It had been a few days since the Nightmare Moon incident and Corvo's introduction to Ponyville. The ponies were still rather wary of him, but thanks to his sister and the new friends he had made, and probably because even in his normal form he looked like a pony, they were slowly accepting him. He'd spent the days trying to find a way to easily show five or more ponies his past. Today however, Corvo and Twilight, along with Spike, were helping Applejack on the farm.

"Thank ya kindly you two, for all of your help. I bet Big Mac that if I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime, he'll have to walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny's girdles," she said, laughing at the thought.

"Isn't that cheating?" Corvo asked.

"Hey, he said nothin' about ponies helpin' me out," she said with smirk. He chuckled at her response.

"It wasn't a problem Applejack. I'm glad the goal is lunchtime. All this hard work is making me hungry," Twilight said.

"I know right?" Spike said tossing an apple over his shoulder, which bopped Twilight on the head. He smiled sheepishly as Twilight glared at him.

"Spike, you were lounging on my back all day while the three of us worked," Twilight said in annoyance.

"Exactly, the three of you took so long that I missed snack-time," he said.

While they kept talking, Corvo asked, "Applejack, would it be alright if I helped out on the farm every now and then?"

She glanced at him, "I don't see why not, but why exactly to do you want to? What do you not get paid enough in the guard?"

"No, it has nothing to do with bits. I just figured that working on the farm would be a good way to keep myself in shape," he explained.

"What about training?" she asked. "Are you not going to do that?"

"Oh, I will, but without somepony to spare with it's more just making sure that I don't get rusty and my body stays limber. So I won't hurt myself when I'm fighting," he said.

"Well, I don't mind. I'll talk to the family and see what they think, but I'm sure they'll be all for it," she said.

"Thanks Applejack," he said. At that moment there was a sudden roar, causing Twilight, Applejack, and Spike to huddle behind Corvo. Turning around he saw a manticore flying toward them. Using his Enhanced Vision, Corvo took a closer look at it. He saw the scar and immediately knew who it was. He trotted forward as the manticore landed. "Hello, Manny," he greeted.

The manticore, as well as his friends, looked at him in confusion. The manticore raised his paw and pointed at himself.

Corvo nodded, "Yeah, it's a name that Fluttershy came up with. You know, the yellow pegasus that helped you in the Everfree Forest?" A peaceful smile spread across the manticore's face at the mention of the kind mare. "So do you like the name?"

He thought for a minute, then, with a smile, he nodded.

Corvo smiled as well, "Fluttershy will be happy to hear that." At that moment, Spike burped and a letter appeared.

He unfurled it and briefly read it, "It's for you Corvo."

"You mind reading it out Spike?"

The drake nodded, and began to read.

Dear Corvo,

Your presence is required in Canterlot today. I apologize for the short notice, but we had been so caught up in getting things together we forgot to inform you that you were needed. Please take the next train to Canterlot and we'll see you in a little while.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

"Well that's surprising," Corvo said. He heard a growl and turned toward Manny. "You wanted to settle things now didn't you? That's why your here?" He nodded. Corvo thought about what to do, when an evil idea came to mind. Taking off the baskets of apples, he walked up to the manticore and whispered into his ear. A rather sinister smirk spread across his face and he nodded. He jumped onto Manny and addressed his friends, "Tell the Princess that I'll be there very soon. Manny here agreed that he'd fly me there and, after what she wanted me for is finished, we'll use the training grounds to fight. I told him that they're big and open so it would be better than here, where things and ponies would get in the way."

"You can't fly a manticore to Canterlot! You'll cause a panic!" Twilight yelled, aghast.

Corvo chuckled, as did Manny in a growling sort of way. "Exactly," he said. With that, the manticore took off and headed for Canterlot, ignoring the shouts of his friends.

When they reached Canterlot, Manny angled himself and began flying to the castle. Below them, they could hear a great deal of ponies screaming in fear. Corvo and Manny began laughing. The nobles needed to be showed that they didn't control the world. It did whatever the hay it wanted to.., but mostly he wanted to scare the crap out of the nobles. When Manny reached the castle, he descended into the training grounds.

Corvo jumped down, "Thanks Manny. Don't worry, we'll have our fight once everything is done." Just then several guards appeared with their spears at the ready. "Stand down!" he yelled. "He's not a danger to you."

"Not a danger!?" Gleaming Shield shouted, walking onto the field. "Corvo, that's a freaking manticore!"

Manny growled at her and took a step forward.

Corvo held out a hoof, "Hang on Manny. If you do something here, you won't be able to settle things with me." The manticore immediately stopped growling and sat on the ground, however he glared at Gleaming Shield. Corvo suddenly remembered something. 'I wonder if this will work.' He activated his Telepathy and directed it at the manticore, "Manny, can you hear me?"

The manticore's eyes widened in shock and he turned toward Corvo. "How..?" a deep voice echoed in his mind.

'By the Void, it did work,' Corvo thought in shock. "It's a magic ability that Faust gave me, allowing me to talk to others with my mind."

