chuckles as he watches Cronus's body shudder under the strike, bellowing loudly while the chains remain unaffected and says, "Galadriel sure has a lot of control over his powers to be able to focus a strike on him without damaging the chains in the slightest."

Zeus grins at the sight as he uses his godly eyes to examine the alicorn, watching as his mane and tail become translucent. He chuckles a few moments later with a smile on his face saying, "He has the strength to match any one of us, perhaps even rival it. I can see his true character and believe it sufficient to deem him worthy of being called a god."

Poseidon looks at his brother with a shocked look in his eyes and asks, "Really, brother? You see that much power within him?! How can such a thing be possible?"

Zeus looks at his brother with a smile and says, "I do indeed. I would guess that the grand creator had a great deal to do with it, though it remains to be seen what type of god he is to become..."

Hades laughs sadistically as Cronus continues to bellow in agony while beginning to beg for it to stop saying, "I will be looking forward to finding that out brothers. I don't know about you, but this is the most fun I've had in years."

Cronus breathes heavily as the pain finally stops and says, "I......yield. It...lies...inside...my home. Now leave...me...to my...torment."

I turn around and walk away from the titan as he recovers from the interrogation, making my way up to the three brothers and say, "Well, that proved fruitful, Your Majesty. Do any of you know where his home is located?"

Zeus caresses his beard with his right hand saying, "I have an idea of where it is, though it has been many years since we have visited it last."

I then stand before the three brothers, look up at Zeus, and politely ask, "Do you think it possible for us to travel there to search for the weapon, Your Majesty?"

He looks at his three brothers and sighs, looking back at Galadriel saying, "It would be a problem if us three brothers went to the land of mortals, it would be far better if it was just the two of us."

I then nod my head in agreement saying, "I think that would be wise as well, when can we depart, Your Majesty?"

Zeus then looks at the alicorn's form and gives a chuckle saying, "We can leave right away, however, you cannot return to the land of mortals looking like that. I shall have to alter your body a little bit so you don't stand out so much, do you have issue with that?"

Shaking my head, I say, "No, it would be better that way as I currently am not really welcome among the world of humans. Please do what you need to do, Your Majesty."

Hours later, in the human world

Zeus and Galadriel arrive at an ancient mountain as the god claps his hands twice, making two massive stone doors swing open with sounds of stone grinding against stone when he says, "Let us begin searching for that scythe."

I follow Zeus into the cave as the doors swing shut behind me when braziers flare to life in the cavern ahead of me, revealing a mostly empty space with only a crumbling stone throne against one wall. I make my way to the throne and begin to use my hooves to move aside chunks of the throne when I suddenly find myself inside a large space with magma flowing across the floor in a river in front of me with pitch-black jagged walls of stone. Several feet away, I see a throne the size of a small mountain with magma spilling down the sides of the throne. When I squint my eyes to look at the throne, I hear a booming, feminine voice echo off the walls, demanding, "FOR WHAT PURPOSE DO YOU SEEK THE SCYTHE, MORTAL?!!" and feel the sudden urge to bow before them, and quickly lower my head saying politely, "I wish to use it to accomplish two things... to protect the world of man by removing a threat, and bring an end to the Titans' torment in Tartarus so they can move on to find peace. May I ask who you are?"

Goddess Gaia looks at the mortal from her throne, thinking about what they said and answers with her godly, booming voice, "I am Gaia, the earth-mother. By what right makes you dare to even think about ending my children's lives, hmm??!!" after a few passing seconds of silence, she then shouts, "ANSWER ME, MORTAL!!"

I dare not to look up at the angry goddess's face and try to think of something to say when I look back to see my cutie mark to see a black and white Ying and Yang, having a thin grey line between the middle of them. Understanding what it actually means, I shift my head back forward and raise my head saying proudly, "To preserve the precarious balance between good and evil. Your children are neither good nor evil, but they still threaten the balance because they are far too powerful and are quick to anger. However, as I am reminded of the balance...I can spare them instead of killing them, but they cannot remain locked away under the realm of man or remain in it."

Hearing the mortal's words intrigues the goddess, making her tilt her head ever so slightly and say, "If they are to leave Tartarus, where do you suggest they go, mortal?"

I look up at the throne to see a great woman, seemingly carved out of a single piece of living stone. Having bright orangish-red hair made from liquid magma, going down to the floor with dark, blackish-brown flesh-like skin and bright orange eyes. I watch as she shifts her massive form in her throne, raising her thick left leg to rest it over her right. Unable to respond quite yet due to how my mind is focused on looking at the Earth-mother's form, my eyes travel down her body to see her surprisingly slender upper body with a set of the biggest breasts I have ever seen in my life.

Gaia smirks at the mortal's ogling and claps her hands together before her, causing the mortal to jerk and jump back at the loud sound her hands created and chuckles deeply, saying, "My eyes are up here, mortal. Stop ogling me or I may have to use you as a footrest..."

Blinking away my startled state of mind, I smile nervously and apologize with a bow saying, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I was captivated by your...interesting features." I then clear my throat and straighten up, and return to my normal self and say, "The world I am considering sending them to will be where I am from, however, if they are to pose no real threat to the balance, I will need a way to change them."

She rolls her stone foot around in the air, placing one of her long, thin, stone fingers against her cheek and thinks it over, toying with him a little by saying, "Hmmm... Quite an interesting proposal you have there, but how should I answer..." and uncrosses her leg, then moves her arms to her thighs and leans forward a little, saying, "Very well...mortal, you have enticed me into assisting you. I shall grant you a way to do what you seek, on one condition..." trailing off to mess with the mortal.

Nervously, I gulp at what she might demand of me and say, "What condition m-might that be, Your Majesty?"

Gaia returns her arms to the armrests of her throne and pushes herself up, then stands in front of it with a hungry look upon her face and answers in a lusty tone, "You will mate with me..."

I look up at her, staring in shock at what I just heard, and say worriedly, "Uhmm, I don't want to offend you, Your Majesty, but I do not think that I would be able to satisfy you."

She begins to walk towards him, walking through the magma pool surrounding her throne, and half-laughs saying, "Why, mortal, because of my size? Fear not, for I am able to change my body as easily as breathing. Now watch and marvel at this goddess's power..."

THIS SECTION IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK, SO PLEASE SKIP PAST THIS TO THE END AND RETURN LATER IF YOU WISH. ENJOY THE REST OF THE CRAZY CHAPTER!

My eyes go wide as I fight to maintain my balance from each thunderous step, sending a quake through the floor with every one she takes. I watch as a golden aura surrounds her body and she actually begins to get smaller, her upper body comes forward as her slender fingers retreat back into her hand as they begin to turn into hooves.

Gaia feels her posture become more natural as her hips, breasts, and shoulders change position as she feels her hair change into a mane and emerges from the back of her neck, growing to nearly touch the floor when she looks back to see hair sprout from her rear to form a tail that matches the length of her mane. She looks at the mortal and sees that her size is still much too large and continues to wade through the relaxing pool of magma saying, "You mortals are so tiny, it is a wonder you continue to thrive on this planet..."

I smile at hearing that and look to the side, saying, "Such is the will of mankind, determined to survive regardless of what it faces. It saddens me how they still refuse to get along with each other to accomplish greater things, my wanting to help them led to my banishment from heaven."

Her form continues to shrink in size as she reaches the other side of the pool and steps onto the smooth stone floor of her cavern saying in a gentle tone belying her size, "I thought I smelled the touch of the grand creator from you."

I turn to look back at the goddess as she manages to shrink down to a size matching mine and say in an amazed tone, "I am quite amazed that you were able to match my size for having such an impressive size."

Gaia chuckles at hearing that, causing a few particles to fall from the ceiling and says, "You should feel honored, I have never before had to reduce my own size this much. I feel smaller than my baby toe..literally." with an ever so slight amber blush rising to her cheeks.

I look at the earth pony form of the Earth-mother Gaia, having the same dark blackish-brown smooth stone flesh, with a glowing red and orange, flowing magma mane and tail with a pair of eyes the same color.

She feels him checking her out and chuckles asking while raising her hoof to her mane and giving it a flick, "How do I look, mortal?"

I look at her form and absentmindedly say, "Beautiful." before looking away, hoping she doesn't return to her normal size and squash me like a bug.

Gaia smiles at hearing that and brushes against his side whispering into his ear, "Now that I had a good look at you, you're good-looking yourself. Shall we begin?"

I then turn to look at her and then nod my head, actually wondering how her body is going to feel against mine. I lean in to kiss her while raising my hoof up to caress her neck saying, "I will do what I can to ensure you enjoy this as much as possible, Your Majesty."

She feels his tongue brush against her lips and parts hers to kiss back, feeling his hoof lightly caress the side of her neck. Absentmindedly flicking her tail side to side, eager to feel him inside of her already.

As I spend a few minutes kissing her deeply, I break the kiss and ask, "Will your magma tail or mane burn me if I touch them?"

Gaia looks back at him and says, "Not as long as I do not wish it to, now let us continue."

I then nod and walk around behind her, using my horn to move and hold her mane out of the way saying, "As you wish, Your Majesty." and then start to lick her nethers, causing her back and front legs to widen a little.

As she feels him lick her, she lets out a gasp saying, "OH! That feels really nice." and leans back into him, wanting him inside her.

I then stick my tongue inside her, tasting a sharp, spicy, citrusy tang as I hear her start to moan. As I begin to use my lips while keeping my tongue inside her, I suck on one of her nether's lips. Feeling her start to tremble, I pull my tongue out and begin to suck and gently nibble on her until I feel a liquid gush into my mouth and drink it down until there is no more. As her body settles down a little, I pull away and say, "You even taste amazing, Your Highness."

Gaia's vision is swimming at whatever that was and pants lightly, asking, "Wh-What was that?"

I feel myself slip out of my sheath and say, "That was an orgasm, have you not had one before, Your Highness?"

She catches her breath and says, "I-I have not, so make me experience that again. I rather enjoyed that after spending so long without bearing children."

I then nod my head saying, "As you command, Your Majesty."

Gaia huffs and says, "You may drop the Your Majesty and just call me Gaia, no mortal really worships me anymore."

I start to move towards her nethers saying, "Very well then, I shall call you Mother Gaia because you still deserve respect for still being a goddess of the planet Earth."

An hour passes as I make the goddess come several more times before my member throbs and slaps the underside of my belly, becoming almost painfully hard. I then carefully climb onto Mother Gaia's back and walk forward until I feel my member bump against her tail and ask, "Could you please move your tail, Mother Gaia?"

Unable to respond with her voice due to her heavy breathing, she moves her tail aside with a nod of her head and feels him start to push into her. As she moans at feeling him slip further inside, he uses his forelegs to pull himself forward and widens her stance to brace herself.

I feel myself push up against her inner wall and push myself backwards, then thrust forward into her as I nuzzle her neck saying, "I never imagined sticking my sword into your stone would feel so tight and pleasurable. I look forward to spending a few hours pleasuring you, Mother Gaia."

She lets out louder moans when she feels him start to regularly thrust harder against her, responding with only a loud groan and a barely recognizable yes.

Meanwhile, back in the cavern in the mortal realm above

Zeus wanders around the large space, wondering where Galadriel could have gone when he feels the very earth quake again and asks curiously, "I wonder what all of this quaking is about..."

Inside Gaia's Cavern with Galadriel and the goddess

I hear Mother Gaia almost scream under me as she clamps down on me after another climax hits her, forcing me to stop as her muscles hold me in place. I feel her body convulse as it attempts to release more fluid, but her clenching muscles deny it. She eventually relaxes enough to let me continue thrusting into her when I feel my own climax hit, making me ram past her inner wall to release my seed and take her flowing magma mane into my teeth and pull her head up.

Gaia screams out in pleasure as she feels jet after hot jet shoot inside her and trigger another climax, causing her built up fluids to squirt out with each of her convulsions.

I feel her fluids gush out in strong squirts as her muscles convulse, matching each pulse of my cock as I continue to release inside her. Wanting to kiss her, I release her mane and say, "Look back at me so I can kiss you as a lover should."

She quickly looks back at him and finds their lips locked together faster than she can blink, their tongues start to writhe against each other as she feels her abdomen begin to swell with his seed.

Time loses all meaning as I thrust and release inside of Mother Gaia countless times, finally parting from our very long, passionate kiss to look down at her very swollen belly and chuckle saying, "I hope I didn't make you feel discomfort after how many times I have released inside you, Mother Gaia."

In a barely conscious state, Gaia looks back at her stomach and giggles saying, "Not at all, I rather enjoyed our session. I don't even sense the slightest bit of discomfort at being this swollen, I look forward to the children we can produce from our union. I will summon you here when the time comes for them to be born."

I nuzzle against her neck and say, "I look forward to seeing our children, Mother Gaia. When do you expect that will happen?"

She sighs happily as she can sense new life taking form within her and says, "I know not, for each child produced has its own timeframe, but fear not, I can always tell when they are ready to come into the world." Remembering why he came here, she then looks at the pool of magma and wills the scythe to come forth from it and says, "This scythe is more than just a weapon, mortal. It is a tool meant to be the herald of change and has far more power in it than what Cronus used it for, I shall allow you to take it and use it to reshape my children." Thinking about her first children she bore, she looks toward the mortal and asks, "Would you listen to my request mortal and grant me a favor?"

I retract my head from her smooth neck and warm mane, nodding my head and saying, "What do you ask of me, Mother Gaia?"

Gaia looks at the mortal with a serious look and asks, "Will you do the same for those who guard the titans locked away in Tartarus?"

I cock my head ever so slightly and ask, "You mean alter them and send them to where I came from, Mother Gaia?"

She feels him start to retreat from her body and nods her head, clenching her muscles to keep his seed inside her saying, "Yes, I would like that."

I think about it for a few moments before nodding my head as my member finally slips from her saying, "Very well, I will see what I can do."

Gaia watches as the scythe comes to rest on the stone beside the magma pool and turns her head towards it saying, "Go on and collect what you came for, mortal, my limbs do not wish to obey me as I shall need to rest for a while to regain my strength."

I climb off her as she lets herself collapse to the floor, curling up on herself with a happy smile as she watches me. I head over to the stone scythe and look back at her saying, "Thank you for allowing me to use this tool, Mother Gaia."

THIS IS THE END OF THE SCENE, ENJOY THE REMAINDER OF THE STORY!

She smiles and blinks saying, "You're welcome, now get going. I'm sure that Zeus is wondering where you are by now."

I look at her curiously and ask, "How long have I been gone, Mother Gaia?"

Gaia chuckles and prepares to send him back saying, "About six hours in the mortal realm give or take, break that scythe into pieces once you are done with it. Only I can repair it and I do not want it to fall into the other gods' hands."

I bow my head to her, saying, "I will be sure to do so, Mother Gaia. I look forward to seeing you again when our children are born." then turn toward the scythe in front of me and pick it up with my mouth, then wait for the exhausted goddess to send me back to the cavern I was in with Zeus.

IX: Time goes on, part 2

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Zeus hears some noise coming from by the crumbling stone and turns his head to see if Galadriel is there and sees him standing next to it and asks in a boisterous tone, "Where in Tartarus have you been for the past several hours?! I explored every cavern around this mountain looking for you!"

I put the scythe down, chuckling nervously as I then sigh from exhaustion saying, "Apologies, Your Majesty. I was summoned by Mother Gaia and in order to get what I came for, I had to 'spend a little time with her, if you catch my meaning."

He hears that and bursts out laughing and slaps his thigh with his right hand hard, saying, "Gaia brought you before her, and demanded you to have sex with her?! Waaahahahahahaa! I am surprised that you are still alive after that experience, I was wondering what that quaking was about!" and devolves into a fit of laughter, slapping his thigh with his right hand while leaning forward as tears start flowing from his eyes from his laughter.

I look at the scythe lying on the ground in front of me and smile saying, "Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad because she reduced her size to match mine. Further details than that, you will just have to dream about, Your Majesty. I have the scythe, though I won't be killing the Titans anymore. I will tell all of you what I plan to do when we return."

Zeus nods his head, still chuckling at how Galadriel had sex with Gaia saying, "Alright then...let's be on our way back." then claps his hands together to send them back to the chamber containing the titans.

Back in the deepest part of Tartarus where the Titans are kept

When I find myself back inside the pit, standing beside the other two gods when Zeus claps his hands and returns my wings and horn to me. I then use my magic to hold the scythe so I can speak and think of a way to tell the gods my plan, thinking, 'If only there was a way to protect us from the titans' prying ears...' when another thought enters my mind, 'A shield protects, and in some of the human's fantasy shows and movies, there is a magic spell that can perform as a barrier to do that...but I need a barrier that would keep others from hearing what is said within.' then get an idea of what I could try and say, "Hmm...I wonder if this will work..." I focus on my magic while closing my eyes to concentrate when the gods start talking amongst themselves.

Hades sees a grin on Zeus's face and hears him chuckle a bit before letting out a mirthful sigh, saying, "What's so funny, brother?"

Zeus looks at his brother and chuckles again saying, "Oh I was just thinking of how amusing it was to hear that Galadriel had relations with Mother Gaia..." when he is then interrupted by his brother Hades.

Hades looks at Zeus with a shocked expression on his face while Poseidon doesn't seem bothered by it and says, "HE HAD SEX WITH MOTHER EARTH!? I'm surprised that he wasn't crushed due to the size difference!" and bends backward and leans his head back while laughing loudly.

Zeus continues on, saying, "He did and so was I, and as I was saying earlier...while they were busy, it caused a couple of locations around Earth to suffer some minor earth quakes."

Ignoring the rest of their conversation, I continue focusing on what I'm trying to do. Several seconds pass until I finally succeed in making a spell that will work and say, "Alright, I shall now prepare to tell you my plan for the titans and guardians locked away here." then cast the spell, creating a light blue barrier around me and the three gods. Wanting to test the barrier, I look at them and say, "I am going to test the barrier to see if it works, please inform me if you hear anything I say outside of it." I get a short nod from them and walk through the barrier, stopping a short way from it before turning around to face it. I then look at the gods inside and use my normal voice saying, "Can you three hear what I say?" and watch as they shake their heads side to side. Wanting to test its strength, I then amplify my voice as loud as I can and bellow, "CAN YOU THREE HEAR ME?" and watch as they all nod their heads, causing me to nod satisfactorily before heading back into the barrier. As I stop inside to stand before them, I ask, "Okay, how easily could you hear me the second time?"

Poseidon looks at the alicorn and says, "To us, it sounded louder than normal conversation, however, to a human, it would only be like a whisper."

I then nod again and say, "Okay, as long as we aren't too loud, the titans won't hear us." then take a breath before saying, "My plan for the titans have changed..." pausing a moment before saying, "I will no longer be killing them, since I plan to use the power of the scythe to greatly alter their bodies before stripping them of their power and banishing them all to Equestria so they can have a chance to learn from their mistakes."

Enraged at hearing this, Hades yells at him, "How dare you play me for a fool by telling me that false plan! I SHOULD SUSPEND YOU BETWEEN TWO POLES AND HAVE BUZZARDS FEAST ON YOUR FLESH FOR ETERNITY!"

I then look at Hades and say, "I was not lying to you, Your Majesty. The plan changed when I met Mother Earth, as she was angered at my desire to end their lives. As I was trying to come up with a reply,I then remembered that I earned my cutie mark and then looked back to see what it was. I saw a black and white Ying and Yang with a thin, grey line between the two sides and understood what they meant immediately. So an idea started to come to my mind as I began talking about the tedious balance between good and evil, and how they are neither one but still endanger it due to their strength and power, and how quick they were to anger. I then told her as I was reminded of the balance, I could spare their lives without killing them and that they could not remained locked away anywhere near the realm of man. When she asked where they should go, I was distracted by her appearance for a bit before she brought me out of my stare which I immediately apologized to her for my rudeness. I then said to her that if I were to send them to where I was before, I would need a way to change them if they are to pose no threat to the balance. She then agreed to my request with the condition that I mate with her, and you know what happened after that." I then clear my throat and say, "So Your Majesties, what are your thoughts about my newest plan?"

The three brothers take a few minutes to think the plan over when the next brother to speak up is Hades, as he glares at the alicorn with fire in his eyes and shouts, "I HATE THIS PLAN! THOSE VILE CRETINS DESPISE US FOR OVERTHROWING THEIR RULE, LET THEM STAY IN TARTARUS TO ROT!"

Poseidon looks at his brother as he shakes his head, then shrugs his shoulders, and crosses his arms saying, "I have no problems with this plan, do you Zeus?"

Zeus runs his fingers through his white beard, but has a smile on his face and says, "I like the plan. It removes the responsibility we have of ensuring they don't break free of their bonds and attack Earth or Olympus." He then looks at him and shrugs his shoulders saying, "I'm sorry that you didn't get your way brother, but the majority says we go along with the plan."

Hades huffs angrily saying, "Whenever we have to make a decision together, I always end up getting shafted."

I then nod and dispel the barrier, then make my way down to where the Titans are chained to the walls and call out to them all saying, "Hear me, all of you titans that are chained to the wall, imprisoned here and left to suffer forever for whatever reasons the gods had at the time. I offer you the chance to be free to live your lives peacefully on another world at the cost of retaining only a very small fraction of your powers and your current forms, never to be reclaimed again so you can attempt to learn from the mortals you have looked down on. When I stand near you, tell me if you accept my offer, refuse it, or need more time to think."

A female titan sits with her back against the wall, holding her knees to her chest with her head slumped forward when she smells the strange creature standing before her and weakly lifts her head to look at them.

I watch as the female titan raises her head, opening her eyes to look at me and reveals a pair of glowing green eyes and ask, "What will your answer be?"

She slowly blinks for a moment and then opens her mouth, attempting to speak when her voice cracks and comes out hoarse after the immeasurable millennia of being imprisoned, sounding deep, but fairly feminine, saying slowly, "I......accept."

I nod my head and then raise the scythe into the air, concentrating on my ability as I straighten my posture and look up at the weakened titan saying, "Once high and mighty creature ruling over the mortal masses you looked down on, suffering for your poor choices and locked away in the bowels of the earth. Fortune and Karma have both frowned upon you, in spite of what others think, I shall give you one chance to address your flaws. Should you fail to address them and remain villainous, I shall strip you of your remaining power and reduce you to having a mortal existence before ending your life." With my ability fully powering the scythe, I look at her and ask, "Do you understand what I have just said?"

The titan trembles a little at seeing the power reflected through his stance, making his eyes glow a bright yellowish-gold color and nods her head in return. Slowly, she stops hugging her legs and raises her arms into the air with the palms upward saying in a trembling voice, "I do...please show me your mercy."

I then say, "Very well, on your knees, titan." and watch as the titan then lifts her right foot and moves it underneath her, followed shortly by doing the same with her left foot. The titan then grunts with effort as she pushes herself upward and then bows her head to me, obeying my every word of her own will and then raise the scythe saying, "This may hurt a bit when I strike you, but you will know when the change begins as your whole body feels an excruciating, mind-numbing pain." then swing the scythe at her abdomen, opening up a fairly deep gash on her pale, grey skin.

She winces weakly at the pain, but immediately feels a great deal of power rushing into her body, completely consuming it when her body starts to feel like it is melting away. As the pain grows to an unbearable level, she takes a breath and lets out a shrill, ear-shattering scream of utter agony as her arms instinctively wrap around her stomach.

Ignoring her screams, I look up to the platform and raise my voice above hers and call out, "It has begun, great gods of Olympus, please release this one's chains so the transformation can progress."

Together, with Hades hesitantly going along with the request, they all channel their powers and remove the heavy chains from around the female titan's hands and feet, then continue to watch the titan intently.

I watch as the heavy chains fall from her wrists and strike the wall with a loud, rattling clunk. Moments later, I see her body begin to shimmer and twitch before slowly going into violent convulsions. The titan's body collapses to the ground on her right side as she curls up involuntarily, then straightens out and thrashes when her head starts to elongate. Her mouth then changes and forms three different lobes that come together like a crane grapple, four eyes emerge from the upper part of her head with two eyes on either side of her lobed mouth. The skin around her mouth turns pink with red, jagged lines going back from her eyes, then her red hair falls off from the top part of her head and begins growing in around her neck in a thick mane. I then watch as her skin turns purple and her body begins to lengthen with her arms losing their mobility as they are pulled against the body, then her legs and feet grow together to form part of a tail with her toes growing longer and merging to form the remainder of the tail. A vane of red fur grows in at the top of her tail, ending at the tip.

She quiets down when the pain begins to ebb away from her body as she then tries to sit up, quickly learning that she has lost her arms and legs. At learning this, she then looks at the being before her and goes to ask him a question, which comes out as a series of hisses.

I then look at her new body saying, "You have become a Tatzlwurm, meaning you have lost all your limbs and the ability to form any coherent words. You shall be sent to your new world shortly, after you arrive, find something that will make you happy in life." I then look up at the platform and say, "Gods of Olympus, please send this being on her way."

The former titan looks up at the gods, feeling slightly sad about losing her former body as they raise their right arms and channel their powers towards the ground in a bright ball of multicolored light. Following the ball to the ground with her eyes, she watches as it strikes and forms a shining blue portal big enough for her to pass through.

I then tilt my head towards the portal saying, "Now you must learn how to control your new body to get to your new home."

Sensing new muscles throughout her body, she begins to test them out to learn how to move. It takes a while for her to get the hang of crawling on the ground, nearly tying herself into a knot a couple of times, but eventually does learn how to pull herself along.

I watch as she creates loops with her incredibly long body to pull herself towards the portal, and passes through it a few minutes later. I look away after the portal disappears, averting my eyes to look at the other titans in the room asking, "Who else will accept my offer?" I see the other titans looking at me with eager eyes, making a slight smile cross my face as they all say they will take my offer.

Cronus watches as one by one, every titan trapped with him accepts the deal and is changed into various creatures such as Quarray Eels, a couple of Ursa Majors, a Chimera, something weird called a Tri-Horned Bunyip, and a freaky creature called an Ophiotaurus. He then looks at the alicorn that changed and freed the others asking in his deep, gravely tone, "I...accept...your...offer. Please...let me...be...with...my brothers...and sisters."

I then walk towards him and say, "Very well." then close my eyes and focus on my ability. Opening my eyes moments later, I stand tall before the final titan and call out, "Hear me, old one, for your wrongs are many. You coveted power and squandered it wastefully, not using it how it was meant to be! You will have just one chance to correct your flaws and find happiness, should you strive to conquer and dominate...I will search for you and eternally end your soul." I then feel my ability funnel into the scythe and narrow my eyes at him then ask, "Do you understand the words and warning I have said to you, Cronus?"

He looks at the alicorn and blinks slowly, then says in his deep, slow voice, "Yes...I understand...I obey."

I nod my head and then say, "Okay. I'm sure you heard me telling the others that this will hurt, do I need to say the same words to you?"

Cronus's corner of his mouth raises ever so slightly as he says in a slightly humorous tone, "No...I understand. There...will...be...much pain. I will...accept...all pain...if it...means...I rejoin...the others."

I then raise the scythe higher and swing it across his belly, however, when the tip of the scythe touches the titan's skin, it is violently repulsed back. I nearly drop the scythe from the unexpected reaction when I then hear a slight whisper in my ear saying, 'Not...enough.'

The titan looks back at me expectantly as I try again, putting more force into my swing. The same thing happens again and I maintain my firm grip on the scythe handle as the same voice whispers, 'Need...more.' I then quietly ask, "More what? I don't understand."

I then narrow my eyes and put all my skills, strength, and magic into the swing. I am surprised with the force that repels my strike as it tears the scythe from my grip, sending it sliding on the dirt floor of the cavern when I hear the same voice whispering, "More...strength."

Confused, I turn my head around to look at the scythe, seeing it lying on the dirt, still feeling my power inside of it waiting to be used when my eyes are then drawn to my Cutie Mark. I look at it curiously while thinking of what it means to me as I hear Hades laughing from the platform in the background, jeering at my failed attempts and calling me a Failicorn. I then huff in annoyance and look up at the laughing god, narrowing my eyes at him as I think back on how gods seem to have all the power.

Zeus shakes his head when he looks over at his brother as he insults the alicorn, noticing how Galadriel stares at them all, then hears his brother suddenly shut up and look down at something with a look of surprise on his face. Looking back towards the alicorn, he sees a shimmering, angry aura start to appear around him and says softly, "Now this is interesting...this power is on the level that we used to destroy Atlantis."

Poseidon and Hades look to Zeus with surprise and shock on their faces saying in unison, "What!?"

(This next part starts happening inside Galadriel's mind, and he doesn't really understand what is happening)

I then continue thinking about how everything is balanced while looking up at the gods in gentle anger thinking, 'If everything exists in a balance, what balances them?' As I fume in silent contemplation, a stray image flashes to the forefront of my mind. Consisting of an ancient waterwheel, slowly rotating around a strong, hardwood shaft with small chains wrapped around various parts of it. Cocking my head in confusion, I am distracted by the image when I reach out to push it from my mind. The image moves away from me and drifts towards a tunnel as I continue to attempt to push it from my mind with my hooves, moving farther away and stopping frequently as if teasing me. I then reach out to push the image away with my hooves when they transform back into hands and turn them over and over in confusion, causing me to then look my whole body over as best I can and see that I am back into my humanoid angel form with black hair and wings with blood-red tips. A chime draws my attention back to the floating picture in the tunnel, reminding me to what I was trying to do when I was distracted by my body changing. I then reach out to touch the image quickly, causing it to start to race away from me down the tunnel. I attempt to use my wings to fly after it, but learn that they still are broken and resort to chasing after it. As I chase it through the never-ending tunnel, I hear whispers filter into my ears saying various things, "Everything is connected. It is fated to happen. Fate is a cruel mistress." I continue racing down the dark tunnel after the floating image as the whispers continue to filter past my ears when one whisper in particular catches my attention, causing me to stop chasing after it as it says, "Sometimes, I think that our lives are tied to Fate, and Fate is like a wheel that never stops turning. Though our choices can affect fate, the outcome is the same and ends with our death." I think on those words for a moment before I take a step towards the floating image, noticing how it waits just ahead of me a little ways and take a few more tentative steps. I stop just out of reach of the image as an idea of what to do forms in my mind as what I heard and saw earlier provide further hints, hesitantly taking a step as I think I understand what I have to do to change Cronus. I commit to the last step towards the floating image and then take it, discovering that the image is finally within reach. A smile comes to my face at finally being able to get the image out of my mind and touch the image and go to push it aside, when I finally understand what to do as the last piece of the idea falls into place.

Back in the cavern

I open my eyes to find myself looking up at the gods as I notice the shimmering aura around me and let out a content sigh saying quietly, "I understand what I must do now." I then close my eyes and start to search for any external power that would suffice for the completion of this spell, discovering the required power as threads connected to my former home before banishment, the realm where the demons reside, the realm of the gods on Olympus, and the realm that Hades rules over. I then take hold of those threads, but draw no power from them as I then open my eyes to look up at the gods and say, "I am going to try something different to be able to change Cronus, so you might sense a difference when I start. There is no need to be alarmed at what happens, because I will only take what I need for this to work."

All three gods look down at Galadriel in confusion as Poseidon curiously asks, "What are you taking."

With a smirk, I turn away and start heading back to Cronus saying, "You will see, I hope you will find this entertaining."

I then look up at Cronus saying, "The power I tried before was insufficient due to your...uniqueness. Therefore I shall try something else to change you before they can call forth a portal for you."

The titan slowly nods his head saying in his slow tone, "Thank...you."

I nod my head slightly and say, "You are welcome, old one." I then turn away and begin to channel my magic into my horn, amplifying my voice when I then use my ability along with it to increase its effect. I then think back to what the words were to that one song, beginning to draw upon the power belonging to the various realms as I begin singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8yXqfZeKus

Meanwhile, in Heaven

The grand creator sits upon his throne as he senses power being siphoned from heaven, making him curious as to what is causing it and follows the power being pulled from his realm. The pull guides his gaze into the realm where the greek god Hades rules over and into a deep chamber where a familiar white pony with a flowing, black mane and tail with feathered hooves and black wings held up by a few pieces of fabric. He looks on his child's progress and then smirks thinking, 'You've made progress, my son. I am proud to see you finally coming into your own, although you are interfering with my plans for mankind...again.' Moments later, he discovers power being pulled from three other realms as well and raises an eyebrow curiously, thinking, 'I wonder what you are up to with drawing power from other realms, so I shall watch for a while.'

Back in the cavern with Galadriel and the three gods

Zeus's eyes widen in amazement as he hears the song, sensing vibrations being felt in Olympus and turns to Hades and asks, "Brother, can you feel the power being drawn as well as the vibrations sent throughout your entire realm too?"

Hades looks back at him with surprise on his face and nods saying, "I can, and I can feel the Grand Creator's gaze upon this room. I think that he must be feeling the same thing as us. Just what is that alicorn doing, pulling upon the strength of our realms?"

He looks down at Galadriel and smirks saying, "I'm not sure, but this is very interesting. Ah...another's gaze is upon the room, from the demon's realm."

As the singing increases in intensity, they all watch as the alicorn's eyes begin to glow brightly while his body begins to take his original form. His wings hang limp and drag behind them as his black hair flows in a non-existent breeze, each step causes it to lightly bounce while he continues to draw power from their realms. When the next part of the song begins, his body begins to grow in height as power is drawn into his body.

The cavern slowly disappears from around him as the vast universe appears around those watching him, causing them to look around in confusion when they find themselves in physical representations for some of them. A slimy, red skinned, cloven-hooved creature with a spade tipped tail wielding a sinister looking pitchfork with sinners speared through their asses on each of the three prongs. A human form having a bushy, white beard with a skin consisting of ever-changing skin tones having a flowing, golden robe and sandals on his feet. They all look around at the vast emptiness of space before turning back to see the former angel bend down gracefully and picks up the scythe torn from his grip, causing it to slowly increase in size without missing a beat in his singing as they watch him. Stopping in the center of the chamber as the song reaches another brief pause, he looks up at them and lowers his voice slightly, as if having a one-sided conversation with them. They all notice something massive behind him, then focus on what they saw. As they turn their heads to get an idea of what they are looking at, they discover that it is a massive wheel with many, many chains attached to it as it slowly turns round and round clockwise. When they notice movement on the very edges of the wheel, they focus harder on it to see what appears like tiny ants crawling all over it. However, as they continue to watch, they learn that those are not ants...but the humanoid souls of every single being and creature in existence. Each one has a chain around their ankle, binding them to the slowly turning wheel. As they are reminded of the fact of how tiny they are compared to fate, they feel a shackle around each of their ankles, and remember that they too, are bound to the wheel and have been for a long time as their chains lead towards the inner parts of the wheel. Their eyes are drawn towards the center axis which has but a single soul bound to it, able to hear the distant crying of a human they recognize.

Zeus sighs sadly as he stares at the human female, saying, "Queen Hecuba..."

The song comes to an end as the vast universe around them fades to darkness, taking the vast wheel with it as the cavern returns around them with the former angel looking down upon them. The former angel then turns away from them and walks towards Cronus with the scythe in his hands, towering over the titan.

I look down upon Cronus as he looks like a child on the cusp of reaching his tenth birthday compared to my size, then pull the scythe behind me and swing it up over my back, then down upon Cronus's skull. The empowered scythe cuts right through the skull and the chains like butter, quickly reaching the end of his body. I then bring the scythe back and swiftly swing it at the remaining chains attaching his limbs to the wall, freeing each half of his body to fall in a separate direction. I turn around and take a few steps away, then turn around to watch the changes begin to overtake Cronus's body. To my surprise, there is no screaming as one half of the body shrinks and starts to take shape, forming a lower body belonging to a horse with an upper body being a combination of part bull and human. The other part shrinks as well and takes the two-legged shape of a body having a medium brown fur coat with feet having four toes on each foot and clawed hands, his head is like that of a male lion's and has a pair of bat-like wings on his back with a tail having a tuft of fur at the end. I then look at each creature curiously, and say, "It is done." then look over my shoulder at the three gods of Olympus, ignoring the unsettling sensation of eyes watching me and say, "Gods of Olympus, please open a portal to send them to their new home."

One of the halves of Cronus looks around, noticing the other one nearby before looking up at Galadriel's massive form and croaks out weakly, "W-What will my name be?"

I then look back at them as the other one voices the same question and say, "Hmm...interesting. So you both retained your abilities to speak...I shall name the one with a bull's head Tirek, and you with the lion's head and bat-like wings Scorpan. You two came from the same body, so that makes you brothers to each other."

As the Olympic gods open up a portal, two others add in a small bit of their own power as the Grand Creator looks upon his son saying, "I do not care for being reminded of my place in the universe. So I have meddled with the portal a bit and made it send them a few centuries into the future." He then lowers his voice to a mere whisper and starts to leave saying, "Welcome to godhood...son."

