Grevin stifled a small yawn as he made his way up the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres, his mind still trying to make sense of the nights events. He hoped that with a few hours of decent sleep would put things into a different perspective and perhaps give him an idea of what to do next. He kept his eyes towards the ground watching his feet kick up little tufts of dust with each step when a sharp whistle pulled his attention from his thoughts and drew it to the shadowy barn. There in the darkness stood Applejack waving at him with a soft smile on her face...well that was until she got a good look at the blood on his armor that he carried in his arms.

She quickly ran forward her eyes wide as she quickly looked him over, moving around him once, checking to see if he was hurt before hopping up and placing her hooves on his shoulders. “Grevin, what happened? Are you alright sugar cube?”

He placed a hand on her chest and gently pushed her back onto her hooves while he took a small step back. “I’m alright Applejack, I just had a small run in with an unsavory character. I heard a mare being attacked by what I later learned were Changelings. Thankfully I was able to help her and escorted her back to Ponyville. After that I went to Twilights house to send a letter to the Princesses about what happened. That's why I'm getting back so late.”

Applejack sighed and sat back on her haunches wiping her foreleg across her forehead before looking up at him with tired eyes. “I'm glad you're alright, though I don't like the idea Changelings running around...course with you around we won't have to worry about anything bad happening around here.”

He shook his head a small sigh escaping him. Applejack raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side a bit at his unease. Grevin looked her in the eyes and gave a soft but sad smile. “Maybe, maybe not. I got a bit to agitated when fighting and things got a bit too rough for my liking.”

He began to make his way towards the barn, Applejack falling in step behind him. “What do you mean? You look a might bit upset.”

He reached up with his free hand and brushed it through his hair a moment before glancing over at her. “It felt a bit too good to be fighting Applejack. I’m worried that I could be a threat.”

For a moment she said nothing before giving a snort and shaking her head letting her still wild and loose mane shake over her shoulders and back. “Shoot, I thought it was something serious. Of course you’re a threat to your enemy. You’re stronger than Big Macintosh and fast too, not to mention you’re an experienced fighter.”

He shook his head once more closing his eyes a moment as they came to the barn door. He turned to face her and knelt down letting his armor rest against the wood structure while looking into her green eyes. “Applejack, I’m afraid I’ll become a threat to you, your family and your friends. Everyone I’ve come to accept into my life after I came here. The last thing I want to do is cause harm to anyone who has shown me kindness.”

Applejack smiled and sat down before him while at the same time reached up with a hoof and placing it on his shoulder. “Grevin, I know you would never do anything to cause us harm. It’s not who you are.”

She paused noting his eyes seemed to darken a bit before looking away averting his gaze. “I hope you’re right Applejack, I don’t want to go back to how I used to be.”

She smiled and nodded deciding to change the subject. “Alright, I have to ask, did Fluttershy make it home ok? She did drink quite a bit.”

He blushed and looked away clearing his throat a bit before answering. “Y-yes. She made it home just fine.”

Something wasn’t right with his answer. She leaned it narrowing her eyes. “Are you sure sugar? Did anything happen? You seem…nervous.”

He blinked and backed up as she neared, her proximity making him more nervous. He didn’t know how any of the girls would react to what had occurred that night and he didn’t want to risk putting a rift between any of them. “Me? Nervous? No, not at all. I’m fine. Nothing happened at all.” He averted his gaze to the left once more which only confirmed Applejacks suspicions.

“Don’t lie to me, I’m the holder of the Element of Honesty you know…so out with it.”

He nearly fell back onto his rear end as she continued to press in, stepping closer and closer. He could tell she wasn’t going to let this drop so he took a steadying breath before speaking. “Alright, alright. Fluttershy um…I’m pretty sure Fluttershy came onto me. But I’m also fairly certain that it was because of the alcohol so I’m not going to try and make anything of it.”

Applejack blinked and pulled back a small pang of jealously appearing in her chest while fear began to grow in her mind. “What? What do you mean by ‘came onto you’?”

“Well, she asked me into her cottage, and before I could leave she asked me to help her out of her costume. After that she asked if I could give her a small massage because her costume made her stiff and sore. I thought I was helping a friend out but then she turned around and things became…awkward. She kissed me and asked me to stay around but I left and that’s when I ran into those Changelings attacking a pony.”

Applejack felt her cheeks redden at the thought of timid little Fluttershy taking such a risk. She felt envious of her friend but angry at her at the same time. “Was that all?”

He shook his head after a moment of hesitation “Well…no. The mare I saved gave me a kiss on the cheek when she got home and then…well after I asked Twilight to send a letter to the Princesses….well she kissed me as well…but I think that was because of the drinking too, I mean that would make the most sense right?”

Applejack frowned and looked down at her hooves as her mind raced. Not only did Fluttershy kiss him, but Twilight too. If those two could do it, why couldn’t she? Why couldn’t she just come out and tell him her feelings? At the same time she felt anger begin to grow in her chest only making her worries grow. Did he enjoy it? Would he want to do it again? Would this mean she may not have a chance at him? Could it mean that he didn’t have any kind of feeling for her? She had to know. “Grevin…did…did you enjoy it?”

He blinked. “What?”

She looked into his eyes, her own shimmering with worry. “Did you enjoy the kissing? Would you want to do it again? “

He paused and looked away for a few silent moments before taking a slow breath. “I…suppose I did enjoy it. It was pleasant, but I think they were under the influence, and as for wanting to do it again…well to be honest, I don’t know a person who wouldn’t want to do that again. It…felt good but-”

Applejack frowned and grit her teeth as she felt her jealousy grow and without a second thought she lashed out striking a firm hoof across his face catching him off guard and knocking him to the side.

Grevin winced as his vision blurred and jerked to the side followed by a slow throbbing pain beginning to flow from his jaw. He turned his head back and looked at the upset mare with wide, surprised eyes. “Applejack? What was that about?”

She closed her eyes as she felt them begin to water, more upset at her own actions than with anything he said or did, and raised her head turning away from him. “If you enjoyed those kisses so much, maybe you should go back to those two instead of hanging around here on the farm.”

He blinked and shook his head, his confusion showing in his eyes. “Wha- I don’t understand. Are you angry with me? Have I done something wrong? I’m sorry if I have, I certainly didn’t mean too.”

Rather than answer him, Applejack trotted away her tail flicking in annoyance leaving the man in a state of utter confusion. Slowly Grevin rose to his feet and lightly cradled his jaw in his hand “What was that all about?”

He rose back to his feet and made his way into the barn while he tried to make sense of everything that had happened that night. He stepped into his loft and set his armor down spreading it out along a wall including all his weapons before moving back and crossing his arms staring at them. He needed some space, he needed time to think so he knew what he had to do. Without a sound he moved to his makeshift bed and took his ever familiar cloak, slipping it on as he made his way to the stairs.

He slipped out of the barn as quietly as he could and made his way towards the orchard, only taking a glance at the farm house as he walked past taking note that the light in Applejacks room was still on. He looked away and broke into a light jog letting his thoughts calm and fade while he moved deeper and deeper into the orchard and further away from the farm.

