[M] My Little Heros: Adventures Are Magic (Cfavano and Anna)

[Love Amore]

M rated for the possibility of gore, violence and other mature themes.
Please don't read it if you think you'll be offended or bothered. We don't want that, do we? :fluttershy:

***

It was just another day for Autumn Heart, she began the day with a pastry for breakfast and then went to work in her garden, she began with the flowers. The Chrysanthemums were blooming in their full glory while the Morning Glories had just gone to bed for the day, the Azailias and the Cornflowers were s beautiful as ever but it seemed that aphids had attacked the rose bushes. She went into the ivy covered garden shed and grabbed a mist bottle filled with an aphid repellent, Autumn Heart had always been against killing any creature and she hoped that the repellent would be enough. She returned to the rose beds and misted their leaves as well as the leaves of the plants surrounding the roses.

Next Autumn Heart had lunch and then went to check on the edible portion of her garden; the cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, strawberries, parsley, basil and celery were all in great health however her mint plants had begun to wilt. She spent the next several hours building a shade for them and when she had finished the shade night had fallen, as she finished watering her garden she heard a snuffling noise in the garden behind her. When the mare turned around she saw a manticore towering over her, she screamed and tried to back away causing the beast to snarl and advance. Autumn Heart backed up until she was trapped against the ivy of her garden shed, she screamed again in the hopes that anypony would hear her and come to her aid.

[Cfavano]

One-half hour earlier, on another world entirely. A world beyond the comprehension of even the wisest pony, A man, a legend in his own right, Samuel Berezoff yanks the bladed end of his warstaff of the corpse of the arch-mage Kildayl. As soon as the man had died, the golems fighting his comrades collapsed, and they advanced to their leader's side. There was Leilianna Dragonfang, The courageous and benevolent Paladin of Bahamut, who was also his champion, The Dovahkiin, a human born with the soul of a dragon. There was also the tempestuous and impatient Sorceress Nadia Clawfury, Samuel's own student, who he had raised as his daughter. Finally, there was Malacaius, the stoic Warforged Bard. He is silent, mostly, and impossible to read, but if you knew him, you would know he cared about his comrades.

"So, this is it?" Nadia says as she looks around. The chamber they are in sits at the long end of a platform which looks like it is made of a solidified rainbow. The chamber itself is spherical, and the walls are made up of solid gold. "Yes, Nadia. This is Bifrost, the ancient transportation device of the Aesir culture." Samuel says, throwing Kildayl's body off of the platform into the roiling waters below. "So, with this device, we will be able to travel to the promised land? That the rivers flow with milk and honey and resources are plentiful?" Leilianna queries as she sheathes her sword. "Yes, that's what the scroll said." "But how do we know this isn't just another one of Klaatu's tricks?" "Nadia, Klaatu may be a powerful magic-user, but this is not what he does. Besides, Neither the Brotherhood of the Ebon mask, or the Dark ancients even have any power or agents here." Malacaius silently nods. "Now, are you ready to activate the device, Nadia?" "As I'll ever be... You sure this is safe?" "Is anything ever really safe?" Sam returns his staff to the holster on his back as he takes out a special pouch and opens it, and a bright blue glow emanates as he reaches in and pulls out a glowing Cube-like thing. "The Tesseract hypercube. The key to the power of the bifrost." He inserts it into the podium at the center of the room, and a dome closes over it. Blue lines of energy flow through carvings on the walls and the door to the chamber shuts and the walls begin to spin. Energy builds up and a tatch in the roof opens up as a lout whiiring sound is hear and lightning arcs from the podium to the wall, Causing Nadia to take a step defensively back. Suddenly, a bright flash of light engulfs them, and a beam fires out of the hole into the roof and into the sky. All they can see is flashing color.

In Equestria, over the Everfree forest, clouds begin to swirl and the sky darkens, as if a great storm is brewing. Suddenly, a hole opens up in the center of the swirl, and a pillar of rainbow light shoots down from the sky suddenly. This pillar can be seen all the way from Canterlot to Manehattan, and those sensitive to magic can feel an immense disturbance in the veil of the world. The, as sudden as it came, it disappears, and the sky clears once more as if it never happened. Where the Beam hit, the adventurers stand in the exact position they were in only a few seconds before. They look around to get their bearings. "This is the promised land? It looks like a desolate swamp." "You should not judge something based on appearance alone. There could still be untold riches around. And not everything can be pretty." Nadia rolls her eyes and they all set off in a direction.

After walking for a few minutes, Nadia hear's Autumn's scream. "Master, I hear a girl's scream!" "I did too, let's see if we can help." Sam, and the other guild members begin moving fast through the woods. They stop at the edge of the forest to see what the danger is. They see a small horse almost pinned by a Manticore larger than any they have eve seen, but no sign of the girl. "I see, a Manticore. And He's a big'un." He thinks for a moment. "Use attack pattern Lambda-227, Go." Sam draws out his staff and leaves the forest. He raises the blut end of the staff, and it glows blue as a large gauntleted hand made entirely of ice appear and shoots towards the manticore who is surprised as it has a balled fist and slams into its face, causing it to rear on its back legs and fall backwards, smashing Autumn's mint cover and as it flails it tears up a bit of her garden. As it starts to get up, the hand punches it again in the side of the head again. "Stay down, beast!" Sam yells as he gets closer, his free, gauntleted arm moving in conjuction with the floating icy one. The hand grabs onto it's neck, lifts the front part of it's body off the ground, and them slams it back down onto the garden. "I said stay down!" At that moment, Leilianna comes charging the manticore from behind and with a swing of her sword, she lops off its tail. This enrages the beast, and Sam is struggling to keep it down. Fractures and cracks form on the had as the beast struggle and beats at it with its paws. It finally shatters with a loud crack as fragments of ice fly around and dig into the ground as they melt and make a muddy mess. The break in the link sends Sam flying back. "Gods damn it!" He gets up as Nadia comes sprinting out of the forest on all fours, her staff held in her tail, and she dashes around the manticore, to anger and confuse at, as bright green liquid is sprayed out of the tip of the staff at the manticore and the manticore roars as it begins to be dissovled by the potent magical acid. Finally, the combination of burns and bloodloss take its toll on the manticore, and it falls to the ground dead and still smoking. The group gets back together at the shed. "Now we just need to find that girl."

[Love Amore]

Autumn stood in a stunned stupor as the strange creatures defeated the manticore, when she heard the crunch of her hard work being destroyed she snapped back to alertness and realized that these strange, violent creatures might come after her next. They were between her and the safety of Ponyville so she galloped back into her cottage and slammed the door shut, bolting it behind her. She then proceeded to push the table in front of the door before peeking out the window to see what was happening.

What she saw out of the window would have been a shock to anypony but to a pony who hated to kill anything, even the aphids that destroyed her precious plants, it was a sight of sheer horror and so she screamed again. She had screamed for only a second before realizing that the creatures who had just melted a manticore could hear her and come after her so she clapped a hoof over her mouth and began to search frantically for a hiding place, there were no good hiding places in a one roomed cottage so her only option was to squeeze herself under the bed and hope that the creatures weren't looking for her.

What ARE they? she wondered, she saw that they stoop upright like bunnies but they didn't have fur... And one even seemed to be made of some kind of stone or metal! She had never seen anything like them and she had never wittenessed such organized violence, the beasts in the everfree forest didn't understand what they were doing but those creatures had spoken and decided what to do.

[Cfavano]

"I think she's in there." Nadia says as she points to the nearby cottage. "I saw that pony run in there, and the same scream as before." "Well, lets go." They head over to the cottage and Sam raps on the door. "Hello, miss? It's alright, you can come out now, the monster is dead." He waits a minute before knocking again. "It's all right miss, we don't mean you any harm." He turns the knob and starts to push, then puts his shoulder into it. The door starts to budge, but only slowly. "Something's blocking the door." "I'll go through a window." Nadia silently scampers around to the back of the house, where the easiest to get to window is. With catlike grace, she leaps into the air, and grabs on to the sill. She pushes it open, and pulls herself up with a grunt, shimmying through it, and jumping down to the ground, and lands silently on all fours. Her tail waves back and forth as she sniffs the air and slinks through the small cottage on all fours. She gets to the kitchen and looks quizzically at the refrigerator. "What could this strange device be?" She whispers. She grabs the handle, and pulls, covering her as as the light shines. "Cold...This must be an ice chest. Then that means..." She looks through and moves stuff. "Yes! Milk." She takes out the glass carafe and starts chugging it down until it is empty. She sighs a sigh of elation and licks her lips before putting the bottle down and continuing her search. She catches the scent of that pony and follows it to the bedroom. The girl must be using that scent to hide. She sits on the bed. "Well, I guess I can't find you...Or can I?" She bends down and their eyes are inches apart. "Hi there."

[Love Amore]

Autumn squeaked when she saw the creatures face peering into her hiding spot, her eyes grew wide s they filled with tears "D-d-don't hurt me!" wailed the mare as her whole body trembled in fear. Her imagination ran wild as she stared, what she thought was certain death, in the face; would they melt her like they had the manticore? Or kill her with the strange, horn-less magic they could use? It occurred to her that they might want to foalnap her before they killed her and she pressed herself even further back under the bed.

((no way to make this longer without godmodding, sorry.))

[Cfavano]

Nadia rolls off of the bed and gets on her hands and knees to face Autumn, her tail swishing back and forth playfully. "A talking pony? Or maybe you're that girl that we heard scream when the monster attacked, and you somehow got partially polymorphed into a pony. When we heard you scream, we came rushing to help. That's why we fought and defeated that big meanie. We help people, we are heroes after all. Don't worry, we are not here to hurt you little one. Why I came in here is because after the battle we couldn't find you and we got worried. We thought something might have happened to you. So why don't you come out from under that bed so we can inform my friends that you are alright. When I left them they were soooo worried and scared that you were hurt. Or, how about we just start with names? My name is Nadia. Nadia Clawfury, the Sorceress felis." She tilts her head and smiles, her eyes playful and gentle. "What's yours?"

[Love Amore]

i"M-my name is Autumn Heart, I'm and earth pony..." replied the still trembling mare. She wondered how anyone who wasn't a unicorn pony could be a sorceress but she wasn't about to ask. Wanting to appear brave she crawled out from under the bed and took several steps away from the stranger whose name was s strange as she. "If you're all heros what are you doing in Ponyville?" she asked after staring at the woman for a few moments "We don't need any heros here, everypony takes care of everypony else."

[Cfavano]

"Everypony?" She giggles at that turn of phrase. "Well, it was at the end of a daring adventure where we defeated a great, powerful, and evil wizard named Kildayl. He had raised an army of golems from the ancient city of Asgard, made by the Aesir themselves. He intended to use them to conquer the world. During the course of exploring Asgard, my Master Samuel Berezoff, he was the guy that summoned the big icy hand, which is actually one of his favorite spells, found a gem called the 'Tesseract', Said to be the crown Jewel of the Allfather himself. He remembered reading a scroll years ago that told of the Tesseract, and the Rainbow bridge, Bifrost. We found out that Kildayl was trying to unlock the powers of the Bifrost, to send his army across all the planes and conquer all of existence. And so, on an epic battle on the rainbow bridge, we found out that Bifrost was not a bridge at all, the rainbow path lead to Bifrost, which was a device that could send a person not to anywhere he wished, but to the promised land, where milk and honey flows, and there is food and treasure for all. So, using the Tesseract, My master activated the Bifrost, and ended up here. And then we came and saved you. I'd say that's pretty much a typical day in our lives, ha ha. And if everyone-, excuse me, pony helps everypony else, then why did we have to save you? Not that we mind, it's what we do. Sam is gruff and tough on the outside, but on the inside he's a big softie. Why else would he take me in as a starving kitten and raise me as his own? Well, you want to meet your rescuers?"

[Love Amore]

As Nadia talked Autumn found herself liking the sorceress more and more, her story had a lot that Autumn didn't fully understand but it made enough sense that she decided to trust Nadia not to hurt her. It was hard to distrust someone who seemed so nice, she wasn't so sure about the others though... Especially the metal one.

"Somepony would have come if they heard me!" Protested the mare in defense of her town, although she doubted anypony would have ever heard her. "But thank you." She added quickly, not to seem rude or ungrateful. "I suppose I should go meet them, and welcome you all to Equestria..." she said after a hesitation, her fear evident in her voice.

[Cfavano]

"You're scared, aren't you? I can tell. People have been looking at me like that since I was a kitten. That's why they chased me out of my village. My own parents even helped them. All because of something that wasn't even my fault. It's not my fault I had immense magical power at birth and couldn't control it. I understand your fear. You are afraid of us, because you do not know us. And what is unknown is terrifying. I was even afraid of myself. When someone made fun of me, I got mad at them and something bad happened to them. Maybe they got sick or their crops died. It even happened to my best friend. I was very little, about five years old. We got into an argument over a silly doll. I got mad at her, real mad. For that moment I hated her. Then she suddenly, she started convulsing, apparently, she was cooked from the inside. Why am I even telling you this?" She turns away. She shakes her head back and forth. "I never forgave myself for that. Gah, I'm being a downer and probably scaring you even more. Well, shall we go to them?" She gets up and unbars the door.

[Love Amore]

Autumn trotted up to Nadia and gave her a brief hug before dropping back to all fours and taking a deep breath to steel her nerves. "I'm sorry about your friend, and being chased away, that sounds just awful." She said as her fear of the sorceress left, she was astonished at the idea of another world that was so cruel to it's inhabitants.

After the hug she opened the door and gestured for Nadia to go first, stepping back as she did. Her nerves and fear returned to her at the sight of the other three strangers standing before her cottage, it was a strange sight to see anypony standing on their hind legs so naturally and the sight almost made her giggle in spite of her fear.

[Cfavano]

The hug surprises her, and she grins. "Come in fellows." Sam, Leilianna, and Malacaius step into the cottage. "This here is Autumn, she's an 'earth pony'." She turns back to Autumn. "I shall introduce them, and tell you what we are. First, we have, our Leader and my Master/Adoptive Father, the Warmage Samuel Berezoff." He waves. "I apologize for the Damage caused to your field. I shall fix it if you wish, or I can offer monetary compensation if you wish. Or both" He reaches into a pouch and pulls out a ruby the size of an orange. "Would this suffice? I am unsure what form of currency your countrymen use, so gems are the universal currency." She moves on to the next. "This here is our shining beacon of hop and light, the Paladin Leilianna Dragonfang. She got her last name because when she was a teenager, she slew a dragon all by her lonesome. She is also the 'Dragonborn', which means she is super special and was born with the soul of a dragon" Leilianna puts her fist over her heart and bows her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you Autumn, may the blessing of Bahamut ever be upon you and your home." And she moves on to the tallest of the 3. "And this here is Malacaius, the Warforged Bard, and lore keeper of our group. He don't talk much. Well, that's all of them. Anything you want to know? We'd be happy to explain."

[Love Amore]

"W-welcome to Equestria everypony." Murmured Autumn after the introductions were made, after she had looked at each of her rescuers she ducked her head and bit her lip. Having one friend in her cottage was nerve-wracking enough but one near stranger and three strangers was too much, she didn't want to be rude though so she tried to hide how she felt.

"I do kinda have a few questions, but you don't have to answer if you don't want." Said the mare with her eyes still downcast. "If none of you are Unicorn ponies, how can you all do magic? And are there any ponies at all where you come from? and what do you want in Equestria? And what's it like in your world?" Her speech sped up with each question, when she finished her questions she gasped in a large breath of air and blushed at her rudeness. It wasn't like her to be so forward with her questions but curiosity had gotten the best of her for a moment, she had hundreds more questions but she kept those to herself as she dared to glance up at the people before her again.

[Cfavano]

((I think you meant unicorns XD))

"I think I'll explain that." Sam says. "But first, I must sit down, I am extremely tired. It is no trouble at all, Autumn, I personally find that an inquisitive mind makes for a very intelligent person" From a pouch on his belt, he he pulls out a stool that is much too large for it to have fit inside, which he then places on the ground, and sits on it. "Ah, that's better. In our world, you see, most people can technically use magic, and there are many forms of magic. For example, Nadia, Malacaius and Myself use Arcane magic. These are typically spells devoted to manipulating energy, converting one substance to another, or calling on the services of other creatures. For wizards like me, these spells are generally committed to memory after a session of meditation upon a spellbook containing the details of the incantation. Once prepared, the spell is cast using specific words and / or gestures, and sometimes a specific material component; but the act of casting the spell causes it to fade from the wizard's memory, so that he or she cannot cast it again without first re-memorizing it. Sorcerers and bards know their spells innately and do not need to prepare them at all, nor do they require a spellbook.

Now, Leilianna here, she is mostly a warrior, she does have access to Divine magic. Though, usually it is a cleric that uses it. Divine spells take their name from the fact that they are mainly granted by the grace of the cleric's patron deity. Although divine spells can be cast equally well while wearing armor, only rarely require material components, and do not need to be prepared from a spell book, they are generally less overtly powerful than arcane spells and have fewer offensive applications. Despite the lack of flashy spells such as the fireball or meteor swarm granted to a wizard, many very powerful spells—such as gate, summon monster IX, and energy drain—are shared between clerics and wizards. Other powerful wizard spells, such as time stop, are granted to clerics who take up the mantle of certain domains. Finally, spells such as implosion are restricted to clerics only.

Cleric spells are typically devoted to either healing the wounded, restoring lost abilities, and acquiring blessings, or to inflict harm and to curse opponents. These spells must be prepared by the caster daily through a session of meditation or prayer. Since a cleric is also something of a church knight and a champion of his faith, his spells also include ones which temporarily improve his combat ability. Clerics also have the ability either to turn or to rebuke undead, based on their alignment. The spells and abilities of a cleric or paladin are based on his deity, as well as his alignment. Now, on to your next question." He shifts on the stool.

"Yes, there are ponies in our world, but we call them horses. They are much larger than you, and are very strong. They are typically used as mounts, on which we ride, as work animals, or, in times of extreme famine or drought, food. And, for the most part, except for certain ones, they don't talk, nor are they as intelligent as you. In our world, they are animals. I had a Celestial Charger, back on my home island. She was all white with a sparkling silver mane and tail, and sparkling blue hooves. I bought her as a filly and raised and trained her. Her name is Celeste. I got her on my trip to Hestavar. She was very expensive, but I do not regret getting her in the least." He sighs. "She probably misses me greatly. But, on to your next question."

"Well, we were told that this is the 'promised' land of peace and harmony. But, since we encountered a Manticore, I doubt that's true. I figure that we will continue doing what we do until we can get home, if we can get home. You know, battle evil, explore ancient ruins, save people, all that jazz. It is a very lucrative business, and, if you allow us to use your farm as a sort of home base, we would be happy to share in the profits." Leilianna speaks up. "As well, as a humble servant of Bahamut, it is my job to spread his word and faith, so I will be attempting to convert others into my religion. Do you wish to convert, Autumn? And do you even have a religion here?" Sam rolls his eyes without Leilianna seeing it.

"Well, our world is not a very nice place in many parts. People fight each other, violence and mistrust abounds in many places, as well as there are typically a great difference between those who have, and those who have not. Some cities I've been, you would be a fool to go out after dark, and some parts of town is best to avoid entirely regardless of the time. In the city of Halhim on the Island of Tromagan, which contains the kingdom of Antaloor, a majority of the population lives in a run down and squalid slum. Conditions there are terrible, but no one does anything because those with power do not care so long as it doesn't affect them. The guild I founded tries its best to help the people of the world, but it is not easy. Then, there is also the Brotherhood of the Ebon Mask. A group of powerful and evil being hellbent on either destroying or subjugating everything. They are locate on the isle of Varidan. This island is a godsforsaken wasteland. Frigid poisonous winds whip across it's rocky barren surface. Not a single plant grows there, and it is patrolled by cursed undead and dark entities. There are no towns or cities. Only Castle Vahkmaar is there, and, if you are caputure and brought there, then you will wish you would have died earlier. Our world is populated by a wide variety of people. Humans, like myself and Leilianna, are the most populous of the races, but there are also elves, dwarves, and others. Sometimes we get along, and sometimes we don't. But a great war has not been fought in centuries."

[Love Amore]

Autumn listened politely although she gasped softly when he mentioned eating horses, none of the races that could speak in equestria EVER ate any kind of meat. When Leilianna spoke she barely understood her as the Autumn knew not what a religion was or what the paladin meant by "convert." But over all her questions were answered.

"Could I ask one more thing? And then I suppose you could ask me about Equestria, since you live here for now." Said the mare, she needed to know which of the group were mares and which were stallions but she had no idea how to tell.

[Cfavano]

"Well, I personally would like to know the political infrastructure. Are you a Monarchy? An Oligarchy? A republic? Also, How are the defenses of the nearest town? Walls and towers, or just barricades? The current state of the militia, and so forth. Since we will be living here, we will help out as much as we can in the fields and other labor. Leilianna and myself both grew up on farms, and we both know much about agriculture. In fact, I think in my handy haversack, I have some seeds I was supposed to deliver, but the person cancelled our contract." He takes the pack off of his back and rummages around in it. He starts pulling odd things out of it, like a chair, a helmet, a whole suite of armor, and all these things are much larger than the bag they came out of. "Ah, here we go." He starts to take pouches of seeds out of his pack and place them on the table, naming them as he goes. "cotton... barley... wheat... corn... foxglove... cabbage... rhubarb... tobacco...and an apple seedling. I figure since we scared the hair off of you, this could be a 'please forgive us' gift. One more matter. We do take up a lot of space, and it would be wrong of us to impose on you by crowding up your little cottage. So, if you would allow us to build a dwelling on your land, that would be peachy. If not, we can find a nice cave in that forest. Also, speaking of that forest, does anyone own it? If not, you might want to invest in purchasing some of the land in it. On our way here, I noticed that there was a lot of good timber. A few acres could very well make you very comfortable for a few years, even if you just purchase the timber rights and not the land itself. If you buy the land though, you can then plant more crops on it."

