White Mage Anon And Barbarian Celestia.

>Resting atop your throne, you relish the moment of peace amid the normal hecticness of day court.
>The front doors burst open, and a harried looking mare soldier rushes in.
>"Princess, A strange creature was found frozen in ice up north and is being brought back to Canterlot."
>"I was sent ahead to advise you to gather the elements. Preliminary scans indicate it's still alive, and though the odds of it surviving defrosting are low, it bears a massive weapon."
"You have done well to bring me this news, please, take the rest of today and tomorrow off on paid leave. you have earned it."
>The exhaused mare smiles and bows, before walking away.
>Rising to your hooves, you call for scribing tools to prepare a letter for your student.
>For a frontline mare to request your aid, it must be serious.
>They're the best of the best, trained for years before they can see service.
>Sealing the letter, it vaporizes into smoke and flies off to find Twilight's assistant.
>Next comes your patrol command, to make sure your Stallion guards are out of the way and safe from harm.
>Plus, the city mares loves seeing the colts wandering around in armor.
>Your personal elites head to the train station to recieve the ice creature, and a letter returns from Twilight, affirming they are on their way.
>Now, it's just a matter of time.
>Something you've had plenty of.
>After all, you've been around for over a thousand years, and you know how much, and yet how little can change in that time.
>Retaking your throne, you inhale deeply, mentally preparing yourself for the likely non-incident that will occur.
>Still, you must do all you can to protect your ponies.
>The elements arrive before anyone else, brought in by your best high speed flyers.
>"What do you need us for, Princess?" Twilight asks, bowing formally as usual.
>"Did Discord go bad again and you need us to kick his butt?" Rainbow asks, shadow boxing the air, before stopping after a glare from Twilight.
"Actually, an unknown beast was found frozen in the ice up north, and is being brought back still frozen."
"We're not sure what kind of threat it poses, but the frontguard were worried, so expect the worst."
>Fluttershy squeaks and hides behind Rarity, who seems somewhat nervous herself.
>There isn't time to say much more as the doors are opened and the rattle of armour indicates the numerous guards hauling the ice block have arrived.
>While rather foggy, you can see a figure in the ice, a massive bipedal form with a huge axe held tight.
>Instinct pulls you from your seat, and you approach the frozen creature, thoughts and memories swarming just under the surface of conciousness.
>Up close, you notice a small glow, floating just above the top of the main mass, and one memory jumps forward into life.
>With all your might, you spin and deliver the hardest kick you can to the ice, the force creating many massive fractures in the ice.
>A second kick distorts the form and light visible through the ice, and a third shatters the icy prison into hundreds of thousands of shards.
>Your student rushing up to your side, she can barely open her mouth to question you before a bright light shines down through the ceiling, pure white feathers drifting down to the creature, which suddenly stirs.
>Pushing itself upright, just the sight of his face brings your memories flooding back.
>Spears and swords rattle loose all around you, but they don't make a move.
>"Fucking took you long enough Sunbu..." He starts, before you are all over him, engaging in mouth to mouth combat.
>A strong but soft hand pushes you away, and he says, "What's got you all friskied up, Sunbutt, you hit your season while I was out cold?"
>Nuzzling into his neck, you wrap your wings around him as tears start to form.
"It's been a thousand years, you idiot, how could I not miss you..."
>You suddenly feel arms wrap around your shoulders, an uncommon show of affection from him.
>"Well, I guess I've got a lot of catching up to do then, don't I," he whispers, and you feel teeth take hold of your ear.
>A shift of metal greets your ears, followed by Anon's teeth letting go and a loud "Fuck," from him.
>Looking over, one of your guards has speared him in the side, though he's already grabbed the spear and pulled it out.
>"Damn it, just because I'm a healer doesn't mean you have to stab me," he says, kicking the pony back.
>Magical energies, his mana, flow around him for a moment before a bright white light mends the hole left by the spear.
>Only the hole in the fabric of his clothes shows any indication of the injury.
"Guards, please, let him be. He's not our enemy," you say, gesturing them back with a sweep of your wings.
>He steps back from you, before digging through the ice shards before drawing forth Dawnbringer, your axe.
>Holding her handle towards you, he says, "I did promise to bring her back."
>Your magic wraps around the worn shaft, hefting the weight you haven't felt since...
>"Princess, who's this?" Twilight asks, moving up next to you.
>"I'm the guy who has saved her ass and been in that ass multiple times."
>As much as your strong mare insticts try, you can't help but blush and swat him with the side of the axe.
>Bracing, he recieves your blow with just a little skidding.
>"Well, I'm glad you haven't lost your strength, but what's with that blush? You're like one of those bar colts you used to hit on."
>"Princess! You didn't!?" your student exclaims, "and everypony knows you haven't had a partner ever."
>"Her? Pass up a chance to make a colt blush? You sure we're talking about the same Sunbutt?"
>"YOU DARECALL HER THAT!" your student shouts, "YOU'RE JUST SOME INSOLENT CREATURE RELEASED FROM ICE!"
>Smoke starts wisping from your overentheuseastic student just before you lay a calming wing on her side.
"Actually, he isn't wrong, my dearest student, Back in my younger years, I was quite the, uh..."
>"Barbarian?" Anon interjects helpfully.
>Twilight's cheeks puff up in rage, but you nod.
"Yes, I suppose that would fit best, as that's what I ran as."
>"And I kept that angry, sexy ass of yours healed up, since nobody else'd party with you."
>You can see your student starting to enrage again, and you give her a nudge.
"How about we move to somewhere more comfortable so we can explain some of this."
>"Ahem, as much I would love to hear the tale of your escapades with this wonderfully interesting colt, I'm afraid I have business to attend to," Rarity says, several of the other elements nodding in agreement.
>In the end, only Twilight and Rainbow Dash decided to stay, and the four of you now are resting in your study, a nice warm tea set out.
>"So you were a barbarian back way long ago?" Rainbow asks, looking at Dawnbringer.
"I was, though this was before the unification of the tribes, back when Alicorns were seen as outcasts, bastard third breeds of all three races."
>"Nobody liked 'em, so they tended to be drifters, working alone for jobs normal ponies wouldn't do," Anon says, "Well, except for her, she got lucky and found me."
"Lucky is one way you could put it," you reply with a roll of your eyes.
>Turning to your student, you notice Twilight has obtained a large notepad from somewhere, and is already writing notes.
"Well, I guess we should start from the beginning..."
"I was born in an earth pony town whose name has long been consumed by time."
>"Well duh, no pegasus born could have an ass like this," Anon says, smacking your flank.
>Seeing Rainbow starting to go red, you swat Anon back.
"You haven't seen Luna yet," you say, "anyways, back to my tale."
"The whole town raised me, if you could call it that."
"They gave me scraps to eat, let me stay in a small shed and trained me in what combat they wanted."
"Any work none of them wanted to do, they dumped on me."
"As soon as I was old enough to take care of myself, I was kicked out, left to fend for myself."
"Most of my early years were spend going place to place, doing jobs wherever I could to make money till I met Luna."
>"Speaking of, where is that flat bottomed girl?" Anon asks, before a dark aura starts to fill the room.
>"WHO DARES TO INSULT OUR MOON!" a thunderous Canterlot voice rings out, Luna appearing in the middle of the room with a crack.
>"Hey Moonbutt, how's it going?" Anon asks, oblivious to the dark pressure.
>The dark pressure which vanishes near instanly as she spots him lounging next to you.
>"Anon! Where have thou been? We haved missed you greatly, though not as much as our sisters' rear has."
>"Speaking of rears, when did you grow a flank like that?" he asks, reaching out and grabbing at the mass of Luna's ass.
>"Just because we are a pegasusborn Alicorn doesn't mean we can't build a rear worthy of worship if we so desire."
>Letting out a loud cough, you draw everyone's attention away from Luna's rear and back to yours.
>Er, your story.
"Anyways, when Luna and I met, we started travelling together, but as it turned out, towns are barely trusting of one Alicorn."
"You have two in the same place, and you are a spark away from an angry mob."
"So with what gold we had, we made a small house far from anywhere and dug a cave to hide in, just in case."
>"Twas the first time I felt as though I was loved, and we hath been sisters since."
"Since I was the older and stronger of us, I went and took on jobs to get us money and food, while Luna kept bandits and "heros" away from our supplies.
"The more jobs I did, the better I got, and that led up to a job against a "rogue" unicorn faction."
>"And here's where I cut in," Anon says.
~~~
>"Are you ready, Dusk?" one hooded unicorn say to another, deep within a guarded castle.
>"Of course. With our preparations, even the most powerful of beings won't be able to resist our commands," Dusk replies.
>Standing across a magic circle from eachother, their magic slowly begins to release.
>Runes float around the circle, power growing with each passing second.
>Together, they begin to chant, "Oh Ancient Spirits of the Aether, Heed our call and answer our desires."
>"Bring us a being of great power to protect us."
>"Oh Ancient Spirits of the Aether, Heed our call and answer our desires."
>"Bind the beast to our wills, so it will obey our command."
>Magic congregates at the middle of the circle, an amorphous glowing blob slowly growing.
>Larger and larger it grows, towering over the two mares before it begins to take shape.
>A bipedal creature takes form, less bulky than a minotaur, but with much more leg.
>Long robes flow about it, caught in the ethereal breeze.
>As colour and definition fill it, the two are left somewhat confused by the alienness of the creature.
>With a flash, the last of the magic leaves, the creature now fully in this world and contained within the spell circle.
>"Heed us creature, for we are now your mistresses, you will obey our every word, and we shall care for your needs."
>"Resist, and we shall purge you with our mighty magic. Now kneel before us."
"Yeah, no, fuck you."
>Crossing your arms, you stare down the pair of tiny horses that just apparently summoned you.
>"Command: Kneel before Zodd," one says, and despite your will to resist, you kneel down, pressed by an unseen force.
>"Zodd, we need learn more about it before we use it, I'll ask the questions."
>"Fine Dusk, just don't take too long, I can't stand this beast already."
>The pony named Zodd leaves, and you stare down the other, named Dusk.
>"Command: Answer. What are you? What are your skills?"
"Human, White mage," you answer simply, the words dragged from your lips.
>"White magic, huh? A healer then, not what we were hoping for, but valuable none the less."
>"Command: Freeze." Dusk says, before stepping to a nearby dresser to fetch something.
>She returns a moment later with a collar heavily laced with magic.
>"Command: Bow," she declares, forcing you to lower your head, putting it into perfect range for her to strap the collar on.
>With it around your neck, she smiles.
>"There we go, now we don't have to use those commands, you'll just listen like an obedient dog."
"Fuck you too, Bitch."
>Her smile cracks, and a hoof jabs you in the face, drawing blood from your nose.
>"Go get the guards to lock you in with the slaves. They're the company you deserve."
>Rising, you are compelled down a series of paths you don't know, till you arrive in a pseudo prison.
>You ask for the guards to lock you in and they comply.
>Once "safely" inside, the compulsion stops, leaving you rather pissed.
"Damn it, you stupid fucking horses get this thing off me and let me out of here!" you yell, before there's a few whimpers behind you.
>A number of other ponies, these ones dirty and scared are all in a corner, most circled around a few.
>Wiping blood off, you draw up mana and cast a weak healing spell to fix up your nose.
>Snorting out some blood, you sit down to contemplate the shit that just happened.
>Before you can think of any reason anyone would hate you enough to send you to a land of tiny magic horses, one of said horses slowly approaches.
>"Umm, Excuse me, you're a healer right? Could your help our friend? She was hurt when the slavers got us, and they refuse to help her at all."
>looking over at them, they indicate a horse with some pretty bad bruising and cuts.
"I'll see what I can do," you reply, shuffling over.
>By the time you finish, you can feel quite the dent in your mana pool, but she seems healthy again.
>Whoever had hurt her had done a number to the poor girl.
>Layers of abuse, just the first indication of what being stuck here meant.
>Almost daily, one or more of the females, Mares, as you come to learn, are taken away.
>They are also always brought back later, injured, the guards leaving them for you to heal.
>The stallions are taken away a little more rarely, and they come back uninjured, but they seem to take psychological torture.
>They shiver, draw within themselves, the kind of wounds your magic can't heal.
>To torture you, on top of leaving you with the injured and traumatized ponies, they forced you to heal them, even the most minor injuries.
>Some even demanded healing when they were completely uninjured.
>This went on for several months, but as time went by, you prepared.
>Your chance to escape arrived in a blaze of glory, and the moment confusion struck, so did you.
~~~
>Atop an outlook, you stare down at the rogue unicorn castle, observing the guards as they march to and fro.
>Your ever moving mane bound down by straps, you heft your hammer.
>There won't be much time till an alarm is activated once you enter the castle, you must move quickly and efficiently.
>Clear a path for the prisoners, give them time to escape, and bring down the head of this operation.
>If they get a message out, there can be serious repercussions.
>Observing a clear destination, you charge up a teleport.
>With a pop, you dissapear from the hilltop, and re-appear down next to the gatehouse, and with a swing, you take down the guard there.
>Listening for any alert sounds, you hear none and with muffled steps you head for the wall.
>The first patrol is nearing so you hide yourself from sight, hefting your hammer in anticipation.
>Barely a squeak can escape them before they are clubbed down and you are back down to ground level.
>Heading towards the door, you suddenly feel a sharp stabbing sensation, and notice a knife has been plunged into your side.
>The guard from the gatehouse had recovered enough to use it, but a direct blow from your hammer ensures she won't again.
>The streets are empty, not surprising considering the low population here, but you slink in the shadows, just in case.
>A guard post is the first building to draw your attention, as there are loud alarms going off from it.
>Rushing to the door, you kick it down and raise your hammer ready to smite the foul kidnappers.
>Your grip falters when you see what is within though, a strange monkey minotaur thing delivering a kick to the face of a unicorn.
>Steadying itself from after it's powerfull blow, it turns to you and raises its forelimbs in a defensive stance.
>A deep, masculine voice comes from it's mouth, saying, "You are either going to let me and the others go, or you are going to get a boot to the head like that girl."
"You were a prisoner, I take it? I'm here to release you and stop these foul slavers."
>It, he, puts his fingers to his lips and lets out a loud whistling noise, and you can hear a number of hoofsteps coming up the stairs from the cellar.
>More than a dozen mares and several stallions and colts file up into the room, sticking close to the monkey thing.
>"Is the way out safe? If you're here to help, I'm going to help you, and they need to get to safety."
"The path out is clear, they need only open the gate and leave. As a mare, I must decline your help, stallion. It would be against my honour to bring you to danger, regardless of if you can beat these ponies or not."
>As you say this, you turn to indicate the mare he knocked out, and in doing so, you don't notice him approach.
>You feel the cold steel of the knife suddenly pulled from you, and before you can say a word, a white glow has surrounded his hand and the wound.
>Before your eyes, your flesh knits itself back together, the pain vanishing entirely.
>"Well, I'm not the best and direct combat, but I'm a damn good healer, so as long as you can meat shield for me, I'll keep you standing."
"Be that as it may, it is still not safe for a male to enter such dangerous places."
>"I don't care what you think or say, I'm going with you to stop them. Besides, I owe those head bitches a few good kicks in the cunt for locking me up like this."
>Letting out an exasparated sigh, you nod, marely instinct telling you there is not going to be any success arguing with this colt.
"Alright, just stay behind me."
>Moving out, the monkey male follows behind you, pausing just long enough to see the prisoners flee to the gates.
>"So from here, we're gonna want to sweep right to reach the guard quarters and clear them out, before hitting the armory and then finally, we kick those cunts up in the main tower," he says, motioning down a street.
"And who said you were the one in charge? Your job is to stay safe behind me and heal me."
>He shoves past you, walking down the route he suggested, and you find yourself growling quietly.
>Hastening up next to him, you let out your annoyance as a sharp exhale.
"Fine, but I'd like to know the name of those I fight alongside. My name is Celestia."
>"I'm Anon, now lets go. I've been stuck under their commands too long, and I'm ready to fight back."
>You falter a step, before continuing your pace, trying not to let your sudden concern show.
"You were under their control?"
>"Pretty much. they had some stupid magic shoved in this collar."
"Then how can I trust you aren't still under their control?"
>Using the still bloodied knife he removed from you, he cuts off the leather band, blood trickling from minor knicks created in the process.
>"Does that convince you? The only reason I didn't just dispel their magic and leave was because of the others here. I needed something that would let me get them out."
"And so you used my entrance to herald your escape?"
>"Not really. A big group just left for a hunt, so I figured I could handle the numbers left."
>A pony suddenly walks out into the road ahead of you, and both you and Anon stop, the ponies eyes meeting your own.
>"INTRUDER!" they yell out before you can close the gap, silencing any further cries with a heavy blow.
>Clamoring can be heard from up ahead and you look to Anon.
>Magic fills the air around him, gathering as he prepares a spell, before a sudden sheen of blue surrounds you.
>A seemingly spherical barrier of blue hexes surrounds you, before fading out, and a similar one surrounding him.
>"Just a little physical protection. Magic'll still hurt, but if you want that protection too, it cuts my healing as well."
"This will do, just remember to stay back and avoid direct combat. I'm unacustomed to fighting with others, so I'd rather avoid hitting you on accident."
>"I've worked with guys like you before. You just need to know their area of combat, and you're golden."
>Several armored unicorns come out of a building up ahead, armed and ready to attack.
>Raising your hammer high, you focus magic into it before slamming it down in front of you.
>The impact combined with your magic sends a ripple of earth under the cobblestones, tearing them up in a line in front of you.
>All but two of the unicorns are able to evade it, the other two being knocked back by the force.
>Two wielding swords split to opposite sides of the street, closing in while the third, the other to avoid the stone wave charges a spell.
>Rushing forward, you seek to close on one of their allies before the unicorn in the back can fire their spell.
>An empty barrel flies past and into the other swordsmare, stumbling her and causing her to drop her sword, and as you engage the other swordsmare, you see Anon close in on the stumbled mare.
>The mare you are attacking makes the fool mistake of trying to block, her effort accomplising naught but embeding her own sword into her side as you smash her into the wall of the building.
>Anon has driven the knife into the disarmed mare and followed up with a slash from her own blade, finishing her off.
>Both mares knocked over by your initial attack have recovered, and the unicorn has finished her preparations.
>From her horn shoots a fireball aimed directly at you.
>With no time to move your weapon to block, you tumble aside, the spell exploding on the wall and singeing you.
>Rising back to your feet, you advance on the three remaining mares, the spellflinger and two spear wielders.
>One spear wielder suddenly launches it at you, the spear grazing your shoulder, slowed by the sudden re-appearance of the blue hexagonal barrier.
>A barrage of tiny spell missiles swarm from the caster, most hitting the ground or buildings harmlessly, but a few striking you and Anon.
>Given how little damage they did, they were probably cast in a hurry, and you can see why.
>Anon has slipped past the spearmare and is now pushing back the spell flinging unicorn, leaving you an unarmed unicorn and a spear wielder to handle.
>The unarmed unicorn draws forth a dagger, while the spear holder edges around to put your back against a building.
>With a cry, they charge, and you easily sidestep the spear, bringing your hammer around to drive the unfortunate pony face first into the wall of the building.
>Thinking your guard is down, the mare with the dagger charges your side, but a reversal of your hammer and a swift swing brings it back around, smashing her skull.
>Anon has handled the remaining pony, though judging by the clumsy cuts, he's inexperienced with a blade.
>As a stallion, and a healer, he should be at the back, supporting the mares who do the real fighting.
>His own wounds have been healed up, and as you near, he prepares another healing spell.
>"The armory is just up ahead, and we should be able to get some weapons and probably decent armor for you," he says, light surging from his hands to heal your injuries.
"I think, perhaps, that it would be best if you gave me that magic protection as well. While their blows are softened, I think your healing is enough that even reduced it would cover what little damage they do."
>"Alright, one shell, coming right up."
>Magic surges around him once again, before a cage of orange light appears around you, and like with the hexagonal shield, it fades and vanishes from view.
"I find myself curious, what manner of spells are these? I have never seen any like it, all shielding spells I've seen or heard of are visible around the shielded."
>"They're Shell and Protect, for the magic resisting and physical resisting ones respectively, and they're white magic. I'm a white mage, as I said before, I think."
"You never mentioned that, though I suppose magics vary between species and cultures."
>"Well, enough of the magic lesson, we need to get going before the bosses decide to leave or call back their hunting party."
"A good suggestion. Follow behind me."
>Taking a swift stride, you head along the path towards the central tower.
>Despite your pace, Anon keeps up well, though you can tell it's somewhat tiring on him.
>Still, colt's got some stamina, especially for a healer.
>Wonder if that extends to...
>No, not now.
>Gotta stay on task.
>"Oi, Celestia, you're skipping right past the armory, you know," Anon calls out to you.
>Stopping mid stride, you look back to see him waving from the entrance of a building.
"I don't need anything. You may stop if you want, but I'm going on ahead."
>He dissapears inside for just a moment, before returning with a long staff.
>"Well, this is all I needed, I just figured you'd like a set of armor or that nice battleaxe or something."
>You can't resist your ears turning towards him at the mention of a battleaxe.
>The hammer's always been nice, but it lacks the damage against bigger foes.
"Well, I guess I can check, just in case."
>Backtracking, you follow him inside, your eyes scanning over the collection of weapons.
>An easy stack of bits worth of metal greets you, and at the back, almost surrounded by a halo of light is exactly what you want.
>With a massive two foot curved blade and a six foot handle, the glory that is the axe you see is beyond measure.
>Slightly lighter than your current hammer, but with a bit more reach, the razor sharp edge gives it the, well, edge you wanted.
"Well, let's get going then, Anon, we can't waste too much time looking at shiny things."