As he moved further into the orchard he couldn’t help but enjoy the cool air that washed over his face and the steady rhythm of his feet pushing off from the earth. After a half hour he began to slow as he came to a large hill that overlooked Ponyville in the distance and sat himself down against a tree while taking a deep cleansing breath.

He allowed his mind to wander back to the nights events and tried to make sense of everything that had occurred. Could he of done anything differently? If so what? Could he have stayed with Fluttershy? No, that wouldn’t have ended well, it couldn’t have. He didn't even know if he and ponies were compatible let alone if she really felt that way about him or if it was a result of the drinks she had. Not to mention how would her friends of react when they found out?

Then there was everything that happened with Twilight. Should he have waited to speak to her till morning? Should he not have mentioned how he felt during the fight? No…he needed to inform the princesses of his actions in case he did become a threat. However, he should of left directly after that instead of staying around. Now he wasn't sure if things between him and Twilight would be awkward or as normal as it was before.

Then there was the case of Applejack who seemed to get very upset with him in a very short period of time. Did she have strong feelings for him as well, or was she being a protective friend who didn’t want him kissing her friends? He just couldn’t tell. Perhaps he had done something unintentionally to upset her. For now though he knew he should give her some space.

What about Princess Luna? It was pretty clear she had some sort of feeling for him but to what extent. A fun friend? A passing fancy? A true passion? It wasn’t clear at all. Of course he was certain that she couldn’t act on any sort of feeling though due to her status. In Bastion, royalty was never allowed to do anything with commoners…it was considered to be disgusting…although, this wasn’t Bastion either.

That of course raises the question as to if it was even possible for a pony and he to have a relationship. How would it work? Would Equestrian society allow such a thing? What was considered the social norm? What the hell were these herds he had heard mentioned from time to time? Would anypony he had a relationship with be looked down upon by others? He had a small guess on some things but nothing certain. He did have a solid gut feeling on one item though and that was that in this land mares were far more dominate than stallions and had more control over things than them. This could be something as simple as government power to something more complex including how relationships are established. It was all quite confusing and he just wasn’t certain about any of it.

He continued to wrestle with his thoughts as the night began to give way to morning when a cold wind slammed into him pulling him from his thoughts. He shivered at the chill and glanced around noting that there were no other creatures around him but something felt off. A slow dark laugh began to echo around him causing him to narrow his eyes and his fist clench. He had heard that laugh before, in the Royal Palace in Canterlot.

He rose to his feet and looked around once more trying to seek out the threat, his fists clenching at his sides. “Discord, what are you doing here?”

A magical mist began to swirl a few feet in front of him and with a bright, blinding flash of light Discord appeared, floating nonchalantly on his back with his arms behind his head. He had a simple pair of sunglasses on his face and a colorful Hawaiian t-shirt on. “Well, well, well. Mr. Hades, how are you doing? I just returned from a wonderfully restful vacation and thought I’d check in and see how the newest resident of Equestria was doing.”

He snapped his fingers and two coconut drinks with straws coming out the top appeared in his hands. He held one out to Grevin with a smirk. “Here, care to have a drink? It’s a favorite of the southern islands. Very fruity and it’s even good for your heart.”

Grevin stared at the drink being offered to him a moment before smacking it out of Discords hand spilling it over the ground below. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here. If I had my swords I’d-“

“You’d do what?” Discord raised his glasses with his now free hand and took a sip of his drink while rolling his eyes. “You’d slice me up and serve me to Celestia and Luna on a silver platter? Puh-lease. That’s so boring and unoriginal.”

He snapped his fingers once again and disappeared only to pop up behind Grevin and place a firm hand on his shoulder. “Besides…I doubt you could touch me. Even with all your strength and combat knowledge I could just snap my fingers and you would strike nothing but air.”

Grevin growled clenching a fist and turned as fast as he could in an attempt to strike the Lord of Chaos only to whiff through the air hitting nothing. “What?”

“Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. I told you that it was pointless.” Discord smirked as he floated upside down behind the man.

Grevin turned taking a slight defensive stance expecting a fight for his life. “What is it you want Discord? Are you going to unleash another beast on those who live here and kill more?”

Discord righted himself and placed a hand over his heart looking at Grevin with wide eyes. “Why would you think I would kill anyone my dear boy? I find that idea outright offensive. I never killed anyone in Canterlot. That was all the dragon’s doing.”

Grevin narrowed his eyes. “Which you pulled from MY MIND, MY MEMORIES!”

Discord smirked darkly his fang gleaming in the morning light. “Well…I just provided a means for him to enter our world…I never created him. So perhaps you should be the one to blame, it was as you said, your memory.”

Grevin growled and lunged forward once more in an attempt to tackle the Draconis but once again ended up finding only air and ended up sliding a few feet on the dirt. “I did everything I could to help them! Don’t you dare hint that I’m responsible for the death and destruction that happened that day!”

Discord laughed and sat down on Grevin’s back. “Alright, alright. You can calm down Mr. Hades. I’m not here to fight.”

Grevin rolled to his side trying to remove the weight from his back and quickly jumped to his feet while Discord continue to float in midair. “Then why are you here?”

Discord held out his hand where the coconut drink reappeared once again and took a long drink before answering. “Why I’m here to give a gift to you my dear boy.”

Grevin’s eyes widened and he let his hands slowly drop before taking a small step back. “Um…what did you just say?”

Discord smirked and took another slow drink. “I said I’m here to give you a gift for all the chaos you’ve been causing.”

Grevin frowned once more and crossed his arms. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well my boy, from the moment you arrived, everything has been different in Equestria. Lets start with just you. When you first arrived you had terrible nightmares…those dreams were so chaotic I could feel them in all the way in Canterlot. I can still feel them from time to time now when you have them. It’s almost as though you’re at war with yourself.”

He rolled his eyes and looked away. “Yeah, yeah I have some bad dreams, so what.”

“Fine then lets move on to how you are more involved with the chaos. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed that some mares are beginning to take a liking to you. They’ve fallen for your kindness, your bravery, your willingness to self sacrifice…all quite dull in my opinion but it can cause a small chaotic moment here and there, such as your little interaction with the ever stubborn Applejack a little bit ago, or even your little moments of fun with dear Fluttershy and Twilight. If things keep going this way, more of the element bearers will become more and more chaotic and then the elements will begin to fail, thus allowing me to be free forever,” He grinned deviously as he lightly elbowed Grevin in the ribs. “And you might end up with quite the following.”

Grevin took a breath to speak only to find a piece of tape placed across his mouth. He glared at Discord who simply smirked before continuing. “Then there are the rumors that have begun to spread about you. A valiant warrior who killed a dragon with the aid of the captain of the royal guard. Then it becomes a mysterious warrior that killed a dragon all on his own, followed by some saying that there was a mystical creature who can heal wounds, be thrown into buildings without harm and can slay dragons, pony’s and lizards in a single blow. After that, paranoia takes over and now there are rumors in Canterlot and Trottingham about how this beastly strong warrior that can’t be hurt rampaged through Canterlot Market on a five headed dragon attacking ponies left and right. It’s become so silly that several ponies have begun to stockpile food and build shelters in an attempt to prepare for the end.”

