White Fang's pack trudged through the wilderness with their heads hung low in exhaustion as they followed their leader in a single file. All had dark, dried mud caked into their fur, making them look indistinguishable from each other.

One of White's followers whimpered for a rest, only to be chastised by one of the lead bitches.

White's hatred carried him forward, ignoring the increasing plight of his pack, demanding that they rest.

The other lead bitch rushed forward and stood in White Fang's path, getting his attention and leveled a look at him.

White Fang seethed, but was wise enough to not act on impulse against his future mates. He looked to his pack... or what remained of it.

The battle had been devastating for his campaign. Less than a dozen wolves now followed him. All had chosen exile with him over going back to their Den, even after his defeat.

The new pack leader, the white-over-black wolf, gave White Fang the choice of returning with the pack and be demoted once again to the rank of Beta, or to leave and never return.

White felt a small amount of joy as others began to leave with him, the first, being his loyal mates. They were united in their common goal to kill The Beast. They had enough females to start a new Pack, though some of the males would have to compete to see who would get breeding rights, as there was not enough bitches to go around.

White gave a low, reluctant growl for them to rest and recuperate.

Nearly every one of the wolves immediately dropped to the ground panting in exhaustion, save for White's lead bitches who sat as over-watch while the others caught their breath.

White didn't rest, instead he paced impatiently back and forth, waiting for his Pack to move again.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood before the Cutie Map reading a scroll suspended in her purple magical aura. Her eyes carefully scanned the parchment, searching for any mistakes in the thaumaturgical formulae covering the entire length of the page.

Starlight Glimmer stood next to her anxiously biting her lip and tapping a hoof on the crystalline floor as she waited for Twilight's assessment of her work.

"Did you remember t-" Twilight started.

"Yes." Starlight Glimmer interrupted, having answered the same questions from her mentor several times, over the same matters.

"And you're sure you-"

"Twilight!" Starlight stressed. "I've worked through it five times today, the equations are sound, I'm certain it will work."

"Right," Twilight sighed in concession. "Let's begin."

"Ready when you are," Starlight Glimmer nodded as they faced the Cutie Map.

"Starlight," Twilight started sympathetically, getting her student's attention. "I'm sorry for how I've treated you this passed month."

"You've already apologized enough, she's my friend too you know," Starlight Glimmer said warmly.

"I just hope we aren't rushing things."

"I understand you're hesitation, the Map was being less than cooperative with us this last week, and we've had a few false-starts, but this time I know we'll have it all figured out."

"Okay, I'll start."

The two Unicorns called upon their collective magic, their power causing the Cutie Map to glow as the sorceresses built the spell. Every one of the thousands of harmonics will be painstakingly enchanted into the crystalline table for a single purpose...

To find one, specific individual and bring her to them.

Neither of the two Unicorns so much as flinched, their faces looking serene despite the complexity of their task, as they concentrated their efforts fully on the work to be done.

Each knowing a single harmonic out of place could ruin the entire spell.

Rarity awoke with a sharp breath in the dim morning hours, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and let out a big yawn, but didn't feel like she got much sleep, and laid her head back down to rest a little longer... until something felt off about her human pillow.

It wasn't where she left it last.

Rarity shocked herself awake and blearily looked around.

"Atchmon?" She called out.

"Yep, over here Rare, sorry I had to use the bush," His voice called back.

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, her nose scrunching as she smelled the scent of his excrement in the air; then got up, stretched, and trotted off to do her own business for the morning. She finished in time to watch as Atchmon stood from the undergrowth while pulling his pants back up. Her face winced in annoyance as he zipped up and did his belt while walking towards her.

'How many times am I going to have to tell him not to do that in front of me.' Rarity thought grudgingly.

"So, were you able to tell her where we are?" Atchmon asked out of nowhere as he approached the camp.

"Huh," Rarity's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Tell who, what?" She shook her head in confusion.

"The dream princess, uh... Princess Luna, did you manage to tell her anything?" He asked again, hesitantly.

Rarity was still confused. "No, why would she..." She started to ask, but pursed her lips at him before turning around and rifling through her saddlebags.

The dream-catcher she'd been looking for was nowhere to be found.

Rarity laid her ears angrily at him. "Where is it." She scowled.

Atchmon squated as he put his head down, and looked over at the campfire.

Rarity's heart dropped as she saw the burnt, circular remains of her possession atop the Fire Quartz Crystals.

"I promised you... I'd get you home no matter what." Atchmon mumbled off, while making a habit of not looking at her.

It was a sneaky, under-hoofed thing to do; but that wasn't what upset Rarity most.

He lied to her again.

"Why didn't you wake me up." Rarity said sharply with an accusatory tone. She could see the dark circles and bags under his puffy eyes; she could tell he'd been up all night watching over her.

Atchmon tightened his lips, and looked away.

Rarity scoffed in annoyance, then turned to gather her things and dawned her barding, before brushing passed him; making sure to hip-check him as she went.

Atchmon nearly lost his balance. "Hold up," he called out. "Rare, jus' listen to me please."

Rarity stopped, her ears firmly pinned back in annoyance, but didn't bother to turn around. She was silent for while, until Atchmon worked up the courage to speak.

"I ain't doin' so good, Rare... I know everything worked out alright with those Dog People... Diamond Dogs... But I was never so scared in my life... I was tryin' t' be strong for ya'... especially since I'm the reason we're in this mess t' begin with... I jus' don't want to fail again right when we're so close... I jus' thought it'd be nice to have a little help for a change."

Rarity turned to face him. "Atchmon, I want to help, but you don't trust me enough to watch over you in your sleep. If we can't trust each other... then I don't see how this relationship is going to work."

Atchmon looked surprised at her, before giving her a melancholy look. "Yeah... I don't see it either..."

Rarity felt beside herself. "Are you saying..."

"Rare... do you feel guilty at all about... us? About what we did?" He asked.

Rarity bit her lip.

In a way, she did feel guilty about mating outside her species. Maybe even a little disgusted at herself. She could only imagine how Atchmon must feel; knowing that his kind--the humans--were the only ones dominating his world. The notion that he mated with a lowly animal such as her, made Rarity feel low about herself.

She nodded.

"Me too... So, let's not kid ourselves about stayin' together after this is over." Atchmon said somberly.

"So you aren't even going to try?" Rarity said sharply, while putting on a stern face. "You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose, Atchmon," she stomped towards him, her words gaining strength. "And you still aren't going to take a chance, even with me?" She stared up at him, but he refused to meet her eyes.

"Come on Rarity... I know there's no way you'd want to be with me when this is over..."