>"Hmn? I was waiting for you."
>Stepping past, you swat him lightly with your tail.
>Enough to say "don't push it, colt", but not enough to hurt him.
>And maybe just enough to give a bit of a flash.
>Being a hated exile does leave you lonely at times.
>Making swift progress to the tower, the two of you...
~~~
>"Um, excuse me, but I have a question, Anon," Twilight says.
>"Sure, what is it?"
>"How do you remember all this? Heck, how are you not freaking out at the fact you've been frozen for over a thousand years?"
>"Let me put it like this, purple pony," He starts, and you can hear Twilight mutter her name under her breath.
>"When you've been sucked from your own world, shoved into a world of talking horses and get forcibly enslaved by them, you kind of become numb to most surprises."
>"Plus, that ice was like a time freeze spell or something. The windigo's use it to freeze food for later eating, so it keeps them alive but in magic sleep, sort of."
>"It probably doesn't make much sense, but to me, yesterday I was fighting the windigo's with Celestia, so even these memories are only a few years old to me."
>"Besides, it's hard to forget the time I met this fine ass," he finishes, slapping your flank.
>Your tail slaps him back, leaving a red streak across his arm.
>"Well, you may be wearing fancy stuff, but it seems like you're the same old barbarian you always were."
"I'm a princess now, and I'd prefer it if you treated me as such," you reply.
>"Considering what we did, I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Still, I'd hate to think that wild girl I used to bed is all gone..."
>The look he gives you almost makes you want to jump his dick right now, but it'd be innapropriate with the young ones around.
>"Excuse me, Princess, can we get back to the story? This magic mumbo jumbo is kinda boring," Rainbow Dash asks.
"Of course, now where were we..?"
>"We were about to kick some mares in the cunt, remember."
~~~
>Marching behind Celestia, the two of you arrive at the base of the tower quite swiftly.
>Reaching the door, Celestia tries to open it with no success.
"Let me," you say, moving ahead of her.
>Drawing forth mana, you wave Dispel into the door, runes appearing before breaking and scattering to the wind.
>After that, the door opens easily, and you make a sweeping gesture to motion your ally inside.
"Ladies first."
>You could see her wings ruffle for some reason, and before you can say or do anything more, a magical aura wraps around you and pushes you inside.
>She follows after, and retakes her position up front.
>While she's rather rough about it, you can't complain about the view.
>Despite your short time in this world, you've already seen your fair share of pony parts, and the pink bits she's got between those white cheeks are quite nice.
>And her tail doesn't cover it very well.
>Well, after this is all over, maybe you can go find the other slaves, see if you can get a special "Thank you" from it.
>Half distracted by your thoughts, you almost walk into her upheld wing.
>"Hold, this looks like a trap."
>Peering past her, you can see an open room with a lone statue in the middle.
"I have to agree. Something like this in a dungeon or tower is always a bad sign."
>"Do we risk it? Whatever it is, it doesn't seem too powerful."
"Move aside a bit, I want to try something."
>Her wing retracts, and with just a touch of mana from your pool, you cast Scan at the statue.
>Symbols and shapes move around it a bit, and data flows into your head.
>A quick browse of what you now know of it, and you smile.
"Don't worry too much, this thing isn't that strong. Two or three good hits will do it."
>Rushing in, Celestia charges the statue, which quickly animates in response.
>Not that it matters, as with a single wide swing, her new axe cleaves it in two.
"Or one hit..."
>Drawing forth more mana, you Scan Celestia, an action she notices quite easily.
>It's kind of hard not to notice shapes moving around you, scanning you.
>"What are you doing?"
"Holy shit you are strong. Like, Boss monster stats."
>"What do you mean?"
"Scan, well, It sort of gives numbers to things, to let you compare them. Strength, speed, intelligence, magic, health, stuff like that. Well, your numbers are absurdly high."
"Magic is the only thing I come close to you in, seconded by intelligence."
>"Well, Alicorns, which is what I am, are said to be a bastard mix of all three pony races. I guess we got the best of all three, and that's why the others hate us."
"Well, I'm just glad you're on my side. Now we have to keep from stopping all the time, or they'll figure out we're here."
>"Too late for that, slave," Zodd says, trotting slowly down the stairs.
>"Far too late," Dusk adds, her smile the only thing visible behind her hood, "we've known you were coming since that third breed first entered the castle."
>Raising your staff, you see Celestia do the same with her axe.
>"Now now, don't try to fight us, Anon, you're our summon, remember. Now obey us and attack that alicorn."
"Sorry, but.." you start, drawing from your mana pool, "I'm not your little slave anymore."
>As she opens her mouth to give a command, you cast Silence at her, cutting off all sounds.
>Before Zodd can react, you've cast silence on her as well.
"What's that? I can't hear what you're trying to say."
>The two unicorns furiously mouth angry words, but they're stopped as Celestia starts her charge.
>Her huge new axe swings down, cleaving though part of the doorway and shattering the bottom step, the two unicorns skittering back up the stairs.
>"I would ask what you cast, but for now, we must fight."
>Skipping over the smashed step, she starts up the staircase, you following close behind.
>Up and up the stairs spiral, easily several hundred steps before you reach the top.
>Pausing a moment at the door to catch your breath, you straighten up and take a deep breath, preparing yourself for this battle.
>Celestia on the other hand, she bashes down the door and charges straight inside.
>And straight into an ice blast.
>The information Scan fed you is still floating around, and it just told you she took a pretty bad hit.
>Past her, Zodd is charging up another spell, while a pair of swords brandish themselves in front of Dusk.
>It looks like another ice spell, so you pull forth mana to cast a spell.
>With it complete, a small blueish white ball starts lazily drifting around Celestia.
>She, of course, doesn't notice this, as she's too focused on the enemies in front of her.
>While you prepare a heal to fix some of the damage caused by Zodd's spell, Celestia takes a swing at Dusk.
>A horizontal chop gets halted by the two swords plunging into the wooden floor to help brace against the force.
>Breaking away, each sword has a half-inch notch in them and the axe blade remains flawless.
>Both blades split away and swing in at Celestia, forcing her to dodge back to avoid them.
>It also creates a large enough gap for Zodd, who fires a large cone of ice from her horn.
>The small orb pops as Zodd's spell covers Celestia, consuming all the damage.
>You can see the smile that was on Zodd's face fall as Celestia charges forward, unphased by the now-harmless spell.
>A quickly thrust sword is knocked aside and Celestia's axe swings around again, this time with a new target.
>Inches from meeting Zodd's side, the axe suddenly meets a barrier which slows, but does not stop it's progress.
>Her swing crushing through the shield, a large red gash is ripped open across Zodd's left shoulder and side, the force of the blow knocking her into a wall.
>Your healing spell goes off in the confusion, and you start edging around to behind Dusk, as her attention has turned with Celestia.
>With Zodd at least temporarily out of the picture, the two weapon wielders face eachother, blades floating around.
>Quick clangs sound as they perform probing attacks, neither making a move to commit.
>Your attention is elsewhere though, drawn by an object on a shelf.
>A collar, much like the one you were forced to wear till recently.
>There is a sharp clang and a scraping sound as Dusk is pushed back by Celestia's strength channeled through her magic.
>You're not sure how it works, since neither of them are holding their weapon, but you've seen some strange shit too.
>Like, uh... a zombie killing itself by trying to drain life from another zombie.
>That was pretty funny though.
>Back to the matter at hand, you now have a slave collar thing, and one of the ponies responsible for your enslavement here is being pushed towards you.
>Stepping just to the side, you ready your staff to trip her should she move wrong.
>At least you hope, you've never tripped a horse before, so it's anyone's guess at this point.
>Sweeping your stick, her back legs slide forward, and her rear end to drop.
>The sudden balance change combined with Celestia's pushing sends her tumbling back, crashing into a bookcase.
>Books rain down like, well, books from a bookshelf, battering Dusk mercilessly.
>So much so she still seems dazed as you approach, kneeling down and clipping the collar around her neck.
>The collar closing does get a response out of her, but being piled in books makes it a little harder to move.
"Now sit and stay," you say, making her freeze, glaring death at you.
>Celestia halts her advance, a small smile on her lips.
>"Well, tis good to see a slaver getting enslaved. a taste of justice, one might say."
"How about the other? Are you going to finish her off, or should I heal her up for capturing?"
>Celestia looks back at the bleeding pony, before saying, "Mend her. She must be worth more alive to us."
"That so? If it doesn't bother you too much, I'd like to keep this one here for myself, at least for a while. I owe her some payback," you say, motioning to Dusk.
>Rubbing your hands together, you draw mana from your now fairly depleted pool, preparing a healing spell to close that nasty cut from Celestia's axe.
>Light spills forth and surrounds the wound, repairing the damage, mostly.
>Even having been shielded, it seems Celestia's strike did more damage than you expected, but a second healing spell might be wasted.
>Sticking with some old fashioned techniques, you bind the last of the cut, as well as their legs, just in case.
>Since your Silence didn't stop her spellcasting, you opt to instead blindfold her.
>Rising to your feet, you dust your hands and robes, before turning to Celestia.
"Well, I guess that means we finished this job," you say, "Now we just have to head back to wherever you got it, and you can get your pay."
>"What about you? I can't in my right mind leave a stallion alone in a place like this."
"First off, I'm not a Stallion, I'm a human. Secondly, I plan on probably finding an adventuring group to work with while trying to find a way back home."
>"You... You truly aren't that bothered by any of this are you?"
"When you come from a land where just about everything is magical, wants to kill you or is as smart as you, less things tend to shock you."
>"You'll feel quite at home here then, this land has many intelligent species, and many magical species as well."
~~~
>"Er, I don't mean to interrupt," Twilight says, snapping you from your tale, "What did you do to that mare?"
"Not much, honestly, I just prepared her and gave her to Sunbutt here, who sent her to serve Luna."
>"She was truly a well trained servant. We never did ask you what you did to prepare her for us," Luna comments.
"Just gave her some long standing commands that made it so she could only serve certain people and do certain things and stuff. I'm just glad it worked right."
"But anyways, after catching the leaders of the group, Celestia led me and the other ex-slaves back to town where we could get back to our own towns."
"Celly got a big fat reward, which she gave some of to me for my help..."
>"To make sure a male wasn't left in a foreign land alone and bitless."
"As I said, as thanks for my help, you gave me some of the reward, and offered to escort me till I found a group I wanted to stick with."
>"He never did, so as an honest mare, despite being an axe wielding barbarian, I stuck with him, protecting him from dangers."
>"But it's getting late," Celestia continues with a yawn, "and I'm sure Luna has work to start soon, but she can guide you to the guest rooms."
>Everyone rises, Rainbow Dash heading out first, followed by Twilight and Luna.
>As you are about to leave, you get caught by your wrist.
>"Not you. You're coming with me, mister," Celestia says, a grin on her face.
>The kind of grin you have missed far too much in the thousand years of stasis, despite it having felt like no time at all.
>The grin that said, we're gonna have some fun.
~~~
>Following Rainbow and Luna, you pause to look back, noticing Anon stopped in the room with Celestia.
>Opening your mouth to say something, you feel a large wing on your back, tugging you back to walk.
>"It would be best for you to leave them be. They have much to catch up on, and you may not appreciate what they discuss."
>Looking up at Luna, you nod and resume following her.
>Inside the guest room, you spend some time tidying yourself, before sitting on the end of the bed.
>Something nags at you, something about how Anon talks and acts.
>It feels like a piece of the puzzle is missing, one that helps connect Anon and Celestia.
>Perhaps their discussion would explain it...
>Rising from the bed, you sneak from the room, headed for the prior room, only to find it empty.
>With that out as a location, you head for her personal chambers, where you hear a thump.
>Slowly and quietly edging the door open, you peer through the crack to see...
>Face to face, chest to chest, Your teacher and Anon held in a close embrace.
>Her massive, soft wings wraping around his torso, his arms around her barrel.
>Far from the embrace of friends, this was a hug between lovers.
>And a kiss too, thier lips locked like earlier, eyes closed.
>Their tongues retract as the kiss is broken, saliva strings snaping as the distance increases.
>"You're the last girl I expected to be into sweet stuff like this, Celly, but I guess a thousand years can change you."
>"And you're the last person I expected to ever see again. You can't imagine how it feels..."
>"Like a pinata made out of discord that you can smash and it spills into little discords that run around till you squash them?"
>A smile lights up your teachers face, a laugh escaping her lips.
>"As wonderfully fun as that sounds, it's more like the missing piece of my heart has returned."
>"Well I think someone should invent a pinata like that so you and I can have some old fashioned fun."
>Celestia's horn glows, and you can see Anon's clothing moving under your teacher's wings.
>"We don't need that to have fun, we just need you and me."
>Fabric flies from their embrace, Anon's form concealed behind the veil of feathers.
>Part of you wants her to move her wings, another doesn't and a third wants to run back to your room and sob about your lack of male friends.
>You don't have to chose though, as Celestia drops down to all fours again, wings retracting and moving to the bed.
>Her tail swishes and sways high, doing little to cover her royal passage, and Anon follows behind, obscuring your view with his owns behind.
>His well toned, arousing behind.
>Stopping at the bed, Celestia sets her chest and forehooves on it, looking back at Anon.
>For a moment, you could swear her beautiful violet eyes met yours, but as you squint to make sure, they're locked on Anon as his face moves in to meet hers again.
>It seems like he's completely ignoring the fact she's presenting for him, instead, you can hear the soft sounds of kisses.
>His face and kisses move down, traveling along her graceful neck, her face lost in passion.
>As he reaches her chest, he breaks off and takes hold of her body.
>With a feat of strength, he flips her onto her back, sliding her up onto the bed more.
>His body on hers, he continues peppering kisses down her neck and around her tuft.
>They go lower and lower, traveling ever towards her nethers.
>His bent over pose gives you brief glances at his own, though you find yourself more fixated on your mentor.
>Her normaly voluminous tail seems to have compacted itself, shrinking and sinking, seemingly unaffected by it's normal spectral breeze.
>The bright pink jewel that is her clitoris peeks out from her folds, drawn forth by her arousal.
>Drawn forth by Anon.
>Anon's kisses keep moving lower, covering her stomach, and with a shift that blocks your view, he reaches her teats.
>You can only imagine what he is doing, though the pleasure on Celestia's face is obvious.
>Long slow breaths and sharp intakes leave you with the impression of sucking and biting.
>How his lips must tenderly take her suple flesh into his mouth, his tongue dancing across the surface of her teats.
>The way his alien teeth would nip at her tender parts, sending shocks up her spine.
>His stance drops, and that can only mean one thing in that position.
>Your teacher moaning only confirms this, his mouth is embracing her lower lips.
>A loud half squeak, half moan escapes Celestia's lips, extracted by what you assume is him working her jewel.
>You feel your thighs working against eachother, the passion of the two drawing forth your own lust.
>While unable to see the details of his work, a hand moves up to join his mouth and you can only imagine what he could do with those hands.
>A hoof seems a poor comparason, but it's all you can focus enough to use while staying silent and somewhat hidden.
>Unbridled lust and ecstacy are written across her face, her form starting to twitch and clench.
>His ministrations bring her to a swift climax before he moves back a bit and sits up more.
>"Well, I don't remember you being this easy, Sunbutt, does something have you on a hair trigger?"
>It takes a moment for her to recover enough to speak, but when she has, she says, "I've been without a partner since I lost you, you can't blame me for being quick."
>Another laugh rings out from Anon, before he replies, "well I've been on ice for as long, and I have no problems getting it up."
>"I've seen it get up to far less than me, so shut up and stick it in."
>"That's some of the old, crude Celly I remember," Anon says with a chuckle, "and I ain't one to keep a pussy waiting."
>Rising to his full height, one hand grips the lower part of one of her legs, the other out of your sight, somewhere between him and her.
>A moment of silence before a moan from your mentor alerts you that the true deed has started.
>Beyond your sight, Anon's strange, alien phalus penetrates your teacher's lower lips.
>Celestia, who, in all recorded history of her, has never had a partner before, chosing to mate with this creature released only this day.
>True, they had met before, but the extent of their relations remains unknown to you.
>But it's inconceivable that this crude, marely male could woo your princess when even famous, powerful and handsome ponies like Starswirl the Beared couldn't.
>Looking back at the two, still locked in sex, you feel something off.
>Staring at Anon's bucking behind, you patiently ponder what feels wrong.
>Seconds tick by in wet, flesh on flesh slaps and moans and grunts, your brain rampantly trying to solve the nagging question.
>As those seconds build into a minute, a proverbial lightbulb goes off above your head.
>He's still going!
>Passing the minute mark, you find yourself spellbound by the sight of them, pleasure stretched beyond a normal span and with no signs of stopping on top of that.
>Liquid seeps down Anon's legs, the pure fluids of Celestia's lust.
>You can only watch as he brings her to pleasure beyond anything you've read or heard about.
>Staring such lust, such care, such love in the face, conflicting emotions swirl below your surface.
>There's something deep between these two, something you need to learn.
>Something you long to learn
>And it's not Anon's penis.
>Though you are curious.
>No, what you seek to know is why your teacher, the proverbial mother to all ponies, loves this crude, marelike stallion.
>Even as their coitus reaches the two minute mark, you can see Anon has no desire to stop, though his position has changed somewhat.
>As a mare, your body aches to join, to feel the same pleasure as your teacher, to rut this stallion into the ground.
>But as a pony, something deeper in you tells you to leave.
>Like should you stay, your life would be at risk.
>Backing off quietly, you leave the door as it is and make the return trip to your room.
>With you out of earshot, Celestia lets out a sad huff amidst her moans of pleasure.
>"What's, ugh, up, Sunny?" Anon asks, his speech punctuated by grunts.
>"Twilight was, ahnn~, watching us, but left."
>"And you didn't tell me?"
>"Didn't think you'd, Oh~!, put on a show for her."
>"Exhibitionistic barbarian babe."
>"Sexy healslut stud."
>"Skullcrusher cunt"
>"Virginity fixer"
>"Hey, it's not my fault you decided to try and pleasure yourself with Dawnbringers counterweight."
>"Well it wasn't sharp or anything and you were there so I wasn't exactly worried about injuries. It was your magic that fixed my hymen."
>"And I still have no fucking clue why it did."
>"You can still say you took my virginity without lying though."
>"Why does that even matter, and besides, you're the one who brought it up."
>Together there, paused mid thrust, the two of them start laughing, before Anon leans down to meet Celestia's lips.
>"I love you, Celly."
>"And I, you, Anon. Now get back to fucking before I pull out Dawnbringer."
>Another chuckle, this time solely from Anon before the wet slapping of their sex resumes.
>Safely back in your room, you crawl into bed, drifting to sleep with thoughts of Anon's behind dancing in your head.
~~~

>Morning arrives with a heavy, but warm feeling on your chest.
>A trace of breath washes over your face, the scent of sex still lingering in the air.
>Slowly opening your violet eyes, your gaze wanders to meet the face of your lover, still deep asleep.
>Like this, his scent washes over you, reminding you of the time you spent together.
>Another smell joins his though, as your senses sharpen from alertness.
>Cold steel, worn wood and musty leather.
>Clutched tight in your hooves is your other partner, Dawnbringer.
>Even after a thousand years, you can still feel all the enchantments and care you've put into this axe.
>Old habits brought forth by Anon must have made you bring her over in your sleep, though in it's own nostalgic way, the feeling of the rough handle running down your stomach is calming.
>Nestled in here, your body resists your attempts to get out of bed, but your superior willpower prevails.
>A little shimmying and shuffling and you maneuver yourself out from under Anon and off the bed, Dawnbringer held close in your magic.
>With your axe by your side, you stare off into the early morning darkness, gathering your magic to move the sun.
>Well, it's less raising the sun, more adding magic to the spell that keeps the sun moving aver Discord decided to fuck with the universe.
"Damn this is such a pain in the ass," you mutter to yourself, releasing a pulse of energy into the spell.
>A couple more and the spell is back at full charge, and you're slightly drained.
"At least Luna's here to help with the moon. It's such a pain having to do both alone."
>"Why would you have to do that? Am I missing something?" Anon asks with a yawn, walking up next to you.
"It's a bit of a long story, but it doesn't matter now. Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
>A toothy grin is your reply, and after setting Dawnbringer aside, you don your regalia and escort Anon to the dining hall.
>"You know, it's wierd seeing you in fancy stuff like this, Celly, normally at most you'd have a leather straps for holding stuff."
"Things change with time, Anon, I'm a princess now, I can't just walk around in tight leather anymore.
>"Your ass didn't change," he says, matter of fact-ly, ducking under the wing you swing at him, "and more importantly, your heart. Your exterior may have softened, but the heart it contains is still the one I remember."
>A coltish blush creeps up on you, but is quickly quelled.
"Well at least you understand that."
>"Now I wonder how many other colts got to feel your "heart"?"
>Anger flares inside you, and with a touch of magic, you turn him and push him to the wall.
>Hooves on either side of him, you stare him face to face.
"I'm going to tell you this once and once only. I have never had a partner besides you. Never have, and I never will either. You are mine, you fill my heart and I won't let anyone take that from me."
>His arms suddenly scoop under your shoulders and lift you off the wall, pushing you back.
>Lips meet yours, his arms shifting into an embrace and your eyes closing subconciously.
>Tongues touch only briefly before he breaks off, saying, "I fucking love you, Celly, a thousand years just for me. I swear I'll stay yours for as long as I live as well."
"Love you too, my big human," you say, your stomach suddenly letting out a fierce growl, "though I feel we should hurry to breakfast."
>His stomach lets out a growl to echo yours, and he nods, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
"You did that last night, remember."
>Letting you go, he slaps your flank and starts back down the hall.