Leilianna gets on one knee and takes off a simple necklace with a symbol of a silvery dragon on an indigo shield. She then puts the necklace around Autumn's neck. "There, so you won't be afraid so much. That is the symbol of my God, Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. A wiser, kinder, and braver creature you will never find. As long as you wear that and believe in him, he will protect you from evil, Autumn, as he does me and all goodly beings. I firmly believe that it was he who guided us to you in your hour of need. He has ways of doing that. Wear it proudly."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed with her gratitude as Leilianna placed the necklace around her neck "Well than you, it really pretty." she said with a smile. "You'll wanna give that apple tree to the Apple family, they're the ones who grow the apples. But I would love a few of the seeds to add to my garden!" She smiled at them all before hopping up onto her bed to lay down so she would be a little taller as she answered their questions.

"Well... We're ruled by Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna, who control the sun and the moon. And of COURSE you could be my neighbor, it isn't my land I just use it! As far as defense and military I couldn't answer you; most towns don't have any defenses because we have so few enemies and the only military we have is Princess Celestia's royal guard, the only enemies we do have usually never leave the Everfree Forest. That's where the manticore came from, and we never really go in there because even the trees in there are scary." Autumn was a little nervous that her answers wouldn't be good enough, she was never a top student when she was a filly in school.

"I hate to ask, it's really rude... But I can't quite tell.... Are you all stallions? Or mares? Or a mix? Usually I can tell with ponies, mules, zebras and bison but I can't tell with you all." She blushed furiously at the fact she had to ask but she needed to know.

[Cfavano]

Sam laughs playfully. "It's understandable, we are completely different creatures than you have ever seen. In your words, I am a stallion, Malacaius, well, has no gender, and Nadia and Leilianna are Mares. Though, with all that armor on, it is sometimes hard to tell." He begins laughing as Leilianna decks him right in the nose and he falls backwards off the stool, still laughing. He composes himself and wipes off the blood that had leaked out his nose. "I deserved that, but I just had to. Now, on to the supplies. The timber we can get from the Everfree itself, and we have tools, but we'll need other building supplies."

He hands her a list. It is a very long list of many things. Like, granite and marble blocks, nails, gold leaf, lead, several chemicals she has never heard of, paint, straw, sand, roofing tiles, glass panes, tiles of assorted colors, and the list goes on. He then takes out a small pouch and dumps out twenty 2-carat diamonds in the shape of drops of water and the size of grapes. They sparkle in the moonlight and almost glow. "These are lunar diamonds, these should cover the cost of the materials, and their delivery, plus enough for you to start purchasing land. As a way of showing our gratitude, we are going to make you the wealthiest pony in all of Equestria. Congratulations, You are now the Shining Blades' patron."

[Love Amore]

Autumn squealed and hugged each of the four in turn before turning to her cabinets, she rattled around looking for something to prepare for a late dinner but found the shelves nearly bare. Usually her meals came entirely from her garden with some break from the bakery but she wanted to do something a little more tonight, she realized that she had no idea what the heroes ate so she turned back to them. "We don't eat animals here in Equestria; we mostly eat grains and vegetables and the like... I could make salad, and I have muffins from the bakery. With lemonade or water to drink, if that's... suitable, that is." The mare said the last part as a question "If you need more than that, or something different I could go pick something up..." she added.

[Cfavano]

"Don't worry Autumn, it's fine. It's the middle of the night anyway, I doubt anyone's open. We have food, don't worry. Okay every-laughs-pony, lets start unpacking. Most of our food is preserved for long travel. Let's see." They start unpacking and they come up with a large pile of dried fruit, several small parcels wrapping in leaves, a few bags of nuts and berries, several full skeins, a glass bottle with a golden liquid in it, and it has a black label that reads 'Black Briar Special Reserve', and a another bottle with a dark liquid in it. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Autumn. Humans are not carnivorous, and nor are they herbivorous. We are omnivorous, like bears. We can eat meat, and we can eat plants. Though, only certain plants. Unlike herbivores, we cannot digest cellulose, so most of the green leafy stuff is just roughage, though, that is good for us too, cleans us out. Certain tribes of elves are completely vegan, and some humans make that choice. They won't even use milk or eggs, because they come from an animal. Pretty much all the nutrition that we can get from a slab of beast, we can get from the ground, all one needs to do is just look. But if we ever get the hankering, I doubt anyone would mind if we went a-hunting in the wilderness. You know, not hunting is actually somewhat harmful, especially if no predators exist for certain animals in an area. The population booms, and they eat all the food, and the environment suffers. And insects also can provide loads of nutrition. In the savannah, if you are lost, look for a termite mound. Termites contain a lot of water, and you'll never die of thirst eating them. They aren't bad, really. Kinda like crunchy grapes. But, back to what we have. Some of this stuff is obvious. The berries, nuts, and whatnot. But these..." He taps the parcels wrapped in leaves. "Are very special. These are made by the elves of the Lothlorian forest. These little cakes are called Lembas bread. One slice of it will be all you need to eat for one day. Now these..." He lifts up the leather bags. "Are full of wine. Wine is made from fermented grape juice." He takes out a crystal goblet, pops the cork on the skein, and pours some of the deep red liquid in it. He picks up the goblet and swirls the liquid around, sniffs it, and takes a sip. "Fruity, with a hint of nuts and apple wood. The aroma is strong, but not overpowering. A fine vintage if I do say so myself." He places the goblet in front of Autumn. "Try it." He gets to the bottle and smiles. "Wow, we still have some of this? This is from the Black briar Meadery in Skyrim. They produce the best mead in all the world, and the 'Special Reserve' is the cream of the crop. Oh, yes, Mead is made from honey." He reads the bottle. "This batch has juniper berries mixed in. It's very good. Strong, with with a smooth aftertaste. And this..." He lifts up the bottle. "It's my favorite. It's called 'rum' an is made from sugarcane. Once our house is built, I'm going to build my distillery and start crankin' out bottle. Provided I can get enough. So, for now, at least, we can feed ourselves, worry about yourself, you had quite a fright earlier. How about we sing you a song? That is another way we get money."

[Love Amore]

Autumn takes a sip of the wine and crinkles her nose at the taste, it was stronger than anything she had ever tasted but she liked the way it warmed her s it went down and so she took another sip. "It's... Different, but good." She said with a smile, she looked at all they had set out in wonder as so much of it was so new and exotic compared to the fare of Ponyville.

"I have some fresh apples, and I can go outside to get some other kind of fresh fruit if you'd like to add something fresh. I'm sure dried stuff get's real boring real fast!" As she made the offer Autumn moved closer to the door, part of the reason she wanted to go get some fresh food was that she wanted a few moments out in her garden so she could think about all the new things she had learned since sunset that day. Her whole world view had changed since she woke up this morning, anypony would need a few moments to adjust after that.

[Cfavano]

"By all means, Autumn, and you are correct. It does get old. So, go. Do you perchance to have any...pomegranates? If not, it's fine." Nadia speaks up. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to say, while I was looking for you, I accidentally drank all of your milk. It's been ages since I have had any, and I just couldn't resist. "Oh, don't lie, you're just a pig." "I am not a pig!" "Yes you are, you are a milk-drinker too." "How dare you call me a milk-drinker! I can out-drink you any day." "Let's put that to the test." They start doing shots of Sam's special ultra-strong rum. One after another. Leilianna facepalms. "Don't worry Autumn, they aren't really fighting, just go get stuff and when you get back everything will be fine."

[Love Amore]

Autumn giggled at their antics and nodded at Leilianna "Pomegranates? I don't have any, and I'm not sure they even grow here..." she told Sam even though he seemed busy with his drinking. She headed outside where she picked up the crushed cover to free her mint plants before grabbing a basket and filling it with bell peppers, strawberries, spinach, carrots and a few bunches of grass for herself. She stood in the moonlight for a few minutes as she wondered how much her life would continue to change.

When she returned to the cottage she put her grass on a plate and put all the things she had gathered into bowls and onto plates, respectively. "Help yourselves, there are forks and such in the only drawer, and I've set some plates out on the counter." After making that general announcement she selected a few berries and added those to the grass on her plate then settled down to eat.

[Cfavano]

When she re-enters Sam and Nadia are in the middle of an argument. "You, smarter than me? Ha! While you were still learning to SPELL YOUR NAME, I was learning the arcane mysteries of the universe." Nadia did not reply as she had already passed out. "Ha! I won-Waugh!" In his victory, he had made a flourish with his hands, and fallen backwards off the stool. "I think you've had enough, Sam." "Enough? I'll tell you when I've had enough!" He gets back on the stool and brushes himself off. "Now, I've had enough." "And so has Nadia. I'll set up the tents and put her to bed." Leilianna slings Nadia over her shoulder, and walks out the door while Sam is resting he head, which is tilted sideways on his hand and looks straight at Autumn. "Has anyone ever told you you have very pretty eyes. Really huge, though, They must get hurt a lot, but at least you can see better, right?" He grabs a carrot and takes a bite out of it. "We're about to hit the hay soon. We haven't really slept in a week, maybe you should too. Want me to tell you a bedtime story?" He laughs. "Don't be upset, I'm not actually making fun of you, I just tend to talk a lot when I am a wee bit buzzed."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed at the complement but giggled when he continued, she supposed that "buzzed" was what happened when humans drank rum and she found it to be an amusing reaction to a beverage. "How have you managed for a week without sleeping? How about you tell me THAT story. I'd be dead on my hooves by day two!" The mare giggled and hopped up onto her bed so she could sit face to face with Sam.

[Cfavano]

"Well, it's not that we never slept, just we didn't get a full night's sleep. We got an hour or so here and there. You see, we were in the Ruins of a city that was being patrolled by sleepless golems. You see, we have trained ourselves to be able to function without a full nights rest, and I have even taken it a step further. I have trained myself to be able to go into a trance-like state of meditation, and still be fully aware of my surroundings, and be completely rested in a shorter time than others sleep. But, of course, even that has its limits, and I will eventually need to sleep. I once tested how long I could go, and found out I could do it for a month, but by the last few days I was chattering to myself and hallucinating. It wasn't fun. One of my fellow wizards finally cast a sleep spell on me, and I slept for 18 hours straight. But I learned and was able to push my limits. I even wrote a short book on the technique. It's all about controlling the flow of your ch'i, and keeping your body in balance. Did you know that, well, it's true for our races, but probably true for ponies, we only use 10% of our true strength? Our body sets these limits on ourselves, otherwise we'd do damage to our selves. I have been able, with great focus, to push past that limitation. Of course, it hurts, I've torn muscles and broken bones, but I was able to prove that I am not bound by my body, that I am the master of it, and it is not the master of me."

[Love Amore]

Autumn listened in awe of the stallion who had done so much. "Wow..." murmured the mare, her eyes going even wider. "But why? Why do you, all of you, have to do so much?" she asked, unwilling and unable to fully understand a world where cruelty extended beyond the realm of an insecure bully who teased you to feel better about themselves.

[Cfavano]

"Partly, because some of what I do is simply the right thing to do. The other part is because I'm good at it. And also, there is nothing like wandering the world and seeing exotic and fantastical places. My father used to say that evil triumphs when good men do nothing. And really, I also had no home to go to. I returned from the army to find my village burned to the ground, so, I just started walking. While I was walking, I saw a bunch of bandits ransacking a farmstead. Without even thinking about it, I jumped in and chased them off. The family, who were terrified, received me warmly, and the local town even had a ceremony and gave me a medal for my bravery, as well as a hefty sum of money. It felt great to do, and it was then that I realized that this was my destiny, and so I laid the foundations of the shining blades guild. I even got a magical tattoo to celebrate it. I know it must sound silly. To just suddenly realize that doing one thing is what you were meant to do, just because of one event. What do you think? Oh, here's the tattoo." He pulls up his sleeve and on his shoulder is two swords crossed under a shield, and the shield is sparkling.

[Love Amore]

"Humans have to pick their own cutie marks?" Autumn wondered aloud "Here, everypony gets a cutie mark on their flank when they learn what their true purpose is. It just appears, I got mine when I was still a very young filly; we were all growing bean sprouts in little cups at school and when mine began to sprout I got my cutie mark and I knew that I was destined to work with plants." The mare smiled as she remembered that moment of perfect clarity, there was a peace in knowing your destiny that could not be found any other way. "So no, it doesn't sound silly at all!"

[Cfavano]

"Oh, so that's what that was. I thought that that was just a tattoo. So, that is a symbol of your position. Well, this thing here I had put on me. It hurt, but I felt it was worth it. We all, except for Malacaius have one. It's the symbol of our guild. Humans really are some of the most ambitious and adaptable creatures. Other than location, money, and law, nothing really holds us back from doing and excelling at anything except for talent and drive. You want to be a merchant? Go ahead. An artist? Paint your heart out. A politician? Why not? But not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of freedom. Most people are bound by tradition and poverty. If your father was a blacksmith, odds are you will as well. A farmer or fisherman? The same. And women...mares, are held back even more. They are expected to get married and start having children. Except in certain circumstances, most women don't really have jobs other than maids and such. It is wrong, I know, but for the longest time, females are considered weak, and that it is up to the males to do the work. But I think this conversation might be going on a bit long, and I am rambling. You must be tired. Do you want me to go so you can get to sleep?"

[Love Amore]

Autumn glanced over at the clock and realized that dawn was only a few hours away, she had planned to awake at sunrise so she could take care of the plants in her care and in order to do that she needed sleep. "You could sleep in here if you'd like, or go out with your friends to the tents. And if you all need any extra blankets or pillows I they're in that chest at the foot of my bed." When she mentioned the chest she pointed a hoof over at the chest and smiled "I should probably get some sleep, I wake up earlier than anypony else in Ponyville and I think everypony else is asleep already!" She said the last part with a giggle.

[Cfavano]

"I think I'll sleep outside. You have had a pretty eventful day." He pats her on the head. "Goodnight Autumn, see you in the morning." He exits the house, and gets to the small campsite at the other end of the field. Leilianna is currently tracing a sigil with salt, and at each point where the symbol touches the surrounding circle, there is a lit purple candle. "Is the wish ritual ready?" "Almost, you have to just start pouring your life energy into it." "Good." He kneels in the center of the symbol and begins to meditate, a dull glow coming off of him.

[Love Amore]

"Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the Parasprites bite." Said Autumn as Sam left her cottage. After he left she settled down to sleep, drifting off to sleep in just a few minutes. Her dreams were cheerful ones, memories of childhood, mixed with the things she had been told that evening. She slept soundly however, her exhaustion making her sleep all the deeper.

((Feel free to do a timeskip to dawn if you want.))

[Cfavano]

As the night wears on, the glow becomes brighter and brighter as energy is drawn into the sigil. It is dawn when it finally reaches it's peak, the very air around him distorting with the raw force. Finally, he opens his eyes and they are glowing white. His voice booms. "Grant this wish!" It echoes like it is said through a megaphone. Finally, a bright burst of light covers the garden as the Manticore's corpse disappears, and the shade is rebuilt, and all the plants that were ruined and torn up reform exactly as they were hours ago. After this is done, the light fades, and Sam collapses, at which point, Leilianna lays him on a bedroll.

[Love Amore]

Autumn awoke with a start when she heard Sam's voice, she rushed outside to see what had happened and when she saw that her garden was in perfect shape tears began to fill her eyes. She trotted up and down all the rows of plantlife and saw that her garden was whole and healed again, when she returned to the tents of her guests the gratitude that filled her had rendered her speechless. She stood there smiling and trying to speak.

[Cfavano]

Leilianna Notices Autumn. "Good morning, Autumn. I see that you are happy about your garden. Can Sam rest in your bed? He always passes out after he uses 'wish', it's a very potent and dangerous spell. I would rather him rest on an actual bed for a change. You wouldn't know it, but he has been very sick recently. He wouldn't want me to tell you, but I feel I can trust you not to tell him I told you. I told him not to use the spell, but he was insistent on giving you your garden back. Personally, I think he might like you." She laughs at that. "I will also need to make his medicine, but I have all the equipment for that, though, I am missing one ingredient. I have not had the chance to look through all your garden, do you have any foxglove? I need the nectar from 3 of the flowers"

[Love Amore]

Autumn nodded quickly "Of course he can sleep in my bed! And the foxglove is over on the far end of my garden, I could show you if you'd like..." She couldn't believe that Sam had done something so nice that used up so much energy when he was so tired and apparently sick, he had been nicer to her than anypony had ever been before. The mare began to plan a full breakfast to thank him, one that would help him feel better when he awoke.

[Cfavano]

Leilianna nods and carries Sam to her bed, and lays him on it. She then sets up a table from one of her bags, and puts together her alchemy set. She fills the large bubble-bottomed beaker with a pint of water, and sets it on it's rack, and lights the burner beneath it. she then leaves it to boil, and picks several of the flowers, before returning to the tray. Using a special glass tube, she extracts the drops of nectar from the flowers, and places the clear liquid into another beaker. She then takes several dried leaves and puts them into her mortar, and grinds them into powder with her pestle, before dumping them into the boiling water, which she removes from the heat and stirs in other powders, and it begins to cool, and turn an odd shade of orange. When it is about room temperature, she adds the nectar, which makes it turn purple. She dips a dropper in and takes an ounce out, then lifts Sam's head up, and squeezes it into his mouth. His face scrunches up as he begins to stir. "Blech, that was awful." While he had lain, his hair had grown much longer than it was last night.

[Love Amore]

When Leilianna had moved Sam she excused herself and galloped into town to do a little bit of shopping when she returned she did so with a basket full of fresh baked bread, eggs, milk and even a box of cupcakes. When she got into her cottage she saw that Leilianna was just adding the nectar to a vial of orange liquid. She cracked the eggs and set to making a scramble with the eggs and some of the vegetables from last night. When Sam woke up she smiled over to him before turning back to the counter where she was about to slice the bread for toast.

[Cfavano]

Sam tries to get up from the bed, but falls to the ground. Leilianna goes to help him up, but he shrugs her off. With great effort, he manages to drag himself to the table, and pull himself up on to a stool. "Uurgh." He puts his hand over his heart, and Leilianna goes to him. "You must take it easy Sam, you just lost time. How much do you think you lost." He lifts a lock of his hair away from his face and things. "Judging by how much hair I gained...I'd say a month to a month and a half. How long was I out for?" "Not long, we got you into a bed very soon." He rests his head on the table. "Ugh. I'm not hungry right now, but I know I need to eat." "Forgive him for his weirdness, He got at least a month older in the span of several minutes, and the aging makes him feel awful afterwards."

[Love Amore]

Autumn balanced a pate with a small helping of the scramble and a slice of toast with butter and zap-apple jam on it on her flank to bring it over to where Sam was lying. "I can't thank you enough for my garden..." said the mare with a blush "But some Zap-apple jam will help you feel better." She smiled s she handed Sam the plate of food. "I made enough for everypony, if you all want some."

[Cfavano]

Sam opens one of his eyes to view the plate placed in front of him, and then blinks. "Zap-apple jam? What in the name of Mystra is a zap-apple?" He sits up, takes a slice of the toast, and takes a bite, and chews for a bit before his whole body tenses up for a second and his hair gets all frizzy. "I am going to throw out a wild guess here and say that they are called Zap-apples because they get infused with lightning?" "I thank you for the offer Autumn, but this week starts the week of the Draconic Ascension, When Bahamut, my God, Ascended to heaven from Earth, after the dragons rebelled. As such, I will be fasting for this week, and will only be eating one light meal of raw nuts and berries, and wild honey. But thank you for the offer." "Where is Nadia? She still sleeping it off?" "Yes, Sam. I wish you wouldn't antagonize her so, you know she cant hold her liquor." "I'm trying to teach her a lesson in humility. Unless she can keep her emotions in check, she will not be able to function properly." He continues to eat. "Thank you Autumn, it tastes very good."

[Love Amore]

"Nopony but the apple family REALLY knows what zap-apples are, we all just know that they are something you can only jet in Ponyville and that they make the best jam." Answered Autumn as she thought about what Leilianna had said "Do you fast because you miss him?" She asked, she had never met anypony who was friends with a dragon like that and she wasn't sure what the right thing to say was.

[Cfavano]

"I see." Same continues to eat. Leilianna smiles gently. "No, we fast to celebrate his rising. We know he has not left us, and he rose before humans existed. I know that even now he is watching over us, and that wherever we go, he will protect us from evil and keep us safe. I've even met him. He came to me when I first got my powers. He declared me his champion, and trained me to use my Voice, as well as giving me these." She gestures towards her equipment. "Speaking of which, perhaps I should remove it, because it seems pretty safe around here." She removes her gauntlets and greaves, before unbuckling her body armor, revealing her padded shirt and shorts. Her body is very muscular almost to the point of masculinity. She packs them away, but reattaches her sword to her leather belt. She smells herself, and recoils. "Wow, it has been a while since I have gotten a bath, I smell." "I'll take my things off too." He says as he finishes. "The food was delicious, by the way, Autumn, thank you very much." He unbuckles his neck guard, and then removes his arm guard, and she can see his arms is horribly scarred from burns. Leilianna sits at a chair near Autumn. "Would you like to hear more of him, Autumn?"

[Love Amore]

Autumn realized her mistake when she realized that Leilianna was just like those unicorn's who would talk bout magic for hours if you didn't figure out how to stop them. "I would love to hear more about him but I think you might be more comfortable after a bath... And did you get any sleep at all last night? I'll heat up some water on the stove and fill the tub for you right now." Autumn quickly bustled about to do just that, hoping that after a bath there would be other things going on so she didn't have to hear more about that dragon. "I wish I could offer you a bath with running water, but I never bothered to install running water or even an indoor bathroom, in the summer I prefer to bathe in the stream out back." Explained the mare as the water heated.

[Cfavano]

"That's fine for me too. I always bathe in the stream. It allows me to purify my body. But, since you already are running a bath for me, how can I refuse?" At that point, thunder booms loudly, and Nadia rushes in through the door and slams it behind her. "Nadia, what is wrong?!" Leilianna says. "They almost saw me!" "Who?" "There were all these Pegasi flying around everywhere, and it looks like they are making a huge storm!" "You mean Pegasi control the weather here?" Sam turns to Nadia. "And one of them almost saw you?" "Yes, it was an orange one, as soon as I saw it, I dashed into the forest to hide, and when it passed, I ran full out to here." She sits down and holds her head. "Ooh, my head. Sprinting with a hangover is not fun." Sam looks out the window, and he does indeed see the clouds being gathered. "Yes, it looks like they a building one heck of a maelstrom, but, judging by their progress, we may have a few hours before they are done. Perhaps enough tie for a quick patrol of the everfree. After your bath, of course, Leilianna. Would you like to join us, Autumn?"