Rarity pointed a shaking hoof at him as her teeth grit in frustration. "I know you're just acting in my best interest, but it isn't for you to decide whom I share my life with; and when you get me home, we're going to have a very long discussion about our relationship. And yes, I do mean 'you' are going to be the one to bring me there. I'm going to stay up all night, so that I don't accidentally summon Princess Luna to us; just so I can make you keep your promise to me for once."

Atchmon half laughed at her declaration. "You know I can't keep a promise to save my life... but I'll try." He stated in reluctance.

Hours passed in a blur as the Pack marched through the forest.

One of the scouts howled for the others to come.

The smell of smoke, char, and leavings filled the air.

White Fang inspected the charred ground as he dug at the ashes with his paw. The embers were still warm; they'd just missed their quarry. The great beast sniffed at the air, filling his senses with the scent of their prey.

With a sharp growl-bark White ordered his pack to fan out, and find where their quarry went.

"Oh come on!" Atchmon whined after hearing a wolf howl in the direction from where they came.

"They are persistent, I'll give them that." Rarity quipped dryly.

"What did you do to them?" Atchmon huffed as they tried to pick up the pace.

"Me? You've known them longer than I have, if anything, you did something." Rarity panted.

"I didn't do nothin'," He panted back breathlessly, using the spear as a walking stick.

The pair crested a hill overlooking a vast lake, its waters spanned hundreds of yards until it joined with the two rivers that filled and emptied its depths. The dark sky above threatened to rain, but so far had held silent all morning, making the water look equally dark and ominous. Just beyond it shores stood a large stone ruin nearly swallowed completely by growth.

"Well this is a problem, we're on the wrong side of the castle." Rarity huffed breathlessly as they took in the view.

"What's the problem? Ain't afraid of a lil' water, are ya?" Atchmon panted as he doubled over to catch his breath.

The sound of crackling filled the air.

Atchmon watched awestruck as the lake started to freeze by some supernatural force right before his eyes.

Patches of ice grew along the lake's surface like a sickness, before joining together with their brethren. The ice formed faster, and faster, until in a flash the lake was frozen solid.

"Whoa..." Atchmon gasped.

"This is one of the 'Thirteen Enchanted Pools of Equestria', Flash-freeze Lake." Stated Rarity.

"How does somethin' like that happen?" Atchmon asked in astonishment.

"Magic, darling," Rarity answered. "It's an Old Mare's Tale, but they say that when Nightmare Moon fought with Princess Celestia, one of her spells during the battle hit a tiny pond where the Two Ruling Sisters used to feed the local critters, and for a thousand years the spell has been rapidly freezing and unfreezing that tiny pond until it became the lake we see now." She explained as she gestured toward the water.

The wolves howls were getting louder, almost deafening.

"How long does it stay frozen?" Atchmon asked in a rush.

"It's completely random!" Rarity said hurriedly. "It could melt and refreeze a moment later; we'll be trapped!"

The sound of growl-barks were getting closer.

"We don't have a choice, c'mon!" Atchmon said as he rushed ahead, nearly losing his balance as he ran down the steep hill.

Rarity followed after him, but was slowed by the steep descent. Her pony hooves couldn't match Atchmon's sure footed-ness.

Atchmon turned to help her down as they reached the frozen shore.

The human cautiously stepped up to the lake edge, and placed a boot on the ice. It felt solid even as he put his full weight on it, before wandering further out. He turned in place to test its strength, then started jumping up and down then promptly slipped and fell on his side.

"Ow," Atchmon deadpanned. "Okay, it's safe to walk on."

Rarity reeled as she looked across the vast frozen wastes, wisps of fog rose from its surface like ghosts, before she hesitantly followed after him.

The pair made careful, yet hurried progress as they traversed the frozen lake. Several times Rarity's hooves slipped beneath her, and she would scramble to stay on her hooves, only for her hind-legs to move of their own accord. Atchmon fared much worse, having fallen again and struggled to stay on his feet, instead he conceded to crawl or slide on all fours.

Minutes seemed to drag on for hours, until the sound of tension wires breaking echoed around them.

"Oh no..." Rarity groused. "It's melting!"

They were at least a hundred yards from the opposite shore.

"Hold on Rare!" Atchmon shouted as he shoved the spear into the ice and grasped her barding.

"Hold on to what!? I don't have anything to hold ont-AH!" Rarity screamed as her human companion heaved her body across the ice, spinning her several times in a circle to build up speed, before letting go. Her body slid across the cold slippery surface with great speed, while the world spun out of control around her; but thankfully she ended up a few yards from the shore as she slowed to a stop. Rarity stood on wobbly legs, and just as she regained her equilibrium, the ice melted beneath her hooves and she fell into the freezing, cold lake. She kicked out and pony-paddled the rest of the way after getting her bearings from the dizzying experience.

"Atchmon!" Rarity called back, watching helplessly as she saw him struggling to stay above the shifting slurry of ice and water.

His weight caused the shifting ice to tip beneath him, and he fell beneath the water. Rarity danced on her hooves as she watched the icebergs quickly dissolve around him, before finally seeing him resurface.

"Hurry, swim to me before it freezes again!" Rarity shouted as she paced back and forth.

The human swam so slowly, Rarity could only guess that humans were not natural swimmers. All she could do was encourage Atchmon to not slow down.

"That's it, you're doing great." Rarity encouraged, but she could see the strain on his face. Every yard he gained seemed to drain him of energy. "Come on, you're almost there!"

Atchmon was freezing. The water felt like millions of needles were jabbing into his skin, but that was soon replaced by numbness. His technique went from a strong, freestyle stroke, to just trying to move through water.

The sound of crackling filled the air as the lake began to freeze again, while Atchmon was still a dozen yards or more away from Rarity.

"You have to hurry, Atchmon please!" Rarity cried.

Atchmon gave it everything he had and moved faster, almost thrashing in the water, despite his flesh feeling like it was burning from the cold. The ice was closing in on him just as he was able to stand in the water.

"That's it, just run!" Rarity half-screamed.

Atchmon tried to run, his legs bounding over the surface making great, big splashes. The water still froze in mid-air around him, leaving round hailstones in his wake.

Rarity could see he wasn't going to make it, and closed her eyes before she witnessed what horrible fate would befall him as the ice surrounded his legs.

Atchmon was only a few yards from the shore, before the magic of the lake caught him...

"Rare."

Rarity shuttered one eye open, and hesitantly looked to see what became of Atchmon.

"Can you help me out?" Atchmon said as he attempted to move one of his legs, only for it remain entombed below the solid ice. The rest of his body was similarly encased in a thick layer of ice, leaving him in an awkward half-leaning pose as if he were mid-way from falling.

"Ha... hahaha...hahahHAHA!" Rarity slowly started to laugh as she realized the predicament Atchmon found himself in, and the relief of seeing him unharmed.