"So... we can actually talk to each other?" Manny asked.

Corvo smiled, "That's right. I won't have to guess on what you are thinking, I can actually talk to you." He was interrupted by a cough. Turning around he saw the guards looking at him weirdly. "Yes?"

"Why are you just staring at him?" Gleaming Shield asked.

"I'm talking to him," Corvo said in complete seriousness.

"Talking to..? He's just an animal," one of the guards spoke up.

Manny immediately roared at the pony and started forward. However, Corvo jumped forward and stopped him.

"Easy big guy," he said. He turned to the guard, "He is not just an animal. He is able to understand us like any other pony. I don't know if all animals are like this or if he's just an exception, but I won't allow him to be treated like he doesn't have feelings."

Everypony, even Manny, stared at Corvo in shock, when somepony spoke up, "You really are an interesting individual."

Turning, they saw Princess Luna approaching them. They all bowed and, surprisingly, Manny bowed his head.

"Please rise," she said.

As they all stood, Corvo asked, "What did you mean Princess?"

She looked over and smiled slightly, "Please Corvo, you helped free me from the Miasma, you can just call me Luna. Celestia agrees and hopes you'll extend the courtesy to her as well."

They all stared at her in surprise. "Really?" Corvo asked, in complete shock.

"Yes. In answer to your other question, I was talking about the things you've done since you appeared here," Luna said. "You saved a mare from an angry mob and visit her as often as you can to help her recover, two mares from five unicorn thugs, and Twilight Sparkle from being foalnapped. You stick up for a race you have only been a part of for a couple weeks and are unafraid of the nobles of Canterlot. You convinced Celestia into adopting Cadance as her daughter rather than her just staying a niece."

"She did it?" Corvo interrupted.

"Indeed she did. She said that you made several good points and decided that you were right and adopted her," Luna said.

A wide grin spread across Corvo's face at this news. He was glad for both Celestia and Cadance. His smile turned sly, "I bet you were surprised when you heard huh?"

"You have no idea. I, of course, jumped to conclusions and didn't let her explain until mother finally calmed me down enough to listen," she said, blushing. Recovering, she continued, "And now, you're here standing up for some... one that most ponies consider an animal. You are very interesting."

"Well, I could see in his eyes that there was no way he was just an animal. The magic your mother gave me, just solidified that," he said.

"That's very impressive that you were able to notice that," Luna said. "Now how about we head inside and we'll explain why you're here."

"What about Manny?" Corvo asked.

"As long as he promises to not do anything to anypony then I'll make sure he's kept comfy," she said.

He glanced at the manticore, who nodded his head, "I swear that, as long as I'm not provoked, I will not do anything to any of the ponies."

"He swears that he will do nothing unless provoked," Corvo relayed.

Luna nodded, "Of course. I'll have somepony bring him some meat so he won't be hungry."

Manny licked his lips at the mention of meat. "Looks like you made him happy," Corvo said. "Alright, let's go then." As the guards returned to their posts, he entered the castle and began following Luna.

As they walked Corvo reached out to Manny with his Telepathy, "Hey, Manny?"

"Corvo? How far can that reach?" the manticore questioned.

"I haven't the slightest. Should probably ask Faust," Corvo answered.

"It has a pretty wide range. You could reach about anypony in the castle," a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Faust?!" they both exclaimed.

"Yep. I must say that you've surprised me with how you're using the Telepathy to talk to a manticore," she said.

"How is it that someone that ponies consider an animal is sentient?" Corvo asked.

"To be completely honest, I'm not exactly sure myself. Some animals in this world are actually rather sentient. There's no set pattern and the level of sentience varies," she told him.

"She's right. The other manticore's aren't able to think like I do and are never able to understand they way I act," Manny said, sadness in his voice. "I'm not like any other manticore, but to everyone else I'm just an animal."

Corvo couldn't help, but feel sorry for Manny after hearing he couldn't even relate to his own species. "Well you don't have to be alone anymore," he said. He could feel confusion emanate from Manny and even Faust seemed somewhat confused. "I'm saying that I'll be your friend." He felt surprise coming from the manticore.

"Really?" Manny asked in shock.

"I kind of know what your going through. It may not be the same extreme as you, but I'm not actually a pony and the world I'm from is much more violent than this one. Which makes my way of thinking slightly darker than the ponies of this world. Besides, you aren't just a wild animal, so I don't see a problem with it," Corvo answered. "So, what do you say?"

"If you don't mind it, I'd be happy to call you friend," Manny said. "Don't think this means you're getting out of fighting with me because of this."

Corvo chuckled, "Of course not."

"You continue to surprise me Corvo," Faust said.

"Where are you by the way?" he asked.

"I'm in Paradise. I figured that I'd let the girls handle speaking to the rulers like they are meant to. I don't really know what me being there would cause," she said.

"I suppose that makes sense," Corvo said. "...Wait rulers?"

However, at that moment, him and Luna soon entered a room ending his conversation with Manny and Faust. The room had a long table with a bunch of chairs set around it. "A summit room?" Corvo asked.