I sigh and say, "Now make your way through the portal to your new home." I watch while the two make their way towards the portal on shaky legs from the transformation then look at the chamber above saying, "Now please send in the guardians that used to watch over the titans so I can change them as well."

After the gods send the guardians in, it takes me a few minutes to change them all into hydras due to how many limbs they had. With the last of them gone through the portal, I look down upon the scythe and remove my power from it, seeing that the handle is made of four pieces. I begin to snap each of the pieces off the handle and toss one to the Grand Creator saying, "Here's a piece for you, father." then toss another to the devil, a third to Zeus, and the last to Hades.

The devil catches the piece and grins as the two pass through the portal, rubbing his hands together saying, "I too loathe you for reminding me of that blasted shackle, and I have punished you by adding a little surprise to their abilities." then fades away into the shadows to return to watching over hell and messing with the humans.

The Grand Creator catches his piece effortlessly, and says, "As for your interference with my plans, this will be the last time you will ever take your old form." and uses his powers on his son's body, ensuring that they activate a few moments after he leaves. With nothing further to add, he fades away into nothing without saying another word.

I sigh as the portal vanishes and look at the blade before snapping it in half, saying, "Please accept and keep this piece safe, Mother Gaia, as I will keep this piece safe." and drop one piece to the ground, watching as a crack opens up and swallows the piece before sealing shut without a trace a moment later. I feel the power forcing my body to revert back to my alicorn form, leaving me at my current size and then gaze down upon the three Greek gods saying, "Do any of you know how to make me smaller?"

The three look at each other and burst out laughing as Zeus says, "We do, but it's nothing that we can teach you, lad."

I then cock my head in confusion and ask, "Huh, why not?"

Poseidon chuckles and says, "That is true, we can't teach it to you because it is something you have to get a feel for."

I look at him and then say, "Can't you be any more helpful, Your Majesties."

Hades looks at the large Alicorn with an amused grin on his face as he says, "Yeah I wouldn't worry about starving to death or dying of thirst in Olympus or the Underworld. As for how to change your size, its definitely something you have to just sense and figure out for yourself."

I then sigh and groan from the unhelpful hints and clues saying, "Come on Your Majesties, throw me a bone here."

Zeus then sighs and says, "You can stop with the archaic Your Highness and Your Majesties now, you are a god just like the rest of us so just say Lords and Ladies when addressing us okay? Well, this was fun, I can't wait to see what happens next. Welcome to godhood, lad." then claps his hands and returns to Hades's throne room with a flash of lightning.

Poseidon then nods saying, "Since I'm not needed here at all, I will return to Olympus. Way to go on becoming a god, Galadriel, I shall see you again another time." and claps his hands to summon a geyser underneath of him, disappearing in the blink of an eye as the geyser stops with the water flowing back down into the hole.

Hades rolls his eyes at his brother's theatrics and says, "Such showoffs...come to the throne room when you figure out how to alter your size, my brother and I will be busy building the entrance of the prison. Good on you at becoming a god like us and causing a little mayhem for my enjoyment in the process, fare well." then bows graciously and disappears as a fiery explosion suddenly appears from under him, briefly filling the whole room with blue flames that fade and leave behind a lot of smoke.

I cough and splutter while waving my hoof in front of my face saying, "Ugh, they were no help at all...I wonder how long it will take me to figure out how to control my own size."

Persephone watches as Zeus and Hades begin working on the entrance to the new prison and calls out to them, "Hey, where is the father of my child? What did you two do with Galadriel?"

They both chuckle and smile as Hades says, "Why nothing dear, he is just fine. He is just having a little...size issue at the moment and will rejoin us when he gets himself sorted out."

She puts her hands on her hips and scowls at her husband asking, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

He then looks at his wife and is unable to hold back a chuckle saying, "Well, my dear, why don't you make your way down to see him. The titans are all gone now as are their guardians so I removed the barrier barring the entrance to the pit, I'm sure he would be happy to receive a visit from you. Perhaps you could assist with his issue, that way he won't miss the birth of his child."

Persephone huffs and makes her way out of the throne room, crossing her arms over her chest saying, "Hmph, I will. You just better pray that you wake up to find me beside you tonight..." and storms off down the hall to go see what is going on.

I spend a few hours with my eyes closed, trying to understand what they meant by getting a feel for it when I hear the rhythmic clacks of a pair of stiletto heels and sigh happily saying, "Hello, Lady Persephone, could you perhaps offer some advice on a problem I'm having?"

She passes through the gateway into the vast a couple minutes after hearing her baby's father's voice and says, "Do you need me to give you a blowjob?"

I chuckle and wait for her to appear near the edge saying, "Although that sounds very tempting, I really doubt you could fit the tip in your mouth with how large I am now..."

Persephone rolls her eyes and keeps walking towards the edge saying, "Oh don't worry about that, if you have gotten thicker or longer, I will still find a way to stuff you all down my throat."

I then half chuckle and say, "We will definitely find out if that is true once you actually see what is going on..."

She makes her way to the edge, blinking her eyes and then looks down to find the alicorn's ginormous body looking up at her from the cavern floor as her eyes widen. Unable to believe what she is seeing, she heads down the stairs into the empty cavern and stands right next to the alicorn's massive left front foreleg and runs her hand along the feathering and asks, "What in Olympus happened to you!? Why are you so big?!"

After telling her what happened, I then sigh and say, "And those three wouldn't tell me how to change my size, then just left me here to figure it out on my own! Could you please help me out and tell me how to control my size?"

Persephone stops laughing at the story long enough to calmly say, "I'm sorry my young lord, but I don't have that ability. Although I can tell you that you have to really get a sense for what new powers lie within you, I can stay and keep you company while offering what advice I'm able to. Unfortunately, however, I can say that you are correct..." and looks back at his sheath that has a slit that she could actually crawl into, adding, "There is no way in Tartarus that you would ever fit inside me, in fact, I think if you came...you could fill up one of the pools on Mount Olympus."

I then smirk and say, "Once I get this size issue figured out and I am allowed to go there, we may have to actually try that."

She then laughs and says, "Oh we most definitely will, and I look forward to it if it ever comes to pass."

Several months later, in a room inside the Maternity chambers in Mount Olympus

Persephone bellows at her father saying, "I DEMAND THAT YOU PERMIT THE FATHER OF THESE TWO CHILDREN INSIDE OF ME TO BE PRESENT AND IN THE ROOM FOR THEIR BIRTH OR I WILL NEVER RETURN TO OLYMPUS AGAIN!"

Zeus grins and says, "Very well, my daughter, Galadriel may come to see the birth of my grandchildren. You are quite mean, angry, and demanding when you're pregnant, you know?"

She then hits him over the head with her fist saying, "OF COURSE I AM, DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN CARRYING THESE TWO CHILDREN?? JUST OVER ELEVEN MONTHS!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE GIVEN BIRTH EIGHT MONTHS AGO, SO FORGIVE ME IF I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THESE TWO LITTLE TURDS OUT OF ME!!"

He then rubs his head saying, "Oww..." and claps his hands to summon the alicorn to the room, causing said being to appear with a flash of light and a crack of thunder, with his coat burnt in a few places.

I cough a few times saying, "What...(cough)...was that...(cough)?" then look around a bit as my eyes adjust to the brightness of the place and ask, "Where the heck am I?"

Persephone smiles widely as she holds her arms out wide saying excitedly, "There he is! Come give me a hug, dear!"

I then hug her back, glancing down at her massively stretched out abdomen asking, "Is today finally the day that I get to meet my children for the first time, or are you going to get any bigger?"

She then looks back at him with venom in her gaze and says, "Oh it is definitely going to be today, even if I have to find a way to induce labor! I am big enough to almost have three or four babies, but the goddess I saw told me that it was only two babies! I have been carrying these two millstones inside me for the past eleven months, my feet and my back is trying to kill me, and I have to fight other gods and goddesses for food just to feed these two. Did you know that my father had to make this bed himself, just for my size?"

I then kiss her tenderly and say, "Don't worry, I'm sure that they will come when the time is right. Has your water broken yet?" No sooner than the words just leaving my mouth does her water break, soaking the bedsheets as water spills out onto the floor.

Persephone groans with relief saying, "Oh...FINALLY!" then looks at her father saying, "MAKE YOURSELF USEFULL AND GET SOMEONE HERE TO MOVE ME ALREADY!!"

I turn to look at him when Zeus disappears before I can spot him as he comes back with a few other goddesses in tow and says, "Please take her to where she needs to go."

The goddesses then usher us both out as they start rolling Persephone's bed out of the room and towards another part of the building while one of them says, "Lord Zeus, please wait in the waiting hall. Lord Galadriel, if you would please follow us to the birthing room."

As I come up along side the running goddesses, I'm practically being dragged down the corridors after Persephone clutches a handful of my flowing mane and holds it close to her saying, "I'm not leaving your side for a single second Lady Persephone."

A pair of double doors open for her group, she says, "Damn right your not leaving my side, I need someone to yell at through the pain."

I then cock my head and follow the bed as they push it into place and ask, "I will be here for however many hours this birthing takes."

One of the other goddesses giggles at what the stallion says and then ask, "Uhm, Lord Galadriel? What do you know about pregnancies and births regarding celestial beings?"

I then turn to look at her and say, "Unfortunately, not much ma'am. I do know the initial process, is the birthing progress similar to that of a humans?"

Persephone hears him and then seethes with rage saying, "Absolutely fucking not! I would ABSOLUTELY MURDER YOU if this birth lasts for nineteen fucking hours!!!"

The goddess then laughs and says, "Oh Tartarus no! Celestial births only last half that long, usually taking anywhere from three to six hours."

A strong contraction hits her as she wraps her arms around the alicorn's neck and squeezes it until the pain passes shouting, "CAN I PUSH YET?!"

One of the attending goddesses lays a sheet over her legs and then elevates them to aid the process saying, "Not yet, we have to finish prepping you first, but we will be starting soon."

I sit there beside Persephone for a while as she squeezes my neck whenever a contraction hits her when the time finally comes for her to start pushing, earning a relieved groan from her as she then starts to push the children out of her saying, "Just take two short breaths in and let them out at once, make sure to relax as much as you can."

Persephone then glares at him and says angrily, "If I relax any more, I'm going to soil the bed! This isn't my first childbirth you know!" then uses her muscles to give another squeeze.

The goddess ignores the pained groans and watches with her hands ready as a head with black hair slowly emerges, saying, "I see the head, and it has black hair and skin just like you, Lady Persephone." followed a minute later by a pair of shoulders. She supports the head as the torso quickly follows it, and moves to catch the rest of the infant's body when it suddenly pauses at the waist. She waits for the rest of the infant to come out, but it seems to be stuck and says, "The baby's almost out, but it seems to be caught at the waist, keep trying to push."

She glares towards the goddess between her legs and says, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" and then gives another push as she begins to perspire.

As Lady Persephone pushes, the goddess spots some white fur on the lower body as it starts to emerge and clears her throat saying, "I can also see fur on the lower half." but it is pulled back inside when she stops pushing and says, "No no, keep pushing Lady Persephone, there seems to be more yet to come."

I watch her as she lies on the bed, pushing even harder to get the infant out when her face flushes from the effort. As she tries to push a few more times, I hear her start to sob, claiming it's hopeless. I then pull my head from her grasp and look her in the eyes and glare at her saying, "If you give up now, your no better than the whore of Babylon."

Persephone's neck nearly snaps as she spins her head up to glare daggers at him as she clenches her fists and shouts, "DON'T YOU COMPARE ME TO THAT FUCKING BITCH!"

I then keep up the act and say, "If you are better than her, prove it! Prove it by using all your godly strength and pushing as hard as you can, then push even harder until you feel like you are about to pass out. Once you feel like you are about to pass out from pushing..." pausing for a moment before shouting, "THEN PUSH UNTIL YOU DO PASS THE FUCK OUT! IF YOU CAN'T BRING THIS CHILD INTO THE WORLD, WHAT GOOD ARE YOU AS A GODDESS!"

The goddess balks at hearing what he just said to her and thinks, 'Tartarus, he has some serious balls to say something like that to Hades's wife...'

Her vision turns red as rage fills her body and she takes a breath, then starts pushing with everything she has, shouting, "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING LIKE THAT TO ME, I AM HADES'S WIFE AND I WILL SHOW YOU A NEW WORLD OF HORRORS YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND!"

Ignoring the two screaming at each other, the goddess watches as the lower body starts to come out. The opening slowly stretches to three times the normal size as a large pair of second shoulders start to appear, making her turn her head and call out to one of the other minor goddesses in the room saying, "One of you come here and help me, this child is much bigger than normal children are."

Persephone doesn't hear what the goddess says as she then pauses to take another big breath, and continues to push when a pained scream is ripped from her throat as she feels her hips dislocate and how wide she is spreading. The pain begins to dull slightly as she looks at him, sweating profusely before shouting, "OH I HATE YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME!! ONCE THIS CHILD IS OUT, I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!" She then exhales and takes a new breath to push some more.

The goddesses support the child's large body as they see a pair of legs with the hooves of a horse, but their eyes go wide as there is still more to come and say, "Just what exactly is this infant?"

Their question is answered a few seconds later when the rest of the infant comes shooting out and topples over one of the goddesses as another stares at it in shock and awe while she holds her hands over her mouth saying quietly, "Impossible...this can't be real! Someone please pinch me so I can wake up and see the truth in this."

A few minutes later, in the waiting room

Zeus paces around the waiting rooms floor with many other gods and goddesses filling the stands, all anxiously waiting to hear the news of the birth. His pacing pauses when the faint crying of a newborn filters into the room, causing all conversation to cease as the cries signal happy news when the doors open. He looks towards the doors as one of the attending goddesses walks in with a tired sigh and lets them come to him and asks, "What is the news, my daughter?"

The attending goddess looks up at Zeus and smiles saying, "There was only a single child inside her and it has been born into our world, Lady Persephone is the proud mother to a healthy boy. What is surprising...is that the boy is a Centaur."

He then hears surprised gasps echo throughout the room as he looks at her in shock asking, "You are positive that the infant is a Centaur?"

She then bows her head saying, "We attendees have all saw the infant with our own eyes and didn't believe it at first, but the child is indeed an infant having black hair and tail with a upper body skin tone matching Lady Persephone's, and the lower body of a horse with a coat matching Lord Galadriel's."

Joyous cries fill the air as a wide smile crosses his lips as he pulls her into a hug and spins around in a circle, elated at being a grandfather again. He then sets her back down and asks, "Persephone is alright, isn't she?"

The attendant nods her head as a smile crosses her face saying, "She is just fine, although her pelvis became dislocated from pushing the rest of the infant out. Poor Lady Persephone passed out immediately afterwards, so she just needs time to recover after the birth. After we get her and the infant cleaned up, you may go see the infant." then leaves the hug and heads back to the room.

I then watch them as they clean and swaddle the infant centaur in a big blue blanket, then hand him over to me so they can clean Persephone up. I sit on my rear and hold my upper body up, using the wall for support and cradle my newborn son in my arms. I gently rock him to and fro while humming a lullaby to help him sleep.

It is dawn when Persephone wakes to find Galadriel leaning back against the wall with their child in his arms and realizes how large the baby is when one of the attending goddesses enters the room and asks, "How long was I asleep for?"

The attending smiles and says, "Oh, well you have been asleep for two days after thirteen hours of labor. Congratulations on becoming a mother to a baby centaur, everyone is absolutely thrilled at how you managed to bring their race out of extinction. All the goddesses are looking forward to having a little 'alone time' with the handsome, new god."

She attempts to sit up a few times, failing to succeed each time and groans as she feels the aches all over her body, saying, "The birthing took thirteen hours! That explains why I feel like I do, my legs even feel like noodles and my breasts feel like boulders."

The goddess then giggles softly and says, "Speaking of which, I believe it is time for you to start feeding your baby boy on your own without us helping you, he's quite a hungry boy."

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING BIT IS A TIMESKIP LIGHTLY COVERING A FEW EVENTS!

I spend the following few years with my son, making a trip to Olympus for a few weeks and enjoy the company of a few of the goddesses at a time before returning to Tartarus to continue working with Hades and Zeus on building the prison. After having a heated discussion with Persephone a decade and a half later, we reluctantly agree to let our child leave our care and fend for himself. We both visit him on the plains he calls home with his younger fellow brothers and sisters, and see that he built a small hut for himself. A year later, during a routine visit to Olympus I learn that he has taken one of his sisters as his wife, greatly angering me as I see it as perverse. It takes Persephone a few days to calm me down and make me understand that gods don't have to worry about deformities with clashing genes, as each god's genes will alter themselves to work together. Twenty years after that, Hades, Zeus and I finally complete the remaining parts of the prison as Hades and Zeus work together to help Cerberus have a pup, and start to teach it how to guard the new prison.

A couple of decades pass as I sit beside Hera, watching our two boys chase their sister around the courtyard merrily. I then sigh and look at her saying, "I still wake up scared from how difficult it was for you carrying the triplets in the latter part of your term, but the part that worried me most about that was how you passed out after delivering the second child. I had to tell the attendant to reach inside of you and feel for the back legs, then pull them out like a farmer would for a heifer during a difficult birth."

Hera blushes and looks away with her arms crossed over her chest saying, "I was also, but I still am mad that you had them treat me like livestock..."

I chuckle and then pull her face to look at me and say, "Awe, don't act like you hated every moment of the struggle...you massochist, I remember how insatiable you are during each and every pregnancy."

She refuses to comment on that due to it being true and instead says, "With how much action you are getting from every goddess in Olympus and Tartarus, I'm surprised that your member hasn't withered away and fallen off already."

I look at her grin and then say, "Well, you are partly to blame for me getting so much tail ever since that bet involving my first child with Persephone. Perhaps it would fall off if there are ever any more nymphos like Lady Artemis, that goddess is absolutely insatiable and it takes me two solid days of non-stop orgasms just to tire her out."

Hera snickers at knowing that, covering her giggling mouth with her hand as she says, "It is so amusing to watch you as you stumble out of her room in a confused state, I am still amazed that she has been able to produce twins each time she becomes pregnant. How many children do you have with her, is it sixteen?"

I scoff and say, "No...I have thirty children with her alone, and after she gives birth this year, I'm sure she will swiftly recover and drag me off to her room for another two days."

She then laughs and says, "You are going to learn to embrace the burn, Lord Galadriel. I have visited the Fates and had told me that triplets will become more common between me and you, also indirectly mentioning that you will be here for a long while."

Another two years pass as I sit inside Hades's throne room as a couple of mine and Persephone's chase each other around when a sudden crack of lighting draws my attention to the center of the room, blinding me briefly and wait for my vision to clear. As my vision clears up, I hear a coughing sound coming from on the floor and see the being that took me from my family. I swiftly order my children to go play somewhere else as my rage rises saying, "You..." and then take a few steps towards him saying, "You are going to pay for banishing me here you miserable wretch!"

Grogar then looks at the one who spoke to see that it is Galadriel standing before him and cackles maniacally saying with glee, "HAHA YOU STUPID PONY, I BEAT YOU, I BEAT YOU."

A smirk crawls onto my face as I then chuckle menacingly, saying, "You most certainly did that one time, but now you are here...with me." I then attempt to blast him with my magic, but he meets it with his own, channeling it through his horns.

Hades watches the fight briefly as neither makes progress against the other and scowls at knowing how that his friend was wronged by the talking blue goat known as Grogar and then claps his hands saying, "That is enough of that." He then looks down at the goat saying, "I have heard much about how wicked you were in the world above, so I shall let my friend and fellow god Galadriel dole out your punishment."

The goat scoffs at the one talking and says, "Pfff, no one is going to punish me because there is no pony stronger than me!" and tries to blast him to smithereens with his magic, but nothing happens which greatly confuses him, making him ask, "What the bucking hell is going on here, why won't my magic work?!"

I then chuckle and straighten my posture, then gaze down upon him and say, "Because you banished me to Tartarus, and the one who holds and controls all the power here is my fellow Lord Hades who just so happens to be sitting in his throne right there. He used his power to render yours useless, so now...you are at my mercy."

A chill runs up Grogar's spine as he starts to back away when the doors slam shut behind him, trapping him inside the room as he gulps nervously, saying, "I-I'm still not buying this, so if you let me go already, I will not cause you any harm."

I then bang my left front hoof on the floor as I laugh loudly, asking rhetorically, "You really think that you could harm any of us here under Hades's rule, oh how stupidly naive of you Grogar." I then stand tall and then focus on all of my abilities, then channel them into my horn saying in a booming voice, imbuing it with my will, saying, "Abusing your skills and the others, you have failed your own people that should have been protected. I know not what other foul deeds you have committed in the other world, but I vow to make them right...starting with you." I then focus my ability towards Grogar and chant, "O wretched creature set in your ways, heed thy words and lament your ways." then flick my head to the left to slice off his horns, making them fall to the ground as I walk forward continuing, "You heard my warning and deemed me crazed. Ignoring my mercy, you sought vengeance upon me. Your act against me has stripped me from my family. With each foul deed upon thy soul, watch as each one makes their toll." Then blast him in the chest with the spell, watching as he begins screaming out in pain.

Pain overwhelms Grogar's control of his body as he collapses to the ground, howling in pain as he bellows, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!!" and feels his balls being cut off of him slowly, screaming, "YOU SON OF A WHORE, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS...YOU WILL PAY!!"

I ignore his screams and pick up the useless testicles in my magic and call outside the room saying, "Lady Persephone, could you please come to your husband's throne room? I have a couple offerings for you..."

Persephone enters the chamber with a happy skip in her step and then glances down at the screaming goat saying, "Oh shut up you stupid animal." before kicking it in the head to shut it up and then looks towards Galadriel who seems to be holding something behind his back and asks in a girlishly sweet voice, "You have offerings for little ol' me?"

I nod my head and then say, "I do indeed, I remember that you once said you have never tried Mountain Oysters before." and bring my hand in front of me with the large ball-sack in one hand saying, "Even though they did not come from a bull, this ball-sack is for you."

She then squeals with delight and jogs towards him and takes the ball-sack from his hand, holding it close to her chest saying with a gleeful voice, "Oh thank you for this treat, Lord Galadriel." then asks while walking her fingers up his neck, "Just what might your other offering be, hmm?"

I then look down at the goat saying, "That goat is my other offering to you, his name is Grogar. That is the one who banished me here and took me from my family, so I have castrated him and removed his ability to use any form of magic. I offer him to you as a plaything so you can enjoy whatever pleasure you desire."

Persephone dances in place, overjoyed at getting someone new to play with. She spins around on one stiletto heel, then walks over to the goat and summons a whip into her right hand. She raises the whip and swings it at Grogar's back legs, binding them together as she then starts to walk out of the room with a cheery skip in her step. As she drags him across the floor effortlessly, she looks over her shoulder and says with an eerie smile on her face, "I think I will go and...entertain myself for a while."

I then watch as she leaves the throne room as I hear Hades say, "You are ruthless as a god, I tip my crown to you." and smile as a peaceful feeling comes over my body.

A millennium passes by, chasing my son and daughter around Olympus when I call out, "When I catch you two, I'm going to make sure Uncle Zeus punishes you both for all the chaos you have been causing up here!" I then lose track of my children as they dart off in different directions as the disembodied voice of my daughter says, "Awe, but papa...it was only cheesy chaos."

I look around for where my daughter is hiding and then huff saying, "You two transformed all of Olympus into a cheese platter, and caused several buildings to collapse in on themselves and thusly trapping several gods and goddesses inside of them...including your mother and I! Zeus was absolutely furious with the stunt you two just pulled, now come here or I will paddle your draconequus bottoms blue!"

The son then turns invisible and floats near his fathers head saying, "Surely you won't do anything as cruel as that, we are your favorite children after all..." while using his magic to try to influence his father's mind.

I then seize my son with my magic and bring him before me, followed by his sister shortly after and say, "Your tricks don't work on me Discord and Cosmos, and though you are not my favorite children...I still love the both of you." and then kiss them both on the head before hauling them to face Zeus at the top of Olympus.

Zeus taps his foot angrily after getting the repairs done to his palace, looking down at his grandchildren saying, "Cosmos and Discord, you are not ten years old anymore! You're both getting close to adulthood and you are going to receive a just punishment from me at your father and mother's urging!" He then pauses a moment for the gravity of the situation to sink in for the two before adding, "It is with a heavy heart that I choose your punishment, and hereby banish you from Olympus and Tartarus...effective immediately." then opens up a portal leading to where the titans were sent once their bodies were changed.

Hera stands beside me, shedding a couple tears as we both hug and kiss our children goodbye for the last time, then watch as they both walk through the portal to their new home.

As several centuries pass by as I start to lose track of how many children I've had with the goddesses and even forget or confuse several of their names. I lie in a bed, sharing a pleasant night with one of the Olympian goddesses and sigh while looking up at the sunny sky saying, "We sure had a fun time last night, didn't we milady?"

She looks over her shoulder with a happy glow on her face as she snuggles further into her companion's warm body saying with a blissful sigh while rubbing her pregnant belly saying, "It sure was, I look forward to the day that I give birth to this child. I hope it is a centaur this time as I have not yet had one. Do you think it will be a centaur I give birth to, daddy?"

I am stunned at hearing her call me her father and shake my head to clear the confusion and ask, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you asked. Can you repeat what you said?"

She then rolls over onto her back, revealing her swollen stomach to him and gazes into his glowing, brilliant amber eyes saying, "Sure daddy, I was just asking what you thought our foal was going to be this time." and rubs her abdomen affectionately.

My eyes widen as I look upon her, seeing the hair upon her head matching my mane and tail's color, and having non-glowing amber eyes like mine with a humanoid body. My mind reels at hearing how I made my own daughter pregnant with my own seed, causing me to try to remember where things went so wrong as I ask, "Wh-whose daughter are you? W-What's your name?"

Angered at her own father forgetting her name, she gets up out of bed and puts her gown back on saying, "I am not a goddess, but my name is Cilanaia, daughter to you and Demeter. I am very disappointed to call you father for forgetting your own daughter's name." then pushes the doors open violently and storms out of the room on her bare, dainty feet.

I sit up in bed as I hear thunder in the distance, remembering the years after I paid Grogar back for what he did to me. I let my head hang down as I bemoan how I allowed myself to become complacent with my life as a god, feeling tears making their way down my face. Self-loathing begins to slowly fester deep inside me as I begin to think back on the sins I have committed during my time in Tartarus and Olympus.

Deep inside a cave near the base of Mount Olympus, three ancient sisters twist and weave the fates of mortals when they sense a storm brewing of godly proportions, causing them to stop what they are doing and start making their way out of the cave saying in unison, "The time has come."

Zeus looks around from his throne at the skies, wondering which god is responsible for this brewing storm. He then senses the power belonging to Galadriel and begins to stand up out of his throne to go question him when he sees the three beautiful, yet ancient Moirai sisters make their way to the throne, stopping just in front of it and asks them, "What brings you before me, ancient ones."

The younger sister looks up at Lord Zeus with her bright blue eyes and says, "The time has come..."

The middle sister lifts her head to look at him with eyes of the same color, continuing where the other left off saying, "For he who does not belong..."

The eldest then snaps her head up to Zeus and finishes the sentence saying, "To return from whence he previously came."

The younger then cocks her head to the left and says, "If he does not..."

The middle sister then does the same motion saying, "The balance will grow unstable..."

The eldest then repeats it and says, "And fall apart, taking all realms with it."

They then cock their heads to the right in unison as their eyes become stark white when they speak at the same time, "If the balance fails, the mortal realm will die, then all godly realms will die...followed by the destruction of the universe. For life itself cannot exist without balance, and the balance must be maintained at all costs."

Zeus waits for the fates to continue speaking as their eyes remain white and asks, "What must I do about the storm Galadriel is creating?"

They then blink in unison and speak together again, saying, "It shall affect only him, but it is necessary for his own preservation. Do nothing. Fix nothing. Change nothing. Everything shall be as it should, and a time may come when he will become whole once more. When he is whole, it will be safe to know, for he is the wandering god bound to no realm." They then stumble a bit as their eyes start to change back as they say some final words before snapping out of it, saying, "His last...day...has come."

He watches as other worried goddesses look at the Fates with sorrowful eyes as the skies grow darker, sighing and saying, "You heard what they have said, there is nothing we can do about the storm as it will not endanger us."

Demeter looks at her angered daughter as she storms up to her and asks, "What is the matter, sweetie? Did something happen between you and your father?"

Cilanaia huffs and says, "Father forgot my name and who my mother was, he even forgot that I was his daughter!"

She then pulls her pregnant daughter into a hug as she holds back tears saying, "Don't be so hard on him dear, for he has twelve thousand children between his firstborn daughters and us goddesses. In time, I'm sure that he will come to be able to remember them all and keep whose who straight." and lets out a gentle half-hearted giggle when tears slowly trickle down her face.

Sensing her mother's sadness, she pulls away and looks her in the eyes asking, "Mother, what's wrong, why are you crying?"

As my hatred of myself grows to the breaking point, I leave the room while walking aimlessly as I think of a way to punish myself. Before I realize it, I find myself on top of an unused set of stairs on a small platform close to the peak. I then look down as I hear the crashing of waves and am reminded of how I used my power to send the city of Saddlelantis into the bottom of the sea, causing a brief thought to pop into my head as it then changes into a singular desire. I then feel a wind starting to pick up, blowing my mane and tail off to my left as I consider how best to punish myself when a realization hits me. I then walk to the rocky outcropping overlooking the see and stand tall as I then gather all of the power within my body, ignoring the darkening skies surrounding Mount Olympus and channel my power through my words. Looking up to the skies, I then call up to the clouds saying, "I gaze down upon mineself and can't bear the sight of what I've let myself become. Seeing every wrong I have ever done to those I've met, I must make myself accountable and call upon thine wrath to smite this sinner!"

Zeus watches the sky from the balcony as lighting dances throughout the pitch-black clouds, noticing slight movement as they begin to slowly whirl around and gather speed. A few moments pass while they whirl around, creating a strong wind that causes a hole to open at the center of the whirling clouds when a light forms in the middle right above the very peak of Mount Olympus. The light soon grows too bright for him to look at as he averts his eyes when he hears a deafening crack in the sky, and slows down time to see what is happening. He sees a massive bolt of lightning slowly worming its way throughout the sky wildly at a slow pace, seeming to be searching for its target.

I blink for a moment and wait patiently for my punishment to arrive when a sudden bolt of lightning arcs in front of me and strikes me directly on my horn, causing me to feel utter agony for a split second before everything goes black around me.

The lightning strike sends the alicorn off the mountain top while creating a pure white statue in the same exact place with the same pose, looking exactly like the former angel's current appearance with a black mane and tail but having golden eyes without a cutie mark on its flank.

As Galadriel soars through the sky briefly in an unconscious state, residual power from the spell reinforces his body to protect it from the majority of the impact as he then slams into the tiled roof of Zeus's palace and goes right through it.

Zeus hears several shouts of fright as something crashes through his roof and makes a large crater in the center of his covered balcony. As the goddesses cry out the alicorn's name he snaps his head around and shouts to all of the gods and goddesses, saying, "THE FATES HAVE SPOKEN, REMAIN STILL AND DO NOTHING AND HEED THEIR WORDS."

It takes a lot of effort for everyone there to not rush forward to help their fellow god as Demeter and Hera keep Cilanaia from breaking free and hurrying towards her father as she cries out, "Please, I must go help him! He is the father of my child, let me go!"

With a sigh, he then summons forth a portal to send him into the top level of the prison near the door he and Hades secretly built, which leads directly to the world that Galadriel was originally banished to. As he sees the alicorn start to stir, he walks towards them and uses his powers to open the outer doors to the prison. When that is done, he calls a ball into existence and throws it through the portal yelling, "Go fetch Kerberus!"

Outside of the entrance to the prison, Kerberus sees the ball race away from him and then chases after it, barking wildly.

I slowly start to move my head around as my entire body aches for some reason, unable to remember what happened or even what my own name is. Able to only hear dull, formless murmurs, I try to get up and stumble several times as I look around. The world around me is dark as I am able to feel myself blink, albeit very slowly when I hear a whisper saying, "Light...follow the light." My vision slowly changes from black to a dark grey as I look for the source of it when I spot a greyish, shimmering blob I take to be light and start making my way towards it on wobbly legs.

Cilanaia reaches out for her father desperately as tears stream from her eyes causing her mascara to run down her cheeks wailing, "PAPA, DON'T LEAVE US BEHIND! PAPA!!"

Demeter and Hera both shed tears as well as Ares helps them restrain Cilanaia as Hera tries to soothe her saying, "Do-don't worry, child, f-for it must b-be this way..." then watch as the alicorn stumbles his way into the portal and disappears to the other side of it, causing their self-control to crumble away as they then wrap their arms around the child wailing for her papa to come back and cry with her.

Zeus blinks away the moisture that forms at the corners of his eyes and watches and closes the portal so that Galadriel can find the light shining into the dark prison from outside, and keeps a watchful eye on the weakened alicorn.

Finding myself in a pitch-black space again, I turn around and trip over my own hooves repeatedly as I look for any source of light to follow. After looking around for what feels like an eternity, I finally locate a blurry beam of light and head toward it. As I reach it, I bump into something cold, hard, and sturdy, then try to make my way around it when I brush up against something else on my right feeling much like the other thing. Continuing right past it and into the blurry light ahead of me, I begin to see blurry splotches of blue and different-colored splotches of green. Relieved to learn that I am not colorblind, I make my way towards the green splotches.

As Zeus watches the alicorn stumble less, he pulls the doors closed and reseals them before anyone can discover they've been opened saying, "Now, you are on your own out there lad, so be careful."

Equis senses a powerful being leaving Tartarus and recognizes it as the fallen angel Galadriel, then acts swiftly to stop the magical pulse sent out, happy at getting to meet him again. She reaches out and enters his mind, saying, 'Hello again, fallen one. I have missed you since your banishment, how are you feeling?'

I hear her voice in my mind and look around hastily, trying to locate the speaker asking, "You know me?"

She feels concerned for him and says to his mind, 'I do know you yes, but what happened?'

Unable to see anything much but splotches, I stop spinning as I start to feel dizzy and say, "I don't know, my mind is completely blank. When I woke up a little while ago, I couldn't see anything at all at first, could hear only dull mumbles, and was unable to even walk for a bit. I then heard a voice saying, 'follow the light' which led me here. Not only can I still not hear much, I'm still figuring out how to control my legs fully, and can only see blurry splotches of light and color. I can't see you, so could you please guide me?"

Equis leaves her cave in a disembodied form to get to him before a hostile creature makes a meal out of the helpless alicorn saying, 'You won't ever be able to see me as I have no physical body, but I will find a way to get you to notice me so please stay away from the splotchy green colors.'

I then stop moving and wait in the bright green splotchy area with blue splotches above me and ask, "Since I can't see much at all, how will I know it is you?"

She hurries through the forest as she considers her answer and then says, 'Since you can't see much without light, I will appear to you as a large mass of light. The creatures of this forest can't create pure, white like I can, so you can just follow me as I guide you through the dark woods of the Everfree Forest.'

A few minutes pass as I look in all directions to see the white light, finally seeing something shimmering from within the darker splotches of green I assume to be the forest she mentioned and call out to her saying, "Is that you there, coming towards me as a shimmering light?"

Equis reaches the edge of the forest and uses her disembodied voice, saying, "Yes Galadriel, that shimmering ball of blinding light before you at the edge of the trees is me." then does a little dance in the air saying, "Did you just see the light dance around just now?"

I nod and say, "I did, it is good to have someone to talk to, being even better since it is someone that knows who I am. Would you please guide me somewhere so I can rest and gather my strength?"

She then turns around to head back into the forest saying, "I do...yes, I know you can't really see, but try to stick as close to me as possible and be careful with your steps."

I then walk up to the floating light as it then makes its way into the dark splotches of brown and faint splotches of green, not moving faster than I can walk at the moment with being practically blind.

An hour passes as Equis guides Galadriel through the forest, taking only the smoothest path available to her when she hears a distant noise followed by a few barks and groans thinking, 'I thought we would be out of their path already...' then says, "You need to quickly follow behind a bush so that the pony running this way leading a creature back to where it belongs does not spot you."

I turn and follow her off the trail, then sneeze when my nose brushes against some leaves and ask, "Am I hidden from view yet?"

She extinguishes her light and then moves along the trail to check and then says to his mind, 'Just a couple steps further and turn your head to the right so you don't sneeze anymore, the last thing we need is that bookworm spotting you and all hell will break loose.'