"Yeah, very funny," Atchmon deadpanned as he tried to break off the ice clinging to his body. "Will you get me outta here, please!"

"Ah-haha-haaa..." Rarity sighed while wiping a tear from her eye as her euphoria finally tapered off. "Yes, alright, just give me a moment." She said as she approached him on the ice while rifling through her saddlebags with magic.

"Good thing we found these when we did, it's almost as if my horn knew we'd need them." Rarity commented as she produced the Fire Quartz Crystals; which still felt warm to the touch.

Rarity channeled magic into the Crystals, making them grow warmer until they emitted a lot of heat, then got to work melting all the ice around Atchmon's body as she telekinetically held them in her magic.

"I'm startin' to really hate magic." Atchmon grumbled as he watched Rarity work. The lake's magic was still so potent that Rarity's efforts only caused icicles to form beneath him. "Can't you just stick it in there?" He whined, wanting to be out of the situation as quickly as possible.

"Absolutely not; do you have any idea what would happen if I did?" Rarity admonished him.

Atchmon looked away and thought for a moment. "No."

"I'll give you a hint; remember those times you asked me to 'blow something up' with my magic?" Rarity hinted.

Atchmon's eyes widened a moment in realization. "Right, got it."

"That's right, young Unicorns learn early on that you don't play with magic." Rarity instructed him.

AROOOOOOO

Rarity looked behind Atchmon's frozen form and saw the dirty brown wolves that were hunting them. The beasts hurried down the hill and ran onto the ice without a second thought... and proceeded to slip and fall on the ice, while others spun out of control with all four of their legs splayed out. Some could only manage to run in place.

It would've been a humorous display had they not been in mortal danger.

"C'mon Rarity faster." Atchmon pressed.

"Patience is a virtue." Rarity sang while pouring all her concentration on melting the ice.

The wolves had gained their footing, and charged after them, one in particular seemed to get the hang of it much quicker than the others.

"Not right now it isn't." Atchmon countered.

The wolves were already halfway across the frozen lake, Rarity could tell they'd be on them in moments.

"Rarity just go." Atchmon pressed.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" She said to him, and focused more magic into the enchantment, making the Crystal radiate an intense heat that melted and dried her barding and mane within seconds.

Atchmon grunted as he tried to bear the sweltering heat as his body was slowly freed from the entombing ice.

The sound of tension wires breaking started up again. The wolves stopped in their tracks as icebergs rose up around them. The panicking mongrels flailed to keep their footing, some managed to center their weight and stay atop the ice, one misstepped and slid into the water, the icebergs surrounded its form like a great beast swallowing its meal, only for the enchanted lake to freeze its body in place beneath the surface. Forever trapping the unfortunate wolf.

The brief shift gave Atchmon a chance to free himself, but his foot still remain trapped in ice as Rarity worked fervently to evaporate the water faster than it could refreeze.

The remaining wolves bounded over the jagged, icy terrain of ice and continued their charge.

Rarity hooked a forehoof around Atchmon's leg. "C'mon pull; pull, pull, pull, pull!" She repeated while carefully rotating the blazingly hot crystal around his foot with surgical precision.

Atchmon used his hands on the ground to help push himself up and out of the ice. "Rarity just stick it in there."

"But I-" Rarity hesitated.

"I don't care if it explodes, just do it!" he shouted, while leaning away.

"Wait, that's it!" Rarity exclaimed before tossing the red-hot glowing Fire-Quartz Crystal with her magic.

The crystal hummed with power as it soared through the air, before landing on the ice with a high-pitched chime. It bounced twice before quickly sinking into the boiling ice-water. The lake's enchantment quickly entombed the crystal even as it sank further below the surface.

The wolves gave the crystal a wide berth to avoid it, paying it no mind as they ran passed it.

"Too far, you threw it behind them!" Atchmon said as he tried to push Rarity away, to get her to run.

KRACK-BOOOM!

An explosion of steam and boiling water erupted from the magical frozen lake. The lake's enchantment near-instantly froze the cataclysmic display in place, making for a breathtaking ice sculpture, while spears rained down around the area, showering the wolves in icy death, impaling one with a short pained whine as it died, while the others were just blown away.

The force of the blast was enough to crack the ice all the way to Atchmon's leg, finally freeing him.

The pair shared a look.

"That's why you don't play with magic, darling." Rarity said as they made haste to get away from the recovering wolves.

The ice began to melt again, buying them time as the pair began their ascent up the hill towards the castle, the explosive ice sculpture rained down like a waterfall atop the swimming wolves.

Rarity could see a spot of white among the dark water. The white wolf's presence chilled her like a ghostly revenant that would follow her forever.

"This way, the entrance is over here." Rarity panted tiredly as she lead them through the thickets.

The pair followed along the stone walls of the ancient ruins. Every moment they were outside with the beasts felt like they were inching closer to death.

The pair came upon a old wooden door with rusted iron hinges and a circular medieval handle. Atchmon rushed forward to pull it open, but jarred his body when the door wouldn't budge. Atchmon pulled with all his strength on the circular handle, but the door refused grant them access.

"It's stuck!" He grunted, before giving up to reassess their situation.

Rarity trotted up and pushed the door open effortlessly, making it swing inward with a satisfying squeal of rusty hinges. She smiled up at the human seeing his cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

Rarity was the first to enter, followed swiftly by Atchmon.

Just as he was shutting the door, a Dire wolf tried to force itself in, shoving the wooden door in Atchmon's face. Its savage growl-barking and drooling, gnashing teeth startled Rarity. "AH!"

Atchmon was pushing with all his might to get the door closed, but the beast was undeterred.

Rarity reared up and put her hooves on the door to help Atchmon close it. And together they managed to force the beast back outside. The iron latch clicked into place, sealing the mongrels outside.

They could hear the beasts pounding on the door, their savage growl-barks and hungry panting; the cracking of wood as they tried to claw their way through.

The pair stood back as the wood groaned and started to crack and splinter.

"That's not going to hold them for long." Atchmon said breathlessly. "Where do we go from here?" He asked Rarity.

"This way." Rarity panted and climbed up the winding stairs nearby.

By the light of Rarity's horn the pair moved cautiously through the castle's many corridors. They could hear the echoing growl-barks and howls of the wolves hunting them.

Atchmon wanted a chance to explore and study the pony-made castle, but circumstances forced him to remain focused on survival.

"Go back." Rarity whispered harshly, while pushing to get behind Atchmon to go the other way.

Atchmon could see a vaguely wolf-shaped shadow skulking along the walls ahead of them in a large room.

The wolves were inside the castle with them.

