Corvo awoke with a start. His slaying of the Whalers flashing in his mind. Panting slightly, he slowly sat up, 'Damn it, the same nightmare.' It'd only happened a few times, but he'd dream of the massacre he had caused. He looked at the nightstand and saw two golden tickets laying there with a note under them. Picking them up, he read the note.

Here are two tickets for you to join your friends at the Grand Galloping Gala. There's an extra in case you find a special somepony to take with you. -Celestia

A blush crossed his face as he read the note. Twilight had told him that calling a pony your special somepony was pretty much saying that you were going out with them. Shaking himself, he pocketed the tickets and started toward the training grounds.

Reaching out with his Telepathy, Corvo said, "I'm on my way Manny. You ready?"

"I'm ready when you are," he replied.

When he reached the grounds entrance, Corvo was surprised to see Daud leaning against the door frame. Corvo felt his anger rise, but quickly stomped it down and approached the former assassin.

When Corvo reached him, Daud spoke up. "Why in the Void do you look like a pony Corvo?" he asked.

"To blend in, Daud. Ponies will find out about my actual form, but won't know who I am until I tell or show them," Corvo said. He smirked slightly, "Plus the Diamond Dog King left before he learned of this."

Daud smirked as well, "He won't be expecting you to change or someone like me if he decides to do something." Corvo nodded. Daud then questioned, "You're really going to fight something that's as big as blood ox and probably ten times as dangerous?"

"He isn't just an animal and we agreed to not fatally or heavily injure each other, so I don't have worry about anything," Corvo said. Daud arched a brow at him, but stayed silent. When he entered the grounds, Corvo was rather surprised to see a bunch of guards had gathered. Noticing Gleaming Shield, he approached her. "What's going on?" he asked.

She looked over and said, "You kidding? Once word got out that you were going to fight a manticore and that it had behaved itself yesterday, they want to see how you handle yourself against him." She frowned slightly, "I even found out a few guards betting on who would win."

Corvo waved his hoof, "It's fine, I'd be somewhat surprised if they didn't. I'd sometimes see the guards in my world making bets about things before and about much more morbid things than this." He walked across from the manticore. "You care what form I'm in when we fight?" Manny shook his head in negative.

"Corvo, here!" Crescent shouted, throwing a sword to him.

"Crescent, I don't want to injure him," he said, catching the weapon.

"It's a dulled blade for practice, Corvo," Gleaming told him, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, alright." He got in a stance and readied himself. He decided to stay in his pony form. He wanted to get more practice fighting in this form in case he ended up somewhere he couldn't be in his normal form.

Corvo watched Manny as he stalked around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw him pounce and Corvo sidestepped the attack. He then moved forward and slashed with his sword. Manny jumped to the side and backpawed Corvo. He slid several feet, but managed to stay on his hooves. Corvo charged forward and, just before he reached the manticore, he slid under him, striking Manny's stomach as he went. When he was out from under him, Corvo jumped away just as the scorpion tail swung at him. Manny turned around and stared at Corvo, a grin working its way across his muzzle. Corvo smiled slightly as well, then charged and swung his sword forward. Manny lashed out with his tail and clashed with the sword.

Corvo frowned slightly, "You trying to poison me?"

Manny rolled his eyes, "Unless I actually wanted to, all this would do would wound you. All you said was that we weren't to kill each other."

"You have that much control over it? I thought it always injected someone with poison."

"From books about us right?" the manticore asked. Corvo nodded, and Manny sighed. "That's not surprising. I mean whenever a manticore hits something with their tail, it's usually to poison them. However we do have control over it."

"Good to know," Corvo said.

He then swung his sword upward, swatting his tail away and punched the manticore in the snout. He reeled back from the impact and glared at Corvo. He then tackled the earth pony, sending him skidding across the field. He stopped in front of Gleaming Shield and Crescent Slash.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little sore, but fine," he answered.

Corvo charged forward, but as he reached Manny, he Blinked next to the manticore and bucked his side. He was launched several feet away, where he landed with a dull thud. He quickly got up and and took off.

"If you're going to use your magic then I'm using my wings!" Manny roared.

He dove at Corvo and swiped at him, but he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the strike. Getting up, Corvo launched a weakened Windblast at the manticore. The gust of wind knocked Manny out of the air. He landed on his paws and was about to pounce when a voice spoke up.

"I must say I was not expecting to walk in on something like this."

Turning around, they were surprised to see all of the rulers, as well as Ruby Blaze, standing there, Tartarius had the screen for Blessing Flame held in his magic. The guards, Corvo, Daud, and, to the rulers, young dragon, and former assassin's astonishment, Manny bowed.

They all stared at Manny until Corvo asked, "Is there anything you need, Your Highness's?"

Snapping out of it, Diamond Talon spoke up, "No, we just heard a commotion coming from out here and decided to see what it was."