[Love Amore]

"My momma always told me to treat guests s best I can." Said Autumn simply just as Nadia burst into the cottage "And I've never been fore than a few feet into the Everfree forest... I'd love to go, I'd feel safe with all of you there." With that she carried the pot of nearly boiling water into the small room that housed the tub, she poured it in and added some cool water from the pump and then placed a bar of soap and a towel on the table that was next to the tub.

"Enjoy your bath Leilianna!" Said the mare as she backed out of the room and gestured the paladin into the room "It shouldn't start storming until dusk, the pegasi try to keep storms small during the day."

[Cfavano]

Leilianna nods. "A wise woma-mare she was." Leilianna was quick to correct herself as she takes forth from her bag a rough-looking cleaning cloth. And enters the room with the tub, closing it behind her. "You will be safe." He pats her head "But, you still need to be on your guard. Not even we can create a perfect perimeter." He takes out an old, weathered book and being reading it, and as he reads it, he traces his fingers across the letters, and light flows from them up his fingers. Malacaius steps forward, and, for the first time since they got he, he speaks. "My lord, is it wise to bring this 'pony' along with us? She seems like she would be nothing more than an inconvenience, and dead weight." "Malacaius, don't be so judgmental." He says as he continues to read. "Sure, she may look weak, but that doesn't mean she is. Perhaps underneath all that shy and timidness, a fire burns in her. And how you stoke that flame is by having her encounter danger." "But, my lord-" "I have spoken Malacaius, Autumn comes along. Now go wait outside. Nadia, you go into the bedroom and rest." He closes and pockets the book he was reading. Nadia groans and does that, while Malacaius moves from his corner and walks to the edge of the everfree. Sam, re-buckles his armored bits, and gets on one knee in front of Autumn. "Now, Autumn. I do not expect you to fight in the least. But, there is something you can do. There are several types of supplies that we would like to have on hand at all times, and not have to go digging though bags of holing or handy haversacks for. Like notebooks, torches, climbing equipment, etc etc. What I ask of you, is that, can you carry these supplies for us. Now, this is a great and important job, for it helps us, never forget that. And you are the perfect pony for the job. So, would you do that for me?" He gazes deep into her blue eyes with his chocolate brown ones.

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed deeply and nodded "There's nopony stronger than an earth pony." she said, quoting the old chant her mother had taught her to use when she was teased for not having the power of flight or the power of magic. "I'll get my saddlebags." She added, breaking the eye contact and feeling flustered. "Will Nadia or Malacaius be wanting anything to eat? OR any milk?"

[Cfavano]

"Well, right now, Nadia needs to just sleep it off. She might get something later, she won't be coming with us. And as for Malacaius...Well, he doesn't eat. Or sleep, or drink anything, or even breathe for that matter. He's alive but he's also not. Let's just say that he is like a statue given life. And about that, I actually have stuff I can hook on you, like a utility belt. You won't be carrying much, mostly tools and some medical supplies. I can put it on you now if you would like."

Leilianna finishes up her bath, and comes out dressed in the same clothes. She starts re-equipping her armor, and hooks her shield onto her arm. "Ready when you are. You excited for your first adventure, Autumn? Don't sorry, it's nothing big like saving a captured princess or slaying a dragon. Basically, it's a glorified walk in the woods, just so we can better get to know our surroundings, and maybe find something of value."

[Love Amore]

Autumn nodded again, her face still tinged by red "I'm sure your ... Hooves would manage better than mine" She wasn't sure what the appendages at the end of his forelegs were called but they seemed more flexible than hooves. "I sure am excited to see the Everfree, nopony has ever been deep inside it since Twilight Sparkle and her friends saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon!" Autumn was really beginning to get excited and she smiled broadly.

[Cfavano]

"Well, that sounds like a tale of adventure and daring do. Why don't you tell it to me?" He pulls a harness out of one of his bags of holding, but it is much too large for her. "Excuse me for a moment, while I fix this." He mumbles to himself, and the harness shrinks quite a bit. He then goes through the process of hooking it to her. The bands and belts seem made to fit a pony, and even has a small helmet for her, that accommodates for her ears. He pulls the belts taut. "Tell me if it is too tight. A bit attachment comes with it, but I figure since I'm not riding you, nor are we attaching you to a cart, I felt it unnecessary. Now, this harness, while not only providing a large amount of pouches and hooks and loops for gear, is also light and allows you to maintain your mobility. I also offers some modicum of protection. Okay, here's what you will be carrying." He starts loading her up and informs her of what he puts on. "Two pickaxes, a small shovel, three 50 feet lengths of rope, an axe, a hatchet, a tinderbox along with flint, chemical tests for ores, 2 knives, a machete, a quill inkpot and a notebook, two collapsible grappling hooks, Rappelling gear, a tent, seven torches, 4 sunrods. Also, 2 first aid kits, 7 healing potions, and 5 general purpose antidotes." He takes a step back. "Is that too much to carry? If it's too heavy, we can share the load."

[Love Amore]

Autumn rolled her shoulders and tested the weight "This is fine, like I said; nopony is stronger than an earth pony, Apple Jack was the strongest mare of Twilight Sparkle's's friends." She smiled "It was my favorite story as a filly... But it's really long, I could tell you now or wait until tonight. It's a great scary story for right before bedtime!" The mare giggled remembering nights of campfires and dares to go into the Everfree as a filly and young mare.

[Cfavano]

"Ah, so, it's one of them, eh? We have a few scary stories to, don't we Leilianna?" She nods, "Aye, that we do." "Here's an idea, tonight, when we return home sweaty and tired, let's all gather around the fireplace and swap stories over food and drinks. Sound fun, Autumn?" He goes to the door and scans the sky and the surrounding area. "Is it all clear, Sam?" "Yes, let's go!" Sam and Leilianna sprint across the clearing, and don't stop running until they reach the forest, where they lean against a tree to catch their breaths. "Well, that was exhilarating. Nothing like the fear of getting caught to get yer blood pumping."

[Love Amore]

Autumn galloped after them, feeling how the harness Sam had used gave her more freedom than her own saddle bags. "At some point you'll have to go public, meet the princesses and all..." Said the mare thoughtfully, nopony but Princess Celestia had chnce of knowing anything about the world they came from. "I bet Princess Celestia knows all about the world you come from, she's nearly as old as Equestria and she's the most powerful pony there ever was."

[Cfavano]

"She might, but then again, she might not. Hopefull she is open-minded. But, if the town reacts in the same way you did....I would prefer not to be chased over all of equestria by torches and pitchforks. Nadia still has nightmares, and, as her magic is tied to her emotions, the results would be...unpleasant to say the least." Leilianna thinks for a moment. "If we did go public, it would make my evangelizing a whole lot easier. I might even get a few converts. They might even let me build a temple!" Her eyes sparkle at the thought. Sam wags his finger at her. "Slow down there, missionary extraordinaire. Just because Autumn here accepted us, does not mean others will. I would rather it be a situaton where our being different would be put to the side for a more pressing event. Like, the town is under attack by orcs or something. Or a lord's daughter is kidnapped, and then we save her. Or a hostage situation. If we just go strutting up main street, there would probably be a mob formed in minutes to chase us out. And poor Autumn here might be persecuted for being with us, and I do not want that on my conscience. Back to the matter at hand. What we are doing here is basically a nature walk. we are going to be walking through the everfree and gain knowledge of it. Terrain, resources, and the like. So let's go." They walk in silence for a half hour, and Sam is looking around at the scenery. "I think i'll break the silence, who here wants to hear a song?" He sounds cheerful.

[Love Amore]

"I love songs!" Cheered Autumn, the darkness and the silence had begun to make her paranoid and she needed the distraction. Maybe, when he finishes his song I'll sing one too... she thought with a smile. She did love to sing, most ponies did.

[Cfavano]

"Alright, then. Here I go! When I was a kid, my grandfather used to sing me this song every now and then. It may sound silly when you hear it, but this is one of the reasons I wanted to be an adventurer" He takes a deep breath, and begins to sing.

"One evening as the sun went down,
And the jungle fire was burning.
Down the road came a hobo hikin'
And he said boys I'm not turning.
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Beside the crystal fountains.
So come with me,
We'll go and see some birds
The Big Rock Candy Mountains.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a land that's fair and bright.
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night.
Where the boxcars all are empty
And the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees,
And the cigarette trees,
The lemonade springs where the blue bird sings.
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
All the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
And the hens lay soft boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go
where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You never change your socks
And the little streams of alchohol
Come trickling down the rocks
There's a lake of stew
And of whiskey too
You can paddle all around them in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
The jails are made of tin
And you can walk right out again
As soon as you are in
There ain't no short handeled shovels
No axes, saws, or picks
I'ma gonna stay
Where you sleep all day
Where they hung the jerk
That invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains."

He laughs as he finishes. "After all this time, of exploring, I have yet to lay my eyes on those mountains, but I keep looking."

[Love Amore]

Autumn smiled as Sam sang, his baritone suited the song perfectly and she loved to listen to him singing. "This song is about the love between a mare and a sea-pony, it's just a story though because everypony knows that sea-ponies don't exist..." With that she began to sing the song that young mares all sang together when they begun to feel romantic but the stallions had yet to mature.

(( http://youtu.be/5hG5vJv0OEQ I couldn't find a pony one...))

[Cfavano]

"That was very nice." He applauds her. "Mayhap you should have been a singer instead of a farmer. That song sounds a lot like 'the maiden and the selkie' from Eollas. And selkies exist, so, why wouldn't sea-ponies? As an adventurer, you must keep an open mind." The snapping of a twig and a series of low growl sets the three seasoned adventurers on edge. With a flourish, Sam's staff is in his hands, and he is preparing a spell, Leilianna's sword is out, and glowing slightly, and Malacaius, deeming that in such close quarters he is better off with melee, has his two scimitars out. Then, they see it, They are surrounded by large animals. They look similar to wolves, but are much larger, and have a twisted, evil look about them. "Defense pattern delta." Sam says lowly, as him and his team mate move in to a position that, if you trace a line from each of them to the others, it would form a triangle. Their backs are to autumn, and they face the circling creatures. "Sam, what in the name of all that is hole are wargs doing here?" "I don't know, I just got here like you. Autumn, have there ever been sightings of creatures like these before?"

[Love Amore]

"Nopony has ever seen anything like these before." Said Autumn, her voice sounded steady despite the fact her eyes had widened in fear. With the arrival of Sam and his group of heroes Autumn had seen and learned so much that she had begun to question the fear she had always had of the Everfree, if she could learn to defend herself was it really that dangerous? Now was the time to find out.

[Cfavano]

He glances back at Autumn. "Stay behind us Autumn, these things are far more dangerous than they appear." They howl and bark furiously, and one leaps at Sam, but he hurls a fireball at it's face as it yelps and falls to the ground in front of him. He plunges his blade into it's neck and it coughs and convulses for a few seconds before it collapses. The rest begin to run at them, and the three heroes fight bravely. Sam launches several silvery missiles at a few and that makes them stumble and he thrusts his hand forward, as a spiraling cone of burning ash shoots forward, engulfing 3 wargs, causing them to panic and run off, burning and blinded. Leilianna fights with courage and tenacity. Even though they bite her legs, she kicks them off and her sword strikes with accuracy, and she bashes them with her shield. Malacaius's blades begin to golw with their magical energy, and his hands begin to spin completely around, causing his swords to become like circular saws(think, general grevious), one a bright red, and the other, white. He waves his arms around, and as they make contact with the wargs, they cut through their thick hides, ripping their organs and tearing their flesh.

[Love Amore]

Autumn watched the battle from within the saftey of the triangle until one of the beasts lunged towards her causing her to scream and bolt with the mindless speed of terror, she galloped wildly through the trees until she felt some resistance about her forelegs. Before she could come to a full stop rope had wrapped itself around all four of her legs and she had been snapped up into the air where she hung upside down.

[Cfavano]

"Ooh, wha' 'ave we got 'ere?" Says a coarse rough voice as several hunched dark-green skinned humanoids with pointed ears, noses, and sharp teeth walk into view. "Ah, lookies like anoder one 'o dem poniez." Says another one as he licks his broken teeth with a purple-black tongue. "Looks tasties too." He pinches her flank. "Nice an' meatsie." "Well, you know whats to do." Says a figure that looks like the green-skinned ones, but it is red-skinned and larger. He draws a cruel-looking dagger. "One sound outta you, pony, and I'll bleed you like a stuck pig, understand?" They gut the rope holding her up, but not the one holding her legs, and they carry her back into a camp deep in the everfree. The trees and plants have been ripped back, and the ground is all muddy. She is thrown into a pen with about 10 other ponies, ranging in age from fillies and colts, all the way to the elderly, after she is stripped of her gear. A filly who was in the pen is removed, and, she begins to scream, as her throat is slit, her terrified eyes pleading Autumn for help, as her belly is sliced open, and she is disemboweled. She is also skinned, and cut up, pieces of meat stuck on sticks and roasted as others gnaw on her bones and chow on her organs.

As the wargs are finished off, Sam looks around. "Where is Autumn?" "I don't know."

[Love Amore]

Autumn had been stunned into silence as she was carried even deeper into the forest, she lay on the ground of the pen trembling and trying not to cry. She had watched as the filly was killed and eaten and she knew her fate would be the same unless she had left a decent trail in her fear-fueled frenzy of a run through the forest that Sam, Leilianna and Malacaius could find her and save her. There was a small part of her mind that wondered how she could be so calm but the truth of the mater was that she was to scared to be afraid, she was in shock.

[Cfavano]

As two goblins feed on their bits of pony while guarding the pen, they fall to idle chatter. "Why we capturing dese poniez anywayz? Not that dey aren't tasties, but dere is plenty of tastie beasties in dis forest." "It because dat 'uman wants to get rid of the 'elementses of harmoniez' or what e'er dey be called. Bad magic dey are she sayz. And once dey outta da way, we can getses all da shinies and food we wantses." "But what do da poniez have to do wid it?" "Who carez? We gets to have funses." A furious, but terrified Mare struts up to the guards. One of the guards looks at her and waves a bit of meat at her. "You want some o dis, ponie?" She spits at them "You butchered my daughter, you monsters!" The goblin snarls, and with a few of his comrades, removes her from the pen, and ties her to a post. She tries to bite and buck them, but they sty out of range of her, taunting her, while also stabbing her with spears and flogging her with whips. After a while, she simply stops moving, and the goblins toss her daughter's hide at her, and continue to go about their business.

Sam and the rest of the heroes hide at the edge of the camp. "What? Goblins? What are they doing here?" Leilianna taps him on his shoulder and points at the pen. "Nevermind that, look, there is Autumn." Sam grips the tree and grinds his teeth in range. "The bastards, I'll kill 'em all." "Sam, wait. There are at least 40, if we go charging in there, we'll probably not succeed. Let's wait till nightfall, when they go to sleep." Sam grudgingly nods.

[Love Amore]

After watching the savage beating of a mother in mourning Autumn broke down and began to cry, her sobs were nearly silent but her body shook with their power and tears spilled from her eyes to moisten the ground beneath her. After a hour or so of tears the sun had fallen and it was beginning to grow dark, as the darkness grew Autumn's tears dried leaving her to sob and shake in silence, the goblins began to show signs of settling down for the night as did the doomed ponies in the pen with her.

[Cfavano]

As night settles, the three adventurers sneak into the camp. They move silently, and Sam creeps up behind a sentry, and slits his throat as he holds his mouth. They move from tent to tent, cutting throats. When suddenly as he exits a ten, he comes face to face with a goblin. The goblin shrieks and gets away before he can grab him. he takes out a horn and blows a loud note. "Intruder! Intruder!" he cries as Sam throws the knife at him, and it sticks into his spine. Leilianna and Malacaius regroup to him. "Well, that didn't go as we planned, curse my luck." They dash over to the pen, and he blows the gate off with a thunder spell. "Autumn! Get them the hell out of here, now! No questions, just go, go home! We'll hold them off for as long as we can!" Using a few tables, they make a small barricade. It won't stop the goblins, nor will it provide much cover from goblins, but it will slow them. "Autumn, one thing. If I never see you again, it has been a pleasure knowing you, and I feel honored to call you friend. Now go!" They begin to face off the first few goblins that get close. Sam blasts them with spells, and Malacaius starts playing Ride the Lightning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQjPUcGrk7M&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LLZeelRb5QefMjjzKalKYVVg), and lightning bolts start firing from his instrument every now and then while Leilianna makes use of a goblin's crossbow.

[Love Amore]

Autumn jumped up and stared herding the stunned ponies out of the pen, head butting them and pushing to get them to move. As she held the rear of the stampede she bucked out at a goblin that tried to follow them letting out a scream that inspired frenzied fear in the ponies she followed causing them to run all the faster.

They burst out of the forest and into Ponyville "Into the town hall!" Shouted Autumn, it was the safest building in town. After seeing to it that everypony had made it safely into the building she went back to the edge of the Everfree Forest, she knocked on the doors of all the houses and cottages that were outside the city proper and warned them; most of the ponies she warned decided to head to the town hall for themselves but many of the houses were empty but open, a shudder ran down the mare's spine as she thought about what must have happened to the residents of those houses.

[Cfavano]

They hold them off for a good ten minutes, before the goblins lose heart and run off into the forest "Well, that's good. Let's go, Sam." Leilianna turns to face him, and he is leaning against a post, with an arrow through his stomach. "Well, this royally blows." "Sam!" She goes over to him. "It's okay, it didn't hit anything vital, but, the bad news is, it was poisoned." He breaks the tail off and pulls it the rest of the way through, hand the head end to Leilianna. She sniffs it "I recognize this poison, but even if we could fin the medical supplies we had, a general purpose antidote would not work." "Well, that's a bummer." He collapses, but Leilianna catches him. She hands him to Malacaius. "We have to get him back to autumn's house so I can prepare the antidote." Malacaius nods, and, after Leilianna picks up his warstaff, they run through the everfree, making good time, for something spurs them on. The fear that they may lose a dear friend. They suddenly break out of the forest, but they are not near Autumn's house. "Gods damn it, where are we?" "I can see her house, we missed it by half a mile." "Well, we have to go!" They run through ponyville as it rains, and Sam keeps getting paler and colder.

[Love Amore]

Autumn saw her friends running towards her house and she ran to catch up with them, before long she was running beside them. When she saw how pale Sam had become she began to worry "Is her OK?" she asked, she didn't want to slow them down but she couldn't bear not knowing.

[Cfavano]

"No, he is poisoned, badly." Malacaius kicks in the door to save time and hurries in. He lays him on the be and he begins to stir. He moans and moves around. Leilianna starts mixing powders and crushed leaves together. Sam begins talking in his delirious state. "Why, Mara? Why must I kill you? You aren't evil, you can fight it. Please, listen to me, I'm your brother... No....NO! Why must we fight? I love you. Please don't die." After a few minutes, she finishes the potion, sits Sam up, and forces him to drink it. "There there, drink it all down." After he finishes it, he finally settles, and his breathing slows down to a slow rhythmic pace. Leilianna rests her face in her hands as she sits down on a chair.

[Love Amore]

Autumn had followed them into her home, her eyes were trained on Sam. She stood near the head of the bed as Leilianna mixed the antidote, when Sam began to talk she moved closer to the bed to see if he was awake. She hoped that he was speaking of a nightmare and not his own experiences. After the antidote was administered she lay down on the floor her head on her hooves and her eyes still on Sam to wait and hope.

[Cfavano]

Hours pass, it turns to morning, then afternoon, and then as the sun begins to set, Sam finally stirs from his slumber. He is still pale, but he has most of his color back. "I'm...alive?" He holds his head as he slowly sits up. "Urgh, that was no goblin poison." He looks around and all his friends are around him. "Why are you all looking at me like that? I know I passed out, but, was it that bad? I have passed out before from poison." "Sam...you are right, that was no goblin poison. It was...death's kiss." "No! It cannot be..." He tries to get up, but his knees buckle underneath him. Leilianna and Nadia catch him, and keep him from falling, and get him back on the bed. "You need to rest, Sam, you know that." "But if she is here, then equestria is in great danger." "But you still have to regain your strength, death's kiss is a very potent paralytic. Just rest for now, it might not be her, maybe it exists here too. Autumn, can you take care of him for us? We will be scouting the everfree for a few days. Make sure he doesn't exert himself." They then exit the cottage

[Love Amore]

Autumn nodded and rose to her feet and set about brewing some chamomile and peppermint tea "How are you feeling?" she asked softly "Are you hungry? Thirsty? Tired?" she added turning back to Sam as the water boiled. She walked over to stand next to the bed, facing Sam, and smiled at him. "I'm glad you're awake now, I was really worried you wouldn't wake up..."

[Cfavano]

"I'm fine right now. A little thirsty, but I'm relieved I lived. I was afraid that I'd never get to see you again." He strokes her mane. "How about you? Did you get out alright? And what about the other ponies, did they get home safely? You didn't tell them about us, did you? I would hate to be the cause of a riot." He slides back so he is sitting up against the headboard. "I am sorry, I really am. Because of me, you could have died. I hope that you can forgive me, but I do not expect you to. Also, did I say anything while I was out?"

[Love Amore]

"I can't forgive you." Said the mare simply "Because you didn't do anything that needs forgiving." she added with a soft laugh, before trotting to get him glass of cool water. She handed him the water before answering his question. "You were talking to someone named Mara, you told her that you loved her and that she wasn't evil and that you didn't want to fight her..." Autumn wasn't sure if she should tell him that he had said he was Mara's brother, if Sam chose not to tell her that he might be embarrassed by what he had already said... But she didn't feel right with the deception "You also said you were her brother..."