"That's right. Celestia has called a summit with the rulers of Equis." A worried expression crossed Luna's face, "She's telling them of my return."

Seeing her worry, Corvo stepped forward and, after standing on his hind legs, placed a hoof around her. "It will be fine Luna. You aren't, and never were, Nightmare Moon and the Miasma is gone. You are free from it forever."

She smiled, "Thank you Corvo. She's also telling them about you, the guard you're part of, and about the Outsider being in our world."

"That on the other hoof, will be a problem," he said, getting back on all fours.

"You're a good stallion Corvo. You won't have any problems," Luna said. "Now, I've got to get your manticore friend some food and then I have some things I need to prepare for," she told him, teleporting from the room.

After the Princess left, Corvo looked up and saw several strange structures jutting out of the walls near the ceiling. 'What are those for?' he wondered.

A guard suddenly entered the room, "Princess?"

"Neither of them are here. Is something wrong?" Corvo asked, approaching the pegasus guard.

She saluted, "Not wrong, it's just that there are two individuals here that are here for them."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Take me to them. I'll see who they are and tell them that the Princesses are busy at the moment."

She nodded and they headed to the entrance of the castle. When they reached it Corvo was surprised to see two dragons standing there. One looked about the same age as Spike, except their spines seemed sharper than his. Corvo wondered if that meant they were female or they just took care of their spines differently, although there seemed to be a feminine quality to the dragon. Her eyes were closed, in what looked like worry. Her scales were sapphire blue, an ivory white underbelly and dark blue spines. The other dragon stood about as tall Celestia and had red scales, a yellow underbelly, and orange spines. He looked like he wished to be anywhere but where he was, tapping his foot impatiently.

"May I ask who you two are and why you're here?" Corvo asked.

The bigger dragon gave him an irritated look, "Finally. For whatever reason the Empress told me to bring this brat here. Now that one of you sissy ponies are here, I'm leaving." Spreading his amber wings, he immediately took off, leaving the young dragon alone.

Corvo glared after the bigger dragon before turning his attention to the smaller dragon, who flinched at the attention. His expression softened and he knelt down, so he was eye level with her. "Hello," he began. "You don't have to be scared."

"I-I'm not s-scared," she stuttered out. "D-dragons don't g-get scared. We're b-brave and fearsome."

He smiled at her, "Being scared doesn't mean that you aren't brave, you know."

She looked up at him and Corvo saw her eyes. They were a deep purple. "It doesn't?" she questioned.

He shook his head, "No, in fact feeling fear can help you survive. If you didn't feel fear, then you could end up in dangerous situations because you might not realize that it was dangerous. And even those with great fear can do amazing things."

"That's not true," she said.

Corvo chuckled, "It's very much true." The young dragon looked up at him. "A pony I know named Fluttershy is very shy and, from what I've seen, fears a great many things. However, despite this when she saw a manticore, you know what the first thing she wanted to do was?" She shook her head. "She wanted to speak with him." Her eyes widened at this. He grinned, "That's right she wanted to talk to a manticore. So, don't think that fear is a bad thing, alright?" She nodded. "Good, now why don't you hop on?"

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"The castle's pretty big, so I figured it would be better for me to carry you to where the summit will take place," he explained.

"OK," she said, climbing onto his back.

Corvo stood and walked into the castle. As he walked, he asked, "So, first off how about introductions? My name is Raven Armor. What's your's?"

"Ruby Blaze," she answered. "So you're Corvo?"

He froze and looked back at her, "How did you know that?"

"Our Empress sent out an announcement that Faust told her about two spells of yours that affect the whole world, but won't affect us. You know, since we are only affected by the most potent of magic, like the Princesses," she explained. "She also warned us that if we took advantage of or did anything to anyone, we would have to face Faust."

He nodded and resumed walking, "It's good to know that she addressed that. But how many dragons even know about Faust?"

"We all did," she said. He glanced back and arched a brow. "The oldest of dragons always told everyone about Faust. Not one of us grew up without knowing about her."

"I see." After a few minutes, he asked, "If you don't mind my asking, why exactly is your name is Ruby?"

She deadpanned, "Because there isn't a speck of red on me, right?"

Corvo smiled awkwardly, "You get asked that often?"

Ruby sighed and nodded, "Yes, a whole lot. The reason my parents called me Ruby is because, from what they told me, not long after I was born I somehow found a few fire rubies."

"Fire rubies?" he questioned.

"They are very rare rubies that are a delicacy for dragons," she said.

"I assume that's where Blaze came from as well?" he asked.

"That's part of it," Ruby said. "The other reason is that my grandmother is named after fire as well."

They soon reached the meeting room and entered. As he walked in, he saw that Celestia was sitting at the far end.

"Hello, Celestia," he greeted. He heard Ruby gasp behind him. He glanced back at her.

"You refer to your ruler by just her name?" she questioned.

"Only because she wanted me to," he answered. "At least that's what Luna said."

"That's right," Celestia spoke up. "He helped get my sister back and, thanks to him, the Miasma is gone too." She stood and approached them, "And who's this?"