"Ah," he said. He glanced at her claw, "Empress Diamond Talon, if it's not too personal--"

"You're wondering about my claw being diamond, right?" she guessed. He nodded. "Well, first off it's completely diamond, it isn't just covered in it. Watch," she said, walking up to a stone bench. She ran her claw along the bench and they were all shocked when it fell inward, cleanly cut in half. "Tartarius?"

The Emperor's horn lit up dark green aura and he fixed the bench.

"Thank you," she said. She then turned back to Corvo. "To answer your question, I was born without a right claw and, with griffons, this is a major handicap. You only have half of your fighting and defensive capabilities. I was always treated rather harshly because I was considered weaker than other griffons. But that didn't stop me, I worked harder than any other griffon and I eventually reached where I am now. Seeing me overcome such a thing, Celestia and Tartarius combined their magic and made this for me," she held up her claw. "They took several diamonds and molded them around my arm. They made it to where it's malleable enough to move like an actual limb, but was still as tough as a diamond should be."

"I see. Well, thank you for the explanation," Corvo said, bowing slightly.

"It isn't really a secret, it's just that no one's really asked," she said.

"Probably cause not only are you an Empress, but also because you're a griffon," Alestern mentioned.

"Probably," Diamond Talon said. She glanced at Manny, who was just sitting on the ground. "I've never seen a manticore act the way he is."

"Yes, he said that he's the only one that he knows of that is sentient like him," Corvo said. "We've also become friends."

Everyone's gaze shifted from Manny to Corvo. They all stared at him in stunned silence.

Blessing Flame chuckled, "Becoming friends with a manticore. Even with my long life, I never thought I'd live to see something like that."

Corvo shrugged, "It helps when you can see something's intelligence from their eyes... and have telepathy."

"You have telepathy?" Tartarius asked in shock.

"Yes. Why?" Corvo asked.

"It's normally something that only powerful unicorns are able to do and it's usually only with their families," the Emperor said.

'So can Twilight use it along with her family?' Corvo wondered. 'I'm sure the Princesses can use it with anyone like their mother can.' "Well, Faust gave me the ability to do so," Corvo said.

They all 'ah'd' in understanding, before they went back inside the castle. Except for Tartarius, who placed the screen that Empress Blessing Flame was using on the bench that had been cut and repaired. He then walked back inside as Ruby sat on the bench.

"Corvo there's something I'd like to ask you," the dragoness said.

"If I may have a moment," Corvo said. He turned to Gleaming and asked, "Will you bring the rest of the Crow Guard here?"

"It will probably take a little while for the Wonderbolts to get here, but I can. Why?" she asked.

"I'll explain when everypony's here," he said.

"Alright," Gleaming said, and entered the castle.

"Okay Empress, you wanted to ask me something?" Corvo questioned.

Blessing waved a claw, "You don't have to address me like that. Celestia and Luna see you as a friend so I do as well. Just call me Blessing Flame when there aren't any dragons around. Besides, Ruby and Spike anyway."

"Very well, Blessing Flame," he said.

"Anyway, there is something I wish to ask of you," she said. Corvo looked at her curiously. "I had Ruby go to Equestria for a reason. I wanted her to help Spike out with getting to know ponies better. I think it would be beneficial to have two points of view. Especially since Spike might end up being slightly biased having become family with them."

"I suppose I see your point. What does that have to do with me though?" Corvo asked.

"I was hoping that she would be able to stay with you. Do you have room for her?" she questioned.

"Yes, we have a whole other guest room. I'd need to talk to Twilight though. She lives there as well," he told her.

A smirk spread across the Empress's maw. "You're living with a mare?" she teased.

A faint blush crossed Corvo's muzzle. "She's my sister," he said.

Blessing Flame chuckled, "I'm just messing with you Corvo. Take this crystal with you, so that you can tell me whether or not she'll agree and that, if she does, Ruby will be able to contact me when she wants to."

"I'll speak to her as soon as I can," he promised. He took the crystal and placed it in his coat. Turning to Manny he asked, "Do you want to continue or are you satisfied for now?"

"I'm fine for now, but I'd like fight again," he answered with a smile.

"Sure, just let me know," Corvo said. At that moment, the rest of the Crow Guard walked onto the field. They paused when they saw Daud and bristled when they realized who it was. "That was pretty fast. And stand down you all, Daud's under surveillance for now."

"Well, I'd forgotten that the Wonderbolts were here for the summit, as well," Gleaming explained.

"So, what'd you want us for?" Soarin asked.

"Because Faust gave me some magic and she said that I can let you use them. That's what I intend to do," he said. They all nodded and placed their hooves over each other's. Corvo placed his right hand on top of their hooves and activated his Arcane Bond. After a moment, the glow dissipated and Corvo stepped back. "You can now cast illusions, enhance your vision, and speak with others telepathically. Oh, and don't mix the two vision spells," he warned. "It temporarily blinded me when I tried." When they nodded, Corvo said, "That was all, I just wanted to make sure you all were able to use the new spells I could. You can return to your posts." They saluted and headed back into the castle. He turned to Daud, "You ready to go to Ponyville?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready. How are we going to get there?"