[Cfavano]

He simply looks at her. "Fuck. Of all the things I had to say." He drinks the water down, and places the glass on the bedside table. "Well, I have to tell you now. What I am about to tell you, I never never told anyone. Not Leilianna, Not Nadia, not anyone. Remember when I said that I had lost everything? That wasn't exactly...true. But, I did not know that at the time. Several months later, I found my father living in a slum on the Island of Varidan before it became what it was. He was overjoyed to see me, and I started living with him. You see, Maramal, or, Mara, as I called her, was my older sister. when I was little, I looked up to her, and she was my hero. I never knew my mother, so she was like a second mother to me. I had not seen her since I had gotten there, and so I was worried. He told me she had been killed a while ago, and I grieved for a time, but we went on with our lives. I wasn't until several years later he told me how she died. I talked to him every day about how I saw the people of this country were, more or less, enslaved, and they should be free. He told me Maramal also had that idea, and went off to fight. And fight she did, but she died fighting, the people she had fought for had cheered her on, but had not lifted a finger to help her. This made him hate them, and he believed that they deserved their fate. I, being foolish as I was, refused to believe this, and I ran off, and stirred up the people. I led them to the fortress where the evil king lived, and outside of it was his army of golems. I fought the golems single-handed, cutting through their ranks until I saw their commander, a female. I could not see her face, just her eyes, and I noted they looked like mine. She finally stepped out, and I realized it was my sister, Maramal, who had been given life and twisted by fell magics. I remember it so well..."

~Flashback (it's easier in 3rd person)~

Samuel dropped to his knees and lowered his weapon. Their father stepped quietly out of the crowd.
"You're trying to understand. I told you your sister had been killed. Yet, here she stands in the very shadow of the man you came here to destroy. You came here to avenge her death. You came here to save mankind. You see now, you cannot do both."

Samuel's eyes raised to meet his sister's. Maramal met his stare, held it for only a second and turned her attention to the bloodthirsty crowd. "Tell me now. Is there a man among you here? Is there no one who will stand up and try to fight? Tell me Man, is there not one in all your ranks? Is there not one who values courage over life?" Maramal turns her attention back to her brother. "They looked to me once. Now they turn to you. Do you understand now? Do you see that the truth is they don't want to change this? They don't want a hero. They just want a martyr, a statue to raise. I've given everything I can. There are no heroes left in man. So it begins! No matter which one of us lives, the ground we're standing on will crack and blow away. And you will fight. But when you fight, you'll fight alone. And in the end you'll see there was no other way. I've been here before. I've stood where you stand. They called me their hero, The Hero of Man. But why should we save them when they stand for nothing? If they deserve life, LET THEM STAND FOR THEMSELVES! We've given everything we can. There are no heroes left in man. They'll watch you die to save their lives. They will not stand here by your side."

Suddenly Maramal stops. Her eyes fall on her father. Her face changes almost imperceptibly. Nothing changes but her eyes. Then, as quickly as she'd stopped, Marama leaps off of the shattered golems and lands in the midst of the remaining army. Throwing her bare hand into the side of one golem, Maramal sends him flying into the ranks. Three, four golems fall under Maramal's powerful blow. Shee destroys her own legions as she makes her way to the front of the line. He stands alone in front of Samuel. "We've given everything we can. There are no heroes left in man. So let them watch as we decide the very fate of all mankind!"

The air is thick with smoke. Maramal makes no move, but stands, still at some distance, at the ready. Samuel, still fighting to fully grasp the truth of the situation, raises from his knees. His weapon raised hesitantly, Samuel locks eyes with his sister but breaks free seconds later. His eyes dart over the crowd searching for their father. His father's eyes are on the ground. He can watch no more. The crowd watches with fiery intensity. Samuel's eyes fix once again on Maramal. His weapon drops to his side.

"I will not fight you." "You have no choice." "I'll stand beside you." "I stand alone." "You're still their hero." "Then they are fools." "This cannot be the only way!" "You will see." "They don't deserve this." "When this is through,..." "Now more than ever,..." "Mankind will fall." "We are their hope!" "They would not stand." "They know no better." "They would not fight." "They are not ready." "They never will." "Even now there is hope for man!" "My father's words!" "Your father loved you." "He still believes?" "His heart was broken." "His only weakness." "His greatest strength!" "Now we shall see..." "You are not evil."" ...if they will stand..." "You are not broken." "...beside their hero." "We both know they'll never fight!" "You finally get it. There are no heroes. Mankind is doomed." She looks at the crowd. "You will never have another Hero! You will never have another chance! You will fall, because you never tried to stand for yourselves!" She faces her brother once more.

The crowd starts chanting and jeering. "Destroy her!" "You can save us!" You're our hero!" "Destroy her!" "You're our only hope!" Then, they say almost in unison: "KILL MARAMAL!"

No man saw the blow. The light was blinding. The crash was deafening. The two siblings stood feet apart. Both in pain. Only Maramal fell. Her knees hit the ground. Her weapon followed. Before she could fall any further Samuel was at her side. The siblings embraced. Maramal was dying. Nothing could stop that now. Maramal looked up through strained eyes and tried to speak. At first nothing came. Summoning all her remaining strength, Maramal whispered these words into his brother's ear: "If these people...tell this story...to their children...as they sleep...maybe someday...they'll see a Hero...is just a man...who knows he is free." maramalwas dead. The crowd seemed pleased.
Samuel finally understood. There are no Heroes left in them.

"She could not save herself. How could she save us? For all the blood she shed,..." "As I live." "Your sister failed us." "There is no evil that will stand." "There's nothing you could do." "And I will finish," "You had no choice." "what was started:" "Why do you cry for her?" "The fight of Maramal!" "You are our hero. You are our hero!"

The fallen body of his sister at his feet, Samuel removed his helmet and began to walk away from the fortress. The remaining golems looked at their broken leader, then at Samuel. Without orders, they would neither advance nor retreat. With eyes full of rage, Samuel looked over the whole of the citizens, turned his eyes back to the golem army and lowered his head. Slowly, he loosened his grip on his battle-scarred helmet, letting it drop from his hand to the ground. The golems immediately turned from Samuel and cast their eyes towards the fortress. The dark King stood high above the golems, high above the crowd of men, high above their broken heroes. With a wave of his hand, the golem army had their orders. They advanced on the crowd to punish them for their thoughts of rebellion. Men fell in waves. Those most eager to watch the bloodshed were the first victims of the slaughter. The sound of golems marching into a screaming mass did not cause Samuel to turn. The sound of children crying for their mothers would not pull his gaze from the far edge of the city. He then left, never looking back.

~present time~

"That is what happened to my sister. I killed her with my bare hands. And I will never forgive myself for it."

[Love Amore]

When Sam had finished his story Autumn climbed on the bed to hug him, after hearing what he had gone through she knew that there weren't words out there that would be appropriate for the moment, only non-verbal comfort would do.

[Cfavano]

When she climbed in with him, it surprised him, and when she hugged him after he told the story, he was almost in shock. This was the first time he had ever told anyone about it. he had kept those feelings locked in him for more than a decade. he wraps his arms around her and embraces her as well, pressing his face onto her neck, and she can hear and feel him sob, as the warm wetness of tears, the first tears he had shed since that day, flow from his eyes. He had hated himself since then, told himself he was a monster, and knew that if he told anyone, they would instantly hate him. But this pony, this angel, who didn't even understand why someone would kill someone else, had listened. She did not judge, nor chide him. She did not scorn or rebuke. She accepted him, she showed him kindness and gentleness. This open-hearted creature had brought calm to the raging storm that was his mind. For the first time in ages, as he wrapped himself around Autumn, he felt content. "Thank you Autumn. You have no idea how much this means to me." He even kisses her cheek. "If I were to be so bold, would you mind laying next to me tonight, I do not want to be alone."

[Love Amore]

Autumn nuzzled against Sam's cheek, humming a soft little tune to soothe him. She could feel how the pressure of this pain had built up inside him and she knew he had to let it out. "Of course I'll sleep next to you." replied the mare, she didn't wnt to say it but she had dreaded facing the night alone. The images she had seen during her short captivity, she knew, would haunt her dreams which were already filled with nightmares.

[Cfavano]

"Alright then. Autumn, there is something I have to get off my chest. Ever since I looked at you, I have felt odd. A very warm sensation, and my heart started to beat fast. It has made me act differently. Like, using wish even though I knew it would hurt me, just so I could see a smile on your face. Or, when I saw you were imprisoned by goblins, I almost lost control and charged them head on to rescue you, even though I knew I would probably die or get gravely injured, because I was afraid tat they would harm you. Maybe you can help me, what is this stirring in me?" He strokes her cheek

[Love Amore]

Autumn moved back a little bit to look at him better although she didn't break contact, she blushed at his words nd looked away. "You've lived so much more than I have, haven't you ever been in love before?" Said the mare softly "I'm not sure what you feel, but it sounds like love to me."

[Cfavano]

"Oh, so it is love. No, I have never felt love like this before. There is the bond of love and care between good friends, and the love of life, but I have never loved someone, or, in this case, somepony before. So, I guess I should say it then. I love you Autumn Heart. It feels good to say that. I've had love explained to me before, but there has never been enough time or room in my life for love before. I was always busy with one duty or another, travelling the world, then running a guild. I just never found the time to get a wife. I can honestly say, these last few days have been the least eventful days since I was but a child. I guess I could settle down, I am getting on in years. Maybe I should build a tower in the everfree and spend the rest of my days in the studying of arcane secrets. A lot of wizards do that. Or I can start a family. But I am not sure if that would be accepted by your countrymen. I have seen inter-species couples be persecuted before. But any persecution I would receive would be worth it for you."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed even darker, she had never entertained the idea of loving anypony. The earth ponies were too boring and the pegasi and unicorns had always ignored her but as she lay in bed with this human she could see a life and love before her. In that moment she felt herself falling in love with Sam; his voice, his mannerisms, his kindness... She nuzzled against him and when she was about to speak the teapot began to whistle, still blushing she rose from the bed and poured Sam a cup of tea, she brought it over to him before pouring her own. "It's chamomile to soothe and peppermint for sweet dreams..." She was trying to give herself time to think, to figure out what to say. Her imagination had run away with her as she pictured living her life with this man, they could adopt a foal or two and live their lives together.

[Cfavano]

He sips it. "It's wonderful, but I doubt I'll have sweet dreams. Ever since I was blasted with a wave of psionic energy from an oracle, I have been forced to have visions in my dreams. Sometimes they can be pretty tame, but, more often than not, they are grim and violent. One I have been having recently depicts the end of the world. The part that was shown to me most recently went like this :

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!' Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!'

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?' "

He sips more. "I can tell you that it is frightening, for something tells me that this will come to pass, but it does not say when."

[Love Amore]

Autumn thought for a minute about his dream as she finished her tea "I'll just have to give you something good to have visions about then." as she spoke she set the empty cup on the bedside table and climbed back into the bed. She lay next to Sam and sighed contentedly.

[Cfavano]

He slides down to be next to her, pulls the covers up, then snaps his fingers, and the lights go out. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close. "Autumn, I am glad you came in to my life, and I look forward to spending time with you. I promise that I will always be faithful to you." He kisses her once more, and then goes to sleep.

-The next morning-

He gets up when it is still dawn. He uses a weak teleport spell to get out of bed without disturbing Autumn. He begins taking off much of his clothes, leaving on only a pair of cloth pants, and he sneaks outside into the meadow behind her house. As he gets there, the sun begins to rise, and he takes a deep breath as he focuses his energy. He then begins performing the slow, but complex maneuvers that comprises Tai chi. He moves gracefully, no amount of energy is wasted as he flows from one move to the next. Sweat beads on his brow and chest and the dew of the morning wets his legs. He is centered, and calm. He keeps himself focused so as to control his body. The world around him is silent, but waking. He can hear the wind rustling in the trees, the brook babbling along, and the sound of animals waking up. The symphony of the morning is beginning, and he is in the center of it all, moving in tune to the heartbeat of the world, matching its with his. He breathes deeply and slowly, and continues his movements.

[Love Amore]

When the sun's rays peeked into her eastern window Autumn began to awake, she noticed that Sam was not next to her and she jumped out of bed. She went outside to look for him and when she saw him she was stunned. His movements were so... fluid it was beautiful, he was beautiful. She stood and watched for almost a minute when she remembered that he wasn't supposed to exert himself, and from the glimmer of sweat it looked like he was exerting himself.

"Leilianna said you shouldn't exert yourself..." said the mare hesitantly "are you sure you've recovered enough for this?" she asked stepping closer.

[Cfavano]

"This is part of my recovery, actually. T'ai chi ch'uan is an ancient form of martial arts, and it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. It is a great work out, and it allows me to relax and focus, centering my mind, body, and spirit, keeping them in focus." While he speaks to her, he keeps moving never missing a step or movement. "While I do this, I allow myself to fall into a calm state of hyper-awareness. I can hear the birds chirping away in the trees over there, the babbling of the brook, I could even hear you coming, and even now, I can hear your heartbeat even now. By becoming focused, I can control my Ch'i flow, and apply it to the parts of my body that are out of balance. This promotes healing and overall health. I do not always get to do my exercise, but when I don't I spend the time in quiet reflection and meditation. It's why I am so healthy and strong. And look, in the rush of things, My arrow wound was unable to be treated, but look, it is almost closed. It should have taken more than a week, but is almost fixed, mainly because I applied my Ch'i to the affected area."

[Love Amore]

Autumn had noticed the healing of his wound and she nodded. "I suppose I shouldn't bother you then..." she retreated to a respectful distance and pretended to check on her roses while secretly watching him through the bushes. Her reasons for watching him weren't entirely selfish, she wanted to be aware of him in case he wasn't as healthy as he seemed. So she watched and as she watched she picked raspberries for their breakfast.

[Cfavano]

"You know, Autumn, you can watch me if you want to. I would enjoy your company. Mayhap I can even teach you something." He finishes his exercise, and goes and sits in the lotus position a midst a bunch of daffodils. He breathes in and out. "Come, sit with me, the morning is wonderful, and now is too fine a period of time to work. We can do it later. Right now, however, is a wonderful time to learn. If you would like to listen to me that is. I can teach you to be the master of your body."

[Love Amore]

Autumn walked over and lay next to Sam amidst the flowers "I would love to listen to you..." she said before blushing, realizing that she would listen to him. She'd sit and listen as he read the phonebook for all of Equestria from cover to cover.

[Cfavano]

"I am going to tell you about Ch'i. Ch'i can be most easily described as 'life force'. Many people believe in it, and it's properties. Every living thing in the world has Ch'i, even the world. It is widely believed that the wind is its ch'i. When ch'i collects in a single area, life is created, and when it disappates, death comes. Ch'i, like it's namesake, for the word itself means 'air', constantly flows around us." He gestures with his hands. "And we are affected by it, though we may not notice or understand." He places a hand on her chest. "Even though, for the most part it goes unnoticed by many, Ch'i constantly flows through and around us, and it is because of that we feel connections with each other." He removes his hand and goes back to the lotus position. "Martial artists have some grasp of ch'i, and use it. Ch'i can be used to perform supernatural feats like, punching through bricks, or breaking a stick with the edge of a piece of paper. It can also, like I showed you, be used to heal. Another purpose, is you can find a hidden or lost person, by sensing for their Ch'i. It can be used directly offensively. And not by increasing your strength. You can attack someone directly with your Ch'i. This takes a lot of control, not only because you have to focus your Ch'i to such a point that it becomes harmful, but also because, if you are not careful about where and how you strike, you will outright kill a person. Or, pony, depending on who it is. Watch." He holds his arm out straight forward with palm up, and runs his other hand down the length of his arm, but not actually touching it. He accompanies that with deep and slow breathing. Then, he takes her front left hoof gently in his one hand, and holds the arm he focused his ch'i into over her front leg, and hovers his hand over it, palm down, slowly moving up and down it. Over where his hand is as he moves it, she feels a light tingling sensation. "You feel that? That is our ch'i attempting to intermingle, but it your body does not want my ch'i, so it is fighting it. Now, if I were to force my ch'i into you by means of a pressure point..." He finally stops partway up her leg, and gently taps it with his for an middle finger. A shooting pain travels up and down that leg before it goes completely numb. "There, I have temporarily halted the flow of ch'i into that limb. Now, if someone were to do that at the pressure point over the heart or lungs... you can see what would happen. Don't worry about your leg, I only put a little bit into it, so you shoud regain full feeling in it in a few moments." He releases the rest of his ch'i that he had gathered into the rest of his body with a few deep breaths. "Now, did you enjoy that lesson?"

[Love Amore]

Autumn wiggled her leg until feeling returned "Where did you learn all of this?" she asked in wonder. Now that she was aware of it she could feel the ch'i flowing through her. She felt like she was aware of herself for the first time since she got her Cutie Mark, she felt powerful.

She closed her eyes and relaxed into the fertile earth, feeling the energy of the flowers that she had known since they were naught but seeds. She felt her energy flare and she opened her eyes with a start; the flowers around where she lay had grown more full and the grass had grown thicker and greener. She stared around her in wonder, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open. "How...?"

[Cfavano]

"Well, perhaps I also awakened something latent. It seems you have magical talent. You, my fair pony, I believe are a dendromancer. Mayhap that mark on your flank means a lot more than just being a good gardener. A dendromancer is similar to a druid in the sense that they draw from the divine power source, and both gain their powers from nature gods. I do not know much about them, except that they are very powerful, and not often seen. Malacaius can tell you more, he is like a walking library. Needless to say, you are very special."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed scarlet and looked up at Sam "But in Equestria only unicorn ponies have magic!" she protested. Despite her protests she couldn't argue with the results, she stood up and looked around to see how far the effect spread; it was the exact shape of a pony lying on the grass except it extended an inch or two further out in every direction than she did as well as filling in the space between where her forelegs had been.

[Cfavano]

"Well, dendromancy isn't technically magic in the usual sense. As I said, it is of the divine power source, and as such, you received it from a god. And, my dear little pony, I am living poof to the contrary of your statement. Dost thou see a horn on my forehead?" He laughs lightheartedly. I guess a god looked highly on you and granted you this gift at birth. I'm not hyper-religious like Leilianna, but I do acknowledge their existence. One in particular, Kord, the god of battle and courage. I have never prayed to him, but I think he guides me. As a craftsman, I technically also revere Moradin, the smith god, but, I have never prayed to him before either. One thing that has made me curious. Do you even HAVE religion in equestria? A single unifying eternal being that you all worship? Or are their a group of beings that each define a domain. Like, the sun or the moon."

[Love Amore]

"Well... To be honest I diddn't know what Leilianna was talking about when she talked about 'gods' at first, and I'm not sure I understand entirely now, but I don't think we have them here in Equestria. We have Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who are Allcorns and who manage the day and the night, respectively, but we don't worship them. And we have dragons and we certainly don't worship them like Leilinna and her dragon god..." Autumn was embaressed at her inability to really answer the question, but she hoped her answer helped a little bit.

[Cfavano]

"I see. Well, allow me to explain. Try, at least. You see, gods are ancient, immortal, and very powerful beings. They have no set form, but can take any they wish. Mortal beings worship these gods, for they have the power to perform miracles, and grant us fractions of their power. Some gods are kind, like Pelor. He is the god of the sun, and of truth and light, as well as he is the patron of summer. There is also the Sehanine, the goddess of shadows, luck, the moon, and autumn. Others, like Bane, the god of war, or Gruumsh, the god of destruction, are not so nice. These gods, while also controlling their dominions, do ask mortals to do things. They have rules that their followers must follow, or they face the consequences. While many gods do favor being kind, they will act out against those that flaunt their rules, smiting them with divine wrath, or getting their followers to come after you. Most of those that believe in their gods never even see them, but they believe that they exist. Whole wars have been fought over religion. for simple things like 'my god is the real god, you are all just heathens and deserve to die'. But religion is not all bad. It gives people hope where they is none. A belief in 'life after death' and that they will eventually be rewarded for all their suffering. I hope that explains it."

[Love Amore]

Autumn nodded in thought "We don't have anything like that here, the knowledge that the Elements of Harmony are out there give us hope and the princesses rule us so I guess we never needed any gods..." It was an interesting idea, powerful beings like that, and she was curious. "Have you ever met any gods?" she asked "What other gods are there?"

[Cfavano]

"Oh, yes. I distinctly remember visiting Letherna, The Raven Queen's palace made of black ice. Very cold, and dim. It's wht you would expect of the goddess of death, fate, and the patron of winter. There are many gods, I will tell you of those I know:

Abadar, God of Cities, wealth, merchants, and law. His worshipers include Judges, lawyers, merchants, and aristocrats.

Asmodeus, God of Tyranny, Slavery, pride, and contracts. His worshipers include slavers, bureaucrats, and tyrants.

Calistria, Goddess of Trickery, Lust, and Revenge. Many different people worship her.

Cayden Caliean, God of Freedom, Ale, Wine, and Bravery. His worshipers include Brewers, vintners, barkeeps, innkeepers, and good adventurers.

Desna, Goddess of Dreams, Stars, Travelers, and Luck. Her followers include Travelers, Astronomers, Gamblers, Varisians, and Musicians.

Erastil, God of Farming, Hunting, Trade, and Family. His followers include Farmers, hunters, and tradesmen

Gorum, God of Strength, Battle, and Weapons. His worshipers include half-orcs and barbarians.

Gozreh, God of Nature, Weather, and The sea. His worshipers include Druids, sailors, woodsmen, and farmers.

Iomedae, Goddess of Valor, Rulership, Justice, and Honor. Her followers include Paladins, knights, and warriors.

Irori, God of History, Knowledge, and Self-perfection. His followers include monks and Vudrani.

Lamashtu, Goddess of Madness, Monsters, and Nightmares. Her followers include Gnolls, medusae, harpies, goblins, some minotaurs, and hidden human cults.

Nethys, God of Magic. His worshipers are Wizards.

Norgorber, God of Greed, Secrets, Poison, and Murder. His worshipers include assassins, and spies.

Pharasma, Goddess of Fate, Death, Prophecy, and Rebirth. Her worshipers include midwives, pregnant women, and morticians.

Rovagug, God of Wrath, Disaster, and Destruction. few worship him.

Sarenrae, Goddess of The Sun, Redemption, Honesty, and Healing. Her worshipers include healers, farmers, and redeemed evil-doers.

Shelyn, Goddess of Beauty, art, love, and music. Her worshipers include Artists, poets, and lovers.

Torag, God of The Forge, protection, and strategy. Many different people worship him.

Uragotha, Goddess of Gluttony, Disease, and Undeath. Not many people worship her.

Zon-Kuthon, God of Envy, Pain, Darkness, and Loss. He is not worshiped by many.

Those are all the main gods from my homeland. There are many other minor gods, and Archdemons, but I do not know much about them. Do you want to know about any specific god in more detail?"