"This is Ruby Blaze, Princess," he said, as she jumped off his back. Celestia arched a brow at him. "Just because I'm going to call you by your name, doesn't mean I'll stop referring to you and Luna as Princess."

She rolled her eyes, "It's nice to meet you Ruby."

"You too, Your Highness," she said, bowing.

"You don't have to bow," Celestia said. As the young dragoness stood up, the alicorn asked, "So you have been sent with it?"

Ruby nodded and held out a crystal. It was as long as one of Corvo's health elixirs, but only as thick as his mana elixirs.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's a video crystal," Celestia said.

"A video crystal?" He knew of video because his world had developed it, but a video crystal?

"Yes, each one has a wavelength that they use to contact the other. When you connect to the one you want, a sort of screen is projected from the crystal that allows you to see who you are talking to," Celestia explained.

"That's very interesting," Corvo said. "When do you think the summit will take place?"

"It will probably take a few hours," she said. "I didn't expect you to be here so early, so I don't really know what you can do until then." After thinking for a minute then said, "Although I'm thinking of contacting the dragon's ruler and talking to her beforehoof. Would you like to stay and introduce yourself?"

He thought about it, then nodded, "Sure. I'd like to meet her."

Celestia smiled and took the crystal in her magic. Placing it on the table, she fired a beam of magic into it. A screen rose from the crystal, and eventually a dragon appeared. Her scales were golden, with an alabaster underbelly, and dark red spines. Her eyes surprised Corvo greatly. They were like fire.

Celestia bowed slightly, "Empress Blessing Flame."

The dragoness smiled, "Celestia, it's been far too long!"

The alicorn giggled, "It really has. It's been what, about a hundred years?"

"Yes, last time we saw each other was when you took that dragon egg. How is it by the way? It's getting close to the time limit," she asked in worry.

Celestia facehoofed, "I knew there was something I was forgetting at the time, but so much happened, it completely slipped my mind. He actually hatched about thirteen years ago. A unicorn with powerful magic managed to hatch him and he has been living with her family since."

Corvo looked between them in confusion, "Hang on, are you talking about Spike?"

"So, his name is Spike," she repeated. "It's a nice name. So he's being well taken care of?"

"Yes, Twilight and her family have loved and cared for him a great deal. They even adopted him," Celestia said with a warm smile.

Blessing smiled as well, "I'm glad."

"Wait, you said that you got that egg a hundred years ago didn't you?" Corvo questioned. "Are you saying that Spike's actually a hundred years old!?"

"Since he was born yes, but a dragon doesn't actually age until they are hatched," the Empress said.

"So why did Princess Celestia have him?" he asked.

Blessing Flame's fire-like eyes seemed to flare as anger spread across her face, "His parents were slain in their sleep. We don't know by who or why they did it, although there's no excuse for it. As for why she had it, only two things can hatch a dragon egg. The flame of their parents or very powerful magic. I sent him to Celestia to have her hatch him and for him live with ponies. I wanted to learn more about them and having a dragon grow up with them seemed like the perfect idea."

"I was going to, but I didn't because I thought it would be better if a pony hatched him themselves. If in a hundred years, he wasn't hatched, I would hatch him and find a good home for him," Celestia explained.

"You keep mentioning a hundred years. Would he have died if you didn't do it before then?" Corvo asked, filled with dread.

All three of their faces fell, and the two rulers nodded solemnly. "Even dragons have a limit Corvo," Celestia said.

Hearing his name, Blessing brightened up a bit, "So this is the stallion Faust told me about."

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm Corvo Attano," he said.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I've told my subjects about your magic and warned them what would happen if they did anything to the inhabitants of Equis." Corvo bowed his head in thanks. "How's my granddaughter?" she asked suddenly.

His eyes widened at this, "Hang on, she's your granddaughter?" The Empress nodded. "Well, you might want to talk to that dragon that you had escort her here."

"Garble? Why?" she asked.

"For one, he called her a brat," he said. Blessing's eyes narrowed at this. "And the bigger reason, is that he just left her with the first pony that walked up to them." Blessing's nostrils flared and smoke escaped the sides of her mouth as she let out a low growl. "If it had been a noble or something, there's no telling what would have happened. Especially if it was Blueblood."

"If it had been Blueblood, I'm sure he would have insulted the dragon and I'd be dealing with them instead of here talking with you all," Celestia said.

"Well, I'm glad he didn't. For Ruby's sake and the fact that I would have to save his flank from that dragon," Corvo said. "Probably wouldn't do it right away though."

"Corvo!" Celestia exclaimed in surprise.

"What? I didn't say I wouldn't save him. I'd just wait and see if the dragon couldn't burn off some of his arrogance," he said, smiling slightly.

Blessing let out a deep, but feminine, chuckle, "I like him Celestia. He's not afraid to speak his mind, but is still respectful."

"Well, I was an advisor before so I had to be honest. Dancing around the issue would only lead to trouble," Corvo said. The two rulers nodded in agreement. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to visit Screw Loose. I think it's been almost week since I last visited her."