"You don't mind flying us back do you, Manny?" Corvo asked.

"I don't mind, but don't go thinking I'll do this all the time," he said.

"Of course not. I'm not going to ask you to take me everywhere. And if I want you to take me somewhere, I'll be sure to ask you before hand," Corvo said. He turned to Ruby, "Come on, Ruby. We're heading to Ponyville."

"A-are you sure it's safe?" she asked, shakily.

"Yes, Manny here is a good guy. He flew me here in the first place," Corvo told her. "I'll have a hold of you while we're flying okay?" Ruby nodded reluctantly and he changed back to his normal form. After placing Ruby on the manticore, he climbed on and held onto the young dragoness.

After Daud climbed onto Manny's back, the manticore spread his wings and took off. The screams of the nobles making Corvo, Daud, and Manny to smirk as they flew back to Ponyville.

When they reached Ponyville, Manny landed in front of the library. The ponies looked at the manticore in panic, but when they saw Corvo riding on it they went about their day. They kept a wary eye on him though. Corvo and Daud jumped off of the manticore's back and Corvo helped Ruby to the ground. Suddenly a blue crystal appeared in front of him.

As he caught it a familiar voice spoke to him. "There you go, Corvo. That crystal has all of your memories from the point that the Empress was assassinated to before you moved to Ponyville. As well as when you protected that woman in Serkonos." Faust paused, then said, "I thought I should include it since you mention something important afterwards. I hope you don't mind that I put those there."

"It's fine. The others are probably wondering how Twilight got that scar over her eye. And while I'm sure that Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy have some self-control, I'm pretty sure that Pinkie and Blitz don't," Corvo said.

"Actually, when Pinkie saw how unhappy asking that made Twilight she dropped it," Faust said. She then sighed, "Unfortunately you're right about Rainbow Blitz. He's asked her twice since yesterday. If you don't explain it soon, he'll likely keep at it until Twilight finally snaps."

'Damn it Blitz,' Corvo cursed. "Thank you for doing this Faust."

"It's nothing Corvo. I'll see you later," she said. She seemed to remember something as she spoke again, "Oh, and Corvo, you can pause, rewind, and fast forward the video. All you have to do is be in contact with the crystal and think what you want it to do."

"OK, thanks again, Faust." Corvo turned to the manticore next to him. "Manny, I feel I need to ask this," he started. "You're not going to do anything to ponies are you? I ask because everypony is going to ask."

"I swear to you Corvo that the only time I'll do anything to anypony is if they do something to me, you, or anyone you care about," the manticore said.

Corvo nodded, then turned to Daud. "Before we go in, there's something you need to know," he started.

"And that is?" Daud questioned.

"I'm going to be showing them all my past. That's going to obviously include the things you were responsible for," Corvo said.

The former assassin nodded, "Of course. I didn't expect you to not explain to them about me and why I was here."

"Right. Well, let's head in." Corvo opened the door and stepped inside. He froze at what he saw. All of his friends were already sitting in the library, even Octavia, Vinyl, and, surprisingly, Moon Dancer were present. Honeycrisp, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were also there. "What's everyone doing here?" he asked.

"Lady Faust told us there was something you wanted to show us," Rarity said.

"I highly doubt she wants you to refer to her like that Rarity," Corvo said. "Anyway that's right. She helped me get a way that I can show you all my past that's much easier than what we've been doing and do it at the same time instead of individually."

"Corvo, who are they?" Twilight asked, a look of shock on her face.

Corvo gestured for them to enter. Once they did, Corvo introduced the dragoness first. "This is Ruby Blaze. Her grandmother asked if she could stay with us, so that dragons can better understand ponies," he said.

"Couldn't Spike do that?" Blitz asked.

"He can, but she thought that it would be good to have another point of view. Especially since he's been raised by ponies and some would probably view his opinions as being biased," he explained. Most of the ponies nodded their heads in understanding. "So, Twilight, would you mind if she stayed with us?"

Twilight was surprised by the question, but then gained a thoughtful look. "Well, Moon Dancer is taking the guest room." She glanced at the unicorn in question. "She's moving to Ponyville too, and asked to stay here until she can get a place of her own. Although if they don't mind sharing a room," she trailed off, looking between the two.

Moon Dancer smiled slightly, "I don't mind her staying in the same room, if she doesn't mind."

Ruby returned the smile, "That sounds nice. Having a roommate."

Twilight nodded, "Alright then, she's more than welcome."

"What are you going to do about a bed for her?" Corvo asked.

"I could do what I did for Spike," she offered.

"The basket?" Corvo questioned, arching a brow.

Knowing what he was thinking, Spike spoke up, "There's actually a mattress in it. Twilight shrunk one down for me and put it inside."