[Love Amore]

"Would your gods even be in Equestria?" Asked Autumn, her curiosity had been piqued and she wanted to learn more about Sam's world, so she would understand these new people better. "Sarenrae sounds a lot like Celestia, do you know anything more about her? And Asmodeus, you said, is god of something called 'slavery' and I'm not sure I know what that is..." she blushed at her ignorance "There is so much about your world I don't know..." she murmmerd by way of apology. "I just want to learn all there is to learn!"

[Cfavano]

"I have an idea. I will tell you about two of the gods at a time, but, then you must tell me something about equestria. Like, for example, what are the elements of harmony? Or tell me about your princesses. So, I will start off with Asmodeus and Sarenre. And, they might be. They are very powerful beings. And slavery, well, slavery is when you force someone to work for you, and you do not pay them, and they must do whatever you say." He clears his throat.


"Asmodeus is the most powerful of the nine archdevils that inhabit Hell and the only one of Hell's rulers to claim full divinity. It is he who is credited with the penning of the contract of creation, within which his followers believe is hidden the means for their patron's eventual rise to supremacy. He is called 'The prince of darkness'.

In addition to forging the contract of creation, then accepted by all the gods and rumored to contain a secret that will one day lead to its author's rise to power above his fellow deities, Asmodeus played a key role in the defeat and imprisonment of Rovagug. The Rough Beast was sealed away in the Pit of Gormuz, the only key to his prison kept by the Prince of Darkness himself.

Of the evil deities, the Prince of Darkness is the most respected and trusted by his divine peers, though they realize his aid is not to be sought or accepted lightly.

Asmodeus is generally depicted in art as a large, flame-enshrouded man with red skin, cloven hooves, and horns. He is often shown wielding a contract or a flaming mace. Though many believe that this is his true form, some speak of a more fiendish form with constantly bleeding wounds. Asmodeus is also capable of taking the shape of any creature, an ability he uses to gain an advantage in negotiations through intimidation, comfort, or pity. He is also represented by his holy symbol, an upside down red pentagram.


He also has a servant by the name of Brasileus. This devil serves as the Prince of Darkness' current herald. He appears as a handsome young male possessing blond hair, perceived to be of the same species as that of any creature that encounters him. Additionally, Basileus can freely take a form of supernatural terror; this form differs from one viewer to another, each faced with the greatest fear he or she can imagine.

Now on to Sarenrae.

Known to her faithful as the Dawnflower, the Healing Flame, and the Everlight, Sarenrae teaches temperance and patience in all things. Compassion and peace are her greatest virtues, and if enemies of the faith can be redeemed, they should be. Yet there are those who have no interest in redemption, who glory in slaughter and death. From the remorseless evil of the undead and fiends to the cruelties born in the hearts of mortals, Sarenrae's doctrines preach swift justice delivered by the scimitar's edge. To this end, she expects her faithful to be skilled at swordplay, both as a form of martial art promoting centering of mind and body, and so that when they do enter battle, their foes do not suffer any longer than necessary.

Sarenrae is known to be among the early gods that battled Rovagug in defending creation. During this magnificent war of prehistory, the Dawnflower cast down Rovagug to the center of the world. It is believed that after Asmodeus bound the Rough Beast there, Sarenrae placed therein the raging flames of the sun as an eternal torment.

Sarenrae counts all non-evil gods as companions, and even communicates with evil deities in the hopes of converting them from their dark ways. She has some distrust for Asmodeus due to arguing over the souls of the dead. Her only true enemy is Rovagug.

Sarenrae manifests as a bronze angelic beauty, with golden hair composed of flowing flame. From one hand emits a holy light which trickles down like liquid luminescence, whereas the other holds a scimitar emblazoned with radiant fire. Her holy light provides healing and sustenance, while the scimitar creates gusts of winds that remove disease and fear.

Sarenrae has numerous angelic servants. Her herald, the Holy Sunlord Thalachos, is a platinum-skinned angelic minion that is escorted by 11 divine doves.

Bryla: This servant of Sarenrae is manifested as a wheel of flaming sunlight.

Charlabu: Charlabu is a gold-colored hound archon that often appears in a canine form.

Mystmorning: This servant of the Dawnflower is an intelligent animated blade and possesses the same powers as that of a celestial unicorn.

Okay, now it's your turn. This is like a game, really."

[Love Amore]

"The elements of harmony are six relics of great power, when somepony perfectly embody each element they can use the power when they have the most need of it." Began Autumn, she enjoyed telling stories and this was a good one. "Over a thousand years ago; Princess Luna became so jealous of the fact ponies loved the day her sister brought but slept through, and sometimes feared, her glorious night. The envy and anger grew inside her until she was overcome with hatred for her own sister and all of pony kind, she became; Nightmare Moon. On the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, the end of the longest day of the year, Nightmare Moon tried to enact her fiendish plot and bring about eternal night. Princess Celestia harnessed the powers of the Elements of Harmony and used them to trap Nightmare Moon inside of the moon itself and return balance to the world." Autumn took smiled "This is my favorite part! The legend said that Nightmare Moon would return on the thousandth night of the Sun Celebration, nobody remembered except one Unicorn Pony named Twilight Sparkle... But that's a whole different story."

[Cfavano]

"I see. So equestria isn't the paradise I thought it was. Now, on to the next two. I mentioned Rovagug in the last two, so, He will be one of the ones I talk about now." He begins.


"Imprisoned since the dawn of time, Rovagug seeks only to destroy creation and the gods. His increasingly restless stirrings are taken by many to be the cause of volcanic activity and earthquakes.

In a time so long ago that perhaps even the aboleth do not remember it, and before the entity known as Zon-Kuthon emerged from the Outer Darkness, Rovagug sought to destroy the world. In a rare showing of solidarity, all the gods stood together to defeat him. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to destroy him, the goddess Sarenrae sliced open a hole in the world, and the archdevil Asmodeus bound him with a key only the Prince of Darkness held. This prison is believed to be the Pit of Gormuz on the continent of Casmaron, in a region known as the Windswept Wastes.

It was an imperfect captivity, and 3923 years before Aroden raised the Starstone, his prison split open, and one of the terrible Spawn of Rovagug was discharged into an unsuspecting and already miserable world. It would be the first of a dozen unleashed over the next 5,000 years.

While Rovagug hates most deities equally, he reserves especial hatred for Sarenrae, who was instrumental in combating the Rough Beast long enough that the archdevil Asmodeus could imprison him. This hatred is returned by all other deities as well, and even feuding gods joined together to seal Rovagug away from the world.

The Rough Beast's avatar appears as a monstrous, worm-like being, with innumerable limbs, eyes, claws, teeth, and other, more unmentionable parts.

The horrific Tarrasque is Rovagug's current Herald, although prior to its birth, other Spawn have served in this capacity.

He's a nasty one, and I actually fought the Terrasque. It is a huge and monstrous beast. It can destroy a city in mere minutes. This next one, I believe you will like very much.

Erastil is one of the oldest gods still worshiped in Avistan. His religion dates back to before the Age of Darkness when small farming communities and hunter-gatherers prayed to him for bountiful harvests and successful hunts. He is a god of the hunt and of farming, leading his followers by example and good deeds rather than flowery rhetoric. He is called 'Old Deadeye'.

Erastil is an elder deity, his worship hearkening back to the time when mankind first set about harnessing the wilderness and mastering nature. Legends claim that it was Old Deadeye himself who crafted the first bow and gifted it to humans, a gift to assist them in overcoming the challenges of the world. Even as the accomplishments of civilization mount, Erastil continues to embrace and represent the simpler pleasures life has to offer.

Erastil teaches his followers to embrace traditional and simpler ways of life, free of the constraints of modern civilization, a trait that often results in disagreements with more progressive deities such as Abadar; this difference in opinion leads to increasing conflict between these deities' respective clergies.

Depictions of Erastil are commonplace in the homes of his followers. Such images usually portray the Ulfen deity as either an aged human with the bow and gear of a trapper, or as an elk-headed humanoid. These depictions often show Old Deadeye holding fast against various beasts and animals of the wilds. In times of need, Erastil has also been known to appear to lost hunters in the form of a stag.

Creatures held in high esteem by Old Deadeye include elk, deer, and other hooved animals. Those who please Erastil are often rewarded by increased yields, both from farm and field, while earning his disfavor can lead to damaged or ruined crops and poor hunting. Erastil's herald is known as the Grim White Stag. It has the appearance of a gigantic white stag with branches in place of its antlers and vines wrapping around its legs. He also has a few other servants.

Arangin: This servant is a ruby-toned horse that understands the common language but does not speak.

Blackfeather: This servant is an eagle-archer that has the power of shape-shifting.

Proudsnout: This servant of Erastil is a divine boar.

Scorchbark: This minion is a young treant who possesses a rather brash temperament.

I believe that he is the god you should devote yourself to. Now, tell me about what happened on the Thousandth sun ceremony."

[Love Amore]

"Rovagug sounds a lot like Discord..." Said autumn with a little laugh "But first, The Return of Nightmare Moon. About thirty years ago, Twilight Sparkle had been sent right here to Ponyville to ensure that the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration were going well and she met five other mares. Applejack who was the strongest and most honest Earth Pony in all of Equestria, Pinkie Pie who loved fun and parties and the like, Rainbow Dash who was the only Pegasus Pony to ever do a Sonic Rainboom, Fluttershy who was the only Pegasus Pony to live in Ponyville on the ground, and Rarity who was a beautiful mare who designed beautiful gowns. It was the evening of the Summer Sun Celibration when Nightmare Moon attacked! She attacked Princess Celestia and knocked her out so her student, Twilight Sparkle, had to go into the Everfree Forest to find the Elements of Harmony. The five other mares she had met wouldn't let her go alone and so the six of them entered the forest.

While in the forest the six faced off against a manticore, a river monster and may other dangers but they pulled through using teamwork. When they reached the temple where the Elements of Harmony were hidden Nightmare Moon was already there! She had taken the Elements of Harmony but because each pony of the six was the true embodiment of each element they won them back and returned Nightmare Moon to her original state as Princess Luna." Autumn smiled at Sam "Don't you just love it? It's my favorite story. And the Elements of harmony are; Honesty, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity and Magic."

[Cfavano]

"Do you believe it is true? Sounds very plausible to me. Mayhap we might find these elements of harmony one day. If it happened such a short time ago, maybe the six are still alive, you could ask them. And they do have some pretty interesting names. It seems funny that someone would name their child after an alcoholic drink. And by that, I mean Applejack. It is quite strong. If our times are the same, I would have been alive when it happened. Now, on to the next two. I mentioned Zon-kuthon in my last pair, so I shall talk of him and his Half-sister." He shifts on the ground.

"Zon-Kuthon possesses one of the most twisted and evil minds in the multiverse. His position as god of pain is well earned, and he has been the root of countless tortures, murders and worse throughout time. He is known as 'The Midnight Lord' and 'The Dark Prince'.

At the beginning of time, Zon-Kuthon was known as Dou-Bral, a good deity who shared the portfolio of beauty, love and the arts with his half-sister Shelyn. Dou-Bral abandoned Golarion for the dark places between the planes, though, and was tormented there and possessed by an alien being. Upon returning to reality, Dou-Bral as he had been known was gone, replaced with the twisted, malevolent soul known as Zon-Kuthon.

When Shelyn saw that her brother was forever changed, and not for the better, the two battled, her pleas and tears met with a violence foreign to the Dou-Bral she knew and loved. Shelyn finally wrested the golden glaive the two had shared a symbol of their power from her twisted brother's fingers, establishing an tenuous truce, held in place more by silence and avoidance than any desire to actually coexist.

Seeing the crimes Zon-Kuthon committed in Golarion, Abadar knew that he must be punished, and made a bargain with the evil god. Zon-Kuthon agreed to go into exile on the Plane of Shadow for as long as the sun hung in the sky in exchange for an item from the First Vault. This imprisonment was not meant to be over as soon as it was, though, and when the sun stopped shining upon Golarion during the Age of Darkness, Abadar honored his deal, giving Zon-Kuthon the first shadow, which The Midnight Lord has used to craft evil creatures from his realm of Xovaikain.

Zon-Kuthon has little concern for the dealing of other deities. As long as he can play with his many toys, The Dark Prince has no need for any alliances, wars, or diplomatic dealings. While often the target of vengeance from Golarion's good deities, Zon-Kuthon himself does little to instigate conflict. That said, he is not above torturing followers of other faiths, and does so whenever possible. The only one safe from his evil ways is his sister Shelyn, though he grants no such immunity to her faithful.

As Dou-Bral, Zon-Kuthon was known for his beauty, but his body now resembles a work of art crafted by a madman whose only belief is that pain and torture are the pinnacles of existence. Pale, gaunt, and often hairless, Zon-Kuthon is often depicted wearing skin-tight leather clothing, positioned to highlight his many open wounds and body modifications. His lips have been removed, giving him a bloody, macabre grin, and hooks and piercings contort his face into foul, twisted expressions. His gruesome visage is further marred by the crystal which rests in the cavity where his left eye once sat. Atop his scalp, a vertical crown of spikes pulls his skin into a disturbing sunburst, and the back of his skull is completely gone, revealing his brain. His hands ends in long, knife-like fingernails.

He has a few servants, but if I told you anything more about him, I think you might have nightmares. Now, on to his half-sister, Shelyn.

Shelyn is the half-sister of Zon-Kuthon. She started life as a relatively minor deity of beauty, art, and music, but with the destruction of her mother, the former goddess of love, she gained the very important portfolio of love and became a somewhat more-powerful deity. Shelyn continues to focus on beauty, and the related areas of art and music, and has expanded upon her mother’s relatively narrow view of love to include all forms of the emotion. Shelyn's ethnicity of origin is Taldor and her major centers of worship are Absalom, Galt, Sargava and Taldor.

The Goddess Shelyn was born the daughter of Thron, “The Prince That Howls”, after the First Gods had imprisoned Rovagug and had agreed to leave humanity to its own devices. For a time, she and Dou-Bral shared the portfolios of beauty, love and the arts, and were worshiped by the early Taldor, until at some point they argued, and Dou-Bral abandoned Golarion for the far dark places between the planes.

When Dou-Bral returned to Golarion, he had become a god of mutilation, misery and torture: Zon-Kuthon. Believing that Dou-Bral still existed within Zon-Kuthon, Shelyn reached out to her lost brother, but he pierced her hand with his black nails. When Thron, their father, tried to welcome him, Zon-Kuthon captured and tortured the wolf-spirit beyond recognition. It was for these crimes, and for other terrible acts he committed against Shelyn and her works, that the gods of Golarion banished Zon-Kuthon to the Plane of Shadow, there to reside for as long as the sun hung in the sky.

Later, presumably after the Age of Darkness, the siblings quarreled again, he responding to her tears and pleading with violence, until she wrested his weapon, a golden glaive, away from him, and a tenuous peace of silence and avoidance was struck.

Shelyn encourages creativity and inspires the world. She challenges her faithful to test their limits, share what they create, and delight in the gifts of others. Shelyn preaches and practices that true beauty comes from within, and she favors romances not based solely on lust. Clerics of Shelyn endeavor each day to create something of beauty, whether artistically or through unconventional forms, such as a gardener tending a flower garden. Paladins of Shelyn are rare, far rarer than those who revere no single deity, but there have been some, such as Saint Marcus Odeber son of Arn Odeber, first of the Odeber line. Her Rangers and Druids are usually the types who live off the land. They are content to watch over places of natural beauty or perhaps hire themselves out to lovers in need of a fresh start in a new place. Aside from the Taldor Humans, Shelyn is a favored deity of Gnomes, Half-Elves and Halflings. Storm Giants worship her as Syriss, goddess of music, and believe she is the daughter of Sky-god Hyjarth and Sea-god Tourithia.


Now, tell me about this discord, he seems like a charming fellow." He says with a laugh.

[Love Amore]

"Discord is only charming if you mean evil when you say charming." Said Autumn with a giggle "He is exactly what his name suggests, he sows discord and disharmony wherever he goes. A very long time ago, before Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used the elements of harmony and trapped him in stone so that Equestria could return to it's peaceful state. He gained power in his stone prison for centuries until he was able to break free from his prison and wreak havoc on Equestria again, he started in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle and all her friends tried to stop him with the elements of harmony but he stole them and hid them. He gave them a riddle so that they could find them again and told them that if they found them they could use them. He trapped the six mares in a hedge maze and separated them, while they were separate he used his powers to make them the opposite of their element so that they could never use the magic of the elements of harmony.

Soon the mares realized that the elements of harmony were in Ponyville where they began and they traveled home with their resentment of each other growing so when they got back to Ponyville they could not stand each other. Nobody but the mares themselves know what happened, and they've already lived much longer than anypony ever has before. next but in the end they defeated Discord and saved everypony from his chaos."

[Cfavano]

"Very interesting." He ruffles her mane. "I had no idea equestria had such a colorful history. Even though you tell me they are just stories, I find that what is considered legendary, is, more often than not, truth. One does not delve into ancient tombs and temples for a living and not come into contact with quite a few myths. But I digress. I have been telling you bland theological facts, while you have been telling me such wonderful stories. And for that, I feel awful that I have been boring you. So, to make up for it, I shall tell you 2 of the oldest stories that I know, both were read to me when I was but a...what's the word here...colt. It's one of the few happy memories I have of my childhood. I will finish our discussion with these 2 stories, and then we can retire for brunch, okay? Well, here I go." He clears his throat.

"The first one tells the legend of 'the age of fire', also called the age of the gods, when they roamed the earth when it was still young.

In the Age of Ancients,
The world was unformed, shrouded by fog
A land of grey crags, archtrees, and everlasting dragons.

But then there was Fire
And with Fire came Disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, and of course... Light and Dark.

Then, from the Dark, They came
And found the Souls of Lords within the flame.

Nito, the first of the dead,
The Witch of Izalith, and her daughters of chaos,
Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights,
And the furtive pygmy, so easily forgotten.

With the Strength of Lords, they challenged the dragons.

Gwyn's mighty bolts peeled apart their stone scales,
The witches weaved great firestorms,
Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease,

And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own, and the dragons were no more.
Thus began the Age of Fire.

But soon the flames shall fade, and only Dark will remain.
Even now, there are only embers,
And man sees not light, but only endless nights.

Not very long, but if told in a dramatic tone, it can have someone on the edge of their seat. Now, for the second one. This is the story of the Golden army, forged at the dawn of the age of man.

At the dawn of time, Man, beast, and all manner of magical creatures lived at the base of Aedlyn, the father tree. It was there, under the shadow of the father tree, Man, in his infinite greed, first dreamed of expanding his dominion over the entire earth. So it came to pass that a bitter war began with the magical beings, the sons of the earth. The blood of many an elf, ogre, and goblin was spilled, and their sovereign, King Balor, the one-armed king of Elf-land, watched the slaughter with dread and despair.

Till one day, in his throne room. 'Who dares enter this chamber uninvited? Speak!' King Balor said. 'My lord.' It was the master of the goblin blacksmiths, offering to build the king a new army, a mechanical army. 'Seventy times Seventy soldiers that can never tire, never know hunger or pain, and never be stopped.' Prince Nuada, silverlance, son of the King, who's heart was full of pride and anger, begged his father to agree. 'You must, this is our victory assured.' The king, who loved his son so, agreed to the ill advice. Not another life would be lost amongst the children of the earth. 'Build me the army.' The king said.

And the goblins worked night and day, and day and night in their fiery workshops. And they built a golden army. And they forged a golden crown, to allow the king to command that army. 'I am King Balor, leader of the golden army, is there anyone who disputes my right?' And in his throne room, no one uttered a word. And so the army swore fealty to him.

Man felt the earth tremble, and saw the sky darken with monstrous shapes. And the army knew no bounds, had no remorse, felt no pity. It extinguished all life, not knowing the difference between man, woman, and child. And King Balor's heart grew heavy, for his victory was gained at too high a price. So he agreed to a truce. And he divided the crown into 3 pieces. One for man, and two for himself. In exchange, Man would keep to the cities, and The sons of the earth would own the forest. The truce and these boundaries would be honored by their sons an the sons of their sons for all eternity.

But prince Nuada did not believe in the promises of men. He marched away into exile, vowing to return if the sons of the earth ever needed him. The golden army was locked away, inside the earth, and there it is to this day, waiting. Waiting for a new wearer of the crown. Silent, still, and indestructible.

What did you think of that one? The Golden Army was my favorite story, of all the stories that were told to me. I, for a time, tried to look for the piece of the crown given to man, for it was lost. But, I eventually gave up." He stretches his legs out.

[Love Amore]

Autumn had sat in silent rapture as he told the stories, she loved stories now and she always had. "Wow... You're a great storyteller." She said with a broad smile before she stood to collect the basket of berries she had picked earlier, it hd enough to provide a decent snack if nothing more.

[Cfavano]

He gets up and stretches. He looks at the sun for a moment. "By the position of the sun, I'd say it was almost noontime. That would mean that we have been out here for quite a few hours. Not that that is a bad thing, for they say time flies when you are having fun, or with a girl, well, mare, that you really like. Hours can seem like minutes." He creeps up behind her as she is not looking, and scoops her off the ground and into his arms, which he then cradles her in, and walks, carrying her. "You know, you are quite light. Either that, or I am quite strong, or both. So, shall I use my scavenging ability to rustle up some real food? Nuts and berries are good, for a snack, but I saw some fiddleheads in the everfree. Boiled and seasoned, they make quite a good meal." He tickles her under her chin. Does that sound good, dear?"

[Love Amore]

Autumn giggled and blushed at the strange sensation of being held aloft, even newborn ponies weren't often held or carried as they learned to walk right away and the mothers had no way to do so with ease. She nestled her head against Sam's shoulder and smiled "That sounds lovely."

[Cfavano]

At that moment, Lelianna, Nadia, and Malacaius come dashing out of the everfree, looks of worry upon their faces. "Maybe we should do it another time." He places her down and taps her flank twice. "Go along and water something." He jogs to meet his friends halfway. Nadia and Leilianna are both out of breath, and they gasp for air as they try and speak.