I do as she says and then wait as I start to hear a distant rumbling as something runs towards my direction, listening as best I can for the sound to fade again before quietly asking, "Are they gone yet?"

Equis then looks and moves in front of his face saying, "Yes, let's get as far as we can before that pony comes back."

They make it half way into the forest when she hears a light trotting coming up behind them and leads him off the path quickly with an annoyed sigh saying to his mind once again, 'That pony can really cover a lot of ground when she is trying to get somewhere...'

I wait again for my guide to say it is safe again and follow her back to the path, asking, "Who was that pony?"

Equis then chuckles and says, "You will meet her when the time is right, I'm sure."

After reaching our destination, I watch as she stops shimmering and lie down where the light vanished and yawn tiredly, saying, "No creature but you visits this place right?"

She feels happy at having someone inside her home and then says, "Since you can't remember anything yet, I shall welcome you to my humble cave. That is correct unless I request them to, which is really never so just go on and get a good night's rest. I will have some food and water here for you in the morning though, so don't worry about going out to forage in the dangerous forest until you are fully recovered." Nearly forgetting about the lunar princess's nightly duties, she adds, "And if you should have any dreams tonight, I will do what I can to keep your door closed so that a certain mare doesn't learn of your presence here too early."

My eyes grow heavy as I then take a deep breath and let it out, relaxing completely and not really registering what she said at the end as I drift into a peaceful slumber.

Equis is overjoyed at having a guest over at her home and then uses some of her powers to ask a couple of timber wolves to gather some unharvested apples and fill one of the Apple family's tubs, then bring it to her cave along with a tub filled with water from the stream and thinks to herself, 'I am so glad to have someone from long ago, even though they don't remember me yet. I shall do what I can to help his body recover while he sleeps and hide his door from Luna's view.'

X: Lost and Confused

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Earlier, a few minutes before sunset, inside Canterlot Castle

As Luna walks down the corridors, remembering how she was fast asleep when she was awoken by a magical pulse. Concerned about what it could be, she begins to trot to the throne room to discuss it with her sister before she takes over during the night.

Celestia is in the courtroom, waiting for the time to set the sun and raise the moon and starts walking around to look at the various columns in the throne room, when she hears the doors opening to see her sister trotting towards her. Surprised to see her here early, she smiles as concern for her sister takes root and trots towards her saying, "Sister, it is so good to see you, but what brings you here early? Is there something troubling you?"

She walks up to her sister with a happy smile and then gives her sister a hug, nuzzling their necks together when she then steps back saying, "No sister, I am fine. I was just wondering if you felt something earlier?"

The older sister looks at her younger sister and thinks for a moment before nodding and saying, "In fact I did, whatever it was, seemed to be quite strong. Do you have any idea about what it could have been?"

Luna sighs sadly and shakes her head saying, "Unfortunately, no I don't. I was asleep earlier when I was awoken by it, I used a magic spell to search for it, but the trace faded away at the Everfree forest. What should we do about it sister?"

Celestia smiles and says, "I do not know at the moment, but until we know more, I think we should increase the security around Canterlot."

She then smiles and nods her head saying, "I agree with that measure. After all, the wedding will be coming up in five month's time, and we need to prepare."

Hours later, close to midnight, inside the throne room

Luna walks through the Dream Realm, checking on their subject's dreams for any nightmares when she spots an empty spot between one of the doors saying, "This pony must be a light sleeper, I shall have to keep an eye out for when their door returns." and returns to tending to any nightmares she senses.

Hours later, at the end of her patrol, Luna makes her way back towards the front of the Dream Realm when she catches a door fade in for a split-second and then quickly fade away. She rubs her tired eyes, feeling exhausted after a long night and says sleepily, "I must have seen an illusion due to how tired I am, I look forward to eating a quick breakfast and getting a good day's sleep."

Back inside the cavern with Equis and Galadriel

Equis feels exhausted from having to multitask like that and says, "Whew, I'm worn out, I didn't know how hard it was to hide a door from Luna...she nearly discovered Galadriel's existence." She then looks over at the two tubs, one full of apples and the other full of water for him to drink. Averting her eyes to look over at the alicorn, she takes in his haggard appearance with a sad sigh. Having both of his wings broken at the base as the result of a powerful curse, his beautiful, pure white coat is covered in a layer of dirt as scorch marks mar his coat further with some fur being burnt away to the layer of skin below. Remembering how she had to spend a great deal of energy healing his fractured leg and his damaged eyes among other minor damage to his body, she sighs at the mystery of what he went through to get back here. Thinking back on how she learned how someone took away much of his memories and leaving only those pertaining to his time on this world, she feels depression set in over his current state and asks, "Just what torture did you go through to return here, Galadriel?"

I wake up the next morning feeling sore as hell, opening my eyes slowly with the hope that my vision has recovered. As my eyelids slowly part, I am relieved to learn I can see once again. I look around the cavern curiously as I get the vague sense that I have been here before and spot a large crystal tree standing in the center of it asking, "Hello, are you there miss?"

She moves towards him saying, "I'm here Galadriel, if you don't remember my name, it's Equis and we met a great many, many years ago when life on this planet was relatively young. Sadly, I can't repair your scattered memories as it appears something has taken much of them away, but I don't know why that is or what happened during your time away. I can help to fill in the blanks of what happened before you went away though, but it will have to wait until I have rested for a while as I spent most of my energy helping to repair your damaged body and keeping you safe through the night." She then yawns and adds, "There are apples and water in the tubs if you get thirsty, and if you need to relieve yourself, be sure to do it outside of the cave. If you wish to go outside, the forest is dangerous so try not to stray too far from the cave until you remember how to use your magic. Be sure to not let any of the ponies see you if they happen to be in the forest, and there is a hut with an alchemist that gathers herbs in the forest far to the northeast of here so stay on this side of the river. I shall see you when I wake up tonight, fallen one." Then floats up into the branches of the crystal tree and lets herself slumber.

I look around as a few of my questions are answered, saying, "Thank you for your kindness Equis, I shall keep your words in mind." then get up off the floor, with my limbs protesting the movement as I start to head toward the apple barrel to eat a few.

After eating and drinking my fill, I make my way out of the cavern to find myself in a gorge with a set of steps leading up to the ground above. Seeing that the coast is clear, I head back inside to clean up the apple cores I left behind and set them against the side of the gorge before making my way up to the steps to see more of the area surrounding the gorge.

A month passes by as I try to make sense of what Equis told me about my time here, attempting to force myself to remember more than just fragments. I wander through the forest, using my magic to push aside brambles to try to save my tattered, black, wing carriers that keep my wings from dragging on the ground, hearing something walking through the woods talking to itself. I stand behind a large bush that has a good view of the path ahead when I see a small purple dragon pass by with green spines running along his head and down to the spade of his tail, carrying a stick with a small sack at the top of it. I wait until the dragon passes by when I see something incredibly odd with gems all over its body following the baby dragon, concerned for its safety I move to step out of the bush when I get a better look at the creature's mouth. Seeing the face of a unicorn with a pale, light grayish mulberry coat, a pair of moderate violet eyes with a dark sapphire blue mane having streaks of moderate purple and brilliant rose inside of it, and also notice eight legs with four being white and four blue, with a pair of small, wings with feathers matching the four blue legs. Realizing that it is no danger at all to the young dragon, I bite back a chuckle at the obvious disguise and doubt that it will fool anyone who sees it.

Wanting to learn more, I follow the disguised ponies carefully while ensuring they don't see me. I observe them as they follow the little dragon, grabbing what food I can throughout the journey as it takes me several miles out of the forest while the sun slowly creeps across the sky.

Equis wakes to find Galadriel gone and then says to his mind, 'Galadriel, where are you?'

I quietly call back to her with my mind saying, 'I'm out exploring a bit. I was in the forest earlier today when I noticed a purple baby dragon with green spines along its head, spine, and tail, which was then followed by an odd creature I quickly discovered was a poor disguise having three ponies in it. One was a light mulberry unicorn with a dark blue mane, and another was a blue pegasus with wings, there was a third, but I could only see its light grey legs. I am presently following their group to learn more about present times as I find myself rather bored, but I keep out of sight and grab bites to eat on the way. I will return when I can Equis.'

She then feels annoyed but says, 'Alright then, but be cautious so you are not seen.'

Completely oblivious to the fact they are being followed, Rarity cries out and whines, "Can we please take a break? My hooves are killing me!"

Twilight stands on Rainbow's head carefully and says, "Not until Spike does, alright? I do not want to risk losing sight of Spike just because our bodies ache." then returns to watching her number one assistant.

I carefully cross the open fields, thankful that there are a few hills between the group and I when I look up to see the sun drift past the horizon, when a new light rises into the sky on the opposite side. Needing to find a spot out of sight to lie down, I see a cluster of trees on a far hill with large bushes and tall grass overlooking the group to my left and head toward it. Taking a long route to enter from the backside, I slip into the bushes and make myself comfortable while ensuring the morning sun can wake me by shining onto my eyelids.

Equis watches over Galadriel as he sleeps, thinking, 'Poor Galadriel...I know that he can't keep living inside this cave forever and the Everfree is too dangerous for him because he can't fly, but how can I help him stay hidden?' She then thinks of different ways for him to hide his appearance, none of them feasible until she thinks of the ruined castle nearby and thinks, 'Maybe there are some spell books inside the sisters' old castle that might teach him something useful. When he returns, I will tell him about the place.'

The next morning, I wake up to find the group already awake and preparing to leave again, so I grab a quick breakfast from the grass on the hill behind me before returning to following them. I am disappointed when I arrive on a hill overlooking a channel, and watch as the ponies sail to the other side. As my search for knowledge ends here, I sigh and then turn around to return to the cave.

Knowing that I am out in the open, I berate myself for being so careless and start moving in a swift, but gentle canter in hopes to keep my carriers from falling apart. Taking me the better part of the day, I walk back into the cavern saying in a dejected tone, "I'm back Equis, the group sailed out into a channel which I could not follow them without risking being seen."

She floats down to him, then lingers a little bit in front of him and says in an approving tone, "That was wise judgement, for you have no way to mask who you are. Have you visited the ruins near this gorge?"

I nod my head saying, "I have stood at the bridge, but never crossed it as I feared it crumbling from under my weight."

Equis then says, "Well, you should be careful with each step you take, for there might be something useful inside the old library."

I cock my head and ask curiously, "What will be useful to me in the ruins?"

She then giggles and says, "You will have to venture there tomorrow to find that out, but be kind and gentle with what you find because the years have been a bit harsh on them."

I sigh and then chuckle at her cryptic answer saying, "You really love observing others as they try to assemble the clues you leave for them to find, you know that?"

Equis then giggles lightly and says, "Of course, I learned by watching the best after all."

I make my way to where the two tubs containing food and water are and ask, "And will you tell me who that was, or is that a mystery too?

Even though he can't see her, she smiles and says, "It was you, from long ago. Are your memories still not coming back to you?"

I shake my head and look down at a red one saying, "No, I followed that group with the hope that I could jog some memory, but nothing happened, even as they crossed the channel. I guess that I will have to keep on living and accept the fact that I may never get my memories back..."

With a heavy sigh, she leaves him in peace, not knowing how to help him as she thinks, 'I will just have to rely on them to help him out, and when the time comes, he will be found.'

As morning comes the following day, I eat a good breakfast of apples before cleaning up and head outside to relieve myself. Once I'm finished, I look in the direction that I know the ruins are and then make my way to the stairs. After walking a fair distance, I come upon the old bridge. Gathering my courage after a few minutes, I take a step and place my hoof tentatively on the first board. Slowly putting more weight on the board, I sigh in relief that it will hold and take the next step. I cautiously keep taking tentative steps to test each board's integrity, taking me an hour while purposefully breaking the bad ones so any other pony doesn't fall to their death.

After reaching the other side, I make my way inside the ruins to find much of the interior heavily damaged from a battle long ago. Hoping that nopony died in the battle, I wander up a set of stairs to see a large hall with many shattered or missing windows. I continue to walk further into the room when I take another step when my front hoof slips out from under me, creating a loud, metallic screech as I fall to the ground.

I look down at what I stepped on and see a shattered piece of armor on the floor and sigh sadly, saying, "I'm sorry for disturbing your remains, I hope you find peace in the afterlife." Seeing nothing else in the room, I turn around to look down the other passage I saw earlier.

I spend a couple of hours exploring the inside of the castle, eventually finding a dark room having a wardrobe with the door hanging wide open, sitting at an angle due to both legs having rotted away on the right side. Not really looking to rummage through someone's belongings, thinking, 'I wonder if I might find a cloak large enough to hide my body.' I then use my horn to pry the other door open, going only half-way before it falls right off the hinges with a clatter as it strikes the cold stone floor. Now able to see inside, I learn that this was once a mare's bedroom as I see a few moth-eaten dresses that wouldn't cover much of a mare's body, saying, "Well this mare certainly has some...interesting tastes."

In her room at the Canterlot Castle, Luna tosses in her sleep with a blush on her face as she sleeps, mumbling, "Nuuu...stop looking at me while I'm changing, pervert."

Ignoring the tattered, revealing dresses, I spot a cloak that is dark grey with a hood and pull it out with my magic. It is just a plain cloak that would cover only half of my body, rendering it useless to me. I return it to its place on the wooden rod before turning around and making my way out of the room, to continue my search for where the library might be.

Eventually, I find the library filled with several shelves along the walls filled with books covered in cobwebs, wondering where I should start checking. Shrugging my shoulders, I head to the first shelf on my left and pull a book off the top shelf before sitting down and carefully reading through the book.

I begin to read through the book, only to find that it is a guidebook on how to discover your magic and then quickly thumb through it to find nothing really useful inside. I then move on to the following book, finding it is about how to clean things without magic and return it as well. Hours pass before I find a book containing any potentially useful information, talking about the concept of magic and its various properties. Wondering how late it is, I leave the library and head back up to the entryway to find that it is past sunset, and decide that it would be best to return tomorrow to keep looking.

Spending each day in the library of the old castle for the next three months, I finally find something interesting. As I look through the book, learning what spells I can, I come across a spell that would allow me to change my shape and/or appearance. Needing to find an intact mirror to test the spell, I head back up to where I found the one bedroom and find a tall, full-body oval mirror with gold trim having a shattered, gold painted wooden stand in the back corner of the room. I approach the mirror and see that is broken, having cracks running every which way with the impact point coming from the top right corner leaning against the wall. I take a closer look and see that several pieces have fallen out of it and decide to test the spell out on something small first, turning around to try it on my tail.

I look at the spell again to make sure I get it right and then focus on my ethereal, black, flowing tail before starting the process of casting the spell. After casting it, I look to see if I changed anything to see that nothing had happened, and then cast the reversal spell to make sure the spell either worked or failed. Learning that the spell failed, I look back at the book and see that I forgot to envision the change I want to make. I shake my head at missing that important part, I understand why it failed and then try again. This time I focus on my tail and imagine it to become a normal tail, then open my eyes to gaze upon my tail to see it no longer see-through and not flowing. I see that it is quite long and drags on the ground quite a bit, then cast the reversal spell again and watch as it returns to its see-through, flowing state. Happy to know that the spell works, I then cast it again on various items of my body, like my coat color, my eyes, and then my head. When I try to change my head into that of a normal, the strangest feeling comes over my body. I feel my horn as it shrinks back towards my skull, sending funny chills down my spine when I watch it fully disappear. Wanting to check to see if it is really gone, I raise my left front hoof to my forehead and feel where my horn used to be but feel nothing at all but a faint bump. Still able to feel my horn, I sigh with relief that I didn't take away my ability to use magic and say, "Alright, I think that the cloak from earlier might come in handy now..." then cast the reversal spell to undo the change and think of what I will have to change for it to work.

As I use my magic to pull the hanger with the cloak on it out, I hold it against my body while looking at what I need to change and think, 'From the size of this, I think the mare that used to live here was a teenager.' I then set the cloak to the side while keeping the image of how I looked against it, then focus on how my body needs to be the size of a teenager. I then channel the spell, picturing my body shrinking down to fit inside the cloak with my mane and tail changing into a regular, medium length mane and tail being black as night then feel the change start to happen. While still channeling the spell, the next change I imagine is my horn shrinking down to a barely noticeable bump I could easily hide with a bit of my mane. As I feel the change overtaking my head, I open my eyes while still channeling the spell and look in the mirror as it slowly becomes smaller and smaller, becoming a barely noticeable bump. I am about to release the spell when I catch a glimpse of my glowing, brilliant amber eyes and sigh saying, "These are going to have to go as well, unfortunately." and picture them losing their glow, watching as the last bit of luminescence vanishes. As I am left standing in this dark room with just the faint rays of remaining daylight offering very little light to see, I almost forget about my wings and imagine them shrinking down to nothing. I then hiss as I feel the change take effect, feeling them as they retreat underneath my skin, leaving the carrier they were in empty and release the spell as I feel the stabbing pain in my spine. Used to the pain caused by the curse, I pay no mind to it and figure that I don't need the carrier any longer. So I lift it off my back and lay it aside and pick up the tattered cloak, carefully removing it from the hangar before fastening it to my body. Wanting to get a good look at my body's new appearance, I use my magic to create a light at the tip of my horn.

I look into the mirror to see me having a much smaller body, appearing to be just an earth pony with a snow-white coat covered by soot in several places, a black mane and tail with amber eyes along with the same cutie mark on either side of my flanks. To put the finishing touch on my appearance, I reach up with my hoof and pull the hood up over my head. Extinguishing the light, I pick up the hanger and return it to the rod, then hang my carrier on it with the buckle at the rear. I then look at the book by the mirror and pick it up with my magic, then make my way to the library so I can return it to the shelf.

After putting the book back, I leave the castle to go see what Equis thinks of my new disguised appearance, saying, "With this new appearance, I might just be able to mingle with the ponies and learn more information."

Just past sunset, in the Canterlot throne room

Luna looks at her sister as she prepares to head to bed, feeling a creepy sensation crawl over her body and groans saying, "Sister, there is something bothering me, but I don't know what it is. It feels like that nagging feeling like how you feel when you forgot something important that might embarrass you later."

Celestia looks at her sister wearily and grins asking, "I know that feeling, did you perhaps forget something naughty in your room at the old castle?"

She thinks back about what might be in her old room when she gasps as realization dawns on her, causing her to blush and say, "Oh no...those outfits!" then takes off towards the castle to destroy them before anypony can see them.

A wicked smile crosses her face at an opportunity to tease her sister arises, and swiftly takes off after her. She catches up after a little bit and calls out, "What did you forget, dear sister?"

Luna's blush deepens as she races towards the castle, saying, "I'm not gonna tell you that, because I'll never hear the end of it!"

The two arrive at the old castle twenty minutes later as the younger sister tries to beat her older sister to her room, arriving a few minutes later and bursts into the room. Seeing that one door fell off its hinges while the other hangs wide open with the skimpy lingerie on display, she hastily pulls out the two outfits and tosses them to the floor and prepares to destroy them with a spell.

Celestia arrives at the room to see her sister aiming a fire spell at the pile on the floor and quickly snatches the items up in her magic, then holds them apart to see what they are exactly when she starts snickering. Knowing what they are now, she lets them fall to the floor as she begins laughing so hard tears stream from her eyes.

The spell falters and dissipates as her sister laughs, her face turns crimson as she stammers, "It's...it's...it's not what you're thinking sis!"

She looks at her sister as tears keep streaming down her face and says, "Oh you are so adorable! I didn't know you were interested in such...interesting sleepwear."

Luna feels the urge to hide her shame as her head droops while her sister laughs hers off and looks away, feeling humiliated at her sister seeing the outfits, saying softly, "Seriously sis...it's not like that..."

Celestia looks up at her sister and forces herself to quiet down, unable to keep an occasional chuckle from escaping and clears her voice asking, "Okay, if you weren't trying to get a stallion, then what is the meaning of you having outfits like this?"

She looks at her sister from underneath her ethereal mane and scuffs her hoof along the stone floor saying, "I had those outfits made so that I could get our subjects to love our glorious night."

Noticing how dejectedly her sister is acting, she walks up and pulls her into a hug saying, "Oh sister, it is quite alright. I don't blame you for wanting ponies to see you and enjoy your beautiful night. I sometimes find myself wishing I was less busy with my duties to spend more time with you." She then hears a thunk come from the wardrobe and says, "I heard something fall. What else is inside that old, weathered wardrobe of yours?"

Luna backs out of the hug and says, "Just a few moth-eaten garments that even Rarity couldn't save, and a black cloak I used to wear to go out amongst the citizens when I was much younger. I wonder what fell." and illuminates her horn, seeing the few unsalvageable dresses. When she looks at where the cloak should be, she sees an empty metal hook on the wooden rod and says, "Oh the hook came out of the wood hanger was all, I wonder how well it has held up after all those years..." then extinguishes the light to lift the garment up to examine it when the weight surprises her, saying, "This weighs more than I remember back then, can you provide some light so I can see what it looks like?"

Celestia smiles and then illuminates her horn and says in a surprised tone saying, "Umm...sister, that doesn't look like a cloak?"

She holds the strange outfit in front of her and examines it curiously saying, "No, it's not. I wonder what this is or who left this here and why they took my old cloak?"

The older sister steps beside her sister and looks at it from various angles as her sister turns it around saying, "It looks like a really big pair of saddlebags, but it doesn't have a cover over the top of either one." She then sees the buckle and unfastens it saying, "Why is there a buckle on the back?"

Luna looks at her sister, then back at the article and says, "I'm not sure, stay still for a moment and let me try to figure it out." and then places it on top of her sisters back with the buckle towards her flanks asking, "Does that feel right to you sister?"

Celestia shuffles her wings and then sighs uncomfortably, saying, "Not really, I wonder if this was made with a pair of wings in mind?"

She gets an idea and then lifts it off her sister and then holds it with the buckle towards the rear and says, "Keep your wings folded and raise them up so I can slide it underneath them."

She then raises her folded wings upward saying, "Like this?"

Luna then maneuvers it into place, then fastens the buckle in the back. She then steps back and looks at it with a smile asking, "Does that feel better?"

Celestia lowers her wings and sighs comfortably saying, "Yes, that feels more natural. However, my wings brush against the sides of this thing."

She walks around her sister in a circle, getting a better look at it from all sides. Noticing a space with two open sides and the bottom of the space is a little bit below her barrel, she asks, "Umm, can you try to slide your wings in through the top?"

As she tries to contort her wings in various positions to slide them in through the top, she stops after trying everything and says, "Unfortunately, no I can't."

Luna then gets one more idea, having a grim feeling about the purpose of this article is and says, "Let me try one more thing, so raise your wings up a little bit."

Celestia lifts her wings up a bit as she unfastens the buckle, then shifts the item forward and then angles it upward asking, "Now what?"

Making sure that the edge of the item is out of the way of her sister's wings, she then walks behind her sister and watches the position of her wings and says, "Alright sister, keep your wings folded and bring your right wing in six inches."

She gets a gut feeling about this item's purpose and brings her right wing in a bit when her sister guides her wings into place, then shifts the item back and into place with her wings inside the space on either side and asks nervously, "Lulu...is this...what I think it is?"

With a sad look on her face as she fastens the buckle, she then looks into her sister's eyes and slowly nods saying, "Yes Cece, whatever creature that discarded this...couldn't use their wings. This item must be a carrier specially made to carry their wings because for some reason, they couldn't use them." sadness seeps into her as she thinks of how depressed and sad the creature must be, not having the ability to fly at all.

As her sister starts tearing up over the grim discovery, Celestia watches as she takes the wing carriers off and says, "Perhaps we should take this back with us so we could send out search parties to look for the one that abandoned this?"

Luna tries to not ruffle her sister's feathers as she lightly jerks the carrier around, getting it off successfully after a good twenty minutes when something rips followed by a dull clacking noise and looks down to see a long, thin stone. Setting the carrier down, she then picks up the stone as her sister turns towards her with her horn still illuminated, as she asks, "I wonder what this is Cece..."

Celestia watches as her sister turns the stone every which way curiously, noticing how one end comes to a sharp point with a sharp edge down the length on one side while the other appears to have been snapped off. Her eyes then go wide as she realizes what it is and says with a fearful tone, "That's the tip of a blade, sister. Why is there a blade hidden inside of this thing?"

She then gasps in fright and says in a panicked tone, "You don't think that the creature discarded the carrier because he...used this to...remove his useless wings, do you?"

Her eyes also become fearful at hearing this possibility and says, "I...I...don't know...I mean, it's possible. It's very possible because you can use a spell to clean various things, so it wouldn't surprise me if they thought of doing just that."

Luna then looks at her sister with determination and says, "Yes, we should take this back with us, I'll carry the wing carrier while you take the blade back. Perhaps I can use my magic tonight to search the Dream Realm for any emotions that could guide me to the creature."

Celestia nods her head and then extinguishes the light from her horn, then takes the blade from her sister's magic saying, "I'll see you tomorrow so we can form a proper plan to find the poor creature that had these."

She nods at her sister saying, "Goodnight Cece, I look forward to finding them." and turns around to cast a fire spell on the skimpy garments from her teenage years. After watching them burn to nothing, she picks up the wing carrier and makes her way outside to return to the throne room to go on a patrol.

XI: Interesting circumstances

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I return to the cave and say, "I'm back, sorry I was out for so long, I found a spell that would help me hide much easier. What do you think?"

Equis hesitantly comes down from the branches after making sure it was Galadriel and says, "You had me worried for a little while, Galadriel. I can't see you underneath that tattered old cloak, please take it off."

I remove the cloak and set it down carefully, then ask, "Better? Please tell me what you honestly think."

She looks at the fallen angel, seeing they have a much smaller snow-white body having soot covering various spots of his body, with a straight, black mane and tail just like other ponies do. She notices instantly that his horn is a barely noticeable bump, and his eyes no longer glow. Liking his appearance, she says cheerfully, "You look good, It is good that your coat doesn't have any more missing patches. You will blend in well with the other ponies, but you might need to consider taking a bath as you are filthy from ear to hoof...literally." She then thinks for a moment and says, "Ah, I forgot to tell you this earlier since it wasn't necessary at the time, but citizens of Equestria use a currency called the bit. Since you are going to be mingling with others, you may as well make use of this." and summons a bag containing four hundred bits with a string loop to hang around his neck, landing on the ground with the sound of coins clinking together and adding, "I don't exactly have any use for them myself, but over the years, ponies have tendencies to get scared and lose their bits while wandering through this forest. Just so you know, that loop is there to hang the bag around your neck."

I walk up to the bag and use a technique I learned through one of the many books I read, to pick it up with my hoof and place it around my neck, saying with a kind smile, "Thank you for this, Equis. You really are too kind, I shall do what I can to repay your kindness one day."

Equis turns away, silently restraining a delighted squeal saying, "Oh stop it, you're gonna make me blush. Now go out there and observe the mannerisms of the other ponies so you don't stand out quite so much." She then turns around and half chuckles saying, "One more thing, ponies these days use indoor facilities to relieve themselves. If you ever need to 'go', go to a shop in a town and ask if you can use the gentlecolt facilities if you left your body as a boy or the little mare's room if you altered yourself to be a girl and where they are located."

I then make my way to the back wall and sigh saying, "I will strike out on my own tomorrow, I don't know when I will return again. Though I will try to see you before too many months or weeks pass." I lie down and let myself start to drift off saying, "Goodnight, Equis."

She then says, "Goodnight, Galadriel." then settles in and uses her power to check on what the future may hold, but sees unclear images as there seems to be something interfering with it. Sighing gently, she looks over at the sleeping alicorn in disguise thinking, 'I wish I could see what awaits you in the days to come, but ever since you appeared...future events have become unclear to me so I cannot assist you.'

When I wake the next morning, I head over to the tubs and have a good breakfast before putting the cloak on and making my way towards the cave entrance saying, "I will see you some other day, take care Equis." but then I am stopped when she speaks to me.

Equis then says, "Hold on a moment, there is something important I forgot to mention to you." while floating down toward him, feeling sad that he has to go and stops before him saying, "Ponies these days commonly have two names, so you will have to think of an alternate to go by. Try to come up with something decent because Galadriel is way to unique to use."

As I try to come up with something, I then say, "How does Glad Reel sound?"

She sighs and says, "It sounds awkward and a bit cheesy, you can do better than that."

I then try again and think of possible names from my own and then think of the bits I received and say, "Does Gold Reel sound better?"

Equis then floats around him saying, "Much better, and you will have to come up with a story that is not a complete lie in case you run into the Element of Honesty. Let's see what we can do with what I know about you... Oh I know! When you were fifteen, you were forced to leave your secluded farm by your father far to the west of Ponyville for doing what was right, so you wandered through forests and foraging for food. Eventually meeting a traveling pony that taught you about currency, and have been gathering things that ponies and merchants would like to purchase."

I commit it to memory and then nod my head saying, "I like that, it gives me enough room to add a few details if needed. Is there anything else I should know?"

As she takes a few seconds to think of anything else to tell him, but can't think of anything and then sighs saying, "No, there isn't. I hope you see and experience new things, take good care of yourself...Gold Reel." then heads back up to the branches to watch over her world.

I then trot up to the entrance, eager to get out there and learn new things when I pause just past it and look back asking, "What will you do with those tubs since I won't be back for awhile Equis?"

Equis looks over at the tubs and then says, "Oh don't worry about them, I will have the timber wolves come and return the water to the stream, then take the tubs back to the farm from where they came from. I'll see you later..."trailing off as she wishes he would remain here and softly mumbles, "I'll miss you."

I smile back at the tree and say, "Don't worry, I will visit again in a few months or so. Until then, Equis." and head out of the cave to begin venturing towards the unknown civilized world.

After exiting the cave and climbing the stairs, I trek into the darkness of the Everfree. I keep watch for any dangers as I walk through the forest, feeling a little eager to see what life has in store for me.

I spend a couple hours of walking down a wide path when I reach the edge of the forest and take the first step out into the open, following through with my desire to learn more about what's out there.

As I'm following the path, I start to see residences in the distance with a small lake nearby. Noticing that a few wear some accessories such as a hat, a necklace, I feel a little out of place with the cloak I'm wearing as I see others glance at me curiously. Continuing into the town itself, I look around with great interest as I look for a pony that doesn't look so busy. I eventually find a light orange mare wearing a wide brim hat standing by a stall selling different colored apples when I see a glimpse of a fruit tree popping up out of the ground within my mind.

Applejack looks at the odd pony wearing an old, tattered cloak as they look at her cart as if they were lost in thought and clears her voice by coughing, saying, "Scuse me pardner, ah've never seen ya before, may ah help you? If yer curious, ah have four different kinds of apples to sell fer a bit each."

I then shake my head to clear it and then cough lightly saying, "My apologies miss, I was lost in thought for a moment. Umm, would you mind telling me what the different kinds are?" and notice with a second glance that she has a pair of beautiful green eyes, a long, blonde mane and tail both bound in a pony tail with a red band, having a cutie mark of three apples on either side of her flanks.

She then nods and says, "Ah sure can, the yellow ones with a greenish tint are Golden Delicious, and they have a sweet, yet aromatic taste as you bite into them. The deep red ones are Red Delicious, and they share the same sweet flavor but have a fresh taste instead of an aromatic one. The green ones are called Granny Smiths, and they have a tart, yet lightly sweet flavor. Last but not least are the green and yellow ones with some pink on them called McIntosh apples, they have a crisp, yet sweet flavor. Which ones are ya looking to buy?"

I tilt my head and look them over and then say, "Hmm...I would like to try a McIntosh please." I then take the bag off my neck and open it, then take out a single bit saying, "Here you go miss."

Applejack then takes the bit with her hoof and nods appreciatively saying, "Thank ya kindly." then sets it in a saddlebag on her hips, and then heads over to the bucket holding McIntosh apples and plucks one out by the stem, setting it on the ground when a breeze blows by and catches a whiff of the stallion's ripe smell saying softly, "Pardon me, I don't mean to be rude...but ya smell like ya were tending to some animals."

I chuckle and say, "I appreciate you bringing that to my attention, miss. I got a little lost in the forest a little while ago and didn't really think bathing in the stream would help at all, would you know of a place where I might be able to properly cleanse myself?"

She then whistles at hearing that and says, "Ah'm amazed ya made it outta that forest in one piece, nopony dares to go in there due to how dark and creepy it is. Eyup, there's a place called the Ponyville Day Spa just down this road a ways. If ya follow this road, take the third path to the left, then the first right, it will be on yer left side. Yer looking fer a large off-white building with a blue roof having many peaks, ya'll know it when ya see a heart shaped wooden sign above the door of a pony having a long, wavy mane and tail."

I then pull out another bit and offer it to her saying, "Here is an extra bit for your honesty and assistance, thank you."

Applejack then smiles and accepts the bit saying, "Oh, thank ya, it's no big deal pardner. Do ya mind me asking you a couple questions?"

I smile and say, "I don't mind, what is on your mind?"

She then looks up at him and asks, "Are ya new in town, or are ya only visiting?"

I look into her eyes and say, "I am new in town, but I'm staying to learn new things before I move on to the next place."

Applejack then asks, "Oh, alright then, what's yer name pardner?"

I then say, "My names Gold Reel, and you are?"

She then holds out her hoof to shake his and then says with a grin, "Mah name's Applejack, it's nice to meet ya, Gold Reel."

As I raise my hoof to hers and am surprised about how strong her hoofshake is and chuckle saying, "Likewise, miss Applejack. You sure have quite the strength there, it took me by surprise."

Applejack then lightly blushes as she notices she shook his hoof so hard it caused his hood to fall down, revealing that he has a snow-white coat with a tangled black mane and amber eyes, saying apologetically, "Ah'm sorry, ah didn't hurt ya did ah? Ah didn't mean to shake yer hoof so quickly that yer hood fell."

I laugh lightly and then shake my head saying, "Not to worry, you didn't cause me any pain. I guess I underestimated how strong a young earth pony like you could have."

She then releases his hoof and still feels a little embarrassed, setting her hoof down saying, "Yeah, ah sometimes forget about my own strength ah've earned from buckin' the apples off of mah family's apple trees."

I then return my bag around my neck and then decide to leave the hood down saying, "It sounds to me like you get a pretty good workout doing that, I should get on my way before I drive off any of your potential customers miss Applejack. Good day to you." I then pick up my apple by the stem and then turn to head down the road.

Applejack watches him turn to leave and sees a black spot on the side of his neck and asks out of concern, "Uhm are you alright? That burn on the side of your neck looks like it might hurt."

I then turn my head to look at her, remembering the marks all over my body and set the apple down, then laugh it off saying, "Oh that mark." then raise my hoof to point at it and brush my hoof along it, smearing a little of the soot around on my neck, saying, "This doesn't hurt at all, it is just some charcoal residue from when I was crushing it down for somepony."

She feels relieved at hearing he is not in any pain, but can't shake the feeling that the rest of that is a lie. Deciding what really matters is that he is not hurt, she ignores it and says, "Oh, alright then. Ah'm glad yer not in pain, have a good day Gold Reel."

I nod my head and say, "I will, see you around miss Applejack." then pick up the apple and make my way to the spa, spotting some benches with a can between two of them. I look around to see others sitting on similar benches and tossing various items into them, taking my seat as well and eat my apple. After tossing my core into the can, I continue down the path to find the Spa right where Applejack said it would be and notice a sign on the outside stating that it is open.

A clerk sits at the desk with a smile on her face as a pony walks in, wearing a tattered, black cloak with the hood down having a spot of soot on their snow-white coat with its mane in a tangled state. She then looks into their brilliant amber eyes and catches a foul aroma coming from them and asks politely, "What can I do for you this fine day?"

I look at the light green unicorn mare with a auburn mane and tail with blue eyes and ask, "Hello ma'am, I would like to inquire about what services you might provide in this business."

She then pulls out a list and says, "Well sir, we offer various top-quality care and cosmetic treatments such as, baths, massages and hooficures. We have package deals that include multiple treatments, would you like to hear about them?"

I smile at her and ask, "I would, thank you miss." then listen as she states what each package entails. Once she finishes, I reply, "I admit that those all sound really nice. Unfortunately, I have a bad back, so I will have to turn down the package deals. Can I get a deep tissue cleansing bubble bath, the steam bath, a seaweed wrap, the deluxe mane and tail treatment, and a complete hooficure?"

Relieved at hearing their request, her smile widens and cheerily says, "You most definitely can sir," then calculates the cost and adds, "and that will be a total of 75 bits. Would you like to pay the total now, make a tab, or pay once the treatments are finished?"

I lightly chuckle and say, "I would like to take care of the total now, and I do apologize for my current state and the...foul aroma." Reaching up to take the bag off my neck, I then set it on the counter, kindly asking, "As it would take me too long to count that amount out, would you be sweet enough to take care of that with your magic?"