Glancing at his sister, Corvo said, "Good thinking Twilight." She blushed, as he continued to speak, "Is that OK with you Ruby?"

She nodded, "That sounds fine."

"Then we'll get a bed and basket after this," Twilight said. She then looked at the other stallion. "So, who's this and why does he look similar to you?"

"Twilight, I need you to remain calm when I tell you his name. Faust says he's changed and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt," he said. Twilight looked confused, but nodded. Corvo took a deep breath, "It's Daud."

Twilight's eyes widened and Corvo thought for sure that he saw her mane flicker like fire, before she forced herself to be calm.

"She already knows?" Daud asked, noticing her reaction.

"Yes, she and her family all know. I felt that her parents deserved to know who their daughter was spending so much time with and why she spent so long with me. So, I showed them my memories and that obviously included you," Corvo explained.

"So Faust says he's changed?" Twilight questioned, suppressing her anger.

"Her and the Minotaur king," he answered.

This caught them all by surprise. "The minotaur king?" Octavia asked.

"Yes, the Princess had called a Royal Summit yesterday to tell them about Luna's return, the Crow Guard, me, and the Outsider," he told them. "It was there that Daud showed up. Apparently he's been helping the minotaurs."

Twilight sighed, "Fine, but I'm keeping an eye on him."

"That kind of why he's here. Princess Celestia said that she wanted him to come here and that if he could get you and the other Elements to at least look passed what he's done, then she'd trust him," Corvo explained.

"What did he do?" Applejack asked.

"A-and why u-us?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"You'll see in a moment, Applejack. As for why you, as I said the six of you are the embodiment of the Elements of Harmony. I think that's rather self-explanatory," Corvo said. He walked to the table in the middle of the room and placed the two crystals on it.

"Are those video crystals?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, although Faust altered one to show my memories," he said. "Before that though, I need to tell Ruby's grandmother that you agreed to let her stay here. You mind activating it Twilight?"

She gave Corvo a weird look. "You can activate it Corvo," she told him. He looked at her questioningly. "Just focus your magic into it and it'll activate."

He placed his hand on the purple crystal and focused his magic into it and the screen appeared. "Hello again, Blessing Flame," he said.

"Wait, her grandmother is the Empress!?" Twilight shouted in shock.

"Oh, so you know her," Corvo said.

"Of course I do. The Princess would talk about her and Emperor Tartarius," she said. "Although she never mentioned what the Emperor is," she muttered.

Corvo turned back to the Empress. "Well, Blessing, Twilight agreed to let Ruby stay here," he told her.

She smiled and turned to the panicking unicorn, "Thank you Twilight. Did Corvo explain to you why I wanted her there?"

"Y-yes Your Highness," she said, bowing.

Corvo stepped to the screen and whispered, "Before you try, she won't refer to you by just your name. She's known Celestia longer than me and still refers to her as Princess."

The dragoness sighed and muttered, "She's one of those kinds of ponies." She then noticed Spike and smiled, "Hello, there little one. You must be Spike."

The young drakes eyes widened, "How do you know my name?"

"Celestia and I told her about you," Corvo said. Everyone gasped at him calling the Princess by her name. He rolled his eyes, "Oh would you all knock it off. Both she and Luna asked if I'd just refer to them by their names."

"You didn't tell him?" Blessing Flame asked.

"It's not exactly something that's easy to tell someone," he said.

"True," she sighed. She focused on the young dragon. "Spike there's something that you need to know and I can't think of a better time than when you're surrounded by family and friends. First off, you were born a hundred years ago." Everyone's eyes widened at this piece of information. "Now for the hard part. Spike, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. There's a reason that Celestia had your egg." Blessing took a deep breath, "Your parents were killed." Horror crossed all of their faces. "We don't know by who and they've most likely long since died, if they weren't some other dragons anyway." Seeing the pain on Spike's face, she looked at him sympathetically, "I know this is a lot to just drop on you, but I felt that you needed to know." She glanced at Twilight, "Besides, there are those that consider you family that will undoubtedly help you through this."

"Of course I will," Twilight said, pulling Spike into a hug.

Corvo walked up and placed a hand on Spike's head, smiling down at the drake. Spike smiled back as he returned his sister's hug.

"Be sure to call, Ruby," Blessing Flame said to her granddaughter.

"I will grandma," she said, before the screen disappeared.

"Right well, I suppose I should get to showing you all about my past," Corvo said, approaching the other crystal. "If you want to know about me, you might want to come in," he called out.

Twilight, Applejack, and Spike looked at Corvo in panic as they had an idea who he was talking to. However, before they could say anything, the manticore walked inside. Everypony immediately freaked out as he entered, except for one pony. Much to Corvo's amusement, Fluttershy flew up to the manticore and gave him a hug, nuzzling his mane. Manny smiled and nuzzled her back, shocking everypony.