>"Let's hurry before the food gets cold then. I've had enough ice for a lifetime now."
>Reaching the dining hall, you find Twilight and Rainbow Dash already there, enjoying the buffet.
>Cupcakes immediately fly to your plate, propelled by your magic before you even reach your seat, Anon joining you on the seat at your side.
>"Still a cakewhore though, huh?"
"Quiet or this mouth won't be meeting your meat later," you reply simply, not looking from your plate and the first cupcake victim to meet your tongue.
>And after meeting your tongue, he gets a one way trip to Stomachtown on the esophagus express.
>"Hey, Princess, do you think you could tell us more after food?" Rainbow Dash asks, right before shoving a chunk of toast down her throat.
"I have some court to handle first, but I'm sure Anon could recount some of our adventures."
>"Yeah, sure. Hey, you got any meat in this place? I was hoping you'd be able to get bacon or something made for me here, what with you being a princess and all."
"Later," you reply shortly, focusing on your meal.
>He huffs, but settles into his food, quietly chewing his pancakes.
>Consuming your cakes, you return to your room for a quick shower and clean, before heading to your throne.
>For the first time in a long time, you feel like you have something to look forward to after a days work.
>A night with your love.
~~~
>Quickly covering your face, you let out a sneeze before continuing on your way to a spare room with Rainbow Dash and Twilight.
>"Somepony must be thinking of you," Twilight says in a sing-song voice.
"Yeah, that'd be Celestia. She's probably riding a nostalgia train right now."
>"She does seem really close to you, and if I didn't get to see an important friend for a thousand years, I'd be pretty happy too."
>"Sure, yeah, enough with the mushy friendship stuff, I wanna hear tales of fighting. You and Celestia, side by side kicking butt," Rainbow interjects.
>"Rainbow, he's a cleric, healers don't go on the front line with mares, especially male ones."
"True, I do tend to stick behind Celestia, but that's for two main reasons."
"One, I can't wear heavier armors since they mess with my spellcasting, and two, because that ass."
>Rainbow laughs a bit, while Twilight blushes and glances away.
>Poor girl must be traumatized about you taking her princess last night.
>Arriving at a usable room, you immediately settle into a cushion, motioning for them to do the same.
"So, where do you guys want me to start? From the begining, or in a more major part?"
>Before Rainbow can open her mouth, Twilight subtly shoots her a glare and says, "I think you should start from one of your first quests. It'll help us understand how you and Celestia became how you are now."
"Sure, I'll start with our first actual quest together."
~~~
>"Well, that's the bits from the slaver job gone, I suppose I'd better go looking for another."
"Let me go look. I'm the reason you spent most of those anyways, so it's only fair."
>A large white wing is wrapped around your shoulder, and Celestia smiles.
>"You don't have to. It was because of you that I was even able to get so much stuff."
>Raising an eyebrow at her curiously, you shrug.
"It's fine, it's not like I have anything else to do. Besides, if we're working together I should pull my weight out of battle too."
>Leaving her with the cart full of stuff, you start off into town, heading to the best place for adventurers to find work.
>The tavern.
>In this town's case, a little place by the name of The Dirty Colt.
>Not what you'd call it, but hey, not your place.
>Ducking under the low door, you breath in the scents you are mostly aquainted with.
>Beer, sweat, and strangely enough, apple.
>The scent of what you assume is pony mixes with all of it, but you aren't bothered by it much.
>Given the obvious stature difference, everything is low for you, but you can also step over some stuff as you make your way to the bartender.
>A heavyset pony, a mare given the face shape.
"Excuse me, Do you have any idea where I'd be able to find some work to do? I'm new around here and my partner and I could use some work to keep us fed."
>A rough smile rises on the lips of the mare, and she says, "Well, I could always use an extra server here, if you want, but if that's not your kind of work, hmn... you could maybe try the doctor's place. I heard she was looking for somepony to help her."
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'm used to my adventurers work, so I'll go check out the doctor and see what she has. I'll see you around."
>With a wave, you weave back through the ponies and tables, idly listening to some of the comments they make.
>"Damn, would love to see him working the tables."
>"Don't get many minotaurs round here, and what's with all those clothes?"
>"I'd rut that."
>"You'd rut a polished stick, Gala."
>"Only if it's from an apple tree."
>Silently chuckling to yourself, you duck under the door again, and start searching for any sort of medical building.
>It takes a little time, but you find it, a small attachment to a home.
>Knocking on it's door, you are greeted by a pure white mare who smells somewhat of herbs.
"Hello, I heard you were looking for someone to help?"
>"Ah, oh yes, I need somepony to go and find some medicinal plants for me, but I'm too busy to go myself. I can't pay much, but if you can bring me as much muscaloii as you can, I'd be thankful."
"Seems fair enough. I'll be back as soon as I can with as much as I can find."
>She smiles and waves as you head out to return to Celestia.
>The big white alicorn is in sight when you realize you have no clue what muscaloii looks like, nor do you know where to find any.
>Noticing your return, Celestia trots over, asking, "So, did you find a job for us?"
"Yeah, though I hope you know something about medical plants."
>"Some, why?"
"Well, long story short, local doctor is running low and too busy to get them herself."
>"So, a typical fetch job huh? What do we need to get, Nettles? Stinkweed? That's the kind of crap I was always sent to get."
"Musca-something."
>"Muscaloii? Of course she'd send a guy to get a plant this easy to obtain. It grows practically everywhere in the forest near here."
"What the fuck kind of lazy ass sends people to do shit like this? I bet the pay's gonna be crap too. I was expecting to maybe have to fight off a bear or something for it."
>"You'd be lucky if you have to fight off a rabbit. The plant has small leaves in clusters of five, and doesn't grow very big. I'll be at the tavern looking for other jobs, alright?"
>Grumbling to yourself, you turn and head for the treeline, while Sunhorse heads for the tavern.
>And exactly as she said, the plant was growing fucking everywhere.
>Barely half an hour later and you have a huge bundle of it, more than enough to satisfy her, you hope.
>Hauling the load back to the healers, you settle for a brief headbang to knock on the door.
>A moment later, the mare opens the door, and seeing your arms full, she smiles.
>"This is perfect, thank you," she says, somehow picking up the load with a hoof, "Just a moment and I'll have your pay."
>Taking the bundle inside, she returns a moment later with a small bag of coins.
>"Here you go, and again, thank you for the help. If you ever get sick or hurt, feel free to stop by and I can heal you," she says with a wink and drop in tone at the end.
>A polite nod and smile and you walk away before glancing at the contents of the bag.
>Gold coins, about twenty of them, stamped with a strange seal.
>A little like the Gil of home, but quite distinctly different as well.
>Still, a decent bit of coin given how little work you actually did.
>Wandering through town, you eventually reach the tavern again, ducking inside the low doorway.
>You hardly need to search to find Celestia, and making your way over, you can see she's already enjoyed herself.
>Nearly a dozen mugs sit at her table, and her cheeks are rosy.
>Bleary eyes look up at you as you reach the table, and a sloppy, lopsided grin rises on her cheeks.
>"You're a big fella, are you looking for a mount?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows which devolves into awkward winking.
>Letting out a sigh, you move to an open table and look to the bartender.
"Can I get a drink here?"
>"Sure, I'll have one sent right over," She calls back with a smile.
>Barely a moment later, a stallion with a tray comes over, setting a drink on your table.
>"Enjoy," he says, before headed back to cover other tables.
>Taking a sip, it's...
>A weak cider.
>Great...
~~~
>"Come on, this is boring," Rainbow Dash groans, cutting your intentionally so story short.
"Twilight did want one from the begining."
>"Nice going Egghead, making a stallion tell a boring story. No wonder you're a parasol tipper."
>Twilight goes red, though you're not sure if it's from anger or embarrasment at Rainbow's odd comment.
>"Well I wanted everything to make sense, so knowing about how Celestia and him interacted early on and how that changed is important. He is an alien stallion, after all so we can't just treat him like one of ours."
>Rolling your eyes at the silly argument, you stretch a bit, before putting on a grin.
"How about a story that's a little more interesting, hmn?"
>Dash sprouts a smile, and replies, "Buck yeah, I want some action.
"It even has some history, for the, how you put it, Egghead."
"You see, it started in a small town on the edge of the Blackmist Forest."
~~~
>Standing behind Celestia, you look over the group you have to help escort through the forest.
>A rookie looking adventuring group and a number of merchants.
>Both of you got signed on as backup, mainly because more healers are better.
>Well, they only wanted you, but they consented to Celestia joining as well, but only at half pay.
>Not like either of you can complain, given how hard decent work is to find.
>Her, because everyone hates her, and you, because anything that pays well is "too dangerous for a stallion".
>Idly listening to the de-facto leader of the group describe the plan, you find yourself resisting nodding off.
>"And so, before we head off, I suggest everypony here gives a brief prayer at the shrine for our safe passage."
>The gathered ponies start walking off, and with a big smile, the armored mare saunters over to you.
>"Come along, Anon, since you're new to the area, I'll show you to the shrine."
>Opening your mouth as you look to Celestia, she says, "Don't worry, she can't go there anyways. Third breeds are forbidden at the shrine."
>Celestia's stare is indifferent, and she shrugs in a "what are you gonna do" way.
>Tugged by the sleeve, you follow the mare down a path.
>"This place is quite well known, you know. Many famous adventurers have prayed here, all to pass through the Blackmist safely."
"What makes the forest so dangerous anyways?"
>"Lots of things. Sudden cliffs, haunted trees, mighty beasts and other such travel hazards."
>Reaching the base of a large flight of stairs, she says, "The shrine is just up here. Do not worry, it's not as bad as it seems."
>She starts up the stairs with you following close behind, watching her occasional "slip" of the tail.
>Makes you both glad and sad that pretty much every race back home wears full clothing all the time.
>Bangaa dick isn't exactly on your list of top wanted to see things.
>Viera, on the other hand...
>A loud shout from above and ahead snaps you out of your train of thought, and you see one of the merchants rushing down the steps.
>"Run! There's a monster up there!" she yells as she runs past.
>Both you and the adventurer spring up the steps, reaching the top in less than a minute.
>Cresting the steps brings you in sight of a massive plant creature forcing its way through the stone tiled floor, two massive tendrils pushing up from seperate holes to each side of it.
>The rest of their party has already been knocked out, scattered around the platform, and beside you, the mare draws forth her sword.
>"Keep behind me," she says through teeth gritted on the grip of her blade.
>Drawing forth mana, you prepare a protect spell for the mare as she approaches the plant.
>One of the tendrils flexes, preparing to strike, your spell going out just before it launches it's attack.
>Seeing the blue and orange hex shield rise up around her, the mare takes a step back in surprise, the tendril striking the ground where she just was.
"It'll help protect you," you call out, and she turns back with a smile.
>"Thanks, sweets, now let me protect y..."
>Her statement is cut off as the other tendril crashes into her side, stumbling her a bit.
>With a sigh, you start drawing mana for a healing spell.
>She's gonna need it.
>Before she can close on the main body, she catches another tendril slam to the side.
>She's gonna need it a lot.
>Healing light flows from the sky as your spell finishes, mending the bruises likely under her armour.
>Finally close enough to attack, she brings her blade around in an arc, slashing at the main body of the plant monster.
>And her attack accomplishes just about nothing.
>Some superficial looking damage and a bit of leaking plant goo.
>This... this isn't good.
>A tendril lashes out at you, and you catch sight of it with just enough time to evade, but the mare in armour isn't as lucky as the other scores a direct hit.
>At least your Protect is doing it's job, as she doesn't seem too shaken by the blow, striking at the main body again and again.
>Because of the size of the beast, she's unable to see it's "head" from where she is, and doesn't see it preparing an attack.
>Something your Protect won't protect against.
"Get back!" you call, but by the time she reacts, it's too late.
>Thick goop pours from the creature's "mouth" covering her and hardening nearly instantly.
>Another tentacle swing sends her hardened form tumbling aside, and the beast focuses on you.
"Fuck..."
>Focusing on dodging the tendrils assault, you slowly draw up enough mana to cast Protect on yourself.
>The familiar blue barrier is only a minor ease on your mind, as the attacks get more and more focused.
>A quick shot of mana lets you Scan the encased mare, affirming what you had already suspected.
>She still has plenty of fight left, she's just disabled.
>Something you could fix except...
>Esuna takes a fuck ton of mana to cast.
>A heavy slam shoves you to the side as one of the tendrils hits you while you were half distracted by information.
>The second shoots toward your staggered form, but is cut short as it's cut short, cleaved in two by a large axe.
>"Don't worry, Anon, I'll protect you!" Celestia proclaims, lifting the axe from where it cracked the stone floor.
"Great, now cover me, I need a lot of mana for this next spell," you say, turning your focus to the paralyzed fighter.
>After draining a good chunk of your mana pool, you finally reach enough mana to cast your spell, and with a wave, magic surrounds her, dissolving the casing.
>Meanwhile, Celestia is doing a good job of damaging both the tendrils and the main body, but like with the armoured mare, she seems oblivious to the head preparing it's paralytic goo.
>Before you can say anything, the goo comes down, coating and stopping Celestia, the tendrils slamming her away.
>"Serves the bastard breed right," the mare says before clamping down on her sword again, ready to attack.
"Focus on the tendrils first, if we can get them out of the way, the main body will be easier."
>"Leave the fighting to me," she replies, moving towards the main body again, "just stay safe and keep healing."
>Letting out a sigh, you start drawing up mana for another Esuna, and you can just tell you're going to by dry by the end of this.
>This time, when the head prepares it's encasing attack, the mare is aware enough to avoid it, jumping back as it splashes all over the ground in front of it.
>Unfortunately, the goo covers several of the creatures wounds, stemming its fluid loss.
>With mana gathered, your magic dissolves the coating on Celestia, and she angrily flaps to her hooves.
>"Move aside, Mare, let me handle this," She says, hefting her axe.
>"Back off, this is my fight."
>"From what I've seen, you can't even protect MY healer."
>Spinning to face Celestia, the mare scowls and retorts, "He's not your healer, he just works with you right now. I'm sure he's gonna join me and my group after this mission."
>"Is that so?" Celestia says, turning as well, "Why would he stop working with a powerful mare like me who helped save him from slavery and settle for a bunch of C-grade adventurers?"
>The plant creatures tendrils shoot in from both sides, each aimed at one of the two arguing ponies.
>They both spin around and slash the tendrils in sync, just before both getting goo'd.
>Inhaling deeply, you sigh, before stepping out of range of the plant creature to draw up another pile of mana.
>While you do, the two encased mares get battered around a bit before the creature settles for "glaring" at you.
>Finishing your third Esuna, you let out Celestia, and sigh at how much mana you're wasting on this.
>"I knew you'd pick me, Anon, now let's leave her and finish this fight."
"Because of your fighting, I'm practically out of mana. I can fix that goo power two more times, plus some minor healing."
>"Now that I know how it fights, that's more than enough."
"I'm going to cure her as well, and I want you two to beat this together."
>You can see her sigh and mutter the word "colts" under her breath, before she says, "Fine, but I'll probably have this beat before you bring her back."
>While drawing up mana for your spell, you watch her hack and slash away at the plant creature, no rhyme or reason to her strikes, just raw power.
>She has plenty of agility to avoid the monsters attacks, ducking and dodging them with ease.
>For the fourth time, you cast Esuna, breaking the encasement on her, your remaining mana pool just a puddle now.
>"Thanks again for that, sweetie," she says, standing up, "Now just make sure you stay back and stay safe while I beat this beast."
>Rushing back to fight, she's too busy trying to fight for you she doesn't notice the uprooted cobble until she trips face first over them.
>Your palm meets forhead in the ancient and eternal human ritual of dissapointment.
>She jumps back to her hooves, not looking back and resuming her charge against the now quite injured monster.
>It's cut short again by a wide swing from Celestia, and you can see where this is going.
>An "accidental" shove pushes Celestia into the path of a tendril attack.
>The backswing of her axe bounces off the mares helmet.
>It's like watching two guys wave their cocks around in front of a girl.
>Damn it, that means you're the girl.
>Wait...
>Sitting down, everything starts adding up as you think on it with this new perspective.
>You're like a male Viera, but in a land of magic horses instead of sexy bunny girls.
>Well, it could have been worse.
>Still, being treated like you're made of glass can be a serious pain.
>At least Celestia isn't too bad about that, most of the time.
>This mare though, she's like that awkward guy who's way too forward.
>Celestia is gettting a little "Stay away from my woman"y though too.
>Never figured it'd be this weird on the other side.
>Guess that also explains why just about every mare you asked for thank you sex said yes.
>That was one fun week, but I guess it may not be the best thing to do anymore.
>Don't want people calling you a slut.
>A loud cry draws your attention away from your musings, and you see the massive plant beast crashing down, it's green ooze pooling below it.
>Both of the battle mares are walking towards you with a confident sway in their steps.
"Hey, shouldn't you be worried about your teammates?" you call to the armour and goo covered mare.
>She half stumbles a step before turning and running to where her allies had been thrown.
>Yep, a definite guy waving his cock around.
>Stopping a bit in front of you, Celestia suddenly shakes herself out, wings and fur shooting out and puffing up.
>"I hate how much sweat forms from fighting like that," she says, patting her fluff back down with her wings.
>Axe across her back, she smiles at you and says, "Well, lets go see this shrine, Anon."
"Alright," you say, pushing to your feet.
>Diverting around the dead monster, the two of you head up the remaining steps, shortly reaching a large shrine.
>"Wow, this is quite large for one built up so many steps," Celestia says, looking over the building.
>Several ponies are crouched inside the front entrance, peeking out, and upon seeing you two, they rush out.
>"Is it safe? We heard them call out about the monster, so we felt it would be safest to remain up here," one asks, the others nodding in agreement.
"It's dead now. There ares some injuries, but as far as I could tell, nobody has died."
>"Wonderful, now if the third breed would leave, we could show you all sorts of things about this place," another says, putting on a seductive look.
>Ignoring the "free sex" signs they're showing, you shake your head politely.
"No thank you, I was just coming to make sure everyone was safe."
>Turning to go back down, Celestia turns with you and you can almost hear the silent fuming of the frustrated mares.
>Passing the armoured mare and her some concious friends, you turn to Celestia and smile.
"I hope this journey doesn't get more troublesome than this."
>"Knowing me, it will..." she replies with a sigh.
"Well, at least I'll be behind you, no matter how bad it gets."
>Looking at you, she cracks a smile as well
>"Fine, but while you're back there, you mind doing a little "work"?"
"A nice dinner and some good drinks and I'll consider it, Celly."
>"Oh?!" she exclaims in surprise, "You're giving me a nickname?"
"You don't like it?"
>"On the contrary, I'm glad you consider me enough of a friend to give me one."
"You're not gonna sweet talk me into sex that easy."
>Her tongue sticks out, before she says "Oh darn."
>Reaching the bottom of the stairs, you stretch your arms a bit.
"Well, lets get this adventure started."
~~~
"And honestly, the trip after that was kind of boring," you say, rounding off this bit of your story.
>Rainbow Dash is floating, suspended by her wings with an excited look on her face lets out a few air jabs and a squeal.
>"That must have been such a cool fight, seeing two skilled mares fighting that monster."
"Actually, it was kind of annoying. Those two wasted so much time and effort, not to mention mana from me, fighting what should have been an easy fight."
>"I can imagine," Twilight says, "When facing a plant creature like that, even the most basic of fire spells are devastating."
"Only if you take out the grounding vines first though. Multi point creatures like that tend to have the extremities as protection."
>"Then why didn't it stop your asura's, or whatever you called them?"
"Esuna, and it's probably because the magic wasn't directed at the creature."
>"That's quite reasonable, since if a creature passively absorbed active magic in an area, it would soon overload, and likely..."
>A blue hoof fills Twilight's mouth as Rainbow says, "Stuff it, Egghead, I get it. I think it's a good time for a quick break, I need to get out and stretch my wings."
"Sounds good to me. I'm going to go and check up on Celly and see how she is doing."
>"I'll join you," Twilight says, rising as you do, "I don't get to see my teacher at work much since I'm almost always here for trouble."
>Rainbow jumps uot the window, taking flight while you follow Twilight through the halls.
>You don't know where anything is in this place, might as well the the person who does lead.
>Twenty minutes of walking later and you're questioning if she's like those guys who never asks for directions, when you arrive in the main hall of the castle.
>"See, I told you I knew the way here."
"And yet it only took five minutes to get to that room from the dining hall which isn't far from here."
>"Well sorry if I don't have a colt-like sense of direction."
"I'm just saying you could have asked for directions, you know."
>The stare she gives you is worth playing the colt for, and you smile.
"Well, we're here anyways, so let's go and see how Sunbutt is doing."
>Pushing open the doors to the throne room, you see Celestia light up as she sees you.
>The guards at the door whisper to eachother as you pass, the two stallions sharing confusion.
>Past the ponies currently addressing her, you walk right up to Celestia and wrap your arms around her in a hug.
"Hey, how are you doing, my meatshield?"
>She briefly returns the hug before nudging you back, replying, "I'm just fine, Anon, I've been doing this for over a thousand years now, I can still do it even with you here."
"I never said you couldn't, I was just wondering how you were doing."
>"And like I said, I'm fine, though if you could make me a sandwich for lunch, I'd be grateful."
"Very funny Sun horse. I know you have kitchen staff for that."
>"But things taste better when made with love."
"And sex is better when it's rough and angry. Your point?"
>Leaning in your ear, she whispers, "You didn't mind it soft last night."
"And you won't mind a sandwich made without my love," you whisper back, grinning.
>Stepping back, you give a small bow and turn to a door.
"I'm gonna head out for a walk," you say, a bit louder than needed, "All alone, unprotected..."