"It's fine Corvo. Go see her," Celestia said.

He glanced at her and asked, "Speaking of her. Do you think I could ask a favor involving her?"

"What is it?" the Princess asked, curiously.

"Would you be able to move her to Ponyville? Since I'll be living there now, it'll be hard to visit her here," he requested.

She raised a hoof to her chin in thought, "You'll have to speak with the doctor, but if there wouldn't any problems then I don't see why not. It might even be better for her to be in a town rather than a city."

"Yeah, especially this city," Corvo said, referring to what had happened to her.

"That's true. Since you are going over there anyway, you should talk to the doctor," she suggested.

"I'll do just that," he said. "It was nice meeting you Ruby, Empress Blessing Flame," he bowed to the Empress, then turned and exited the room. Once out of the castle, he headed toward the hospital.

As Corvo walked, he thought, 'I wonder what the others are doing in Ponyville right now.' He soon reached the hospital and entered. He was glad to see that the doctor was standing in front of the room. Walking forward, he called out, "Dr. Stable."

The orange unicorn looked over and smiled when he saw him, "Corvo, good to see you again. It's been a little while. What have you been up to?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," he said.

The doctor arched a brow, "Alright, let's head over to Screw Loose's room and you can tell me while we walk."

They started walking and Corvo said, "So, the reason I haven't visited in a while, is that I've moved to Ponyville."

Dr. Stable looked at him in surprise, "You did? Is there a reason why?"

"My sister is living there now. I know she can take care of herself, but I would rather stay near her," he explained. 'Especially if that one group try's anything again.'

"I see and what is it that you want to talk to me about?" Dr. Stable asked.

"Would be at all possible to move Screw Loose to Ponyville?" Corvo asked. "I want to keep visiting her, but her being here and me moving there makes things hard. I also thought that getting out of this city might help her."

The doctor thought for moment. "You have a point. Moving her to a small town instead of a city would probably help her a good deal. And keeping her in the same town as you would be better." He thought a bit longer, then nodded and said, "I think it should be doable. She isn't physically harmed, so the only problem would be keeping her with her escort. I'll probably have to transfer over there too."

"Why?" Corvo asked.

Dr. Stable gave him a look, "She's used to me more than any of the other doctors, so if we move her somewhere new then I'm going to have to come with her."

"I don't want to make you move."

"Nonsense. I'd like to get out of Canterlot and away from all the uptight nobles myself," the doctor said.

"Well, if you're sure," Corvo said.

Dr. Stable nodded, "I'm sure. Ponyville sounds like it would be a good change of pace." They eventually reached Screw Loose's room. Stable unlocked the door and let Corvo inside.

Corvo turned to see the blue mare sleeping on her bed. Her legs were splayed out as she laid on her side. Smiling, he started walking over to her. As he neared, her ear twitched and her eyes slowly opened. She glanced over and, when she saw Corvo, she jumped up and rushed over to him. He quickly changed back to normal and sat on the floor. When Screw Loose reached him, she jumped into his lap and laid across his legs.

As she laid back down, Corvo began petting her back, "Hey, Screw Loose. Sorry I haven't visited in a while. Had to take care of something a couple days ago and I've been settling in." As he said this, Screw Loose looked up at him in confusion. "I've moved to Ponyville," he said.

Immediately, Screw Loose's eyes widened and she jumped forward, wrapping her forelegs around him. The action took Corvo completely by surprise. This was the most pony-like thing she had done since the incident. It took him a moment before he shook off the shock and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Dr. Stable says that you should be able to get moved there as well," he said. She pushed back and gazed hopefully into his eyes. He smiled warmly, "Yes, he said that you'll be able to come and that he'll be going as well." A smile spread across her muzzle and she began wagging her tail. Chuckling, Corvo leaned back against the wall, while Screw Loose laid back on his lap.

After two hours of just spending time with her, he exited the room and bumped into Dr. Stable, who smiled at him. "Corvo good news, we'll be able to move Screw Loose to Ponyville and I've already started on my transfer papers."

"I'm glad that it won't be too difficult to visit her. I still feel like I'm making you move," Corvo said.

"It's fine. Like I said, I'd like to get out of Canterlot anyway," Dr. Stable said reassuringly. "It will most likely take a few days to put in motion."

Corvo nodded, "Thanks again Dr. Stable. I know you didn't have to do this, but I'm grateful that you are."

"It isn't a problem," the doctor said. "We'll see you in a few days." He then walked off to tend to whatever patients he needed to take care of.

Corvo began walking out of the hospital, when he noticed that he wasn't in pony form. He was still bipedal and didn't have to crouch down in the hall or have to duck under the doors. He knew that they wouldn't make them only as tall as themselves, but the fact that his head didn't even graze the ceiling made him think that the halls were slightly taller than he thought that they'd be.

"Why are the halls so tall?" he wondered aloud.

"That's rather simple, old boy," a voice spoke up.