Discord walked over and placed a hand on Grevins shoulder. “Face it my boy, you have been able to cause a good bit of chaos in your time here…granted you’re not as good as me but a fine attempt.”

Grevin growled as he reached up and ripped the tape from his mouth, ignoring the pain. “Alright, alright, I’m causing a ripple in society…so what?”

“So what? My boy, if these ponies didn’t have any chaos or danger in their lives…things would be so, ugh, boring. I hate it when things are boring. They need something to keep them lively and on their toes from time to time…and you’re perfect. So since things have been going so well I decided to give you a gift.”

“Alright, alright, what is this ‘gift’?”

Discord shook his head and waved a finger out in front of him. “No, no, no. It’s no fun if I just tell you. I think you need to flex your brain a bit…all this running around fighting things…your mind is a muscle too you know. So I’m going to hint at where you can find your gifts…it’s up to you to find them before anyone else.”

Grevin frowned taking a step forward “What do you mean befor-“

Discord cleared his throat and held out a hand silencing the man once more. “A surprise will be found in a place where many ponies become lost. Where everything began and a particular pony paid a great cost. A place with secrets to be found and wild threats abound. A place where there are runes and a connection to the moon. Two things shall appear, perhaps welcomed, perhaps feared. Will the Spectral Knight do what is right? Will he win, or will lose in his fight? Only time will tell if everything ends well.”

Grevin blinked and crossed his arms. “What is that supposed to mean? Is it a riddle?”

Discord grinned and laughed as he began to lift into the air and fade away. “That’s for you to figure out hero. I’m off to the west now; I hear there are some great pies I have to try with the Buffalo folk. Ta-ta for now.”

Grevin watched with a grim stare as the Lord of Chaos disappeared into the morning light. He sighed and turned deciding to make his way back to the barn to get some rest before Big Mac would need his help in the fields that day. He shrugged off his cloak and draped it over his arm as he tried to make sense of what Discord was telling him. This riddle was something that he wasn’t certain he could figure out. As far as he could tell there were several places ponies could get lost, and wild creatures apparently weren’t something that were rare in Equestria. He had heard stories of Dragon’s, Hydra’s and even Manticores…so this location needed to stand out.

Then there was the line about secrets. With this society being so open, what secrets could there be? Certainly there would be some secrets that only Princess Celestia and Luna would know but other than that what would be left? Pinkie Pie’s Cupcake Recipe?

He shook his head a small sigh escaping him as the farm came back into view. He glanced around noting how quiet things seemed, but he paid it no mind thinking that perhaps things were off to a slower start due to Nightmare Night. He made his way up to the barn and then to his loft letting his mind finally clear of everything, his energy leaving him as he neared his bed. He flopped down with a soft grunt closing his eyes knowing that once his chores were finished that day he would need to head back into Ponyville and see Twilight to begin their research. .

-Perspective Change-

Grevin found himself back in Ponyville on what seemed to be an average day however something wasn’t quite right. He looked up and noticed that the sky was blood red with black clouds moving slowly through the air. The sun seemed faded and dim compared to how it usually seemed. There were no ponies running around like normal, and in fact, it seemed like the village was a ghost town. “What the-?”

A pair of hooves wrapped around his shoulders from behind, a soft form pressing into his back as it tried to hug him. “Hiya Grevy, how are you on this beautiful day.”

He relaxed hearing Pinkie Pie’s cheery voice. He pulled away from her hooves letting her stand on the ground as he turned to face her taking note of her long uncurled mane, similar to the way she wore it on Nightmare Night. “Hi Pinkie. I’m doing alright…um…where is everyone.”

Pinkie sighed as her eyes narrowed a bit. “Pony…everypony, it’s everypony. I keep telling you this…” She moved past him letting her tail smack lightly against his leg as she did. “As to where everypony else is…well I don’t know. Maybe Twilight would know, she is really smart you know.”

He frowned and glanced away. “Well, I don’t know if I want to see her at the moment. Perhaps I should just walk around for a while.”

The normally bubbly mare turned her head looking at him with a frown. “Why wouldn’t you want to see your friend?”

He ran his fingers through his hair turning his back to her as he took a few steps down the street. “Well, it’s a little complicated Pinkie.”

He tensed when he felt a small breath of warm air was across his neck, tickling his skin followed by a soft voice speaking almost seductively in his ear. “Is it because she kissed you? Silly Grevy.”

He quickly turned expecting to see Pinkie Pie standing right behind him but to his surprise she remained several feet away, her back to him now keeping her face hidden. He blinked a bit and swallowed the lump in his throat knowing that something wasn’t right. “Well…that’s part of it I suppose.”

“You shouldn’t let that bother you…” Pinkies voice began to change growing more somber, loosing it’s normal bubbly, cheery tone and shifting into something darker. “After all I think there are worse things to worry about.”

He frowned taking a small step back now, his hands reaching for his weapons only to find them missing. “I am assuming you mean Discord.”

For a few seconds she said nothing, her body simply beginning to shake. Soon she began to laugh, softly at first then louder and louder, her voice shifting and changing further until it sounded as though there were many voices speaking at once. “You…you think I meant that? Silly silly Grevy,” She turned her head and what he saw nearly made Grevin become ill.

Gone was the bright smiling face of the Element of Laughter and in her place was something twisted and sick. Her mane had become dark and covered with some sort of slimy substance that made it cling to her face. Her smile was replaced by a twisted grin that seemed nearly psychotic, her teeth jagged and yellow. Her face was covered with open wounds and sores, puss dripping and seeping with every passing second, but worse of all were her eyes. Gone were her bright, innocent blue eyes and in their place were two sockets filled with a black tar like substance that seemed to swirl on their own, the edges of her eyes surrounded by writing worms and maggots. “I meant that you should be worried about what’s in your head!”

Grevin did the best he could to swallow the bile that had formed in the back of his throat while quickly stepping backward putting more distance between himself and the twisted version of his friend. “Alright…perhaps so…now I should be going so I’ll see you later.”

He began to back away further, doing his best to keep the nightmarish mare in his sight, watching her carefully as he quickened his pace, but he didn’t make it far when he felt another set of arms slide around his middle, under his arms while another soft form pressed against his back. He could feel the steady brush of wind across his arms telling him it was one of two mares that had caught him.

He shivered when he felt a small nibble on his earlobe and tried to pull forward only to feel the arms under him lock under his armpits holding him in place. A soft raspy voice giggled and softly bit down on his shoulder causing him to wince. He tensed further as he felt a tongue clearly begin to lick at his exposed skin, tasting his sweat. “Now, now, we can’t let you leave yet.” His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the voice…Rainbow Dash.

Grevin jerked his arms a few moments managing to free himself from the darker version of the Element of Loyalty frowning as he turned to face her and see her nightmarish form. Much to his surprise it was nowhere near as harsh as what had been done to Pinkie Pie but was still quite disturbing to him.