"How'd they get in?" Atchmon whispered in frustration as he followed.

"This place is a ruin, there's dozens of entrances all over, it's falling apart." Rarity whispered back.

Atchmon followed her through more winding corridors, before she quickly trotted ahead and peeked around the corner into another room.

"Atchmon, come over here." Rarity said as she beckoned him over with a wave of her hoof.

Atchmon followed her around the next corner, and into a very large room with a red carpet adorned with musical notes lining the sides on white accents. The red carpet extended up to a set of stairs which rose up to a wall of numerous brass-colored pipes of varying sizes. Two statues of winged ponies stood beside the staircase leading up to the pipe-structure like silent sentinels, each holding a long candelabrum in their hoof.

"A piano?" Atchmon questioned as he studied the dusty white keys, before trailing his eyes up the array of brass pipes reaching to the ceiling.

"It's an organ, darling," Rarity corrected him.

Atchmon huffed. "Well, great, thanks so much for showin' me this. Now how are we supposed to get out of here without gettin' torn to pieces?"

"That's precisely what I'm trying to show you; look there." Rarity said as she pointed at a spot on the ground behind them.

Atchmon looked while Rarity pressed a key on the organ, the sound of its pipes echoed loudly throughout the chamber, then a spring-loaded trap was set off several yards from them with a comical 'sproing' as it popped out a piece of the flooring. Rarity played another cord, the sound of old cogs turning echoed around them with whatever other machinations built within the castle, and pulled the square piece of flooring back into place; resetting the trap.

"Ooh," Atchmon cooed impressively and put on a malicious smile. "Please tell me there's more."

Rarity grinned knowingly back at him.

"I don't like this plan, Rare." Atchmon said as he walked with her back to the organ room's entrance. "I don't like it one bit."

"I know, but there isn't any other way to get passed them." Rarity explained as she turned to face him. "You don't know the castle or the traps as well as I do, plus, I'm faster than you, I can outrun them."

Atchmon didn't look happy, but nodded his head.

"Remember to play the cords on my signal, you should be able to hear me if I yell loud enough."

"Should?" He questioned suspiciously.

"You will." She corrected. "Please trust me on this, won't you?"

Atchmon sighed as he shook his head. "Ok, just be careful, don't get eaten."

"Oh, I intend not to; I still have an earful of reprimands to give you for that stunt you pulled with my gift." She said coolly.

Atchmon smiled and waved sheepishly before watching her canter off around the corner and out of sight.

He sighed and closed the doors behind her, before running back to the pipe organ, then stepping up the stairs two at a time. His chest tightened in anxiety as he studied the organ's keys.

Rarity used a mascara pencil to write numbers on the cords he was to play on her command. Keys which needed to be played simultaneously had the same number, and numbers were drawn in ascending order if the same key was needed to play a different chord.

All he had to do was wait for her signals. She'd lead the wolves to the traps, which will buy them enough time to escape across the bridge Rarity said was at the front of the castle. Once they were across he could cut the bridge and they'd have a whole chasm between them and the wolves.

"Don't get eaten... hear me Rarity, don't get eaten." He prayed quietly.

Rarity slowed to a trot as she approached the courtyard.

A great crash of splintering wood echoed throughout the castle's interior.

'One of the wolves must've broken through the door we came from.' She thought.

Rarity's heart was thudding in her chest as she waited for the Dire wolf in the courtyard to notice her. The moment it did, the beast let out a savage growl-bark and charged after her.

Rarity galloped across the courtyard, and stopped beneath a very large and familiar-looking tapestry. She found the activating stone and pushed it in with her magic, the entire wall she stood beside rotated violently, activating the secret passage; and Rarity found herself on the other side. However the wolf that was chasing her wasn't so lucky...

'That wasn't my intention...' Rarity tried to unhear the sound of bone being crushed as the powerful mechanism squashed the obstruction lodged between its frame. She swallowed, doing her best to not look at what became of the beast, before working up the courage to move on.

She didn't have time to process as another wolf wandered down the hall from her, but didn't notice her right away.

The smelly beast moved languidly down the hallway, sniffing at where she'd been, and growled before running off to find its prey.

Rarity watched from behind the wall painting of an old pony General. She breathed a sigh of relief as the wolf left her alone, none-the-wiser about her position. She lurked within the narrow passages behind the paintings, spying on the beasts to work out the best method of dealing with them. One White wolf in particular, she noted, wasn't among them.

'Just have to get them far enough away to give Atchmon and I a chance to make a run for it.'

Two wolves were blocking her path. So she back tracked and used the secret passage behind some old pony armor, taking the shortcut to the throne room. As she sneaked across the large room, another Dire wolf spotted her from near the entrance and gave chase. Rarity squealed in fright, before galloping towards the thrones.

"ATCHMON, NOW!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as the dire beast tore up the stair towards her.

The organ bayed, but the throne-trap opposite the one she intended to use was activated, causing Celestia's old throne to spin backwards before resetting.

"WRONG ONE, WRONG ONE!" She cried!

The wolf dove at her from the stairs, but Rarity fell backwards off Luna's old throne, landing on the side, just as the mongrel landed into the seat and tore into the cushioning, ripping it to shreds before spitting out the stuffing and baring its savagely long fangs at her.

The organ bayed again, only this time, Atchmon got the chord right.

The throne flipped violently, and the wolf that was sitting upon it was cast out.

The two beasts from earlier managed to find Rarity in the throne room, the Dire wolves took opposite routes up the stairs leading to the thrones in order to flank her.

Rarity was trapped, double taking between snarling, gnashing teeth and drooling jowls. Her survival instincts kicked in as she went into full gallop towards the podium placed and jumped over it, soaring several yards above the ground; just as the two mongrels made their move. They missed their target, smashing their skulls together with pained whines and dazing themselves, while Rarity landed at the bottom and rolled to minimize her injuries.

The beasts shook the dizziness from their heads, before growl-barking in frustration at the elusive pony and chasing after her as she galloped down a hallway.

Rarity waited until the last possible moment, before stomping her hoof on the floor trap and diving into the opening that she and Fluttershy once fell victim to on their first experience with the castle. She slid down the chute before being deposited in the pitch black chamber. Rarity used her magic to light up the chamber, as she took a breath and waited... listening for any wolves that might've accidentally cut her off on the other side.

Only the muffled sounds of lurking beasts echoed from above.

She reached through the circular opening, and felt around a bit before pulling the lever on the other side. The wall swung around, and deposited Rarity into the Hall of Hooves.

The gloomy corridor filled with disembodied pony hooves was a welcome sight.

Rarity picked herself up and trotted towards the stairs leading up, all the while rethinking her strategy.