>"Have fun," she says with a wave of a wing.
>The moment you leave the throne room, you can hear some ponies move, following you as you make your way out the front door and into the courtyard.
>Outside, you can easily find the gardens, the greenery a welcome respite from the thousand plus years of ice.
>Not that you saw it the entire time, but going from Equestria's frozen north to wherever this nice, warm place is is certainly nice.
>You don't have much time to stop and smell the roses before you hear familiar sounding hoof steps heading your way.
"I knew the great big barbarian couldn't leave me alone," you say, turning with a smile.
>"It seems thou are mistaken, Healer, I am not so crude as my sister."
"Ah, Moonbutt, how's it going?"
>"Quite well, ah, how did my sister put it, Healslut?"
"Oh? I never took you for a voyeur."
>"Anon, we have heard you and our sister engage in coitus and seen the furniture after said nights so many times we are dull to it."
"Maybe a little jealous?"
>Trotting along side you as you walk through the garden, she lets out a snort.
>"Nay, we simply do not see how violent sex can be fun."
>A chuckle rises from your throat, and you pat her shoulder.
"Let me tell you of the time Celly and I first broke a table or two."
>"We do not wish..." she starts before you cover her mouth with a hand.
"I guarantee you'll be running to your room to masturbate by the end. Now, it was late summer, about five months since I met your sister..."
~~~
>Sitting down under the only tree in a clearing, you watch as Celestia finishes setting up her stuff for camp.
>She's been rather stiff lately, and a little short in conversation, and you're starting to realize why.
>Blushes blamed on heat, wing and chest fluffing, tail flying higher than a kite.
>Hell, she's barely made an effort to conceal it.
>She is horny as fuck.
>And not because she's got the biggest horn you've seen on a horse.
>It may have been a bit weird the first few times, having sex with ponies, but after a few times you know most of the tricks.
>Like to watch for their clit poking out.
>And even from here, more than twenty feet away you can see her pink button poking out sporatically.
>A big meaty knob, begging for something to grab and squeeze it.
>Rising to your feet, you give a quick stretch, before walking up behind her.
"Hey, do you need a hand with that?" you ask.
>"I've done it countless times before, Anon, I can set up my tent myself."
"Oh, I'm not talking about that," you say, a grin forming on your face as a hand reaches out, "I'm talking about this."
>Quick as you can, you catch her clit between a thumb and index finger, just tight enough that it can't pull back in.
>Almost immediately, every muscle tenses in her body, her rear legs twitching slightly.
>"Anon. Let go, or I will kick you."
>Twisting and squeezing it, you sidestep her kick.
"Come on, I know you want it. You've hidden it about as well as you can hide in a crowd."
>"Just because I want it doesn't mean I want to do it with my alien monkey healer."
"Well the most of the other ponies I've had sex with thought it was great."
>"You think those little fillies stack up to a mare like me?" she asks, turning to face you, "if you think you can, try and prove it."
>Stepping up, you use your height to your advantage and look down at her with a smile.
"Those are just the words I was hoping for."
>Reaching around, you grab her mane, pressing your face in on hers.
>Forcing her lips to yours, you try to invade her mouth with your tongue, for that plan to be nipped.
>Literally.
>Her teeth bite your tongue, drawing blood, so you bite back as well.
>Just enough to break the skin, the two of you pull back after a moment, the taste of blood on your lips.
"Well now, I didn't expect you to fight back, horny Sun horse," you say, licking your lips.
>"I'm not a filly who'll just bend over for any colt."
>Closing the gap between your faces again, you see her closing her eyes for the kiss, when you dip down and land a sharp but gentle bite on her neck.
>Her head rears back and her eyes shoot open, and taking the moment of surprise, you grab her mane, keeping her head pulled back as you move back up for a kiss.
>This time, she's in a bad position to fight back, and your tongue and enter her mouth with ease.
>Your two tongues collide, pushing and flailing aginst eachother in thier own miniature combat, while your free hand reaches for her horn.
>The moment she feels your fingers on her ivory shaft, magic flares within it, a small metal pot flying into your forearm, knocking it away.
>Before you can reach back up, she knocks you back with a small kick from her front hooves.
>A small clump of ethereal mane comes with you, held in your hand briefly before dissapating.
>Starting a slow walk, you circle her, like a shark around it's soon to be meal.
>She turns to keep watch of you, moving only to keep her side angled to you.
>Faking a charge confirms her intent, as she makes to pivot for a kick.
>Still, it's a straight kick with a small range of paths, so with a plan in mind, you charge.
>Just outside her kick range, you pivot to one side, avoiding her kick and putting you right next to her rear legs as they come back down.
>Grabbing the one nearest to you, you keep it up, leaving her in an awkward three legged stance, her balance reliant entirely on you.
>With one hand free and her not able to do much, you can see the look in her eyes as you wiggle your fingers for her.
>An excellent mix of lust, anger, joy and more.
>While you could go straight for the main course here, with her like this, you instead opt to shoot a little lower.
>Down between her thighs, a small pair of breasts hand, and grabbing one's nipple, you can see her grit her teeth.
>Giving the little nub a tweak or two and some squeezes, you relish in her stifled moans before shifting your grip and kneeling down.
>Watching her love button poke away, you grin to yourself before blowing a slow, cool breeze at it.
>She shivers and twiches, her clit's pace becoming erratic until you decide to go in face first.
>Giving her a few licks as warm up, you almost immediately take one of her lower lips in your teeth, gently gnawing on the sensitive flesh.
>Briefly darting your tongue into her, you switch to the other side, rolling the soft flesh between your sharp edged teeth.
>Switching to the front of it all, you barely manage to tease her clit before you can feel her climax and rebel against your grip, half falling and knocking you onto your back.
>Back on four hooves and with you on the ground, the barbaric mare decides to take the advantage.
>Her cushiony earth pony ass decends to your face, pushing you down to the ground, the scent and wetness of her climax filling your senses.
"Come on now, colt, you were just all over it, are you getting cold hooves now that you don't have the advantage?" she asks, making her rear wiggle.
>Obliging her just a bit, you part her with your tongue a bit, adding taste to the list of senses that have sensed her climax.
>One hand reaching up, you rake your fingers down her side and she suddenly shivers, insticts rising, which you turn into overdrive with a bite right on the meaty part of her ass.
>She shoots to her hooves, giving you enough room to get up.
"Well, the warm-up's done, now time to really get started," you say while undoing your white mage robes.
>Underneath is nothing but boxers, and after kicking your boots aside, you stalk closer, the robes dangling from one hand.
>Her eyes flicker back and forth between you and the robe, and at the right time, you swing it up around her head.
>With her vision disabled, she resorts to random kicking while trying to shake the cloth loose while you move in to her side.
>Like before, you catch a hoof as it comes down from a kick, but this time you grab the other as well, making her entire rear reliant on you.
>Her hefty, heavy rear.
>You can hear the wet winking of her lower lips mere inches from your chest.
>As you take a half step back, she has to try and move back herself, the motion awkward enough to make her front legs bend from the strain.
>Relesing her rear end, she decides to curl in her legs, landing on her stomach after the short fall, and you sit down on her back, facing her rear end.
"Lets see now, I've got my horse right where I want her, what should I do?"
>Pushing two fingers into her slit, you twist and wiggle them, making her body shudder in pleasure.
>With your free hand, you wiggle your boxers down, finally revealing yourself to the air.
>In the moment you take to shift your legs to get your boxers off, Celestia has gotten your robe off her head and enough of a position to buck you off.
>Landing on the grass, you're turned over as she walk over you.
>"Oh no, my poor little healer has fallen down, I better protect him," she says, lowering herself onto you in such a way you can practically feel the moiture coming off her vagina, but as much as your dick twitches, they can't touch.
>The soft fur of her belly rubs against your own stomach, her weight pinning you down without hurting.
>As her body presses down and slides across yours, you feel her slit kiss your tip before pulling away, a cold breeze sending shivers down your dick before contact is made again.
>When she touches again, you press up with your hips, enough to get your head to slip inside, before she slides forward, breaking the lower contact.
>"Oh my, the poor colt is all riled up but with no hole to fill..."
>Raising to her forehooves, she sits on your stomach, wet noises coming from her still winking slit.
>Again, she slowly slides back, leaving a wet trail on your stomach before her rear lifts right above your hard and ready member.
>"But I suppose a nice mare like me could offer my services to help relieve you."
>With her "dominance" assumed, she doesn't notice your hands moving down, one to your dick, the other ready to grab her hips.
>Lining up by instinct, you suddenly grab her thigh and pull down, sliding your rod into her warm wetness.
>Releasing your dick, you take a two handed grip on the mass of her ass and drag it all the way down, pushing yourself in to the hilt.
>She tries to pull herself up, but the angle of her legs limits her strength, and you're able to stop her before pulling right back down.
>Her winking speeds up as you force your dick into her again and again, despite her being on top."
>As your thrusts build, she suddenly shudders in orgasm, her hefty flank dropping quite heavily onto your lap.
>Taking advantage of her weakness, you tilt her till she falls on her side before rolling her onto her back, keeping your shaft burried in her tunnel.
>Spreading her rear legs, you thrust harder and faster, enjoying every inch of her soft, constricting insides.
>It seems all defense she has is gone, as you don't even get a kick while you plumb her depths.
>Given she is mostly a panting mess by the time you feel yourself getting close, she does line up with the other mare's you've had sex with.
>Your climax close, you let go of her legs, and wind back your hands.
>Just as your seed starts spilling forth, you spank both cheeks at once, making her muscles constrict, tightening her pussy around you.
>That, combined with the inward, milking contractions shoot pleasure all the way up your spine.
>It takes a moment to ride out your pleasure, but after extracting yourself from her, you sit back to enjoy the sight of your bright red handprints on her flank, your cum starting to leak from her still winking hole and some small twitches of her legs.
>Grabbing your boxers, you look for a towel to clean up a bit before Celestia returns to full senses.
~~~
>Looking to where Luna was, you see she's gone and replaced by a small puddle on the ground.
>You don't even have to check to know what it is, and looking around, you see Celestia making her way over.
"Hey, Celly, on break?"
>"A brief one, yes. I felt like I should make sure you weren't getting into trouble out here."
"Me, trouble? Nah, I was just telling your sister about our first time together, and well, all that's left here is a puddle."
>"She always was easy to arouse. I can only imagine what she did with Dusk during her seasons."
"Not much, I would think. I figure Dusk would have told me something when you finally decided to show me your place."
>"I didn't want it's location known until I knew you were going to stay with me, in case you joined another group. I had a lot of gold there."
"I thought it was because you didn't want me to meet your 'sister'."
>"That too. She was rather embarrasing back then."
"That she was," you agree, the two of you chuckling a bit.
>Giving you a quick hug, Celestia says, "Well, I have to head back. I'm sure Twilight and Rainbow are raring for another story."
"Alright. Try not to get too bored without me,"
>She waves with a wing as she turns to head back to the castle.
>Stretching your arms up, you notice a blue and rainbow pony flying back in a castle window, and you hustle to the front entrance.
>Twilight is there waiting for you, and with a smile she says, "I figured I could teleport us back, if you don't mind."
"Go ahead. I'd rather not get lost, since Rainbow doesn't seem like a pony who'd wait long."
>"You would be surprised. She's actually one of the Elements of Harmony, Loyalty to be specific."
"Those are still around? I remember when Celly and I first found them. Now that was a fun dungeon."
>"The two of you originally found the elements? I thought they had been lost for a millenia."
"Well, I'm not surprised Celly ditched them, they were kind of a hastle to use."
>"How so?"
"I'll explain later. Anyways, teleport now?"
>"Oh, yes, right. Here we go."
>Magic gathers in her horn, and with a sudden pop, the two of you re-appear in a room next to Rainbow Dash.
>"Hey Twilight took you long enough," Rainbow says, a smirk forming, "But I guess even your magic isn't as fast as I am."
"Speed isn't everything. Most guys like a girl that last more than a few thrusts," you say with a wiggle of your eyebrows.
>"I'm not like that," She retorts loudly, wings flaring out.
>"ANYWAYS," Twilight says loudly, breaking you and Rainbow away from eachother, "I think we should get back to some of your stories. They're really interesting."
>"Yeah, more big bad monster fighting and magic and traps and stuff."
"Hmn, alright," you say, sitting down, "Now what would be a good one... Ah, I know."
~~~
>Lying next to your wagon, you watch clouds pass overhead as you wait for Celestia to find work.
>All around you, yellow, orange and red leaves drift down lazily, fall in full swing.
>A quiet scene, and frankly...
"This is boring as hell," you curse to yourself, sitting up.
>No money to spend, nothing to really spend it on, and no jobs that wouldn't be menial and meaningless.
>Being the proverbial girl here kinda sucks.
>It's not like you could just open a lemonade stand and sell it with charm while you wait for Celestia.
>Your thought train hits the breaks like a cow just jumped onto the tracks.
>You might not be able to open a lemonade stand, but maybe a different kind would work.
>There's enough stuff to make a sign, and with your staff and Celly's axe you could raise it.
>Yes, this will work just fine.
>A bit of work later, and you're hauling the wagon through the streets, looking for a good spot to set up.
>More than once a mare has offered to pull your wagon for you, but relented when you insisted you did it yourself.
>Finally, you find a good spot, a small grass "island" not far off what seem like main roads.
>Setting the wagon to the back, you tie up the sign and erect your poles.
>You take just a moment to admire your handiwork, before giving your shoulders a quick stretch and sitting down behind the sign.
>A small crowd is already drifting around, drawn in by the strangeness that is you.
>Some wander off after seeing the sign, some continue to drift, trying to not act interested.
>After about a minute, one walks towards you, stopping in front of your "stall".
>"Excuse me, but what is this sign about? I feel that I don't fully understand it."
"It's exactly what it says. I'm offering hugs to those who want them. And for those who aren't sure, the first one is free."
>The mare rubs her head a moment before shrugging, "Well, it's a strange thing to see, but I suppose it's not going to kill me getting a free hug from a colt. You are a colt, right?"
"No, I'm not a pony, but yes, I am male."
>"Good enough for me. Your first customer awaits."
>They step forwards the last bit, and you reach around her, hugging her to your chest.
>Giving it a few seconds before you let her go, you can see she has developed a smile and some pink in her cheeks.
"Seem fair enough for a bit a hug?" you ask, and she quickly nods.
>"Never had a hug like that, but if it'll only cost me a bit for another, consider this your first coin made here."
>A gold coin is passed to you, and you set it in a bag, before hugging the mare again.
>She leaves after thanking you, and several others start to come forward.
>Slowly, a line forms, and soon you have ponies coming back for second, third and more hugs.
>The pace slows down around lunch, and after whipping up a quick "closed for lunch" sign, you stop to check your earnings before grabbing a bite to eat.
>Without counting, you'd guess near a hundred coins fill the bag.
>After eating some of your and Celestia's food, you remove the sign, and the line reforms instantly.
>Mares by the hundreds, and even the occasional stallion, you hug away worries, lonliness and more for a reasonable price.
>Dinner has almost rolled around before you notice a tall white alicorn in the line.
>After her, there is no line, and it seems your work has both ended and just begun.
>Numerous mares who come through tell you that you should deny her, but you apease them by saying she is your cart puller, when she's not on errands.
>Not exactly the truth, but not exactly wrong either.
>Celly does most of the cart pulling, though you do more of the general shopping, since you get lower prices.
>At least, for things that aren't "dangerous".
>You barely even need to try to charm to get reduced prices, and with how much you're making here, you should easily be able to cover food costs in every town.
>Hugging through the last couple ponies, Celestia comes up, eyeing your sign with scrutiny.
>"Well, I suppose it's not the worst thing you could have done."
"Do you want a hug, or are you gonna move out of the way so I can get more customers?"
>Her wings spread out, a sure sign of her desire for a hug, so you oblige, burying your face in the soft tuft of her chest.
>Giving her five seconds or so, you break off, rising to your feet.
"So, I'm guessing you found a job?"
>"It seems you did as well."
"Call it boredom more than a job, but I guess making money makes it a job."
>Taking down the sign, you stick it in the wagon as she hooks herself in to pull it.
"So, what do we have in store?"
>"Pretty straight forward shit job. There's an old Pegasus war base not too far from here, and they want us, well, me, to clear it out and bring back the treasures within."
"Loaded to the brim with traps, monsters and other such stuff?"
>"Probably. Most likely the kind of traps that do nothing to pegasii, which is why they want me to do it."
>Letting out a sigh as you walk alongside her, you wait till you've left the busy streets to speak again.
"I'm guessing there were vague mentions of some strange object that seems worthless that they want brought back too?"
>"Yeah, there was. They wanted me to make sure to brink all the keys I could find back."
"That means they have something they found in there earlier, but don't have the means to unlock."
>A spark of greed glints in her eyes, and a smile forms on her lips.
>"So you think we can use it to get better pay?"
"Hmn... Depends. We don't know anything about what they may have or what there is in the base, so we shouldn't make blind guesses."
>"Well I do know you're gonna be staying behind me, since the traps are designed for "earthies" as the pegasii call them."
"And the earth pony raised alicorn would know all about how pegasii do things, wouldn't she."
>"My sister told me," she replies simply, before picking up the pace, making you stumble a step to not fall behind.
"Wait, you have a sister?" you ask, running to catch up.
>Her tail swats your thigh and she asks, "You interested in her? I can guarantee she isn't as hot as I am."
"No, I just thought you said you were raised alone."
>"We met and bonded later in our days. I'll introduce you some time."
>"But, back to the matter at hoof, we have a fair bit of walking to do."
"Lead the way, my loyal cart puller!" you exclaim, pointing off into the horizon heroically.
>A wing buffets you in the back of the head, and you blow a raspberry at her.
~~~
>"Oh such a heavy burden I had to bear for him," Celestia says, entering the room with a swoon.
"Shut it, sun horse, you know it wasn't that heavy. Besides, you know it made other ponies see you better."
>"It's a mare's job to pull the wagon for her colt, no matter how much he buys."
>reaching you, you grab her by the necklace and pull her towards you.
>Giving her the nastiest stare you can, she shies just a bit, before you let go and hug her close.
"And I'm glad you did most of the pulling. I'm not that strong of a guy, and If I had to haul all our stuff for a day I'd be too tired for anything, unlike you."
"Well, unlike the old you," you say, before pinching her flank, "I'm not sure how long you could pull with this flabby butt."
>She may keep a smile, but up close like this, you can see trouble in her eyes.
>Trouble for you.
>"Can we please cut the mushy stuff and get back to the story?" Rainbow asks from her perched cushion.
>Literally, she has moved a pillow on top of a dresser and is lounging up there.
>"I suppose so. I'm sure you're tired of listening to Anon, so I'll tell the tale from here."
>Lying across your lap, she looks off into the distance, starting her telling.
~~~
>Dragging the wagon through the deep dark woods, you soon find a path worn into the ground.
>While slightly overgrown, the remnants of wagon wheel ruts are still visible.
"Stay close, we're nearly there, Anon."
>Your partner follows you somewhat silently, idly observing the nature that surrounds the two of you.
>The path leads straight into a crumbling hut, overgrown with vines.
>Unhitching yourself, you slowly walk to the hut, eyes open for traps.
>Anon follows behind, and once you're sure it's safe enough, you shoulder through the door.
>And by safe enough, you mean there aren't any obvious blades or rocks or buckets that look like they'll fall on you or anything.
>Your first step inside is greeted with a click and a half rotted log swings down, slamming into your side.
>Wood chips and mould cover your side as you push back from where you were knocked down, and you hear Anon sigh.
>Shaking off, you look around for any other traps, before a wave of Anon's healing magic hits you.
"I was fine, Anon, there's no need to waste your magic," you say, looking back to him.
>"You need to be more careful, Celly, like they said, this place is probably loaded with more traps."
"Obviously, but they're just wimpy pegasus traps."
>Your sharp eyes spot lines in the floor, and with your magic grip, you lift up a large pannel.
>Below it, a set of stairs lead down into a large, carved tunnel.
>Floating your axe to your side, you take the first steps into the darkness, Anon following behind.
>The glow of your power lights the way, revealing the smoothly carved walls.
>"This doesn't look like what I'd expect pegasii would make."
"That's likely because they didn't make it. Since this was a war base, they probably made earth pony captives make it."
>A pressure plate depresses under your hooves, and you immediately shoot to the ground, dragging Anon with you as cracks and twangs go off.
>Several arrows clatter to the ground, barely propelled from their holes.
>Behind the walls, the mechanisms crumble from age, dust shooting from behind it.
>"Well, that was a bit anticlimactic," Anon says, standing up and dusting himself off.
"I'm glad we're safe. They may just be pegasus traps, but they can still cause serious injury."
>"And you were the one who wasn't particulary concerned."
"I'm not concerned about myself, I know I can handle any kind of trap they can throw at me, I'm more concerned for my poor squishy healer."
>A sharp slap stings your rear, but you smile and with some extra spring in your step, you continue to lead, watching for more traps.
>Before long you reach two rooms, one across from the other, and extending your axe out, the glow surrounding it faintly lights one of the rooms.
>"You check out that one, I'll look in the other," Anon says, his own hands glowing with his gathered mana.
"Don't touch anything that looks dangerous, leave that to me."
>"Okay mother," he replies, before stepping into the room.
>Entering your own, you increase the intensity of your glow as you scan the room.
>It looks like a guard station, with weapon racks and armor stands dotted about, decaying notes mentioning patrols and such.
>Almost every piece of armor is rusted and crumbling thanks to the humid weather of this area, even here underground.
>All the spears, bows and other primarily wooden weapons have turned to rot, but a few of the swords and knives retain their edge.