Instead of ghastly wounds and disgusting images, she looked mostly the same. However, she had dark circles under her now blood red eyes, her teeth seemed to be jagged and sharp, ready to rend flesh from bone. Her wings were flared wide, and blood could be seen in small splotches across them. She wore a set of dark socks and there was a trace of blood on her cheek. “D-Dash? What the hell happened to you?”

She smirked and moved forward forcing the man to step back, her blood red eyes locking onto his as a sultry smirk came across her lips. “What? You don’t like the look?” With a mighty flap of her wings she shot forward tackling him to the ground, her hooves pinning his arms down while her face moved inches from his giving a small flirty wink. “I thought you would enjoy it. After all, I don’t put on socks for any old stallion.”

Her breath was rancid and hot against his skin forcing him to turn his head to the side in an attempt to avoid the smell. It was as though she had been feasting on rotten flesh for days. “I’m honored but-“ He jammed his knee up into her side causing her to wince and pull away giving him the opportunity to put some space between them. “I think another ‘stallion’ would appreciate it more.”

Dash narrowed her eyes at her prey and barred her teeth as a feral growl escaped her throat. She stomped a hoof down and shook her head, her wild mane flinging about. “No! I want you and I’m going to get you!” Her eyes seemed to shrink as her tone became more unstable. “I’m going to make you like me…I’m going to make you a part of me…just like the others.” She licked her lips as blood began to drip from her mouth, pooling on the ground in front of her.

Grevin grimaced at the mental image of this twisted version of his friend eating a pony…or person alive. It would explain the breath though. “I don’t think so…I’m not into that kind of thing.”

He rolled onto his knees and quickly rose up breaking into a run, an infuriated scream reaching his ears telling him that not only was the cannibal Rainbow Dash and twisted Pinkie Pie behind him, but they were not happy. He knew this had to be a dream, no, it was a nightmare and he needed to wake up but he wasn’t sure if he could.

He quickly rounded a corner which took him in front of what he would describe as a burned out husk of what used to be the Carousel Boutique, and began to smack himself across the face hoping that the pain would pull him from his slumber and pull him back to reality. Sadly, his idea did nothing leaving him with only a sore jaw.

“Hey, if you’re into pain, I can make sure we have lots of fun! Come back and find out Grevin!” Dash called out behind him, snickering darkly as she spoke.

Grevin shook his head ignoring the sick mare and tried to run faster while pinching his arms till he nearly bled. He had to wake up, he needed to wake up. Unfortunately for him he failed to pay attention to where he was going and as he rounded a turn, he didn’t see a long, armored arm shoot out in front of him which caught him by the neck and threw him to the ground knocking the wind from him, and forcing his vision to darken for several seconds as he squirmed on the ground.
Grevin wheezed and gasped for breath while the dust began to settle around him and as he was finally able to gather his wits, he saw something that made his blood run cold. Standing over him was a man wearing black, spiked armor, a long dark scimitar in his hand pointing down against his chest.

“Oh no…”

The mysterious man was no stranger to Grevin, not in the slightest. This was the man he was hunting back in Bastion. He was the one who wanted to enslave the entire world and rule it with an iron fist sparing no one from his anger and wrath. He was the one who had used Grevin’s first love to try and kill him.

Grevin growled as he grit his teeth, his anger barely in check. “…Davick! Why are you here? I thought I left you in Bastion!”

The man simply smirked and shook his head a dark laugh escaping him. “You fool, of course you left me back in Bastion, well the real me. Don’t you remember, this is a dream,” He raised a finger and lightly tapped his head. “We’re in here…in your mind. You’re the one allowing me to be here talking to you. This place…these creatures that were your friends,” He spread his arms out looking around at the strange version of Ponyville. “Are all a part of your sick and twisted little mind.

Grevin slowly raised himself up on his elbows shaking his head. “No, this is something more. This is some kind of twisted, disgusting magic that forces me to dream this. It’s something you did to me.”

Davick simply shook his head and stepped back while sheathing his blade. “Sorry Grevin but this one is all on you. Your past did a lot of damage to your mind, your very soul. Your anger at me, at your past, at the actions you don’t forgive yourself for, that gave us the strength we needed to make your nights a living hell. We’re your inner demons.”

He motioned to the twisted version of Pinkie Pie who was still grinning from ear to ear with her sick and disgusting smile. “Take her for example. I never was that creative when it came to coming up with monsters…bravo.” He then moved to Rainbow Dash who had allowed herself to hover in mid-air, her tail raised allowing everything to be seen as she barred her razor sharp teeth at him attempting to send him a sultry, seductive look. “And her, well…I don’t even know how you could of come up with this, but well done…you sick pervert.”

Grevin growled and rose to his feet clenching a fist, pulling it back ready to strike when a lavender colored magical aura seemed to envelop his fist and pulled him back throwing in through the air and pinning him against a wall, forcing him to hang there suspended off the ground and spread eagle. Davick simply shook his head once more as he looked to his left and right as two more ponies moved into view. “And these two…well, they’re something special aren’t they?”

From the shadows to evil looking versions of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack walked into view, their forms dressed up in their nightmare night costumes. Applejack’s mane was truly wild, and her fangs looked far more real than they did before, her saliva dripping from them as she stared at her prey with cold, calculating green eyes. “Howdy there sugar cube…you ready for a little fun?” Her voice was gruff causing a chill to be sent down his spine.

Twilight was wearing her vampony costume, her fangs stained red as though she was coming from a fresh kill, her eyes staring at him with what he could only define as lust and hunger. “Hello Grevin…you look good enough to eat…” She grinned as her tail flicked back and forth showing her excitement.

Grevin growled and tried to pull his hands free until some chains burst from the wall he was pinned too and wrapped around his arms and legs holding him in place no matter how much he tried to pull away. He could feel his pulse pounding in his skull which seemed to catch the attention of Twilight.

She took a few steps forward and gave a sultry smile at him as she looked up at him. “I can hear your blood flowing Grevin…and your scent…oh I can smell your blood, your fear…” She licked her lips as she moved closer and slowly nuzzled her cheek against his right thigh.

Applejack, not to be outdone moved forward and rose up on her back legs and began to nibble at his chest, her teeth easily tearing away his shirt exposing his flesh to her. “I can too…it smells good enough to eat. I can’t wait to make you scream.” After she said that she darted forward and bit down against his side, her razor sharp teeth ripping through his skin earning a cry of pain from her prey. She didn’t let go and pulled back ripping his flesh away spilling his blood against her orange coat, his innards giving way to her teeth as she dug in.

Grevin grunted, gasping for breath as he felt Applejack begin to lap at his wounds, her tongue trying to push into him as far as it could, seeking out his sweet tasting blood while her teeth ripped and dug into his flesh. “S-stop this…Stop! Applejack, Twilight! YAARGH!”

He cried out as Twilight let out a hiss and quickly bit down on his inner thigh, her fangs easily passing through his pant leg and into a vein. He could feel her sucking at his blood, her tongue lapping at him as much as possible, savoring his taste.