A light blush appears on her cheeks as she nods and says in a light tone, "I would be happy to do that for you sir." then counts the amount out, looking up at him asking, "Would you like to double-check my count, sir?"

I then take a glance at the coins briefly, then look at her again and say, "No thank you miss, I trust that you counted it correctly."

She then hands the bag back to him, then puts the bits into the register and closes the drawer before walking out from behind the counter saying in a gentle, light voice, "If you would, please wait a moment while I ask the current occupants if they mind you joining them?"

I shake my head with a gentle smile and say, "I shall because it would be rather rude of me to just go in without warning them in advance."

The mare then nods her head gratefully saying, "Thank you for understanding, I will return momentarily with their decision." and then exits the room, quickly making her way across the hall to the bathing room and closes the door behind her and walks up to the two VIP clients, bowing to them as Aloe and Lotus wait on them saying, "Excuse me for bothering you two, Your Majesties. There is a customer with a rather strong aroma that many would find unpleasant, and they have requested a deep cleansing bath, would you two permit him to share the room with you on the other side?"

Luna's eyes go wide as she quickly looks over at the clerk and asks in surprise, "This customer is a stallion?"

Celestia smirks at her sister's shy reaction and says, "Relax dear sister, they do have privacy screens that can block the stallion's view from us so that they can't check you out."

She stares at her sister and gives her a mock glare while her face turns red and says, "I am not even going to dignify that with a response." With a huff, she turns her nose up at her teasing saying, "Since my sister has no problem with a stallion seeing her while she bathes, then neither do I. I'll allow the stallion to share the room with us."

A fierce blush races across her face as she is caught off-guard by her sister's remark and spins her head around to give her sister an aghast look saying, "Oh come on sister, you don't have to be like that..."

Luna then smirks at her sister's backpedaling and says, "With your track record regarding the stallions back in the day, I'm sure you have nothing to be so embarrassed about."

Celestia blushes even more as she says, "C-Come on Lulu... I-I-I haven't even..." then looks away and down at the floor saying barely above a whisper, "All I ever did with them was make out a bit..."

She smiles at her victory saying, "Now we are even for your teasing over my wardrobe during those days." and chuckles while looking at the clerk saying, "We have no problem with it as long as there is a large screen in place, we will just breathe through our mouths until it is safe for our noses."

The clerk then bows to them again and says, "Very well, Your Majesties. I will let him know to follow me after I finish setting the screens up for you." then goes to a side room to bring out a large screen. Once she sets the curtain up and makes sure their tubs can't be seen from the door or from the back of the room, she leaves the room and pokes her head into the front room, asking, "The two have agreed to allow you to share the room with them. I need to prepare your bath first, would you like a fragrance oil added to your bath for no extra cost?"

I consider it and then ask, "What do you have for choices?"

She then says off the top of her head, "We have ten available for stallions. The most popular ones requested are, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Sandalwood. The less requested from least common to most rare are, Pine Needle, Black Pepper, Musk, Bay Rum, and Vetiver."

I think about what those might smell like for a bit before shrugging and saying, "I will go with Vetiver."

With one last question to ask, she says, "Okay, for the second half of your bath when I prepare a fresh tub...do you want the scent to be faint, light, fair, heavy, or thick?"

I give a moment to think it over and say, "Perhaps I better give heavy a try."

Nodding her head, she then says, "Alright, I will be right back when your bath is ready." and goes to get the cleansing mixtures to prepare the bath for the stallion. After filling the tub with hot water, she then dumps the mix in followed by the specialized salts to give the water deep cleansing capabilities. As the salts create a bubbling reaction as they dissolve, the soap bubbles start to appear and create a light layer. With the bath ready, she leaves the room to bring the stallion in and opens the door to the front room saying, "Alright, your bath is ready. Please remove your cloak so I can clean it for you."

I nod and then untie the cloak saying, "Before you say anything when I remove this, know that I am not injured at all...just a bit dirty." and then slip it over my head, and hand it over to her saying, "Here you go, please try to be careful with it as it is rather old and not in the best shape."

She looks the stallion over, seeing soot left behind from burn marks on various parts of his body and then takes a calming breath saying, "O-Okay, if you would please follow me sir."

I follow her through the door, closing it behind me and go through another door into a bigger room with a series of tubs. I immediately notice the sound of a violin being played and turn towards the sound to see a pony sitting in a chair playing a violin, noticing that they have a light bluish mint color with a brilliant cyan mane and tail with a white streak through them both, also having sunglow eyes and a golden harp for a Cutie Mark. Turning from her, I then see a long screen around the front of some of the tubs for privacy apparently. I then turn my head back around to see the mare heading to the right side, and see a tub filled with steam rising from between the layers of bubbles on top of the hot water underneath.

She then stands beside a moveable wooden set of stairs and turns towards him and says, "Since these two desired privacy screens, I ask that you refrain from disturbing them unless they ask you something. If they do, then please be very respectful towards them with how you answer. I will now bring you some bathing brushes for you to use."

I then walk up the wooden stairs and slowly step down into the tub, letting out a blissful sigh as I then hear the door close behind the mare thinking, 'I might have to find a way to earn bits so I can afford to do this more often.'

Unable to keep quiet any longer at the mare's behavior, Celestia sniggers behind her hoof and lightly chuckles. Calming herself a moment later, she looks at Aloe beside her and gently says with an amused tone, "Wow, that mare really is green, miss Aloe. It might take some time for her to be less rigid and dutiful when we come here just to relax."

Knowing that she is only having a little fun, Aloe chuckles lightly and says, "I think you are right about that ma'am, but I think she will figure it out...eventually."

Celestia then turns to her sister and says, "I'm glad that we made time to come here before things get hectic in a few days, sister."

Luna looks back at her and smiles saying, "So am I, we really should try to do this more often. It is such a relief to be able to just relax and let our bodies unwind from the stress." Wanting to have a bit of fun, she looks at her sister softly saying, "Psst." then looks over to the direction where the stallion is currently bathing for a moment before looking back at her sister, repeating the motion a few times until her sister gets it and nods her approval.

Celestia then motions Aloe to come closer with her hoof, then whispers into her ear, "Would you mind breaking the ice for us by apologizing to him for the new mare's strictness?"

Aloe softly chuckles and looks in the stallion's direction saying, "I do apologize for our new mare's behavior, sir. We are trying to help her adjust to working with ponies that are well known throughout the Equestria."

I let my head sink closer to the water as a smile crosses my face saying, "It is quite alright, I can understand why she feels that way ma'am."

Lying on her back with her head above the bubbles, she then casually asks, "Oh, really? Could you tell me why you think that is, sir?"

I then say, "Yes ma'am, it is because that I think that if everypony knows you and likes you a bit too much and started to crowd around you wanting your attention or something from you, it would make sense that you would desire a way to get away from it all for a little while."

Stunned at his spot-on answer, Celestia and Luna look at each other for a few moments. A silent conversation happens between them as they exchange looks.

When the wordless conversation ends, Celestia then looks towards where the stallion is at and asks curiously, "Would you still think that way if you learned that we might be nobility?"

I then sigh and say, "I doubt it ma'am, because in my way of thinking after reading enough books, even a starving beggar could rise up to nobility if fortune happened to be on their side.

Again, the two sisters are surprised about the reply as Luna asks in a lightly challenging tone, "What do you mean by that? Like if you lost everything and happened to to learn of something involving a noble that you could use to regain your status?"

I chuckle and sigh saying, "No ma'am, that is just a twisted way of exercising greed, which is bad. The fortune I speak of is not materialistic, it is the kind of fortune that you have a degree of control over by the choices you make."

Celestia looks at Luna, seeing that she is just as confused as she is by what he said. When her sister shrugs her shoulders at her look, she turns back toward where the stallion is bathing and cocks her head and asks, "I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand what you said, would you mind clarifying that?"

I then say, "Oh, my apologies ma'am. From the books that I have read, I consider fortune to be more like a force you cannot manipulate, but it is able to affect whatever it wants. It is on us to decide how best to put that fortune to use, be it for good or bad. For after all of our choices are made, we will have to live with them when our end comes." Not knowing where the hell that came from, I shake my head saying, "I greatly apologize for speaking about such a heavy topic when you came here to relax ladies, I shall leave you in peace and place my head underwater to get it under control." then takes a breath and pulls his head under with his eyes firmly closed, thinking, 'What is wrong with my mind, why did I say something so serious and strange to them when they are wanting to relax.'

Luna then hastily says, "Hold on, we aren't upset over what you said. In fact, we both would like to speak with you a bit more."

She and her sister wait for him to reply for a minute when she looks over to Aloe and asks, "Would you please go ensure that he is alright and not trying to drown himself?"

Aloe nods and then trots over to his tub, using her hoof to brush some of the suds aside and watches his head carefully until he slowly exhales and brings his mouth above the water. When he breathes in again, some suds get pulled in and cause him to sneeze them out. She then sniggers at seeing bubbles being blown into the air and can't hold back her laughter as she heads back to Celestia's side saying, "He is not drowning himself, he just stuck his nose above the water to breathe. Then he went to take a breath, and some suds were pulled in that caused him to sneeze and send a bunch of them flying into the air."

As they all hear that, they join Aloe in the laughter as the clerk comes in with a few brushes held in her magic , hearing the commotion and asking, "Did that stallion do something indecent?"

Lotus then settles herself enough to calmly say, "No, he was answering a question for them when he got a little self-conscious and ducked his head under the water in embarrassment. After a bit, Aloe was asked to go over and ensure he didn't try to drown himself. When he stuck his nose above the water to breathe, some suds entered his nose which made him sneeze and send a bunch of them flying up into the air."

The clerk begins to snicker at hearing that, then slowly breaks out laughing saying, "Oh I wish I was here to see that happen."

Aloe then giggles and says, "If you want to have a little more fun here, you need to loosen up when it is allowed."

She then sighs and says, "I will try my best, but it is hard to break free from a habit like that." then heads over and uses one of the brushes to tap his nose, waiting for him to stick his head above the suds.

Hesitantly, I raise my head up just enough to open my eyes and ask, "Yes miss?"

The clerk then holds the brushes in the air near him and says, "Here are some brushes that you can use, I will set them on the top platform of the stairs so you can reach them. After you're done with them, there are a few hooks on the left side of the tub for them to hang from." then sets them on the platform.

I then nod my head and then say, "Thank you miss." and then reach for one of the brushes, but pause and ask, "Um..what is the difference between the brushes?"

She then grins and says, "Well...the large one with the bristles with a strap on the wooden part is so you can reach areas with your front hooves. The long handled one with a smaller head is for the areas you can't reach with just your hooves, the one with the large curve in it is for the...hard to reach areas if you get my meaning. Then the other, softer and more flexible round brush with spaced out teeth is for you to work out the tangles in your mane, unfortunately we don't yet have one you can use on your tail. But we can worry about that later after your steam bath."

I then grab the round brush, saying, "Thank you miss." then use it underwater to start on my neck.

Curious, Aloe then asks, "Oh Sweet, I'm just curious here, but what is the condition of his mane and tail?"

Sweet then hears him scrubbing up and heads over at the curtain with a chuckle saying, "Well, when he came in here, I got a good look at it and what I saw...it wasn't good. It looked like a cat treated it like a ball of yarn, it was also dry and had lost its shine, and appeared to be brittle with several split ends."

Lotus then sighs and says, "What a sad state that is."

Celestia then raises an eyebrow at the curtain and asks, "Indeed it is, if Rarity ever saw it like that, she would throw a fit and drag you in so she could fix it."

Luna then laughs and says, "Oh she truly would lose it." then pokes her sister with a hoof silently, then winking at her and adding, "You make a really good point there, sister, I really think you should tell her."

Catching on to what her sister is getting at, she grins and then says, "I think I will do just that to get justice for his rudeness earlier of escaping the conversation." She then looks over at the clerk and says, "Would please come closer Sweet Pea, I have something I would like you to do." while holding her hoof up to her lips in a shushing manner before using said hoof to bring her closer so she can whisper to her.

As I scrub away at my neck, I then say, "I sincerely apologize for my impolite actions earlier. Oh noble maidens, I humbly beseech thee for mercy."

The clerk then gets closer and moves her ear closer to her saying, "Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?"

Celestia then looks to her sister and asks sarcastically, "What do you think, dear sister? Should we show this young stallion mercy?"

Luna pretends to think it over and says with a smirk, "Nay, I think not for I feel quite insulted."

She fights to keep her laughter from getting out and then quietly whispers into her ear, "I want you to first go over there and take his mane brush back for some reason you'll have to make up, then go find Rarity, which she may be at her boutique. Once you find her, relay my request for her to come here for a special emergency once his steam bath is over. Make sure not to mention that the patient is a stallion or what the emergency is, and at my direct request, she is to call my sister and I ma'am instead of our names or royal titles to keep our identities secret. After you tell her that, return and continue with his treatment and watch for her arrival before you guide him to where his treatment will be. Once he is set up, lead her back to the room and continue with the treatments he requested."

Sweet Pea swiftly nods with a smile on her face saying, "Yes ma'am." then makes her way towards where the stallion is still scrubbing away and looks at the brushes saying, "Oh no, I brought you one that is worn out, let me go find you a replacement." and quickly takes it with her magic and heads out of the room to put the perfectly fine brush back.

Feeling like I've been had, I huff silently and continue to scrub while waiting for my punishment to arrive. As I reach for the long brush to reach the rest of my body, I wonder how long the spell will last and look around the room for a large mirror. Spotting several of them along the side of the room and clear my voice asking in a lightly pleading tone, "I beg your forgiveness for asking you a question, oh noble maidens, but might you be willing to spare an attendant to roll a large mirror over so that I might be able to tell where I am missing?"

Celestia giggles at getting him to talk to them again and says in a playful mood, "Hmm...well I suppose I could spare her as my needs are currently met." then looks at Aloe and asks, "Aloe, would you kindly go see to his kind request?"

Aloe makes her way over to the wall and retrieves a mirror, then pushes it towards his tub and adjusts the angle asking, "Is this angle to your liking sir?" Noticing his head and back are above the suds as he uses the long brush on his sides, she sees he has a deep black mane and tail with a snow-white coat.

I then turn my head to look at the mirror and say, "That is perfect, thank you miss." then look at my side as I scrub the places that I have missed, not noticing the faint glow returning to my eyes.

She then looks at his eyes and notices a faint glow to them and asks, "Umm sir, is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Confused for a moment I look at my eyes in the mirror and then spot the faint glow to them and then chuckle saying, "Oh no miss, that is just a trick of the light, I assure you. Ever since my birth, my parents thought that same thing until I got older. They learned that because of the color and brilliance of my eyes, they tend to catch the light and shine brighter than they should."

Relieved at hearing that everything is alright, she smiles and then chuckles lightly saying, "Alright then sir, I shall leave you be and return to my duties." and heads back towards Celestia, then stops and looks back at him saying, "If you haven't heard already, my name is Aloe Vera." and asks, "What might your name be, sir?"

I then look at her and say, "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Gold Reel, miss Aloe Vera. I try not to address a pony by name until proper introductions are conducted."

She then smiles back at him saying, "How polite of you to do so, sir Gold Reel. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here at the spa." and returns to her place at the princess's side.

As Aloe returns to her side, Celestia lowers her voice and whispers just loud enough for Luna and Lotus to hear, "I'm eager to hear what he looks like, so please tell us the details Aloe."

I then hear hushed whispers and ignore them as I watch the spell slowly fade away, returning me to my original appearance as an alicorn. Looking toward the door then at the screen separating our view of each other, I return my focus to the mirror and recast the spell. Hastily envisioning my body to return to the way it was before, I wait till the spell finishes and then look around to see if anyone saw my form. With no one staring at me or screaming, I sigh with relief and then pick up the dropped brush and continue scrubbing the sides of my body.

XII: New acquaintances

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As the room goes silent with only the sound of the violin to be heard, Luna looks towards where the stallion's voice came from and says, "I hope our choice of music doesn't bother you."

I then continue scrubbing away at my body and say, "Not at all ma'am, I find it quite soothing really."

Aloe then looks at the princess and asks, "Are you two about ready to move onto the next part of your treatments?"

While enjoying her tiger lily petal bath, Celestia then looks at her sister, who gives her a smirk and a brief glance towards the stallion, then faces Aloe and says, "We would like to extend our time here by adding a seaweed wrap and facial before moving onto our next treatment."

Realizing that they are staying longer just to see their punishment happen, Aloe and Lotus both grin and nod saying, "Very well, ma'am. If you would please follow us to the next room."

Celestia and then Luna exit their tubs, then dry themselves off before Luna grabs the screen and says, "Allow me to keep our identities secret, dear sister."

She smiles while her sister shields their group from the stallion's gaze with the screen and says, "Thank you." and looks at Lyra saying, "You may keep playing in this room during our next treatment, but we will have Aloe or Lotus notify you when the time comes to change rooms, miss Heartstrings."

Lyra continues playing and looks up from the sheet saying, "Yes ma'am."

After they exit the room, Luna folds the screen up and pulls it through the door to take it with them to set it against the wall beside the steam bath door for when they will use it next.

Sweet Pea returns to the spa after notifying Rarity of what to do, taking a look at the clock before retrieving a towel and heading inside the bathing room. Looking over at the stallion, she lays the towel on the platform saying, "I shall start preparing the next bath so you can soak in oils beneficial to the health of your coat, sir."

I nod my head saying, "Thank you miss." and then place my front hooves on the top lip carefully to check how well I got my underbelly, and nod satisfactorily at not seeing dirt anywhere.

After starting to fill the neighboring tub with hot water, Sweet Pea goes to retrieve the oils for the bath and a measuring cup saying, "I will be right back with the oils, I set a towel on the platform to dry off with."

I then nod and finish scrubbing myself clean, then hang the brushes on the hooks outside of the tub. Looking at the towel curiously, I wonder how I will dry myself off with it and climb up the steps to the platform to pick up the large towel and try to figure it out.

Sweet Pea returns to see the stallion attempting to dry themself off and can't help but laugh at the sight saying, "Oh forgive my amusement sir, but you are not meant to dry yourself off with the towel...the staff will do that for you using their magic as it is more efficient that way. Just give me one moment to finish your leisurely bath, and I will be there to towel you dry."

Fifteen minutes later, Aloe and Lotus are preparing the shared room for the princesses massages after their steam bath when their clerk enters the room giggling, making Lotus ask curiously, "What is so amusing Sweet?"

She then smiles and brings her giggling under control saying, "Oh, when I started the second bath and went to get the oils, I came back to see the stallion trying to dry himself off with the towel I left on the platform."

They both break out laughing as Aloe says, "That stallion must never have been to a spa before!"

Lotus then grins and then says, "That is quite amusing, and I thought that all ponies in Equestria had been to a spa at least once in their life."

Sweet then smiles and asks, "Since I have a little time, can I be of assistance to you?"

I soak in the tub while listening to the gentle music of the mare, resting my head on the edge of the tub. I lose track of how long I have been here, nearly falling asleep while listening to the very relaxing music playing when I hear someone enter the room.

Lotus stops a little ways into the room and looks at the half-asleep stallion, instantly noticing the smoky and earthy smell having a herbal and spicy undertone to it. She chuckles before saying, "I hate to interrupt your enjoyment, but they are ready for you in the next room."

I smile and lightly chuckle as I hear the music stop, followed by the sounds of items being put away and say, "You play beautifully, miss. You are talented to be able to play an instrument so well."

She lightly blushes at the praise and says in a gentle voice, "Thank you, sir. If you are lucky enough, you might get to hear me play again someday." then trots out of the room as her tail slightly hikes, carrying her case and the chair with her to where the princesses are.

After soaking in the oil bath for awhile longer, I am then asked to step out for the next treatment and dried off with a fresh towel. Guided to the next room for my steam bath, I get up onto the bench and close my eyes. I let myself slip into a meditative state and breathe deeply, letting myself fully relax to see what the steam bath is able to do for my body.

A half hour passes as Sweet Pea retrieves the stallion and guides him to the room where the princesses are set up saying, "The two from earlier have agreed to share the room with you as they receive massages, but have a screen set up to protect their identities."

I hear the mare from earlier playing the violin as I follow the clerk to a pit filled with a bubbling mixture appearing to be mud and ask, "What is the purpose of the boiling mud?"

Aloe is first to reply saying, "When you order a seaweed wrap treatment and bathe first, every inch of your body except your mane, tail and head are covered with algae or seaweed, after which you then get into the pit of a special mud that works together with the nutrients in the wrap to improve your body's metabolism and health."

Sweet continues wrapping his body in seaweed, and says, "To be specific, your body will soak in the amino acids in the seaweed which also happens to be rich in vitamins too. The wrapping and extra heat will draw out toxins within your body through sweat, it would be wise for you to refrain from using soap right after the treatment. The reason for that is because it takes the benefit away during your previous treatments." It ends up taking her a little longer than normal due to his body being a bit larger than hers. As she ties the last piece in place, she then smiles and says, "Alright, you can now immerse yourself into the pit sir."

As Rarity finishes putting together a kit for whatever this emergency might be, she quickly makes her way towards the Ponyville Day Spa and turns the open sign over to closed. Making sure the door shuts behind her, she then hurries to the spa at a canter. When she arrives, she sees the receptionist Sweet Pea behind the counter and asks hurriedly, "What is the emergency, darling!? Did curlers get stuck in somepony's mane or tail?!"

The receptionist hurries from behind the counter saying, "Oh it is much worse than that, you will have to see it to believe it. It is awful! This way, quickly! We don't know how long the poor pony has left to live." then takes off down the hall as Rarity follows her closely after closing the door behind her.

Celestia hears galloping coming from outside and counts down in a quiet whisper, "In three...two...one..." and looks towards the door when it slams open.

Rarity yells, "I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU DARLING, WHAT'S THE..." while she skids to a stop and notices the snow-white earth pony lying on a padded table, causing her eyes to rapidly shrink to pinpricks as she sees the state of their black mane and tail, letting out a horrified, blood_curdling scream followed by yelling, "OH, MY STARS, DARLING! WHAT IN HEAVEN'S NAME HAPPENED TO YOUR COIFFURE!?"

I hear raucous laughter and thumping come from around the room, while assuming my punishment has arrived saying, "Many years of neglect, I fear, ma'am." and notice that the unicorn mare has moderate azure eyes, a light gray coat with a mane varying between a moderate indigo to a moderate mulberry.

She picks up her emergency kit and hastily trots up to the stallion saying, "There's no need to fret, now that I'm here. I swear that I will do WHATEVER it takes to save them both..." and begins walking towards the disaster that is their mane with a menacing look while finishing her sentence, "If its the LAST thing I do."

As she sets her bag down beside the table, I watch her take out a small pair of spectacles and set them on the bridge of her nose. Thinking this will take her awhile as she pulls out a few sharp objects followed by different brushes, I lay my head down with a defeated sigh saying, "Let thy punishment commence."

Others snicker and laugh while Rarity picks up a couple of mane picks in her magic and studies the mess in front of her saying, "This is no punishment darling, this is a mercy. If I am anything, it is generous, which you are about to experience."

Sweet Pea remains nearby, frequently being asked to remove some debris as he complains about the mane-pulling, hearing Rarity say, "This could have been avoided if you had just combed your mane each day."

Celestia and Luna enjoy hearing the back-and-forth conversation between Rarity and Gold Reel, lasting for two hours while their treatments have finished an hour ago, and looks at her sister saying, "Sister." then cocks her head mouthing the words Should I invite him to IT?

Luna looks at her sister in confusion and whispers barely audible, "It? What do you mean, sister?

She leans as far as she can and places her lips next to her sister's ear saying barely loud enough for her to hear, "To the wedding." then pulls back to the table for her reply.

Understanding dawns on her as she then looks at her with a gentle smile and nod, leaning over to speak into her sister's ear whispering, "We could, but we barely know this stallion." and pulls herself back onto her previous position.

Celestia leans over once again, and whispers to her ear, "We don't, no. Wouldn't it be nice to find an opportunity to learn more about him?"

Luna then moves her mouth toward her sister's ear and whispers, "It would...yes. Go ahead and invite him to it, but mention it only as an event."

She then whispers, "Of course." and pulls back to her table before looking towards where Gold Reel is suffering from Rarity's generosity saying, "Oh sir, I am reminded of an event that will be held at the castle in Canterlot in four day's time. I think it would be a decent opportunity for you to meet other ponies, my sister and I will see to it that your name finds its way onto the guest list. If you do attend, and are fortunate enough, you might find us there and finally learn our names."

Rarity picks apart the last tangle as the stallion's mane falls to the floor and groans in disappointment saying, "I am surprised that your mane is so long, but it is very unfortunate that it is going to be wasted as no wig maker will take this in such a poor condition. Let me get a good look at you from the front so I can find out what length is best for you." and steps over his long, now untangled mane to look at him from the front.

I turn to look at the screen and say, "That is a very kind gesture, and I will take you up on your suggestion, fair maidens."

As she looks the stallion over, she notes how long his legs are and looks at his face asking, "Would you please get up onto your front hooves, sir?"

As I push myself up with my front legs, I hiss at the increased pain in the middle of my back, nearly causing my front legs to give out and say, "Accursed back."

Alarmed, Rarity and Luna speak at once with a concerned tone saying, "GOOD HEAVENS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT DARLING!?/ART THOU INJURED! DO THEE REQUIRE HEALING?" as Luna starts getting up off her table

Acting quickly, Celestia uses her wing to force her sister back down saying in a harsh whisper, "I know you're worried, but until we know more about his condition, try to remain still or our identities will become known to him!"

Luna huffs in irritation as she hesitantly lowers herself from her half-sitting position saying, "Apologies, sister...its a habit."

As I breathe through the pain, I force my back to straighten and sigh with relief as the pain returns to normal saying, "Apologies, miladies, I am fine. What happened is that I forgot about a minor deformity I was born with. There is a disk that has a twist in it that has a nerve caught somewhere in it, causing me to feel pain all day long. I've had to learn to deal with it on my own since no spell or concoction can help or correct it."

Rarity sighs sadly and says, "That is truly dreadful to hear, I'm sorry that I caused you pain with my request."

She lies on the table with her sister who also has a crestfallen face like her own and says, "It saddens us to hear there is nothing we can do to help you find relief from your suffering."

She then goes back to looking at him, using a pick to slide the front and back of his mane forward to see where his throat is and uses a straight comb to measure a hoofwidth past the underside of his neck saying, "The very long mane suits you so well it's almost eerie, so I am going to start removing and discarding the excess before I start taming that tail of yours."

I then chuckle and look at the screen saying, "If you really want to ease my suffering, all you have to do is call off the fashionista here." then watch as Rarity moves one of her sharp tools in my line of sight and hurls it straight towards me, causing me to jerk my head to the side before looking back to see what she was aiming at. Seeing the object embedded into my tail, I look at her with an unamused look and say, "Umm...miss, my tail is not a pincushion."

Celestia sighs sadly and says, "I really am sorry at how you have to deal with the pain on your own." then chuckles a little and says, "Oh what would the fun be in that, sir? Anyways, once she has an atrocity in sight, nothing at all could pry her from it."

Rarity then smiles and says, "You are quite correct ma'am. If you saw how dreadful this...thing that is supposed to be a tail is, you would act the same way I would."

I then sigh as she finishes my mane and say, "My tail isn't that bad, really."

She then stares at him with a highly skeptical gaze before saying, "It looks like a lifeless, ratty old pincushion as well as a blunt object."

I then snort and shoot back, "That is how I defend myself, miss."

Rarity heads back to start on his tail saying, "Oh, really? When was the last time you actually used it for that exact purpose?" and watches him open and close his mouth a few times. Seeing victory, she says, "HA! That's what I thought, so this monstrosity will be taken care of before I put life back into your poor mane and tail. When I am done, your mane and tail will glisten and shine in the beautiful sunlight or moonlight!"

Seeing as the fun is pretty much over now, Celestia looks at her sister saying, "Well sister, shall we take our leave?"

Luna then smiles and nods saying, "I do think that would be wise as we have other business to tend to."

Celestia then rises off the table and looks over at Lyra saying, "Thank you for your services Miss Heartstrings, you may remain here to play for the stallion if you so wish."

She then gets up and follows her sister toward the door, bringing the screen with them to keep their identities a secret and looks over in the direction of the stallion saying, "It was nice talking to you, perhaps we will see each other at the event in a few days."

Lyra then looks at her and bows her head saying, "I appreciate that, it was a pleasure playing for you, ma'am." then looks over at the screen and asks, "Would you like me to remain here and keep playing?"

I look over as the screen is dragged towards the door, revealing the violinist against the wall near the corner in a chair and say, "I would, unless you have other things to tend to. If that is the case, I understand."

She then smiles and nods saying, "Very well sir, I shall play for a while longer. In an hour or so, I do need to help my friend at her shop in town."

I smile and lower myself back down to the table, making sure to keep my back straight this time and say, "Thank you for taking a little more time out of your day to play for a pony you don't know, miss."

Lyra begins playing a different song and says, "It is no trouble, I enjoy playing for those who like to listen. My name is Lyra Heartstrings, what's your name sir?"

As I lay my head down on the soft pillow and leave the mare to work on taming my tail, I say, "My name is Gold Reel, miss Heartstrings, and it is a pleasure to meet a talented musician like yourself. Feel free to take a break and rest your hooves for a bit if you need to, playing for so long has to take its toll on you."

She nods and keeps playing, saying, "I will, thank you."

Rarity spends another two hours on getting the stallion's mane untangled, cutting it off at his fetlock saying with a relieved sigh, "There, the wild and unruly has been tamed, now to put life back into it." and digs into her bag, pulling out several bottles of conditioning oils and shampoos.

Sweet Pea smiles as Rarity continues to work, then looks down at his hooves and clucks her tongue saying, "Tisk, tisk, the feathering over your hooves prevent me from seeing their condition, I shall begin trimming them so I know what I am dealing with." and says, "I will go get the tools necessary for dealing with your hooves, I will return in a minute."

I let myself relax in silence as the mare tends to my mane and tail as Sweet starts trimming the feathering on my back right hoof to keep out of the other's way.

As she makes her way around to each hoof, trimming the feathering back so she can see his hooves, she then sighs and says, "Your hooves are in a dire need of filing and a trim." then gets started on cleaning them.

The two mares spend an hour as Rarity works to restore his mane and tail while at the same time, Sweet tends to his hooves. As Sweet puts down the file and says, "Your hooves are now finished, would you like me to polish them?"

I then look at her and ask, "How long will they stay polished for?"

Sweet looks at his hooves for a moment, then says, "With your feathering, the shine would last for four to five days as two or three days if you didn't have the feathering."

I then nod my head and say, "I would like that, thank you miss."

Rarity takes a step back to look at the rejuvenated mane and tail saying, "Now that your mane and tail have life again, I shall put the finishing touches on them so you can look absolutely fabulous."

As I feel Sweet Pea lift up and lightly tie my feathering to my pasterns to polish my hooves, the other mare pulls out a strange device with c-shaped jaws and ask, "What is that for miss?"

She activates the magic crimper and waits for it to heat up and says, "Oh this is just a crimper darling, I'm going to use it on your hair because I think you would look stunning with a wavy mane and tail."

Letting her do whatever, I wait until they eventually finish as Rarity says, "Alright, my work here is done. Could you get off the table so I can see the final results?"

Rarity watches him get off the table and stand before the both of them, as a dreamy look crosses her face when she sees how handsome he looks with his glistening, snow-white coat and shining, black mane and tail. She almost starts drooling when he turns his head and looks at her with his forelock partially covering his left eye, and gets lost in his brilliant amber eyes.

I stand there, looking at her and then at my new look, chuckling as I say, "With my coat this bright, I fear I may be a little too eye-catching."

Sweet Pea looks at Rarity as she stays silent for a while, staring at the stallion with an intense gaze. Waving her hoof in front of her eyes, she giggles and says humorously, "I think you may have blinded your first victim, sir." then bumps her with a hoof saying, "Sorry to pull you from your fantasies, but you are starting to flood the room with your drooling."

She then snaps her jaw shut and wipes her hoof across her mouth, seeing that it is dry and looks to the mare with a scowl saying, "I was not drooling, I was simply admiring how good this stallion looks." and then turns to look at the handsome stallion with a light blush on her face and says, "I'm sorry sir, but I seem to have forgotten your name."

I smile as I then say, "With how hard you were working on saving my mane and tail, I doubt you even heard what it was. My name is Gold Reel, what might yours be?"

Rarity's light blush refuses to go away as she then smiles and says, "My name is Rarity Bell, and it has been a pleasure to meet you, sir Gold Reel. I have a fashion store in town called Carousel Boutique, so if you have any fashion needs, please come visit my shop."

Sweet Pea then looks at him saying, "With your hooficure done, your treatments at the Ponyville Day Spa are finished. Thank you for your visit today, sir Gold Reel." and adds, "Your clothing is sitting inside of a square compartment on the right side of the wall, it is in the unit on the very bottom row, on the far left side."

I smile and then make my way out of the room saying, "I will certainly be visiting again when time allows, this has been an amazing experience for me today."

After returning to the first room and putting my borrowed cloak back on, I head outside and decide to wander around town with my hood down. My body feels so refreshed after the treatments that I accidentally bump into someone, taking a step back as I hear a soft voice speak up, "Oh, pardon me. I was helping these animals get across town and wasn't watching where I was going, I hope I didn't hurt you."

I look down to see a pale yellow pegasi mare with a pale, light-grayish rose mane covering one of her moderate cyan eyes and having three butterflies on her flank as a Cutie Mark and then smile down at her with gentleness in my eyes and say, "It is quite alright, miss. I am also at fault for not paying attention to my surroundings, you didn't hurt me at all. I didn't hurt you at all, did I?"

Fluttershy smiles and hides behind her mane shyly at seeing a tall, snow-white stallion with brilliant amber eyes, and a black mane having a cloak hiding the rest of his body, saying in a barely audible voice, "No, you didn't, so I'm fine."

As I notice she is shying away from me, I then look to the duck and ducklings behind her and smile at seeing how they hide behind her saying, "It is not everyday you come across someone with such a kindness towards animals, you know? Are your animal friends alright?"

She listens to them for a moment before emerges from behind her mane a little saying, "That is true sadly, but my friends are just fine because they were following me when we bumped into each other."

I look at how she becomes less shy and keep smiling as I ask, "What might your name be, young miss?"

Fluttershy hides a little bit more and says in a quiet tone, soft enough for him to hear, "Umm...it's Fluttershy."

I then say, "It is very nice meeting you, miss Fluttershy. My name is Gold Reel. I shall go on my way and let you return to yours, farewell miss." then turn and walk behind the mare, making sure to give her and the animals with her a wide berth.

She stands up straight again and says, "Have a good day mister, and thank you for being so kind to my animals and me." then goes onto guiding them to the other side of town.

At Canterlot Castle, close to sunset

Celestia and Luna sit in the throne room, discussing their meeting with the strange stallion named Gold Reel as Luna asks, "So if he comes, how will he know where to go for the event?"

She looks at her sister and says, "I will have one of the guards show him the way there, oh he is going to be so surprised when he learns who we are. You are going to be there, correct sister?" Seeing her sister turn away with a blush, she narrows one eye curiously and asks, "Sister, you will be going to our distant cousin's ceremony, won't you?"

She sighs and then looks at her sister saying, "Sorry sister, I will be missing the first half of it. I feel the urgent need to find the pony that is having problems with their wings, so I will go out on patrol again for tonight and the following five nights between looking after our subject's dreams."

Celestia sighs and remembers when they discovered the empty, freshly abandoned wing carrier, then says, "You have been spending so much time searching for that poor pony that you have missing out on much-needed sleep. Sister, you have bags forming underneath your eyes from the lack of sleep you're getting, I'm worried about you."

Luna sighs, knowing her sister is right and says, "I promise I will rest properly after the ceremony, alright sister? Can you please let me keep searching until then?"

Seeing her sister so concerned about their subject's well-being, she smiles and says, "Very well, but I will help you in your search during the day."

She then hugs her sister with a happy smile saying, "Oh thank you, sister, this means so much to me!"

Celestia then hugs her sister back and says, "You are welcome. Shall we begin changing the day to night, dear sister?"

Luna then nods and pulls away saying, "We should, but first, did you have any luck with finding out more about that strange blade?"

Almost forgetting to tell her sister about it, she smiles and says, "Not really. I had A.K Yearling examine it and she said she never saw anything like it. Despite its appearance, it might be even older than the oldest settlements on other continents. From what she saw, she believes that it was part of a curved harvesting blade that was purposely broken, however, there were ancient traces of blood on it that signify it was used for fighting. She will keep an eye out for anything related to the blade and where the other pieces went to."