>Setting your axe down, you use your magic to rifle through assorted crumbled papers on the desk, looking for anything of note.
>A few tattered pieces holds your attention, but they're too far gone to make out much more than fragments of scouting reports mentioning something important.
>Crashing from across the hall makes you forget all about that, as you pivot and rush for the door to make sure Anon's safe.
>Dust flits out of the room, and entering, you can see Anon waving it away from his face, it's origin from a bookshelf that crumbled.
"Did you find anything, Anon?" you ask, trying not to look worried, "I heard a crash, and that usually means something."
>"Not *cough* exactly. There were a few books that looked like they survived, but the shelf definitely did not."
"Any of them worth anything?"
>"Probably not. I doubt anyone would be interested in them in their condition."
"Alright. Ready to move on?"
>He nods, sticking his hands in his robe's pockets, their glow fading.
>Quickly focusing on your axe, you float it in from the other room, your light filling the hall as the two of you step out into it again.
>The tunnel widens slightly, enough so that you could almost spread your wings fully, but more than enough for your average pegasii.
>A room that comes up on your right turns out to be a mess hall, completely empty of food, water and anything of use.
>"It really seems like they cleaned up anything of value already," Anon comments, ruffling through a shelf's destroyed contents.
"We probably aren't the first raiders to come here, though it's possible they didn't leave anything in the first place."
>Metal jingles, and Anon pulls out from under some decaying cloths a pair of keys on a rotted rope.
>He gives it a quick tug and snaps the rope, bouncing the keys in his hand.
>"I wonder what these are for. Do you want to look around and see if we can find anything?"
"It couldn't hurt."
>An empty snow box's lock is what one key is for, the snow having long since melted and corroded through the bottom.
>The other is too small for anything else, so both keys wind up in the pocket of Anon's robe.
>With nothing else of note in the room, you return to the hall and continue your walk down the hall.
>The wider hall is harder to perfectly observe without taking extra time, and you miss seeing a tile, perfectly set for a pony to step on.
>You don't miss stepping on it however.
>Before you, a blackness opens up, swallowing your front hooves and with them, your chest follows.
>Trying to spread your wings, the pit is too narrow for you to get full spread, halting your ability to fly as you fall into the pit.
>Muscles react automatically as your brain works as fast as it can to figure out something before you hit the bottom.
~~~
>Following behind Celestia, you hear a click before she suddenly dips down, a pit opened beneath her front hooves.
>Her wings are the only things that save her from going in face first, instead she falls in somewhat level, the light from her magic dissapearing instantly.
>The immediate world plunged into darkness, you hurriedly draw up mana to try and see anything, ears peeled for any sounds from the hole.
>Another click sounds, and the cover to the pit starts slowly sliding back till you step on the trigger tile, just in time to hear a loud crack.
>And not just any crack, the sickening, bone snapping kind of crack.
>Dropping to your stomach, you keep the tile held down while you look down the hole.
"Celly? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"
>A loud string of pony explitives rises from the hole, enough to give you the smallest of smiles before it vanishes again.
>"Yeah, I'm here, but I'm sure as Tartarus not fine."
"What's wrong? What broke?"
>"Just my wing, I think..." she says, her voice fading at the end, followed by a small hiccup.
>Soft sobs rise from the hole, bringing an ache to your heart.
"Celly, I may not be able to see you right now, but I want you to look at me. I'm going to run to our wagon to get rope so I can get you out of there, and so I want you to keep talking to me. I don't care if I can't hear you when I'm gone, and I don't care what you say, but if I come back and you aren't talking, I'm coming down there after you."
>"Al... alright. I met my sister almost eight years ago, and it was one of the happiest days..."
>Sprinting down the hall, you throw up Shell and Protect, ignoring any traps you come across till you reach the entrance.
>The door to the hut shatters off it's hinges with the force you hit it with, and you stumble to a stop in front of the wagon.
>Throwing things left and right, you dig for rope, finding it near the bottom.
>Wasting no time, you turn back and run down through again, practically diving to the floor to hit the trigger to open the pit.
>"... and that's why I won't let you go with anyone else, no matter what. I know it might seem silly, but..."
"Hey, I'm back Celestia. I'm gonna send one end down for you, and I want you to tie it around yourself so I can pull you up."
>"There's no way you can do it, I'm too heavy. Just let me rest a bit, and I can teleport up."
"Shut up and keep talking about other things. I'm going to get you out, whether you like it or not."
>Throwing one end down, you can see a glow at the bottom where she starts tying it.
"Now I've got this other side tied to me, so remember, either you're coming up or I'm coming down."
>Drawing up the slack, you hear her yell, "Hey, don't do that Anon, I don't want you to get hurt too."
"Too bad, I'm not gonna leave you down there, so you better figure out how to help fast."
>The end of the slack reached, you set yourself to pull, using the depression of the trigger to help brace yourself.
>Taking deep breaths to prepare, a heavy silence hangs for just a moment.
>Hands clench, muscles strain and millimeter by millimeter the rope rises.
>"Don't! I don't want you getting hurt or worse because of me!" she exclaims as you ever so slowly lift her.
>You can hear her hooves clattering on the walls of the pit, likely trying to find purchase.
>Your muscles slowly get a feel for hauling up this massive pony, and your pace rises ever so slightly.
>With no guide to go by, you can only guess based on how much rope you have pulled up, and as you reach what you think is the first quarter done, a snag arrises.
>A small knot in the rope ha caught on the ledge, and you can't pull it past.
"Celly, can you get any sort of grip on the walls? I need to get a knot over the ledge."
>There's some clacking, before she replies, "Nothing. Just lower me back, I can get out on my own."
"Like hell I will," you reply, stepping forward.
>On the edge of the hole, you give a massive heave, pulling the knot past, and likely startling Celestia as well.
>The cover starts sliding back, and you quickly step on the trigger again, albeit awkwardly.
>With the knot past, you slowly move back to your pulling position, keeping tension on the rope the whole time.
>Fatigue starts to set in, your muscles reaching their limits around the halfway point.
>Celestia has gone mostly silent, occasionally saying something about your progress, or how she'll be fine from wherever.
>You never stop though, you can't stop.
>If you do, you won't be able to start again, even if she can hold her spot for an hour.
>Every muscle from your shoulders to your ankles ache worse than you've ever felt as you near the three quarters mark.
>Your breathing is harsh and heavy, your pulse a mile and a half a minute.
>The end in sight, it feels like your body is pumping up for a final haul when catastrophe strikes.
>Right behind your leading hand, the rope snaps, pulling you forward off your feet.
>As you fall you pull in as much rope as you can, as when you hit the ground, the free cord slides near completely through your hands, now torn and bleeding.
>Facing down into the pit, you can see her, glowing by the magic of her horn as she looks up at you.
>Tears glint under her eyes as they see the crimson tinting the rope, dripping down onto her.
>"J... just let go, I'll be fine, I promise..." she chokes out, "I'm not hurt that bad."
>You can see yours is not the only blood on her, the broken bone of her wing protruding through the skin and dangling at a bad angle.
>Your already steeled determination hardens further, forging a metal of strength beyond compare.
"I'm getting you out, and that's that," you reply shortly, saving your breath for the struggle to come.
>Every muscle in your arms scream in protest as you raise them, raise her to the point you can get them back on the ground, and despite your shoulders feeling dislcoated from the shock, you push yourself to your knees.
>Each motion is agony, but you push to your feet, dragging her up with you.
>Millimeter by millimeter, inch by inch, you drag the rope up, the tightness of your grip bypassing the blood slicked rope.
>After what feels like an eternity of pain, the top of her horn crests the hole, and your heart metaphorically skips a beat.
>For it to actually skip a beat now would likely kill you both.
>Her face clears the edge, a slew of emotions on it that you're too busy to decipher as you keep pulling.
>The end of the rope not tied around her reaches the edge, and with a kick off the wall, she pushes herself the last bit out.
>With no more tension on the rope, you collapse to your knees, arms falling to your side.
>For a moment, the only sound is that of the pitfall closing, before a few soft sobs come from Celestia.
>Ignoring her own broken wing, she pushes to you, magically lifting you to rest against the wall.
>"I can't believe you did that," she says, nuzzling your chest, "That was stupid beyond measure."
>You somehow find the strength to raise your arms, your hands caressing both of her cheeks.
"I don't regret it. I won't ever regret it either. I did it for you, and I'd do it again, if I had to."
>"But your hands..?"
"These, I can fix with a little magic. I'm more worried about you."
>"It's... it's fine, the damage is done, that's it."
"What do you mean?"
>"It can't be fixed, even with magic. They say you break a birds wing once, it's grounded for life."
"Well you're not a bird, so we can fix that."
>"How?"
"Your axe, bring it over here."
>The weapon in question is floated over, and gripping it, you make a weak attempt to snap it's shaft.
"Er, could you break this? We need the shaft."
>The head and counterweight are snapped off by magic, and you instruct her to split the shaft vertically as well.
>Turning to her side, your tired and sore hands grasp both sides of her broken limb, a soft expression of pain comes from her, though stiffled.
>You can barely feel the shape of the break with your damaged nerves, but after some careful probing, you know how they cross.
>With a bite and some ripping, you get the sleeve of your robe into strips you can use to tie with, and with all the pieces ready, you grasp her wing again.
"This will hurt, a lot, and I'll probably have to remove some feathers to bind it, but I'll fix this.
>She nods and clenches her teeth, ready for the pain, and with slow but precise movements, you pull the broken bone back into her and line up the ends.
>Thankfully it was a fairly clean break, albeit sharp, and the two ends meet well.
>A tired hand holds them together while your free one grabs the two halves of the axe handle to hold the limb in place.
>The first strip goes on, tied by hand and mouth, the others suddenly being applied by magic.
>Finally, you grip the whole thing and apply your magic, focusing on binding the bone and reforming muscle and tendons.
>That done, one last strip binds her wing to her body, preventing accidental movement.
>Every last dose of adrenaline and energy spent, you collapse, taking ragged breaths.
>A dull ache fills every part of you, but a faint warmth coats your hands.
>They rise, despite your lack of strength, and you feel cloth start to wrap around them.
>Looking up, Celly is slowly binding your hands, tears drawing paths in the blood on her cheeks.
>You want to wipe away her tears, but nothing is responding, so you do what you can and smile a bit.
"Don't cry Celly, we're both alive, and that's what's important. Now come on, I could use a warm hug right now, and there's only one pony I want it from."
>A small smile forms on her as well, and with a slightly cracked voice, she says, "Who? I bet it's that red maned pony from town, I could see the way you hugged her."
"I'd hit you if I could, get over here you big warm sunhorse."
>Finishing with your hands, she shuffles forward on the ground before leaning against you, chest to chest, her head on your shoulder.
>Resting there, you bask in the warmth of the most important pony in your life.
>Strength and sensation slowly return to you, and when you can, you wrap your arms around her neck.
>The simple gesture makes her sigh and cozy in tighter, red from her cheeks staining your white and red robes.
>You're not sure how long the two of you spend there in silence, but you eventually regain enough strength to move around.
>Using the wall for support, you rise to your feet, Celly climbing to her hooves as well.
"Better keep moving, I guess. The sooner we finish the sooner we can find a good place to rest."
>"We don't have to keep going, Anon."
"And let those ponies who gave you this job have the pleasure of knowing you failed, I'd rather not."
>Pressing up against your side, she says, "Then at least let me help support you."
>While she's a bit short for you to use her shoulder, you can half rest on her neck, reducing the strain on your legs.
>It seems that past this pitfall there are no more traps, and given the next room you find, it's not that surprising.
>Rusted bars fill the room, the jail cells surprisingly empty.
>And on the wall, dangling by a rusty nail is a key ring with enough keys to make an axe with.
>"This is quite the collection of keys. I bet one of them is the one they're looking for."
"There's definitely more keys than cells, that's for sure. Some are probably for shackles, though it seems like most of those are gone."
>"Taken away with prisoners, no doubt," she says, lifting the keys from their hook with magic.
>Testing a few in the locks, she has moderate success, and with a self assuring nod, she lowers them into your pocket, joining them with the other two.
>"It doesn't look like there's much left to this place. It's rather small, all things considered."
"They probably used tents in the area for troops or something. Down here seems like it was just for supplies and management."
>"Only one way to find out," she says, gently encouraging you back to the door, "Let's check the rest. Carefully."
>Her soft glow continues to light the hall, even without something to hold.
>The hall narrows again, and soon the end looms, a door placed firmly on the end wall.
>With distance to spare, Celestia's magic reaches out to the handle, pulling the portal open.
>For a final room, it's rather dissapointing.
>No falling rocks, no deadly gas, no nothing.
>Just a small office type room with a rotted bedframe.
"I'll check the desk, since I can support myself there. You can search elsewhere for stuff."
>"Okay mister bossy robes, I'll go search elsewhere," she replies with a roll of her eyes.
>Leaning on the desk, you brush aside scraps of paper and layers of dust, searching for things of value.
>Orders, letters and other misc. stuff is all that's left on the surface, so you pull open the first of three drawers.
>Crumbling, watermarked stationary and dried bottles of ink greet you, along with a few rusty quilltips.
>A quick shuffle reveals nothing, so you move on.
>The middle drawer is more papers, though through the crumbling sheets you can see something hidden under it.
>Amber liquid sloshes around in the glass bottle as you bring it into the light, and you can barely make out the worn label.
"Thunderhead Brandy, bottled 577."
>Your partner is almost immediately by your side, trying to gently tug the bottle from your bandaged hands.
>"That's a really expensive drink, Anon, let me see."
"I'm not going to hand this over to the pony who uses any chance she gets to go to a bar."
>"But.. but..." she stutters while looking at you with her biggest, cutest eyes.
"I never said I wouldn't let you drink it, I'm just not going to let you drink it pointlessly."
>She pouts at you a bit more, but seeing no cracks in your defense, she sighs.
>"Alright, but you better let me have some if I'm gonna be pulling you back to town."
"Good, now lets get back to work."
>With her returning to her scrounging under the bed, you move to the third drawer.
>And, surprise surprise, it's filled with more papers in just as bad of condition as the others.
>Sifting through, you hit the bottom far before you should have.
>Pulling the paper from the drawer, you find a slit you can fit your fingers into to pull the fake bottom up.
>Under it, an old carved stone hexagon, engraved with numerous runes.
>Undeniable something valuable, though how.
>Quickly stowing it away, you replace the bottom, before sitting down.
>Celly finishes her searching not long after you and together, you make your way back to the entrance.
>The bright sunlight outside momentarely blinds you, before the greens and browns of nature fill your vision.
>"You know, I was half expecting the ponies who sent us here to be standing, waiting for us when we got out."
"Dissapointed?"
>"Not really. It just feels like a situation where that would happen."
>Climbing carefully into the cart, you wait for Celestia to hook herself in before you lie down to rest.
>The cart starts bumping along, marking the start of your trip back to civilization.
~~~
>"What was that stone thing you found, Anon?" Twilight asks, looking up from her notes.
"The most valuable key we found."
>"But a hex-a-whatever isn't a key," Rainbow says.
>"It was a key, not in shape, but in function," Celestia says, "You see, it unlocked the temple that held the Elements of Harmony."
>"You didn't create the Elements?" Twilight exclaims, "But that's what all the history books say."
"Well, books are only as correct as what's written in them. The Elements are likely far older than anyone suspects, a relic of a previous species."
>Dash gives a yawn, before stretching again and saying, "Well, I think that's enough stories for now. I'd like to hear about how you found the Elements some other time though."
"I'll see if I can arrange a trip to meet all of the element holders at the same time so you can all enjoy the tale."
>"I wouldn't count on it, Anon, I think MY human has had enough adventures for now and should settle down with a nice mare."
"Yes, like you did when your sister told you to?"
>"Don't be silly, how could I settle down with such a good adventuring partner?"
"Because you had enough money to buy a small town, enough land to build a small town and enough sex to populate a small town?" you reply with a wink at the end.
>"Well, that is true, but we had so much fun together, exploring dark forests, ancient tombs and doing random fetch quests for ponies."
"Screw fetch quests, they sucked."
>"True, but it's not like I had many options."
>Rolling onto her back, Celestia looks up at you, smiling.
>"At least we did it all together."
>Rubbing the soft white fur of her belly, you're momentarily interrupted by Twilight coughing.
>"Well, I think that's enough for today. If you don't mind, I'll just excuse myself," she says before somewhat awkwardly rushing out the door.
>After the door closes, there's another attention grabbing cough, this time from the pony in your lap.
>Her hoof makes rubbing motions on her chest, and rolling your eyes at her, you resume the belly rubs.
>Silly ponies and their love of belly rubs.
~~~
>Two shadows creep through the darkness, stealthily avoiding patrols and lights.
>After all, just about the entire town is after them for what they have.
>Keeping him back with your good wing, you peek around the corner, making sure the street is clear.
"Quick, this way," you whisper before dashing across the street.
>Anon follows you, his robes making no noise as they flutter in the breeze.
>Sprinting down the back alley, you make a right turn and...
>Come face to face with a wall.
"But... this should have been the way out."
>"We should have made a left turn two streets back."
"Sorry if I don't have your coltly sense of direction, Anon."
>"You could see the forest, Celly," he replies.
"Well, we wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't HAVE to get your gossip on and spy on the ponies who hired me."
>"There's a difference between gossip and valuable information."
"Speaking of, why didn't you tell me about that artifact you found?"
>"That's because..." he starts, before torchlight fills the path behind you.
>A trio of shadows fill the path, their owners bearing the torches on their backs.
>"Freeze, Third-breed scum, turn over the key and the stallion and we'll let you leave without breaking that other wing of yours."
>Shifting to stand in front of Anon, you reach back with magic to grasp the axe that isn't there.
>"We know all about your losses right now, thief, we know you have no chance at beating us."
>Under the torchlight, you can see their grins but the light changes quite suddenly.
>Behind you, an orange glow flares up, and an accelerating ticking sounds for a moment.
>Your eyes flick back only to see Anon rush past at far beyond his normal speeds.
>The three mare soldiers ready themselves to catch him, thinking he's rushing to their side.
>He stumbles a step which makes them drop their weapons, but before they realize it, he leaps over their head, rolling to steady himself on the other side.
>They turn to aid him, marely instincts taking over, and you have to hold yourself back as well, especially since he gave you a nice opening.
>Specifically, three nice openings, raring for a good kick.
>Closing in and spinning, you deliver a split kick to two of the mares.
>They both go down hard, the third turning back to face you.
>She gets an axe head to the face, side on, knocking her out cold.
>Anon has already risen to his feet and is dusting himself off as you get over there.
>"Ugh, I can never get used to that..."
"No time to mend, we have to get going before another patrol finds us."
>He gives you a nod, and the two of you backtrack before diverting to the forest.
>With your wagon lost to the town guard, you and Anon are left with what you have on you.
>Not much different from normal for you, but Anon must be missing things.
>Once deep enough you feel you have no need to hide your voice, you rest your good wing on his back.
"Don't worry Anon, I'm sure we'll be able to replace all the stuff you lost in the next town."
>"Actually, most of my stuff is on me right now. This robe has a lot of pockets on the inside too."
>You feel yourself giving your best bluff face, before sighing.
>Sometimes, these colts, mare.
>Can't live with them, can't live without them.
>At least he gives good belly rubs and awesome sex.
>Once the two of you have traveled enough to feel safe, you settle down for rest, Anon laying beside you.
>Your sleep is light, however, with an ear always trained for sounds in the night.
>Sounds that arrive far too soon for your liking.
>A loud rusting in a tree rouses both you and Anon, faint curses growing louder from the source.
>The moment you can make out words, you let out a quiet sigh.
"Can you go deal with her, Anon?" you ask, lowering your head back down, "I don't want to deal with her right now."
>"You know whoever that is?"
"Yes, and I feel too tired to deal with her right now."
>Anon rises, walking into the darkness while you wait for the inevitable.
>There's a moment of silence, before you hear, "Unhand us, creature, we are not prey for thou."
>"Oh be quiet you silly horse, I'm just getting you out from these vines."
>"DO NOT CALL US HORSE, YOU FIENDISH BEAST, WE ARE A PONY, AND THOU ARE OUT OF LINE!"
>You watch Anon return, Luna draped over his shoulder, ineffectually flailing.
"Hello, Luna, what brings you out here," you say tiredly as Anon sets her down.
>"We came to find you, sister, we are concerned you have too much wealth and no colt to spend it on."
"Look behind you."
>Luna turns to Anon, before turning back to you.
>"All I see is a hairless ape beast."
"Look under it's robes."
>Her magic lifts up the front of Anon's clothes, and reaching his undershorts, you can see her cheeks glow in the darkness.
>"Uh, we..."
>Anon's hand reaches out and flicks her nose, making her stumble back on to her butt.
>"We appologize, dear colt," she says, before leaning over to you.
>"Why did you not inform us you had a colt with you?" she whispers.
"You never asked," you reply with a shrug of your withers.
>Shuffling her wings and puffing up her chest, she turns back to Anon with a smile.
>"Again, we give you our appologies, we have never encountered a male like you, so we were unable to identify you as such. We are Luna, sister to Celestia."
>"I'm Anon, Celestia's healer and partner."
>"Thou art a cleric? Of what faith?"
>"White mage, we don't need dieties for our magic."
>"Truly? Facinating. the clerics we knew were of the sky goddess, and rarely the nature goddess, though those were oft clerics who traveled on the surface."
"Can you talk about this in the morning, I need sleep."
>"Appologies, sister, we shall let you rest."
>Laying your head back down, sleep soon takes you.
>Your lack of dreams means morning comes in an instant for you, along with the feeling of Anon resting against your side.
>Colts are for cuddling, that's what they say.
>And other things...
>Sexy things.