'What was I thinking! This was a terrible idea! No! I must do this. I can't give up. Not when we're so close now. I must do this. I must. I must! If not for me, then for my stallion! She thought dramatically.

Rarity climbed up the spiral stairs, making sure her hooves made as little sound as possible. Which wasn't too difficult given the amount of dirt and mud that was caked in; making her hoof-falls almost completely silent.

After playing the final chord, Atchmon jumped from the top of the stairs and landed at the bottom steps before the organ, he crouched down on his knees before pushing himself into a sprint. He rounded the corner and the next just as Rarity instructed him. He could see the large, open courtyard ahead; the place he was to meet her.

In the corner of his eye, Atchmon saw movement just as he passed another hallway. A four-legged beast charged into him, and the human defended himself in a dazzling array of flailing limbs, and incoherent shouting, in order to scare Rarity away.

Rarity screamed as she bumped into Atchmon and reared up and flailed her forehooves to defend herself as well.

Both looked dumbfounded and relaxed as their cheeks heated in embarrassment from their less-than-stellar display of self-defense.

"Come on, we haven't got much time before they find their way back in." Rarity spoke as she cantered ahead, with Atchmon jogging closely behind.

They had even less time than Rarity imagined.

Two of the wolves were already on the second level near the Two Sister's thrones. Each broke off in separate directions down the curving staircase towards their prey.

"Run!" She shouted and galloped off towards the main entrance. A large set of double-doors reaching all the way up to the ceiling.

The pair slammed into the wood, pushing with all their might, before squeezing through the gap they created, and shut the door behind them. The wolves rammed into the door, growling, barking, and clawing in fury against the wood.

"This way!" Rarity panted. "The bridge!"

Rarity slowed to a trot as she began her traversal across the bridge. Atchmon hesitated, looking at the age-ridden wood and vines, before following after her.

The bridge gave a little under their combined weight, and groaned in disapproval as they moved across the chasm.

"Halt!" Rarity shouted after she stopped in her tracks, causing Atchmon to bump into her flank.

Across the bridge the white wolf sat waiting with a cool expression on the other side. As if to him this game of 'cat and mouse' were finally over.

The Alpha Dire beast was coated in muck and grim; his once pristine, silvery-white coat was now soiled with mud. but Rarity knew who was under all that ick. She recognized those glowing icy-blue irises, the wolves cold gaze pierced her very soul.

A growl-bark from behind them tore their attention away from the Pack Alpha. A few of the other Dire wolves had made it around the castle, and were skulking across the bridge towards their prey.

White casually stood and approached the pair, herding them into his pack.

Atchmon drew out his blade, double taking between the approaching wolves ahead, as well as behind them.

White Fang wasn't phased by the futile display, and continued to skulk towards the human and pony.

Atchmon looked over the side of the bridge. "Rarity, grab hold of something."

"What are you going to do?" She asked, her body shaking in a combination of fear, nerves, and adrenaline.

Atchmon didn't say a word as he locked eyes with the White wolf, and placed his blade beneath the taut vine holding up the bridge; causing the White wolf to pause in consideration.

Rarity saw this as well, causing her heart to drop as she realized Atchmon's intentions. "Oh my Celestia..." Rarity whimpered shakingly as she wound her hoof around the suspension line.

Atchmon did the same with his leg as he readied his blade for cutting the bridge.

The planks groaned threateningly under the weight of the Dire wolves inching along its path.

The White wolf was going to call the human's bluff and growl-barked to the others to keep pressing in on their prey.

Once the wolves were within leaping distance of the pair, Atchmon began quickly sawing his blade into the rope. It's fibers readily snapped apart from under the combined sharpness and tension.

White uttered a panicked whine to attack, before the bridge suddenly dropped beneath the human, pony, and wolves with a mighty crack of breaking rope and splintering wood.

Rarity screamed as gravity took her, the vine wrapped around her hoof broke almost instantly as it bore her weight. The fall only lasted a few seconds, before she felt pricks all over the exposed parts of her body as she landed roughly atop a bush at the bottom of the ravine.

She crawled and half-rolled out of the growth, before gasping at the devastation around her.

The remaining wolves bodies were strewn about, no doubt killed in the fall.

"Atchmon!" Rarity cried as she rushed over to the human lying beneath the remains of the bridge near the rock wall. She used her magic to lift the debris off him.

"Ah! My leg!" He growled in pain, while grasping his limb. "I- I think it's broken!" He hissed through gritted teeth.

Rarity's heart dropped at the news. As a pony she knew this meant he'd never walk normally ever again, he'll be lame for the rest of his life... She forced those thoughts and feelings aside, knowing the sooner they got back to Ponyville, the sooner he could get treatment.

Her ears perked at the sound of movement. A couple of the Direwolves--a dark, muddy-brown wolf and bloody-rust colored one--were struggling to get back up on their paws.

"Come on we have to go." Rarity pressed, trying to get Atchmon to move.

The human struggled to stand on his good leg and used the rock wall for balance, while still clutching onto his blade with the other.

Rarity lead them to a set of stairs leading up and out of the ravine.

Atchmon fell to the ground as they reached the base of the rocky set of stairs, the pair looked up to see the White wolf climbing over the ledge above the fallen bridge, before moving to stand in their path at the top of the stairs; all the while never taking his cold, icy-blue eyes off them. The wolf's gaze was piercing, and Rarity could swear the Dire wolf's icy-blue eyes were glowing in the pitch black of its dirty face.

White Fang was taking his time. The beast proved to be formidable, and now wasn't the time to be careless. Not when he was so close to victory, and with the monster injured.

The pair retreated as the White wolf moved down the stairs towards them.

The other two wolves were still dazed, whimpering as they tried to stand with their leader. But White Fang didn't even consider the wellbeing of his mates. Only keeping his hateful gaze locked on their hobbled prey.

As Atchmon and Rarity passed, one of the beasts fell back down on its side, the mongrels breathing in shallow breaths. White Fang followed after them, passing his mates, and ignoring their whimpers for aid.

The injured wolves shared a look, before struggling to get back on their paws to stand with their Alpha as he readied himself to strike the final blow against their enemy.

Atchmon crawled with Rarity towards the mouth of a cave nearby. Hot pain shooting through his broken limb. He'd crawl with her, then pushed himself up to hop one-legged a few feet, only to fall again. He'd roll on his back, or land hard on his limbs to avoid worsening the pain in his leg.

Rarity was doing everything she could to help him, but all she could do was let him put his arm around her withers so she can support his weight as he crawled by her side.

They entered the cave, and were greeted by a brilliant sight. A tree-like crystalline structure sat glowing near the back of the cavern.