A couple days later in Ponyville

As I think about the event I was asked by a noble to attend, I sigh as I consider how rude it would be for me not to attend it. Left with no choice but to go, I wander around the town looking for where the Carousel Boutique is at.

Rarity sits inside the kitchen of her boutique with her friend Twilight as she fills her in on the events from the other day, saying, "And when he got off the table so I could see how well I styled his mane and tail...wow...it felt like I could easily fall for him right there and then..." and drifts off as she fantasizes about him once again.

Twilight chuckles and says, "Rarity, remember what happened with your crush on the pony you took to be your one true love and use a little caution, because you don't know anything about him. What did you say his name was again, Glad Real or something?"

Pulled from her fantasy, the fashionista gasps and then says, "Prince Blueblood looks like a beggar compared to how HE looked after we were done dealing with his mane and tail and hooves! I swear, that snow-white coat could blind a pony with how bright it was, but he looks so handsome with those brilliant amber eyes of his that seem to almost glow in any light. I wonder when I will get the chance to see him again..." when she hears the bell ring above the door to her store and calls out, "Coming!" then turns to her friend saying, "I will be right back after helping this customer." then heads into her parlor saying, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique." Her next words are never uttered as she opens her eyes to see that the stallion she was telling Twilight about has just walked into her shop, gasping with surprise as she then exclaims, "Sir Gold Reel! What a surprise it is to see you in my store. What can I do for you, mister Reel?"

I stand inside her shop and smile at her saying, "Well I have been asked to attend some event at the castle in Canterlot, wherever that may be. It would be rather rude of me to not go, so I asked a few ponies around town today and they all said that you are the pony to go to that would know how best to help me to look my best."

Rarity fights a squeal trying to get out and forces it down saying, "Oh absolutely darling, you certainly must dress to impress when invited by high society. Please take off that cloak and follow me so I can take some measurements to make a fine coat for you."

Hearing the stallion in question visiting Rarity's boutique, Twilight leaves her chair and pokes her head into the other room and sees a tall stallion with a snow-white coat, a sleek, wavy black mane with a circle divided by two black and white halves having a grey line between them.

She then takes his measurements, positively excited at being able to make a new outfit for such a handsome pony saying, "You would look smashing in a black and white tux with a tie matching your gorgeous amber eyes."

Twilight watches the stallion curiously as she lets Rarity tend to him, finishing with taking her measurements and then informs him it will be ready by tomorrow when she sees Rarity look over to her and waves her over saying, "Oh Twilight, come over here so I can introduce you!" then makes her way over to where her friend is.

Rarity then beams a wide smile while looking at him and says, "Gold Reel, this is my friend Twilight Sparkle." and gestures to her before looking at her adding, "Twilight, this is Gold Reel." while gesturing to him.

She smiles at him as she sees his brilliant amber eyes saying, "Hello, it is nice to have a chance to meet you after hearing about your first meeting with Rarity." She then half-chuckles saying, "Rarity is right, your eyes really do seem to glow in any kind of light."

I then smile and chuckle lightly saying, "They do, but I assure you that it is just a trick due to the angle of the light."

Curious, Twilight asks, "Do you mind if I ask where you are from?"

I shake my head saying, "Of course not, I came from a small, isolated farm far to the west of here."

Rarity cocks her head curiously and asks, "Oh? What brings you all the way to Ponyville?"

I then say, "Well...you see, when I was fifteen, I was forced to leave by my father for doing what I thought was right. After that, I roamed through the forests foraging what I needed to survive when eventually, I met a kind traveler that taught me a few things about society. So a couple of years later, I started using my knowledge to earn a few bits to afford food."

Twilight's ears fall as she then sighs sadly saying, "I am sorry that you went through that, and wish that I didn't ask now."

I sigh as I change my mind about sticking to Equis's story and say, "I'm sorry about saying that earlier and upsetting you, I thought that it would be better to hear a made-up story than what the actual truth is."

Curious and a bit nervous, Rarity asks, "Okay...what is the true story then?"

Feeling like I can trust these two a little, I then sigh and say, "Well...when I woke up several months ago, I couldn't see anything but splotches of color and light. Unable to remember how I got there or anything about who I was before, I was found by this presence that spoke to my mind and guided me to safety."

The curious purple unicorn then eagerly asks, "Can you please tell us more?"

I then shake my head and say, "Until I am able trust you more, that will have to suffice for now. Though I can tell you for certain is that I am not evil." I look at Rarity and then say, "I will come back tomorrow to pay for the outfit, miss Rarity. Good day to you, ladies." and then make my way out of the shop to try to find anything that might help me regain my memories.

Stunned into silence at what he said, Twilight then looks to Rarity and says, "I am going to write a letter to Celestia and ask about any spells that might help to recover a pony's lost memories."

Rarity then nods and says, "That would be a very good thing to do for that poor stallion. We are going to have to try to find a way to get him to trust us enough to allow you to attempt to help him. In fact, let's all gather together for a picnic today and discuss a few things."

She then nods and looks at Rarity saying, "Rare, you gather the picnic blanket and I will gather the others and meet up at our usual picnic spot."

An hour later, they sit around the picnic blanket with Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash as Rarity sighs blissfully, saying, "It is just gorgeous out today...just gorgeous!"

Twilight then smiles and says, "It is indeed a beautiful day, Rarity." while silently wondering if she will bring up their newest acquaintance or not when Pinkie Pie interrupts her train of thought.

Pinkie Pie then asks, "Hey, haven't any of you met that new pony around Ponyville yet?"

Rainbow then snickers and says, "You mean the one with the snow-white coat that used to look like he got zapped by a thundercloud and used a shovel to comb his mane?" then shrugs and says, "Not yet, but I watched him after he left the Spa that Rarity raced to earlier, if he wasn't wearing that cloak you could see his bright coat from Canterlot. He has been wandering around town aimlessly asking ponies various questions about what they know about ancient days from long ago which wasn't much and didn't seem to satisfy him."

Applejack then chuckles and says, "Eyup that's the one, Ah met 'em and his name's Gold Reel. For some reason, ah get the feeling that he wasn't exactly straight with me when he bought an apple a couple days ago. Ah'd be careful around him girls, there's something fishy about that stallion."

Fluttershy then speaks up and says, "I've actually bumped into him by accident when I was helping out a family of ducks, he is good-looking for a stallion and seems really...nice."

Twilight picks up an apple and then says, "Well, I also met him as did Rarity."

Rarity then continues, saying, "I did meet him two days ago in the spa, but I will tell you that story after this. I was with Twilight in the kitchen of my boutique, telling her about my meeting Gold Reel when he walked in about an hour ago and asked me to help him look his best for an 'event' at the castle in Canterlot which we all know is the upcoming wedding happening in a few days. So then naturally I agreed to make a suit for him. Oh one thing though, I was asked by Princess Celestia through Sweet Pea to keep their identities secret from the stallion as it seems she and her sister want him to discover it for himself." She then clears her voice and says, "Alright, now I shall tell you how I got to meet Gold Reel."

After Rarity tells the story, they all get a good laugh at how Princess Celestia punished the stallion with Rarity, when Twilight picks up another apple and brings it up to her mouth to take a bite from it. Hearing someone running towards them, she drops the apple to see her assistant, Spike, rushing over.

Spike stops in front of Twilight, out of breath as he says, "Twi...light...I have...a" then takes a moment to catch his breath and is about to say something when he belches up a letter, which Twilight quickly picks up and starts to read it out loud.

An hour later, somewhere along the outskirts of Ponyville

I sit on a bench outside Ponyville, wishing I got more useful information about long ago that might clue me in about my past and sigh heavily in disappointment. I then think about getting up off the bench and try my luck again with different questions this time, when I feel someone tap my shoulder and look over to see Twilight Sparkle looking at me with a soft smile and say, "Hello, miss Twilight, what can I do for you?"

Twilight joins him on the bench and says, "Well, I was just coming to tell you that there is a train heading to Canterlot today. If you want to, you can ride along with us as we have been invited to help out with a wedding there as well."

I look at her and sense something off and say, "I get the feeling that you are not too happy about it, so let's walk and talk as we head to the train." then get off the bench and head to town.

She hops off the bench and says, "Alright, but if we go that direction, we will reach Manehattan before reaching the station. The station is this way, Gold Reel."

Realizing I forgot all about the cloak I borrowed and left at Rarity's boutique, I then ask, "I left my cloak inside Rarity's boutique, is there time to go get it before we leave?"

Twilight then smiles apologetically and says, "I'm sorry but unfortunately not because we have to get there today and begin helping with the planning. You can get it after my friends and I return from the wedding, I'm sure Rarity won't get rid of it."

I then follow her and say, "Alright, I'll believe you. So, what has you so upset about this wedding?"

She then groans and then says, "Well...when I was a filly, I didn't want to meet other ponies as my big brother, best friend forever was always there and taught me so much. We talked about many things like our hopes and dreams, through all of the years we were together, we never had a single fight. When I moved to Ponyville from Canterlot, I left him behind to be with my new friends. Just today, I realized just how much I missed him. When I found out that he was getting married today through a letter to some mare whose name I don't even know, I felt disappointed and hurt that he didn't bother to tell me himself." and kicks a rock with her hoof.

I then follow alongside her and look down at her sad face, and say, "Well there may be a good reason that he didn't, like perhaps there was not enough time to make the journey." I then sense that she is grieving and tentatively ask, "From the way you said you feel and how you're acting, it seems to me as if you feel like you have lost him or something...am I correct with my thinking?"

Twilight then continues on towards the station, kicking the rock along and somberly nods her head saying, "Yes, I do feel something like that."

I see a rock before me and kick it along gently, guiding it along so I can knock Twilight's rock away to free her from the distraction and say, "Let me tell you something, miss Twilight. Your brother is only getting married, so there is no way you will lose what you have with him due to the marriage. What does your brother do that might make him so busy?"

She approaches the rock and prepares to kick it with her hoof when another rock comes and knocks it out of her path, causing her to look back at Gold Reel, who has a smirk on his face and says, "Why did you do that?"

I chuckle and say, "Because it was distracting you from listening to me, don't you know it is rather rude to not pay attention to somepony when they're talking to you?"

Twilight then half-chuckles and says, "Good shot. You're right, I wasn't listening. What did you ask?"

I then catch up to her and say, "I asked what your brother does that would make him so busy?"

She smiles and then says, "Oh, well, he's the Captain of the royal guard."

XIII: When fortune smiles

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After getting on the train with Twilight, I make my way to the next car back when I hear Rarity say, "You can share the car with us darling, we don't mind at all."

Rarity watches as Gold Reel smiles and thanks her then heads towards a seat in the middle of the car on the left side, right across from the seat occupied by Fluttershy.

I lie down on my stomach to let myself rest during the trip, and wake up when I hear somepony shout, "BEST WEDDING EVER!" that echoes as if we are in a tunnel. Sitting up, I look out the window to see that it is pitch black.

Rainbow looks over at where Gold Reel is and sees his coat almost as clear as day and laughs saying, "Wow, talk about a coat that glows in the dark! If you were playing hide and seek, you would always be the first one found no matter where you try to hide."

I chuckle and say, "You are quite correct about that, miss." noticing that my coat does have a slight shine to it. Needing to take care of it before the spell wears off completely, I then get up and purposefully let my back sag too much.

As Rarity hears a pained hiss she recognizes as Gold Reels back hurting, she turns her head to look at where he is and asks, "Are you alright, Gold Reel? Do you need any help?"

I then lightly groan as I straighten my back and then get down onto the floor saying, "No, I will be fine. I just need to walk around and stretch for a little bit after sleeping wrong." and make my way towards the back of the car, then open the door and close it behind me as I move to the next car.

Hearing more lies from the stallion, she gets off her seat and follows him to the next car saying, "I'll be right back girls, I'm gonna go have a little talk with him about his pain." then opens the sliding door and closes it behind her as they leave the dark tunnel, illuminating the inside of the car with Gold Reel looking back at her over his shoulder, saying to him, "Ah need to have a word with ya about the lies ya told me and my friends. Ah don't appreciate it one bit, and don't want ya around us from now on."

With a sigh, I then say, "You're the Element of Honesty I have heard about, aren't you?"

Applejack then nods firmly at him with narrowed eyes saying, "EEYUP, and what about it bub?"

I then turn around and walk up to her, looking directly into her eyes as I ask, "I heard you say you had questions for me in the other car, so ask away. Truth for Truth."

With a slight grin on her face, she then says, "Alright, deal. Is yer name really Gold Reel?"

I then keep looking into her eyes and say, "In a way, yes it is. I fashioned it from my original name which is far to exotic to tell others if I am to remain unnoticed in your cities during my quest for knowledge and answers, but I will not share it with you or any pony I do not fully trust. Here is a truth I am freely giving you...I have no desire to hurt any you consider friend or family."

Applejack relaxes a little and asks her next question, "When ah asked ya about that mark on yer neck, what did ya lie about in answering me?"

I chuckle at how keen she is and then smirk saying, "The story about the charcoal bit was false. It was true that the mark didn't hurt, because the pain that I feel constantly...does come from my back, though it is the result of a spell I put upon myself for my own reasons. Here's another truth...I am actually a pony, but I have altered my original form to fit in more easily."

Shocked to hear that, it takes her a moment to think of her next question as she then asks, "What's the real reason ya left the car?"

I then sigh and hastily say, "Because the spell I used to change my body is wearing off, which is why it appeared to glow when we were inside the tunnel. Final truth, I will tell you this if you can formally promise not to share these facts with your friends. Can you do something like that for this truth? Decide quickly before the spell degrades any further and am forced to put you to sleep to keep my true form secret."

Applejack sighs saying, "Alright, ah can't believe ah'm doing this with somepony ah don't know." and begins the motions for making a Pinkie Promise saying, "Cross mah heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." and holds her hoof over her closed right eye.

I look at her like she grew a second head and ask, "What kind of a promise was that?"

She then says, "It was a Pinkie Promise that mah friend Pinkie Pie came up with, and nopony wants to break a Pinkie Promise they made. If they do, they will face the wrath of an angry Pinkie Pie." then realizes he hasn't met her and says, "You haven't met her yet, but you will, I assure you. Just forewarning ya, she is energetic and unpredictable. When ya meet her and she gets one of her 'Pinkie Senses' listen to whatever she says because they are accurate and can't ever be explained."

I then sigh as I feel my size slowly start to return and say, "Thank you for promising, miss Applejack. The last truth is that I am much older than I seem. You really need to go now miss, remember the promise you made to me."

Applejack then sighs and dips her head to him then apologizes saying, "Ah'm mighty sorry about telling ya to stay away from mah friends, so ah take back what ah said. It would be nice if we all could get to know ya a bit better. Ah'll see ya when you return to the car, pardner." She then turns around and heads toward the door and pulls the shade down to block her friends' view of the car, then slides it open and closes it before returning to her seat inside the other car.

Preparing to cast the reversal spell, I see a pink wave moving towards me rapidly and brace myself for the impact. As the wave passes over me with a light pinching shock, I can't help but say, "That was an interesting sensation." Feeling my wings touching the ground, I look back at myself and understand what the spell did and recast the alteration spell to return me to my previous form. I then make my way back into the other car saying, "Do any of you know what that spell was earlier?"

Twilight smiles lightly and says, "It's my brother's protection spell, functioning as a security shield that guards from dangers outside."

Seeing that he has returned, the farm pony then asks, "Welcome back, pardner. Did ya get everything sorted out after our talk?"

I look at her and smile, then say, "I did, thank you for coming back to talk with me." and hear a screeching noise as the train starts slowing down. I watch curiously as the train pulls to a stop, followed by the others in the car heading toward the car ahead of us. I then notice Twilight hesitantly join the group, staying at the back as she then follows them out of the car. As I make it to the door, I watch as Twilight starts heading towards the pair of guards crossing their spears together. When she gets closer, the guards seem to recognize her and uncross their pikes with smiles on their faces as she mumbles about giving her big brother a piece of her mind. Stepping off the platform myself, I look at the girls and chuckle, saying, "Shouldn't you all get going, it's rude to keep the bride waiting you know."

Applejack then says, "We were just waiting for you to catch up, do you want to walk with us?"

I shake my head and say, "I would, but I am going to walk around the city until the event starts. I will see you all later, if I am lucky enough, I can get an invite to attend the wedding you all are helping plan."

Rainbow Dash then guffaws and says, "What are you saying!? You already have an invite, dude! The event you were invited to attend is the wedding ahahaha!"

I look at her and blink a few times asking, "Really? That is the last and most surprising thing I would expect to happen, now I really can't go under-dressed."

The group of girls then make their way towards the guards, who raise their spears for them and drop them as the stallion approaches them as the unicorn guard on the right says in a firm tone, "Halt! What is your name, sir?"

I stop and then say, "My name is Gold Reel, I was apparently invited to an event called a wedding."

A guard between two others flips through the list, then looks up at the pair of guards barring the stallion's path, saying, "He's on the list, let him through."

I watch the guards raise their spears out of the way to allow me through, and make my way into the city. Once past the guards, I wander the paved streets while trying to ask the occasional pony if they know where I can find historical information.

After heading to the library in the city, I spend the better part of two days and start on the third when I receive a package delivered by a clumsy, gray pegasi mare with offset eyes that look in slightly different directions. I find her clumsiness adorable as I accept the package from her with a smile saying, "Thank you miss."

Derpy then nods and trots outside, then spreads her wings and flies away without saying a single word.

I look the package over to see that it is from Rarity and open the note, reading, 'Dear Gold Reel, I apologize for taking sooo long to finish your suit for the wedding, the clothing I have been perfecting took much longer than expected. Don't worry about paying me for this darling, because I give this to you as a gift, therefore I will not accept payment as I am the Element of Generosity. I do hope that this finds you in time for the ceremony. P.S. There is a pocket on the right and left side, right above each shoulder to carry your bits in instead of using that bag that hangs around your neck.' I then chuckle and sigh saying, "Oh what a thoughtful and generous mare...I guess I should get this on." and then head into the restroom for stallions to put it on.

After getting the suit on, secretly using my magic to make the process quicker and stuff the empty pouch between my black silk jacket and my white shirt. I look at myself in the mirror and see how sharp I look in it and then leave, trotting towards the library doors as the librarian calls out, "If you hope to not look like a fool, you best run to the castle! They will be starting in twenty minutes."

I then move a little faster, avoiding going into a run just to make myself arrive all sweaty. As I quickly trot through the streets, several ponies give me a curious glance, but don't stop to give them a reason as I keep moving towards the castle. After crossing a large drawbridge, I finally arrive at a massive pair of large oak doors with two guards on either side with their spears barring my path. I slow to a walk and stop before them while gathering my breath to calmly say, "I apologize for being late, my name is Gold Reel and I was invited to attend a wedding held here today."

One of the outer guards nod their heads saying, "Very well sir, please follow me to the Ceremonial Hall."

Celestia stands atop the large platform, looking around at the attending guests while looking for one in particular. Moments later, she watches as a guard leads him to the hall and points him towards the back row on the right side of the red carpet, which brings a smile to her face.

I make my way towards the back row and stand on the inside, beside the red carpet and look around when my eyes land upon someone standing at the top of the platform with a very light grey coat, having a very long, flowing, ethereal mane and tail consisting of four different colors. I take a closer look and see that the have a gold crown upon their head and a gold piece of armor around their neck and covering the front of their chest. Unable to see further details due to how far away I am, I stand at the back of the group for a few minutes until the doors close.

When the doors open and a trio of fillies hop and skip down the red carpet while tossing flower petals into the air, everyone turns toward the center aisle, and I follow their example and face the aisle. I then hear a pony walking along the carpet, and wait for them to appear when I see a tall, light pink pony with light purple eyes slowly stride into the room with her head held high. I watch as I then see a violet mane, with moderate rose and pale gold streaks in it, but my jaw drops at seeing a pair of wings on her side and think, 'I don't believe it, there's another Alicorn!'

After watching the alicorn bride walk down the aisle, I hear the ceremony begin as the tall, very light grey pony speaks up with a voice I recognize from the spa a few days ago and wonder who they are exactly. I listen to her speak as she prepares to announce the couple when the doors are thrown open when a mare shouts stop from outside, drawing mine and every other pony's eyes to see Twilight Sparkle standing just inside the doorway.

I hear the bride complain about how possessive of her brother she is when she suddenly changes her tone and cries about her ruining her special day when a voice similar to hers says from outside, "Because it's not your special day, it's mine." I then look at the open doors to see the same mare standing there, looking like she had been through a fight.

Cadence then answers her imposter's question by telling her how she escaped, saying after someone asks how there can be two of them, "She's a changeling. She takes the form of somepony you love, then gains power from feeding off the love you have for them."

The word changeling echoes throughout my mind, causing me to wince as a pain shoots through my head and forces my eyes closed. brief flashes appear around me as I find myself standing in a large, pitch black space, seeing nothing around me but those fleeting flashes when I begin to remember something. I watch as I find myself standing atop a mountain, looking down at a decadent city built from gold and silver bricks. The memory continues as I then journey to the city across the crystal bridge, then walk through the streets seeing many vile acts and save a filly from being raped. After talking to the filly briefly, I send her on her way out of the city and continue to see more of the city. Some time passes as my dislike for the city and its denizens rise with each despicable action, eventually finding myself standing atop the same mountain from before. I stare down upon the city in anger and then amplify my voice to ask them to heed my warning and repent for what they have done or be punished. They reply with cries of laughter as one shouts above them and throws my warning back at me, learning his name is Grogar. I then begin to channel a mysterious power unknown to me to call upon the sky and sea to feel and look upon the city's evil, when I then focus on the denizens inside and use that strange power to forever change them into vile creatures I named, called changelings. I then watch as the sea and sky unleash their wrath and destroy the city, finally returning it into the sea as I watch tiny specks swim or fly toward the distant shore.

I awaken to hearing a strange voice at the other end of the room talking about love, power and food, opening my eyes to find myself on my side as I understand what just happened now. As I look back upon the memory, I sigh and slowly return to my hooves as a couple ponies ask if I'm alright. I look back on them and smile, then nod saying quietly, "I am, I was just so shocked to learn the bride is an imposter."

Celestia watches as Gold Reel is back on his hooves and sighs with relief, then starts walking towards her with scorn in her eyes saying, "No, you won't." and then butts her horn against the changeling's queen and continues, "You might have made Shining Armor unable to perform his spell, but you have now so foolishly revealed thyself...I will protect my subjects from you." then spreads her wings and takes flight to attack her with her magic power.

I clear the floor and stand behind the other ponies as the very light grey pony from earlier battles the changeling, watching as it results in her being defeated. Not giving up the fight, she then sends the six mares I rode with on the train here off to retrieve something called Elements. After they rush out the door leaving their outfits behind, the other ponies in the room start to panic and rush about the room. I watch as the changeling rises into the air and heads towards the doors to shout that escape is futile, seeing my chance to slip away to continue to observe, while waiting to see if my assistance will be needed.

The solar princess wakes up to find herself encased in some sort of a clear, green cocoon that somehow allows her to still breath air, then watches her subjects and flee the room, but one pony yet remains behind. Curious, she looks at the pony closer and sees that it is the stallion she and her sister shared rooms with while keeping their identities hidden and wonders, 'Oh, my little pony, why are you still here? You should have fled with the others.'

As I watch the six ponies from earlier being led back into the room, my anger grows at each thing the changeling says and slams the doors closed when her minions leave at her command to go feed. As she then begins to boast and sing, my anger boils over as I am reminded of every single foul deed I witnessed in the city that I had reduced to less than rubble. I then walk from around the balcony corner and then call out, "Oh you wayward little soul, how misguided you hath become..."

Celestia bangs her hooves against the inside of the cocoon shouting, "NO, GOLD REEL GET BACK! SHE IS TOO STRONG FOR YOU TO HANDLE!!"

Chrysalis heads back inside after hearing someone insult her and looks to her left at the stallion that has dared to speak back to her and says, "You dare to insult me! I am QUEEN CHRYSALIS! BOW BEFORE ME NOW AND I SHALL GRANT YOU MERCY AND FEED UPON YOU MYSELF!"

I look at the disgusting queen with baleful eyes and say, "I would apologize, but that is difficult to do when I view you as being lower than an insect, Queen of the changelings."

Every jaw drops at his insult except for Shining Armor's and the changeling queens as she then screams in rage shouting, "YOU DISRESPECTFUL MAGGOT, MY CHILDREN WILL FEAST UPON YOU UNTIL YOU ARE BUT BONES!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQmPT2lYOfs

As she hangs upside down, she hears music start to fill the air as she screams in her mind, 'DID YOU REALLY JUST CALL THE CHANGELING QUEEN AN INSECT!! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, MY LITTLE PONY!?'

I take a few steps and keep looking the queen in the eye as I feel a familiar magic pick up around me and start singing, "I know an ancient tale, it's one perhaps you know. On just one single day, your kind came to be. One tried to guide you all, but only heard their laughs. So stay here and listen, you need to understand. If you keep this path, life is harsh. There's still hope for your subjects, hoping to see the faint light. Vile ways must be addressed. I will warn you now, you were made by he! Do you know how they felt or screamed, and that he washed his hooves!"

Chrysalis glares at the stallion as he reminds them of their origins, audibly growling with a vicious scowl on her face as she struggles not to impale him with her horn.

I then shake my head sympathetically singing, "You're such a fool, poor poor fool, what a fool..."

Celestia watches in a mixture of dread and wonder as Gold Reel hints at knowing the changeling's origins, managing to make the changeling queen mad enough to level her horn at his throat. She blinks away worried tears as she says, "Please don't anger her anymore than she already is..."

Chrysalis sees him with her vision turning red when he takes a step toward her as the music continues, causing her to scream in rage and charge toward him, aiming to impale his throat with her jagged horn.

I continue forward and ignore the other ponies cries and pleas, then continue the next part singing, "I saw the falling skies, seas raged before my eyes. I heard their fearful screams, like music to my ears."

Watching helplessly from her cocoon as the changeling queen charges toward Gold Reel with the intent to kill, she then screams as tears flow from her eyes, "NOOOOOOO!!!"

Equis huffs in tired annoyance, saying, "You're welcome...give a mare fair warning next time you want to play distraction or hero."

Something about that last verse sends a chill down her spine, locking her legs up which makes her skid forward to a stop. She feels the tip of her horn pressing against the stallions throat, not understanding what caused her to stop just before drawing blood. She blinks several times as her mind scrambles to understand what is happening to her, when she recalls the last few words he said and thinks, 'That's what this feeling is...fear...but why am I suddenly afraid of this stallion, I fear nopony!'

I grin as my words finally got through to her and lean my head down to her ear to whisper just loud enough for her to hear. "It...was...me."

Chrysalis's fear grows as she takes a step back, shying away from him slightly as she snaps her head upward to gaze into his eyes saying in a barely audible tone, "W-W-What?"

Jaws drop around the room as they all watch the queen of the changelings back away from the stallion she attacked, all thinking the same exact thing, 'What?'

I then slowly step towards her, leaning my head towards hers and whisper quietly, "I was there...on the mountain looking down upon Saddlelantis." after a few slow steps, she still doesn't reply so I give her an extra nudge to help her out, whispering, "Still troubled I see, perhaps if I told you that my eyes glow like no other and have no equal. If you can...try to search through the memories of those who came before you."

The queen continues to slowly back up, her legs trembling all the while as she connects to the hive's archive of memories within each queen's mind, finding what she is searching for a few moments later. She sees the image of a pony like Princess Celestia, an alicorn that came long before the two sister's great grandparents were even born. The image burns itself into her mind, seeing his snow-white coat and the glowing amber of his eyes, having a flowing black, ethereal mane and tail with a pair of black wings lying uselessly on the ground. She returns from the archive and stares at him with wavering eyes, as they slowly shrink down to pinpricks. Fighting her every nerve screaming at her to flee, she then says, "No...it can't be true." Her legs tremble even more as he continues slowly walking toward her and shouts again, "YOU LIE! IT'S NOT TRUE!"

I continue slowly stalk toward her with each step I take and say, "I am not lying to you, look upon my coat, my mane, my eyes. Use your extrasensory perception to see my true form."

Chrysalis hesitantly closes her eyes, then channels her magic through her eyes and reopens them. She tilts her head up ever so slightly to look over the alicorn standing above her, having the same flowing, ethereal mane and tail, glowing amber eyes, and the very same snow-white coat. When she watches the wings drag along the floor, she scrambles backwards only to trip and fall onto her rear as a blood-curdling scream rips from her throat. She scrambles to get away, pushing herself backward, on her rear across the hall as she screams in fear, "STAY AWAY!...YOUR A MYTH...A MYTH! YOU DON'T EXIST!"

I look at her with a menacing glare and get into her face, looking into her emerald green eyes while my lips are a mere inches from hers saying, "So you say, but why are you so terrified right now if what you say is true?"

Her back hits a column as his face is right there, causing her to panic and channel as much of her magic as she can into her horn and jerks her head back bellowing, "SHUT UP AND GET AWAY FROM MEEE!!! and blasts him back with a large gob of the material they use to cocoon their victims, causing him to slam into a column and to stick to it. She then opens her eyes shakily to see him completely immobilized by the large amount encasing him against the column, seeing her victory over the stallion, she then gets up onto her hooves and trots over to him and gloats saying, "YOU WRETCHED FOAL! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD TRICK ME!! I WILL PUNISH YOU BY MAKING YOU THE UNWITTING SIRE OF MY NEXT BATCH OF TEN THOUSAND EGGS!!!" then laughs maniacally.

Seeing her chance to save the day, Twilight sneaks over to Cadance and quietly says, "Quick, get to him while you have the chance. and burns away the stuff sticking her hooves to the floor.

Still hearing the changeling queen's vile words, my anger changes into rage as I attempt to burn away the stuff immobilizing me.

Chrysalis hears a sizzling followed by a dripping sound as she turns back towards the encased stallion, only to see that his eyes have started to brightly glow with golden light. Her joy at victory swiftly turns to ash as she starts to back away from the brightness of his eyes.

I return to my hooves and shake the remaining goo off of me as I walk towards her, shifting my position to drive her towards a column saying with a slight growl in my voice, "I refuse to lay with anyone who is lower than a cockroach. But when I get done with you, the only thing left of you will be a faint discoloration on one of these columns..."

Twilight watches in disbelief as Gold Reel back the changeling queen towards a column on the far side of the room with an angry scowl on his face, then looks at her brother saying, "Your spell! Perform your spell!"

Shining armor then sees a very angry stallion backing a scared changeling queen across the room and tries to cast his spell, but it fails as he then hangs his head tiredly saying, "I-I can't, my power is useless. There's not enough strength to drive them away now."

Cadance then hugs her beloved stallion and then says, "My love will provide you the strength you need."

I watch as the queen's flank hits the column and then rear up on my back legs asking, "Any last words?"

The queen looks at the stallion as he prepares to end her existence and says, "Please have mercy on me..."

I then raise my hooves higher and look down between them saying, "Sorry, I'm all out of mercy. Do the world a favor and perish without a sound..."

She curls up on herself and closes her eyes, wincing and trembling as she waits for the strike to come. When it doesn't, she cracks one eye open to look up at him curiously and notices him looking at something. Curious as to what he is looking at, she catches a glowing light off to her right. The light comes from Shining Armor and Cadance as they float up in the air, getting brighter by the second until they are blinding to look at.

Forced to close my eyes and shield them from the blinding light, I even turn my head away as the light passes through my eyelids, when I start feeling a wind kick up to show that a strong spell is being prepared and think, 'I just hope that I don't pass out or blown away as a result from when that spell is cast.'

Chrysalis sheds joyful tears as she is being saved by the ponies who she tried to subjugate, feeling a magical blast approach her rapidly and shouts, "THANK YOOOOUU!" as it sends her flying away from the castle and into the lands beyond.

As the light begins to fade away, I look around to see that I am still inside the ceremonial hall. However, as I look myself over, I realize that my body is back to my original form, and quickly look around to see if anyone is looking at me. To my relief, they all seem to be staring at the couple when I see an interesting cutie mark on her flank seeming to be a heart made of some kind of gem. As I look at the heart, a sense of deja-vu comes over me when I see a flash within my mind, showing me a land with terrible blizzards followed by a brief glimpse of a large, flawless, light blue, multi-faceted crystal heart. As the image fades away, I shake my head and quickly try to cast the spell to return to my previous look. To my dismay, the spell fails to cast, which causes me to worry slightly as I try again. Again the spell fails to cast and give up on it, then cast a teleport while imagining myself back in the gorge outside of where the Crystal tree is at.

Celestia notices a flash from her right and turns to where Gold Reel was standing earlier, finding that he is gone and says, "What was that flash earlier, and where did that stallion go to? I need to have a few words with him about his behavior towards the Changeling Queen." then sees Twilight run up to her and says, "Don't worry about me, Twilight, because I'm fine." She then smiles and adds, "Besides, you have a real wedding to organize."

XIX: Shocking discoveries

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Meanwhile, somewhere at Sweet Apple Acres

After casting my spell to escape being noticed, I find myself amid an orchard of apple trees when I hear a tree being kicked and wonder if this is Applejack's home when I spot a stallion with a red coat and a brilliant orange mane head to another tree and then buck it with his hind legs. The apples fall off the tree and land in a couple of tubs below it, and as the stallion walks away from me to knock the apples down, I try to teleport away again. When the spell fails, I feel exhaustion throughout my body and take the only option left for me and take off at a trot.

Big Mac kicks another tree and watches the apples fall into the tubs when he hears a branch snap, then turns around to see what the noise was and sees a long stick broken in two places in the middle and calls out, "Hello?" Hearing no reply after a few seconds, he shrugs his shoulders and then returns to harvesting apples.

I hastily trot away from the bush I hid behind, trying to put some distance between the stallion and I when one of my limp wings bumps into and accidentally knocks over a stack of empty barrels. I hiss loudly in pain when one barrel lands on my right wing and breaks a bone, causing me to say, "Shit..." then take off at a gallop through the trees.

Hearing a nasty snap amid the sound of tumbling barrels followed by somepony speaking, he quickly heads over to the fallen barrels to see where the injured pony went to. He sees a large set of hoofprints in the dirt, clearly belonging to another stallion as he starts to follow the trail at gallop calling out, "You alright?"

As I gallop away from the thundering of his hooves, I jump over a fallen log and then pivot to the right on my hooves to abruptly change directions and go back into a gallop. When I attempt to switch directions to the left, my right wing swings out wide and smacks into a dead apple tree, causing a sickening, splitting sound to echo throughout the orchard around me and pulling a pained cry from my lips. I fight through the pain to keep running from the stallion, tears slowly slipping down my face as I ignore the stallion's urging me to stop.

Unable to get a clear look of the injured stallion, Big Mac gets the general feeling that the pony is trying to head to the Everfree Forest, but is lost in the orchard and calls out saying, "You are clearly injured and lost, I can help!"

Trying to find a way out of this orchard is like trying to find my way through a maze blindfolded, as I start running over spongy ground due to rainfall. I then see a rise up ahead as the chance to lose the stallion and return to the forest, and run even harder towards it.

Big Mac breathes heavily as he finally is able to see the stallion, watching as he races toward the rise up ahead. Knowing that spot isn't safe due to the recent shower, he calls out, "Stop, it isn't safe!" but is too late as the stallion jumps for the higher ground.

I feel myself soaring through the air as I pass over the ledge, bringing my hooves down upon it as they start to sink in. Quickly lifting my front legs, I shift my momentum forward and move them further ahead to pull myself along. However, the moment my back hooves land on the soft ground, something feels terribly wrong as the ground gives out from under them and falls away. Determined to keep myself from falling, I slam my front hooves down on the ground just ahead of me hard when an intense pain shoots up through both my front legs. As the pain is too great to ignore, I throw my head back and cry out, yelling, "Yaahh!!" I soon learn that was a mistake as I feel my hooves pulling a chunk of dirt away with me while my body slowly tips over backward, and try to use my front hooves to regain my balance. My efforts are in vain as I can't make full use of my legs due to the shooting pain and continue to fall backward towards the ground a few feet below me.

He watches in shock as the strange alicorn over-centers due to their mistake as their wings hang down from his body, apparently unable to make use of them.

Equis watches her friend in horror as he falls backward, and ignores her tired state as she races out of the cavern to go help him thinking, 'Hang on Galadriel, I'm coming to save you!'