Davick leaned forward and laughed as he watched the mares devour their prey. “It’s amazing just how twisted your head can be Grevin. These are your supposed friends? The ones you care about? Pathetic. I think I’m going to go now and leave you to your fate.” He turned and began to walk away stopping only to look back over his shoulder. “Oh, and let’s not forget about your other friends too…after all. I believe Rainbow Dash has been waiting to get a piece of you for a while now. Have fun.”

Much to Grevin’s horror, the twisted Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash ran / flew forward, heading straight to him hunger clearly showing in their eyes. Grevin cried out in pain and began to fight against his chains, his fists clenching, as Dash began to nibble at his collar, her razor sharp teeth causing his blood to begin to drip down his shoulder to his chest. He could feel Pinkie Pie begin to pull his boot off, mumbling something about using his toes as cake toppers which forced him to find a second wind and begin to struggle once again. “No! I’m not going to die this way! NO! I WILL NOT LET MY OWN MIND BE THE END OF ME! I WILL FIGHT BACK! GET OFF OF ME! NOOOOOO!!!!”

-Perspective Change-

Grevin woke with a loud yell, his fist shooting out as he sat up, his momentum pulling him from the bed causing him to fall to the floor. His body shook as he tried to gather his wits and take a few shaky breaths, the dream still vivid in his mind. He quickly ripped off his shirt and checked his side to see if there was an open wound and when he saw none he let out a slow, but shaky steadying breath. It wasn’t real…it wasn’t real, it was a dream. It was just a terrible nightmare.

He placed his hand on the bed and slowly rose to his feet, his hand wiping the sweat from his brow to the floor. He took a few unsteady steps making his way to a barn window and much to his surprise he found that he had slept far longer than intended. The sun in the sky was just beginning its downward arc telling him it was well past noon and that most likely the chores for the day were all but complete. He glanced across the yard to the farm house and noticed that it seemed unusually quiet. He didn’t hear the sounds of Big Mac working in the field, nor the sound of Granny Smith moving around in the farmhouse. It seemed that the farm family knew to take a rest from time to time.

Grevin yawned a bit as he picked up a towel and began to wipe the cold sweat from his body, his mind trying to focus on anything but the nightmare he just had, with little success. Why would he dream about his friends being such terrible creatures? It just didn’t sit well with him…perhaps he needs to see a therapist.

He shook his head once more as he began to change into a fresh set of clothes, deciding to not put on his armor or cloak today. He stretched his arms above his head and popped his back and neck a few times before turning and making his way down the stairs and out the barn into the farm yard. As he made his way through the barn he noticed that Big Mac’s tools were where they were the night before confirming his suspicion that the farm ponies were taking it easy that day.
Grevin glanced over at the farmhouse and decided that it would be best to avoid Applejack for the time being so he turned and began to make his way back to Ponyville, deciding to explore a little bit more of the quaint village. Perhaps a change of his reclusive behavior will change his perspective on things.

As the edge of the town came into view Grevin couldn’t help but feel a small smile begin to form on his lips. Everything was bright and cheery unlike his nightmare. There were various ponies of all sorts going about their daily routines, smiles adorning their faces. He saw the mint green Unicorn mare that had seemed stunned to meet him at his welcoming party sitting on a park bench while her cream colored friend with the two tone mane laid on the same bench next to her, both engaged in quiet conversation.

As he made his way further into town he found himself passing several shops including a florist shop whose owner stopped what she was doing to wave a friendly hello to him as he passed by. He returned the wave with a small one of his own turning down another street missing the small hint of red that came to the mares face after he was gone.

Grevin eventually came across town hall only to be stopped by the town mayor, Mayor Mare. She gave a small wave as she trotted up to him, a bright smile on her face. “Oh, Mr. Hades, how are you today?”

He smiled as he gave a polite bow before standing straight once again and placing his hands behind his back. “Good afternoon to you Mrs. Mare. I’m doing well thank you, how are you.”

She shook his head a bit as she grinned “It’s just Ms. Mare…I’m not married. I’m doing wonderfully. Nightmare Night was a tremendous success, partially thanks to you.”

He blinked and tilted his head to the side. “Thanks to me? I don’t understand, I didn’t do anything special.”

She reached up and patted his arm pausing on his bicep for a split second before returning her hoof to the ground. “Oh but you did. Your interaction with Princess Luna was wonderful. Miss Cheerilee told me at lunch today that the children were thrilled to see a knight stand up to Nightmare Moon only to be saved by them and their tributes. It made their night!” She paused as she looked down a bit, a small frown adorning her lips. “Though…perhaps you should make a small appearance today at the school in order to show the children that you made it out just fine.”

“I think that is an excellent idea. I’ll make my way over to the school house and do an impromptu visit. Um…could you point me in the right direction?”

Mayor Mare giggled and nodded as she pointed to the east of where they stood. “Of course. It’s a few blocks that way. Thank you again Mr. Hades. This community is lucky to have you.”

He shook his head as he began to walk away. “That, Ms. Mare is simply a matter of opinion. Have a good day.”

She smiled and waved as he made his way down the street, her eyes half lidding as she let her gaze linger on his backside while lightly bit her bottom lip. “Oh, if I were a younger mare…but then again, experience does have its benefits.” She giggled to herself as she turned and made her way back up into town hall.

Grevin continued on his way, moving a bit faster once the school house came into view. He knew it was beginning to get later in the afternoon and he didn’t want to be too late. He glanced inside the window noting the large number of students sitting in their desks doing what any child would do in a school situation. Some were being very active listeners, taking everything their teacher said in with great care to put it in their memory while others looked on with a hint of boredom in their eyes. He had to laugh as he watched Apple Blooms friend, Sweetie Belle, sit back with her eyes shut, sleeping with a small hint of drool coming out of her mouth.

He made his way to the door and knocked lightly taking a small breath to calm his nerves as the lesson inside ceased and the sound of hoof steps moved closer and closer. The door opened and a familiar pink mare stuck her head out, a small smile on her lips. She paused a moment as he gaze shifted from his waist up to his chest and then face, her smile being replaced with a bright grin. “Mr. Hades! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here this afternoon?”

Grevin cleared his throat a bit and took a small step back which just prompted her to step closer. “Um…well, I ran into Mayor Mare and she suggested I come by and show the children that I am indeed quite alright after the events of Nightmare Night. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Cheerilee shook her head and quickly stepped to the side extending her hoof to let him in. “Not at all. Actually I’m glad you’re here. I think this would be a great opportunity for you to talk to the students and let them get to know you a little better.”

He slowly stepped into the building turning to head into the classroom which had been bustling with activity until Apple Bloom noticed his presence and began to wave enthusiastically a bright smile on her face. “Hiya Grevin! What are you doin here?”

Instantly the rest of the class became quiet as several pair of eyes all locked onto him, several growing wide with wonder, or perhaps fear, while a few seemed indifferent. He lightly cleared his throat as Cheerilee moved up to his right. “Alright everypony, settle down. As it turns out, Mayor Mare felt that the events of Nightmare Night were a little too intense for some ponies, and many had grown worried for Mr. Hades’ safety. As you can see he is quite well and in fact he decided to come by today to even answer a few questions that some of you may have. I want to remind you that this is a great opportunity to learn about a completely different culture from someone who has had first hoof experience with it.”