"Calm down, calm down. Malacaius, report." "It is far worse than we feared, Samuel." "What, there are a lot more goblins?" "Worse, not only goblins. But also Orcs, including the dark Uruks of the black wastes, as well as trolls, giants, ogres, wargs, like those we saw, gnolls, there were also these strange werewolf-like things who seemed fascinated with gems. They also had monsters whose names I dare not say." "I see, how many do you count?" "Thousands, an army. My guess is that they aim to conquer all of the world." "Well, this proves that a portal to our world is being used. Where are they set up?"

"A castle deep in the everfree. They are digging deep and tearing up the trees. They have a whole war factory set up, and the are making weapons and armor." "How have we not seen the smoke?" "Some sort of Illusion keeps the smoke from being seen above the treeline." "What of their leadership?" "I don't know how many leaders there are, but I can guess at least 4. They were surveying the works on horseback. One, a female, was on a white horse, and she had a bow. Another, a male, was on a red horse, and I saw he had a giant sword. A third had a black horse, and, he had a staff, which, at it's head, was a pair of scales. And there was a fourth, his horse was pale, I cannot say what color, just pale. He was hooded, and he had an imp along with him. When we heard them talk, though a long-distance hearing spell which Nadia tried to perform, but mostly bungled..." Nadia kicks him, but grabs on to her foot and hops up and down in pain. "But, from what we did hear, the imp's name must be Hades." "I...see." "What shall we do?" "I don't know, we can't handle this on our own, we shall have to contact the government of equestria. No doubt they have head about what happened yesterday. And from what Autumn told me, there is no standing army. How long do we have?" "I don't know, could be a few weeks, could be a few months. we were unable to tell how far along they were." "I see." He becomes pensive and tries to think.

[Love Amore]

Autumn had ignored the instructions completely and had run after Sam, she stood behind him and listened to the report in silence. When the conversation had finished she stepped up "There is a train leaving for Canterlot in an hour, I can get us tickets and we can be in Canterlot by sunset. We can send a letter to the princesses by pegasus pony and we should be able to speak with them by this time tomorrow." She hadn't fully understood what creatures had come but she did know that if it had everyone else so worried it had to be bad.

[Cfavano]

"Oh, you mischievous little mare." He turns to face her, his hands on his hips. "What ever am I to do with you?" He laughs, and ruffles her mane. Nadia gently elbows Leilianna. "Hey, did we miss something?" "I guess we did." "But it hasn't even been 24 hours. I've heard of a fast worker, but damn!" Sam turn around quickly. "What? No...we didn't, well, not that I wouldn't but, I- b-but." He is completely tongue tied. Nadia giggles. "Sam and Autumn, sitting in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-n-" Sam leaps at her, and covers her mouth "Nadia, I swear to the gods above, if you finish that rhyme, I will burn your tail off, understand?" She nods, and he removes his hand. "-G!" she runs off laughing as sam is screaming at her and chasing her. Leilianna sighs. "How childish." She faces Autumn. "I do not judge, if you want to be with him, I won't stop you, but if you break his heart, there is nowhere I won't find you."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed as she figured out what they were suggesting, she may not have been an experienced mare but she was no school-filly. When Leilianna had finished speaking she shook her head "I'm not the kind of mare who breaks hearts for fun, I've never even had a special somepony." She smiled whe she realized that that might not be the case anymore.

[Cfavano]

"I know you speak the truth. One of the powers that Bahamut has granted me is the ability to see into another's heart and tell their true intentions. And you mean what you say. Enough running around!" Sam finally slows down. "Right, back to the matter at hand. For one thing, what is a train? Is it similar to a carriage? I've seen how slow they can go, We could fly there, but I doubt that would go unnoticed. And we can't teleport there because I've never been there. Well, if it takes a day to get there by carriage, well, maybe it would be faster than walking because it's more constant. But the main factor is, if other ponies see us, I do not doubt there will be panic, and that is something we cannot afford." He thinks. Nadia finally speaks up. "What about a polymorph spell? Temporary, of course." "Yes, by jove that would work! A temporary polymorph spell would be able to get us through unnoticed! Glad I thought of it." "But I-" "No time for that now, but polymorph magic is dangerous..." "I will be the first." Leilianna begins to unbuckle and remove her armor." "Are you sure?" "Yes, very."

[Love Amore]

"Trains are really fast, they run on steam power over tracks." Explained Autumn, she didn't know much more than that. "So you'll be transforming into ponies?" Asked the mare, of that was the plan it would be especially useful in Canterlot.

[Cfavano]

"Yes, but it's not so simple as it sounds. You can't just 'become' something you're not. Unlike Illusion spells, which make others think you are different, Polymorph spells physically change you. It is a very painful and dangerous procedure. If I make even the slightest anatomical error, she could end up twisted and malformed, and I might not be able to change her back. There are reports of victims being turned inside out. But, I am mostly confident that nothing might go wrong." Leilianna stands there, naked, in the meadow, her gear packed into bags of holding. She says one final prayer, and nods. "I'm ready." Sam sighs and holds out his hand as he focuses deeply for a few moments, and a ball of golden light is fired at Leilianna, hitting her in the chest.

At first, nothing happens, until suddenly, she falls to her knees and cries out in pain. She holds up her hands, and her fingers are collapsing into her palms. Bone by bone they disappear, and curl up into fists. They then retract with pops and cracks into her wrists. They then widen as the tip of the stub hardens into a hoof as her arms become shorter and widen. Her toes and whole foot curl up with a crack as she falls forward with a cry as they disappear and form into hooves, as her legs also shorten. She arches her back as her spine thickens and shrinks, and a tail with hair the same color as her other hair sprouts from her coxxyx, as she throws her head back and screams as her face is reconstructed. Her nose becomes a snout as her eyes move closer together and become larger, and her front teeth shorten and form into flat-headed molars. Her hairline moves down her neck and becomes longer as it forms into a mane. Finally, her torso narrows, and her breasts disappear as she is covered in a short coat of orange fur, as the symbol of a dragon's head appears on her flanks. She then collapses to the ground.

Nadia walks close to her and feels her. "She's alive!" Sam makes a sign of victory. "I knew I could do it." "Perhaps its best if I just turn into a cat if it's alright with you." He waves his hand. "Fine." With a puff of smoke, Nadia disappears, and there is a little white kitten in her place, with a tiny staff across her back. He snaps his fingers and bags with the rest of their stuff levitates to them as sam scratches the back of his head. "Um, Autumn, would you mind turning around? I don't want you seeing me naked yet."

[Love Amore]

Autumn had watched the transformation with rapt attention although the sight wasn't pretty and she knew it would never leave her mind, she watched because she had to know. When it was over and Sam had made his request she turned to face him "Why? Nopony wears clothes except for on special occasions, so you couldn't wear clothes after you transform." She had been wondering why they all wore clothes all the time, but she had so many other things on her mind that it never really came up.

[Cfavano]

"It's part of our culture. You see, one reason is because when you are naked, you are at your most vulnerable. There is also a modesty thing. It's hard to explain, but it's our culture." He slips his pants off, and he begins the transformation. Within a few minutes it is over, and he is sweating slightly. What he turns into is a large, white majestic unicorn stallion with a long, slender horn, and a short, black mane, and Sam's tattoo on his flank. "You can turn around now, Autumn. Polymorphing is easier if done on oneself, than if cast on another. I have been as a horse before, but not in a long time, and don't ask why. It's a personal matter. I think I did a good job if I do say so myself, don't you think?"

[Love Amore]

When autumn turned around to look she blushed and nodded, he had transformed in to a very handsome stallion. The form suited him and after the momentary shock wore off she nodded again "You did a great job..." She stared for a few moments longer before her head cleared and she blushed again, this time at her own stupidity.

[Cfavano]

"I see by your expression I did a wonderful job." Leilianna begins to stir, as Nadia paws at her. "She's waking up." Leilianna slowly gets to her feet...er, hooves, before falling on her rump. "Gods-blasted things" Nadia pads circles around Leilianna. "Oh, come now, Leilianna, walking on four legs is easy." "For you maybe." Leilianna get up again, and she slowly walks forward, stumbling and falling a few times, as Nadia laughs. Even though Leilianna is a mare, she is almost as big as Sam. "Unfortunately, even if I were to polymorph Malacaius, he would have the shape of a pony, but still look as he is. So, he is going to stay here and repot on their activity by means of his sending stone. So, shall we be off?" With a simple levitation spell, he has the bags draped over his strong back. "Lead the way, autumn!"

[Love Amore]

Autumn walked slowly towards the train station, she didn't want to walk to fast while Leilianna and Sam were still getting used to walking on all fours. She lead them around the center of Ponyville so that they could walk without being stopped by anypony and when they arrived at the station she bought three tickets for the train that would be arriving any minute.

[Cfavano]

"I am interested in this 'train'. Many scholars have hypothesized on the working capabilities of steam energy. It can move wheels and small pistons, and there are even a few boats powered by steam. But, for the most part, the are dangerous and expensive toys for the rich, exploding as often as not. So, what is the capitol like? If you have ever been there, that is. If you are like most, I hate to use the word, peasants, for I do not know the social structure of equestria, you woul not have gone far from where you were born. Even though we didn't go through the square, I did notice a few ponies staring at me. I think I even saw one mare wink at me. It was...strange to say the least." He paws at the ground. "By the way, the spell wears off in 48 hours, so, we can't dilly-dally, or sightsee. We'll need an immediate audience with the ruling body. If one will not be granted by normal means, I will have to take measures."

[Love Amore]

"I've only been to Canterlot once, a few years ago when my brother decided to try for a spot on the royal guard. He's a very important pony now so he may be able to get us to see the princess by tomorrow morning at the latest. Canterlot is a huge city, full of all kinds of ponies, but I found it to be noisy and too crowded..." She was interupted by the whistle of the train as it pulled into the station. Nopony got off and so she gestured to the last car "Come on everypony, let's go."

[Cfavano]

He snickers. "Everypony, that's so rich." They get to the rear car, and, with trouble, sit down, an the train heads off. "Interesting." He looks out the window as the countryside goes flying by. "This machine truly is wondrous. I hope we don;t get attacked by bandits or anything. You said it would take all day to get there? How about each of us tell you a story?" "Ooh, storytime! I love storytime!" Leilianna, who is staring at her hooves in a daze looks up. "Huh, what? Oh, stories, that sounds fun. Good way to pass the time."

[Love Amore]

Autumn bumped Sam's flank with her own teasingly "You're a pony too, for the next two days, so you've gotta talk the talk and trot the trot." She smiled at the suggestion of stories, especially when Sam told them. "I do love stories... And if we have time after that I'll tell you all about Discord."

[Cfavano]

"True. I've been thinking. From what you said, he seems more like Sheogorath than Rovagug. Well, I shall start. This story is called 'The little match girl' " He clears his throat and begins:

"Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening-- the last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast.

One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it; he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself. So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blue from cold. She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of them in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a single farthing.

She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing!

The flakes of snow covered her long fair hair, which fell in beautiful curls around her neck; but of that, of course, she never once now thought. From all the windows the candles were gleaming, and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose, for you know it was New Year's Eve; yes, of that she thought.

In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags.

Her little hands were almost numbed with cold. Oh! a match might afford her a world of comfort, if she only dared take a single one out of the bundle, draw it against the wall, and warm her fingers by it. She drew one out. 'Rischt!' how it blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle, as she held her hands over it: it was a wonderful light. It seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large iron stove, with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top. The fire burned with such blessed influence; it warmed so delightfully. The little girl had already stretched out her feet to warm them too; but--the small flame went out, the stove vanished: she had only the remains of the burnt-out match in her hand.

She rubbed another against the wall: it burned brightly, and where the light fell on the wall, there the wall became transparent like a veil, so that she could see into the room. On the table was spread a snow-white tablecloth; upon it was a splendid porcelain service, and the roast goose was steaming famously with its stuffing of apple and dried plums. And what was still more capital to behold was, the goose hopped down from the dish, reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its breast, till it came up to the poor little girl; when--the match went out and nothing but the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind. She lighted another match. Now there she was sitting under the most magnificent solstice tree: it was still larger, and more decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door in the rich merchant's house.

Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the solstice tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.

'Someone is just dead!' said the little girl; for her old grandmother, the only person who had loved her, and who was now no more, had told her, that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God.

She drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant, so mild, and with such an expression of love.

'Grandmother!' cried the little one. 'Oh, take me with you! You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent solstice tree!' And she rubbed the whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall, for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her grandmother near her. And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall. She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety--they were with God.

But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn, sat the poor girl, with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth, leaning against the wall--frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. Stiff and stark sat the child there with her matches, of which one bundle had been burnt. 'She wanted to warm herself,' people said. No one had the slightest suspicion of what beautiful things she had seen; no one even dreamed of the splendor in which, with her grandmother she had entered on the joys of a new year.

This was a story that got told to me by my own grandmother. It is very close to my heart."

"Yay! Now it's my turn. I'm gonna tell a scary one!" She begins:

"Late one night a few seasons ago, a soldier was returning home after several bloody battles. He decided he would save some gold and decided to cross the pine forest on foot.The first day of his journey was rather uneventful, the soldier stuck to the main path and kept a brisk pace. When it started getting dark he setup his bedroll, built a small fire and cooked up some rabbit he had caught. "A fine day indeed" he thought to himself as he fell asleep.
Partway through the evening the soldier was woken up by soft sobbing in the distance. He grabbed his sword assuming it to be a bandit trick, but pretended to sleep so he could get the jump on them. After a few minutes the sobbing started moving away from his camp until he could no longer hear it. For the rest of the night slept with one eye open.

Day two the soldier awoke from what rotten sleep he could catch and started off through the forest at a quicker pace, intending to put distance between himself and whatever he had heard last night. As the day went on it began to rain heavy so the soldier built himself a little shelter for the evening so he could remain dry while he slept.
It took him a little longer to fall asleep with thoughts of the previous night fresh in his mind but he eventually slept.
This time he awoke to sobbing that sounded like it was right outside his shelter. The soldier grabbed his sword and crawled out of the shelter. In front of the fire he saw the back of a ghostly woman sobbing into her hands.

The soldier mustered his courage and asked her what was wrong. No answer. He began to slowly approach but before he could reach her she turned and screamed at him. The ghostly woman raised an axe and began to run at the soldier, disappearing before she made contact. The soldier took off into the night with just his sword in hand. He ran until the first light of dawn where he started down the road again, as fast as he could move. The third day was bright and sunny, but the soldier, rattled and sleepless, didn't even notice. He moved as fast as he could trying to get through the forest before nightfall.

As darkness began to fall he saw a cabin just off the road and thought to himself it would be a good place to hunker down for the night. After arriving at the cabin he spent some time blocking the doors and windows, nothing would get in. Despite his preparations, he could not sleep. He sat in what used to be the cabin's bedroom staring at the barricaded door shaking. Eventually he could keep his eyes open no longer and fell asleep. This time he awoke to laughing on the other side of the barricaded door. It sounded like the woman from before, but he refused to believe it was her.

The soldier burst through the barricaded door into the main room to find the ghostly woman from the night before staring at the ground laughing hysterically with axe in hand. He began to relentlessly attack the ghostly woman but he could feel his strikes were less effective. He used a scroll of firebolt which drew a scream from her and she exploded, disappearing. The ordeal was over, the ghost was gone.

The soldier slept well that night and the next day made excellent distance through the woods. As the sun began to set he came out on the other side of the forest and looked back, remembering the days before. As he turned and started walking away from the woods he could swear he heard the sobbing again.

And that ghost? They say she still haunts the world, but you know ghosts, they wander, and..." She points to behind Autumn. "Ohmygosh, she's right behind you!"

"Be more mature, Nadia. My story is true as well. It tells of the time, long ago, when dragons ruled the world. They lost it, and through their own foolishness. This story is the basis of my faith." She begins:

"Many eons ago, when the earth was young, there were no men upon the face of the earth.
This was the time of the first-born -- the mighty dragons. They roamed the land in great numbers, and their scholars worked wonders in all the sciences and arts. First among them was Bahamut, the platinum dragon. The Creator made Bahamut first, before all other creatures, and to Bahamut he gave dominion over the world and over all dragon kind.

Then, as now, Bahamut ruled over all the dragons and the gold dragons were his counselors. But in those days, his throne was not in the heavenly places, but upon the earth.

It was a mighty palace he lived in. The walls were one hundred yards high and the courtyard was a mile long. Each brick in the courtyard was cast from solid gold and engraved with the image of the Creator. It is said that any man who gazes at the image on one of those bricks will surely go mad. Bahamut's throne weighed as much as 1,000 dragons and was cast of the purest platinum. The earth was fruitful when Bahamut ruled. Trees of many kinds grew throughout the land, and their fruit was without worm or pestilence. None of the world's creatures hungered and there was harmony under the sun.

But in the land were other dragons of great power, subjects of Bahamut. Highest among these was Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon. Tiamat of the five heads. Tiamat longed for power. She wanted to be queen of all dragons and have them worship her. So Tiamat went to Bahamut and said, "Oh mighty Bahamut, your are the greatest of all dragons, and surely your wife should be none other than the most powerful of females. Make me your queen and we will rule together. All dragons shall honor us and our children shall become as numerous as the sands on the beach.

But Bahamut said to her, 'It is true that there is no other female dragon who is your equal, but I cannot take you as my queen. You do not see rulership as a burden but as an honor. It is a burden to be responsible for the fate of all living things. The only honor is in pleasing the Creator though my service. The Creator has ordained that the burden is mine alone to bear. I do you a service by not allowing you to bear that burden.'

Tiamat was very angry, for she felt that Bahamut was spurning her and had rejected her only to keep power for himself. So she gathered together many dragons who were loyal to her and incited them against Bahamut. She placed seeds of greed and jealousy into their hearts. They gazed upon Bahamut and saw that he was a dragon as they were. They saw his palace of gold and platinum and they became dissatisfied with their own dwellings. They said, 'Are we not dragons, even as Bahamut? Our scales are bright. Our limbs are strong. Our breath is potent. Why, then, should he rule over us? We are strong and we are many, let us cast him down and we shall rule over the earth in his place.'

Led by Tiamat, they rose up and descended upon the palace of Bahamut.

When Bahamut saw them, he was saddened, for the Creator had gifted him with the ability to know what was in the hearts and minds of all living creatures, and he knew that they had come to cast him down. But he said to them, 'My friends why have you come here today?' The evil dragons answered, 'We have come to cast you down. It is wrong for you to rule over us. We are dragons and should be ruled by no one.'

Bahamut answered, 'Is it wrong for there to be peace upon the earth? Is it wrong for there to be food for all? Is it wrong that not a creature in the world wants for any necessity? Is there one among you who has no comfortable place to sleep? Are the skies not free for you to stretch your wings? I ask you again, my friends, why have you come here today?' The evil dragons answered, 'We have come to cast you down. It is wrong for you to rule over us. We are dragons and should be ruled by no one.'

Bahamut said to them, 'You wish to be ruled by no one. But without a good ruler to watch over you, you will not be free of rule. Instead, you will trade a good ruler for a bad one. You will be subjugated to the tyranny of your own desires, the greed of your heart, and the lust of your eyes, and the evil thoughts that fill your minds. Go then, and reap the rewards of your desires. You are foolish creatures and foolish creatures deserve fools for rulers. Go rule each other or rule yourselves, the result will be the same. I shall cause new races to rise up upon the earth. They will fear you, but they will surpass you. The good things you have done shall be forgotten and the race of dragons will become known for its evil. You shall hate the new races. You will hunt them, but they will command you, even as I do. In my name you shall serve them. Though you destroy hundreds of them, thousands more shall come to chain you and subjugate you. Food will no longer be plentiful, the land will no longer be free to you.'

When Bahamut finished speaking, he spread his shining wings and took to the air, and all but a few of those who were loyal to him followed. Tiamat sprang after him and other dragons joined her. Bahamut took one of her heads in his mighty jaws and flung her to the ground. Each of her followers that came near he also sent crashing to the earth, their wings shredded and bleeding. All the other dragons held back because they were afraid.

'All of you who have raised your claws against me are forever cursed! Tiamat I banish you to the nether realms of hell where you may slowly be consumed by your own greed. Watch as all your works turn to evil. To the rest of you, I say that your bodies will become filled with the poison of your spirits. Other dragons will look upon you with hatred and horror.' With that said, the dragons who attacked him began to change. they became what we know as Wyverns.

Bahamut led his followers to the heavenly realms where no other dragons could pursue. There he built a new land and a new castle and looked out over the earth.

Below, the evil dragons fell to arguing with each other. None would agree to be ruled by any other. They all flew their separate ways and lived private lives, coming together only to mate and to fight with each other.

Bahamut watched with sadness as his people strayed and ripped two scales from his body and drew two drops of blood from his breast. On each scale he placed a drop of blood, and with his fiery breath he melted them, molding them into shape and giving them life. He created a man and a woman and placed them upon the earth.

Much time passed and the humans spread across the earth as Bahamut had prophesied. Dragons were feared creatures, but brave men hunted them and made trophies of their heads.

In these many years, the humans remained ignorant of Bahamut and his loving watchfulness over his new race, for he never appeared to them during this time.

Eventually, though, there came a day when much of the men's time was spent warring amongst themselves and with each other. The fields were blackened with the fires of war and the blood of many people mixed in the streets. The air stunk of death, and life became short and painful for many of Bahamut's children

Bahamut knew that his new people needed a ruler to watch over them.

He came down from his heavenly realm one day in the guise of a bearded old man wearing ragged clothes. He walked many miles to a city and none spoke to him on the road, for they regarded him as nothing but a poor beggar. In the city, he was treated worse still. Rich men forced him to move aside for their processions and merchants cursed him for standing near their shops, lest he steal something or drive away their customers.

There was only one who took pity on him, a small boy named Ohramin, the son of a blacksmith. He saw the old man and was moved. Ohramin gave Bahamut bread and cheese to eat and wine to drink, and showed him an empty stable where he could rest.

Bahamut said to Ohramin, 'Why have you shown me this kindness. I am but a poor beggar and I have no way to repay you.' 'I do not ask for repayment,' Ohramin said. 'My father taught me that all people are worthy of kindness. If I am kind to you, then you can repay me by being kind to another when you are able.' 'Your father has taught you well,' Bahamut said. 'I shall remember what you have told me.'