I feel myself continue to fall further backward, remembering in an instant the fact that horns can heal from being cracked, but never grow back if it is ever completely broken off. Making the split decision to save my horn at the cost of a few potentially broken ribs, I use all the strength of my back right leg to push myself to the left as I let my left leg go lax. I feel the success of altering my trajectory as I start to fall towards my left side instead of straight backward, and pull my head and neck ahead as I see a rounded stone mostly buried in the dirt and think, 'Well this is going to really suck...' I feel my left flank hit the ground as my upper body continues to fall sideways and close my eyes thinking, 'Way to let yourself be seen, moron.' Shortly after my body slams into the ground, putting a fair amount of pressure on the upper part of my wings, my consciousness fades away when my head hits the rock rather hard.

Big Mac runs up to the fallen alicorn with wide eyes, to shocked to think of what to do as he sees blood coming from his right wing when he hears a voice scream in his head, 'WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU DOLT, GO GET ZECORA!' He then quickly nods his head and says, "Right!" then gallops off to go find the Zebra in the Everfree Forest.

A week later, on a train heading back to Ponyville

Rarity then sighs and says, "That was such a lovely wedding, wasn't it girls? It's such a shame that Gold Reel didn't stick around after that first debacle."

Twilight then sighs and says, "I know, both Princess Celestia was disappointed at how he took off without a word and didn't show up for the actual wedding, even Cadence wanted to meet him."

Just then, Pinkie Pie sits up straight as she starts tingling and says, "Uh-oh guys, I'm getting a niggly feeling!"

They all take cover and watch Pinkie Pie for any indications as what it is going to be when her whole body suddenly starts shaking when Applejack says, "We all know what that signal means..."

Rainbow Dash then flies up into the air eagerly asking, "I wonder what it will be this time? Aliens? Space Monsters?"

Fluttershy then hides behind her seat, trembling as she gulps and says, "I just hope that it's nothing scary."

As the train pulls up to the station, nothing has happened yet as Applejack gets off first saying, "Ah've gotta help Big Mac out on the farm, he should have a fair start on the next orchard."

The others say goodbye to their friend and head their separate ways as Applejack makes her way back with Applebloom following her saying, "That was sooo neat! I'm so glad that Princess Cadence asked me and my friends to be flower fillies for the real wedding!"

She and her sister enjoy a walk as they return to their farm, arriving at their home when Applejack arrives to see her brother sorting the apples outside the barn and asks, "What the hay Big Mac, why aren't ya doin' that inside?"

He then looks over at Applebloom as a bead of nervous sweat trails down his face and says, "Could ya go get the tubs from the west orchard and bring 'em here, Applebloom?"

Applebloom smiles and starts making her way there saying, "Sure thing, Big Mac!"

Applejack waits for her sister to be out of earshot before approaching her brother and asking, "Alright Big Mac... What's goin' on in the barn?"

He is thinking of a lie to tell his sister when he then hears the voice inside his head again sigh and say, 'She's the Element of Honesty, so don't try to fool her, because even he couldn't. Just ask her to keep calm and quiet, then lead her in here. Since this is now unavoidable, at least we can control the aftermath a fair degree...'

Taking a breath, Big Mac makes sure Applebloom is out of earshot before he looks back at his sister saying, "When ah lead ya inside, please keep calm and quiet while Zecora tends to him."

Hearing her brother speak so much causes her eyes to go wide with wonder as she then follows her brother up to the barn door, apparently locked from inside as he raises his hoof to the door and knocks on it twice, then pauses a brief moment before knocking once, pausing one last time to knock two final times. Before getting the chance to ask what is going on, the barn door opens quickly as Zecora opens the door and makes eye contact with her saying, "Quickly must you enter, for I am brewing his supper!"

Zecora returns to her cauldron as she prepares a brew of vegetables and looks over her shoulder to see Applejack standing just outside watching her curiously and says, "Come inside you mare and lock the door, if you don't, there's going to be an uproar!"

Applejack enters with a blush at her sternness and then locks the door, asking, "What kind of supper are you making, and who is it for Zecora?"

The zebra adds a few tonics into the bubbling cauldron as she uses a long ladle to stir the contents around to further liquefy saying, "Just a soup of boiled down vegetables and herbs, with a few potions thrown in so that nothing disturbs. It is for a very special guest, whom I was brought here to help on request."

Before his sister can ask any more questions, Big Mac bumps his shoulder into hers and softly says, "This way, but you must be quiet." and walks quietly around the large curtain set up behind the cauldron for security.

As she walks around the privacy curtain, her eyes notice a platform of bales in the center of the room covered by a few large, soft bed sheets. What causes her eyes to go wide, however is who is laying on the sheets. Her jaw drops open for a moment as her eyes shrink to pinpricks at the sight of the unknown alicorn in their barn, then turns toward her brother and looks between the two while blinking in disbelief, trying to find something to say in her shocked state, mumbling, "Huh...? Wha...? How...? Who...?"

Big Mac sighs and then places his hoof on her shoulder, saying softly, "It's been a long week, believe me." He then jerks his head back towards where Zecora is and says, "Come on, ah'll tell ya what happened while Zecora makes his supper."

Applejack follows her brother, eager to learn what happened while they were gone and says, "Jeez, see what happens when ya leave fer a week? Ya miss something exciting..."

Applebloom heads deeper into the west orchard, spotting a stack of barrels that were knocked over and begins to re-stack them. When she lifts the last barrel up, she spots a feather underneath it. She tosses the barrel into place and then picks the feather up with her hoof, picking it up due to how interesting it looks. She looks at the feather, wondering if it came from a gryphon and then puts it into a full tub of apples and then puts it onto her back and hastily makes her way back to the barn to show her sister thinking, 'I can't believe how big this thing is, it has got to be longer than one of Princess Luna's or even Princess Celestia's feathers! What kind of creature dropped this?'

As she listens to Big Mac finish his story, Applejack then asks, "Okay, but what is this alicorn's name, where did he even come from, and would somepony tell me who made this request?" then huffs in annoyance at how they try to avoid her questions as she adds, "And don't say you don't know, because I know you do."

A tired yawn filters from Equis as she drifts down to the floor saying, "Jeez, can't a mare get any sleep? And would you mind keeping your voice down, my friend is trying to heal and sleep if you haven't noticed his state."

Applejack looks all around for who said that with wide eyes as she asks shakily, "W-Wh-Who and w-where a-are ya?"

The spirit sighs as she uses some of her power to make a somewhat visible form for herself, appearing as a white, unicorn made of a visible mist with lavender-colored mist for eyes as she then says, "I am right here, and as for who I am...let's just say that I'm an observant guardian...and leave it at that okay? It was me that made the request for Big Mac to bring Zecora here to help him get my friend inside your barn, it is very important that all of this world's citizens do not learn of his existence until the time is right. Only he can tell you what you want to know, but he will only share what he knows when he can trust you with it. Onto more pressing matters that are higher in priority, these two have been helping me do what we can for the alicorn for the past week, they are both tired and weary from having to keep him asleep. I too am exhausted from having to use my magic to keep his body from healing wrong, which has not been easy, I assure you. These two only get about two hours of sleep per night as I get about four, if we are to help this alicorn heal, we need additional help. What I need you to do, miss Applejack, and I know he will be upset about it...but you need to bring Twilight here, she will have an idea of what to do so just trust her." she then lets the mist dissipate as she then says, "Get going already you stubborn mare."

She straightens her posture and says in a huff while a light blush covers her cheeks, "I am not stubborn...just strong-willed." then makes her way towards the door, unlocking it and then heading outside.

Applebloom sees her sister exit the barn and sets the tub of apples apart from the others, using her mouth to grab the large feather before trotting before her sister and putting the feather on the ground saying, "Hey sis, look at what I found when I was bringing back a tub of apples. It's a ginormous feather from some kind of creature, isn't it neat?"

Equis floats back up to the rafters softly saying with a chuckle, "That's exactly what a stubborn mare would say..." and remembers she forgot to tell her to try to not let Pinkie follow her back and sighs as the door locks silently after Applebloom spoke to her sister.

Applejack looks at the feather her sister lays on the ground, seeing that it really is long, noticing that it clearly belongs to the alicorn in the barn and says, "Wow, that really is a big feather, you should show it to your friends once you get the rest of the tubs up by the barn, Applebloom."

She looks at her sister and sticks the feather in her mane, then giggles and hurries off to get another tub saying, "Okay big sis, see ya later! Oh I can't wait to show this off to my friends when I'm done!"

She watches her sister head off to the orchard, seeing that the feather is so long it hangs down over her tail, drawing a chuckle out of her as she then trots off to go find Twilight.

Twilight sits in her chair, reading through some books about ancient cities, not having found anything yet when a knock at her door distracts her as she puts the book down to go answer it. When she gets to the door, she pulls it open to see Applejack there and smiles saying, "Hey Applejack, what's going on?"

Applejack then says, "Ah need ya to come with me to the farm, we need yer help with something."

Shocked by hearing her friend ask for help, she quickly looks over to Spike as he prepares to make lunch and says, "Spike, Applejack needs help at Sweet Apple Acres."

Spike grabs a small backpack with writing supplies and makes sure it has plenty of paper, spare quills, and of course...ink then says, "Coming!" and hurries towards her.

Not knowing if it's okay for Spike to come, she then realizes that the guardian didn't specifically say Spike couldn't come and turns around and canters at a brisk pace saying, "Alright, let's get going"

Twilight looks at Spike as he closes the door behind him and says, "Quick, jump on!" and feels him hop up onto her back, then takes off after her friend. Catching up to her, she runs alongside her and asks, "Just what is going on that has you in such a hurry"

Applejack continues on and says, "Ya'll find out when we get there!"

Pinkie Pie passes the bush as she hops along after delivering a carrot cake to Fluttershy, seeing Applejack and Twilight, with Spike sitting on Twilight as the two mares gallop towards the bush, saying, "Hiya girls, what's up?"

Startled by her sudden appearance, Applejack veers to the right and bumps into Twilight saying, "WAAH!"

As Applejack runs into the party pony's shoulder, she spins around for a bit. When she stops spinning, her legs wobble for a bit as her eyes roll around in a dizzy state. Quickly recovering from her dizziness by shaking her head, she giggles and races after the girls. She runs on the left side of Applejack, she says with a smile, "That was fun!" then cocks her head curiously and asks, "So, where are we running to?"

Twilight then says, "Applejack needs help with something urgent at Sweet Apple Acres, can you come with us to help?"

Pinkie Pie then smiles and says, "Of course, I am always there to help my friends."

The farm pony hopes that no one else happens to see them and join them as she then sighs and says, "Alright, let's hurry along." Her family's farm comes into sight as she slows to a stop when they near the barn, and moves to stand in front of them, saying, "Now, before we go inside. Ah need ya both to Pinkie Swear to keep quiet so ya don't disturb them while they are asleep."

After watching the three of them make a Pinkie Promise, Applejack then nods and says, "Alright, come on." and approaches the door as they follow behind her, then performs the knock she seen her brother use. The door opens a few moments later as her brother opens the door to let them in as she then heads inside saying, "We ran into Pinkie along the way."

Zecora then chuckles and says, "It is quite alright, I am sure you three will find this to be a sight." She then stirs her brew one more time and then sighs saying, "The brew is ready at last, come, Big Mac, we must work fast." She then starts to pour the cauldron's contents into a large beaker and walks around the curtain with Applejack's brother right behind her.

Applejack follows the other two slowly, looking over her shoulder saying, "Now remember, quiet as a mouse, no matter what you see."

Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike follow her around the curtain, causing Twilight to freeze in place with eyes as big as saucers as her jaw drops open.

When Pinkie steps around Twilight curiously, she gasps excitedly and begins to spring up into the air at meeting somepony new that happens to be an alicorn like Princesses Cadence, Celestia, and Luna. As she freezes in the air, she takes in a deep breath and remembers her promise, managing to restrain her extreme joy and screams quietly just like Fluttershy would. When she returns to the ground, her whole body begins to contort and twitch as a serious doozy is discovered.

Spike steps around a frozen Pinkie as her eyes bug out of her skull, sort of creeping him out, but also slightly amusing to see. He then looks at what they are all looking at, unable to get a good look because of how short he is, he climbs up onto Twilight and stands on her head as her body is completely rigid from shock. He then sees why they are all frozen while he watches Big Mac holding the unknown alicorn's head with his hoof on either side of its head as Applejack clamps its nose shut with a wooden clothespin before prying its lower jaw open and holding it there. Zecora then steps up and slowly pours a bit of the potion into their held open mouth before stopping for Applejack to quickly close the alicorn's jaw and forces them to swallow.

The unconscious alicorn begins to struggle a bit as they continue to pour the brew into his mouth a bit at a time, eventually needing Applejack to hold her hoof to his horn to keep him from using magic. After the last bit of potion is swallowed, the struggling slows and eventually stops, allowing the three of them to sigh with relief as Applejack says, "Well, that was an experience."

Big Mac huffs and says in a slightly sarcastic tone, "Easy for you to say, I've been here all week along with Zecora and the guardian. I lost count of how many times I've been blasted into the back wall of the barn, I need a break from this."

Zecora yawns tiredly and then sighs while looking over to Twilight and the other two guests saying, "Yes, this is our newest guest, we are quite tired and could use the rest. Perhaps if you would write a letter, we might start resting better."

Twilight snaps out of it with a gasp and jerks her head back, causing Spike to fall off and stab the floor with his spines. She looks at him and giggles lightly asking, "Are you okay Spike?"

Spike pulls his spines up out of the floor and then says, "Yeah I'm fine, I should not have stood on your head to see the new alicorn."

She then smiles and says, "Spike, I need you to take a letter."

He pulls his bag off and then pulls out a paper, a quill, and an inkwell, then sets the inkwell on the floor and opens it. Quickly taking the quill and dipping it into the ink, he taps off the excess and says in a gentle voice, "Ok, I'm ready for it Twilight."

Not really knowing how to approach the letter, Twilight says, "Umm... Dear Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence, there has been an unforeseen...no, scratch that. There has been an...interesting development that you all need to see for yourselves to believe, even as I look at the discovery with my own eyes, I still can't believe them. The nature of this development is most urgent, so please come to the barn at Sweet Apple Acres as swiftly as you are able. P.S. Dear Princess Celestia, due to the nature of this discovery, it may prove to best arrive without guards. If, for some reason, you need to knock, knock on the barn door twice, then once, then twice again and the door will be opened for you. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Now please send it Spike."

Spike nods and sets the quill down, then rolls up the letter and slides a ribbon over it. Raising it into the air, he then blows on it with his fire breath to send it on its way saying, "There, now we wait for her reply."

Twilight then smiles and looks at Spike saying, "Why don't we tidy up the barn as best we can, if and when they arrive?"

Meanwhile, somewhere in Canterlot

Princess Celestia is performing one of her tiring daily tasks when she suddenly sees a scroll pop up in front of her. Surprised to receive a letter from Twilight so soon, she smiles and opens it saying, "Excuse me for a moment while I read this important letter, my loyal ponies." As she reads through the letter, her happy smile quickly changes into one of concern as the letter leads her to thing something bad has happened that needs to be kept quiet. After finishing the letter, she rolls it up and turns to the nobles with her saying, "I do apologize for this inconvenience, but another matter has come up that demands my attention. We will have to reschedule this for another day, my beloved subjects." As they all nod and agree to reschedule, Celestia turns around and flies towards the castle to wake up Luna.

Luna is slumbering peacefully when she hears her sister call from the hallway and groans saying, "Uhhghh...is it time to change the day already?"

She hastily enters and smiles sadly saying, "It is sister, but that is not why I am here now. I just received a letter addressed to me, you, and Cadence from Twilight about an urgent recent discovery that she is having trouble believing. She seems to think this discovery is rather sensitive, sensitive enough that we have to go without guards." and starts writing a reply to her student, then sends it away in a flash of light.

She gets up and stretches her body saying, "Alright, where are we going, and when?"

Celestia then smiles and says, "As soon as you can make yourself presentable, or would you prefer to go as you are?"

A fierce blush colors Luna's cheeks as she quickly gets up and forces a comb through her mane and tail, then retrieves her regalia and huffs saying, "Knowing you, sister, you would get a laugh out of seeing me go au naturale before others and squirm from embarrassment. Shall we change the cycle now before we go?"

Twilight looks around at the much better looking barn after a bit of cleaning when Spike belches and brings a scroll over to her, saying, "Thank you, Spike. Let's see what she says." and opens it reading, "Dear Twilight, thank you very much for notifying me so swiftly. I am quite curious at what has you in such a state, so Luna and I will be there after changing the day to night. Unfortunately, Cadence is on her honeymoon and will have to learn of this development at a later time. We will see you shortly." Seeing that, she hands the letter back to Spike saying, "Thank you Spike, I will wait outside for them to arrive. Close and lock the door behind me, then listen for the knock Applejack used earlier."

After they change the day to night, Luna stands on a balcony and turns to her sister, spreading her wings and asks, "It's a brief flight to Ponyville, shall we get going sister?"

Celestia then giggles and pulls her sister in for a wing and foreleg hug saying, "That's too slow." then charges up a spell to teleport them both outside Applejack's home.

Knowing what her sister intends to do, she gasps saying, "Wait, I'm not..." but is cut off as the spell is cast.

Twilight stands outside the barn door, liking how she got to watch the two change the day to night so flawlessly when she is startled by a loud zapping pop, making her yelp, "AAHH!"

Luna coughs up some smoke as she frowns at her sister, with a few singed spots on her coat and face saying, "Thanks a lot for the makeover sister..."

She looks at her faithful student with a smile saying, "Sorry for frightening you, Twilight. Please show us what you have found."

The young mare smiles and then says, "Its alright, please follow me, and no matter what you see inside the barn...please try not to freak out and make a lot of noise by using the royal voice..."

Celestia huffs as Twilight heads for the door, saying, "We're princesses...we would never lose our cool no matter what might happen."

Hearing the knock Applejack used, Spike opens the door for them as Twilight steps through with Celestia and Luna on her heels while Luna looks a bit frazzled. Concerned for her, he asks, "Forgive me for asking, but are you okay Princess Luna? You look a bit...out of sorts."

Luna ignores her sisters tittering as she then huffs at her saying, "I am fine, my impatient sister is the cause of my current state as she suddenly hugged me and teleported us outside without letting me prepare."

Twilight hears Spike close and lock the door and heads around the now-cold cauldron towards the right side of the curtain saying, "They are sleeping so please try not to wake them up due to their current state."

Celestia follows Twilight curiously as they get closer and closer to seeing what is behind the curtain, she slowly notices a black wing hanging off the edge of a platform built from straw bales and covered with white bed sheets. When she continues walking forward, she sees a light-colored coat with mud and dirt all over it. As she fully sees what is lying on the platform, she freezes in her steps as her jaw falls open in shock and her eyes go wide.

Nearly running into the backside of her sister as she stops suddenly, Luna looks around the room to see scorch marks in various places and trots around her. Stopping with her shoulder ahead of her sister, she quickly turns her head around to her sister saying, "Why did you stop and what are you staring at?"

Unsure if she can believe what her eyes are seeing, she blinks several times, saying softly, "See for yourself, Luna."

As she turns her head, she sees what her sister is staring at and mumbles, "I don't believe what I am seeing." then slowly approaches them to get a closer look. She walks around the alicorn, taking in every detail from the ethereal, flowing, black mane with the barest hint of a white coat underneath the smeared dirt, the large, black wings having strange red tips on the bottom row of feathers, and the horn on its head. As she walks around the other side of the new alicorn, she gasps and then shouts quietly, "SISTER, this alicorn is a STALLION!!

Celestia is shocked out of her frozen state as she quickly joins her sister to see for herself and gasps saying in the same quiet tone, "You're right! Does he have a Cutie Mark?"

Luna then looks around for something to use as a rag, saying gently, "I don't know, let's find out." finding one hanging on a nail sticking out of a post and pulls it off with her magic. Moving the rag over to a water trough on the far side of the barn and dunks it in, soaking it before bringing it back and lightly lays it onto his rump and begins to wipe the mud and dirt away. When she dunks it into the trough to wash the dirt out of it, she pulls it out and then wrings it dry before bringing it back over to finish cleaning the area.

A minute later, they all look at the cutie mark as Twilight gasps saying, "That's Gold Reel's Cutie Mark, but how did he become an alicorn?"

After having a brief nap, Equis floats down and forms a misty body for herself with the same semi-transparent white unicorn shape with lavender mist for eyes, hovering in the air on the other side of Gold Reel's alicorn body. Her sudden appearance earns gasps from those who haven't met her already and speaks before they have a chance to view her as hostile, saying, "Don't panic, I'm not going to harm you or my friend Gold Reel. I won't tell you my name, so just think of me as an observant guardian of this world. To answer your question, he was already an alicorn when he met you all." then looks over to Twilight and says, "Before you ask that question, I'll tell you that he was able to transform his body so that he could interact with you ponies." looking back at the two princesses, she says, "Three of us have been working tirelessly to do what we can to help him heal, but we are at the end of what we can do. In order to keep him from hurting himself any further, we had to force him to consume healing potions and strong sedation potions through liquid meals of boiled down vegetables and healing herbs. It has been a long week and he will be in your care now, so do your best to keep him from becoming known to the public for the time being." She then looks to Luna and sighs saying, "Luna, I am sure you have noticed that something has been slightly off with the dream realm for the past several months, I was doing what I could to keep you from seeing his dream door and discovering him too early. I won't be doing that anymore as it is no longer needed." She then looks at her friend and says, "This stallion has been making me run myself ragged from looking after him these past two weeks... First, it was a fragment of memory coming back at seeing the Changeling Queen which, after watching for a bit, I had to provide the music for his song. And after that, I had to use my own magic to restrain his quite a bit when he nearly used his power to turn her into a wall stain, literally. Then after that blast sent her and every other changeling flying away, he noticed his true form was revealed by the spell and tried to cast it, but couldn't so he teleported as far as he could. Which landed him in the orchard near where Big Mac was harvesting trees, and some of you know what happened next." she then lets her form fade away saying, "Take good care of my friend and try not to jump his bones yet, he has a lot of healing to do. Oh...and be very gentle when you handle his wings. Have fun babysitting him, he's a handful! It's time this mare gets a much needed rest."

XX: Secrets and lending a helping hoof

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Pinkie Pie then jumps up and quietly screams, "YAY, WE GET TO BABYSIT AN ALICORN!" while confetti and ribbons shoot out of her mane with the sound of a party favor.

Not knowing what to say for once, she slowly says, "What...just happened?"

Luna looks the alicorn over and sees the state of his wings saying, "We were just saddled with a new responsibility, sister. Look at how bad his wings are."

Celestia then looks at them and sees the bones broken cleanly at the base of each wing, as the right wing has a few odd angles where they shouldn't be, saying, "Sadly, Gold Reel can't fly with broken wings, and it will take awhile for them to hear. Big Mac, could you please tell us what happened to cause such terrible injuries?"

Big Mac then nods saying, "Eeyup Your Majesty. A week ago, I was harvesting apples when I heard a branch snap, so I went to investigate and found a branch on the ground in two places. I then called out to see if anypony was there, but I got no answer, so I went back to work. A bit later, I hear a stack of barrels fall over when I hear a loud snap followed by a loud, painful sounding hiss. After I hear somepony speak, I hurried over to where the barrels were at and saw a pair of large hoofprints. So I assumed they belonged to a stallion then followed after him at a gallop, asking if he was alright, which I never got an answer." He then pauses for a breath and continues, "I followed him over a fallen log and then took a really sharp right turn, which I'm surprised he didn't twist a hoof, pivoting like that. However, I then heard a sickening splitting sound followed by a painful cry, and when I came to a sharp left turn with a Zap Apple tree just ahead, I followed it around and tried to get the pony to stop so I could help him. After that it was a series of winding turns, seeming to have gotten lost in the orchard so I said I could tell he was injured and that I would help him. When I finally saw the stallion, he was racing toward a rise in a muddy area due to a heavy rainfall the day before. When I realized he was heading for the higher ground, I called out that it wasn't safe but it was too late as he already made the jump. Things went from bad, to worse in the blink of an eye after that. When his front hooves cleared the edge, he tried to shift his momentum into a run with them. I first thought he would get away, but when his back hooves hit the soft ground, they went right through it as the ground crumbled away. He then brought his front hooves down in front of him, but must have injured himself again because he threw his head back and cried out in pain. With that motion, the ground under his front hooves started to peel away as his body started falling over backwards, and then tried to regain his balance with his front hooves. They must have been too injured to help because he kept tipping backwards, unable to use his wings as they just hung from his body. He must have seen he was going to cause damage to his horn because he relaxed his back left leg and pushed himself to the side with his other back leg, and he then shifted his head forward. When his body hit the ground, he landed into a muddy spot. The moment his head hit the ground, however, I could tell it landed on a rock from the sound I heard. As I stood there, the guardian called me a dolt and said to not just stand around and to go get Zecora. After that, Zecora and I brought a large wagon to load him onto, which was a battle in itself as you see how he has mud smeared all over. We did finally manage to get him onto the wagon as the guardian boosted my strength temporarily so I could hurry to the barn and prepare a place to lay him on."

Twilight listens to the rest of the story with interest saying, "Wow, I can't believe he was able to make a decision like that in a split-second, and managed to successfully alter his body's trajectory. With a body like his, or even Big Mac's, it would take skill and fast responses to pull it off."

Luna cleans off the wash rag in the trough and starts wiping away the mud saying, "Well, sister, I think we should clean him up as best we can and then take him to the royal medical wing for treatment."

Celestia sighs and nods her head saying, "Yes, I agree with you on that sister. We will have to keep him sedated until his wings fully heal."

Remembering about Gold Reel having a cloak at Rarity's, she says, "Oh, I almost forgot he left something at Rarity's, be right back everypony!" then teleports over to her friend's boutique and knocks on the door to see if she is there.

Rarity is just about to turn the crystal lamp off when she sighs mumbling, "UGH, don't these ponies realize they can return in the morning!" then says in a forced, cheerful tone, "Coming!" and unlocks the door, then opens it saying, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and..." then gasps once she sees Twilight outside and smiles genuinely saying, "Oh Twilight, what a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you, darling?"

Twilight then smiles lightly, saying, "I'm sorry for coming at a late hour, Rarity. The day of the picnic before we left for Canterlot by train for the wedding, Gold Reel was here and you took his measurements for an outfit to wear. He left his cloak here that day, is still here by chance?"

She blushes lightly in embarrassment and says, "It-it is... What do you need it for?"

She looks at Rarity and says, "Well, I have seen him around Ponyville and I wanted to return it to him."

Rarity then nods and sighs silently saying, "Oh of course, let me go get it for you. Wait right here and I will be right back with it."

Twilight beams a wide smile saying, "Alright, no problem!"

She then turns and heads inside, then goes upstairs to her bedroom to retrieve it. Once inside her room, she moves some pillows aside to grab the cloak. She sighs sadly at having to part with it and brings it up to her nose and breathes in the pleasant smell of vetiver along with the stallion's lingering scent of pine needles and freshly fallen leaves. She then lays it across her back and makes her way downstairs, then puts a smile back on her face as she says, "Sorry for taking so long, I had to move a few things around to get to it." then hands it over to her saying, "Here you go, Twilight." She then says with a wistful smile, "Umm...do you think I can come with you to see him again?"

She then looks at her wistful smile and sighs saying, "I'm sorry Rarity, but he will be heading to Canterlot shortly as the Princesses wanted to speak to him."

As Twilight slowly takes the cloak from her, Rarity hangs her head and sighs saying, "Oh...well I hope that he will come visit us soon, " then picks it back up saying with a hopeful smile, "or perhaps we will have the chance to go visit him!"

Twilight then lays it over her back and says, "I'm sure will definitely see him again, thank you for this. Goodnight Rarity."

She watches her friend then start walking away, then closes the door and releases a sad sigh saying, "I really look forward to when I get to meet that handsome stallion again."

Luna works with her sister and a couple others as they work to clean the mud off Gold Reel's body when she sees a flash accompanied by a brief pop, and looks over to see Twilight has returned with something black on her back and asks, "Is that what he was wearing when he was in Ponyville?"

Twilight then nods and says, "Yes it was, it's so old and tattered... I wonder if he got it from somewhere, or if he made it, or could he have even conjured it?" She then shakes her head of the distracting thought and says, "You should probably take this along when heading back to Canterlot, so he doesn't forget about where he left it." and hands it over to her to take.

She looks at the cloak curiously and chuckles lightly saying, "You're right, it has seen better days..." when a thought occurs to her as she takes it from Twilight and holds it in the light to get a better look at it. As she looks it over closely, she gasps and takes a step back saying, "Sister! This is..." and turns to her sister with wide eyes, saying, "This is my old cloak!"

Celestia looks at her and the cloak for a moment as she then says, "That could only mean..." as a slow smirk makes its way across her mouth.

Luna's face turns crimson from embarrassment as she then turns to look at the alicorn's head and tries to burn holes through it with her embarrassed glare saying, "He had to have tried to open the door when it fell off the hinges, meaning that he definitely saw my entire wardrobe..." and hears her sister start tittering and huffs in irritation.

She then can't help but chuckle at how embarrassed her sister is acting and says with a mirthful tone, "Oh relax sister, it isn't like he caught a lingering scent from it. If anything it is carrying his scent now..." she then watches her sister put the garment under her wing and says, "Did you want him to know your scent, perhaps?"

The younger sister's face turns a deeper crimson as she then says, "Don't act like you haven't been fantasizing about what he might be like when he takes control.." hinting at what she saw in her dreams.

It's her turn to blush as Celestia's face turns a light shade of red as she then coughs saying, "Okay, I'll stop teasing you now." then continues cleaning him with a rag.

Luna returns to cleaning him when her mind remembers the garment they found in its place, letting go of her hold on the dripping rag and allows it to fall onto the floor with a wet plop as she hastily trots around to the stallion's back. She uses her magic to scan his body, hoping that she is wrong about this. When she scans his wings, she gasps and backs up as tears start to appear in her eyes and stammers a little, softly saying as tears trickle down her face saying, "Sister...what we found...they're his...he...can't......fly."

Hearing her sister say that causes her to understand what she is meaning and gasps saying, "Are you certain of this, sister? Not at all?"

Shaking her head, she checks the spell affecting his wings and then looks back up with a sad nod as more tears blaze trails down her face saying, "Never could. I discovered a complex, but powerful spell in place that I don't understand. Do you?"

Celestia hurries over to where her sister is, not noticing when Twilight follows her over at the mention of a spell. She then quickly uses her magic to scan his body and finds the spell her sister located and gasps saying, "You're right, it is very complex. Sadly, even I don't understand it, but it seems to me that somepony stronger than him broke his wings before casting this spell keeping them broken and unable to fly." She notices Twilight standing beside her with a curious look on her face and asks, "Twilight, search for the spell using your magic to scan over his body, see if you can understand any of it at all."

Twilight does as her mentor asks and searches for the spell, finding the spell which has bright, glowing golden tendrils coursing throughout his magical channels going to his feathers to allow him to fly. His wing's also have a heavy, brightly glowing golden band around each of his wings at the base, also noticing a trickle of that same golden light flowing through the blood vessels and his bones. She studies the spell for a bit before sighing saying, "I don't understand the spell at all, but it seems to be keeping his wings broken at the base and reducing the effectiveness of healing magic. Which would explain why they had such a challenging time with having to use potions. Why would anyone do such a cruel thing to a pony's wings?"

She sighs and then says, "I do not know, my faithful student, but we will strive to find out and undo it."

Luna smiles and looks at her sister saying, "It is getting late sister and you need to rest, I can have some nurses clean him up after we get back."

Celestia yawns as she realizes how tired she is and says, "You are right, let's teleport to the throne room. From there you can send one of the thestral guards to get a few nurses and..." then yawns again saying, "I will help you with keeping the staff and guards from saying anything about our new guest at the castle, let's be on our way then." and looks to everypony in the room saying, "Thank you so much for this joyous, startling, yet somber discovery, my little ponies." then looks to her sister and asks with a little smirk, "Are you prepared this time, sister?"

She chuckles and then nods her head saying, "I am this time, sister. Let's get this stallion to the royal medical wing so they can do their best to heal him."

Twilight watches as they both lay a hoof on Gold Reel's body and teleport away, then looks around the barn at everyone saying, "I don't think that we should tell anyone else about the newest alicorn in town, everypony. At least until the princesses say it is alright to."

After everyone heads to their homes, with Zecora returning tomorrow for her cauldron, Applejack heads outside to check on Applebloom and chuckles at seeing her asleep beside several full tubs of apples she brought back saying, "C'mon, let's get you into bed after a light supper.

Feeling someone gently nudging her, she yawns and stretches her body out saying, "Is it morning already?"

Applejack chuckles and says, "Not yet little sis, let's get some food and head off to bed. I'm proud of how much ya got done, Mac and I will handle the rest of the tubs and get the rest of the orchard harvested. So tomorrow, why don't ya go hang out with yer friends for a few hours in the morning?"

After finishing stretching her body out, she feels the feather still hanging from her mane and resting on her rump, causing her to laugh and say, "Hehe this feather is cool!"

As Luna watches her sister head to bed, she waits for her guards to get the nursing staff and somepony to bring her lots of lavender to replace the old flowers that have lost their scent. When the nursing staff arrives, Luna stands between Gold Reel and the doors, saying, "Come here please and I will tell you what is going on." She watches them approach, then casts a privacy barrier saying, "I want you all to take a very special guest to the royal medical wing, but we must ensure absolutely no creature sees what they are. So I need one of you to go get as big a sheet as you can, and another of you to go get the special gurney for if myself, my sister, or Princess Cadance were ever injured and come straight here. I also need three of you to get the healing staff to prepare the wing to treat the patient, there is much to do so hurry on your way." and watches as they all scurry off to do their duties.

Once they return with everything, she nods her head and says, "Now what I am about to reveal to you is to be treated like a national secret, so you are not to discuss it from anyone not assigned to the royal medical staff. She then steps aside and says, "This stallion's name is Gold Reel, and he is an Alicorn like Cadence, Celestia, and myself, my sister and I have just learned of this ourselves, so very little is known about him. Let's get him on the gurney and into royal medical immediately"

After putting him on the gurney and putting a sheet over him, Luna leads the nurses towards the medical wing reserved for royal treatments. Along the way, she grabs a couple day guards come with them to keep unauthorized personnel out, and when they do finally reach the medical wing, she says to the whole royal medical staff, "This guest is to be treated as you would treat one of us as my sister and I have found a new alicorn, we know very little about this stallion, but his name is Gold Reel. For reasons we do not understand, he has a spell that hampers the effectiveness of healing magic. It also prevents him from using his wings at all as they are kept broken at the base by the spell. Regretfully, neither my sister, me, or even Twilight Sparkle understand the incredibly complex spell affecting his wings or even hope to lift it, but we must try. Restore his body as best you can and keep him sedated until I have had a chance to speak to him within his dreams to ensure he does not try to flee and injure himself any more. Place magic null bands on his horn to ensure that if he should somehow wake, that he cannot use his magic. You are to speak to nopony else about this but your fellow royal medical staff members, I shall leave you to begin your work now, my diligent ponies." With that said, she starts to head back to the throne room to begin her daily tasks.

A unicorn stallion then removes the cover and looks the new alicorn over and clears his throat saying, "E-Excuse me, Your Highness, but what are we to do about the state of his feathers? We have no pegasi on staff, therefore we have no knowledge on tending to them."

She berates herself for nearly forgetting about seeing the state of his feathers and sighs saying, "Not to worry, I shall ask for two pegasi to handle it tomorrow. Please do what you can for him in the meantime." She then turns away as he bows and acknowledges her words, then quickly makes her way toward the throne room to start setting out lavender for the sleeping ponies.

Once she gets the flowers put up around the castle, even including the royal medical wing, she then makes herself comfortable in the throne and enters the dream realm to begin her patrol.

I patiently reside in this endless space for how long, I don't know. One thing is different about this time because for the first time, I can feel my worries deep down coming to the surface. I manage to brush them aside for awhile, but they just keep coming back even stronger.

Luna senses another pony having troubles in his sleep and heads towards their door, entering it to find that she is inside a vast emptiness as voices call out from nowhere saying, "You don't remember any of the horrible things you've done in the past because you don't want to remember...that is the mark of a coward unable to face his wrongdoings." Voices all around call the dreamer a coward repeatedly as she tries to locate them and put an end to their torment. She hears a voice in the distance ahead of her ask, "There was one thing I did that was in the right, so you are wrong." She feels relieved that the pony is fighting against the nightmare trying to gain power over him, hearing the voice say in a sinister tone, "Oh, you really think so? What of the foals, huh? Did they deserve what you did to them!" She watches as the area around her changes, transforming into a mountain peak with a familiar alicorn standing at the top of it. Smiling at finding his door, she hurries along to bring this nightmare to an end when things take an ominous turn when the skies turn black as night and the wind begins to rage out of control. Luna struggles to maintain her course when she turns to look to her right, seeing something glint from below and to her right as lightning flashes. She sees an ornate city built from gold and silver, being battered and torn apart by a raging sea as screams and pleas for help rise from the city when she hears the voice speak again, "Because of what you did to them, several mothers and fathers were forced to watch their children drown...in their arms as they swam to shore! My my my...what an evil thing to do to one's parents..." She is forced to land as the wind and rain gets stronger, and races up the mountain on hoof towards Gold Reel when she hears him begin to sob, saying, "I-I didn't mean to..."