>Curling up with your healer, you lay your head down again, eager for a bit more sleep.
>"Good morrow, sister, did thou sleep well?"
>Right, Luna...
"Well enough, Luna," you quietly reply, "I would like to let Anon rest a little longer though."
>"I'm already up," he says, giving your side a pat, "I was letting you sleep some more."
>"You have such a sweet colt, Sister, we cannot believe you have yet to settle with him."
"I still have lots of things I want to do before I look for a stable job."
>"You want to work in a stable?" Anon asks you, raising an eyebrow.
>Batting him with your good wing, you see his smile as you and him rise for the morning.
>"I suppose we should get moving, they're probably going to send out search parties soon."
"A good idea Anon, though I wouldn't be object to some breakfast though."
>"Made from what? We lost the wagon and all our supplies."
>You look to Luna for some help, but get a shrug in return, so you sigh.
"I guess breakfast can wait."
>"You'll survive, you're a big girl."
>For a moment, you're tempted to make a reply, but your stomach rumbling tells you otherwise.
"Sister, would you happen to have any bits on you? we ran into some trouble, and we lost what I had with me."
>"Yes, though it isn't much. We only planned on obtaining a snack or two on our visit."
>A small bag of coin is floated up, and you take control of it and bring it over.
"Well, we best get moving."
>"First though," Anon says, grabbing your side, "Let me do a little healing here."
>Magic courses through him, before refining and flowing into your damaged wing.
>This, of course, brings Luna's attention to it, and you hear her gasp.
>"Sister, what happened to thy wing?"
"There was an incident with a trap, but Anon is mending it."
>"You do know that it's..." she starts, before you smile.
"I trust Anon, and I know his magic is strong."
>"If you say so, sister."
>Patting her with your good wing, you feel Anon finish, and you prepare to go.
>And by that, you mean you look around to figure out which way to go.
"Luna, you wouldn't happen to remember the nearest town besides the one back that way?" you ask, indicating with your wing.
>"That would be umm.... Shady Pines, if we remember correctly, to the north west."
"Then that's the way we're going," you say before starting your walk.
>Your sister falls in behind you, Anon walking alongside her.
>While you navigate, they start up a conversation, which you hear parts of.
>"So you say the healers of this place use diety favour to do their healing?"
>"Indeed, while it is difficult to learn, it is quite potent, though thy magic seems strong as well."
>"My magic is just formed mana, which most people can use in some way or another. There are many classes of it, from healing White magic like mine, to damaging Black magic and monster Blue magic."
>"Mana? We are unfamiliar with this..."
>Trees, trees and more trees, oh, and also rocks.
>Can't forget the rocks.
>Kind of wish you didn't have to lead...
>"And she basically passed out halfway through," Anon says before you hear Luna chuckle.
>"We never would have thought our sister couldn't outlast a stallion."
>"To be fair, humans last a fair bit longer than ponies..."
>Or maybe not having to be in the conversation is a bit better than you thought.
>"By the way, what tribe are you from? You don't have the mass in your ass to be an earth pony like Celly, so are you a Unicorn or Pegasus born?"
>"WHAT ARE THOU IMPLYING?" Luna near shouts, startling you slightly.
>"I'm just saying you're not very large physically, especially in the posterior region."
>"WE ARE SORRY WE WERE BORN OF PEGASII WHO BEAR SLEEK, FLIGHTWORTHY FORMS, RATHER THAN OF THE CHUNKY EARTH PONIES."
"Be quiet Luna, or you are going to lead our pursuers straight to us."
>"We appologize, sister," She replys meekly, her head drooping.
>Anon just chuckles and you glare at him.
"Don't antagonize her, Anon, she's sensitive about having a small butt."
>And there go Luna's cheeks, puffing up again.
>Time passes, stomachs grumble and the three of you make your way through the forest.
>A town becomes visible through the trees, and suddenly the slow descent into grumpyness vanishes.
>About to run ahead, you suddenly get stopped by Anon, who takes the bag of coin from you.
>"Sorry, but I'm doing the shopping. We don't need beer for breakfast."
>"I agree sister, it would be best to let the colt perform the shopping and breakfast preparation."
>You instinctively expect a snarky comment or something, but it seems even he's too hungry for it right now.
>"Wait here, prepare a fire, I'm gonna go get food," he says shortly, before walking out of the trees.
>Well, better do what the colt wants if you want breakfast.
~~~
>A bag of bits in your pocket, you wander into town, searching for the market.
>Some ponies avoid you as you pass, other watch in curiosity, but none actually act, until...
>While watching the sky, you suddenly feel something bump into your legs, drawing your attention to the dirt.
>And the pony now sitting in it.
>"Hey, watch where you're going," she says, glaring up at you.
"Sorry," you say, reaching down to offer to help them up.
>Your hand is swatted away as they push themselves up.
>"Don't think you can just solve this with an appology, you scrawny minotauress."
>"Yeah," another mare says, stepping in behind the first, a second joining her, "we saw you playing with a bag of bits, and it seems like enough to cover the boss's healing costs."
"I have good news for you then," you say, gathering mana and flipping them the bird.
>With that action, healing magic infuses them all, much to their confusion.
>They look down at themselves, before looking back at you with a scowl.
>"I think you're missing our point," the lead mare says, "Drop your bits and leave, or we'll take them."
>Other ponies in the street filter away, seeking to avoid the confrontation.
>A few watch, seemingly dissinterested from various places, trying to appear busy.
>Despite being less than half your size, the mare puffs herself up, trying to be intimidating.
>Her allies are doing the same, to less effect.
>Cute little ponies trying to look angry, and failing adorably.
>But still, these cute little ponies want a fight, so you'll oblige them.
>Stepping forward, you wind back a kick for the lead pony, not hard enough to hurt them, just send them tumbling.
~~~
>You are Red Hooves, thief and brawler for hire and pleasure.
>And this scrawny minotauress thinks she can mess with you and your sis's.
>Well everypony knows that a minotaur with no muscle might as well be a twig.
>And this is the wimpiest one you've ever seen.
>Even though her voice is kind of attractive...
>A bit like that colt from...
>Shaking your head clear, you puff up, ready to intimidate her, your friends moving in to help.
>The silly cow moves in to kick you, but her movements are so slow you don't even try to dodge.
>Her leg touches your proud mare tufted chest with about as much force as a colt, and you feel a smile starting.
>That is, until the leg keeps moving, forcing you off your hooves and lifting you into the air.
>At the end of their kick, they make a flicking motion, like one would use to remove mud from your hooves, hurling you across the street.
>Your fall is stopped by a pile of boxes thankfully, though it still hurt.
>That minotauress isn't as scrawny as she seems.
>Rising from the boxes, you snort angrily before charging back.
>Night Shroud and Gewn Too jump at her, trying to get her arms, but falling short.
>Head down, you crash straight into her legs, making her stumble back but bouncing you to your butt.
>Seeing your foe stagger, your comerades charge as well, knocking the minotauress onto her butt.
>Confidently swaggering over, you stand over them, your ovaries hanging over hers, establishing your dominance.
"Now, are you going to give up your gold or am I going to have to take it by force?"
>You suddenly feel yourself rising, hands pressed to your side lifting you up.
>Your hoovsies wiggle weakly, er, marely underneath you as you are forcibly moved.
>A sudden push flings you aside, and she rolles to her hooves... wait, those aren't minotaur hooves...
"What are you?" you ask, rising and fluffing up defensively.
>"Finally asking? I'm a human White mage."
>Looking to your underlings, you see them confused, though Gewn seems to be thinking.
>"Human... Wait! Are you that stallion from the rumored hug stand?"
"Hug stand?"
>"Yeah, rumors have spread from the town over that there is a travelling stallion that gives out cheap but good hugs."
"S..stallion..." you almost whimper, realizing the implications rising.
>"A tall minotaur looking thing in white robes, that's what my cousin told me."
>A large knot rises up in your throat, your self assuredness crashing around you like a burning hut.
>You're going to the dungeons for this...
>Or worse.
>Ears flat, tail drooping, body curling within itself, you look up at the stallion you attacked.
"You're not hurt or anything, are you? I mean, I'm sorry I attacked you and everything, I didn't know you were a colt."
>"I'm fine, I took far worse back home. I'm more concerned about getting food for breakfast right now, to be honest."
>A growling emanates from his stomach region, and you feel yourself glancing down.
>Night and Gewn are both somewhat behind you, in similar pose.
"Could I make it up to you? I could help you get breakfast, if you want."
>"I just need to find the market to get some thing to cook."
"I'll lead you, come on, it's this way."
~~~
>Following the little thug pony and her grunts, you dust yourself off.
>It might not have been much of a tousle, but it was fun in a nostalgic way.
>Geez, only stuck here less than a year and old world stuff is nostalgic.
>A tugging on the hem of your robe pulls you back to the real world, and you look down to see a differnt pony.
>"Sir, you don't have to stay with them, we can protect you."
"I'm fine, they're just leading me to the market."
>"But they... No, I feel it's best if you leave them, for your own safety."
>Reaching down, you pat the pony on the head and smile.
"Don't worry, I've dealt with ponies far worse than them."
>"You poor colt," they murmer, leaning into your hand.
>Rushing to catch up with the thugs, it doesn't even seem they noticed you were stopped back there.
>Stalls start appearing, and the lead pony turns back to you.
>"And here we are. Is there anything you needed in particular?"
"Lets see, some apples, bread, butter, cheese and... Is there a place that sells monster bait here?"
>"Monster bait? Like, an adventuring store?"
"Yeah. Special plants and meat and stuff like that."
>"Yes, but why?"
"Some of my mares are a little... picky, I suppose."
>"Your mares?"
>You nod, adding an innocent smile.
"They're getting things ready for me while I pick up food. We're travelling right now."
>"Well, don't worry about the food, We'll go get that and meet you back here. The adventurer store is that one over there,"
>Before you can say anything more, the three of them run off.
>No point in complaining about free food, so you make your way to what they indicated was the adventurer store.
>Opening the door, you are greeted by racks of weapons, shelves of suplies and cases of potions.
>A weathered but cheerful mare finishes tidying an axe, before turning to you with a smile.
>"Welcome to Chestplate Corner, how can I help ya hun?"
"I was told you sell monster bait and stuff like that?"
>"That we do, what kind are ya looking for?"
"Do you carry meat?"
>"Sure, but are ya sure that's what yer lookin' for? Most colt's get sick handlin' the stuff."
>You nod, and she leads you to a side of the store with shelves of herbs.
>There, past there, slabs of meat hang from hooks, most freshly cut.
>Staring them down, you look for ones that fit what you want best.
"Do you have anything cut smaller? I don't have much to spend," you say, lifting out the bag of bits.
>"That's easy, I can cut you any size or shape you want."
"Could you do thin flat strips? Like what you would fit in a sandwich?"
>"Not a problem, give me just a moment 'n I'll have it ready."
>Turning to look around the room, you browse shelves while you wait for your order to be finished.
>Weapons and armour aren't of much interest to you, but the array of potions available are.
>Most are variants of what you know, but a few elude your relevant knowledge.
>"Alright, here's yer bait. That'll be ten bits," The mare says, a paper wrapping around the unmistakeable smell of meat.
>Passing her the required coinage, you exit the store, only to come waist to face with ponies in white robes.
>Their eyes meet yours, and you have the feeling this will take a while.
~~~
>Be Luna, sister of Celestia, and a hungry mare.
>Staring at the as of yet unlit fire pit, you wonder how long your sister's colt will take.
>A grumble of your stomach makes you pray he returns soon.
~~~
>"Greetings, brother of the faith, we heard there was a new healer in town," the little pony says, making a small bow.
"Greetings to you too. I take it you are clerics of nature?"
>"Indeed, and you?"
"I don't really have a diety, my magic doesn't work like that."
>The ponies reel back in shock, some mumbling to others.
>"...no diety?"
>"Must feel so..."
>The lead pony walks up and rests a hoof on your leg, saying, "No need to be alone any more, dear friend, come with us and we will help you reach the faith of the nature godess."
"As much as I'd love to," you start, offering them a smile before stepping back, "I don't have time. Some nice mares are helping with my shopping, and once they're done I have to hurry back to prepare breafast for my mares."
>A smile is given in return, and the head pony nods.
>"Understandable, my friend. Should you ever need us, you need only ask directions to our temple."
>The group turns and leaves, though you hear more snippets of talk.
>"...e's cute, I wonder if he..."
>"...personal healing?"
>While they leave, you notice the two goon ponies returning, passing around the healer group.
>One has a basket with bread, the other, a bag of apples.
>They pass them to you without a word, before looking out for their boss.
>Not one to let good deeds go unpunished, while they aren't looking, you reach down and pet the ponies on their heads.
>They freeze up for a brief moment, before nudging into your hand slightly.
>This ends quite abruptly as their boss becomes visible in the distance, and they take a half step out of your reach.
>Big boss thug pony trots up, a package on her back as well.
>"Sorry to keep you waiting, they were a bit busy," she says, coming to a stop.
>Taking the package from her, you give her the same reward as the others before a small bow.
"Thank you for your help, but I have to run before they get too hungry."
>"Take care, Human, and uh, about what happened earlier, can we keep that between us?"
"Sure, that's fine by me."
>With everything you need for breakfast ready, you start briskly walking to the forest where Celestia and Luna are.
>Meanwhile, back in the town, several armored ponies approach the trio of thugs, all who's smile quickly fades.
>"We recieved word you three assaulted a defenceless colt, to the point of pinning him down and standing over him. For your crimes, you are under arrest."
>Glancing between eachother, the thugs sigh before turning and dashing in three different directions.
>Entering the forest, you are almost immediately...
~~~
>"Now, ah'm not normally one ta complain," Applejack starts, before being cut off.
>"Yeah, that's Rarity's job," Rainbows says with a laugh, before being whapped by a handy floating newspaper.
>"Ahem, well, as ah was sayin, this doesn't feel mighty important to the story o' the elements."
"Hmn... true, I suppose, I just felt like leaving my first meeting with Luna out would interfere with later story."
>Shifting around in your seat again, you stroke where your beard would be and ponder where to start from.
"In brief, I suppose from there, we ate, Luna headed back off to their home and Celly and I continued on our journey."
"It wasn't too long before we found the Tomb of the Elements, as it was known."
>"Nowadays, it's the castle of the two sisters, the place where you awakened the Elements, Twilight," Celestia says from behind your back.
>"There's a dungeon there?!" Rainbow exclaims, shooting to her hooves, "How come we never found it?"
>"We never looked, Dash," Twilight says, "We were kind of busy dealing with Nightmare Moon."
>"One of these days we totally have to go back."
>"Ah'd love ta do an old fashioned dungeon crawl, like how the apples used ta do it."
"Back on topic," you say, clearing your throat, "Celly and I had found the Tomb of the Elements..."
~~~
>Staring at the squat stone structure, you quirk an eyebrow at your partner.
"You sure this is the right place? For something that holds some sort of superweapon, it's rather small."
>"Well, near all of it is underground, I would assume, given it is called a tomb."
>An intricate pattern covers the door of the tomb, converging to a center point with a hole in it.
"At least it doesn't take a genius to figure this lock out," you say, taking the key from a pocket.
>Plopping it right in the hole, a turn lets out a click before the entire door sinks down into the ground.
"Ladies first," you say with a sweeping bow and a cheeky grin.
>Brushing past, she takes the first few steps down the stairs, her horn lighting up the darkness.
>The walls inside are rather simple, compared to the door, though the stairs seem to descend for ages.
>Empty torch sconces dot the walls, each one devoid of wood and light.
>After almost a minute of walking, the floor is reached and a chamber fills out around you.
>As soon as both of you touch ground, the room flares into light, a massive door filling one wall, six room offshooting, three on each the left and right wall.
>Smack dab in the middle of the room is a giant runic circle, six circles glowing within.
>Approaching cautiously, the two of you notice a similar marking on the door, and six indents within that.
>"So, just find things to fill the slots, and we can pass. Seems easy enough."
"It doesn't explain the runes in the middle, though it's quite possible they're a clue."
>"Sometimes, all this adventuring feels to easy, you know. It feels like you've done all the puzzles you find in ancient tombs and such."
>A hoof steps onto the central runes and suddenly a flash of light fills the room again.
>When your vision clears, you see the six glowing runes floating in the air, before splitting off into the attached rooms.
"Though some always manage to surprise you," you say.
>"Indeed," she says, shaking her head.
>Each room now has a soft glow from it, a different Colour per chamber.
"So, I take one side you take the other?" you ask.
>"I suppose so, if we want to finish this in reasonable time."
>Slow clops of hooves mark her advance toward her door, and you travel to yours.
>Time to see what challenges await in the first room.
>Stepping into the light, you're momentarily blinded again, before a dull white appears.
>Said dull white turns out to be snow, settled on a road and on the buildings down said road.
>Looking back reveals nothing but more road, no sign of the central room.
>With nowhere to go but forward, you take your first tentative steps down the road.
>Snow crunches under your footwear, small puff of loose flakes floating off with each step.
>Grey skies slowly darken, small balls of light growing brighter on the end of street lamps.
>Still, the world is empty, no pony prints mar the snow, no voices sound in the distance, no lights peek from windows.
>Just you, the street lights and the snow which begins to lazily drift down from the sky.
>No matter how far you walk, nothing seems to changel, buildings leading to same buildings, unmarred snow filling the road.
>At least, that is, until a faint sound comes from between some buildings.
>Approaching cautiously, shadows rise up from the buildings as the sound gets closer.
>Curled up in a corner, a small bundle of fur trembles, trying to stay warm.
>Almost on instinct, you remove your robe and drape it over them.
"I'm sorry it's not much, but it's all I really have right now."
>They look up at you, but where there would be a face, instead glows a symbol.
>Reflexively, you take half a step back, but kneel down to it.
>Giving the pony thing a rub on the head, you stand again and turn to leave the alley.
>A shaking hoof touches your leg, and you look down to the pony.
"It's alright, I'll be fine. You need to keep warm out here."
>The rune that makes it's face blinks, akin to an eye, before nodding it's head.
>Stepping back out onto the road, a ray of sunshine hits you, lifting the cold that was settling in.
>Snow melts around you as the light grows brighter, and with a flash like before, the world dissapears, a small stone room appearing in it's place.
>A small, pale blue sphere floats in front of you, and reaching out, you grasp it from the air.
>Robes flutter about you as you turn and return to the main room, as if you never removed them.
~~~
>"Generosity, though I didn't know it at the time. That was the first Element I unlocked," Anon says, ending this part of the tale.
>"And in such a gentlecoltly fashion," Rarity says with a barely contained squeal, "A kind colt, helping a poor pony in need, even when they have nothing themselves."
"It was one of our simplest tests we faced, though he got another simple one as well."
>"What about you, Princess, what was your first element?"
"Let's see..."
~~~
>Pausing at the doorway to your first room, you glance over your shoulder at your partner across the way, his white and red robes dissapearing into his first door.
>Turning back to your own, you take a deep breath and step inside.
>Everything goes white, before colours, smells and sounds fill your senses.
>Colours become shapes, which become objects and smells and sounds become more distinct.
>You find yourself sitting down, cradled by velvety soft cusions with gentle music playing in the background.
>Ponies of all three clans surround you, some bowing, some fanning you and others providing platters of elegant food.
>Numerous well endowed stallions dance erotically for you, junk swaying to the music.
'Everything is perfect,' you think to yourself as you sink into the cushions.
>Gesturing one of the stallions over, a nice girthy earth pony, you're about to give him a command, when you catch sight of something out of the corner of your eye.
>For the briefest of moments, you see the hem of Anon's robes, and you immediately try to rise.
>This action is halted, however, as one of the server ponies moves a tray in front of you, offering you the food thereon.
>The dancing stallions move, trying to draw your attention away, back to their mighty swinging meatsicks.
>Very attractive meatsticks...
>But Anon...
>Somewhat gently pushing the ponies aside, you rush for the door, not noticing the faces on the ponies change to a rune.
>Around the corner an down the hall, you see Anon, walking away.
>"Princess, Please come back," a voice calls from behind you, causing you to stop.
"Princess?" you quietly question.
>"You are the ruler of all three tribes, loved by all. Please, return so your subjects do not worry."
>Thoughts hold you there, of what being princess of all ponies could mean, of how things could change.
>But at the same time, Anon...
>He accepted you, regardless of what you were, he became your friend, your lover...
>The person you always want around.
"I'm sorry," is all you can say before you rush down the hall after the retreating figure that is Anon.
>The walls blur as you run, before fading to white and dissapearing, a small room settling around you, your body stock still.
>A small, faintly chromatic sphere floats before you, and with a touch of magic, you levitate it over.
>Inside it, an ancient rune swirls around, as though a fish in a pond.
>Returning to the main room, you find Anon examining the door, a sphere of his own in his hand.
>The clopping of your hooves draws his attention to you, his mouth bearing a smile.
>"It seems we've gotten the first two without any problem, or at least, mine seemed simple enough."
"Mine was..." you start, thinking back to those obedient, waving dicks, before clearing your head with a shake, "a challenge in a sense."
>"I see, well, let's see if we can get these in before going for round two."
~~~
>Looking around the room, you can see several of the ponies have a blush going, though given Celly's little experience there, it's not hard to imagine what they're going to be dreaming of tonight.
>"Well that was certainly, erm, interesting, Princess," Rarity says with a cough to help hide her red cheeks, "though it's quite obvious that it was a test of your loyalty."
>"It was quite foreshadowy too," Twilight adds, "I mean, it predicted you would become the leader of the three tribes."
"Or it just new she loved cock and that by being hated by all three races, logically if she was loved by all three, it would compel her to stay."
>Celestia's wing buffets you from behind before saying, "Hey, I chose you, didn't I?"