Corvo chuckled, "You mind sitting in the back, Manny? Don't want you blocking anypony's view of the crystal."

Fluttershy gasped, "You liked the name?" When Manny nodded, the pegasus grinned widely and hugged him again. She then laid on his back as he walked to the wall and laid down.

Honeycrisp approached Corvo and he was surprised at the look in her eyes. There was anger, anguish, and fear apparent in them. "May I speak with outside for a moment?" she requested.

"Sure," he said, following her outside. "What's wrong Honeycrisp?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong!?" she hissed. "What is that manticore doing here!?"

"Manny? I offered to be his friend since he wasn't like other manticore's and he was by himself," Corvo explained. "Why?"

Honeycrisp sighed as tears stung her eyes, "That's the manticore that killed my husband. I recognize the scar on his snout."

Corvo's eyes widened in shock, "I-I'm sorry Honeycrisp. I didn't know he was the one--"

She interrupted him by raising her hoof, "It's fine Corvo. I need to face this eventually anyway. He's not going to hurt anypony right?"

"No, he isn't. He swore that he wouldn't unless provoked," he told her.

"Very well. Though I'm still going to be keeping an eye on him," she said.

"Of course," he said, as they both reentered the library. Before he started the video, Corvo glanced at the young dragons. "What should we do about them?" he whispered to Twilight. "Should we show them?"

"I don't think we should, but I get the feeling that they'd try and get that crystal so they could see it. At least, I'm sure Spike would," she told him.

He nodded and decided to let them watch. "There are a few things before I start," Corvo addressed everyone gaining their attention. "First I want you all to Pinkie Promise that you won't tell anypony about what you are going to see without my permission and that you won't freak out when Daud appears." They all looked confused at the last thing, but did the motions. Twilight, Spike, and Ruby looked at the others in confusion. "Twilight, Spike you two don't have to worry about it."

"And why's that?" Blitz asked.

"Because I consider them family and trust them not to do anything against my wishes," he said.

"What do ya mean ya consider them family?" Applejack questioned. "I thought ya said she was your sister?"

"You'll see in a minute Applejack, but suffice to say my situation was similar to Spike in a way." Turning to Ruby he asked, "Can I trust you to not tell anyone about what I'm about show you?" When he saw the conflicted look on her face he said, "You can talk to the Empress about it if you want." After hearing this she nodded. "I'm sure you'll need to after seeing everything," he muttered to himself. "Now the other thing. There will be quite a few gruesome things, so I want you all to be prepared for when they happen." Everyone looked hesitant as he said this, but they nodded in understanding. Corvo took a deep breath, "Alright, well here it goes. Oh, and the first thing your going to see is violent." He focused his magic into the crystal and, once the screen appeared, he stepped back and waited. They all watched as Corvo's life played out before them.

A young Corvo was walking through Serkonos, heading home. A scream of terror caught his attention and he immediately took off in its direction. He eventually found three men approaching a woman, who's back was pressed against a wall. The men all had lecherous smirks on their faces. Corvo immediately drew the sword he'd bought recently and rushed forward.

When he reached the men, he slashed one across his back, one on the arm, and the last on the thigh. They all let out shouts of pain and Corvo put himself between them and the woman, who gasped in shock.

The men glared at Corvo, "And just what do you think you're doing brat?"

"Protecting an innocent woman from a couple bastards," Corvo answered. He held up his blade and said, "Leave, now."

They scowled and ran forward. Corvo sidestepped one of their strikes and slashed him in the side. Ducking under a swinging fist, he slashed the man across his chest. The last one managed to land a kick to Corvo's side, pushing him back several feet. Regaining his balance, Corvo charged forward and drove his sword into the man's shoulder.

He then moved back in front of the woman. "Leave," Corvo repeated. One of the men started to move. However, before he could Corvo moved first and pressed the blade against the man's neck. "Now."

Corvo didn't remove his gaze from the three men as they ran away. When they were out of sight, he turned to the woman, who immediately threw her arms around him and sobbed into his small shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you," she sobbed. She pulled back, "How are you able to fight so well, when you're so young?"

He winced as tears stung his eyes, "My parents passed away and I've had to protect myself."

"Oh, you poor dear," the woman said, pulling him into another hug.

As the scene ended, just about everypony's eyes were watering.

"You lost your parents?" Pinkie asked, her mane seeming to deflate slightly.

"Yes, I did," Corvo answered. "My father died in a lumber accident and my mother passed away a few years before that." He suddenly found himself wrapped in a hug by everyone, minus Daud and Manny. For some reason, Corvo felt his face heat up when he realized Octavia and Vinyl were each hugging his side. "Thanks everypony," he said, smiling and hugging them back. "But, before you do this again please wait until the end everypony. If you get up every time something like this comes up, you'll being getting up like twenty times." The screen changed to show Corvo on a boat.