Atchmon admired the strange crystalline formation as they drew closer. It's branches bore strange symbols on the ends of its limbs like fruit. More symbols were engraved upon its trunk; a Sun and a Crescent Moon.

"The Tree of Harmony," Rarity panted quietly. "There's no way out of here, other than the way we came..." She spoke aloud to no one in particular.

Atchmon stood up, using the Tree for balance. It's crystalline trunk felt warm to the touch. Atchmon had to tear his mind away to focus on the danger behind them.

The White wolf waited for his pack to be by his side, before entering the cave.

Rarity noticed something shining on the ground. In the struggle to get away, Atchmon had dropped his blade, and their only defense. Immediately she called upon her magic to levitate it towards her; but White Fang was faster, and snapped his jaws around the handle before Rarity could whisk it away.

With a whip of his head and a little flair of his tongue the White wolf carried the handle firmly in his jowls with the blade sticking to the side. The Dire wolf could charge forward and slice through anything in its path.

White Fang was going to use the weapon the monster used to kill so many of his pack.

Atchmon held onto the Tree of Harmony's trunk for balance, while trying to work up his fury in order to scare the wolves away. But he knew it was over, he couldn't protect Rarity against three of these massive beasts.

They were going to die...

Rarity rushed forward, rearing up on her hind legs, and curled up her forehooves as if she were putting her dukes up for a fight. "Come any closer and I'll rip you to pieces you fucking bitch!" She roared.

Atchmon stared at Rarity in shock at her profanity. He'd never heard her swear like that before. Even he felt a little afraid of her... and a little guilty for using that sort of language around her.

White Fang stood there menacingly at the cave entrance.

Rarity's ears pinned back in dread as her confidence wavered.

A blast of wind filled the cave, stopping the wolves in their tracks.

The two bitches were scared off as a white-runed dome appeared above their prey.

White Fang growl-barked for them to stay and to help kill the beast, but the last of his pack had already fled.

Atchmon and Rarity were sprawled out on the ground from the pressure wave caused by the appearance of the magical anomaly.

Rarity felt her hind-end being lifted of the ground and into the air. She quickly realized what was happening and called out to Atchmon, who was unaffected by the magic. "Atchmon, grab my hoof; hurry!" She shouted above the gusting wind while reaching out to him as she floated above his head.

Atchmon reached out and missed grasping Rarity's hoof the first time; the gusty wind whipping his hair into his eyes, blinding him from seeing clearly. The human lunged upward and managed to grasp one of Rarity's hooves. The force of magic slowly carried them both upward into the concave void.

Rarity used all her strength to curl her hooves around Atchmon's hand as she was sucked into the void. "I got you, just hang on!" She shouted, her eyes squinting to see beyond her own flailing mane. There was a moment where everything was clear, the pony and human shared a look; each knowing that somehow everything was going to be okay.

Until Rarity saw a White blur run beneath Atchmon, and his face contorted in pain as he screamed.

The White wolf had sunk his massively-long canine teeth into one of the human's legs, and was being drawn up in tow with the pair into the Magic Bowl.

The pair shared another look, and Rarity could see the decision etched on Atchmon's face.

"Don't you let go!" She begged him. But she could see the look in his eyes.

The eyes of a hunter.

The last image she saw, before everything went to black, was of him turning to face down his foe with the sound of his battlecry echoing on forever.

Starlight's hooves were on the table as she channeled the magic spell, her horn glowing a soft turquoise light. "I've got her!" She blurted unexpectedly as she stared at the three-diamond Cutie Mark floating above the surface of the Crystal Map.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters?" Twilight Sparkle questioned. "She's so close, why would she be there; she couldn't have been there this whole time... could she?" She continued to question more to herself.

"Maybe she's stuck in the castle?" Starlight Glimmer suggested, causing hers and Twilight's eyes to widen in worry. Their sunken eyes bellied all that they had feared. That they had accidentally caused the demise of one of their close friends. Perhaps starving her to death by teleporting her into one of the dungeons.

Twilight couldn't stand to wait any longer. "Cast the spell!" She shouted quickly, and did the magical equivalent of shoving her student aside as she casted the spell herself. Her own horn lighting with magenta colored glow.

Beams of magic shot forth from both Unicorns horns, directed onto the crystalline table. Magical light filled the table's surface, before a white fountain of magical energy shot forth from the center and coalesced into a glowing white orb. The orb vanished without much of a sound; a few lingering motes of magical sparks were left behind before fading back into the ether.

The three-diamond cutie mark floating above the map disappeared after a moment, while the two magic-talented Unicorns waited with bated breath for their spell to work.

Another moment later a familiar white-runed dome appeared, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer lit their horns to catch the arriving pony, who fell from the nothingness.

The mare that appeared was nothing like the friend they had missed for so long.

She looked haggard, dirty, and smelled of unwashed pony. The Unicorn mare's purple mane was frazzled and unkempt, showing none of the luster it once held. Her pristine white coat was closer a lighter shade of grey. She wore thick barding made from the hide of some animal, her once fashionable bags were now a brown blight decorating her flanks.

The white Unicorn mare whipped her head around with wild eyes and a look of disbelief as she was placed gently on the crystalline table.

"Twilight..." Rarity barely managed to croak out upon seeing her best friend, before being embraced by the purple Alicorn.

Twilight hugged Rarity tightly, not caring at all about the filth or the smell.

"You're okay! Oh, Rarity, I'm so-so sorry!" Twilight apologized with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. The overwhelming waves of emotion were crashing against her all at once due to her great relief of finally bringing her friend back.

Rarity looked shell-shocked, and nearly lost herself in the embrace as she began to hug Twilight back; before remembering herself, and pushing the purple Alicorn away. "No! Y-you don't understand, you have to send me back, I have to go back!" She shouted in panicked flails as she wrenched herself from Twilight's embrace.

"What!? But we just got you back!" Starlight Glimmer exclaimed as Rarity hopped down from the Map and placed her hooves on the table.

"Rarity tell us what's going on so we can help." Twilight begged.

"There isn't any time, turn it back on!" She shouted back.

"We can't, we stripped the spell out months ago, it doesn't work anymore." Twilight said gently, trying to calm her friend down.

"No! No! Send me back, you have to send me back, he needs me, he needs me; they're going to kill him!" Rarity half shrieked. "Atchmon, Atchmon, I'm sorry, please, I'm s-sor-r-ry!" she wailed against the table.

"Rarity, please talk to me!" Twilight pleaded, trying to calm her down.

But there was no time for talk, and so Rarity did the only thing her mind was screaming at her to do.

Run.

She galloped out of the throne room, ignoring the calls from her friends and passing right by a surprised looking dragon.

"Rarity!" Spike called, but the white mare barely spared him a glance as she tore out of the castle.