>"You still should have given those boys a go though," Rainbow says, "it sounded like it would have been a great time."
>"That may be, but imagine how much history would have changed had we not gotten the Elements."
>Rainbow opens her mouth to say something, but thinks better of it and plops back down into her pillow.
"Anyways, the next element was a little unusual, even for the Elements."
~~~
>After a little trial and error, both yours and Celestia's balls go in, the doorway now one third solved.
>You hope.
>Room two awaits, and rather than just walk in, you pause a moment to look past the doorway and into the room.
>A small stone chamber sits there, unusual, though not exactly unexpected.
>Whatever these tests are, they're magical in nature.
>Shielding your eyes from the flash of white, you enter your second test.
>The magic says fuck you and blinds you with light anyways.
>When you can see again, you find yourself in a grassy field, one that seems oddly familiar.
>A small hill nearby offers a vantage point, and reaching the top you realize why this place feels familiar.
>It's your childhood home.
>Down the other side of the hill is your house, and surprisingly, yourself.
>Well, a younger you.
>An old memory starts to rise before suddenly the world shifts, dumping you with vertigo into a new place.
>The temple where you trained, the smell of old paper and incense filling the air.
>For a brief moment you get to see your teacher, before everything shifts again.
>Your first job, helping rout out some raiding wolves, the time you spent a week assisting at the local healers.
>More and more of your memories pass by in an instant, your brain becoming overloaded with the sensory shock.
>There's almost a clicking sound in the air as each memory passes, before everything stops.
>Peeking an eye open, everything is settled on a scene.
>A tall set of stone stairs rests in front of you, forest visible in all distances.
>"...more troublesome than this."
>"Knowing me, it will," Celestia says with a sigh.
>Turning, you see yourself and Celestia, decending the stairs.
>"Well, at least I'll be behind you, no matter how bat it gets," the other you replies
>Celly's previously serious face cracks a smile to mirror your memories, and you find yourself doing so as well.
>"Fine, but while you're back there, you mind doing a little "work"?"
>"A nice dinner and some good drinks and I'll consider it, Celly."
>"Oh!" you see her exclaim, "You're giving me a nickname?"
"You don't like it?" you find yourself saying, mirroring your memory.
>"On the contrary, I'm glad you consider me enough of a friend to give me one."
>"You're not gonna..."
>That's right, you were her first real friend, besides her sister.
>Giving her that...
>Your thought is cut off as everything goes white, and you find yourself back in the room.
>Before you, another sphere floats, this one a muted yellow.
>Taking it like the prior, you return to the main room.
>In the room across from yours, Celestia stands, stock still, facing whatever challenge is presented to her.
>Whatever these challenges are, they seem to be psycological in some way.
>Helping a pony in need, your own memories, there must be some patern or reasoning behind it.
>With a little fiddling, you get the sphere into place, and wait for Celestia.
~~~
>Your little ponies glance between eachother as Anon brings his portion to an end.
>"That was indeed quite, erm, unusual, as you put it, Anon."
>"To think one of the tests would just be a playback of a bunch of my memories, it really didn't make sense."
>"Kindness isn't a single act..." Fluttershy says quietly, "It's something that you build up your entire life, it's something that defines what you do."
"Well said. I believe the big point there was that last memory, of him giving me a nickname. It was the first truly kind thing someone of another race had done for me."
>"I don't think it was the nickname, rather the friendship behind it," Twilight says, "For a spell made by a pony, being kind to an alicorn, at that time, it must have been seen as an impossibly kind thing to do."
"Quite true, my student, though nobody knows who made the elements, or the tomb."
>"Still, seeing your life proverbially pass before your eyes is a bit odd," Anon says with a chuckle.
"Don't worry, your big strong mare will protect you," you whisper rather loudly as you wrap a wing around him and give him a peck on the cheek.
>He kisses you back, an arm working it's way up your neck.
>Your ears find pleasure in the attentions of his fingers, your mind enjoying the love from this man.
>Still the story must go on, so with a brief moment to recollect yourself, you start the story of your second trial.
~~~
>Without hesitation, you enter your second room, the flash of white pulling you from reality.
>The intensity fades, but does not dissapear, leaving you in a white space, devoid of colour.
>Looking around, suddenly, words form on a wall.
>Who are you?
>Staring at the words, you question if there is deeper meaning, before raising a hoof the the spectral wall.
>Lines form as you touch it, and with care, you spell out your name.
>A faint green flushes over the wall, erasing all the text before new words appear.
>What are you?
>Writing a new word on the wall, the word pony floats there, before vanishing without colour.
>The question however, remains.
>Pulling your hoof back, you pause a moment, before writing the word Alicorn.
>Green once again wipes the wall, but no new question is left.
>A ripple appears on the wall, barely distinguishable, till it grows and begins to protrude.
>Taking a step back, a form pushes through the wall, a pony of indistinguishable features save a glowing orange rune for a face.
>"Why do you seek me?" it asks in a genderless, monotone voice.
"I'm not looking for you," you reply, "I'm looking for the weapon said to be here."
>A brief flash of red goes off, before settling into the world around you as a faint red glow.
>"Why do you seek me?" the pony asks again.
>Taking a moment to think before answering this time, you steady yourself with a series of long, slow breaths.
"I want to find the power said to be capable of ending the war between the three races."
>Your answer seems to hang in the air a moment, before there is a flush of green.
>The red glow does not dissapear though, a worrying nag.
>"Why do you want this power?"
>About to give the same answer for what sounds like the same question, you pause a moment.
"I want the power to bring the three races together so I won't be an outcast."
>Red spikes again, the world settling into a deeper hue, details shaking and shuddering.
>"Why do you want this power?"
>Your breathing feels slower, heavier, as if the environment's damage is affecting you.
>Gathering enough air to speak, you give your next answer.
"So I can protect my sister and make sure we have a safe place to live."
>The red deepens further, and everything feels like it's going to tear into pieces at any moment.
>You feel your heart pounding in your chest, the instability feeling like it will tear you apart the moment it fails.
>"Why do you want this power?" The voice asks one last time, the monotone gone, replaced with a scattered, almost monstrous voice.
>Struggling to gather enough strength and air to answer, you think through your answers.
>This creature wants the truth, that much you have gathered, but what you said weren't lies.
>There must be more...
>Why are you here, why do you want to find this power?
>Why did it accept Alicorn but not pony.
>Maybe it's not exactly the truth it wants...
"I... I want to do this to spend more time with Anon."
>Everything freezes, before green washes over everything, and you swear the pony glyph thing smiles.
>Immediately after, the world flashes white, dumping you back into the chamber, a pale orange sphere floating before you.
>The weight of the earlier test still weighs on you, your body relishing in the proper atmosphere.
>Taking the sphere back to the hall, you feel strains vanish at the sight of Anon.
"I got my second one," you say, floating it to the wall.
~~~
>"To think Honesty would almost kill me," Celly says as she finishes her part.
>"Well, lyin' aint exactly a way ta extend yer life," Applejack says, sagely.
"Still, compared to the ones we had dealt with, it felt pretty heavy."
>"The others likely had punishments for failure as well," Twilight says, "and those left will have them too."
"They certainly did..." you say, looking away.
>A white wing wraps around you in comfort, silently knowing what comes next.
"The next one... The next test I could never forget.
~~~
>Entering your final chamber you face the white light again.
>Where you come out, a scene that will haunt your nightmares for months.
>The smell of steel, smoke and blood clog your nose, torches and fires burning everywhere.
>A field of blood, bodies everywhere, beast and person alike.
>Amid the bodies are faces you recognize, your old partners, family, friends.
>A rattling breath sounds from across the plain, and you seek it to find Celestia, chest heaving and blood pouring from countless wounds.
>Still she breathes, and your magic should be able to fix her.
>Catching her eyes with your own, you start drawing mana for healing.
>And lots of it.
>Pouring out your spell, you watch as her wounds start to close.
>As they do, however, others open in different places, slowly draining the life from your partner.
>Fast, small heals, slow large ones, it seems no mater what you do, you can't prevent whatever is harming her.
>Even Scan reveals nothing, and you feel there's little you can do but watch in despair.
>No, maybe not...
>There's one spell that might work, but it might not be ready in time.
>Nothing to do but try.
>Mana surges forth from within you, distorting the air around you with power.
>The very world seems to glow white, the red and grey fleeing you as your spell nears completion.
>With a final surge, you spell focuses and channels into Celestia.
>While little changes about her wounds, a small glowing halo forms above her head, a sign of the spells success.
>All your mana gone, you sit on the ground next to her, resting a hand on her head and her head on your lap,  as it's all you can do now.
>Seconds tick by into minutes, minutes draging on like hours.
>Your soul feel torn, having to sit here and watch Celly die like this.
>Even through what must be unbearable pain, she stays silent, not shedding a single tear in front of you.
>Those wonderful purple eyes of hers look up at you one last time, before closing.
>The last of her life slips from her and her body goes limp on your thighs.
>As this happens though, the smokey, cloudy sky parts, light shining down on her.
>Downy white feathers drift down, appearing from nowhere as a soft chime of bells rings.
>Wounds mend themselves at a rapid rate, her eyes flicker open, before locking on your face.
>A small smile starts to form, before the wounds tear themselves open again, blood pouring over you.
>Instinctively, you try to draw mana to do something, anything, but your completely out.
>Before anything else can happen, the world flashes white, and you find yourself sitting on the floor, shaking.
>A third sphere, this one purple floats there, just like the others, but you just can't find it in yourself to take it.
>Pushing to your feet, you return to the main room to see Celestia returning as well.
>Racing across the room, you wrap your arms around her in a hug, nothing else important in the world.
~~~
>In similar fashion, you feel Anon's arms wrap around you, enough love pouring across that you don't have to be a changeling to feel it.
>At the same time, you can see the concern on all the ponies faces, Twilight's especially.
>"Ah can't believe any self respectin' pony'd make a colt go through that," Applejack says with a snort.
>"Indeed, that must have been so traumatic, you poor dear."
>"That was, it was the test for magic, wasn't it?" Twilight asks, already knowing the answer, "I guess with him being a healer, they needed a situation like that to test his magic's limits."
"It was still incredibly traumatic for him, He couldn't sleep anywhere but at my side for weeks. Not that I'm complaining."
>"You could say I can imagine what it must have been like for you after I made you leave," Anon says, his fingers running along your neck.
>There's a bit of a pause, gentle rustling from the treehouse library that Twilight calls home marrs the silence.
>The silence is broken by Pinkie, the first time she has actually spoken since the stories started.
>"I don't think I wanna hear how my element went, if the friendship element was so... so..."
>"Grim?" Anon suggests helpfully, "Don't worry, That was honestly the worst of them. Yours was quite tame, though fairly challenging for Celly here."
>"There's one thing bugging me about these though," Twilight says, "If you knew they were tests, why did you act like Celestia was actually dying?"
"The tests altered our thoughts, making us forget they weren't reality. It allowed them to draw out a truer sense of character."
"Though," you say, looking towards a window, "it was just that which made my final test a real challenge..."
~~~
>Your final test faces you, an unknown experience, and given the other ones, it could be anything.
>The other two had not been particularly hard, though what they were testing eludes you somewhat.
>Still, only one last one remains for you, and nopony is going to call you a quitter.
>Marching straight into it, you are engulfed by white yet again.
>Maybe this is what it's like to bury your face in your tuft.
>Albeit this is far less fluffy.
>Still, colours return, shapes form and most of all, sound comes crashing in.
>Cacaphonous cheers fill your ears, well before you can see the city gate ahead of you.
>Around you, ponies line the road, cheering and calling your name.
>Beside and above you, pony guards of all three tribes escort you.
>Not in the manner of a prisoner though, no, in the manner of a hero.
>Your chest puffs out in pride, head held high.
>"Way to go third breed!" one pony calls, and you flinch.
>"Finally, the war is over thanks to you!"
>A touch of unease gnaws at you, but it's nowhere near enough to counteract the joy of this celebration.
>Flower petals rain down as you pass under the gate, the sky filling with vibrant colours and smells.
>Ponies line the streets and windows, all cheering at the procession.
>"Peace at last!"
>"Way to go, Cunt!"
>A brief shot of anger shoots through you, but it's easily quelled.
>After all, that's hardly one of the worst things ponies have called you, and it will still take time for them to get past differences.
>With a smile, you wave to the passing ponies.
>You feel something wet spat against you, and turn to find a somewhat rotten tomato splatted against your coat.
>"A world united against Third breeds!"
>Other produce comes flying in, little of it hitting before you raise a shield around you.
>It makes sense now, a united enemy is one way to make allies of enemies.
>On the other hoof, it's hard to stay calm.
>Still, no point in giving them the satisfaction of making you get mad.
>Your smile holds as you continue, thoughts of what you are going to do once done here filling your head.
>Visit home "filthy whorse" with Anon.
>Do some sparring with "Stupid bitch" Luna.
>Maybe eat some "Hated Hero!"
>Biting back a growl, you fight to keep up your smile.
>Ahead, a castle approaches, or rather, you approach a castle.
>Mighty wood doors part, and upon three thrones, the leaders of the races.
>"Greetings, third breed, uniter of the three tribes," the pegasus says, "we thank you for aligning our wills."
>"It felt as though we would be at war for centruries, or until one or both of the other sides were defeated."
>"But you," the earth pony says, "you became a glue to bind us."
>"We were shocked, a lowly third breed obtaining the ancient weapon, it was enough to make us reconsider our emnity."
>Arrogance seeps from the ponies as they look down at you, rage boiling under your surface.
>The unicorn speaks up next, saying, "It's true we despise you for your impurity, but you are singular, manageable."
>"The moment that weapon came into your possession, we knew we needed to stop you, and that's why we invited you here. To make a deal."
>"It's quite simple," The earth pony says, "you give us the weapon, and you can live as you have."
>"You can come and go freely in towns, you won't be treated as a criminal."
>"A fair deal, no?" The unicorn says.
>In an instant, you feel your rage drain away.
>This is it, huh.
>All they wanted was power, nothing more.
>They only cared when that power wasn't with any of their sides.
>You feel a shaking in your chest, but it's not of anger.
>Looking at them, acting high and mighty in their thrones, you can't help but start laughing.
>Their stares turn to frowns, and you try to stifle your laughter with a hoof.
>"We fail to see what's amusing, third breed. Please, enligten us."
"You are. You ended your petty race squabbling because the one race stronger than you got something powerful."
>Frowns deepen, and the earth pony even goes so far as to step off the throne with a stomp.
>"Insolent whelp, we are offering this deal from the goodness of our hearts. If we wanted, we could simply end you here."
>Puffing out your chest, you smile intensely.
"Go ahead and try."
>The three leaders fume and scowl, before yelling, "GUARDS!"
>Laughter once again finds you at these three's powerlessness, and you gather magic to teleport.
>Three ponies who you prior to felt lorded over you with an invisible presence, now resorting to calling for help.
>With a crack, your spell goes off and everything goes white for you.
>Reappearing in a small stone room, reality crashes back, and you reach out with magic for the pink sphere ahead of you.
>Turning back into the main room, you see Anon swiftly moving towards you.
>Arms wrap around you in a hug as he holds you close, burying his face in your mane.
>Nuzzling him back, you're about to ask what's up when his face meets yours, lips touching in a kiss.
>"I love you, you know that, Celly? I really do."
>You feel your breath catch in your throat, heart pounding like a drum at these words.
>While it isn't entirely unexpected, to actually hear them...
>Trying to formulate words, a finger silences you again, before his mouth meets yours again.
>It's all you can do to maintain hold on the sphere and savour the feeling of the kiss.
>The kiss breaks, but his embrace does not, and you are far from complaining.
>After what feels like too short a time, he lets go, returning to his last chamber.
>Only to return a moment later, sphere in hand.
>Together, your return to the door, inserting the last two into place.
>Your standard magic door opening mechanisms go off, and while they do, you turn to Anon.
"What happened in there, that really wasn't like you."
>"Something that will haunt my dreams for a while. I'll tell you some other time."
>You'd embrace him with a wing if you could, but unfortunately he's on the broken side.
>With a clunk, the doors lock open, and the two of you enter beyond.
>A small chamber floods with light, six pedastles supporting six gemstone spheres.
>"Not exactly what I expected," Anon says as he approaches them, "but who's to say these don't hold powerful magic."
>He reaches out for one, and it suddenly floats into his hand.
>As he holds it up to examine, two others rise and begin to orbit him.
>The other three float towards you when there is a sudden crash from the stairs.
>Anon quickly gathers the weapon spheres into his pockets, and he turns to face the entrance.
>"Sounds like we have company."
~~~
>"What happened next!" Rainbow exclaims, Wings puffed out in anticipation.
>"Well, I kind of cheated and teleported us out," Celestia says, "we didn't want to waste the power of the elements, and we didn't exactly have weapons either."
>You can see the rainbow pegasus visibly deflate, sinking down into her pillow.
"That event led to a rather slow period for a while, given everyone was after us for months."
>"We hid out at mine and Luna's house, having Dusk doing shopping for us as needed."
"A long, rather boring time, honestly."
>"But as this was slow for us, the outside world was changing. It was almost unnoticable at first, oddities with wildlife or plants."
>"It wasn't long, however, till he showed up."
>"Discord," Twilight says.
>"Correct. He was establishing a hoofhold in the already tumulous times, so his power grew rapidly."
"When he first came out, he was seen as harmless, he was a guy, after all."
"Well, that quickly changed, as town after town suddenly changed for the worst."
>"Earth pony, pegasus and Unicorn alike were affected, and nothing any of them did could help."
>"And given what we had, we couldn't just sit back and do nothing, even if they hated us."
"In a time of chaos, we took up arms again, to protect those who shunned us."
~~~
>Weapon at the ready, you walk ahead of Anon, heading towards the nearby town.
>Even far out here in the wilds, the corruption of the world is obvious.
>Trees are twisted, inverted and even made of incorrect things, The normal animal sounds are replaced by whoops, screams and you could swear you heard a couple moans.
>Terrain itself is mostly unnafected, but even natural paths through the forest twist and turn wildly.
>There's no need to follow these paths, however, since you know the way to town quite well without them.
>It helps that there are massive dark clouds hanging over the town.
>Town slowly gets closer, and the thunderheads above grow more meanacing.
>Strangely enough, there's no rain or thunder.
>Just massive, looming clouds.
>"Geez, it didn't feel this long going from town to your place..."
"It wasn't. It seems like things are longer here."
>Reality suddenly jumps forward, and the two of you are on the edge of town.
>Anon stumbles beside you, unused to the act of teleportation.
>Or something similar.
>That wasn't teleportation, that's for sure.
>Looking around, the town is nothing like you remember.
>Buildings are floating, upside down or even rearranged as if by Ponecasso.
>The ponies themselves don't look much better.
>Once vibrant colours are dull and faded, the normal cheerful bustle of town now a silent march.
>As you approach, ponies notice you and you expect the worst.
>A faded orange pony comes up to you, and before you can react, a basket of oranges is pushed towards you.
>"Take it, you stupid alicorn, I just have too much, so you can have the leftovers."
"Uh, thanks," is all you can manage before the pony runs off, vanishing into the growing crowd.
>Others come up, to similar effect.
>Soon, you have a bunch of supplies, food and drink, all given for free.
>It's just further proof that things are wrong here.
>Whatever the source is, however, isn't here.
>From outside the forest, however, seeing the source is far easier.
>A floating fortress atop a huge brown cloud.
>Anon notices it almost immediately as well, slowly drifting across the sky.
>"Well, there's our big bad's base..." Anon says, "Now how do we get to it?"
"Wings help with that," you say, flapping your own.
>"You think you can carry me that high?"
"This, as you put it, Big barbarian butt, isn't going to heal itself."
>"Cheeky," he replies, giving your flank a spank.
>Swatting him with your tail, you look back up at the castle.
"I suppose we better start going now."
>Supplies in tow, you and Anon set off again, aiming for the general direction of the castle and where it's drifting.
>This proves to be harder than you thought, as it tends to change directions and speeds of it's own volition, and with no sense to it.
>And whenever you get close enough, it shoots off away from you, taunting you, teasing you.
>And not in the sexy way like Anon.
>After hours of chasing the castle, both you and Anon are getting rather frustrated, much to the castles seeming delight.
>It's even bobbing in laughter now.
"I am growing tired of this castle," you say with a snort, before grabbing Anon with your magic.
>"What are you..." is all he can say, before you've prepared enough power to teleport.
>The world around you shifts, and you suddenly smell chocolate.
>Beneath your hooves, the cloud sinks, but thanks to pegasus magic, you don't fall through.
>Keeping Anon on your back, you walk into the castle untill you feel the stone floor under you.
>Anon hops off, looking around.
>"Now, if I were an evil villain, where would I be?"
>"An interesting dilemna, if I do say so myself," a strange masculine voice says.
>Looking around with Anon, there's nobody in sight, but the voice says, "What are we looking for"
>A face suddenly pushes through the wall, coming out of the stonework as if it was a cloud.
>Mishmatched horns crown the long, brown face with vivid yellow and red eyes, a large tooth poking out of it's jaw.
"Who are you?" you ask, bringing your re-handled axe to bear, flickering flames rising from the blade as it starts to consume your magic.
>What can you say, you've grown fond of the axe, and decided it needed an upgrade.
>Magic fire and glowing fits your cutie mark, so why not.
>The face in the wall feigns surprise, before slithering out, more mishmatched body parts being revealed as it's serpentine form leaves the wall.
>"Discord's my name, and chaos is my game," he replies, floating up to a bipedal position before bowing, his snake-like body looping before it's done.
>His body twists further, contorting into strange knots before he pops back to normal.