Grevin nodded and quietly crossed his arms across his chest as he took a few small steps forward. “That’s correct. I’ll do my best to answer some questions…but I do reserve the right to not answer some of them….so, who would like to go first?”

The response was immediate as every colt and filly in the room raised their hooves into the air, some waving it frantically in an attempt to be called upon first. Grevin blinked in surprise glancing at Cheerilee who simply giggled and pointed to a smaller colt with a pair of scissors for a cutie mark. “Snips, go ahead and ask your question.”

The colt jumped up as several other ponies grumbled and pouted at missing the chance to ask their question. “Okay, my question is this, is it true that you’re a warrior or fighter or something like that?”

Grevin nodded as he lightly cleared his throat. “Well…yes. I am trained in combat in melee and ranged weapons, as well as being stealthy. I don’t like to fight though.”

A light pink filly with a small tiara on her head stood up ignoring the glares of her classmates as she rolled her eyes. “Like, if you hate fighting, then why are you so good at it. Sounds fishy to me.”

Grevin lightly pinched the bridge of his nose trying to ignore the tone of the filly’s voice. He let his hands fall to his sides as he let out a soft sigh. “At first I fought because if gave me recognition…it gave me a home. However, over time I discovered that I was doing more harm than good and I decided to change…with some help of course. Eventually I decided that I would use my skills to help others, to protect them.”

A colt with an orange coat and brown mane stood up next. “Do you know how to use magic?”

Grevin nodded; thankful he didn’t need to go into more detail about his combat training. “I know some, but nothing like what a Unicorn does here in Equestria. The best I can do is heal someone who has been injured. I’ve been told I have potential to do more but I don’t know how to develop those abilities.”

Another colt, this one with a blue coat and a green mane raised his hoof. “I heard that you’re evil and want to destroy villages and gobble up ponies. Is…is that true?”

Grevin rolled his eyes and shook his head as he held his hands out to his sides. “Do I look like I want to gobble anypony up?”

“No…you look like you’re pretty nice.”

He smiled. “Thank you, and the answer is no, I am not evil. I don’t want to harm anyone or anything. Never let your opinion of someone be swayed by rumors you here. More often than not, they aren’t true.”
Scootaloo stood up next, an excited grin on her face. “I heard you were thrown through a building and got up ready for more action…did that really happen?”

Grevin cringed and grimaced with a small nod. “Yeeeaaahhh…that did kind of hurt though…a lot. You need to understand. I was trying to help stop a Dragon attack in Canterlot and the Dragon happened to catch me with a sweep of its tail. I was sent flying and ended up going through the walls of a nice cafe’, pretty much destroying the place. I did get back up and was ready for more, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel pain from it.”

Another filly with a light brown coat and blonde mane rose up to her hooves. “Do you have any hobbies?”
Grevin blinked and paused clearly caught off guard by this question. He took a few moments to think before he answered. “Well, I do…kind of. I guess you could say I like to train. I find it to be a great way to get my mind in focus for the day. I also enjoy history. Back in my homeland I used to follow my mentor from ancient ruin to ancient ruin discovering all kinds of neat historical facts. I also enjoy swimming and a good book from time to time.”

Another filly stood up. “What was your homeland like?”

Grevin smiled sadly and crossed his arms once more. “Bastion…well Bastion was nothing like Equestria. In Bastion the members of royalty stood on the backs of those less fortunate. There were many who were poor and sick with no way to help themselves. I myself grew up an orphan until I was old enough to join the military. There were many countries that would try to take over their neighbors and wage terrible wars with no concern for the consequences. Royalty never interacted with the common man and if they did, it was to spite them, not talk to them.”

“It sounds terrible.”

“Well, it isn’t all bad. It all depends on who you meet. Several races were quite kind, such as the Dwarves. They were very short people with long beards who made their homes under the earth in vast cave cities. They knew how to make a person feel welcome. I believe it all depended on your perspective and the people you knew.”

Sweetie Belle grinned as she stood up and cleared her throat. “Do you have a special somepony?”

Grevin blinked a moment freezing in place. “Uh…a what?”

“A special somepony. A pony you like…a lot, as in like like, not just regular like.”

Grevin swallowed a small lump in his throat as a nervous chuckle escaped him. “Well...no not really. I have several friends.”

“Would you want to go out with this one mare I know–“

“Sweetie Belle!” Cheerilee interrupted the filly with a stomp of her hoof. “Didn’t you learn your lesson from last time?”

Sweetie Belle simply gave a small sigh and nodded her eyes downcast. “Yes Ms. Cheerilee. I just thought he might like to have a mare friend.”

Grevin smiled softly at the little filly “I appreciate the concern, but I at the moment I don’t know if I would be good special somepony material. Perhaps in the future, but for now I think it best I try to fit into society a bit more.”
Cheerilee cleared her throat drawing the class’s attention to her. “Alright children, it’s time to go home for the day. Say thank you to Mr. Hades and be on your way.”

She turned to face Grevin as the children scattered making their way outside, a nervous look on her face. She glanced down before taking a small breath. “Mr. Hades….Grevin, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”
Grevin nodded as he let himself rest back against her desk, his arms crossed comfortably. “Ask away Ms. Cheerilee. What do you need?”

She glanced over her shoulder watching as the last little filly darted out the door leaving the two alone in the now quiet classroom. After a few awkward seconds she took a small breath and looked up locking eyes with the man before her. “Well, I was wondering that since you do come from another world, would you be interested in learning more about Equestrian society? I could arrange for us to meet here some evenings and I could tutor you in all sorts of things. I could even bring some sandwiches for a snack.”

Grevin blinked a moment confusion showing in his eyes. “So…you want to teach me about how things work here in Equestria?”

She smiled and nodded her eyes shining with mirth. “Yes, I love teaching and I know it must be difficult coming to a world where so many things are different from where you came from. I thought this would be a good opportunity to help you.”

He smiled warmly and nodded. “That would be wonderful Ms. Cheerilee. I would be very grateful for the help. But…I don’t want to take time out of your social life, not to mention make you do more work without pay. I insist that you let me return the favor somehow.”

Cheerilee giggled and nodded as she did a little spin where she stood, her joy evident. “That’s perfectly fine Mr. Hades. I’m sure I can think of something you can help me with around here.”

“Oh…one thing though please.”

She stopped instantly and blinked looking at him. “Yes”

“Please call me Grevin…Mr. Hades just doesn’t feel right.”

She smiled and nodded as she sat on her haunches. “Fair enough, and please call me Cheerilee.”

“Alright Cheerilee,” He rose back to his feet. “Well, if you will excuse me I should probably make my way over to the Library. I need to do a little bit of research about an old legend of sorts. Take care Cheerilee. Have a good afternoon.”
Cheerilee watched him as he walked out the door a small smirk on her lips as her eyes lingered on his form. “You too Grevin. I’ll let you know when you should come over for that tutoring session.”

She watched him make his way back into the town through the window, a small giggle escaping her when she noticed Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all galloping after him, bright smiles on their faces. “I wonder how good he is with children?”