"She's gone feral!" Starlight Glimmer stated in disbelief, getting a sour look from Twilight.

Outside the castle, ponies were screaming and clearing a path for the mad-mare who was running down the street in the middle of town. Rarity ignored the calls of her name until a flash of purple sparks burst in front of her, Twilight Sparkle appearing from the burst of magic.

"Rarity, stop!" Twilight commanded, and wrapped her own friend in a field of magic; halting her movement and freezing her in place. "Let me help you!" She pleaded.

Rarity could hear the distinct chime of Starlight Glimmer's magic as she teleported behind her.

"Twilight, you have to listen to me, please!"

"I am listening, now tell me what's wrong?"

"You have to take back me to the castle; to the Castle of the Two Sisters!" Rarity added, grunting as she struggled against the magical field holding her in place.

"B-but we just got you back, why do you want to go there? Is it because of me? I understand if you hate me, but I'm-"

"Twilight, please, there's no time for me to explain!" Rarity begged with tears streaming down her face. "Ple-he-hease..." she cried in desperation.

Starlight Glimmer trotted up next to Twilight. "Let's do what she says, it can't hurt." Starlight whispered next to Twilight, darting wary glances to the feral Unicorn trapped in Twilight's magic, and to the crowd of curious and wary ponies that were gathering to witness the scene.

She could hear ponies whispering amongst themselves saying things like: 'Is that Rarity?' 'I don't know.' 'How the mighty have fallen.' 'She looks terrible.' 'What's wrong with her?' 'She's gone insane.' 'Is she cursed?' 'Crazy cat-mares, am I right?'

Twilight considered her pleading friend, and Starlight's suggestion, before releasing her magical hold on Rarity. "I- okay." She wanted to protest, but couldn't help wanting to know the reason behind Rarity's urgency.

"Thank you," Rarity started gratefully. "Now, please, we must hurry, time is of the essence. Twilight could you teleport us there?" She asked.

Twilight Sparkle paused before nodding her head, still unsure about going through with this.

The three Unicorns touched the tip of each others horns together, Rarity let the others do their work and trusted them to bring her along safely. She opened herself for them to use any of her magical reserves for the trip. Not that either one of them would or even needed to syphon any of her magic. Twilight had more than enough magic to teleport the three of them.

In an instant, Rarity felt her body being simultaneously compressed and stretched thinly like spaghetti pasta. The world around her felt as though it were whipping by in a gale-force wind, before she snapped back to her original self a moment later. The world was spinning dizzily around her for a short while after they popped back into existence with a resounding crack from the air-burst caused by their appearance.

The trio looked around their surrounding to get their bearings.

Rarity was the first to move and trotted ahead, leading the others. She couldn't be bothered with their questions or concerns about "Why they were there" or "what's going on" or "why wasn't she talking to them" or "What happened to the bridge?" All she could focus on what getting back to Atchmon.

Rarity quickened her gait to a canter and barely slowed down even as she descended the stairs leading into the chasm; where the cave to the Tree of Harmony resided.

Rarity was the first to enter the cave, before hearing one of the others behind her suck in a sharp gasp at the grisly sight.

"Dire wolves!? They aren't supposed to be this close to the edge of the Everfree Forest." Twilight stated in alarm.

Rarity could see the White wolf, its body lying atop Atchmon, nearly engulfing the human with its bulk. She could see its chest moving with every breath.

Rarity charged forward and lowered her head, intending to gore the beast with her horn, but before she committed to her charge, the human dragged the dead wolfs corpse off his body.

Atchmon was still alive!

Rarity smiled joyously as the cantered up to him, but her smile soon turned to a look of worry as she drew closer.

Atchmon's entire body was wracked with bloody pock marks and deep gashes where the Dire beast bit and scratched him deeply with their sharp claws and fangs. His right arm looked really bad, his left remained under the mongrel's body, but Rarity couldn't tell if it was equally as bad, or much-much worse.

The savage beasts had nearly bitten him to death.

"You came back..." Atchmon croaked.

"Rarity, get away from that thing!" Twilight shouted, but was also confused by Rarity's actions as her friend knelt down by the creature and nuzzled its head.

"Twilight, please, you have to help him." Rarity pleaded.

"Those your friends?" Atchmon asked in a croaky voice, while straining to keep his head up for a better look.

"Yes, it's going to be okay. They're here to help." She reassured him.

"They're so... purple." Atchmon smiled tiredly, while looking between Rarity and the other Unicorns. "Do all Unicorns have purple hair?"

"I'm more of an indigo-" Starlight started to correct him, only to receive a disapproving look from Twilight, who cautiously kept her distance.

"Ha-heh-ah!" Atchmon laughed, coughed, and winced in pain.

"Twilight do something, anything; help him, please!" Rarity cried desperately to her friend.

Twilight's eyes darted back and forth between the two, her mind reeling from the large unknown being before her, while simultaneously drawn Rarity's call to aid.

"Where'd you go, what happened?" Atchmon whispered.

Rarity cleared her throat so she could speak. "My friends they... they brought be back home with magic."

"You were home... and you came back... you came back for me." Atchmon sniffed and winced, not from pain, but emotion.

"Of course I did, you're my friend and... I love you."

Atchmon gave her a long look before smiling toothily. "I know," he whispered as tiredness swiftly took him.

Rarity coughed a laugh through her tears and tightened throat; knowing he was referencing the story he'd told her the night before. "You still have to tell me what happens next, you know."

Atchmon's eyes started getting heavy as he struggled to keep them open. "Yeah, but right now... I'm jus' gonna rest my eyes for a bit... maybe take a lil' nap... I'm jus' tired... so... tired..." He whispered breathily, while closing his eyes.

Rarity felt his body relaxing in her hooves. "Atchmon, just hang on, we'll get help, we'll get you all better, and then we'll do things and go places together just like we talked about." Rarity's tears fell and dropped freely from her cheeks upon his face.

"Hey... it's okay... 's okay..." Atchmon whispered and tried to console her as he caressed her cheek. "Rare?"

"I'm here," she reassured him, and held his caressing hand to her chest.

"I'm so- Sorry for not keepin' my promise..." he sputtered.

"No!" Rarity sniffed. "You got us so far, you just have to make it a little further. My friends are here, they're right here." She watched his eyes fluttering to stay open as he whispered his final words to her. Rarity strained to hear him as his lips moved, but barely any sound was uttered.

"Thank you for lov-n- m-"

Thick tears fell from Rarity's eyes as her lips and body trembled in silent grief. She stroked his face, he looked so at peace, as if he were just sleeping. She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss upon his forehead as her tears fell from her face to land on his cheeks, then roll off, where it fell onto the Tree of Harmony's roots.