Corvo turned around and saw two unicorns standing there. They were both white, one a stallion and the other a mare. The stallion had a light blue mane with three crowns for a cutie mark and the mare had a mane that was a lighter pink than Fluttershy's with a stripe of white down the middle and she had a cutie mark of three symbols that Corvo had never seen before. The two small ones were lavender and the larger one was golden.

"Hello, may I ask who you two are?" he asked.

"Ah, yes of course. I'm Fancy Pants and this is my wife Fleur de Lis," the unicorn stallion introduced.

'Fancy Pants? Odd name considering I've never seen ponies wear pants before. Though now that I think about it, how did Fleetfoot's parents come up with her name? None of the inhabitants on Equis have feet. Maybe one of her ancestors worked on the anthropology research that Celestia told me about.' Shaking himself from his thoughts, Corvo inclined his head to both of them, "It's nice to meet you. You know why everything is a good deal taller then it would probably be normally?"

"Indeed, but don't you think you should introduce yourself?" Fancy asked, smiling with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you already know who I am?" Corvo questioned, arching a brow himself.

"Yes, but it's always nice to be formally introduced to somepony," Fleur said.

"Alright. Well, I'm Corvo Attano," he said.

"Nice to finally meet you. Now then, it's become such common place that most ponies don't even notice anymore, but every building is made as such for the Princess," Fancy Pants explained. "You see, it used to be that she would visit ponies sometimes, so the building were made to accommodate her tall stature. There were also times when she needed to enter a building. Like if she were to talk to a family about them losing a loved one or if she tried to put a stop to some crime herself."

"It's incredible that she would take matters into her own hooves," Corvo said, impressed.

"Of course. She's plenty capable of dealing with criminals," Fleur said.

"Very true," Corvo agreed. "Well, it was nice meeting the two of you. I have something to attend to, but I hope to see you again sometime."

"Same here," Fancy Pants said. "Don't let us keep you."

After saying goodbye to the two unicorns, he started to head back the castle to prepare for the summit.

Corvo soon reached the castle and quickly returned to the summit room. The room was still empty, save for Celestia, Ruby and the screen that showed Blessing Flame.

"Corvo, you're just in time. The other rulers will be arriving soon," Celestia said.

"Where's--?" he began to ask, but Celestia raised a hoof to her lips. She gestured behind her with her head. He nodded in understanding.

"Corvo, would you mind waiting out of the room?" Celestia requested.

"How about I wait up there?" he suggested pointing to the ceiling.

She looked up and saw the perches he was talking about. "Why?" she asked in confusion.

"While I don't expect anything to happen, I would rather be in the room should something go amiss," he explained.

"I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in it, but I assure you nothing will happen," she said.

"Just being safe Celestia," he said, before Blinking onto one of the perches. He knelt down and waited for the other rulers to show. He didn't have to wait long as soon the doors opened and the guards spoke up.

"King Steel Strike," he announced. A purple furred minotaur walked into the room, who looked like he was slightly taller than Celestia. "Empress Diamond Talon." This time a griffon entered the room. Her fur was a bright red, head feathers were black, her wings were dark red, and her eyes were a golden yellow. Corvo was very surprised to see that her right claw looked like it was made of diamond. "King Alpha Digger." A diamond dog entered next. He was a dark brown and his eyes were light blue. "Queen Alestern." Next was a zebra that walked inside. She had a long wavy black and white mane and she wore golden rings around her neck, left foreleg and right hind leg. "Emperor Tartarius." The last individual to enter the summit room shocked Corvo slightly. He was a changeling that stood as tall as Celestia. He had a dark green webbed mane and tail and his horn was curved, similar to the smaller changeling he'd seen. "And Empress Blessing Flame," the guard finished announcing the rulers and stood back outside the door.

As the rulers took their seats, the griffon Empress glanced at the ceiling. She did a double take as she stared at Corvo. He started to feel nervous that she would expose him before Celestia could introduce him. Taking a chance he raised his hoof in front of lips, asking her to keep quiet. She smirked slightly, but kept quiet about what she'd seen, at least for now.

He activated his Dark Vision and was mildly surprised at what he saw. Each species was a different color. The zebra was purple, the diamond dog was green, the minotaur was red, the griffon was silver, the dragon was blue, and, as he'd already learned, the changeling was pink.

Before anything could be said, a pegasus guard walked in. "Princess, we were unable to find Chief Thunderhooves."

Celestia sighed slightly, "Thank you, you may return to your post." The guard exited the room and the Princess addressed the other rulers. "Thank you all for coming today," she started. "I have several announcements to make." Her horn lit up and a door behind her throne opened. Standing behind the door was Luna, who entered the room. "My sister, after a thousand years, has returned and has been freed from the Miasma." Upon seeing Luna, the rulers all gasped in shock.

"Luna!!" the changeling Emperor called out. He jumped from his seat and rushed over to the young princess. He practically picked her up in a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again." He got a better look at her, "You are smaller than before."

"I believe it's from the Elements of Harmony stripping the Miasma from her," Celestia said.