When she finally gets near him, she calls out, "Don't listen to his lies, Gold Reel, there had to be a rational reason you did this. Remember everything that you can about this event and understand why it had to be done!"

I then silence my sobs and then close my eyes to concentrate as the voice shouts and curses the stranger, slowly making progress as I begin to recall my journey through the streets and what I have seen.

Luna watches as images form in midair and play out, slowly painting a picture of what this city was actually like when she looks around at her surroundings to find that she knows she is far north of Manehattan, somewhere in the Yaket Range. She then looks upon the city, but does not have a single hint of what its name is and asks, "I do not know that city's name, when has this happened!" Watching the images play out their scenes, she begins to understand how bad things were in this city. Tears come to her eyes as how badly she and her sister failed this city, saying, "My sister and I...we failed our subjects so miserably..."

I then sigh as I keep concentrating and say, "Not to worry, for I feel that this might have happened long, long ago. Perhaps even before Equestria came to be, but I cannot be certain of that due to how little I remember aside from how I punished the evil-ridden city for its numerous, and vile sins. I remember learning that a father laid with his own daughter, then killed her for becoming with foal...which he was the father of the unborn foal. I was so sickened by what I saw here that I used some kind of power I don't remember, to have the sky and sea sense the vileness of this city and unleash their wrath upon it. This is the place of origin for the changeling race...for I used my power to punish every citizen in Saddlelantis, and forever change their bodies so that they could take the time to repent for their vile acts and find salvation one day."

Utterly flabbergasted at hearing that and stutters, saying, "W-W-W-W-W-Wait...YOU CREATED THE CHANGELINGS!?!" She then shakes her head of how surprised she is and says, "So that's why the changeling queen was so terrified of you later..." Remembering the name he said, she then looks at him in awe saying, "Saddlelantis, huh? Now that is a very old legend from way before Equestria, but why are we just now seeing you? Where have you been all this time?"

I shake my head and say, "I'm sorry, my memories are as elusive as it is when you try to grab smoke with your hooves. I sometimes get vague senses of memories as if the smoke is attempting to clear, but it isn't enough. Strangely, I recognize your voice and that other light grey alicorn's, but what are your names?"

Luna then smiles and says, "Let me deal with this nuisance first." then turns her attention onto the angry presence in the dream and casts her magic out to destroy the nightmare saying, "Be gone, shadow."

The shadow screams in frustration, shouting, "NOOOO...!!!" as the spell vaporizes it.

She then sighs in satisfaction saying, "My name is Luna, and I rule alongside my sister Celestia, whose voice you heard when we were at the spa together that one day. We both are also princesses of Equestria. What might your name be, fellow alicorn?"

I then smile and say, "Well, my real name is Galadriel, but I came up with Gold Reel so I could use the spell I learned from a book in an old library to blend in better with the other ponies as I searched for anything that might help me remember."

Luna then narrows her eyes at him threateningly saying, "Speaking of which, you borrowed a cloak from my wardrobe and most likely saw what all was in it. I would suggest you not say anything about it to anypony unless you want to be haunted by horrible nightmares for the rest of your life."

I then shrug my shoulders and say, "I'm sure that every mare has her own tastes, but it was quite an interesting outfit, although it left nothing for the imagination."

She glares daggers at him as she blushes in embarrassment saying, "It was from my teenage years...alright!" She then looks at his cutie mark and asks, "Umm...do you remember what the cutie mark on your flank means?"

I look back at my flank and see a black and white image divided by a wavy grey line down the center and try to think about it, then sigh and shake my head saying, "Unfortunately not, would you be able to tell me how long I have been...whereever this space is?"

Luna nods and says, "Yes, you have been kept asleep for a week after injuring yourself when you failed to complete that jump. Even your friend, the guardian was there helping the others try to heal you. After seeing you attempt to use magic while unconscious, I have asked the healers to keep you asleep and place rings on your horn to prevent you from injuring any of them. So would you please let us tend to your injures and stay here in the castle as a guest? If you agree to remain calm and stay until you are healed, with the sad exception of the magic affecting your wings, I can ask the healers to allow you to wake."

I smile at her and say, "I appreciate what you are offering me, I was worried that I was going to become some kind of prisoner or creature to study. I will choose to stay here until I am fully healed, however, it has been really nice not feeling the constant pain of having broken wings. I would rather be kept asleep throughout the ordeal, if that would be alright. I find myself strangely happy that I'm not the only alicorn in existence, I wonder why that is..."

She then smiles and says, "I wish I could stay and talk with you more, but I have daily duties to tend to. We shall meet again, I'm sure. For it is my duty to protect my fellow subjects in their dreams at night."

Remembering the flashes I got during the wedding, I turn to her and ask, "During the wedding, I saw flashes within my mind of a snowy land suffering from a blizzard and some kind of a blue heart, would you be able to tell me anything about that?"

Understanding flashes across her face as Luna quickly nods and says, "I can, yes. It seems to me that what you are talking about is the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart. Unfortunately, they were lost a thousand years ago due to a curse placed by King Sombra just before my sister and I defeated him, turning him into shadow and imprisoning him into the ice of the Frozen North. Why do you want to know?"

I watch her head for a door and say, "I was hoping that I would be able to recover more of my memory if it was still around... Ummm...would you please try to keep other ponies not like you three from finding out anything about me until I tell them myself?"

She nods saying, "I will, my sister and I both hope that the empire will return one day. I shall see what else we can discover about the empire for you, I hope you have peaceful dreams until night comes again. Farewell for now, Galadriel." and exits his dream to go back to patrolling.

After finishing her patrol, Luna heads to the dining room for a quick breakfast saying, "Morning sister. Our guest is settled in nicely, but I have assigned a couple guards to ensure nopony sees him. You might have to create a rotating schedule so they can rest. I have asked the royal medical staff to keep quiet about him, so there's one less thing to worry about..." then picks up a pineapple and takes an exhausted bite out of it and remembers what he said to her last night and half-chuckles saying, "Oh, I did get to speak to him in the Dream Realm." and swallows it after chewing a few times before continuing, "His name is actually Galadriel, he picked Gold Reel so he could walk amongst our subjects with a spell he picked up from the library in our old castle."

Celestia then swallows a bite of pancakes asking, "Oh? What else did you manage to learn about him last night?"

She then takes another bite and chews before swallowing, saying, "I learned a few interesting things, such as he is apparently older than us because I saw him pull up bits and pieces of his memory about an ancient city we heard about in legends and myths...called Saddlelantis."

Hearing that name nearly causes her to spit out her food as she hastily swallows and turns to ask, "Are you pulling my leg?!"

Luna shakes her head and says, "No I am not, I watched him as he had a nightmare about how he destroyed the city with his immense power."

Celestia then sighs and says, "So that lullaby I once heard is about him... What else did you learn?"

She then sighs and says, "Try to hold onto your seat for this, but when he destroyed the city, he punished the citizens by turning them into changelings."

When she hears those words leave her sister's lips, she actually does spit her orange juice across the table as she then coughs, saying, "WHAT?!" then looks around a moment in thought saying, "If he destroyed Saddlelantis, that means he is older than us by at least five hundred years."

Luna then chuckles and sees an opportunity to tease her sister saying, "Oh, are you attracted by stallions old enough to be your father?"

Celestia blushes fiercely at hearing that and stammers, "O-Of course not!" then returns to eating her pancakes and calms herself down asking, "So is that it or is there more?"

She then chuckles and says, "There is definitely more to him, but because he lost much of his memory, he doesn't know much himself." She then takes a sip saying, "Oh, he did say that he remembered seeing flashes of memory regarding a land plagued by snowstorms and saw a blue heart. When he asked me if I knew anything, I told him that it sounded like the Crystal Empire and how it was lost in our fight against Sombra. I asked him why he wanted to know, and he said he was hoping to go there to recover more of his memory."

She looks at her sister and says, "I am hoping it returns soon, sister, those crystal ponies have suffered enough. If something happens up north, we will hear about it from one of our guards stationed up there."

Luna then continues eating her pineapple and says, "Before that, he agreed to remain here at the castle until he healed and asked how long he has been in the dream realm, which I told him it was only a week after failing to complete that jump. I then asked if he wanted me to tell the staff to allow him to wake up, he politely declined as he hasn't been feeling the constant pain from his wings, which was nice for a change. He was happy to discover that he was not the only alicorn anymore."

Celestia then smiles and says, "He isn't the only one, however...he is still the only alicorn stallion."

She then narrows her eyes and says, "Sister...please keep your libido in check, at least, until his body has recovered." She then gets the feeling of having forgot something and finishes her pineapple when she remembers, and says, "OH...right, one of the doctors brought it to my attention that we don't have any pegasi on the royal medical staff. Therefore, they have no knowledge of how to treat the feathers."

She smiles at her sister and pulls out a letter and a quill saying, "Not to worry, sister, I know two ponies who will prove quite able to handle this task."

Luna smirks at her sister saying, "Rainbow and Fluttershy?"

Celestia nods her head and sends the letter off to her faithful student saying, "Mhm."

Sometime in the morning, at Ponyville

Twilight reads the letter Spike received that morning from her mentor, asking her to have Rainbow and Fluttershy head to Canterlot to treat his wings and requesting she only tell them that she desires their assistance at the castle, and to tell them their knowledge of feather treatment is needed, and to have them go the throne room. She then finishes her breakfast and then goes about her task to find two of her friends.

After hearing her name being called, Rainbow swoops down from the sky and lands on the ground outside Fluttershy's cottage and says, "You called my name? What's up Twilight?"

She stands outside Fluttershy's home and knocks on the door saying, "I received a letter from Princess Celestia today, and she has asked for you and Fluttershy's assistance."

Fluttershy opens the door and smiles, seeing Rainbow and Twilight outside saying, "Oh, hello girls, what is going on?"

Rainbow then asks excitedly, "REALLY? HOW COOL! WHERE ARE GOING AND WHEN ARE WE LEAVING!?"

Twilight smiles and says, "Oh I was just telling Rainbow how I got a letter from Princess Celestia, and how she has requested that both you and Rainbow head to the throne room for your knowledge about feather treatment as soon as possible."

The pale cerulean mare then says, "I'll go get my wing kit, be right back!" then zips off to her home to grab it.

Fluttershy then smiles and says, "Oh my, I should get mine as well. I will be right back, Twilight." then heads inside to grab hers.

The two return with their saddlebags on and their wing kits inside them as Rainbow looks to Fluttershy saying, "Let's get going Fluttershy, the princess might have damaged a few feathers!"

The shy pony then gasps and says, "OH GOOD HEAVENS! Let's go right away!" and takes off much faster than she normally would fly.

Celestia is in the throne room, waiting for the two ponies to arrive when the doors open and they hurry into the room and ask her what happened. She giggles and then spreads her wings saying, "There is nothing wrong with these feathers, my little ponies. Your assistance is needed for another's feathers, please follow me."

They follow the princess through the halls as Rainbow asks, "Is it Princess Luna's feathers damaged?"

She giggles again and then says, "Of course not, they are just fine." when she sees the doors to the royal medical wing up ahead and adds, "What you are about to see inside this room is a really big secret we had only recently discovered for ourselves, so very little is known about them. Aside from my sister and I, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Big Macintosh, and Zecora, no pony else is to hear of this. Rarity is the only one of you that does not yet know, but she will learn in due time."

The guards see the approaching princess and say, "It's another beautiful day, isn't it princess?"

Celestia then answers the challenge with, "Moonbeam." which results in the guards opening the doors for her group.

Rainbow gulps as the doors close behind her as a barrier is then erected over it saying, "Woah, talk about high security... just what the hay is going..." when her eyes spot a large, snow-white pony with a flowing, ethereal, black mane and tail on a luxurious medical bed. She then sees a horn on their head and gasps, then jumps up into the air, preparing for a fight asking, "Woah, that changeling is posing as an alicorn!"

She chuckles and says, "Calm down and try to be quiet, this is no changeling...but another alicorn."

Her wings stop flapping as she lands back on the ground with a thud in shock, staring at the strange alicorn and squeaks out, "Wait...there's another alicorn!"

Fluttershy stares in awe at the alicorn and says, "Oh wow..."

Celestia continues walking towards them and says, "Yes there is, there is one fact that makes this even more shocking, which is that...it is a stallion."

Rainbow's jaw drops open as she then says in a quiet tone, "Woah..."

She stops walking and looks back at them over her shoulder saying with a giggle, "Well come on my little ponies, he won't hurt you as he is asleep, and has requested to stay that way until he heals."

Fluttershy hesitantly steps forward until she notices the state of the alicorn's wings and says, "Oh gosh, what happened to their feathers?!"

Celestia leads them up to the alicorn saying, "This is Gold Reel, and we don't know if he damaged his feathers when he tried to make a jump in an area that received rain about a week ago. He isn't able to use his wings due to a complex spell my sister, myself, nor Twilight can understand, keeping them broken at the base which also hinders healing of the rest of the wings."

Rainbow then looks over the wings and says, "Wow...these wings look like they have never gone through a molt in like...ever!"

Fluttershy runs her hoof over the dull, faded black feathers with red tips and sighs saying, "You're right Rainbow, they are so dull and lifeless. Poor Gold Reel's wings might not have ever gone through a molt due to the spell, what should we do?"

She then looks them over and says, "I think we need to remove these old feathers so that if the spell really is stopping his wings from molting, new feathers can start growing in when the spell is finally broken." She then half-chuckles and looks to Fluttershy saying, "Let's get to plucking Shy."

The shy pony then nods and then heads for the right wing as Rainbow heads to the left, saying, "I'm so sorry that we have to do this to your wings, Gold Reel, but it is for your own benefit."

Rainbow then pulls out her wing maintenance kit and sniggers saying, "Yeah, I'm sorry too pal, but you're going to look like a fresh-plucked chicken for a while."

Celestia watches them for a little while as they carefully use special feather tweezers to pluck the feathers out of the skin, then take out antiseptic once an area has been cleared. Having to return to her duties, she sighs and says, "I wish I could stay and watch, but other matters call for my attention. When you are done and ready to head home, just say Sunrise to get the guards to drop the security barrier and let you out."

Fluttershy nods and says, "Thank you for asking us to help Gold Reel, Your Majesty." and returns to carefully plucking the feathers from the stallion's wing.

It takes two hours for them to finish the wings, having to call over a couple unicorns to raise and extend the wings to get all the feathers as Rainbow says, "I can't believe how long this one primary is, it's like as long as my whole body!"

She picks up a much smaller secondary that was in better shape than the others and tucks it into her saddlebag saying, "I know, he was missing one on this side, because I had to use my tweezers to reach inside to extract the tip where the feather broke off."

Rainbow winces at hearing that and says, "Sheesh...luckily, this guy was asleep while you were doing that or he would have felt the pain." She then looks at one of the staff members and says, "Excuse me, could one of you take these piles of old feathers and rags to an incinerator?"

One of the unicorn nurses nods and then uses her magic to pick up the huge piles of debris, then heads towards the chute that leads to the castle's underground incinerator.

Fluttershy then looks at Rainbow and says, "Do you wanna stay for a little while Rainbow?"

She chuckles and says, "Umm....no thanks, being in a hospital gives me the heebie-jeebies. I'll see you later, I'm gonna go talk to Applejack and see what the heck happened."

The shy pony then smiles and says, "Alright then, take care." and waves to her as she heads for the doors. She then heads towards Gold Reel's side and sees him wince and shuffle his head around uncomfortably, then picks up his hoof and caresses it in a soothing manner saying, "There's nothing to worry about Gold Reel, nothing is going to harm you here." Her words seem to calm his shuffling as she then smiles happily and decides to keep him company for awhile.

XXI: What was lost

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When I look at the darkness around me, I notice that it is fading away and wonder, 'Am I waking up?' My question is answered moments later as I register the sound of someone softly singing near me, slowly opening my eyes and look around the room without raising my head. I see that I am in a large room with light blue walls and really clean floors, making me think that this might be a place for healing. I turn my head to my right as I feel someone holding my right hoof and see the shy, light yellow pegasi named Fluttershy holding my hoof. Not wanting to disturb her, I lay my head down and close my eyes to listen to her singing.

When Fluttershy finishes singing to him, she then says, "I should get back to Ponyville and see how everypony is doing, but don't worry Gold Reel, I will be back tomorrow to keep you company." and turns to head for the door.

I open my eyes and then smile saying, "Hello, shy one. I enjoyed hearing you sing, you have a beautiful voice."

She freezes in place and hides behind her mane instinctively, asking in a bare whisper, "Y-Y-You heard?"

I then raise my head and nod with a gentle smile, saying, "I did, though it was only for a minute or so, but I still enjoyed it along with how you were keeping me company, thank you for that. How long have I been asleep?"

Fluttershy then answers, "A-A-About...twelve weeks, which is three months if you didn't know."

Wanting to stretch my body after having been asleep for so long, I then notice something different about my wings and see that there are no feathers on them whatsoever and say, "That is strange, I remember having feathers when I failed to complete the jump." then ask, "What could have happened to my wings in the meantime?"

She then gulps and answers from behind her mane, "Umm...that would have been mine and Rainbow Dash's doing...at Princess Celestia's request for aid. We had to remove them all because of how bad a shape they were in, your wings have never gone through a molt, have they?"

I then shake my head and say, "Not that I remember, what is a molt exactly?"

Fluttershy then comes out from behind her mane a little and says, "Oh, it is a process that every feathered creature goes through once a year to keep their feathers strong and fresh, old feathers fall out and new ones take their place. Your old feathers were in such bad shape that we had to pluck them, but fortunately, your feathers seem to have begun to grow back in. I must warn you that the process is annoying due to how itchy it feels when too many feathers start growing back. It appeared that the spell affecting your wings might be the reason you have not molted yet. So I had to find a way to stimulate your wings into growing new feathers outside of a molt, which was accomplished by a potion from Zecora."

Sitting up, I then start to cast my spell to alter my body saying, "Well that will be an annoying experience if they all fall out at once when I start to molt."

Fluttershy then giggles and says, "Oh they won't do that, they will fall out over the course of a few weeks." then watches his form shrink down, with his wings pulling back and disappearing in his spine and asks, "Are you feeling any better now?"

Ignoring the constant pain of my broken wings that have withdrawn into my spine, I say, "I do, the pain is lessened greatly and my wings no longer give me chills, do you know what time it is?"

She then smiles and answers, "That is good to hear, it is nearing eleven in the morning."

I then smile at her and ask, "Would you be able to let Princess Celestia know that I have awoken."

Fluttershy nods and says, "I will go let her know right away." then stands up and trots toward the door, giving the guards the word to lower the shield and let her out.

Celestia is in the throne room when Fluttershy hurries into the room with a wide smile on her face, bowing to her as she asks, "Has there been a new development, Fluttershy?"

She then nods rapidly and says, "YES!" then clears her throat to calm herself down and then continues, "Ahem, excuse me for my outburst, Your Majesty. What I meant to say is that Gold Reel has finally woken and wanted me to let you know."

A smile appears on her face as she then keeps her happiness under control saying, "I appreciate the news, Fluttershy. Have a great day." She watches Fluttershy leave, when a guard bursts into the room saying, "I bring news from Northern Equestria " then stops before her and bows his head saying, "uh...Your Highness."

Curious, she looks at him and asks, "Yes?"

The guardspony then looks up at her and removes his helmet saying, "I'm to tell you...it has returned.

With a gasp, she turns to one of the guards in the room and says, "You there, find Princess Cadence and Shining Armor at once!"

With a bow, the group of guards say, "Yes, Your Majesty." then take off to go find them.

Celestia then heads towards the throne doors and pulls out a letter and starts writing a letter to Twilight and then sends it off, looking to another guard saying, "Race to the royal medical wing and speak Moonbeam to the two guards at the door, retrieve the pony there known as Gold Reel and bring him here immediately. To exit the room, speak Sunrise and wait for the doors to open, then hurry here for time is of the essence."

The guard then bows and takes off with a quick, "Yes, Your Highness."

As I stretch the rest of my body out while waiting for Princess Celestia to come visit or call for me, the doors to the medical wing open as a guard comes hurrying in.

The guard looks around the room saying, "Is there a pony by the name of Gold Reel here?"

I head toward him and look at him saying, "That would be me, what do you need?"

The guard looks at the pony and says, "Her Highness, Princess Celestia requests your presence immediately, follow me." then returns to the door saying the code word and waits for the doors to open.

I trot after the guard quickly as he waits by the door when it opens, causing him to continue on at a trot, stopping outside the door saying over his shoulder, "We must hurry, she is expecting you urgently." and follow the guard as he gallops down the hallway.

We arrive at the throne room a minute or so later, and then slow down to a walk as the guard opens the doors for me. When I pass the doors, they close behind me as I see Princess Celestia is at the back of the room. Curious as to why I was summoned so urgently, I trot towards her and say, "Good morning, Your Highness. What is the emergency?"

She smiles and then says, "I apologize for having to call you here so soon after you wake up, but there has been a development that I think you would not want to miss out on in your search for who you are."

I look at her and ask, "Oh, how so?"

Celestia smiles and then says, "I was informed by a guard recently that the Crystal Empire has finally returned, so I would like you to accompany a couple on their way. I really hope that you don't have to help them fight, but you would be better off to be prepared for one."

I smile and then say, "There is no need to worry for me, Princess Celestia, I will be prepared for whatever happens."

She then sighs and says, "I don't want any harm to come to yourself, because our healers had a hard time fixing your outer wing injuries!" she is about to say more but just then Cadence and Shining Armor head into the throne room.

Princess Cadence trots up to the throne and stops at the base of the stairs saying, "We're here, Your Majesty. What is going on?"

Celestia then smiles and says, "The Crystal Empire has just returned, so I am sending you and Shining Armor there to protect it. When you arrive in Northern Equestria, be on the lookout for a towering crystal structure. You are to use your shield spells to protect it until Twilight and the others arrive to help save the empire." She then glances at Galadriel and says, "Allow me to formally introduce you all." Looking at Princess Cadence and her husband, she says, "Cadence and Shining Armor, what I am about to tell you is a national secret, so tell nopony else about what you hear." She then directs her gaze to Galadriel, saying, "Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, this is Galadriel, he is an alicorn that has been discovered only recently. Due to circumstances regarding a past he is unable to remember and unrelated to us, he is rendered unable to fly and so he chooses to appear in this form so that he can walk amongst other ponies and prefers to be called Gold Reel." While looking over to Cadence first, then her husband, she says, "Gold Reel, this is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though she prefers to be called Cadence. The stallion next to her is Cadence's husband and Twilight's older brother, Shining Armor, he is the captain of the royal guard." She then looks back to the couple and says, "Galadriel will be joining you on this mission, for he wishes to search for answers about his past. Be sure to look out for each other as I know not what his magical abilities are, you may go prepare for the cold temperatures of the north before you depart. So please move swiftly, for your train awaits."

Shining Armor then looks to Cadence saying, "I will meet you at the train, dear."

She then looks at him and nods saying, "Alright Shiny." then kisses him briefly before heading for the throne room's entrance.

The captain then turns to Gold Reel and says, "You will be needing a way to keep warm, come with me." then turns and gallops towards the guards armory for cold weather gear.

After following him to the guard's armory for scarfs and snow masks, we hurry towards the train and get on with Princess Cadence. As the train takes off, I make myself comfortable on one of the seats and look at Princess Cadence saying, "Princess Cadence, I apologize for not staying to attend your actual wedding, I had to teleport away due to your spell undoing the spell that alters my appearance."

Princess Cadence sits on a seat beside her husband say, "Just Cadence please if you would, and that is quite understandable. I am not upset about it because I still got to marry my Shiny, " then curiously asks, "umm...would you mind showing us what your alicorn form looks like, Gold Reel?"

I then nod and say, "Of course not, one moment while I undo the spell." and cast my spell to let my body revert to it's original form."

The two look at his body, having a snow-white coat, an ethereal, flowing black mane and tail with glowing, brilliant amber eyes. Seeing how he looks, she says, "Wow, your coat is certainly whiter than my husbands, which will make it difficult to see you against the snow."

Shining Armor then smirks and chuckles saying, "Yeah, if it weren't for your hard-to-miss eyes, you would be nearly impossible to see during a blizzard!"

Feeling the itching sensation that Fluttershy warned me about, I then say, "Do forgive the appearance of my wings, due to the spell keeping me from being able to make use of my wings, it seems to also prevent my wings from going through a molt. While I was asleep for the past several weeks, Fluttershy told me that she and Rainbow Dash both had to pluck my feathers due to their state. I look forward to when they finish growing back in, the itching certainly is maddening, and it certainly doesn't go away when I cast the spell either."

Cadance then looks at him with sympathy saying, "That certainly is unfortunate to hear, but it was for your own health."

The captain then nods and says, "It's sad that there's a spell keeping you from flying, I certainly hope that the princesses or Twily can find a way to undo it. I've heard from my darling wife here and other pegasi that the itching will stop once the pinfeathers become big enough, which could be anywhere from a couple weeks to up to eight."

I then look at my own wings and chuckle saying, "Well I certainly look forward to having feathers again, I feel as if this 'plucked chicken' look has never been in style."

She then starts giggling as her husband guffaws at that and says, "I do believe that is true, for what I know about wing fashions, I highly doubt anypony has found that look attractive."

I then recast my spell, altering my look a bit so that I at least have a horn and say, "The annoying part about this alteration spell is that it wears off after a day or two."

From inside her cave, Equis watches Galadriel's two day journey to the snowy lands of Northern Equestria with a smile on her face saying, "Hmm...I wonder if I could help him recover some of those memories, but how would I accomplish that?"

She then hears the wordless voice coming from her child, being a chiming, tinkling sound as she then gasps saying, "You are such a dear for helping your mother out with this, now what are you thinking of doing?" Her child replies and she then thinks it over saying, "Hmm...trying to spark some of his memories through our own might not work so well. Do you have any other suggestions, sweet heart?"

Equis waits a few minutes for her child to reply when he finally answers her and says, "Seriously, you want to put all of our magic into a spell of that magnitude?" She then hears her child insist on it and then groans saying, "You are just as stubborn as your father, you know that?" then sighs and adds, "Fine, lets get to it then. I hope that I won't miss too much of Galadriel's adventure, so what do we need to do first to help your father while he's in the north?"

Putting on the mask and the scarf to keep myself somewhat warm, I follow Shining Armor and Cadence out of the car and into the snowy tundra when I feel a distant rumbling and shout against the blizzard, "I think that we should hurry as fast as we can to whereever this place is before whatever made the ground shake catches us out here."

With a nod, they race on into the storm as Gold Reel follows closely behind them. When they finally reach a towering structure two hours later, Shining Armor turns to Cadence saying over the wind and snow, "I think this is it, I will cast the spell and maintain it for a while, then you take over so I can take a break to get us some food and switch over again."

Surprised that this time I didn't revert back to my original form after he casts his spell, I notice immediately as the area becomes much warmer and has gotten rid of the snow, including the raging blizzard all around us. I then look at them and say, "If it's alright with you two, I will wander around here and see if I can get any information from the locals about my past. If you need anything, come find me and I will do what I can."

Shining Armor then says, "Alright, we will explore the castle a little so be careful out here, we don't know what dangers this place holds."

I nod as they head inside and make my way to the first house I see, knocking on the door and wait for it to open, then see a pony with a dull very light cornflower blue coat, eyes varying from an even lighter shade of cerulean to a deep cornflower blue, and having a mane and tail consisting of various lavender hues open the door and greet them saying, "Good day to you, I was hoping that you might be able to tell me anything you remember about the past?"

Autumn Gem looks around nervously, then sees that the snow is gone and says, "The snow is gone, but how?"

I look around and say, "I have came here with some friends that have cast a spell to protect you all from danger."

She then blinks unenthusiastically and shifts her gaze back to him and says, "That was a nice thing to do, but unfortunately, I don't remember anything from before the king came to power. I certainly don't ever want to think about when he ruled over us. I'm sorry that I can't help you."

I then smile in sympathy, then say, "Everything will be alright miss, and like you, I also am unable to remember much of my past. I know how you must feel so lost and unsure of yourself." I then walk up and give her a hug, hoping to make her feel a little better.

Autumn Gem then lightly hugs him back when a slight smile crosses her face, saying, "Thank you for trying to make me feel better."

I then back away from her as a light smile comes to my face and ask, "What might your name be miss? My name is Gold Reel."

She then thinks for a moment before saying, "Well...my name is Autumn Gem, and it was nice to meet you. I hope you have a good day, Gold Reel." then closes the door and goes off to hide from the king.

I sigh sadly and head to a few other houses, finding out that they too, can't remember anything from before the king's rule. I then go to the next house when I am told that they have a library, then make my way there to search for any useful information. When I get there, I head inside and start walking around when I hear someone clear their voice and ask, "Can I help you sir?"

I look at the aged mare with round glasses on her nose with a beaded string around her neck and say, "Yes, I am looking for a book that might tell me about the past history of the Crystal Empire before King Sombra's rule."

She then thinks about it and says, "Oh yes..." then trails off and looks at him expecting to hear what he is looking for.

I then smile lightly and say, "Sorry, would you happen to know where I might find it?"

The mare then thinks for a moment before sighing, "I'm sorry, I-I can't seem to remember anything at all."

I then nod and say, "That's alright miss, I will just wander around and have a look for myself." then head into the library to start checking for anything that might be helpful.

As I spend a few hours in the library, I put the book back and head around to another shelf when something lands on my back, right above my hidden wings. I hiss in pain at the impact of the book and pull the book off, then open it at seeing it just says, 'Magis's Journal.' When I start to read through it, I discover an entry that says how I came to their village with a little filly called Light bright and that this mare named Magis Amore saved us both from nearly freezing to death in a blizzard. I then feel the smoke clear as I start to remember the journey here and keep on reading, to learn that I apparently created the large structure and one called a Crystal Heart which I apparently made out of something called Diamond Crystal. I then keep reading it after learning I left the day I made those two gifts, reading an entry that catches my interest when it says how the mare felt guilty for taking advantage of the stallion in the night as he slept, telling herself that it was just to keep him warm. It also tells me that she became with foal a few weeks later and passed her study of the Crystal Heart onto her daughter named Crystee Amore. I then read that a continuation of the journal is right next to it, and follow it down the line while reading each one until I get to one that tells me that this descendant named, Queen Amore, finally figured out how to power the crystal heart through a festival called the Crystal Faire that began as a way to celebrate the anniversary of when Magis Amore first found the Crystal Heart and learned that she was with foal. I then finish reading the journal and put it back, having learned everything I can from the journals.

When I head outside, I see dark shapes on the horizon and race towards the large structure, finding Shining Armor at the bottom and say, "What are those shapes in the distance?"

Shining Armor shakes his head and says, "Not a clue, which is why I'm going to check it out." and then takes off for the barrier his wife is maintaining for the moment.

I then follow after him and say, "I am also curious, so I shall come with you."

When we get outside the barrier, there are five soldiers wearing black armor with helmets that fully cover their heads with the exception of their manes and tails. I take a closer look and see that every one has an altered appearance and that the eye slits of their helmets have a green glow to them. As they charge toward us, they use the emblems at the top part of their helmets to channel beams of shadow at us, which Shining Armor deflects with a shield asking, "Do you have a shield spell you can use?"

I nod and say, "Yes, though I haven't used it yet."

Shining Armor then briefly drops the spell to fire a beam at the attacking enemy, then raises the shield again, saying, "May as well try to figure out how it works because I want to conserve as much as I can to maintain the barrier."

I nod and then try calling forth my spell, succeeding at the first try and keep it up saying, "Let's see how good I am in combat." and then wander out of Shining Armor's shield, and feel the blasts strike my see-through golden shield and fail to do any damage to me. Knowing that I am going to have to wait for an opportunity to take one of them down, I keep the shield up until one is brought down by Shining Armor. As that successfully distracts the others into attacking him, I drop my shield and blast one of them with my magic rather harshly. When I see the helmet fly off their head, I see the pony's eyes inside stop glowing green as the helmet hits the ground and shatters. Thinking quickly, I use my magic to grab the downed pony and lay them beside me to protect them, and bring my shield back out to cover me and the pony. I then look back at the pony while keeping the shield up and use my hooves to shatter the weak armor around them and see the poor pony underneath the armor lying unconscious with a few scorch marks from where his armor didn't protect him. With an idea in mind, I look over to Shining Armor and say, "Distract them while I take the others out, then destroy the armor when you can and set them beside this other pony!"

Shining Armor nods and then drops the shield to blast another enemy, knocking them back a bit saying, "Piece of cake!" then hits a few more before putting his shield back up. He watches as a bright golden beam of light strafes across the ponies and knocks them all down, allowing him to drop his shield and target their armor with a spell.

I watch as he destroys each armor piece and drags them to safety with the other one I saved, when I hear the sound of marching soldiers and say, "Get them behind the barrier while I think of what to do next."

He nods and quickly moves them inside the barrier after ensuring they weren't being controlled any more by the dark magic and says, "That's all of them, come back!"

I recall a purification spell I learned earlier and then think of how I could use it against the incoming soldiers, then turn to Shining Armor and say, "I will not let these ponies suffer his treatment any longer, stay safe inside the barrier. I do not know how this next spell will affect you if you are outside with me." then turn back around and start to channel my magic into my horn and then look upwards at the looming black clouds saying, "That which hath been wrought of darkness...shall fear the light!" and cast my spell, releasing a great deal of my power.

Shining Armor watches with amazement as a bright, golden light blasts out from him in a pulse that races outward for a long ways. The spell is so powerful that it causes the twisted armor of the hundreds of ponies standing before Gold Reel to change back into more normal-looking armor, along with saving the ponies from being controlled, it also blasts away the gathering black clouds and causes a black mass to quickly race away to the north, howling in agony from the attack. He then looks at the pony and sees that his ethereal, flowing black mane and tail have returned and exits the barrier asking, "Just who and what are you, Gold Reel?"

I look at him and shake my head with a sigh saying, "I wish I knew myself, but I feel something calling out to me and hear it whispering to my mind. It knows my real name, so I will go investigate it. Please get these ponies inside so they can rest, they certainly deserve one." and then start heading back into the city at a swift trot, following the direction the voice is guiding me before Shining Armor can protest saying, "I will return in a few days, but Twilight and her friends should be here to help before then."

The captain sighs as he heads off on his own, shouting, "Be careful!" checking them if they are free of his control first, then begins to drag the ponies back inside the barrier.

As I turn to head north, I find the road that the voice told me to look for and follow it, eventually leading to the west as it is cut into a mountainside. It takes me several hours of walking into the blizzard before it finally lets up, finding myself at a small hamlet built with large logs and a couple of huge yaks on either side of a gate which leads inside. Heading up to the gate, I then knock on it three times so they can hear me.

A guard opens up the gate and then huffs asking, "What white pony want?"

I look up at the guard and say, "I have come here in search of knowledge, for I do not remember my past."

The yak stands there for a moment, thinking about what he should do then says, "Pony wait here, I speak to prince." then closes the door and heads inside to speak to the prince.

A few minutes later, I stand outside the gate when it opens and I see a larger yak with gold rings around his horns and a black crown upon his head.

The yak leader then looks down at the pony and says, "What white pony want with knowledge? I Prince Rutherford."

I dip my head towards him in respect saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Rutherford, my name is Gold Reel. I desire to gain knowledge of who I am, for I have lost it. Do you have a way to accomplish that?"

Prince Rutherford thinks hard for a moment, scraping at the ground with his hoof saying, "Yak do...place very sacred to yak. If yak take white pony there, white pony respect place like yak do. Does white pony understand?"

I nod my head and say, "I do understand, please lead the way, Prince Rutherford."

He then looks to the others and says, "Yaks get things for sacred ceremony!"

I wait for them to return and see them all having some sort of objects dangling from strings hanging from rings placed on their horns, with several of them carrying torches and only two carrying a drum and some kind of stringed instrument while only one carries a stick with one end wrapped in some kind of cloth. I watch as a few others carry wood as another yak places golden rings around the prince's horns with the same braided objects hanging from them. That same yak comes over to me and places one large ring over my horn, then returns to the group of yaks.