>"But enough about me, what about you? I've never seen a pony with wings and a horn, or a tall monkey in a dress."
>"Hey, these are mage robes, not a dress you freaky snake thing."
>"My my, the monkey sure has a short temper. I'm just saying what I see, and speaking of..."
>A dislocated eyeball suddenly rolls back from behind Celestia, bouncing up into discord's claw.
>It moves as if whispering, and Discord covers his hand with his mouth.
>"My, is she really that big?" he says, before springing back as Celestia's flaming axe parts the air where he was.
>Her normally white face is flushed red, both in embarrasment and rage.
>"Hey, only one person gets to make fun of her big butt and that's me," Anon says, putting a hand on your flank.
"Not the time, Anon. He's obviously one the evil lord's minions, so we need to get rid of him."
>"Oh no no no, you have it all wrong," Discord says, waving it's claws, "I'm not the evil lords minion."
>His arms raise to the sky as he yells "I AM THE EVIL LORD!"
>Confetti and popcorn explode from behing him, making him stop and look back.
>"Darn it, I thought I had that. Give me a moment, I want to try again."
>Tinkering with some boxes behind him, he turns back again, smile at the ready.
>"There we go, now where was I... Oh, right."
>Raising his claws up, he yells "I AM THE EVIL LORD!"
>Lightning and thunder crackle behind him, winds whirling ominously.
>"Ah, much better, But anyways, I have to run. After all, you never fight the big bad in the entrance, after all."
>Phasing through a wall, he pauses just at the edge before adding, "Oh, right, MINIONS, ATTACK!"
>Strange creatures lurch through the doorway, huge, twisted monstrosities of normal creatures.
>Enlarged rabbits with legs longer than your body, Timberwolves coated in lashing vines and thorns.
>Also Ursa's the size of teddy bears, but they're hardly a threat.
>Behind you, Anon's magic gathers, and you ready your axe for the fight.
~~~
>While Celestia describes the battle, you take a moment to sit back and look around at the gathered ponies.
>The current bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
>Interesting how each element chose a single pony, unlike you and Celestia.
>It could just be circumstance though, which makes sense in this world.
>"Chance" hardly comes into play much, since Fate has such a tight grip on things.
>Things often happen because they're meant to happen.
>Except you.
>Being an outsider to this world, you pass through the weave of fate, rather than follow it.
>It's also why Celly has broken her line of life, and Luna too.
>Perhaps if you and Celestia hadn't gone for the elements, another adventuring group would have.
>A group of six, just like these ponies here.
>How much has the world changed, just because you wound up here.
>Looking over, you smile at your white coated partner.
>In the end, it doesn't matter.
>You're here with her, and everyone is happy.
>"Oh, hey, this is where I come in again!" a familiar voice says.
>Looking at it's source, you see Discord sliding through the wall, popcorn and chocolate milk in claw.
>"Ah, I was wondering when you would show up," Celestia says, "I'm sure you remember Anon."
>Turning to you, his mouth turns into a bit of an o, before he smiles.
>"Good to see you again, Anon, how are you doing?"
"Better now, after you..."
>You are silenced by him, and he wiggles his other claw in front of you.
>"No, don't spoil the surprise. I'm quite interested in what happened after too."
>He sits down next to you, and the two of you turn your attention back as Celestia starts talking again.
~~~
>Numerous nicks and scratches cover both you and Anon as you push through the final enemies in the castle.
>Only one large wood door remains, the last barrier between you and your opponent.
>Steeling your resolve, you shoulder through the door, raising your axe with a battlecry.
>Only to find the room empty.
>Anon follows behind you, confusion evident on his face.
>"Where is he? Hiding, maybe?"
"Search around, but be careful," you reply, keeping your axe ready.
>Looking around, you gingerly knock around boxes and other objects, waiting for Discord to pop out.
>"Over here!" Anon calls, and you rush to his side.
>On the throne, where Discord should be, is a note.
>*To the white horse and the alien, I decided it would be more fun for us to fight at the entrance after all. See you there, Discord.*
>As you finish reading the note, it bursts into confetti, which then burns up while making rude noises.
>Anon looks at you, and you just sigh.
>This thing is infuriating, whatever it is.
"Back to the entrance, I guess."
>"You know, I now kind of wish we could have just blown up this castle with some explosives."
"I doubt we could get hold of enough."
>"True, but a man can dream."
"Right now, I'm dreaming of destroying Discord and getting back home for a good rut and sleep."
>Anon pats you on the back, saying, "Always thinking with your flank first, huh, Celestia."
>Resting your axe on your back, you give him a flick with your tail.
"Let's just get back to the entrance and crush this... thing."
>The trip back through the castle is much quicker than the first trip through, since all the monsters are dealt with and what few traps there were are sprung.
>And, as you would expect, the main door is closed, despite being left open before.
>Shoving through, Discord is there, sitting on a throne suspiciously similar to the one from the throne room.
>"Welcome, dear foes, to the final fight of your life!" He proclaims, raising his mismatched claws to the sky.
>Thunder crashes down, and lightning peals across the skies.
>Wait, that's backwards...
>It doesn't change that it's happening in front of you.
>Anon notices it as well, and you can feel his magic building up.
>Electric protection magic soon surrounds both of you, and Discord's eyes narrow.
>"Now that's not fun, preparing before we start fighting, but then again, I wouldn't really be an evil villain if I didn't do that too."
>Leaning behind the throne, he stage whispers, "Is everything ready?"
>Another head just like his pops out and nods, before dissapearing with a poof.
>"Good, it wouldn't do if my preparations weren't done."
>Rushing forward, you swing at him, only to find yourself several feet short.
>"Ponies these days, so impatient. I was just getting to the good part."
>Claws drag through the skies, statues of him rising from the stonework.
>They creak to life, lunging at you and Anon.
>Swinging around into the first, your axe chips it, causing it to stumble, but does far less damage than you had hoped for.
>Flames light up on your axe, your magic flowing into it.
>The second swing rips a large gouge out of the statue, making you smile.
>Going to town on the statues, Anon supports you from behind while Discord watches while sipping what looks like chocolate milk.
>While neither the fastest nor strongest foes you have faced, they are durable and agile, their bodies twisting unnaturaly when attacking or evading.
>Thankfully you have Anon supporting you, as the damage from their strikes would add up quickly.
>After several statues have fallen, and those that remain are damaged, Discord seems to finish his drink, before throwing it away.
>The moment it hits the ground, it explodes violently, causing everyone, Discord included, to look over there.
>"Well, that would explain why it tasted funny..." he comments, rising from his throne, "but enough of that, it's time for me to join in."
>Raising his claws, you prepare yourself for whatever he might do.
>Magic seemingly appears out of nowhere around him, barely giving you time to change your stance before it shoots at you, spell forming mid flight.
>With a poof, suddenly a bunch of roses are flying at you.
>Instinct fails you for a moment, and you only duck under them, the bunch skipping off your backside to the floor.
>This time, your nerves fail you briefly, as there's enough time for the roses to hit the floor before ribbons of pain shoot up your spike from your flank.
>Nearly a dozen bright red lines now adorn your lower back, blood seeping from them and dripping down your back legs.
>The roses are half sunk into the ground, overly large razor sharp thorns sticking out of the stems.
>"Drat, I was hoping for snapdragons," Discord says somewhat disgruntled, before shrugging, "Oh well, it's more fun like this."
>The remaining statues close back in, while Discord gathers more magic.
>One statue swoops in low, aiming for your legs, while a second charges head on.
>"Cel..." you hear from behind you, before the statue charging straight for you explodes into sticky white goop.
>Remembering the one aiming for your legs, you shift to receive them on your axe, but your hooves are sort of stuck.
>Stumbling and falling on your side is all you can do to avoid the blow, sticky strands stretching from you to the floor.
>From your new vantage point, you see Anon held and gagged by three statues that somehow got past you.
>He struggles in their grip, his magic unable to be formed, though there is a large gathering of it over his head.
>A glowing ring, it looks like.
>Fighting to your hooves, the sticky substance all over you and a good portion of the floor does it's best to restrain you, but you push past it's hold.
>Dashing to cut down the statues, you're stopped by a sudden weight around your fetlocks, legs suddenly anchored in place.
>Large brown blocks surround your hooves, making each one feel like lifting your entire body just to move it.
>"That should hold you while I handle this pest. His healing is getting quite annoying," Discord says, sauntering around you, out of your magical reach.
>Approaching Anon, Discord's goaty face twists into an odd grin.
>"Such a strange one, you are, alien even moreso than I, but in far different ways."
>A sword is drawn from air, twisted and strange as Discord is, gripped tight in his claw.
>"A pity we could not meet on friendlier terms. Goodbye."
>Time slows for you as you watch the blade enter Anon's chest.
>You cannot even find the air to call out to him as you watch the blade twisting and gouging flesh as it sinks closer and closer to it's hilt.
>The pain on his face cuts through you, far worse than anything Discord could do to you, but it's all ended as Discord yanks the blade out, Anon's blood paining the cobblestones and Discord himself.
>You can barely watch the life drain from him as he is dropped, body crashing to the floor.
>Things spill from his robe, even as it's white slowly turns red.
>As Discord turns to you, something deep inside you wells up.
>Something beyond rage, love or other emotions.
>Unseen to you, your body reacts to this new drive.
>Your mane and tail move more and more actively, swelling and surging before bursting into pure flame.
>Your cutie mark flickers and flashes, moving as if on fire itself.
>The weights around your ankles start to melt, and Discord and his statues split and retreat over to the throne.
>With measured steps, you approach Anon, still barely clinging to life.
>A hand slowly opens, and you rest your hoof in it.
>There's barely enough pressure to tell, but he grips your hoof, if only for a fraction of a moment before it goes limp.
>From around him, scattered amongst the blood, the Elements of Harmony rise up, reacting to you.
>Six spheres of power, three of your own, three of Anon's.
>Together, with his help, you will crush this scum from this world.
>As if sensing the danger they pose, Discord sends his remaining statues at you, but a single sweep of your axe rends them all, melting the stone they're made of.
>"N... no matter," he says, still wielding the blade that he used to slay your partner, "I'm still far more powerful than you. I'm a god of chaos, nothing in this realm can challenge me."
>He makes a gesture with his claw, snakes springing forth, but they turn to ash before they can get anywhere near enough to bite.
>Stone spires rising from the ground are avoided, as are demonic souls from tartarus.
>Drawing more and more chaos in, the world around him starts twisting of it's own volition.
>A wall raised from the ground causes you to stop, if only for the moment required to slash through it.
>The lighting shifts, and from the corner of your eye you see the sun and moon dancing in the sky, magic pouring into Discord because of it.
>Nearer and nearer, you close the distance between you and the god of chaos, the Elements becoming more and more active.
>With no experience with them you have no clue how to use them, but instinct says they'll do the work themselves.
>Suddenly, the elements begin swirling around you rapidly, colours blending into both white light and a rainbow at the same time.
>Chaotic magic crackles and sparks around Discord, preparing for who knows what.
>The lights around you suddenly rise up and merge, firing at the goat faced monster in what you hope is a beam of death.
>Discord's chaos magic meets it, halting it's progress to him, but only temporarily.
>While Discord scrambles to gather more magic, it seems the Elements are running on a nearly endless supply.
>The last of his magic fades, and a look of terror overtakes him before the light crashes over him.
>Seconds tick while the power of the elements cover Discord, before the white light starts to fade.
>What's left in it's wake satisfies you.
>Stone, immortalizing him in terror.
>Exhaustion suddenly washes over you, the elements and your axe dropping to the ground.
>Turning back to Anon, you can see he's still clinging to life, though just barely.
>Your hooves slip on the stones as you rush to his side, ignoring the blood that stains your coat.
>Resting your head on his chest, you feel the blood on your cheeks, marred by your tears.
"I... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Anon."
>Still lingering above his head, the small ring of magic floats, his last defence, though not enough...
>His pulse suddenly stops, and you start sobbing.
>Victory, but at what cost...
>A warm light suddenly washes over you, downy white feathers drifting down, only to dissapear before touching anything.
>You're shocked by a sudden, though quiet thump.
>Followed by another.
>A quiet, rythmic pounding rings in your ear, when you suddenly feel arms wrap over your neck.
>"Hey, Sunbutt, miss me?" Anon says quietly, his voice weak.
>Focusing on him, you see his eyes open, smiling at you.
"B... but how?"
>"You saw the halo, right? It's called Auto-Life, one of the most powerful white magic spells there is."
"How?"
>"It will heal and revive the bearer if they die."
"Why not have it on all the time?"
>"It only last while the bearer is in life threatening danger."
>Your cheeks swell in anger, before more tears decide to flow.
"I thought I lost you..." you say, nuzzling against his cheek.
>Gentle strokes rub your cheeks as Anon wipes away your tears.
>"It will take a lot more than a... whatever that was, to get rid of me."
>Kissing him, you shuffle up a bit more, content to rest here.
"You do know that when we get back home, I'm going to be all over that dick, right?"
>He laughs, a beautiful sound to your tired ears, before fingers decide to start scratching.
>"I'm fine with that. For now, I think we can rest here a bit."
~~~
>"So you did die, but you got brought back by magic," Discord says, scratching his chin, "I would never have suspected there were such powerful spells around back then."
"There weren't and aren't. I'm the only one who can use them, since I'm apparently the only one who can use the right kind of magic."
>"Well, the past is in the past, I suppose," he says, holding out a claw, "Are we, as they say, cool?"
>Reaching out, you hold his claw in your hand, before smirking.
"You seriously hurt my partner, you killed me, and I didn't even get a hit off on you..."
>Jerking him towards you, you sock him right in the jaw, before letting go.
"Now we're even."
>A couple of the girls gasp at the male on male violence, but Discord's smile quells any outbursts.
>"I suppose I did deserve that."
"And now, I'll finish of the last of the story, the time of the Windigos."
"In the aftermath of Discord's defeat, the world was suffering."
"The raw chaos magic left over ran rampant, causing problems everywhere."
"Weather flipping at the drop of a hat, plants growing from unnatural places..."
"Worst off had to be the damage done to the balance of sun, moon and planet.
"It took Celestia, Luna and our little maid unicorn just to cast a spell to help fix them."
"However, it was only a temporary fix, and would last only as long as it had power."
>"And thus Luna and I took over 'raising' and 'lowering' the sun and moon."
>"With Discord back and redeemed, however, we were able to fix the disorder properly."
>It takes a moment for what was just said to sink in, but quiet murmurs soon pass between ponies.
>"Y...you're lying right? I mean, we've all been raised believing you raised the sun and your sister raised the moon," Twilight says, tears starting to form.
"They weren't exactly wrong though. It's because of them that the sun and moon rose and set normally."
>"Think of it like this, Twilight. What would have happened if the Unicorns learned that together they could manage the spell? The three tribes would have never united, since one could hold the entire world above the other's heads."
>"They wouldn..." she starts, before looking at the ground.
>It seems she does know some history.
"In truth, it would have been the same, regardles of what group held sway on the spell. Only a truly neutral group like Celly and Luna could do it."
"But anyways, in the wake of Discords defeat, as the scars healed, a new threat rose, fed by the distrust and unmanaged magic still rampant across the land."
"A cold, hungry threat."
"Windigos."
~~~
>Sharp winds bite through your cloak, snow whirling around you despite it being summer.
>More and more places are being overtaken by this strange weather, and with it, dissapearances and reports of strange, ghost ponies.
>And because of that, you and Celestia decided to investigate.
>No tales mention anything, though you can only access some areas of the Earth pony records.
>Celestia's cloak flutters loudly beside you, her axe bringing a small degree of warmth with it's flames flickering bright.
>"Why did it have to be a winter monster, why not a summer monster, or spring monster?"
"Because it knows you're hot?" you suggest, wiggling your eyebrows.
>A motion lost under all your clothing.
>"Fine then, I'll be cool next time so we get a warm monster," she replies with a shiver.
"Ha. Ha. I'd laugh if it wasn't so damned cold."
>A presence sweeps over the two of you, and you both prepare for battle.
>But, just as swiftly as it appeared, it vanishes, leaving you both alone in the frozen plains.
"That was?"
>"I'm not sure. Spectral may be right, though."
"Ghosts then. That will make my magic more usefull."
>Celestia tilts her head at you, saying, "Why so? Also, it could be an Elemental or something similar. It doesn't have to be a ghost."
"White magic works in reverse against undead. Either way, let's just hope they show up so we can kick their asses and get back to warmth."
>"I can think of a way we can stay warm," Celly says, wiggling her butt.
>Letting out a short laugh, you give her back a pat, before continuing on.
"Later, you horny horse."
>With the promise of sex, Celly perks up considerably, rushing ahead of you.
>"COME ON OUT, YOU STUPID GHOSTS! GET OUT HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR FLANKS AND THEN GET SEX!"
>You just smile.
>Sometimes, she's so childish, but that's part of why you love her.
>Just like that ass.
>A sudden gust whips around the two of you, raising walls of swirling snow.
>The presence from before returns, others appearing with it.
>"Become our food," one says, it's voice a cold rasp.
>"We will consume you all," another says.
>"And we will beat you so I can get back to being warm," Celestia retorts, swinging her axe in an arc.
>Cold washes over the two of you, and you prepare to cast null-frost.
>Whatever these things are, they're gonna be doing cold damage, that's for sure.
>Soon, tiny blueish white spheres orbit you and Celestia, and the ghost ponies around you start gliding around, almost riding the wind.
>One of the spectral horses rushes straight through you, making you stagger and consuming your null-frost.
>More swoop in, the two of you doing everything you can to avoid them.
>They attack in ever increasing number, more appearing from the snow all around.
>With them seemingly in endless supply, even those that Celestia slay do little to dampen the ferocity of the attacks.
>One passes through your leg, rooting it to the ground with ice.
>Celestia immediately shifts to cover your weak spot while you work on a curing spell.
>Before you can complete it, another swoops through your arm from behind, nerves going numb and ice coating the length of it.
>The sudden change snaps your concentration and the spell falls through to nothingness.
>Before the ice becomes too thick, you whack it with your staff, breaking off chunks and halting the expansion of it.
"Celestia, I hate to say this but I don't think we can win," you say, swinging at one of the enemies.
>"What are you saying? We defeated Discord, we can handle these."
"Celly, I'm stuck here, and there's no way I can get my leg unfrozen without time, short of chopping it off. Teleport away, get help."
>"I'm not going to leave you here."
"I know you can beat them, but you need to get help. The sooner you go, the sooner you can return and be the mare who raised an army to save her colt."
>"But.."
>Grabbing her face, you stare deep into her eyes, your own burning with drive.
"I swear, I will not die. Leave me your axe, and I will hold them here till you return."
>Worry seeps out of her, but her axe floats over to you.
>"I promise to return. No matter what happens."
>Your lips meet briefly, before you beat back a windigo diving her from behind.
>Her magic surges, and as it releases, so does the magic you have built up while talking.
>She dissapears and above your head appears a faint halo.
>Brandishing the axe, you face the swirling snow and ice ghost horses.
"Come, throw yourselves at me so I can cut you down!"
~~~
>"Admittedly, I didn't last long until they froze me solid, and that's the end of my tale."
>"But what about the Princess, and how did the Windigos actually get defeated?" Twilight asks.
"Well, When I returned, I did just about everything I could to gather enough ponies to win. I gave away fortunes, degraded myself in all ways but sexual, and eventually, with the help of some ponies who's story you may know, I united the three tribes, and we defeated the Windigo's."
>"The old hearthswarming tale, right?" Rarity asks, getting a nod from you in return.
"While it's not perfectly accurate, it is close enough to the truth."
"After the Windigos were defeated, there was a time of unsteady peace, where the tribes tried to co-exist."
"Through a long process, it was eventually agreed that the embodiment of all three races should lead, but each race should hold power too."
"While the parliment of races eventually was disbanded, around 400 years ago, I have always kept a balance in my advisors, to honour the tradition."
>"Yes, but why didn't ya go findin' Anon right away?"
"I tried, Applejack. I searched as much as I could, but with the tribes merging, I had to be there to watch over them too."
"Every day, I prayed I would see Anon walk into town, but he never did."
"Far too soon, he started drifting from memory, though when I had to banish Nightmare Moon, my prayers were renewed. For both of them."
"While Anon was forgotten by history, Nightmare Moon was recorded, although minimally."
"Having to manage the peace, to create and enforce rules, I became too busy to pray, and I forgot."
"But one thing I never forgot, I never forgot that there was one I loved, and I could never settle for another."
>You feel Anon's arm wrap around you, face pressing into your neck.
>"And I don't even hold it against you," he says, before kissing your cheek.
"Yes, there's other things you hold against me," you reply with a wiggle of your eyebrows.
>Rarity suddenly coughs, snapping you from your going to be intimate moment, before saying, "Yes, and while I would be interested in how the Princess handles her male, I believe there is a time and a place for everything."
>"MPH hmlm mghrhl," Pinkie says, still bound and gagged.
>She could not stay still or quiet at all, so you did what had to be done.
>But now, since the story's done, you undo her bindings with a puff of magic.
>"Thanks princess, but the next time you want to tie me up, at least get me dinner and wine first."
>Both Rarity and Fluttershy turn nearly as pink as Pinkie at that comment, though you just chuckle.
"Well, we have some time before I need to return, does anyone have any suggestions on things to do?"
>"I have a party prepared for just such an occasion," Pinkie says, "Just follow me to SCC."
>The ponies, and Discord, file out, with you and Anon at the back.
>Before you get past the threshold, you're stopped by a hand.
>"I love you, Celly, so much," he says, before pulling you into a kiss.
>The ponies, and Discord, all let out "Awww's" until it ends.
"I love you too, my human."
~~~
End