Movement from one of the rulers caught Corvo's attention. Glancing back at the table, he saw the diamond dog King's arm slowly moving away from under the table. His eyes widened at what was in the King's paw. He quickly jumped from his perch and landed right in front of the diamond dog, causing the other rulers to jump in surprise. Just as he landed on the table, Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash appeared behind the ruler. Gleaming had her glaive pointed at the back his head and Crescent had one of his scythes at Alpha Diggers throat.

The sudden appearance of the three ponies shocked everyone. Alpha Digger glared at Corvo, then the Princess, "What is the meaning of this Celestia?"

Before she could answer, Corvo stepped toward the diamond dog. "How about you explain what you were going to do with this?" he questioned. Grabbing Alpha Digger's right arm, Corvo lifted it so that everyone could see. They all gasped as they saw that in his grasp was a crossbow. Corvo glared at the King. "What could you possibly need this for?" he asked, wresting the weapon from the dog.

The diamond dog growled, grabbing the scythe he pushed it away from his throat. "To get rid of a threat!" he shouted. "She may have fooled you all, but she fell before and she will again!" Luna flinched at his declaration and her ears lowered in sadness. Before anyone could do anything the King jumped from his seat and rushed out the door. As he ran, he shouted, "The Miasma will return and you'll regret letting her go!!"

Gleaming Shield and Crescent made to chase after him, but Corvo stopped them. "Don't!" he ordered.

"Why not!? He was going to attack the Princess!" Crescent Slash shouted.

"We know that, but his subjects won't," Corvo explained. "They would see it as us taking their ruler as hostage."

"He's right Crescent. It's for the best that he returns," Celestia said, calmly. However, Corvo knew better. She was forcing herself to be calm, so that she could tend to her sister. Celestia stood and walked over to Luna and enveloped her in a hug, rubbing her back comfortingly.

Corvo suddenly heard a low growl. He turned toward the sound and saw fury in the dragon Empress's eyes. "That mutt is lucky I'm not there or I would swallow him whole!" she roared.

"Then it's a good thing that you aren't here," Alestern said.

Corvo walked up to the Princesses and placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened, Princess. You don't deserve to be treated like that," he said.

The Night Princess smiled gratefully at him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you Corvo," Celestia said.

He bowed slightly. He then called out with his mind, "Faust?"

"Yes Corvo?"

He heard the rulers inhale sharply, alerting him that Faust talking to all of them. "Is what Alpha Digger said true? Will the Miasma return?" he asked. Corvo saw Celestia glare slightly at him at his first question, but when he clarified his question, her glare lessened.

The alicorn sighed heavily, "Unfortunately yes it will. While what I told you before was true, that you rid the world of the Miasma, that is unfortunately only for a while. As Celestia said it's a manifestation of hatred and malice. As long as those exist in the world, it will return."

Worry spread across everyone's face, but Corvo formed a determined expression. "Well, either you or I will be here to destroy it when and if it returns," he said, stomping his hoof confidently.

Celestia smiled warmly at Corvo's declaration and Luna stared at him in slight wonder.

"And who are you to place yourself along with Faust?" Steel Strike questioned, scowling slightly.

"Princess?" he asked. She nodded in affirmation and he turned to the rulers. He returned to his normal form and they all stared at him in shock. "I am Corvo Attano, a being from another world brought here by someone as powerful as Faust. She has seen fit to give me a piece of her magic," he said.

"Another one?" the minotaur asked.

They all turned to him. "What do you mean another one?" Diamond Talon asked.

He raised his voice and called out, "You're there aren't you?"

Confusion spread on all of their faces. Suddenly, another figure appeared that looked similar to Corvo and stood on two legs like he did. He had blood red fur, with a black mane, and had deep blue eyes. He was wearing the same clothes he wore in Dunwall, except that now they were dark purple.

"Daud," Corvo said, his voice filled with malice.

Celestia's eyes widened in shock. "Daud!? What's he doing here!?" she shouted, placing a wing in front of Luna and standing in front of her. She started to charge her magic and looked ready to attack, as did Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash. However, the last person they expected to stop them spoke up.

"Celestia, Gleaming Shield, Crescent Slash, don't," Corvo said almost emotionlessly.

They stared at him, not believing what they were hearing. "Why!?" she yelled.

"Because Faust told me that Daud had not done anything like he did in my world. The Outsider said that he had changed as well." He stared at Daud with a hate filled expression. "I told her that I would give him the benefit of the doubt and see for myself if he has changed." Corvo took a calming breath, "Besides, I spared his life before, so I'd like to see if I made the right decision."

"Again you show amazing restraint Lord Protector," Daud said, bowing slightly.

The magic faded from Celestia's horn and she glared at the assassin before her. "Fine, I won't do anything yet. I know a good way to see if he has changed," she said.

"And that would be?" Daud asked.

"You are to befriend the Elements of Harmony," she instructed. "If they are able to see passed your sins and become friends with you, then I will trust that you aren't the same individual that Corvo showed me."

"Very well, Princess. To show you that I'm a changed... stallion, I'll befriend these Elements of Harmony you speak of. Who are they?" he asked.