Corvo was returning from his trip around to the other cities in Gristol in search for aid with the Plague that ran rampant through Dunwall. The small boat he was aboard was lowered into the water by a whaling ship. Once the boat was in the water, they made their way back to Dunwall tower. Corvo half listened as the two guards talked about there being a curse on Dunwall. He was more concerned with what the other cities had decided.

'Weakling bastards,' Corvo thought derisively. 'Not even willing to try and help.'

They soon reached a closed off area. The massive door behind them closed and water started to fill the area, lifting them to the top. Corvo raced to the front of the boat and leapt off, not wasting time with the ramp.

"Sorry, guys, but I want to get this to the Empress as soon as possible," Corvo shouted back. As he crossed the small bridge, a familiar little girl ran toward him. He smiled and knelt down, catching her in a hug. "Hey there Emily. How have you been?"

"OK. Can you tell me about your trip? Did you see any whales?" she asked.

"Not besides the ones that were caught," he answered.

"Caught?" Fluttershy asked, worry evident in her voice.

Corvo winced, he hadn't been looking forward to explaining to Fluttershy about what they did to whales.

"It would be better if you didn't know, Fluttershy," Daud spoke up, much to Twilight and Corvo's surprise. "If how you treat Manny is anything to go by you love all manner of animals don't you?" When the timid pegasus nodded meekly, he said, "Then yeah, I saw a captured whale up close. It would really be better if you didn't know what happened to them."

This only worried Fluttershy more, but she decided to drop it, at least for now.

"I need to get this letter to your mother," Corvo said.

"Wait, can't we play hide and seek first?" Emily asked, hopefully. "You have time. She's talking to that nasty old Spymaster."

He chuckled, "Now that isn't very nice Emily." He knelt down and whispered, "No matter how true it is." She giggled at him. "Alright, let's head below and play a quick game."

Everyone smiled as they watched Corvo play hide and seek with the young Princess. After the game, they headed to where the Empress was.

As they walked, they paused when they saw Sokolov painting a picture of the High Overseer. After listening to the two talk about how Corvo was sent seeking aid from the other Isles and how Sokolov believed his elixir would banish the Plague, Corvo and Emily continued on their way.

"I'm not sure he's painting Campbell right," Emily commented. Corvo shook his head in amusement.

"She'll see you at once," the guard said. Corvo nodded and walked through the gate as Emily ran ahead of him.

As he approached the gazebo he heard the Empress and Lord Regent arguing over what to do about the sick citizens of Dunwall. The Regent wanted to persecute, and possibly eliminate, anyone that was sick. The Empress of course disapproved of such a plan and wanted to protect and eventually cure the people.

"Mother, Corvo returned!" Emily said excitedly.

"Thank you Emily," Jessamine said. She turned to Hiram, "Please, leave us."

Hiram bowed and walked away. "Corvo, you're back two days early. As always, you're full of surprises," he said, as he passed the Lord Protector.

Corvo approached Jessamine and gave her a loving kiss. "It's good to see you, Your Highness," he said, when they broke apart.

"Corvo, you can just call me Jessamine," the Empress said, placing a hand on his cheek.

Everyone was surprised to see how close Corvo was to the Empress. That the stallion they'd met had been in a relationship with royalty was a shock.

"What news did you bring?" she asked.

Corvo grimaced and handed her the envelope with their response. She opened the letter and began to read it. As she read, her face fell. She dropped the letter and looked out across the water at the city beyond.

"I hoped that one of the cities had dealt with this before and might have had a cure. This news is very grave. We're at the breaking point," Jessamine said. "They're all cowards. They are going to blockade us and see if the city is turned into a graveyard."

"Are you okay, mother? You seem upset," Emily asked, worriedly.

"Yes, don't worry dear. Mother's fine," the Empress said. She then looked up, confusion and worry spreading across her face. "Wait, where are the guards? Who sent them away?"

"Mother look! What are those people doing on the roof?" Emily questioned, pointing to Corvo's left. They followed where she was pointing and saw several people running across the roof.

"Emily get back!" Jessamine exclaimed pulling her back.

Corvo drew his sword and unholstered his gun. He was shocked when the man suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of him. He was wearing a gas mask, hiding his face from view. Seeing them wielding weapons, he immediately fired his pistol, killing the man. He then turned to other man and swung his sword. Their weapons clashed and they pushed against each other. Corvo managed to push the assassin back and drove his sword into the man's chest.

As the man fell, Jessamine called out, "Corvo behind you!"

Spinning around, he saw another assassin suddenly appear in front of him. He raised his gun and shot him directly in the head, launching him backward. Corvo looked around, making sure there weren't any others. Confident that they were gone, he put his weapons away. As soon he did, Emily ran forward and hugged him. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you Corvo. If you hadn't been here-" she was cut off when another assassin appeared and somehow lifted Corvo off of the ground.

Emily immediately ran over to her mother. Before she reached Jessamine however, another man, this one without a mask, grabbed ahold of Emily. Jessamine pushed the man away from her daughter. The man slapped her and approached her threateningly.