-Perspective Change-

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she listened to her friend Sweetie Belle try to suggest they play match maker with Grevin, as though she didn’t learn her lesson the first time around with Ms. Cheerilee and Big Mac. “Sweetie Belle, we already tried to do that and it nearly cost us the farm and our teacher!”

Sweetie Belle frowned and shook her head as she looked at the yellow farm pony. “I know but that was a failure. What if we find Grevin a mare friend and they hit it off, we could get our cutie marks in match making!”

Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think so…the last thing I think we should do is try to make another love poison and use it on him…after all, we saw what it did to Big Mac, imagine what it could do to Grevin.”

Sweetie Belle let out an exasperated sigh as she face hoofed. “I’m not talking about using that stupid love poison again. That was a disaster! I’m just thinking that maybe we should introduce him to a few of the ponies here in town…or maybe help him get into a romantic situation with somepony.”

Apple Bloom glanced back at the school house where she could see Grevin speaking to her teacher. “Well...maybe he would be able to fall in love with somepony he already knows…” Her eyes widened and she gasped before doing an excited little hop. “Oh, what if he liked Applejack! I mean he is staying at the farm and all so they already know one another and get
along real well.”

Scootaloo gasped and nodded her wings fluttering excitedly. “Oh-oh, he knows Rainbow Dash too! She’s awesome!”
Sweetie Belle fumed and stomped a hoof down. “He knows my sister too you know…maybe he would like Rarity.”
Apple Bloom rose her hoof up to speak once more but was interrupted by the school house door opening causing her to dart forward and quickly quiet her two friends just as Grevin walked out into the afternoon air.

Grevin blinked as he came across the three fillies slowing his steps as he noticed their eyes watching him quite closely. “Um…Hi girls, what are you up too?”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward and shrugged her shoulders letting her gaze shift enough to attempt her to make her look nonchalant “Oh you know, just thinking of ideas of how to earn our cutie marks.”

He smiled knowingly and lightly crossed his arms. “I hope you’re not planning on doing anything more with fire.”
Scootaloo laughed and shook her head. “No way, we learned our lesson last time…though now that I think about it; it was pretty awesome how you rescued us from the tree house.”

Apple Bloom ran up to Grevins leg and put a hoof on his knee. “So where are you going Grevin?”
He reached down and ruffled her mane earning a small giggle from the filly. “I’m going to the Library to do some research. Perhaps you should join me and do some research of your own. You may find a few ideas as to how to earn your cutie marks.”

Scootaloo grinned and hopped into the air for a moment. “You really think we’ll be able to find a way to get our cutie marks?”

“It couldn’t hurt to take a crack at it. Come on, let’s go.”

With that he turned and began to make his way through the village, the three little fillies giggling and laughing as they followed, their minds already forgetting their conversation moments ago.

-Scene Change-

The walk to the Library was enjoyable enough, especially with the young fillies playing tag as they went, but Grevin wasn’t truly focused on them and their antics. His thoughts were occupied with concern about seeing Twilight after the awkward situation from the night before. Couple that with the intense nightmare he had and he didn’t feel terribly comfortable having to work with her. He knew that she would never do him harm and that perhaps his mind was running away with things but the pain he felt in that dream from her bite was so vivid…so real, he just couldn’t seem to push it from his mind.

He couldn’t help but worry that she would try to continue things from the night before as well. She seemed very focused on her actions, so certain of herself, that it made him nervous. He had to admit that the feeling of her lips on his was indeed enjoyable, but he wasn’t sure he wanted it to be. It was the same with Fluttershy. If he kept himself distant, then he risked no harm to his heart, but if he opened up he could experience more joy than he could imagine.

His thoughts were forced to the back of his mind as he approached the door of the Library, it’s windows open wide allowing the nice breeze and sunshine a way into the building. He reached up and knocked three times and seconds later a cheerful voice called from inside. “Come in.”

He opened the door allowing the three CMC’s to enter first before walking in as well surprised to find that all signs of the previous night were gone. The room was bright and cheerful, the books shelved in a very detailed order and in the center of the room sat Twilight with several thick, ancient looking texts on the round table behind her ready to be studied.

Twilight smiled looking up at Grevin as he made his way into the room clearly showing that she was back to her old self, no longer wearing stockings or a black choker. Her eyes had also returned to their naturally bring lavender shade and as they locked onto his form, her bright smile revealing that her fangs were gone as well. She looked down at the CMC’s and immediately shifted into librarian mode. “Hello everypony, what can I help you with today?”

Scootaloo stepped forward “Grevin suggested we might be able to do some research on how to get our cutie marks here. Do you have any books that could help us with that?”

Twilight raised a hoof to her chin as she sat back in thought. After a few moments she sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry girls, I don’t have anything quite like that, but I do have a lot of great books you can enjoy here. Maybe if you read some of them, they could provide some inspiration for you.”

Sweetie Bell grinned and did a small hop “That’s a great idea. What books do you have?”

Twilight grinned and quickly hopped up moving to a nearby shelf. “I know one that I think you’ll just love. “ Her horn lit up and seconds later a paperback book become enveloped in her magical energies and it floated down and hovered in front of the three little fillies. “Here we are. Daring Doo and the Ruins of Peril. I think she is a character I think you three can easily relate too. She has all kinds of adventures in far off places. She is a great role model for young ponies everywhere.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. Seems kind of lame to me.”

Twilight smirked and leaned forward a bit. “Rainbow Dash loves this series too you know.”

Within three seconds the fillies had taken the book and run off to a nearby table in the library to read their new prize. Twilight blinked a moment before giggling softly and moving back over to where Grevin stood. “Good afternoon Grevin. I’m guessing you’re here to do some research?”

Grevin shifted on his feet, taking a small step back from the lavender pony, his mind providing him a brief flashback to his nightmare where she had bit into his leg. He quickly shoved the mental image aside and nodded. “Yes, I believe so. I’m guessing those books there are what we have to work with?”

She glanced over her shoulder at the large, ancient books before nodding. “Yes. These are all the books I have that refer to that time period. Hopefully we’ll find something about the Spectral Knights and the Elements of Valor.” She turned and quickly made her way over to the books, sitting herself down on a large cushion, her horn lighting up once again. Her magical aura enveloped a large tome sitting at the top of the stack and levitated it down in front of her opening it to the first few pages. She looked up at Grevin once more a soft smile on her lips. “Well, come on. I can’t wait to start.”

Grevin blinked, surprised at her enthusiasm before smiling a bit. He made his way around and quietly sat beside her, taking care not to get too close. “Alright, we might as well get too it.”

Grevin honestly couldn’t help but be surprised at how quickly Twilight dove into the research. She gave no indication that she had even given a thought about what happened the night before. She didn’t look at him awkwardly or longingly. Nor did she say anything about it. Perhaps he had been thinking too much about such things and should just let the subject drop. After all it was just a simple kiss that happened after a long night of partying. It didn’t mean anything.