Bahamut left the city the next day, still in the guise of the old man. He went to the countryside and waited in a spot where he foresaw that the boy would come. For two days he waited, and Ohramin finally came, walking through the woods, listening to the songs of the birds and enjoying the beauty of the forest. When Ohramin was very near, Bahamut rose up in his true form with his gleaming platinum wings spread wide. Ohramin fell to the ground in fear, certain that he was going to be killed.

'Do not fear,' roared Bahamut. 'I come not to harm you, but to bless you. when I came to this world as a poor beggar, you alone took me in and showed me kindness. I see that your heart is good and honest. For this I shall make you the leader of my chosen people. You will go out into the world and spread my word. You will bring new hope to this world. Ohramin was still terrified, but he saw that he was not to be killed and he stood up. 'You are powerful and frightening, great creature, but I do not know who you are. How do I know that you are good?'

Then Bahamut sat with Ohramin and spent many hours telling him of the history of the world and how the present day had come to pass. He also told Ohramin many things which are not recorded here, but which are said to be some of the deep secrets of the universe and knowledge of the Creator himself. These things Ohramin recorded in his own journals, but the whereabouts of those are not known.

What is recorded are the tenets Bahamut gave to Ohramin to spread throughout the world:

I. Bahamut is first-born of the Creator and through no other can you gain favor.

II. Bahamut is the father of the humanoid races. Worship him as your father.

III. Love your fellow man, and show him kindness and mercy, but do not let yourself be trodden under the feet of evil ones, for evil to a servant of Bahamut is an affront to Bahamut.

IV. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

V. The knowledge of good and evil is written on each person's heart, none is ignorant.

VI. Do not commit evil acts in the name of Bahamut.

VII. Each man is responsible for his actions. Bahamut will judge each man's actions according to what he sees in each man's heart.

VIII. Do not blaspheme the names of Bahamut or the Creator.

When Bahamut finished speaking, Ohramin said, 'I believe you, my Lord, but I cannot do as you ask. I am just a boy and no one will listen to me. I am not worthy.'

'No one is worthy or capable of such a task,' Bahamut replied. 'I will make you worthy. Your voice shall have the power to convince others of the truth of your words. You shall perform great wonders in my name, and people will believe when they see them. There are some people, though, whose hearts and minds are closed. These people will not believe the truth, no matter what signs and wonders you show them, no matter what words you speak. Many dragons still roam the world, and few of these are loyal to me. They will be your enemies. Against evil dragons and evil men, you must protect yourself.'

Bahamut gave Ohramin a scythe with a blade of pure platinum. 'Know this scythe as the Claw of Bahamut. This will protect you against all danger. No weapon of man or dragon can stand against it. When you bear this scythe, any dragon must serve you, though he be my greatest enemy. But I caution you, this scythe must only be used for good -- for defense against those who would do evil to you or to others, or to weed out those who are sworn, hardened enemies of me. If a man uses this scythe for an evil purpose, it will turn on him. Go, now, and remember that I will always be with you and my name shall be your protection.'

Ohramin watched Bahamut rise into the air and disappear into the heavens and went back into the city. He began to preach as Bahamut told him. Sick people came to him and were healed in Bahamut's name. The blind gained sight. The ears of the deaf were opened. Ohramin gained many followers and they, too, performed miracles in Bahamut's name.

Evil armies rose against the people of Bahamut but they were struck down. None could oppose Ohramin and the Claw of Bahamut. The word of Bahamut spread throughout the lands and brought peace and stability.

As all men must, Ohramin aged. The boy grew into a man, and the man grew old. Throughout is life he performed many great acts," and it is said that when the time came for him to lay down his life, he was happy, because he knew that he had served Bahamut well.

In his last days, he called his most loyal counselors together and said, 'Though I am dying, Bahamut lives on, and his church must live on also. The day after my death, you must gather together and decide who among you shall lead the church in my stead. That person shall take up the Claw of Bahamut and guide His people. Pray to Bahamut and let Him guide you in your decision and you will not decide wrongly. Then, you must choose from among the many priest and servants of Bahamut one to fill the place left vacant by your new leader.'

And thus it was that the counselors gathered and chose Harkan as the second High Priest of the Church of Bahamut.
And so it has been from generation to generation, to this day. Each new high priest is chosen by the high council on the day after the old priest's death.

Each new high priest is said to be visited by Bahamut himself on the day of his coronation and speaks to the great dragon many times throughout his reign. In this way, Bahamut directly guides the progress of His church.

This is what I believe."

Many hours have passed, and it is soon to be dusk. "Now, Autumn, you have listened patiently and reverently. Now, it is your turn to speak."

[Love Amore]

During the story of the little matchstick girl Autumn had shed several tears but she cheered up during Nadia's scary story, she had expected some kind of trick at the end but when it came she jumped anyways before giggling. Even more expected than the trick at the end of a scary story was the fact Leilianna told a story about her god, Autumn may not know much about religion but she did know about fanatics. "I think that, instead of telling you about Dischord, I'll tell you a funny story about one of the six heroes of our past and a pesky beast..." She smiled and stretched her legs before she began the story.

"The kindest and gentlest of our great heroes, Fluttershy, was a timid mare in most situations but she was loving and kind and gentle. One evening she was foalsitting three young fillies and they had caused trouble with her hen-house and her hens had run off, she tasked the fillies with the job of collecting all the hen's before they entered the Everfree Forest and they collected all but one whose tracks lead straight into the Everfree. They decided to enter the forest, on their own, to search for the hen. Soon they found the source of the tracks but, to their dismay, it was no hen but a cockatrice! One filly made the mistake of looking into it's eyes and she was turned to stone while the other fillies ran for help, Fluttershy had seen that her charges had left and was in the process of following them into the forest when the two came screaming in her direction. She calmed them and had them explain all that had occured. She went in search of the Cockatrice.

When she found it she looked into it's eyes as she scolded it for it's misdeeds, she was slowly turning to stone but she never looked away. Eventually when all but her head was stone the cockatrice looked away and Fluttershy returned to her natural state, she cleared her throat and the cockatrice glanced the the stone filly and returned her to life as well. She may have been a gentle mare, but she ended the cockatrice problem for all of Equestria."

When she finished the story the conductor came on over the loud-speaker to announce that Canterlot station was only ten minutes away.

[Cfavano]

"She sounds a lot like you, Autumn. Timid, shy, but when push comes to shove, you shove back. You changed a lot in the last few days. I heartily believe that you had this fire in you all along. And we will need ponies like you. You will be essential to us succeeding, for they say that it only takes a single spark of courage to ignite the fires of hope." He nuzzles against her, and Nadia giggles, but Sam looks at her sternly. Leilianna thinks. "It sounds like she had some form of psionic power. Only explanation I can see. Not that that makes her weaker, psionic magic is very hard to use, and you have to be born with it usually. But, that's not important." Leilianna gets on her hooves again, but is still somewhat unsteady, and paces back and forth, but continues to stumble every now and then. "Blasted things."

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed but she nuzzled Sam in return "You'll figure it out Leilianna, it's hard for anypony to learn to walk on two legs so I'm sure it'll be hard for you to learn to manage four but I know you can figure it out if you keep up your patience and don't get mad at yourself." She smiled encouragingly as the train pulled into the station at Canterlot and she led everypony off the train and onto the platform.

[Cfavano]

He looks around at the buildings. "Pretty nice for a terrestrial city. Looks like someone tried to make it all fancy with magic. You should have seen Hestavar, though. It is not the largest city, but the most beautiful. It has beautiful gardens, and it's very streets are paved with gold and gems. It has a large, sprawling bazaar, topped only by Sigil, the city of doors. You can buy pretty much everything there, and several gods make it their home. It has a very warm feel to it compared to the alien coldness of most of the astral sea. Well, enough chitter-chatter. Take use to the ponyliament, or whatever the ruling council/body is."

[Love Amore]

Autumn lead the group through the city to the castle where she was stopped by a unicorn of the royal guard "We need to see my brother, Brave Heart, it's really important." The unicorn guard nodded "I'll see if he's available." Autumn nodded and thanked the stallion and as he walked away she turned to her friends "My brother works directly under the captain of the royal guard, he can probably get us in to see the Princesses."

[Cfavano]

"Yes, that's good. I hope equestria doesn't have the bureaucratic red tape our world sometimes had. Once, we had to wait three weeks for an audience with the king of a large country. We came to see him at the bequest of a small village. They were suffering from famine and plague. Malacaius stayed behind to tend the Ill, as he never sleeps, eats, or gets sick. Finally, on the day before our appointment, which had been pushed back time and time again, Malacaius sent us word that the last villager had died. In frustration, I kicked in the door of the throne room to find that the king wasn't even present, there was only his Steward. After some 'persuasion' I found out that upon hearing first that we were coming because of that village, the king hightailed it out the back way for his summer palace. Also, we found out fro him that it was his fault that no aid had been sent there, as he wanted to reclaim the land the village was on so he could build another castle. You can see why I might be a wee bit impatient. But I trust you. And if your big brother is anything like you, I bet he'll nag the ear off of his captain" He laughs lightheartedly a few times.

[Love Amore]

Autumn blushed and laughed "I do NOT nag!" She said, bumping Sam with her flank. As she spoke her brother walked up and laughed "Now, er all know that's a lie. I don't know a mare out there who doesn't nag!" He looked the group up and down with a focus on Sam "When Granite said my sister had showed up with two other ponies I wondered who was impersonating my shy sister..." Autumn forced a smile "Well Brave, it really is me and I do have friends." She gestured at Sam and Leilianna "This is Sam and Leilianna, we have some really important information for the Princesses."

[Cfavano]

"Yes, Sir Heart, the matter is of utmost urgency. The very future of equestria depends on use seeing the princesses this instant. We bear ill tidings coming from the everfree, a great dark force stirs there. We came to equestria from a far off land, because we heard of how lovely it was. The first pony we met was your dear little sister, and she was being attacked by a vicious manticore. Had we not been there to rescue her, I think she'dve been gobbled up. I do not mean to sound impatient, but it is vital we go now. I would not like to be rude to the princesses, but whatever they are doing now can wait." He nods. "So, if you would please, Sir Heart, we are in quite a hurry."

[Love Amore]

Brave listened before nodding gravely "When I saw Autumn with a stallion I thought I was going to have to get my tux cleaned... But now I see the truth is much less joyful, if you'll all follow me I'll take you to my quarters so you can wait while I see if I can get you an audience with the Princesses, if they can't see you tonight can it wait until morning?" Autumn blushed at what her brother had insinuated as she followed him to his quarters. He led them to the larger of two barracks and into a small private living room with a couch, a table and a small kitchenette, Brave excused himself and left them alone after Autumn had confirmed that they could wait until mid-morning at the latest.

[Cfavano]

Sam sits on the couch. "Well, he seems like a nice, charming fellow. Maybe we can set him and Leilianna up." Leilianna gives him a sharp look. "Oh, shut up. He's probably young enough to be my son, and besides, I took a vow of celibacy." "I know, I know. You don't have to get on me about it, ya frigid old broad." "Frigid old broad!" She stomps towards Sam. "Yeesh, calm down Leilianna, it was a joke." She headbutts him in the chest knocking the wind out of him. "I know." She laughs and sits on the floor. "You know, since he mentioned it, I been thinkin'. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea. We are really close, and I did write a song for you..." Nadia starts to giggle. "You wrote a song for her? Oh, that's rich!"

[Love Amore]

Autumn had been giggling at the interaction between Sam and Leilianna until Sam mention having written a song for her, she blushed scarlet and looked down. She did want to hear it, if only to hear Sam sing, but she didn't quite want to ask.

Meanwhile, Brave Heart had run to find the Princesses and explained quickly that there were ponies in his chambers with vital information for them, ponies that had saved his sister's life and therefore to whom whom he owed a debt. The princesses understood and moved to the throne room while sending Brave Heart back to fetch the Sam and the group.

[Cfavano]

"Ooh, you wrote a song for her? Let's hear it!" Nadia jumps up and down on all fours giggling. "Yes, that might lighten the mood." "Well, its...its just a silly little thing that popped into my head during the train ride. It doesn't even have musical accompaniment, it's just acapella." "Well, if it's from your heart, I doubt it is bad." "Since it's for her, let's let Autumn Decide!" Nadia says licking her paw. "Well, alright then. It is called 'For the longest time. It requires more than one voice to do properly, so I will be using 'ghost sound' cantrips to make more voices and noises." He focuses for a moment, before clearing his throat and beginning.

"Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest-

If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this far
And it's more than I hoped for

Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time

I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the mare that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for

I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time

Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest time"


((what it really sounds like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_izt7vlJKM0 ))

[Love Amore]

As Autumn watched and listened she smiled, it was a beautiful song. "It was beautiful..." she nuzzled against Sam's neck but jumped back when her brother burst into the room, Brave Heart didn;t seem to notice anything. "I got you an audience tonight, follow me." Autumn followed her brother as he lead them out the door and into the castle, when they got to the throne room she bowed before the princesses.

- - - Updated - - -

As Autumn watched and listened she smiled, it was a beautiful song. "It was beautiful..." she nuzzled against Sam's neck but jumped back when her brother burst into the room, Brave Heart didn;t seem to notice anything. "I got you an audience tonight, follow me." Autumn followed her brother as he lead them out the door and into the castle, when they got to the throne room she bowed before the princesses.

[Cfavano]

He steps forward, without bowing. "Excuse me if I seem rude, princesses, but haste drives me to do away with social pleasantries. You see-" One of the princesses' advisors steps forward. "How dare you address the princesses in such a way! I'll have you know, you-" Suddenly, no-one can hear him speak. They see his lips moving, but, no sound comes out. "Forgive me for that, but he was getting on my nerves. He's fine, don't worry. I layered a silence spell underneath an illusion that makes him think we hear him. I'll turn it off before we leave. Back to the matter at hand. As Sir Heart may or may not have told you, a dark force grows in the everfree. Foul beasts gather in a massive army to conquer and destroy equestria. I am told that they are led by an extremely dark, powerful, and malignant presence. From what they could sense this force has existed in equestria for over one thousand years, but, within the last century, was nearly destroyed. It has spent the last few decades gathering soldiers and regaining it's mighty power. Whatever it is, it shook my friend Leilianna to her core, and I have never seen her truly scared. If we do not act, equestria will be plunged into an age f darkness from whence it cannot come out of, if it even exists after this dark being is done conquering it. What is your plan of action?"

[Love Amore]

Autumn had watched the reactions of the Princesses as their faces fell into concern, she almost sighed a sigh of relief when Princess Celestia asked Sam what he thought the best course of action was. "I am military leader, and it is clear that you know a great deal about the creatures we will be dealing with. Will you help lead Equestria into battle?"

[Cfavano]

"Of course. But, there is one thing you should be aware of." He shrugs the bags off and opens them with his teeth. He speaks the proper words of power, and Sam and Leilianna's body begins to sparkle. Soon, the light is so intense, that none can look upon them, and when it fades, there they stand, as humans, dressed in their armor. "This may come as a shock, but as you can see, we aren't ponies." The muted adviser starts flipping out, but still, no-one can hear him. "We are not even from this world. I will spare you the details of our arrival here, but safe to say it was not what we were expecting." They hear a slight buzzing, and Sam reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a stone with a single rune etched onto it, and presses his thumb on the rune. His eyes go wide, and his arm falls to the side, and he nearly drops the stone. "I-I have more news from my friend that I left behind. Ponyville... has fallen. The army is on the move and will be here in a week. What ponies that they did not kill, or my friend did not help escape are now enslaved. The town is burning even now. It fell within minutes." His face becomes grave and serious. "We will take up the banner for equestria, but from what Autumn told me, you only have very few actual soldiers. So, you will need to institute conscription and accept volunteers. After the news of ponyville gets out, I think there might be no shortage of volunteers."

[Love Amore]

Everypony in the room, except Autumn, gasped in shock and a few of the advisers even fainted but the Princesses were only phased for a moment. "I've read of creatures like you... As far as armed forces go I can call upon all of the applicants for the royal guard and I can put out a request for volunteers but I will not force any of my subjects to fight. I'll also have all the towns and hamlets near the Everfree Forest evacuated." Princess Celestia spoke calmly but firmly, even as her eyes eyes betrayed the fear she held for her people.

[Cfavano]

"Of course. But I do not believe that there will be many who say no, and those that so are either fools or know that they cannot fight. I suggest you take the old and the children as well as those who are too weak to fight to the safest part of the city. All those who refuse to fight, who are in fact able-bodied, will instead work around the clock to fortify the city. You must reinforce all the gates, and, any main thoroughfares in the city should have several barricades along them to slow the enemy's advance should they breach the gates. Also, you should collect from the private citizens any supplies that will be useful. Things like bits of metal, oil, food, medical supplies, stone, and wood. Those last two will be essential in the defense. Also, stockpile water, for we do not know how long you will be besieged, and make sure to poison any wells outside of the walls. Also, any dogs in the city, you must kill. There are tales of dogs feeding on the dead. As well, any animals and livestock you must also do away with, as they will only be a waste of resources. I am leaving Leilianna behind to be in charge of the defense. She knows how to construct anti-siege weaponry, and knows how to defend a walled city. I heard from Autumn that you two are tasked with the raising and setting of the sun and moon. I would ask you to hold the sun up as long as you can. I know it might screw up with the cycle, so I will not ask you to hold it for a long amount of time, but try. For now, I must leave you. But I am leaving you in capable hands, er, hooves." Sam spins around, and starts marching out of the throne room, while Leilianna Starts talking with the advisers and Guard commander.

[Love Amore]

Autumn stood in the throne room, she listened to the plans that were being made although she understood little of battle or defense tactics. She felt out of place and wished she had thought to follow Sam until she realized that here was where she could help, she waited for a break in conversation "I can help with housing everypony, especially the foals whose parents are fighting..." she thought about the foal that the goblin had eaten and set her mouth in grim determination, she was going to make sure that every foal that she laid eyes on was safe.

[Cfavano]

As Sam exits the castle, the guards have their orders. The citizens of Canterlot stare at this strange figure as he takes a small bit of powder out of a pouch and flings it into the air, saying a few magic words and a sparkling steed with a golden saddle and bridle made of diamond appears. Sam then climbs on to this majestic animal, and Leilianna gets to the Door. "Leilianna, I go off to get alllies. At the Dawning of the Eighth day, look to my coming from the east." The creature rears up, and he spurs the horse onward, through the air and it leaves behind it a rainbow trail. Leilianna goes about the defense works. Stalls are torn down for their lumber, and a long line of ponies carrying supplies to different locations. Kitchen tools, wrought Iron fences, and metal decoration go to large smelting pots where Leilianna has shown the blacksmiths how to use molds to make armor and weapons. Mostly, the weapons that are made are mounted crossbows, but for melee, there are reinforced and spiked shoes, and the unicorns have special helmets which add a sharp layer of metal over their horns to better pierce armor. Teams of ponies also work to hack down the trees in and around Canterlot for the lumber used to make stakes which are stuck into the ground at the bottom of the drained moat to prevent the enemies from crossing, as well as scaffolding, as as the stocks for crossbows, and the frames for catapults. Rocks are collected for throwing, and the volunteers, there are many from the surrounding villages, but not so much from canterlot itself, except for magic users, are drilled in how to move and fight. A small band of ponies gathers up the pets and animals in the royal garden and summarily kills them. Leilianna also instructs them on how to use oil and pitch and other chemicals in defense. Each of the ponies going off to fight are equipped and ready as on the last day, Malacaius gets there with the scared refugees, and with the rest of those too weak or afraid to fight, hide in the castle. As the sun goes down, a storm brews, and it begins to rain hard.

[Love Amore]

As the fortifications were built Autumn took the refugees from Ponyville, Hoofington and all the other evacuated towns and hamlets and set them up in rooms in the castle or in the homes of upper crust ponies throughout the inner city of Canterlot and while those who could work or learn to fight did that she taught the elderly, infirm and young to garden. She expanded the royal gardens to the point where they had row after row of medicinal plants and yard after yard of the edible plants with the highest nutritional content, when the expanded garden was planted she sought the help of a few unicorn ponies and they sped the growth rate so that all of the plants were at or near their harvest.

She worked tirelessly but as she worked she worried; she worried for her friends, classmates, fellow ponies but, mostly, she worried for Sam.

[Cfavano]

Lightning flashes as the dark army forms ranks outside of the walls. Row after row after row of monster has been formed, all in armor and holding cruel, wicked weapons. They begin chanting and thumping on their chests and roaring out as catapults fire. "Brace for impact!" Leilianna says as she and the ponies duck for cover, but it is not rocks that were fired...but the defenders wish they were. What was fired was the severed heads of all the ponies who were slain or captured. This breeds fear among the ranks, as one big unicorn stallion even goes into the fetal position and suck on his hoof. Seeing this, Leilianna stands on a higher bit of ground on the wall, and addresses the defenders. " My friends! My friends! Hearken to my words! This day is called the Feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day and comes safe home, Will stand a-tiptoe when this day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall see this day and live t' old age will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours and say, 'Tomorrow is Saint Crispian.' Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars and say, 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.' Old Stallions forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages What feats he did that day. then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words — Leilianna the Dragonborn, Heart and Shine, Iron and Scallop, Chocolate and Gold — Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered. This story shall the good Stallion teach his colt, and Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered, we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition. And gentleponies in Equestria now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their stallionhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day!" A loud cheer goes through the pony ranks, as the counter-attack is launched. The catapults and ballistae fire, causing missiles to pound into the dark horde, as they begin to charge. They get to the walls, and the oil that had been boiling is poured down on the orcs setting up ladders. it slows them down, but still, grappling hooks are fired and stick to the wall, as ladders are hoisted up and Orcs swarm the walls. One orc, a big one, leaps off a ladder, and swings his massive sword, cutting down 10 ponies at once. Leilianna faces him, and five others, and lets out a thunderous roar "FUS ROH DAH!" a wave of force slams into them as a thunderclap sounds as they are flung from the wall. She then pushes a ladder off. The pony recruits are brave as well, bucking and goring the orcs to death with great courage and force. They hoof spike help them greatly, as other pony teams work together to fire crossbows at the orcs on the ground to stop them from advancing, and defensive siege weapons seek to halt the orcish advance. Great flares are lit to keep the battlefield bright as the incendiaries fly through the sky, All of Canterlot can see what is happening.