Prince Rutherford then looks at the gate and says, "Yaks go to sacred place, white pony follow!" then takes off towards the gate.

I gallop after them, finding it somewhat easy due to them clearing a path up ahead as they travel in a single line with the prince in the lead. We arrive at the foot of a mountain with one spot having a straight, flat side seemingly having broken off a great many years ago.

The yak leader then calls out to the others saying, "Yaks build fire, do not light it until sun at horizon."

I watch as they set to building a fire while keeping an eye on the sunset, then they all begin to gather in a really large semi-circle around the fire as Prince Rutherford approaches me.

Prince Rutherford looks at the white pony and says, "Yaks first light incense for ritual, then light sacred fire. When sacred fire lit, white pony stand between mountain face and fire with pony facing mountain. Tell mountain what white pony seeks, then sing and stomp a song which pony chooses. When sing and stomp end, white pony will receive answer if mountain pleased. If not, white pony hear nothing." He then turns away and stands in the center of the semi-circle saying, "Yak light incense!"

I make my way up to the semi-circle of yaks with a space open beside the prince and wait for the incense to be lit hanging from the ring around my horn.

He looks around to watch each incense being lit, with the last one being the one hanging from the pony's horn and says, "Yak light sacred fire!"

As I watch a yak walk up to light the fire, I wait for them to return to the line before walking forward and go around the sacred fire to stand between it and the mountain. Making sure to face the mountain squarely, I then look up to it and speak, "Oh mountain sacred to the yaks, I have come to stand here before you seeking knowledge. Knowledge of my past that would help me know who I am, I humbly ask for your guidance." Without looking back I shift my gaze down towards the horizon and think of what to sing when an idea comes to my mind, saying, "Yak with stringed instrument, play continuous slow and serious tone. Both yaks bearing instruments listen and feel for changes in the song." and let myself fall into a meditative state, intending to let this world's magic be my guide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMIbVFCz7A

Prince Rutherford watches as the white pony stands still, a wind gently blows his flowing mane along in the breeze with the incense hovering around him. His eyes widen with surprise as the pony begins speaking in ancient yak, a language that has been forgotten by their tribe long ago. A slow, irregular beat begins while the sunlight fades, the pony's shadow slowly rises up onto the mountain face. Without moving a single muscle, he keeps staring at his own shadow. When the light slips from the face, making the shadow go away, the pony frowns at the spot where the shadow was. A short silence carries on before the beat stops as the pony begins chanting repeatedly before his shadow slowly starts creeping up the mountain face again, when the pony turns slightly, he notices that the shadow doesn't follow.

The yak leader watches as the pony begins a hopping stomp on his right front leg and his back left leg, alternating them together in perfect sync to the beat of the drum as the other yaks follow along with it. The pony then begins to move forward, weaving from side to side in a line before trot-stomping in a curve back toward the fire, slowly turning toward the east, then to the north to the start of his gradual turn. He finds it strange that he isn't following the rhythm when the yak playing the stringed instrument adopts a livelier tone as a brief pause from the chanting begins for a few seconds before the pony begins to move a bit faster, and is surprised to notice the shadow dance on its own. Briefly surprised at the fire rising a little higher, the shadow dances a little wilder as the pony reaches the closest point to the fire. The pony then makes a short jump beside the first wave in the line, trot-stomping in place while slowly rotating to the right and keeping his hooves together. After a few moments, he hears echoes come from the mountain as the shadow starts to follow the pony's leaps as the pony leaps to the same point far away. The pony trot-stomps in place and brings his hooves down in time with the last two beats as the yak playing the string instrument returns to the slow tone from before, then slowly comes to a stop while the shadow returns to the pony.

With the song at an end, I close my eyes and raise my head up towards the sky and wait to receive a response, thinking, 'I really hope this works...'

Prince Rutherford notices a bright glow from up above and looks up to see the cloudy sky above part with a bright golden figure with wings floats down from the night sky, flying down in a beam of bright yellow light. As the being gets closer to the pony, he watches them reach towards them and try to touch them with one finger.

I stretch my head upward, feeling a warm presence above me and keep my eyes closed and try to touch them with my horn. When I feel something touch my forehead, I receive a flood of memories that I couldn't remember earlier. As the presence restores several of my memories, I can't help but think that there are a few things missing in my memory. When I think back as far as I can, I remember how I came to be here and then smile as exhaustion begins to wash over me and say, "Thank you for granting me what memories you can, Sacred Mountain." then slowly feel my consciousness leave me as I start to fall over.

The yak leader makes his way to the fallen pony and removes the ring from around his horn and douses it in the snow, seeing that the pony was drawing a symbol in the snow that matches the marking on his flank. He then looks at the others and says, "Yaks take white pony to Yak sleeping hut, I make white pony honorary yak."

I wake up the next morning to find myself in a hut on a firm bed of straw, and remember what happened last night with a smile on my face. I get up off the bed and exit the hut to find myself back in the yak village when I hear music coming from a hut across from me. I enter the hut and close the door to find several yaks inside, with no one speaking a single word. Taking that as a hint, I head in and listen to the music that is playing.

After seeing the white pony wake up, he smiles and waits until the song is over before heading outside. When he is outside, he waits for the other yaks and the pony to join him. As the others arrive, he looks at the pony and says, "White pony, yaks are honored with how you reminded all yaks of our forgotten history. Yak leader so impressed with white pony performance that yak leader make pony honorary yak!"

I smile politely as a young yak with long hair walks beside another with a yak helmet with wide horns held up in their hooves, as they approach me, I lower my head until my horn is almost touching the ground so that they can put it upon my head. When the helmet is firmly on my head, made specifically to go around my horn, I look at Prince Rutherford and bow my head to him saying, "I am honored by this great gift, Prince Rutherford. I will treat it with great respect in the days to come."

Prince Rutherford then smiles and asks, "What will white pony do now?"

I then stand up straight and say, "I will return to aid my friends who are defending the Crystal Empire from a malicious shadow, but I believe that they have everything well under control. Farewell for now, Prince Rutherford."

He then nods his head and says, "Farewell white pony, teach shadow to fear thy strength!"

I chuckle and turn saying, "I most certainly will, if there is anything left for me after my friends are done with it." then head out of the village through the gate.

A few hours into my journey, I look up to see a large blue wave race outward, with several ribbons of blue, yellow, and pink flowing outward in all directions. I stop to marvel at it and chuckle saying, "Way to go girls." and continue on my journey back to the Crystal Empire.

XXII: Revelations

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When I return to the Crystal Empire, I pass through the barrier and feel a tingle pass over my body. When I look myself over, I can see that I have been gifted with a crystalline coat and can clearly see the ground through my own body, which is strange. The first thing I hear are the happy cheers of the crystal ponies all around me, when I catch my mane passing before my own eyes and then cast my spell to quickly return it to normal. I am surprised to see that the spell doesn't work, then try a few more times with the same result and groan saying, "Ugh these circumstances are very annoying and inconvenient..."

A crystal pony with a mint green coat and blue mane is overjoyed at being freed from the king's tyranny when she notices somepony walking past her and sees that they are a unicorn with a snow-white crystalline coat, having an ethereal flowing mane and tail as black as night, with glowing brilliant amber eyes. She then sees the pony slowly growing taller, and sees a pair of wings appear from their back, growing to a large size and then hang limp at their signs. She remembers something she once read long ago in a journal written by a doctor and then taps the pony on the flank and says, "E-Excuse me...c-can I ask you something?"

I freeze in place as I realize that my body is back to its original state and that my wings are dragging on the ground, thinking, 'Well...crap.' and groan saying, "Oh of all the times for my spell to wear off..." and look at the mare with a polite smile and say, "I think I know what you are going to ask me, but go ahead and ask."

The mare then prances in place with excitement as she then hastily asks, "Are you really an alicorn?" then a few snippets of extra information from a couple of ancient journals she has read causes her to take a closer look saying, "A-Are y-y-you r-really th-that alicorn? You know, the one who built the castle from nothing using his own magic?"

I sigh at how she was so knowledgeable and put the pieces together from just looking at me and think, 'I have a feeling that when this gets around to her, she is going to shit a brick and then throw it through a window at me out of frustration for the headache it will cause her' then answer her with a nod saying, "Yes I am the one that built it."

She then prances even faster as a manic grin crosses her face as she then stops prancing altogether and takes as deep a breath as she can, then bellows at the top of her lungs, "THE FIRST ALICORN HAS RETURNED!!!" which causes it to echo out across the Crystal Empire.

Cadence and the others up on the balcony gasp and rush over to look for where the scream came from as Rarity points to it first saying, "It came from right there, from the mare beside Gold Reel." then takes a better look and then sees the cutie mark she could never forget as she cocks her head and asks, "But I don't understand, he wasn't an alicorn when I met him. So when could he have became one already!!??"

Applejack walks up to her and hugs her closely saying, "Uhmm...Ah'm mighty sorry we didn't tell ya about this Rarity, but...ya see...Gold Reel was already an alicorn then and used a spell to alter his form so he could walk among other ponies without causing a fuss."

Then Fluttershy taps her shoulder and smiles sweetly saying, "That is all true, Rarity, and his name is actually Galadriel, though he prefers to be called Gold Reel when in his altered form."

Rarity's legs begin to wobble as she starts to feel dizzy from this overwhelming revelation with her eyes shrinking to pinpricks saying, "How...Huh?...Y-You...y-you all knew?" Unable to think about calling forth a fainting couch, her eyes roll back into her head as her vision fades away and becomes black.

Cadence quickly catches her with a chuckle saying, "Poor Rarity, she received too much of a shock that she outright fainted." then hears a deafening roar of cheer and looks up to where Twilight is and sighs thinking, "I think you need to warn Celestia about this development."

Twilight hears the cacophony down below as everypony is going absolutely wild about his return and quickly pulls out a quill, inkwell, and a piece of parchment, then begins to write a letter to Princess Celestia hastily, then rolls it up and puts a seal over it. She then sends it down to Spike and shouts as loud as possible for him to send it, saying, "SEND IT RIGHT AWAY, SPIKE!!!"

Spike grabs the letter floating before him curiously, barely hearing Twilight's words over the din and asks, "Uhm...did anypony hear what Twilight just said?"

Rainbow chuckles and says, "Not really, but I think she wants you to send that to Princess Celestia right away."

He then gasps and says, "OH, RIGHT!" then breathes fire on it to send it on its way.

Celestia receives a letter and smiles saying, "I wonder what good news Twilight has to share with us." then opens it and reads it aloud saying, "Dear Princess Celestia, due to unfortunate circumstances moments ago, Galadriel was apparently unable to recast his spell. When the spell wore off, he was recognized by somepony who called him 'The First Alicorn.' I just thought that you should be warned before this news spreads across Equestria like crazy." Her eyes shrink to the size of pinpricks as she stares off into nothing, shaking her head saying, "No...nonononono..." then hands the letter to Luna and begs, "Please tell me I read the letter wrong, sister!"

Luna reads the letter and sighs, then pulls her sister into a hug saying, "I'm sorry sister...but you read it correctly. Now let your little sister be your shoulder to cry on, just remember that no matter what...we will be there to have each other's backs when trouble arises."

She then sobs into her sister's mane, hanging her head over Luna's neck and holds her tightly saying, "Nooo...why does Equestria have to find out about him now of all times?! What have I done to earn this much work and stress?"

It takes me a few hours to get back to the Crystal Castle due to the vast crowd of ponies swarming around me and asking me questions, finding the six girls inside and on the balcony as Rarity is whining to her friends about not telling her I was an alicorn. I then make my way up to them when Rarity notices me and huffs indignantly saying, "Way to go on saving the Empire from King Sombra girls."

Twilight is glum about not being the one to save the Crystal Empire in the end and looks down saying, "I am happy we saved it too, but I can't help but feel like I failed my test..."

I walk up to her and bump her with my shoulder lightly saying, "Hey, all that matters is that the Empire was saved from darkness, and I'm sure that your mentor will see that. You don't always have to be the one in the spotlight you know, everyone needs their turn now and again."

She sighs and forces a smile, saying, "You're right, but I still feel that I failed." then wanders off to sulk.

Applejack sighs at how he was unable to cheer her friend up and then asks, "So Galadriel, where the hay have ya been?"

Rainbow then chuckles and says, "And dude, what's that on your head?"

I chuckle and then say, "Well, I went down a road to the north to a village and asked them if they could help me discover my past memories, which succeeded. I passed out at the end of it and when I woke up, their leader made me an honorary member because of how I reminded them of their history. So they gave me this helmet as a sign of their thanks."

Fluttershy then asks curiously, "So umm, nothing dangerous happened to you while you were here did it? You're not injured?"

I shake my head and say, "The only thing that happened was that Shining Armor and I had to fight hundreds of Sombra's slaves, which we defeated them all after I used a spell to purify the darkness that was controlling them. I am perfectly fine, Fluttershy. I would be better if my spell hadn't wore off at the exact wrong time, I sure hope that Celestia won't chew me out over it. I guess that the fight earlier and the performance I put on for the yaks took more magic out of me than I realize."

Rarity huffs and says, "Yes, in less than a week, most of Equestria is going to know there's a new alicorn around."

I look at her and smile saying, "Don't be so jealous and upset with your friends Rarity, I'm sure that Princess Celestia had her reasons to control the mayhem that is soon to follow."

Pinkie Pie then says, "Hey, do you know what this calls for?!" then jumps up and says, "A party!"

I chuckle and look at the excited pony and say, "You're right, but perhaps it would be best to wait until after we hear if Twilight passed her test or not, alright?" I then look to the others and ask, "So, anypony know when we are going to head back?"

Applejack then says, "Well, Princess Cadence said the train is here and we could leave anytime, we will get there by noon tomorrow."

With a smile I sigh and say, "Personally, I wouldn't mind staying for a while longer, but I think that we all have things to tend to. Am I right?"

They all nod as Rarity sighs and nods reluctantly saying, "I really love this shiny coat..."

I chuckle and then say, "Well, you all make your way to the train and get Twilight to come with, and I will meet you all over there after I have a quick word with Cadence."

The girls all nod and then head off to find Twilight while I wander about the castle to find Cadence, finding her in the throne room of the castle and say, "That throne suits you, Princess Cadence."

Cadence smiles and says, "Please, just call me Cadence without the title, it will take some time for us to get things settled here until we receive further word from Princess Celestia."

I then smile at her saying, "As you wish. I did recover most of my memories, but there are still gaps here and there. Though the reason I am here is that I discovered something that I think you will find quite interesting. Shall we go somewhere quiet to talk?"

Curious, she nods her head and heads towards the balcony and stops near the arch saying, "This is as good of a spot as any, the guards you saved are all in rooms below recovering. What is it you wish to tell me?"

I walk up to her and say, "I discovered in a journal that I was the one who built this castle, but there's something else too..." I then say, "Magis Amore became pregnant with my foal and gave birth, so I read the following journals and do you know what I found?"

Her eyes become as wide as saucers as her heart pounds in her chest, saying in a quiet, hopeful voice, "What did you find?"

I then say, "It led me to Queen Amore's diary, which shows that she is a direct descendant of mine, does that mean anything to you?"

Cadence's eyes tear up as she then looks at Galadriel, feeling overjoyed at hearing that name and nods saying, "Yes! It means that I am also related to you!" and abruptly hugs him saying, "It means we are family as well."

I hug her back and say, "If you want to look at the journals yourself, they are in the library. I could show you where they are if you'd like?"

She eagerly nods her head saying, "Lead the way! But let's find Shining Armor along the way so I can tell him the happy news."

I follow her as she trots down the castle, using my magic to carry my own wings and hope that I can use my form altering spell soon. As we find Shining Armor walking with Twilight towards the train station, Cadence shares the news with them both. The news causes both their jaws to drop in surprise and shock as Twilight says, "I need to write another letter...SPIKE!"

Cadence looks at Galadriel and chuckles at her sister-in-law's behavior and says, "Well, let's get on our way to the library so I can learn more about my long-lost family!"

I lead her towards the library at a swift canter at her urging, and lead her into the deepest part of the library saying, "The first one begins here." and set my wings down and pull the book out, then hand it to her saying, "The next one is just to the right of it, and they go on for a little ways, so you will be busy reading for a few days."

She looks the book over and remembers where it went so she can return for it later and looks at him happily, saying, "It feels great to have someone I can actually call grandfather, you don't mind that do you?"

I shake my head and say, "Go right ahead, for all I know, I might even be related to those six girls and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as well. I wonder if there's a way to track down that information."

Cadence smirks and then chuckles saying, "If there is a way, it would be with magic, and I do think that Twilight might be able to figure out how to do that." She then sighs and hugs him again saying, "Thank you for showing me that we are family, it means so much that you have no idea. We better get going so you can catch your train, I'd also like to see my new sister-in-law off." and then turns and heads for the doors out of the library.

I nod and then pick my wings up with my magic and head toward the doors to the library alongside her, saying, "I think that would be wise, and it makes me happy too, my granddaughter." I then follow her out of the library, then trot towards the train station after her. After being stopped by a few ponies to answer what questions I am willing to answer, the two of us finally make it to the station to see Twilight talking to her brother.

Shining armor then smirks and nudges his sister's shoulder saying, "Everything is going to be alright. You really should stop saving my rump like this." then leans his head down towards his sister and lowers his voice saying, "It's really starting to get embarrassing."

I watch as Cadance moves to stand beside her husband as Twilight continues to believe that she failed, even after her brother tries to keep her hopes up and look at the two of them saying, "Worry not, she is just being hard on herself. I believe that everything will work out just like it should."

Cadence looks at Galadriel and walks up to him, then hugs him saying, "I hope we will see each other again, grandfather."

I hug her back one last time and smile saying, "Oh, you can certainly count on seeing me again in the future, perhaps some other day I will tell you about how I came to be here."

She then drops the hug as he backs away and smiles, saying, "I look forward to hearing about your adventures in the past, and your future adventures as well. Have a good trip back to Canterlot."

I then follow after Twilight and board the train, wondering how Celestia is going to act or what she will say after what happened in the Crystal Empire today. I make my way to a seat and lie down saying, "I can't wait until my magic comes back so I can go back to not being the center of attention, I have always tried to avoid being noticed unless something requires me to take action."

Rainbow glances at Galadriel's feathers and asks, "So...your wings...do you remember what happened to them?"

I look at her and nod my head saying, "I do, and I also know most of what happened during my time here, but if it is alright with you, I would prefer to wait until I can tell everyone at once at a later time. I think that I will wait for another opportunity to present itself or I may tell you girls separately than I tell the Princesses, though I haven't made my mind up on that yet. One thing I can tell you for certain though...is that the itching doesn't go away, not even when they are hidden within my spine from the spell I use."

Fluttershy then smiles and says, "Don't worry, the itching will go away...after a few weeks."

I chuckle along with the others at that and say, "It's going to be a long few weeks until then, how about you tell me how things went during your time here?"

As the girls all tell him the events throughout their time at the Crystal Empire, it is night time when they start to make themselves comfortable on the seats. The next day around noon, the train finally arrives at Canterlot and then they make their way to the castle so Twilight can make her report.

I wait outside with the others as they all are nervous for their friend, when the door opens and Twilight jumps out saying that she passed and then head towards the doors saying, "I knew you would Twilight, now it's time for me to go face the music for what happened due to my eagerness to help Shining Armor from becoming part of Sombra's army of mindless minions. Have a good trip back to Ponyville girls, I will see you when I am no longer grounded."

Pinkie Pie gigglesnorts at that saying, "OH THAT'S TOO FUNNY BECAUSE PRINCESS CELESTIA AND PRINCESS LUNA ARE YOUR BABYSITTERS NOW HAHAHA!" then rolls on the ground, laughing and snorting at the hilarity of it.

As I head inside, I hear a song begin to play and make my way to the throne room, where Princess Celestia looks at me with a scowl and asks with a pointed look, "So, please tell me why you thought it was necessary to let the secret of your existence out?"

I sigh and then say, "Well, what happened was that after I got there, I spent some time talking to the crystal ponies about what they knew. Which they couldn't tell me much, but I did find their library and I discovered a journal that told me that I was the one who built the crystal castle. The journal also told me that Magis Amore felt guilty about taking advantage of me the night that she saved me from freezing to death, and she wound up with foal after that. There were a bunch of other journals too, but the more important details are that I found that Queen Amore is a descendant of mine. Afterwards, I left the library and went to help Shining Armor find out what was outside the barrier, and when we got there, we found a few soldiers of Sombra's. After defeating them and freeing them from servitude, several hundreds more appeared so I had Shining Armor drag them back into the shield so I could try a spell of my own. I managed to purify them of dark magic and their servitude to him, when I then heard a voice tell me to follow the road north out of the empire if I wanted to recover my memories. So I had Shining Armor deal with bringing them back inside as I started heading for the road, and when I reached the village at the end of that road, I asked them if they might know a way for me to find my lost memories. I then followed them after preparing for a ceremony of some kind and headed to a place sacred to their people, then I performed a song and dance for them that reminded them of their forgotten history. When the song and dance was over, I was gifted most of my memories and passed out shortly after. I woke up in a hut on a bed, and I eventually found the leader in another hut and then followed him out, where he made me honorary member of their tribe, which explains these yak horns. After I left their village and headed back to the Crystal Empire to help the others out, I saw a brilliant flash followed by multi colored ribbons of light dancing across the skies. I assumed that meant that they successfully saved the Empire, so I continued on my way into the Empire to greet the others. However, I noticed that my mane had returned to normal and went to recast my spell, but it failed each time I tried it so I gave up and tried to hurry to the castle to get out of sight before my spell wore off. Unfortunately, the spell wore off in front of a crystal pony who recognized me somehow and had clearly read Magis Amore's journal, so she asked if I really was the alicorn that built the castle...and I told her the truth. Would you rather I had lied to her about it?"

Celestia groans and says, "No...but it would have been better if you had tried harder to not be seen. Do you know how much work I am going to have to do now because of you being seen by others?! Now that I know that Princess Cadence is related to you, directly through Queen Amore..." sighing exasperatedly before continuing, "I have to introduce you to the ponies of Equestria before even thinking of planning a coronation ceremony to make you royalty." She then stares at him with irritation and says, "Thank you so much for the added stress."

I sigh myself and say, "If it makes you feel any better, I would like you to forget about putting me in any kind of special position. I despise being treated as being special or god forbid...an all powerful being which I am not."

She stomps up to him and shouts, "NOT A CHANCE! You are the cause of my days being so long recently, so I think it is time that I get a little even for all the grey hairs you are giving me. It seems that your feathers will grow in just in time for the gala, I think that there will be time for you to ask Rarity for a suit to wear to the Grand Galloping Gala thisyear. I will not allow you to refuse this, so don't try to get out of it Prince Galadriel, first alicorn to appear in Equestria."

Taking a deep breath to accept my fate, I then let out a sigh and say, "Alright, where should I begin?"

Celestia then smiles and says, "At the very beginning, please, but not here, not yet. Let's relocate to my sister's chambers so you can tell us your story together." then turns and heads out of the throne room to lead him to her sister's room.

I follow her down the halls to a room at the far end of the hall and knocks on it, asking if her sister is decent. Just before she knocked however, I thought that I heard a soft moan followed by a startled eep. Not really wanting to think about what was going on behind the door, I look off to the side at a particularly interesting block.

Luna straightens herself out and tries to air the arousal out of the room, then makes herself presentable saying, "Come in sister, I am decent now."

She opens the door and walks into the room, knowing right away what she was doing when she arrived. With a smile she then looks to the door saying, "Galadriel, come in here so we can talk."

The younger sister blushes bright red as Galadriel enters the room and says, "H-How w-was your trip to the Crystal Empire Galadriel?"

Closing the door behind me, I smell a slightly floral scent in the air and then answer, "It went well, despite how I didn't have enough mana to cast my spell after defeating hundreds of Sombra's slaves and freeing them from servitude, and then using more mana during my visit to a small village northwest of the Crystal Empire."

Celestia rolls her eyes and says, "Stop going over what I can fill my sister in on later and tell us where your story begins." then makes herself comfortable right beside her sister.

I then sit down and say, "Very well, Your Highnesses." then think of how to start and say, "Well...to start off, I should tell you that I came here from another world, though it wasn't a pleasant journey I assure you." Thinking of how to help them understand, I use a small illusion spell I learned in the castle to conjure the images from my mind and into the world as visual, three-dimensional pictures and use it while starting my story, "The world I come from is the world of man, which is its own realm apart from where I come from. I was born or as I should say, 'created' by an all-powerful being called God, though he went by many other names as well..."

Luna smiles and squirms happily on the bed beside her sister and whispers, "It's been awhile since I saw this spell, I completely forgot about it. I always loved picture shows our mother told us when we went to bed, as did you..."

Celestia shushes her sister by putting her hoof to her mouth, causing Luna to giggle in a muffled manner at being proven right saying, "Shhh..."

I find amusement in their behavior and begin my tale from the day I was born, and tell them about the events of the following millennia. It takes me a few hours to get to recent times, but I then say, "I was in my chambers in Heaven City, watching the world of man and was saddened at how they refused to get along with each other. So I then looked away and saw the pictures around my room, each of them a moment when we intervened in mankind's affairs. As my disappointment grew, I made my way to the chair and started to read Noah's Challenges, but for some reason, I started to feel restless. I put the book away while wondering why I felt that way, when I realized that I was bored of sitting around. So I decided to go on a flight around the city to dispel that feeling, but it didn't really help much as I continued to think of how to deal with my boredom. Then I thought I might find some trespassing demons causing trouble on Earth doing a patrol, so I then headed to the Armory."

They both sit there, entranced by the detailed images that change regularly as he goes through the story, seeing the image of his friend Anuram and hears Galadriel tell them how he advised him to take his assigned weapon with him, seeing the image change to a beautifully crafted double-bladed spear. Listening to his story as the images of 'Michael' and 'Gabriel' appear, making Luna lean toward her sister's ear saying, "I think the older one with white wings is quite attractive, what about you?"

She leans into her other sister's ear saying, "Well, I prefer the one with the grey wings."

Luna then giggles and says, "You always did have a thing for troublemakers..."

Celestia then smirks and says, "Yeah, and you have a thing for older ponies."

I smirk and keep telling my story through their mareish behavior and tell them how they warned me that the End of Days was approaching soon and that I had to be careful and remain unnoticed by man, or I'd be in really big trouble. I then get to the part about how I passed through the veil and came across the soul of a teenage human girl falling towards the earth, cradling her in my arms like a child and asked her to tell me what troubles her soul. I then continue on saying, "When the girl told me what some evil humans did to her, I asked her to guide me to where those foul deeds happened. The location she led me to was an abandoned church somewhere in Philadelphia, and when I got there...what I angered me so much. Let me alter the spell a bit, do you want to hear the sound as the scene plays through?"

The two look at each other and then look back at him and nod quickly as Luna says, "If you wouldn't mind, that would be nice."

I nod and then alter the spell saying, "I warn you now, this next part is very bad. Please remember that these events have already happened so there is nothing that can be done to save them."

Equis watches from her cave as he shows them his arrival and tampers with the spell slightly, changing the point of view to be in third person instead, saying, "Now that's better, they can have a better look at what he went through."

They both nod and watch as he casts the spell, showing them him kicking the door down and walking in as if he owned the building. shifting their eyes around the room to see the full scene, Luna points her hoof at the naked figure of a human teenage girl bound to an altar with blood running down either side of it as tears run down her face. As they watch the ensuing fight and hear what is said, they nearly throw up at seeing two humans being cut in half with the spear. After the fight ends, they are shocked as they see a strange creature having a dragon-like body when they see Galadriel kneel down and pray to his brothers, calling for their aid against the dragon-like creature he called a Fallen Angel named Leviathan. Galadriel attacks the creature to keep it busy until his brother can arrive, using his wings to protect him from its fire. They watch in awe at the strength of his older brother as he stabs the creature through the neck, thinking it is over as it thrashes and destroys one part of the church. When the thrashing causes the roof to collapse upon the creature, the steeple follows shortly after, causing the church bell to ring as it tumbles to the ground. The spear is pulled out of Leviathan's neck as a brief conversation ensues, revealing to Celestia and Luna that the Fallen Angel was once like the other angels, but had their forms altered as punishment for their sins and then were cast down. The other side of the church's wall falls as Leviathan finally pulls himself free from under the debris as the older brother tells him that they will have their war a different day, then rushes forth and puts his spear through Leviathan's neck. He then flies up and tips him over backward, into the open portal to return to hell from where he came. A brief cheer comes from their lips before they fall silent as the scene continues to play out, showing them how unhappy his older brother was with Galadriel for causing things to go this far.

The scene continues to play out as Galadriel is told to return once his task here is done, with the older brother heading into the sky to wait for his brother. Galadriel then looks for the spirits of the young teenage girls that were all sacrificed, finding them at a nearby church and lands by them. The princesses watch as he leads them around and helps them to move on before joining his brother above the destroyed remains of the church and returning to heaven. Galadriel is then escorted by his brother before the throne of a tall being that they can't see the features of as he speaks to the two angels, then directs his attention to Galadriel and begins to scold him as a father should. Celestia and Luna both gasp as they watch and listen while Michael uses the blunt end of the spear to shatter the bases of both wings, then uses the blade to place a curse on both wing bases to completely block holy healing there. Tears flow from their eyes as they look at how his wings hang uselessly from his back, knowing he will never fly again unless the curse can be broken and his wings can be healed. They watch Galadriel's father raise his hand and use his power to stain the tips of his beautiful, gold flecked wings the same red color of blood. With bated breath, they listen and watch as God asks him to follow him to the tower to be cast out.

Hearing Galadriel's father grant him gifts for helping the young souls cheers up the two princesses as he then looks to the older brother and dismisses him. They then hear his brother whisper an apology to Galadriel, which he replies and tells his older brother to not be sorry because it was his own fault. Galadriel then gets up and follows his father around the throne and out onto a balcony when a section of the railing sinks down towards the floor, then moves to stand before him to receive his final gifts as the princesses notice tears trailing down Galadriel's father's face. They hear him tell his father not to cry and that he should have obeyed the rules, then owns his mistake with no regrets of how he helped those young girls' souls.

Celestia and Luna watch intently, taking shallow breaths as they watch Galadriel's father create a powder and then blow it across his face, telling him those are his last two gifts from him, then to repent his sins and learn from his mistakes because he will lose his angelic form once he leaves. Their breaths hitch in their throat as he uses his hand to make Galadriel face the lowered rail of the balcony, then grips him by the back of his neck and raises him high into the air saying, "Now begone from this sacred place, vile sinner!" He brings Galadriel back and channels his powers into surrounding his son with a bright white aura before hurling him off the balcony, causing the two princesses watching the scene play out through the spell to inhale sharply in a gasp when the aura becomes a blazing inferno that races away from the balcony.

They watch the flaming inferno as it eventually burns out to reveal green lands around it, causing the two sisters to gasp as they recognize the forest Galadriel is heading for as Celestia says, "That must be the Everfree...many years ago." They watch as he uses his arms to try to protect himself from the inevitable impact, when he slams into the ground, it has enough force to create a crater as big around as their old castle. As he crawls from the crater, they watch as his body begins to change. The transition into that of a pony is a painful one, though he doesn't cry out in pain. His wings emerge from his back with feathers the same exact color with gold flecks scattered throughout them with blood-red tips on each primary and secondary feather. When the changes continue, they both can't help but ogle the stallion's member as it changes and retreats back into the sheath. After the changes complete, they look at the alicorn as it looks exactly the same as Galadriel does now except for having a regular mane and tail. Another thing they notice is that he doesn't have a cutie mark yet, making them both gasp with surprise.

The princesses watch the story continue on, with Galadriel crawling his way out of the forest on his stomach. When he reaches the edge of the forest, they giggle as he snorts at his long hair over his eyes and shakes his head to get it to the side. They are surprised once again as he attempts to speak to the pony before him, but doesn't speak back when another pony uses sounds. Luna gasps at recognizing the language and says, "SISTER, this is from way before Equestria existed, the language the stallion is using is the language all ponies spoke before we could form vowels or consonants!"

With this revelation, Celestia uses her magic to summon a lot of paper, quills and inkwells and begins writing down observations while Luna chuckles at her and teases her about her student rubbing off on her.

As the story is told, Luna gasps at the newborn foals and says, "Aren't they so cute sis? Doesn't that just want you to have your own?"

Celestia rolls her eyes and says, "No thank you, if I had a foal of my own, I would never get anything done."

Luna and her sister watch the story continue when she recognizes a place surrounded by snow, looking down upon a city built from gold and silver, causing her to gasp and say, "SISTER, THAT'S SADDLELANTIS!"

She furiously writes each detail down as the event unfolds before their very eyes, watching as the city is destroyed when he starts using his tail to swat at either side of his flanks. As the filly asks about what he is and he tells her he doesn't know, she begins to speak her mind come up with some sort of a name as Celestia then mumbles, "Wait...don't tell me this is..." when she hears the filly cry out in happiness as she came up with something and says Alicorn.

A few moments pass as she suggests to go find a stream to get rid of the itching when a sudden flash on the filly's rear, catching the princesses eyes immediately as an image appears in its place and is eventually called a 'Cutie Mark' by Galadriel. Another flash catches their eye, which comes from Galadriel's rear. When they look at it, they see the cutie mark the same as the one he bears. They watch as he ventures into the snowy lands, and nearly freezing to death along with the filly, Light Bright when they are discovered and saved by Magis Amore. After seeing how he used his power to ask the mountain for a gift, being the Crystal Heart, he then called forth a tall crystal castle.

The story continues on as Luna's room begins to fill with stacks upon stacks of filled paper as Celestia replaces yet another quill and inkwell as they see a buffalo herd approach in the three-dimensional image when it suddenly goes blank as Celestia asks, "What happened?"

I then sigh and say, "There's a gap in my memory, so mark the rest of the page as being a gap to be filled in later. Be sure to make a note with the next continuation, which I can't really show you because it is a voice I hear in my sleep. So make the necessary marks and notes so I can continue the next part."

She nods and hastily makes the notes, even writing memory gap on the center of a fresh page with a note reading, 'Next part involves hearing a voice inside Galadriel's mind.' then looks up at him and says, "I'm ready, please continue...oh old one."

I then chuckle and tell them about the voice that spoke to me and warned me about someone named Grogar coming after me, offering me a way to spare my herd from his wrath but requesting I do something for her in return. I then proceed to tell her about the remainder of the conversation, leaving no details out.

Celestia replaces another inkwell and sighs saying, "I hope this story ends soon, I might be starting to run low on paper, quills, and inkwells..."

I then grin and say, "Don't worry it is almost over." then resume using my three-dimensional spell to show them what happened afterwards.

By the time they both watch Grogar steal a great deal of his magic before calling forth a portal and sending Galadriel through it to Tartarus, Luna's room is absolutely filled with stacks upon stacks upon stacks of paper as Luna groans saying, "Sister, can you teleport this somewhere? I can't even see the door or even walk or fly to it like this!"

She then chuckles and says, "Sorry, sister, I didn't mean to almost swamp us in paperwork, hehehe." then asks, "Is that all there is to the story?"

I chuckle and say, "I don't remember anything after that about my time in Tartarus so I would say mark it as a gap page with a note saying the next part will have Continuation at the top when I recover more of my memory."

Celestia then sighs and makes the necessary notes and then moves it to the last stack she was working on, then teleports it to a large storage room under the castle, saying, "Well, thank you for sharing your memories with us, but it is time for Luna and I to change the day to night and for her to begin her nightly duties."

Luna then says, "Your right sister, let's do that so you can get some sleep." and looks at Galadriel and says, "Here is what I want you to do, so please make yourself helpful for once." then writes something down on a paper and hands it to him saying, "Now please be on your way, Galadriel while my sister and I take care of the cycle."

I read the letter and smile, then nod my head saying, "It would be my pleasure to assist you with your nightly duties, Your Highness." then leave the room to get the cart to start swapping out the old lavender bundles out with the new ones. As I retrieve the cart, I make my way through the halls, looking for old bundles to replace and then check each room. I find it relatively easy to tell which flowers are old and take them down, taking the pile of old lavender with me and leave it at the end of each major hallway.

The Outcast

by The Loner

I: An angel's fall

II: Getting used to a new world

III: A destroyed hope

IV: Chance Encounters

V: Crystal Beginnings

VI: The winds of change

VII: A change of scenery

VIII: Time goes on, part 1 (Minor Edit at end of story, 1/18/23)

IX: Time goes on, part 2

X: Lost and Confused

XI: Interesting circumstances

XII: New acquaintances

XIII: When fortune smiles

XIX: Shocking discoveries

XX: Secrets and lending a helping hoof

XXI: What was lost

XXII: Revelations