His thoughts were interrupted though when he felt something soft press on top of his right thigh. He glanced over and much to his surprise, he found that Twilight had slid over and had placed a single hoof ever so gently on his leg. He followed her leg up to her face noting that she wasn’t looking at him but had a small smile on her face and her cheeks had a small hint of red on them. Grevin slowly swallowed the lump that formed in the back of his throat as a single thought ran through his mind. Damnit

He quickly pulled himself to the side forcing Twilight’s hoof off of him and letting it fall to the ground below. She blinked and turned her head tilting it to the side ever so slightly. “Grevin, are you alright?”

He nodded as he adjusted his sitting position so he could be somewhat comfortable while sitting half on and half off the cushion on the floor. “Y-yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“Aren’t you a little uncomfortable sitting like that?” She patted the empty space next to her, her tail flicking slightly as she did so. “You can scoot over you know, I don’t bite. “

He quickly reached over to the stack of books taking one from the top. “Oh, that’s ok. I tend to spread out when I read so I wanted to make sure I gave you plenty of room.”

Twilight smirked, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint as she ever so slightly bit her bottom lip, her ear twitching ever so slightly. Grevin felt his cheeks begin to redden under her gaze and he quickly opened the text knowing that if things continued, she would soon have the sexy librarian look going, and he would be doomed. However, much to his chagrin, he found that the print in the book he held was completely unreadable to him.

He heard Twilight chuckle once more before her magic took the book from his hand and closed it, moving it back to the stack he had pulled it from. “Grevin…these were all written in ancient Eqeustrian, and since I’m trained to read that while you’re not we’re going to have to read these together.”

His jaw dropped. She had him where she wanted him and she knew it. He knew that if he tried to argue, she could inform the Princesses that he wasn’t following his mission. A knight always did their best to complete a mission, even if it meant a personal cost. He knew he had to man up, even if he didn’t want to at that particular moment.

He slowly slid himself back over and nodded as he accepted his fate. Once again for a while the two sat quietly while Twilight read, and once again after a few moments a familiar lavender hoof found itself on his thigh. In that moment, a new thought ran through Grevins mind. Oh fuck me.

-Several Hour Later-

Scootaloo grinned as she closed the Daring Doo book, glancing around at her two friends noting the smiles on their faces too. “That was AWESOME!”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yep, that Daring Doo was pretty neat.”

Sweetie Belle smiled in agreement. “Yeah…but did the story help inspire any ideas as to how we could earn our cutie marks?”

For a few moments the three sat in silence until Apple Bloom slapped down a hoof, her eyes widening in excitement. “I’ve got it. The book tells a story about how Daring Doo explores an ancient ruin right?”

“Yeah so?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she looked to her orange friend. “Sooo…what if we get our cutie marks in exploring ruins?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “That’s a good idea, but there aren’t any ruins around here AB.”

Apple Bloom sighed as she sat back down but before more could be said, a loud sigh from across the room caught her attention, drawing the entire groups eyes to where Grevin and Twilight sat.

-Perspective Change-

Grevin couldn’t take much more. So far they had made their way through over half the tomes that Twilight had brought and had made no progress at all. In the meantime, Twilight had been teasing him, just a little bit at first, a simple hoof on his thigh. However, she began to step things up as time progressed. Slowly she had begun to lightly run her hoof up and down his thigh causing him to tense up and blush a bit, which did nothing but encourage the lavender mare. After a while he felt her tail begin to flick against his arm, it's silken hair brushing over his exposed skin making it break out in goosebumps. He pulled his arm back, glancing over at Twilight once more he found that she was still absorbed with the book she was reading but she had a sexy little smirk adorning her lips making look anything but innocent.

For a time her actions ceased, and her hoof even returned to the floor in front of her, giving him a moment of peace, which didn't last very long. Seconds later her horn began to glow very faintly and Grevin quickly tensed as he felt something touching him. The sensation began at his feet and began to slide up his legs, squeezing his thighs as it moved in closer to his groin and backside. Grevin let out a loud sigh and quickly moved back from the table while rising to his feet which disrupted Twilights magic ceasing the pleasant tingling he felt.

Twilight frowned slightly, a small pout forming on her lips as she turned to face the tense man. “Are you alright?”

Grevin crossed his arms and shook his head. “Yes and no. We've been researching for a good while here Twilight. Have you found anything mentioning Spectral Knights or Elements of Valor?”

She sighed and shook her head. “No...not a bit. It's almost as though all information has been purged from history. It doesn't make sense...there aren't even myths hinting at it. Perhaps King Solaris decided that it would be best to keep them secret.”

Grevin pinched the bridge of his nose closing his eyes a moment, his patience nearly gone after being teased for several hours. “I think I need to go back to the castle ruins. I can't shake the feeling that I'll find some sort of answer there.”

Twilight frowned and jumped up shaking her head frantically. “Grevin, no. We still have many texts to go through. We aren't done yet.”

He stepped back and shook his head as he let his hands drop. “Twilight, I can't read these texts. You can, and its quite clear that you are better suited for this than I am. Don't worry, I'll be very careful when I go.”

She sighed and looked down. “...Alright...but I want to go with you, and bring along some of our friends, just in case.”

He nodded after a few moments. “Fine, I can accept that. Tell you what, lets call it a day and start fresh in the morning.”

She nodded. “Alright, you can meet me here about ten o'clock.”

“Alright, see you then.” He turned and walked out of the library leaving a frowning Twilight behind him. She quickly turned and grunted in frustration making her way into the kitchen to make herself a daisy sandwich.

-Perspective Change-

Apple Bloom grinned and did a small dance of joy after hearing the conversation across the room. “Girls, did you hear that?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, Grevin didn't sound too happy.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Not that, I'm talking about the fact that we do have ruins around here. And since we have ruins....” she let the statement hang in the air as Sweetie Belle made the connection and beamed at her friend.

“We can explore them and get our cutie marks!”

Scootaloo's wings fluttered in excitement. “Sweet! So when should we go?”

Apple Bloom smiled, “Lets get up really early tomorrow morning and go when the sun rises. We'll explore them, get our cutie marks, and be back before lunch.”

The three fillies looked at one another and nodded, each one smiling excitedly at their friends. Silently they left the Library, hurrying to their clubhouse to plan out what supplies they would need for the next great adventure.

Author's Notes:

Hey guys, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. It actually came together fairly quickly which caught me off guard. I hope the next one does as well, but I hope I haven't missed anything and caused glaring plot holes. I can say that in the next chapter things will be heating up for our hero and heroines...take that how you want.

As always I want to thank you for taking time to read my work and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Please feel free to comment and review the story.

Finally, one last thing. I've had a lot of people ask me about possibly inserting their O.C.'s into the story and I have to be honest, I don't think I can do that. Here's why. I don't feel that I could properly write the character in the manner in which the creator would intend, and as such, I could end up just wrecking that character for them. I don't want to do that. So I propose a counter offer, I will let Grevin be used in stories by people if they want, but I do ask to be given a heads up about it. The reason for that is because I know I'm going to want to read it.

Before I go, here is a link to a song I used as inspiration for Grevin's campfire background story scene that was written many many chapters ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M5lZdwOicw

Again, thanks for reading my work, and please comment. Have a great day. Until then, Brony on. /)*(\ -Grev