As the man lifted his blade, Corvo shouted, "NOOOO!" But the man ignored him and drove the sword into the Empress.

Emily screamed and tried to run away, but the assassin holding Corvo grabbed her and vanished. The hold on Corvo disappeared and he fell to the ground, his head colliding with the stone. The impact nearly knocked him out, but he managed to keep himself conscious. The man glanced at Corvo before disappearing as well.

Everyone was horrified when they saw Empress Jessamine murdered in front of her daughter and Corvo. They glared at Daud when they realized that it was him that ended her life, Fluttershy of course, looked at him in fear. Daud didn't even flinch at their gazes, but instead watched with a haunted look in his eyes, which did not escape Twilight's notice. They returned their attention to the screen when they remembered their promise, though they all looked more than willing to break it, even Pinkie Pie.

Corvo scrambled over to Jessamine and listened to her last wishes. "No, please, don't die," he begged.

She smiled sadly, "Goodbye Corvo. I love you." With that her head fell to the side and her hand dropped to the ground.

Corvo gently laid the Empress on the ground, several tears running down his face as he stood up. As he did, Hiram and Thaddeus rushed to gazebo, two guards following behind them. Looking around, Corvo noticed that the bodies of the assassins had disappeared, leaving no evidence of anyone besides him being there.

Shock and anger spread across all of their faces when the Lord Regent and High Overseer immediately accused Corvo of murdering the Empress and helping Emily be kidnapped. They winced when they saw Corvo being practically tortured, as they tried to get him to sign something that said he was the one responsible for what had happened to the Empress and her daughter.

They watched in shock and awe as Corvo quietly escaped from the prison, not spilling any blood, but instead knocked all of the guards out. Everyone jumped when the bomb went off, not expecting such a loud noise. They all gasped as Corvo ran through the destroyed door and dived into the water below without hesitation despite the height of the fall. When he entered the sewer, Corvo paused the video.

"I'm going to warn you all, what you about to hear is very unpleasant. I didn't need to look because things like that constantly happened in the city. You'll be able to guess what's happening from the sounds," he said, resuming the video.

They watched as Corvo climbed to the top of a caged off area and saw a swarm of rats below him. They suddenly heard voices and saw two men enter. Corvo passed them, not even giving them a second glance. A sickening crunching sound and the two men screaming caused practically everypony to turn green and a shiver to run down their spines as they imagined what was happening. Fluttershy looked absolutely horrified that the small rodents could and would be so vicious. They watched as Corvo made his way through the sewer and were terrified when they saw dead bodies suddenly drop onto a platform. Corvo quickly jumped onto the platform, so as to avoid the immense swarm of rats. He knelt next to the bodies and apologized for what he was about to do. He threw the bodies off of the platform and, as the rats swarmed the bodies, he quickly opened the door and made his way through the sewer. After sneaking past some guards, Corvo met up with an older man with a small boat. They watched as Corvo met the Loyalists. When he met Piero, Fluttershy spoke up after hearing him mention something.

"Whale oil?" she asked questioningly.

"Yes," Corvo said uneasily. "It's something that we extracted from whales and what we used as a fuel source for many of our technological devices." Silence permeated the room for a few minutes until Fluttershy spoke again.

"Is that all you used them for?" she asked.

"W-what?" he asked in surprise.

"I raise all kinds of animals Corvo. I understand the need of hunting animals, but if that's all you used the whales for..." she trailed off.

"I don't know if I mentioned this before, but humans are omnivores." Corvo glanced around the room and said, "For those who don't know, it means that we need to eat both plants and meat." He turned to Fluttershy, "So, no Fluttershy, whales weren't caught only for the oil they are able to produce."

"OK, while I still don't like animals being killed or even harmed, I'm glad that you weren't only going after them for their oil," she said.

"Are ya'll still omnivores?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, we are," he answered. He showed them his teeth and they all gasped at the sight of his canines. "The Outsider decided to keep our diets like they were before."

"Are you going to tell them about what some people used whales for?" Daud spoke up. "They're going to find out anyway."

"True," Corvo said. "Listen, there's something I'm going to tell you, but you should know that these were made a long time ago and aren't really created anymore."

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

Reaching into his pocket, Corvo pulled out one of his charms and showed it to everyone. All of them gasped and their eyes widened in horror.

"What in Celestia's name is that!?" Rarity and Octavia practically screeched.

"This is a Bone Charm. These and Runes are things made from the bones of whales," he said. Several ponies turned green and Fluttershy whimpered. "They were made back before the industrial revolution of our land and are probably even now being found throughout our world. Bone Charms in particular are used to enhance one's abilities or give them some type of benefit. This one for instance, is one I refer to as Spirit Water. When I drink something it replenishes my mana slightly," Corvo explained, before he turned back to the crystal and let it resume.