"Rarity, it's over," Twilight moved to put a hoof on her inconsolable friend's shoulder. "It- he's gone..." Twilight gently pulled Rarity into an embrace, which she readily accepted, and buried her face into Twilight's chest as she sobbed brokenly.

Starlight Glimmer stood by with a hoof covering her face and tears misting her eyes, trying to shield herself from the tragedy before her.

Neither understood what was happening, but they could understand Rarity's pain, this creature--whoever he was--meant a lot to their friend, and that was all they needed to know.

"This isn't how it was supposed to end... let me be selfish this one time...Give him back to me... I want him back... Give him back..." Rarity whimpered quietly in-between broken sobs.

Rarity's friends gave her time to grieve, to process, and calm down before moving her away from the human's body.

"I don't want to leave him here, he saved me--sniff--got me this far--sniff--he deserves better." Rarity stated with conviction to her two friends.

Starlight and Twilight shared a look, and nodded.

"Okay, but let's take care of you first, we can come back for the remains later." Twilight reassured her.

The three Unicorns stepped away, moving to the caverns entrance, until all three perked at the sound of a growing high pitched hum emanating from behind them. They turned and stared in confusion at the event happening before them.

The Elements of Harmony were glowing.

Colorful lines of magical energy traveled from each of the Elements, through the Tree of Harmony's branches, and down below its crystalline trunk, stopping at it roots. From the ground sprouted rainbow vines, which set about wrapping around the human's deceased body.

The vines wrapped around his limbs and midsection, before easily lifting his body off the ground, while another vine held his head up, keeping it from limply dangling towards the ground. Then the vines balled up his body, like a newborn resting within its mother's womb, all while remaining suspended in the air. The vines continued to wrap around his whole body until not a single inch was left exposed.

After a few moments, light shone through the gaps between the vines, then brighter, and brighter, until the ponies had to shield their eyes from the light. The humming of magical energy became deafening to their ears.

The vines disintegrated away from a glowing mass, before lowering itself to the ground; its bright light dimmed to a soft glow as it landed on the cavern floor.

The three Unicorns blinked away the brightness, and stared in shock at a giant white flower bud sitting before the Tree of Harmony.

Rarity hesitantly approached the anomaly, then cautiously reached out with a hoof, and touched its petals. The flower bud glowed brighter around where her hoof made contact, before unfurling itself, blooming right before her eyes.

The flower opened itself, unveiling what lay inside, which was not the human from before, but a bay coated stallion, sleeping peacefully in the middle of the white rose. His chestnut flank rose and fell with each gentle breath.

Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle stared wide-eyed and mouths agape at the phenomenal magical event.

Rarity carefully approached the stallion, then nudged him awake. "Atchmon?" Her voice quaked.

The pony stirred with a breath and opened his dark, brown eyes. The stallion looked around tiredly in confusion at his surroundings, before his eyes fell on Rarity.

"Rare? I had this really weird dream." The stallion said groggily as he blinked around, trying to recall what happened. "There was this huge white mare with wings and her hair was..." He paused, watching Rarity begin to weep. "Why are you cryin'; what happen-" Atchmon started to ask, before being embraced tightly by the sobbing white mare.

Atchmon lifted his foreleg to comfort her, and went to place his arm around her shoulder, until he noticed something off about his appendage, then quickly extended it outward with a shocked gasp.

Rarity sniffed as she pulled away to see the human-turned-stallion staring at his new hooves.

Atchmon turned his new appendages over, staring at his hooves in disbelief, before his gaze trailed up his pastern, then cannon, knee, and forearm, before poking at his chest, until a dainty pair of white hooves cupped over his poking hoof; gaining his attention. Atchmon looked up to see Rarity smiling tearfully at him.

She could see the barely contained panic in his eyes, and hear the quickening of his breath as his chest heaved.

Atchmon worked his mouth while looking at her. "I'm... am I'm a..."

"You're a pony!" Starlight Glimmer blurted, unwittingly getting the attention of the other ponies in the cavern. "That's not supposed to be possible!"

"Starlight," Twilight Sparkle hushed her. "H-how are you feeling, uh, Atch-man, was it?" Twilight Sparkle said as she approached the pair sitting within the white rose.

"Ah-" Atchmon paused, tremoring at the prospect of speaking to someone new. "Yeah, I think I'm okay," he said, while still checking his new body over.

"Can you stand, darling?" Rarity asked as she stepped away to give him some room, and offered a hoof to help him up.

"I- I think so," The stallion looked a little unsure, before giving it a try. He placed a hoof atop of Rarity's offered one, then rocked on his rump before pushing himself up with his other hoof; much like he'd do in his human body. But the differences quickly made themselves apparent. He felt resistances in places where there weren't any before, his weight shifting in ways he wasn't prepared for.

The stallion stumbled on his shaking hooves like a newborn foal, but once he steadied himself--with Rarity's help--his legs were left spreading awkwardly apart, trying to keep from falling over.

It really wasn't much different than when he'd crawl on all-fours, only this new body was much more adept at holding his weight. Atchmon adjusted his legs until he felt comfortable standing on his own, even though Rarity never left his side. He still towered over Rarity, but the distance between them was much-much shorter, and eyed the two newcomers gathering around him.

"Hey, I'm Atchmon." Atchmon greeted awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you, Atchmon; I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship," she welcomed with a friendly smile.

"Hi," Starlight greeted giddily. "I'm Starlight Glimmer."

"Rarity's told me about you two," Atchmon smiled, before laughing giddily at talking to new 'people'.

Atchmon felt Rarity's grip tighten around his leg. He looked down at the white Unicorn mare, her face covered in dirt and grime had furrows cut clean through from the tears shed during the recent emotional rollercoaster; but she still looked beautiful to him.

Rarity's pristine cerulean blue eyes stared up lovingly, longingly at him, before she suddenly grew drowsy and collapsed into his side with a mewl. "Oh..."

"Rarity!" Atchmon sat on his haunches as he caught Rarity's limp form before she fell to the ground. "What's wrong with her!" He asked the other two.

Starlight Glimmer rushed forward to check on her. "It's okay, she's just fainted."

"Let's get her to the hospital," Twilight Sparkle said as she stepped up next to her pupil.

"Right," Starlight Glimmer agreed.

The two magically-talented Unicorns touched the tips of their horns together. Atchmon stared at Rarity's sleeping face, as magic began to compress him.

He smiled, knowing he'd actually get to keep his promise to her, before the group disappeared from the Tree of Harmony cavern.

Well, it's not perfect, but it's done. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I had writing it! (not so much there at the end, maybe I'm getting some form of writers fatigue; idk).

If you have any comment, questions, or concerns, please feel free to ask!