[Love Amore]

When the alarm rang to signal the attack Autumn herded all of her young charges into a secured room under the castle where they couldn't hear the clamor of combat, the plan was for the foals to sleep the night through but the best laid plans oft fail and this was a plan that hinged on foals behaving as they should. A percentage of the younger foals were afraid because their parents weren't there and the foals older than they were afraid because they knew of the battle that raged on while the oldest of the group and those jaded few that survived the escape from Ponyville felt sheer terror, a few of the oldest masked their fear by telling tales of the horrors they had seen and heard of to the younger foals. She gathered the scare foals around her and began to tell them tales.

She told them the tale of Robin Hooves and his band of merry stallions, she told them the well loved stories of the Elements of Harmony, she told them tales of prices and princesses and dragons, she sang to them songs of Hearths Warming Eve and when she ran out of stories she made them up. One by one the foals drifted off to sleep where they lay, when they were all asleep she climbed the steep stairs to the castle's highest tower to see how the battle fared.

[Cfavano]

The battle is hard, but the ponies, led by the 3 heroes, fight on. A large group of orcs have been travelling up the road to the gates, in a tortoise formation. The ponies have been throwing rocks at them, but to little effect, when suddenly, a bulge passes quickly through that formation, which Nadia notices. "Brace the gates!" She says, as several strong stallions push against them as a ram slams into the gate, knocking a few off, but they jumps back into position. Unbeknownst to the defenders, goblins have been setting cauldrons of explosive powder in a small grate that is underneath the wall, where the sewer water runs out of. Finally, Leilianna sees a big orc running with a burning torch toward the grate, and she fears treachery. She pics up a crossbow, and fires at the orc. The arrow goes deep into it's shoulder, but it remains standing. She curses, and loads and fires another one, this one hitting it's other shoulder. Before she can fire a third, it leaps into the grate, and all of a sudden, a huge explosion erupts, sending huge bits of stone everywhere. The explosion even rocks the castle, as far away as it is. Debris rains down on both sides. Crushing orcs, ponies, and houses, and water from the sewer also rains down as orcs and goblins charge in through the breach. "To the breach!" Leilianna leads a portion of the ponies to the breach and they begin fighting, trying to hold it, fighting in knee deep filthy water. At the other end of the wall, the orcs break down the gate, and begin charging in through there too. Because of the close quarters, Nadia cannot use her magic as much, so, she dual wields her staff with a sword. Leilianna yells at her to move back into the city and she goes to do that, when she is stabbed in the side. This makes her flinch, and Leilianna Runs to her, slashing through gobins and other foes to get to her, when another orc slashes her in the back, which makes her head arc back and her to fall to her knees. Finally, Leilianna reaches her, and kills the orc, before taking hold of her to heal her, but it is too late, Nadia is dead in her arms. She lays Nadia down, and springs off the ledge, slamming an orc in the face with her shield, before slicing it's throat. She then orders the retreat back to the barricades. And that is where they hold them for now, fighting their hardest.

[Love Amore]

Autumn had returned from the tower and settled into a protective position just inside the door when a young pink filly come up to her "I had a nightmare..." she whispered, Autumn hugged the filly gently "Tell me about it." "I dreamed that the evil things, the green ones, were in the castle and looking for us." As the filly spoke Autumn figured out who she was, this was the great-granddaughter of Pinkie Pie, the young filly came from line of mares with some kind of ability to tell the future so Autumn figured she ought to take things seriously. "I'll go check things out, ok?" "Don't leave me..." with that, the filly started to cry "I can't let you come, you have to... Stay here and guard the other foals while I'm gone, can you do that?" lied Autumn, she couldn't bring a foal into danger like that. "Fine." huffed the filly and so Autumn left.

She had made it to the ground level when she heard the clacking of little hooves running behind her, she turned, and there was the little pink filly running to catch up. Autumn sighed a sigh and stopped to let the filly catch up "Shhh, we have to be quiet." the filly nodded and they continued to search the first floor. When they got out to the garden they were accosted by two goblins; one grabbed hold of Autumn and the other grabbed for the filly but failed. In that moment Autumn recalled her name "Surprise! Run and hide!" she yelled as she bucked and reared madly to escape, one of the goblins fell to the wild blows of her hooves with blood running down his face while the other soon followed as a crack was heard from his leg. She left them there and went in search of the scared filly.

[Cfavano]

As Leilianna fights, she gets sprayed with liquid fire, and has to take off her breastplate. However, she still keeps her chainmail and padding on. As she continues to fight, she notices a scared filly running through the chaos. Ditching her shield, She races through the battle to get to her. She scoops up the filly with one hand gently, and tries to console her. But, the orcs continue to press her, and she catches the attention of one of the supply runners. She places the filly in one of his saddlebags, and instructs him to return her to the castle. He leaves, going down an alleyway. She turns to face the orcs who would chase them, fighting them hard and keeping them at bay. But an arrow hits her in the upper chest, piercing her lung. This knocks the wind out of her, and makes her fall to her knees, but, she roars, and gets back up, continuing to fight bravely, as another arrow hits her stomach. This causes her to fall once more, but, she forces herself to stand and fight, howling all the time. But she is staggering, and finds it hard to keep steady. Then, another arrow hits her square in the chest, and she falls once more to her knees, almost in disbelief. Her vision fades and becomes clear from moment to moment, and she can barely breath. She feels weak, and cold. She looks around, Nadia has been slain by orcs, and Malacaius was crushed by debris. Orcs advance around her, swarming into the city. Suddenly, the archer who had shot her so much, a female wearing a crown in white garb stands in front of her, point-blank range, and Leilianna raises her eyes to meet hers. She knocks another arrow, and draws it back to fire, laughing all the while, when suddenly a large rock knocks her over and crushes her beneath it. She looks up, and it was a griffon that dropped it. Griffins and pegasi wearing armor are swarming and harassing the orcs, and she notices that the sun is rising, and, from the east, she sees a great mass of creature, and she smiles, remembering Sam's words; At the Dawning of the Eighth day, look to my coming from the east. She smiles a weak smile, and a single tear rolls down her cheek. "It's your turn now Sam. It's been nice knowing you, old friend." She then falls over, and death takes her in his embrace, but she dies with a smile, the bodies of her foes all around her.

On a hill east of the city, Sam sits astride his phantom horse, flanked by a massive army, formed of the free creatures of the goodly folk. Zebra, Lions, Pegasi and Griffins from Cloudsdale, Buffalo, Ponies from the far corners of equestria, Bears, Tigers, And other intelligent denizens have all formed together to fight back the darkness.

[Love Amore]

Autumn saw the runner with Surprise i his bags and galloped after them, they got to the safe room at the same time and before entering the room she made sure that the filly was ok. When they entered the room it appeared that chaos had gained purchase. The bedding had been scattered and all the foals were engaged in a fierce battle with pillows as their weapons and beds as their forts. "Everypony FREEZE!" yelled Autumn causing all but a few to freeze "I am going to go run an errand for TEN minutes and if things are not back in some kind of order when I return than somepony will hear from me." some of the foals nodded and she climbed back up to the tower.

The battle raged on but to her eyes it seemed the tide had turned when Sam and his forces of greater good arrived. When she returned the beds were all pushed together against the far wall and everypony was huddled together, the end to their fun had brought back their fear.

[Cfavano]

Sam looks over the carnage of the battle, and faces his troops. "Arise! Arise, Warriors of Equestria! Fell deeds awake, fire and slaughter! Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! A sword day! A red day! Ere the sun rises!" Ride now! Ride now! Ride!" He gallops across the line, his weapon touching theirs or brushing over them. He finally raises his weapon up in the air. "Now for wrath. Now for ruin, and the red dawn! Forth warriors!" He begins the charge, the ground thunders with their approach. The orcs turn to face them, but Sam had his staff give off a tremendous light. A purifying light that strikes terror in those of evil. The orcs are terrified and blinded by not only this light, but by the light of the sun. The Allied army of the free creatures smashes into the faltering flank of the orcs, and cut through them as a scythe against ripe wheat. The harrassing Griffons and Pegasi drive The horde from the walls, only to be smashed against the charging and trampling ranks of the reinforcements. "Make safe the city!" The invading force is routed, and is being chased down. They are killed, to a creature, by the 10th mile away from Canterlot. The dark army has fallen. And, for now at least, Equestria can breathe a sigh of relief.

The Reinforcements return to canterlot, cheering and singing. Reveling in their victory. Singing praises for the survivors, and dirges for those that gave their lives. For they shall never be forgotten. Leilianna is buried in a great barrow dug underneath Canterlot. She is dressed in her armor, and her fine hair is combed. She is lain in a marble sarcophagus, and her barrow is filled with treasures, both gifts from the people of canter lot and the princes, and the weapons and armor of her slain foes. Sam provides magical seals and wards, ensuring that she is never disturbed. over the entrance is placed a stature of her, with a golden base, and her body is made of marble, and armor and a sword and shield are made for the statue, cast of the purest platinum, and the whole statue is enchanted so as to never decay. The statue, and entrance are both in the exact center of the Canterlot square. Nadia, as was her want, is burned on a pyre of applewood, with bunches of catnip mixed in, and finally, when everything is burned away, the ashes are doused with cream. Malacaius is buried in an unmarked grave, deep in the forest surrounding canterlot, by Sam's own hand. The rest of the ponies that died, are treated according to their families' wishes.

Ponyville is still being rebuilt, but most people have houses again. Sweet Apple acres was badly damaged, but they still have many of their apple trees. For his service to Equestria, and at the bequest of both the remainder of the apple family and Princess Celestia, Sam was granted the deed to the farm, and shares ownership of it with Autumn. All trace of the enemy is burned away, but Sam is not content, every day he spends with Autumn, concern never leaves his face.

[Love Amore]

When the battle ended and the bodies were removed Autumn lead her charges from their hiding place and soon every foal had been returned to their family or found a new family, except one; Surprise was in the care of a sweet elderly couple but they could not handle her energy and after a few months she was returned to Autumn's care. Autumn took the filly in and soon they shared the bond of mother and child. Not long after Autumn made the adoption final, as the new matron of Sweet Apple Acres she and Surprise played an important part in rebuilding Ponyville and all the surrounding areas.

With Sam, she mourned the loss of their friends but she could tell that something else was bothering him although she refrained from asking.

- - - Updated - - -

When the battle ended and the bodies were removed Autumn lead her charges from their hiding place and soon every foal had been returned to their family or found a new family, except one; Surprise was in the care of a sweet elderly couple but they could not handle her energy and after a few months she was returned to Autumn's care. Autumn took the filly in and soon they shared the bond of mother and child. Not long after Autumn made the adoption final, as the new matron of Sweet Apple Acres she and Surprise played an important part in rebuilding Ponyville and all the surrounding areas.

With Sam, she mourned the loss of their friends but she could tell that something else was bothering him although she refrained from asking.

[Cfavano]

He talks to autumn in the privacy of their bedroom one night. "Something has been bothering me. Orcs and goblins are not so intelligent as they would band together like that, let alone get other creatures like trolls and ogres to follow them. Someone had to have been pulling the strings. Something powerful and evil, because I have constantly been feeling a great and terrible evil presence in the heart of the everfree. I have to know. Tomorrow I have to go and see. I have to find out. I don't expect you to understand my reasons, but I simply cannot relax. I feel...something deep inside pulling me. Something powerful. Okay, my love?" He nuzzles against her.

[Love Amore]

Autumn nuzzled against Sam in return with a sigh. She had expected something like this and, as much as the chance of losing him saddened her, she understood. "Is there anypony you can take with you? To watch your back?" She had the farm and Surprise to mind. She would worry every second that he was gone but she knew that if she forced him to stay that Equestria would be in even greater danger.

[Cfavano]

"No one that I trust. The only one that has any combat talent that is here and accessible on such short notice is you, and you are far from completing enough of your training where I can even think of bringing you even to the whitetail wood for adventuring, let alone deep into the heart of the everfree. The only people that I trusted that way, are all gone now. Or unreachable. Well, at least I have you and Surprise. Too bad she never got to meet her sister, Nadia. Well, I'll tell her all the tales of them. I remember Leilianna saying that as long as someone remembers your name, you are never really gone, and that the stars in the sky are ancient heroes looking down upon us. If...perchance...I do die, you are young yet, go find somepony else. You should not have to be a widow at your age. Well, we should get to sleep, I have an early morning." He rolls over and goes to sleep.

[Love Amore]

After Sam had fallen asleep Autumn closed her eyes and tried to sleep but failed, she lay awake through the night as her imagination performed plays of all the worst things that could happen with each being worse than the one before. By the time the sun arose Autumn had seen the worst, her eyes were rimmed with red and she was tired to the bone.

[Cfavano]

He gets up at down, three minutes before the cock crows. "Good morning, darling." he turns to face her. "My, you look awful. Did you sleep at all last night? No matter, I have spent sleepless nights before. It's all about mind over matter. I'm going down to get ready, can you wake Surprise up? I want to say goodbye to her before I go." He heads down to the kitchen, where he begins hooking on his armor, and loading and tying on his bags. He thinks about what lies ahead. he had a dream last night, but he didn't tell Autumn. He knew what he was going to face, and he knew that he would pay the ultimate price, but by doing that, he would ensure the creature was gone for good. All of this, he made sure to keep to himself. She should not know yet. He had written everything down in a letter, an hidden it in a spot where she would find it, but not till midway through the day, when he would already be too far for her to stop him. He smiles. At least his death will bring about a change. That is all one man could ask for.

[Love Amore]

Autumn trotted over to Surprise's room and roused her gently "Poppa Sam has to go on a trip, he's leaving and want's to say good-bye." She and a sleepy Surprise met Sam in the kitchen to say their goodbyes, Autumn's heart was heavy but she kept her features neutral for Surprise's sake.

[Cfavano]

He gets down on one knee and gives surprise a hug. "Hey, now, I want you to listen to Autumn while I'm gone. An I want you o help her clean and such. She is very tired today, so be extra good for her. I'll have something for you when I return. I will see you later, and remember that I love you." He kisses her forehead, and then leaves. He trudges off through the everfree, wading through bogs, and cutting through brambles. He finally gets to the castle where the army was formed, and it seems deserted. He walks through what was the camp, and he can see no one. He keeps a firm grip on his weapon, and his guard up as his mind slightly drifts back to his letter:

My very dear Autumn,

The indication is very strong that I will leave in a few days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I leave too soon, I feel compelled to write a few lines that may fall onto your eyes, when I am no more. I have no misgivings about the cause that which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. How great a debt we owe to those that died in the bloody struggle to keep Equestria safe, and I am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to pay that debt. I go to do this, knowing full well that I shall die. I know, because I dreamed of it, over a month ago. You can hate me if you wish, I would not blame you, but never forget how much I love you, my dear Autumn, and as my last breath escapes me, it shall whisper your name.

With great love,

Samuel Berezoff

He nods, gripping his weapon tightly. He strides into the castle, and now he sees where all the creatures were. They were all murdered, their bodies mangled and torn apart. He can feel that the evil presence is close. He finally gets to the main hall of the castle, and on the far side, he sees a twisted, skeleton-like being. It seems to be halfway through changing into a horse. "WELCOME TO MY HOME, FOOLISH MORTAL" The voice is female, and the evil coming off of her is nearly palpable. "So, you are the one I am here to kill." "KILL ME? THOU FOOL, NOPONY CAN KILL ME!" He charges her, a wave of fire leading the way. "Well, I ain't a pony." The creature shrugs off the wave of fire, and with a simple wave of her arm, she sends him flying back, and he slams into a pillar. He hears a crack, and knows his back is broken. He cannot move, an the dark, twisted creature laughs, and finishes it's transformation. Now, all the world shall perish. It turns into a shadow and flies through a hole in the roof, it's dark form turns the sun black, even as it sets, and as the moon rises, it turns red as blood. It's shadowy form turns into a large black alicorn, which hovers over ponyville. It begins laughing madly. "DO YOU SEE? IT IS I, NIGHTMARE MOON, AND I HAVE RETURNED TO DESTROY EVERYTHING. BEG FOR MERCY, AND YOUR DEATH WILL BE QUICKER." Ponies begin panicking and running into their homes.

Back at the castle, he struggles to move. He doesn't want to give up, but there is nothing he can do. "Don't give up." A voice in his head says. "Yeah, buck up." "We need you." "Who are you?" "We are the elements of harmony." "Quite right, and we need a new champion." "We've been watching you, and we thought you would be best." "What do I need to do?" "We'll do everything, you just stay still!" The six voices say at once.

6 glowing lights swirl around, and one by one, enter him. A bright flash of rainbow light happens, and then a rainbow shoots out of the hole in the roof, and flies straight toward Nightmare Moon. "WHAT IS THIS?" It slams into her, sendying her shooting toward the ground, which she hits, leaving a crater. "YE WHO THREATENS THE GOODLY PONIES OF EQUESTRIA, PREPARE TO BE DESTROYED! I AM THE KNIGHT OF HARMONY, AND YOU, NIGHTMARE MOON SHALL BE PUNISHED!" The brightly glowing figure's voice sounds like seven people talking at once. Nightmare Moon gets up, and flies towards the rainbow-glowing figure. "NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!" And they clash again.

[Love Amore]

After Sam left Surprise and Autumn went about work on the farm until Surprise left for school, Autumn did her work alone until she found a hidden letter that was addressed to her. As she read it she lay down where she was and cried, when Surprise came home she found Autumn crying on the floor and so picked up the letter and soon joined her in tears. The two cried together until they heard a booming voice outside and, with the speed of those who have spent hours lost to the world, made their way outside. Ponies were panicking but Autumn and Surprise simply stood there, watching the lights of the battle as Autumn prayed to all the gods she had learned of that her love would return to her.

[Cfavano]

The fight is epic over the skies of Ponyville. the 'Knight of Harmony' summons forth a giant Rainbow sword, while tendrils of shadow grow out from Neo Nightmare Moon's massive aura. As they lash out, the Knight Severs them with ease with his rainbow sword. "ENOUGH OF THIS! YOU SHALL ALL PAY!" Nightmare moon flies up, higher and higher, out of the atmosphere, and charges her beam of all-destroying chaos. While she does this, the Knight stabs himself in the chest with the sword, which dissolves, and his body glows even brighter. Nightmare moon fires her giant beam of red-black energy, and The knight answers with his own rainbow beam. They two seem equal in power, but the chaos beam is slowly pushing the rainbow beam back. The knight, who is really Samuel Berezoff, the bearer of the elements of harmony, struggles to keep the beam from annihilating the world. "Must...hold...on...Hggr." He feels a gentle hand on his shoulder, and turns his head. It is Leilianna, and she is resplendent in a flowing white robe. "Leilianna?" "It's okay Sam, we're here to help." "We?" She points, and he turns his head. He also sees Nadia, who waves at him, and, as a cloud parts, his eyes go wide as he sees...."Maramal?!" Sne nods. "I am here. You did not think I would abandon my baby brother when he needed me most did you?" Tears form in Sam's eyes. "But let's not bother with reminiscing. Let's send this bitch back to hell where she belongs." "Right on, sis!" He faces the beam again, as the three angels form into a triangle around him, and glowing balls of light form in their hands. They thrust their hands out, and beams fire from the spheres, and join with Sam's. This added energy not only stops Nightmare Moon's beam, but Overpowers it, and pushes it back, and then completely overpowers it, and she screams as she is completely consumed by the beam. There is a massive sparkling explosion, which can be seen from all over Equestria, and then it dims. Sam begins to slowly fall, as he feels power leave him. His body begins to dissolve into rainbow sparkles, as he smiles, content in his fate, he even laughs a little. He is then gone.

[Love Amore]

As the fight raged on above their heads Autumn's heart filled with pride and hope, perhaps the gods would save him. But when he fell her spirits joined him, fresh tears ran down her face as she wailed with the pain of losing her love and her hope. Surprise joined her mother's grieving song and together they mourned Sam's death for the second time that day.

[Cfavano]

A year passed. During that time, a Marble Statue was erected in the center of town for Sam. It was found out during that time that, not only had he led the charge that defeated the evil army but, a week before, he had also been the one who freed the captive ponies. He was declared the hero of all Ponyville, and, the day that Nightmare moon was defeated, also by Sam, was declared a holiday in his honor. This is now the first anniversary of that day, and the entire town gathers in the square for a celebration. But, something is off. The Mayor notices it right away, there is a crack in the statue. It was enchanted to not be damageable for 100 years. Then, another crack, and another crack forms as a bright light escapes from the crack as the crowd steps back away from the statue, which begins to shake. They takes cover as the statue explodes, but no stone hits any of the ponies. They look up and as the smoke cleared, a graceful white Alicorn Stallion is seen. This Alicorn has a long, flowing black mane and tail, and his cutie mark is a sparkling blue shield with two swords crossed underneath it. He speaks up. "Greetings, My Little Ponies. It has been a long time since I have gazed upon you, but I see you do not recognize me." He stands up, and as he slowly walks, his form changes. His horn and wings disappear, and he switches from four legs, to two. When suddenly, it is a man they see, their hero, Samuel Berezoff.

[Love Amore]

During the year following the great battle over Ponyville Autumn and Surprise had grown even closer, Autumn's grief had quieted her spirit and when it was declared that the anniversary of Sam's death was to be a holiday she cried again. She avoided the statue and she avoided the holiday, she could not face the reminder of her pain. Surprise, however, visited the statue every day and headed the planning committee for the celibration and when Sam emerged from the statue she galloped back the the farm to tell her mother.

"MOM! Poppa Sam came out of the statue but not as a human as an allcorn like the princesses!" The mares galloped to the center of Ponyville together and when Autumn saw Sam standing there, her love nd Ponyville's hero, her heart filled with joy that overflowed in the form of tears. She ran to him and embraced him, tears falling from her eyes and onto his skin. "Y-your alive!" she cried happily.

[Cfavano]

"Yes, and I am here to stay." He leads her back to the house, and makes sure that they have privacy in their bedroom. "I bet you are wondering why I am alive. Well, I am now the bearer of all 6 elements of harmony. More than just the bearer, really, I am their physical embodiment, and I am like them, eternal. I am not a human anymore, and, while I do have the form of one, I am an Alicorn. I will always be with you Autumn, to watch and care for you, and be the husband you need." He changes back to his Alicorn form, and kisses her. "Now, we can be a real family." The curtains close by his magic, and the lights are dimmed. "I also have a lot of catching up to do. Let's get started."




THE END