Corvo awoke and sat up from his bed. As he stood up, he could feel something wasn't right. He walked up to the door and opened it. He froze as he saw a practically infinite space in front of him, with things floating and/or frozen in place. He climbed to the top of the structure and approached a spot where the air felt heavy. When he got near it, a being suddenly appeared floating in front of him.

Corvo's eyes widened in shock, "The Outsider."

"That's right Corvo," the entity said. "Your life's taken a real turn hasn't it? The Empress's life has been taken, her precious daughter Emily is somewhere in the city, lost to those who care for her, and you, who will play a pivotal role in the coming days. It is because of this that I have chosen you and drawn you to the Void."

"What are you going to do?" Corvo questioned.

"This is my Mark," the Outsider said, waving his hand.

Corvo winced as he felt a burning sensation on his left hand. Looking down, he saw a strange symbol on the back of his hand.

"There are forces in the world and beyond the world, great forces that men call magic, and now these forces will serve your will," he said. "Use these new found powers. My gift to you. Come find me."

They all teared up slightly when, as Corvo moved to the first platform, they saw Jessamine's corpse on the ground. They all looked in horror as they saw what the note next to her said. 'YOU CANNOT SAVE HER' over and over. They all felt mild satisfaction watching Corvo ripping the paper to shreds. Everyone was surprised to see Emily frozen in the Void and they all frowned seeing a man in black trying to drag Emily somewhere. They watched as Corvo saw the letter floating near her hand and read it. Sadness and slight happiness, showed on everyone's faces when they saw that the note said Emily was scared, but that she still believed Corvo was alive and well. Corvo looked to his left and everyone gaped at what they saw.

"Those are the whales of your world!?" Blitz shouted in shock.

Corvo chuckled slightly. Having seen the whales of this world he understood the shock they felt. "Indeed, they are," he said.

They were stunned into silence as the memories continued. The sight of the Tallboys only caused them to glance nervously at each other. While not to much of a threat to them with their magic to the humans they looked very dangerous. They were especially concerned, when they noticed the flaming projectile that, if they weren't frozen, headed straight at two sickly looking men. Corvo eventually reached a certain spot and the Outsider reappeared.

As soon as the Outsider appeared, he began speaking, "The trials you face in the days to come will be great Corvo. Seek the ancient runes that bear my Mark in the lonely places of your world and at shrines that were raised in my name," he told Corvo. "They will grant you powers beyond those of other men. To help you find these runes I give you this: the Heart of a living thing, molded by my hands. You will hear many secrets with this Heart, and it will guide you toward my runes, no matter how and where they may be hidden," he said. "Listen to the Heart now, and find your first rune."

Shock, disgust, and horror showed on everyone's faces as an actual heart appeared in Corvo's hand, even Daud looked perturbed at the sight. The Heart had been messed with however, having metal wrapped around and sticking out of it. There was also a hole in the heart with a small circular piece of glass protecting the inside circuitry. They watched as Corvo gave the Heart a light squeeze and were horrified when they heard the voice that spoke to him. It sounded exactly like Empress Jessamine. Corvo eventually reached a shrine with a strange item floating above a table.

Corvo grabbed the rune and ran a hand over its surface. A second later, he felt that he was able to use a new power. The Outsider appeared once again and spoke.

"How you use what I've given you falls upon you, as it has to the others before you," he said. "I will now return you to your world, but know that I will be watching the events that unfold with great interest."

The world around Corvo darkened. Opening his eyes, Corvo thought, 'That was an odd dream.' Sitting up, he glanced at his hand and saw the mark on it. 'I guess it wasn't a dream.' He focused on the Heart and it suddenly appeared in his grasp. Looking at it forlornly, he wondered, 'Is this truly your heart Jessamine? The Outsider's a bastard if it is.'

They watched as Corvo met with Admiral Havlock. Twilight frowned at the sight of the man. Having seen everything already, she knew of his inevitable betrayal, but she stayed silent as the man explained to Corvo the Loyalist's plans and his mission. Corvo left the bar and made his way to the harbor. Before he reached it, a woman named Callista called out to him and asked him to save her uncle that was going to be assassinated by Campbell for not being corruptible like the other guards. Corvo then headed to the boat and he and Sam headed toward their destination.

"And that's just the beginning," Corvo said, noticing that a lot of them seemed rather emotionally drained. "Do you all want to take a break?"

"No, let's get through this now, if we don't, I'm not sure how well I'll be able to sleep," Moon Dancer said, the others nodding in agreement.

Corvo sighed, "Very well, but I'd get comfortable. I wouldn't be surprised if this took until tomorrow morning at least." Everypony started getting comfortable, several even laying down, and waited for Corvo to continue showing his memories.

Author's Notes:

The next few chapters will be explaining about Corvo's past. I know it's rather redundant since you can just play the game or watch a playthrough of it, but I'm going to be showing how I think Corvo, or at least my version of him, would react to the big events that occur.