"Friends of mine," Corvo spoke up. "They live in Ponyville, so you'll have to move there. You'll head there with me when I go back." Daud nodded in understanding.

"Corvo is one of the reasons that I called you all here. He already explained to you who he is, but I also wanted to tell you about our new guard. It is called the Crow Guard and every member of the guard has special magic that he, and Daud, are able to wield," she explained.

"They are able to use magic?" Diamond Talon questioned.

"Yes, they can. A being known as the Outsider gifted them with it," Celestia told them.

Steel Strike nodded in agreement, "She's telling the truth. I've seen Daud use it as well and he told me about the Outsider."

Daud glanced at Corvo, "You're able to use the Arcane Bond? I noticed that those two Blinked in here."

"Yes, I can. The Outsider decided to give it to me, as well as Pull and several gadgets that you used before he sent me here."

"Interesting. He did the same for me. I can use all the magic that you can and he gave me the gadgets that you possessed," he said.

"You keep mentioning someone called the Outsider. Who is he?" Tartarius inquired.

"That would be me, Emperor," a voice rang through the room.

Everyone started looking around the room, searching for the owner of the voice. They soon found it. A man floating in the air, of similar anatomy to Corvo and Daud.

"Outsider," Corvo, Daud, and the Princesses said simultaneously.

The Outsider scanned those present before saying, "Rulers of Equis. I came to this world after finding out that just how interesting it is." He stared at them and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I will be watching everything with an even keener interest than I did in my world." With that he vanished, leaving the rulers to debate with themselves what he meant. However, Corvo and Daud had other thoughts on their minds.

"Daud, did you see--?" Corvo started.

"That ever so faint smile? Yeah," the assassin confirmed. The two glanced at each other, wondering what was going on with the Outsider that got him showing even the slightest hint of emotion.

Celestia speaking brought there attention back to the rulers. "More than I expected was revealed here today, but all of it was important. Thank you all for coming and not freaking out when Luna entered," she said. "You may stay the night if you so wish, but otherwise you may return whenever you're ready."

King Steel Strike stretched, "I think I'll take you up on your offer." The others nodded in agreement.

"Very well, the guards will show you to the room you will spend the night in," Celestia said. The rulers exited the room and followed the guards to their rooms. The Princess then turned to the two stallions. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Manny wants to fight, but since I'm sure he doesn't want me to be drained, I think I'm going to rest and fight him tomorrow," Corvo said. "That OK with you Manny?" he asked the manticore using his Telepathy.

"Yeah, that's fine. I want you to be at full strength when we fight," he said.

"Then I suppose I'll be staying as well," Daud said. "Since Corvo has to show me who the Elements are, I can't head to Ponyville yet."

"Very well, you can rest here," Celestia said. "Corvo, you can head to the room you stayed in before."

Before he left, Corvo walked up to the Princesses. "Don't worry Luna. I know you'll be able to prove to everyone that you are back to your old self and that you will not let what happened, happen again," he said.

Luna smiled, "Thank you Corvo."

He nodded. However, before he could leave, a letter appeared in front of Celestia. Taking it in her magic, she opened it and began to read it. Once she finished, confusion spread across her face.

"Is something wrong Celestia?" Corvo asked.

"Apparently Twilight only received two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, but she was supposed to receive one for each of her friends," she told him. "The pony in charge of distributing them must have thought it was an error or something," she said with a sigh. In a golden flash, five more tickets and two scrolls appeared. She began writing her response to Twilight and placed six of the tickets in it. She then sent the message.

Luna noticed that she still had one ticket and asked, "What about that one?"

Corvo smiled, "It's for Spike isn't it? I'm sure that all day he's been saying that he wouldn't want any part of something like a gala, but he'd, of course, want to go with his friends."

"Exactly," Celestia said. She wrote a short letter and placed the last ticket in it, before sending it off. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

They nodded and, after entering the hall, went separate ways. Corvo started walking to the room he had stayed in before. As he walked, he called out to Faust. "Faust?" he said.

"Is something wrong Corvo?" she asked.

"No everything's fine. I was just wondering if those crystals that Empress Blessing Flame used could be used to show my memories," he inquired.

"They don't normally, but I could make it to where they will," she said.

"If you can, it would make things easier to explain to the others."

"It will be easy to do. They will be ready by tomorrow, but I'll give them to you after your scuffle with a manticore," she said. He could practically see her smirking as she said this. She then said with a serious tone, "I'm going to have to see your memories you know."

"Of course and thank you," he said, reaching his room. He laid in his bed and soon fell asleep. As he slept, his memories played in his mind as Faust looked them over and recorded them onto a gem for Corvo.

Author's Notes:

I'd like to thank ace_neyros for the names for the rulers. I made a small change to one of them, but they are mostly the names they came up with.

I would also like to ask that if anyone can come up with any other names, that they comment on the blog that's linked in the last chapter. If I decide to put in some more non-canon characters in the story, or my other stories, I'd appreciate any suggestions for names.